Rather than focusing on, or worrying about, what you don’t know, strive to draw from information and knowledge you already have. Building on what you currently know can help you establish and strengthen connections between old and new knowledge.

Before you begin to read the material, take a moment to go through the text. For example, the material may contain tables, charts, or even major headings that will give you a general idea of what to expect. This will also give you an idea of what topics or general ideas to consider when reading the material and will help you identify major points.

If you are being asked to read material for an assignment, consider what the assignment is asking you to do. Carefully read through and ensure that you understand the instructions of your assignment and try to identify any questions or ideas that you need to look for when you read the material.

In addition to understanding the reading material, using a dictionary can help you understand the meaning of new words and help you expand your vocabulary. Using these words will allow you to recognize and understand other sentences where the words are used and help you remember the word in your own vocabulary.

Graphs, charts, maps, timelines, and other drawings can help you to organize your information and make it easier to see the connections between ideas.

Determine how much you will read (for example, one section or chapter) at a time and summarize what you know when your finish that bit of reading. Ask yourself if you can give a very short summary of what you have read, focusing on major points and highlighting key words.