{"id":1835,"date":"2016-09-19T17:56:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T17:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1835"},"modified":"2016-09-26T18:21:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-26T18:21:00","slug":"reading-quantitative-text","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/chapter\/reading-quantitative-text\/","title":{"raw":"Text: Reading Quantitative Texts","rendered":"Text: Reading Quantitative Texts"},"content":{"raw":"Recall from the Active Learning\u00a0section\u00a0that effective reading requires more engagement\u00a0than just reading the words on the\u00a0page. Reading a quantitative math text effectively uses\u00a0the same skills as reading any academic text effectively. It's still a good idea to\u00a0do things\u00a0like circle key words, write notes, and reflect.\u00a0You can still employ the same steps that were presented previously:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Preview<\/strong>: You can gain insight from\u00a0an academic text before you even begin\u00a0the reading assignment. In the section about preparing for lecture, you were encouraged to preview the material associated with the day's lesson. In this way, previewing serves you in two ways.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Read<\/strong>: While you read a math\u00a0text, you should have a pen or pencil\u00a0in hand. Circle or highlight key concepts, definitions, or examples. Write questions or comments in the margins or in a notebook.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Summarize<\/strong>: After you read a math\u00a0text, it's worth taking the time to write a short summary\u2014even if your instructor doesn't require it. The exercise of jotting down a few\u00a0definitions or examples can help to solidify new ideas and help you when you do homework or study for a test.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Review<\/strong>: It always helps to revisit what you've read for a quick refresher. It may not be practical to thoroughly reread assignments from start to finish, but before class discussions or tests, it's a good idea to skim through them to identify the main points, reread any notes at the ends of chapters, and review any summaries you've written.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Get to Know the\u00a0Conventions<\/h2>\r\nMath\u00a0texts may be organized in a way\u00a0that is new to you. They are full of symbols and notation, and not as much text as other subjects. A few important features make up a math text. These include\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>definitions<\/li>\r\n \t<li>examples<\/li>\r\n \t<li>descriptions of notation<\/li>\r\n \t<li>text<\/li>\r\n \t<li>graphs<\/li>\r\n \t<li>tables<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nYou may be tempted to skip over examples or boxes with definitions in them when you are reading a math text and just get to the \"regular\" text part. BEWARE! Most of the important information in a math text is in the definitions, examples, and notation. Notation is very important to most college math instructors, so take the time to pay attention to how mathematical ideas and processes are written.\r\n<h2>Look up and Keep Track of Unfamiliar\u00a0Notation and Definitions<\/h2>\r\nIf you don't understand a definition or how it is applied, make note of your confusion. \u00a0You can circle an example or the definition, or write it in your notes. Ask for help to clarify your confusion. Try rewriting mathematical expressions or equations as words if you are confused by them.\u00a0Remember that being confused is probably the most important part of learning: it means that you know where to focus your learning strategies!\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/26142944\/4423603081_2e1f7084be_z.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2215\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/26142944\/4423603081_2e1f7084be_z.jpg\" alt=\"Young man holding a page with a red pi symbol in one hand, and tossing pages with numbers on them from the other hand\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a>Look for Main Ideas and Themes<\/h2>\r\nRather than presenting ideas with a thesis statement, then supporting them with examples and discussion, a math text will present a mathematical definition or classification, and support it with examples. As a college student, you are not expected to understand every single word or idea presented in a reading, especially if you haven't discussed it in class yet. However, you will get more out of class or homework practice\u00a0if you can identify the main concepts in a reading.\r\n<h2>Pay Attention to Visual Information<\/h2>\r\nMath texts present a numerous\u00a0graphs, tables, charts, and images. These items\u00a0contain valuable information to help you more deeply grasp a topic. Graphs can show a visual representation of a mathematical rule or equation. Tables can help you see trends or describe relationships.\r\n\r\nData-rich graphics can take longer to \"read\" than the text around them because they present a lot of information in a condensed form. \u00a0Give yourself plenty of time to study these items, as they often provide new and lasting insights that are easy to recall later (like in the middle of an exam on that topic!).","rendered":"<p>Recall from the Active Learning\u00a0section\u00a0that effective reading requires more engagement\u00a0than just reading the words on the\u00a0page. Reading a quantitative math text effectively uses\u00a0the same skills as reading any academic text effectively. It&#8217;s still a good idea to\u00a0do things\u00a0like circle key words, write notes, and reflect.