How to Read your World History Textbook:

Reading a history textbook is much different then reading a novel. You read your textbook in order to acquire new information. Using the steps below will help you to maximize your understanding of informational texts.

1st- Take Note of the Title of the Section in blue. This will let you know what you will be reading about. Throughout the section there will also be subtitles in red. Take note of these as well as they will further breakdown what you are reading.

2nd- Look at the objectives on the left side of the page. This will tell you what you should be learning.

(Ex: Describe the characteristics of the Renaissance and understand why it began in Italy. If at the end of the section you can answer what the characteristics are and why it began in Italy, then you understood what you read. If you can’t, you should go back and review until you can answer it.)

3rd-Start reading. Again pay attention to the subtitles. As you read you will notice that there are words in blue. These words are your Key Terms/People/Places of the section. These are important terms to know. After you read the paragraph that a term is in, you should write down the term and its definition in your OWN words. Doing this will help you to remember each key term and its significance.

4th-Once you get to the end of a mini-section; there will be a checkpoint question. Read the question. If you can answer it, then move on. If you can’t answer it, go back and reread the section.

5th-Summarize-After you can answer the checkpoint question; create a summary of what you just read. Being able to condense what you just read will be crucial when you take notes.

6th-Once you finish reading the entire section, look at the Section Assessment questions. Read through each question and answer it to yourself. If you can answer each question without a problem, then you comprehend the material you’ve just read. If you can’t answer certain questions, go back and reread the section that material is in.

7th-Make connections! How does the material covered connect to the past or present? Why is this material relevant?

(Ex: Start of WWIIconnects toEnd of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles)

8th-Congratulations! You have now successfully read through a section of your World History book! Following the aforementioned steps will help you to remember the material you read!