Pre-Reading

Vocabulary

Adult reading skill is based on our experiential vocabulary. We can consciously foster our own reading abilitiy.

If you don't already have a system for keeping and working with vocabulary, you might consider starting one. To do this, designate a separate page or file for significant words to study.

Before doing anything else, write down your idea of what the word means. No one will see this document but you, so don't worry about how accurate you are. The intention here is to bring forth any prior knowledge you have around the term, mentally preparing to compare your current understanding with other uses of the word as they come up, watching the evolution in your understanding. Do this exercise with foundational words in the text even if you are already pretty familiar with them. Often we settle on meaning of words too early and miss greater or subtler nuances.

If you like you could find and add a dictionary or textbook definition of the term to study the word. However, meaning found this way is not as impactful on your consciousness as meaning acquired through usage or in context. The following may be more helpful.

As you read and come across the word, especially in passages that help fill out it's meaning, add the word and its context to your file by copying the sentence or paragraph in which it appears. You could also just list the page number of the entry, depending on what feels most useful to you.

Modify your definition to incorporate new understanding from further exposure to the word.

Try using the word meaningfully in conversation or in writing.

The vocabulary strategy can be maintained throughout all reading and study of the book - or other text. You will find the file useful as you run across the word being used in other context.