College Reading and Study Skills

For courses in Intermediate Reading or Reading and Study Skills.

Presents reading and studying as inseparable skills, key to success in college and beyond

College Reading and Study Skills provides complete coverage of both reading and study skills while demonstrating their relationship and interdependency. The "McWhorter Way" encourages students to approach reading and study skills as methods of selecting, processing, and organizing the information to be learned. The text also covers time management, analysis of learning style, note-taking strategies, improving vocabulary, and strengthening critical comprehension–elements crucial to student success.

The 14th Edition revises and expands its coverage of the digital age in the context of reading and study; it features a stronger emphasis on discipline-specific college reading and expanded coverage of critical thinking. The thematic reader now covers non-traditional addictions and discrimination.

Also available with MyLab Reading 

By combining trusted author content with digital tools and a flexible platform, MyLab Reading personalizes the learning experience and improves results for each student. 

Kathleen T. McWhorter is the author of more than a dozen textbooks designed to help students succeed in college. Born in a rural farm community in Upstate New York, she went on to receive her EdD from SUNY Buffalo. For 34 years, she taught at Niagara County Community College in Sanborn, NY, where she is a professor emerita of humanities. Through her textbooks, Dr. McWhorter has helped an estimated 5, students improve their reading, writing, and critical-thinking skills. 

For more information on Kathleen’s Reading and Writing Series, visit the McWhorter Way series page. She also encourages interaction and discourse in the education community on her LinkedIn page.  

I: BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS

Success Workshops: 

1. Read and Learn Online 

2. Manage Your Electronic Life 

1. First Steps to Academic Success 

Establishing Goals and Managing Your Valuable Time 

Analyzing Your Learning Style 

Understanding Your Instructors’ Teaching Styles 

Meeting Your Instructors’ Expectations 

Developing Active Learning Strategies 

Thinking Critically 

• Using College Textbooks: Keeping Track of and Analyzing Reading Assignments
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

2. Taking Notes in Class 

Sharpening Your Listening Skills 

Preparing for a Class Lecture 

How to Take Lecture Notes 

How to Edit Your Notes 

How to Study Your Notes 

• Using College Textbooks: Taking Notes on Textbook Readings
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

3. Communicating in the Classroom 

Listening Critically 

Asking and Answering Questions 

Participating in Class Discussions 

Working on Collaborative Activities 

Making Oral Presentations 

Communicating with Your Professors 

• Using College Textbooks: Preparing for Class Discussions
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

II: USING COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS

Success Workshops:

3. Work with New Course Formats: Online, Hybrid, and Flipped Courses 

4. Strengthen Your Concentration 

4. Identify and Organize What to Learn 

Paraphrasing 

Highlighting 

Marking a Textbook 

Organizing by Outlining 

Summarizing: Condensing Ideas 

Mapping: A Visual Means of Organizing Ideas 

Avoiding Plagiarism 

• Using College Textbooks: Knowing What Is Important and Identifying Supporting Details 

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

5. Learning and Memory 

Forgetting 

An Overview of the Learning and Memory Process 

Learning Strategies 

Review 

• Using College Textbooks: Deciding What to Learn
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

III: ESSENTIAL READING SKILLS

Success Workshop:

5. Improve Your Reading Rate and Flexibility 

6. Active Reading Strategies 

Previewing and Predicting Before Reading 

Discovering What You Already Know 

Defining Your Purposes for Reading 

Checking Your Comprehension as You Read 

Strengthening Your Comprehension of Text 

Reviewing After Reading 

Strengthening Your Comprehension of Visual Aids 

A Classic System for Active Reading: SQ3R 

• Using College Textbooks: Reading Difficult Textbooks
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

7. Expanding Your Vocabulary 

General Approaches to Vocabulary Expansion 

A Strategy for Learning Unfamiliar Words 

Using Context Clues 

Analyzing Word Parts 

Using Reference Sources 

Learning Specialized Terminology 

Systems for Learning Vocabulary 

• Using College Textbooks: Locating Word Meanings
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

