Keeping a Reading Log

By Richard Olson*

Reading assignments form the foundation of many courses. They provide gist for discussions and starting points for writing exercises. To fully participate in reading-intensive classes, you must complete the readings on time, and retain and understand what you read.

One strategy for reading texts fully and committing the substance of your reading to memory is to keep a reading log. To do so, you will need a 3-ring, loose-leaf notebook dedicated to this use.

Whenever you do an assigned reading, take notes in your notebook as follows:_

1. Date each entry and note the author; book, chapter or essay title, and the pages read.

2. Quickly preview the reading, mentally noting the main idea and any obvious key points.

3. Read the assignment carefully, looking up any words whose meaning isn’t clear, going back over any passages that don’t make sense, and making sure that you understand the text.

4. As you read, take notes, writing the key points made by the author, any particularly important facts that are presented, the meaning of words that you look up, and questions that occur to you as you read. Describe any connections that you discover between this reading and prior readings, lectures, or discussions. When your comments apply to specific passages in the text, note the page number so you can find the passage quickly. At the end of each main section of the reading, write a one- or two-sentence summary of the content and message of the section.

5. When you have finished reading and taking notes, close the text and read your notes. In doing so, ask yourself if you can recall the reading in enough detail to take part in a class discussion. If you find gaps in your knowledge or understanding, re-read the relevant sections in the text, taking additional notes as needed.

6. Bring your reading log to every class. You can refer to your reading notes during discussions adding to the log during class with notes on discussions and lectures and with in-class writing assignments. Thisprocess will collect all the information on a topic in one place, which will make it easier to identify connections among different sources and to review for exams.

7. Number the pages in the notebook as you go, and include your last name with the page number (e.g., Olson – 10). If you later remove sections of your log, page numbers will make it easy to put it back in order.

While keeping a reading log may seem time-consuming, the time saved in studying for exams and the benefit of increased retention more than compensates.

*Based on work by Jackie Betts and Libby Jones

Example of Reading Log notes:

February 1, 2000

Wendell Berry, Christianity and the Survival of Creation, pages 93-96 in Sex, Economy, Freedom and Community begins by describing a problem: That Christianity is often blamed for the destruction of the natural world, and that many believe that Christianity is useless in remedying the destruction.

Christianity does bear some responsibility (p. 94)

-- Missionaries have participated in the destruction of many cultures

-- Modern Christians are often full participants in and supporters of the industrial culture and its destruction of creation

But, anti-Christian environmentalists often have not read the Bible (pp. 94-95)

-- Without careful reading of the Bible, you can’t give legitimate criticism nor effective defense

-- In Berry’s reading of the Bible, he sees some major differences between what the Bible instructs with regard to the treatment of creation, and how most Christians behave

We can’t just ignore Christianity as we try to find ways to solve our ecological problems; many people are Christians and their values and actions are influenced by Christianity; it is the starting point for much of the world in addressing environmental problems (p. 95)

Summary – Although it hasn’t been in the past, Christianity has the potential to serve as the foundation of a sustainable society.

Center for Transformative Learning

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