Chapter 3 Reading

3.1 Overview: Two types of reading tasks

There seem to be two categories of reading tasks or reading skills that students need to do in response to course documents. The first category is reading, and the second category is reading + doing something. Reading sub-skills or sub-tasks are ordered by their presence across course materials.

3.1.1 Reading

As we all know, students have read a lot of different types of materials during their coursework. Students may or may not do all of this reading, but their materials suggest they have to do many of them.

3.1.1.1 PowerPoint (PPT) slides 25/30

A material that students seem to have to read a lot of is PPT slides in almost all of their courses. A typical PPT slide students encounter might look like…

 BIOL 220

BIOL 1O1, BIOL 220, BIOL 221, BIOL 320, BIOL 321, BIOL 331, BIOL 401, BIOL 441, BIOL 460, CHEM 122, CHEM 124, CHEM 224, CHEM 450, COMH 201, COMP 111, ENGL 213, NUTR 301, PCLN 302, PCLN 303, PSYC 201, PSYC 411, PUBH 302, SSCI 412

3.1.1.2 Schedules 21/30

Of course, students have to read lots of schedules!

SSCI 412

BIOL 101, BIOL 220, BIOL 221, BIOL 320, BIOL 321, BIOL 331, BIOL 401, BIOL 441, BIOL 460, CHEM 224, CHEM 450, ENGL 213, MATH 131, NUTR 301, PCLN 301, PCLN 302, PCLN 303, PSYC 201, PSYC 411, PUBH 302, SSCI 412

3.1.1.3 Tables 18/30

Students have to read text in tables in many course documents.

CHEM 222

BIOL 101, BIOL 220, BIOL 221, BIOL 320, BIOL 321, BIOL 401, BIOL 460, CHEM 122, CHEM 124, CHEM 222, COMH 201, COMP 111, NUTR 301, PCLN 302, PSYC 201, PSYC 411, SSCI 412

3.1.1.4 Figure captions 13/30

Students also read and refer to text in figure captions to make sense of information in graphics.

PSYC 201

BIOL 101, BIOL 220, BIOL 320, BIOL 321, BIOL 331, BIOL 441, BIOL 460, CHEM 122, CHEM 450, COMH 201, NUTR 301, PCLN 302, PSYC 201

3.1.1.5 Formulas 10/30

Formulas appear in many different course documents across courses.

MATH 131

BIOL 221, BIOL 320, BIOL 331, BIOL 401, BIOL 441, CHEM 122, CHEM 124, CHEM 222, CHEM 450, MATH 131

3.1.1.6 Instructions 9/30

Students have to make sense of different types of instructions.

 COMP 111

 1. Rename Sheet1 to Sales
 2. Apply a tab colour of your choice to Sales tab
 3. Use a formula to calculate the total for each quarter
 4. Use a formula to calculate the total for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 5. Create a chart to display sales for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner by quarter
 6. Apply Bold format to Grand Anse Buffalo Burger Franchise
 7. Apply Times New Roman font type to the entire file
 8. Apply Red font colour to the quarter with the highest sales
 9. Upload answer file to Excel Quiz

BIOL 220, BIOL 331, BIOL 401, BIOL 441, BIOL 460, COMP 111, PCLN 302, PCLN 303, PSYC 201, PUBH 302

3.1.1.7 Textbook chapters 8/30

Chapters in textbooks is another common reading document.

NUTR 301

BIOL 101, BIOL 320, BIOL 321, BIOL 460, CHEM 450, NUTR 301, PSYC 411, SSCI 412

3.1.1.8 Scenarios or case studies 7/30

Case studies or scenarios appear in many documents apart from MCQs.

PSYC 201

Case Study 1

Bob started drinking heavily during competitions to “hold one’s liquor” on
Friday nights while he was in university.  His current friends have warned
him that he needs help to stop, but he says he knows he can stop anytime he
wants to on his own.  Secretly, Bob is afraid to try because he’s afraid
he’ll fail. As it now stands, every time he passes a bar, he feels the urge
to have a drink. He almost always gives in. The only time he doesn’t give in
is when he’s with his friends who say that he needs help to stop drinking.

BIOL 101, BIOL 320, BIOL 441, COMH 201, PCLN 302, PCLN 303, PSYC 201

3.1.1.9 Articles or studies 5/30

Articles are a reading material across several courses. Articles might include journal articles or articles from other sources, such as online articles.

PCLN 303

PCLN 302, PCLN 303, PSYC 201, SSCI 412

3.1.1.10 Maps 2/30

Students read and make sense of maps in some courses.

BIOL 321

BIOL 321, PCLN 302

3.1.1.11 Comments in feedback bubbles 1/30

In some courses, students have to read comments in feedback bubbles.

PCLN 303

PCLN 303

3.1.2 Reading + doing

Apart from reading and making sense of text in course documents, another category of reading skill or reading tasks involves students reading and then doing something (a two-way reading task).

3.1.2.1 Read + answer questions 10/30

A frequent two-way reading task involves students’ reading and answering questions… a classic!

BIOL 101

Finally, we introduced the basic vocabulary that will help you speak about
the body in a way that is understood by scientists and healthcare
professionals alike.

Did you ever wonder why an autopsy is performed?

BIOL 101, BIOL 220, BIOL 320, CHEM 122, CHEM 124, CHEM 450, PCLN 301, PCLN 303, PSYC 201, SSCI 412

3.1.2.2 Read + draw or mark graphics 5/30

Students sometimes have to interpret text and then draw or mark a graphic based on information in the text.

BIOL 460

BIOL 220, BIOL 331, BIOL 401, BIOL 460, CHEM 222

3.1.2.3 Read + solve equations or formulas 4/30

Students sometimes have to read text and then solve or balance an equation or formula.

MATH 131

BIOL 401, CHEM 122, CHEM 124, MATH 131

3.1.2.4 Read + calculate values 3/30

Students sometimes have to read something and then calculate values based on information in a text.

PSYC 411

Calculate your BMI using this free online calculator: 
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calcula
tor/bmi_calculator.html

BIOL 401, CHEM 122, CHEM 124, MATH 131

3.1.2.5 Read + annotate text 2/30

Students sometimes have to read and then annotate text.

PCLN 302

BIOL 401, PCLN 302

3.1.2.6 Read + identify key concepts 2/30

Students have to read and identify key concepts in some course documents. Some two-way reading tasks might be no-brainers. That students need to read + identify key concepts is probably an implied two-way reading task across course materials.

BIOL 220

KEY CONCEPTS 

11.1 External signals are converted to responses within the cell
11.2 Reception: A signaling molecule binds to a receptor protein, causing it to change shape
11.3 Transduction: Cascades of molecular interactions relay signals from receptors to target molecules in the cell
11.4 Response: Cell signaling leads to regulation of transcription or cytoplasmic activities
11.5 Apoptosis integrates multiple cell-signaling pathways

BIOL 220, BIOL 321