8. Understanding Paragraphs 

Three Essential Elements of a Paragraph 

How to Identify the Topic 

How to Find the Main Idea 

Where to Find the Topic Sentence 

Recognizing Details 

Transitions 

Unstated Main Ideas 

• Using College Textbooks: Locating Main Ideas
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

9. Following Thought Patterns 

The Organization of Textbook Chapters 

Types of Supporting Information 

Recognizing Organizational Patterns 

• Using College Textbooks: Identifying Patterns
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

IV: THINKING CRITICALLY AS YOU READ

Success Workshop:

6. Build Your Information Literacy and Recognize Fake News 

10. Evaluating the Author’s Message 

Making Inferences as You Read 

Evaluating Author and Source Credibility 

Evaluating Internet Sources 

Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion 

Identifying the Author’s Purpose 

Being Alert for Bias 

Analyzing the Author’s Tone 

Analyzing Arguments 

 Evaluating Data and Evidence 

Thinking Critically about Graphics 

• Using College Textbooks: Critical Thinking Questions
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

11. Evaluating Authors’ Techniques 

Paying Attention to Connotative Language 

Examining Figurative Language 

Watching for Missing and Misleading Information 

Being Alert for Generalizations 

Examining the Author’s Assumptions 

Watching for Manipulative Language 

• Using College Textbooks: Using Critical Thinking Features
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

V: STRATEGIES FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Success Workshops:

7. Think Critically About College Course Content 

8. Manage Stress 

12. Reading and Thinking Critically in Academic Disciplines 

Expanding Your Critical Thinking Abilities in Academic Disciplines 

What Are the Social Sciences? 

What Are the Life and Physical Sciences? 

What Is Mathematics? 

What Do Literature and the Humanities Study? 

What Are the Career Fields? 

• Using College Textbooks: Expanding Your Knowledge to Other Disciplines
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

13. Preparing for Exams 

Organizing Your Study and Review 

Identifying What to Study 

Analyzing and Synthesizing Information 

Reviewing for Objective and Essay Exams 

Preparing for Self-Testing 

• Using College Textbooks: Using In-Chapter Self-Test Questions
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

14. Taking Exams 

 General Suggestions for Taking Exams 

Hints for Taking Objective Exams 

Hints for Taking Standardized Tests 

Hints for Taking Essay Exams 

Controlling Test Anxiety 

• Using College Textbooks: Using Headings to Create Practice Tests
  

Self-Test Summary 

Applying Your Skills: Using the Sample Textbook Chapter  • Analyzing a Study Situation • Working on Collaborative Projects 

Quick Quiz 

VI: THEMATIC READINGS

THEME A: Non-Traditional Addictions 

A-1   The Netflix Addiction: Why Our Brains Keep Telling Us to Press Play 

A-2   Textbook Excerpt: Addictive Consumption 

A-3   A Food Addiction Has Defined My Entire Life. And It Is Slowly Killing Me 

Making Connections  • What Do You Think? 

THEME B: Discrimination 

B-1   Years After 9/11, Anti-Muslim Bigotry Is Worse Than Ever 

B-2   Textbook Excerpt: Racial Profiling and Biased Policing 

B-3   Singled Out: Are Unmarried People Discriminated Against? 

Making Connections  • What Do You Think? 

THEME C: Controversies in Science 

C-1   Shades of Grey in the Ethics of Designer Babies 

C-2   The Ocean’s Plastic Problem 

C-3   Textbook Excerpt: Some Possible Consequences of Global Warming 

Making Connections  • What Do You Think? 

VII: SAMPLE TEXTBOOK CHAPTER: TEXTBOOK READING AND WRITING

Preparing for the Lecture 

Reading the Assignment 

Sociology Chapter Excerpt: Race and Ethnicity 

Reviewing the Reading Assignment 

Attending the Lecture and Participating in Class 

Writing About the Reading 

Taking Quizzes 

Taking the Exam 

Credits 

Index 

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

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