Introduction to Specialized Reading Strategies

What you’ll learn to do: utilize specialized reading strategies

The reading process discussed earlier in this module applies to any kind of reading you’ll do for school. Beyond the general strategies of previewing, active reading, annotating, summarizing, and reviewing, however, you’ll find that specific types of reading will place specific demands on you.

Examine the three items below. All are typical of types of reading you’ll need to do in different college classes you take. As you can see, they each require a different set of skills to read and interpret correctly.

Reading #1: Graphs

Throughput

Analyze this chart showing a typical throughput structure of income (sales) and expenses. TVC stands for total variable cost, OE are operating expenses, NP is net profit, and T represents throughput.

3D graph measuring "Throughput Structure" on the vertical axis and % of Sales on the horizontal axis.

Figure 1. Chart of an example of Throughput Accounting structure.

Reading #2: Science Courses

Signaling in Yeast

Yeasts are single-celled eukaryotes; therefore, they have a nucleus and organelles characteristic of more complex life forms. Comparisons of the genomes of yeasts, nematode worms, fruit flies, and humans illustrate the evolution of increasingly-complex signaling systems that allow for the efficient inner workings that keep humans and other complex life forms functioning correctly.

The components and processes found in yeast signals are similar to those of cell-surface receptor signals in multicellular organisms. Budding yeasts are able to participate in a process that is similar to sexual reproduction that entails two haploid cells combining to form a diploid cell. In order to find another haploid yeast cell that is prepared to mate, budding yeasts secrete a signaling molecule called mating factor. When mating factor binds to cell-surface receptors in other yeast cells that are nearby, they stop their normal growth cycles and initiate a cell signaling cascade that includes protein kinases and GTP-binding proteins that are similar to G-proteins.

Reading #3: Math Courses

Identify the difference between the graph of a linear equation and linear inequality

Recall that solutions to linear inequalities are whole sets of numbers, rather than just one number, like you find with solutions to equalities (equations).

Here is an example from the section on solving linear inequalities:

Solve for p. [latex]4p+5<29[/latex] [latex]\displaystyle \begin{array}{l}4p+5<\,\,\,29\\\underline{\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,-5\,\,\,\,\,\,\,-5}\\\underline{4p}\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,<\,\,\underline{24}\,\,\\4\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,4\\\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,p<6\end{array}[/latex] You can interpret the solution as p can be any number less than six. Now recall that we can graph equations of lines by defining the outputs, y, and the inputs, x, and writing an equation.

The pages in this section will offer targeted advice for approaching different categories of the text and images you’ll encounter.