\u00a0You can still employ the same steps that were presented previously:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Preview<\/strong>: You can gain insight from\u00a0an academic text before you even begin\u00a0the reading assignment. In the section about preparing for lecture, you were encouraged to preview the material associated with the day&#8217;s lesson. In this way, previewing serves you in two ways.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Read<\/strong>: While you read a math\u00a0text, you should have a pen or pencil\u00a0in hand. Circle or highlight key concepts, definitions, or examples. Write questions or comments in the margins or in a notebook.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Summarize<\/strong>: After you read a math\u00a0text, it&#8217;s worth taking the time to write a short summary\u2014even if your instructor doesn&#8217;t require it. The exercise of jotting down a few\u00a0definitions or examples can help to solidify new ideas and help you when you do homework or study for a test.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Review<\/strong>: It always helps to revisit what you&#8217;ve read for a quick refresher. It may not be practical to thoroughly reread assignments from start to finish, but before class discussions or tests, it&#8217;s a good idea to skim through them to identify the main points, reread any notes at the ends of chapters, and review any summaries you&#8217;ve written.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Get to Know the\u00a0Conventions<\/h2>\n<p>Math\u00a0texts may be organized in a way\u00a0that is new to you. They are full of symbols and notation, and not as much text as other subjects. A few important features make up a math text. These include<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>definitions<\/li>\n<li>examples<\/li>\n<li>descriptions of notation<\/li>\n<li>text<\/li>\n<li>graphs<\/li>\n<li>tables<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You may be tempted to skip over examples or boxes with definitions in them when you are reading a math text and just get to the &#8220;regular&#8221; text part. BEWARE! Most of the important information in a math text is in the definitions, examples, and notation. Notation is very important to most college math instructors, so take the time to pay attention to how mathematical ideas and processes are written.<\/p>\n<h2>Look up and Keep Track of Unfamiliar\u00a0Notation and Definitions<\/h2>\n<p>If you don&#8217;t understand a definition or how it is applied, make note of your confusion. \u00a0You can circle an example or the definition, or write it in your notes. Ask for help to clarify your confusion. Try rewriting mathematical expressions or equations as words if you are confused by them.\u00a0Remember that being confused is probably the most important part of learning: it means that you know where to focus your learning strategies!<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/26142944\/4423603081_2e1f7084be_z.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2215\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/26142944\/4423603081_2e1f7084be_z.jpg\" alt=\"Young man holding a page with a red pi symbol in one hand, and tossing pages with numbers on them from the other hand\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a>Look for Main Ideas and Themes<\/h2>\n<p>Rather than presenting ideas with a thesis statement, then supporting them with examples and discussion, a math text will present a mathematical definition or classification, and support it with examples. As a college student, you are not expected to understand every single word or idea presented in a reading, especially if you haven&#8217;t discussed it in class yet. However, you will get more out of class or homework practice\u00a0if you can identify the main concepts in a reading.<\/p>\n<h2>Pay Attention to Visual Information<\/h2>\n<p>Math texts present a numerous\u00a0graphs, tables, charts, and images. These items\u00a0contain valuable information to help you more deeply grasp a topic. Graphs can show a visual representation of a mathematical rule or equation. Tables can help you see trends or describe relationships.<\/p>\n<p>Data-rich graphics can take longer to &#8220;read&#8221; than the text around them because they present a lot of information in a condensed form. \u00a0Give yourself plenty of time to study these items, as they often provide new and lasting insights that are easy to recall later (like in the middle of an exam on that topic!).<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1835\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>College Success. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Image of man with pi. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Joey Yee. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/7JU85D\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/7JU85D<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":21,"menu_order":22,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"College Success\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of man with pi\",\"author\":\"Joey Yee\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/7JU85D\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"cd4153b7-424e-4214-ba06-890e982ff4d5, 00abcf57-276d-4ebc-8fc6-58c5c11dc5a1","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1835","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":133,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2216,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1835\/revisions\/2216"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/133"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1835\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1835"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1835"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}