Welcome back everyone!
We all have those classes where the teacher assigns long readings in the textbook that you literally cannot force yourself to read… and we all procrastinate or try to find ways to avoid doing that reading. I’ve been there, and I’m still there- that’s why I figured I would make this simple yes or no guide to whether you really need to do the suggested reading.
Note that this is for reading that is not completely required- if you have to read a book for English, I would DEFINITELY recommend that you do it. You can always use SparkNotes and similar summary sites if you’re in a time crunch, but reading for English is what ultimately helps you understand the book and later analyze it in essays.
YES, you should do the reading if…
- It’s not long
- You have time
- The teacher hints the material will be on the test
- The class is lecture-based and the text will help you understand the lecture
- You’re expected to take notes on it
- Reading actually helps you learn
- You can easily learn the information elsewhere/through summaries
NO, you shouldn’t bother doing the reading if…
- It’s unreasonably long
- You don’t have time
- You don’t need to take notes
- It’s supposed to be your suggested form of “studying” – other methods are more effective!
- The class isn’t lecture-based and you do other, more stimulating activities in class
- Reading doesn’t help you and you won’t be fully paying attention
- It’s complex and can’t be learned through summaries/other shortcut methods
I know this is a short post, but I wanted to make a straight-forward guide that would help you guys answer this age-old question. My AP Euro teacher always suggests that we read the textbook chapter correlating with our current unit, but I only do it if I have time since it’s just a mini-review of everything we discuss in class, only in more technical terms and a more boring textbook format.
-Brooke
adventures of a typical high school student 