Reading and Writing Skills
Finding the main meaning in a difficult passage
A step-by-step method for finding the main meaning of a hard reading passage: reread with a purpose, work out unknown words from context and summarize each part.
The collection
Reading and Writing Skills
Reading texts with more purpose and writing clear school assignments, from summaries and essays to structuring an argument and fixing common writing errors.
Reading and Writing Skills
How to read a textbook chapter with purpose
Preview a chapter's structure, turn its headings into questions, mark the key ideas in each section and finish with a short review of what you learned.
Reading and Writing Skills
Structuring a school essay from first draft to final
A clear school essay depends on structure. Learn to build a defensible thesis, outline the argument, shape each paragraph and revise the order before polishing sentences.
Reading and Writing Skills
Summarizing a text in your own words
Identify the key ideas in a text, paraphrase them without copying and check the summary against the source. These steps produce a summary that shows real understanding.
Reading and Writing Skills
Typical writing errors in school work and how to fix them
Recurring writing problems in school assignments, including unclear sentences, unsupported claims and small grammar slips, with checks, proofreading habits and a personal error log.