Part 1: Pre-reading Process
To complete this part of the project, select two of the example narratives. Do not read the narratives yet, just open them on your computer:
- “In Giving I Connect with Others” by Isabella Allende
- “Never Give Up” by Mary Curran Hackett
- “Getting Angry Can Be a Good Thing” by Cecilia Munoz
- “The Power of Hello” by Howard White
When you are ready to settle in with a text, it is a good idea to begin with “pre-reading.” With pre-reading, you will turn into a temporary detective, examining the text for visual clues as to its meaning. Here is how it is done:
STEP 1: START BY READING AND CONSIDERING THE TITLE
Read the titles of the two “This I Believe” essays, that you have selected from the list above. You should carefully consider the titles because good titles will inform you about the text’s content. It is always nice if titles are also interesting, catchy, or even clever, but the most important job of a title is to let the reader know what is coming and what the text will be about. The title should, hopefully, give you clues to the content. (Keep this in mind when you are writing your own titles.)
STEP 2: REFLECT ON WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SUBJECT
Before you start reading, reflect on what you already know about the subject. This is called prior knowledge. Even if you think you do not know anything about the subject, this step helps put you in the right mindset to accept new material.
To reflect on your knowledge, answer the following questions:
- What do you know about narrative writing? For example, what should a narrative contain? What is the difference between a good story and a bad story?
- Describe examples of stories you have enjoyed. (Consider short stories, novels, television shows, films, comics, etc.) What do you like about these stories?
- Describe any challenges or struggles you have experienced with writing sentences and paragraphs. How do you feel about writing in general? How do you feel about grammar and punctuation? What are some of your challenges with writing?
STEP 3: LOOK AT THE AUTHOR’S NAME
On printed texts such as books and articles, the author’s name is usually included on the cover or at the top of the text. With electronic sources such as websites and blogs, the author’s name may be included at the top of the web page or at the end of the text. You may have to search for an author’s name on electronic sources, or if no author’s name is included, look for the company or organization that created the text.
Have you heard of the author? Do you know anything about them? Sometimes you will find a short bio about the author at the beginning or end of a text. You can always Google the author (or company or organization) to look for more details.
STEP 4: Read the Introduction
After working through the above suggestions, read the introduction. In a narrative piece, the introduction may be the first one to two paragraphs of the piece. Reading the introduction should help you pre-read to see if you can figure out the main purpose of the text. In other words, look for the global or central idea. What do you think the essay will describe? What will you learn by reading the piece?
Next Part of the Project
Now, you are ready to dive in and actually read the text completely. Your pre-reading has given you an overall picture of what to expect and helped you build a schema (or a plan) of what the author wants you to know at the end of the reading. If the pre-reading has worked well, giving you clues to the text’s content, your actual in-depth reading will be easier and more effective, and you will begin reading with curiosity, which is a great way to start!
Move ahead to learn about active reading and annotation.
Licenses and Attributions
CC Licensed Content, Shared Previously:
- The content on this page was adapted from Part 1: Working with Texts, The Word on College Reading and Writing; by Monique Babin, Carol Burnell, Susan Pesznecker, Rose Rosevear, and Jaime Wood, license: CC BY-NC 4.0
