Highlighting Gone Wild!

Do you highlighters a little too much, Middle Schoolers? Do your class notes, teacher handouts, and textbook pages look as if they were attacked by an out-of control highlighter? Here's how to highlight the super important stuff--about 20-30 percent of what you read: 

Before you highlight:

• Skim all the material first to get a sense of it.

• Read all the boldface headings. (Headings give you a head's up to main ideas.)

• Read any summaries in your notes, handouts, or textbook. (Some phrases that clue you in:  “In summary,” “In the end,” “The most important.")

• Read end-of-chapter questions in textbooks. (Mizz C. knows this sounds backwards, but she wouldn't steer you wrong. End-of-chapter questions tell you what main ideas to look for when you do your closer reading with your highlighter.)

Now get out your bright and shiny highlighters:*

• Go back to the beginning of the material and start reading slowly. 

• Highlight only information that backs up the headings or answers end-of-chapter questions.

• Highlight need-to-know words that are not boldfaced. 

(*If you're not allowed to highlight in your textbooks, take chapter notes instead. Then highlight those.) 

You may pack up your highlighters and go fly a kite now.