College Reading and Study Skills, 14th edition

Published by Pearson (January 15, 2019) © 2020

  • Kathleen T. McWhorter Niagara County Community College
  • Brette M. Sember Niagara County Community College

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For courses in intermediate reading (9 to 12 grade level) and reading and study skills.

Presents reading and studying as inseparable skills, key to success in college and beyond

College Reading and Study Skills provides complete coverage of both reading and study skills while demonstrating their interdependency. The "McWhorter Way" encourages students to approach reading and study skills as methods of selecting, processing and organizing the information to be learned.

The 14th Edition revises and expands its coverage of the digital age in the context of reading and study. It features a stronger emphasis on discipline-specific college reading and expanded coverage of critical thinking.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Develops problem-solving skills through case studies. At the start of each chapter students engage in a case-based interactive learning activity that helps illustrate a key chapter concept.
  • Emphasizes writing-to-learn strategies, including paraphrasing, self-testing, outlining, summarizing, mapping, and keeping a learning journal.
  • Creates awareness of metacognition:
    • A focus on students' learning styles helps them identify how they process information and then tailor their reading and studying techniques accordingly.
    • Pre-reading strategies guide students to establish concentration, activate prior knowledge, and define their purpose. When combined, these strategies will strengthen their comprehension and maximize their learning.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: A discipline-specific reading skills chapter (Ch. 12) focuses on social sciences, life and physical sciences, math, literature, the humanities, and careers.
    • 4 types of critical thinking skills key to many academic disciplines are covered; characteristics unique to each discipline are identified; and critical-thinking skills are applied to each discipline.
  • NEW: Critical-thinking skills boxes reflect the relevance of these critical skills to chapter content (e.g., students evaluate their highlighting and previewing, and learn to identify signals writers use to guide their understanding).
  • NEW: Thematic readings in Part 6 include 3 new themes: Theme A considers non-traditional addictions (e.g., Netflix addiction, and exercise addiction); theme B addresses discrimination (e.g., anti-Muslim bigotry, racial-profiling and biased policing); and theme C examines controversies in science (e.g., “Designer Babies” and global warming).
  • NEW: Digital skills coverage includes digital study aids (e.g, electronic time management and note-taking tools) and emphasizes adapting and developing new skills for digital reading, such as strategies to stay focused when reading online.
  • NEW: Fake news is addressed with strategies to identify fake news, assess its risks, and evaluate information sources.

I: BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS

  • Success Workshops:
    1. Read and Learn Online
    2. Manage Your Electronic Life
  1. First Steps to Academic Success
    • Establishing Goals and Managing Your Valuable Time
    • Analyzing Your Learning Style
    • Understanding Your Instructors’ Teaching Styles
    • Meeting Your Instructors’ Expectations
    • Developing Active Learning Strategies
    • Thinking Critically
      • Using College Textbooks: Keeping Track of and Analyzing Reading Assignments
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz
  2. Taking Notes in Class
    • Sharpening Your Listening Skills
    • Preparing for a Class Lecture
    • How to Take Lecture Notes
    • How to Edit Your Notes
    • How to Study Your Notes
      • Using College Textbooks: Taking Notes on Textbook Readings
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz
  3. Communicating in the Classroom
    • Listening Critically
    • Asking and Answering Questions
    • Participating in Class Discussions
    • Working on Collaborative Activities
    • Making Oral Presentations
    • Communicating with Your Professors
      • Using College Textbooks: Preparing for Class Discussions
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz

II: USING COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS

  • Success Workshops:
    1. Work with New Course Formats: Online, Hybrid, and Flipped Courses
    2. Strengthen Your Concentration
  1. Identify and Organize What to Learn
    • Paraphrasing
    • Highlighting
    • Marking a Textbook
    • Organizing by Outlining
    • Summarizing: Condensing Ideas
    • Mapping: A Visual Means of Organizing Ideas
    • Avoiding Plagiarism
      • Using College Textbooks: Knowing What Is Important and Identifying Supporting Details
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz
  2. Learning and Memory
    • Forgetting
    • An Overview of the Learning and Memory Process
    • Learning Strategies
    • Review
      • Using College Textbooks: Deciding What to Learn
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz

III: ESSENTIAL READING SKILLS

  • Success Workshop:
    1. Improve Your Reading Rate and Flexibility
  1. Active Reading Strategies
    • Previewing and Predicting Before Reading
    • Discovering What You Already Know
    • Defining Your Purposes for Reading
    • Checking Your Comprehension as You Read
    • Strengthening Your Comprehension of Text
    • Reviewing After Reading
    • Strengthening Your Comprehension of Visual Aids
    • A Classic System for Active Reading: SQ3R
      • Using College Textbooks: Reading Difficult Textbooks
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz
  2. Expanding Your Vocabulary
    • General Approaches to Vocabulary Expansion
    • A Strategy for Learning Unfamiliar Words
    • Using Context Clues
    • Analyzing Word Parts
    • Using Reference Sources
    • Learning Specialized Terminology
    • Systems for Learning Vocabulary
      • Using College Textbooks: Locating Word Meanings
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz
  3. Understanding Paragraphs
    • Three Essential Elements of a Paragraph
    • How to Identify the Topic
    • How to Find the Main Idea
    • Where to Find the Topic Sentence
    • Recognizing Details
    • Transitions
    • Unstated Main Ideas
      • Using College Textbooks: Locating Main Ideas
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz
  4. Following Thought Patterns
    • The Organization of Textbook Chapters
    • Types of Supporting Information
    • Recognizing Organizational Patterns
      • Using College Textbooks: Identifying Patterns
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz

IV: THINKING CRITICALLY AS YOU READ

  • Success Workshop:
    1. Build Your Information Literacy and Recognize Fake News
  1. Evaluating the Author’s Message
    • Making Inferences as You Read
    • Evaluating Author and Source Credibility
    • Evaluating Internet Sources
    • Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion
    • Identifying the Author’s Purpose
    • Being Alert for Bias
    • Analyzing the Author’s Tone
    • Analyzing Arguments
    • Evaluating Data and Evidence
    • Thinking Critically about Graphics
      • Using College Textbooks: Critical Thinking Questions
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz
  2. Evaluating Authors’ Techniques
    • Paying Attention to Connotative Language
    • Examining Figurative Language
    • Watching for Missing and Misleading Information
    • Being Alert for Generalizations
    • Examining the Author’s Assumptions
    • Watching for Manipulative Language
      • Using College Textbooks: Using Critical Thinking Features
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz

V: STRATEGIES FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

  • Success Workshops:
    1. Think Critically About College Course Content
    2. Manage Stress
  1. Reading and Thinking Critically in Academic Disciplines
    • Expanding Your Critical Thinking Abilities in Academic Disciplines
    • What Are the Social Sciences?
    • What Are the Life and Physical Sciences?
    • What Is Mathematics?
    • What Do Literature and the Humanities Study?
    • What Are the Career Fields?
      • Using College Textbooks: Expanding Your Knowledge to Other Disciplines
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz
  2. Preparing for Exams
    • Organizing Your Study and Review
    • Identifying What to Study
    • Analyzing and Synthesizing Information
    • Reviewing for Objective and Essay Exams
    • Preparing for Self-Testing
      • Using College Textbooks: Using In-Chapter Self-Test Questions
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz
  3. Taking Exams
    • General Suggestions for Taking Exams
    • Hints for Taking Objective Exams
    • Hints for Taking Standardized Tests
    • Hints for Taking Essay Exams
    • Controlling Test Anxiety
      • Using College Textbooks: Using Headings to Create Practice Tests
    • Self-Test Summary
    • Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects
    • Quick Quiz

VI: THEMATIC READINGS

  • THEME A: Non-Traditional Addictions
    • A-1 The Netflix Addiction: Why Our Brains Keep Telling Us to Press Play
    • A-2 Textbook Excerpt: Addictive Consumption
    • A-3 A Food Addiction Has Defined My Entire Life. And It Is Slowly Killing Me
  • Making Connections • What Do You Think?
  • THEME B: Discrimination
    • B-1 Years After 9/11, Anti-Muslim Bigotry Is Worse Than Ever
    • B-2 Textbook Excerpt: Racial Profiling and Biased Policing
    • B-3 Singled Out: Are Unmarried People Discriminated Against?
  • Making Connections • What Do You Think?
  • THEME C: Controversies in Science
    • C-1 Shades of Grey in the Ethics of Designer Babies
    • C-2 The Ocean’s Plastic Problem
    • C-3 Textbook Excerpt: Some Possible Consequences of Global Warming
  • Making Connections • What Do You Think?

VII: SAMPLE TEXTBOOK CHAPTER: TEXTBOOK READING AND WRITING

  • Preparing for the Lecture
  • Reading the Assignment
  • Sociology Chapter Excerpt: Race and Ethnicity
  • Reviewing the Reading Assignment
  • Attending the Lecture and Participating in Class
  • Writing About the Reading
  • Taking Quizzes
  • Taking the Exam

Credits

Index

About our author

Kathleen T. McWhorter is the author of more than a dozen textbooks designed to help students succeed in college. Born in a rural farm community in Upstate New York, she went on to receive her EdD from SUNY Buffalo. For 34 years, she taught at Niagara County Community College in Sanborn, NY, where she is a professor emerita of humanities. Through her textbooks, Dr. McWhorter has helped an estimated 500,000 students improve their reading, writing and critical-thinking skills.

For more information on Kathleen's Reading and Writing Series, visit the McWhorter Way series page. She also encourages interaction and discourse in the education community on her LinkedIn page.

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