Page 322

Before Reading

When you read nonfiction, you should always preview the text first. Previewing gives you a general idea of what an article or a book is about. It gets your mind ready for the new information you’ll be learning.

Tips for Previewing

1. Review the basic parts of the text.

That means looking at the beginning, middle, and ending. The beginning introduces the topic; the middle gives more information about it; and the ending repeats or summarizes the main idea about the topic.

2. Predict what the text is about.

To make an accurate prediction, you need to look at the title and first paragraph. You should also look at the headings, graphs, illustrations, and other cues. (See the sample cue chart below for the article starting on page 326.) Also look over any questions at the end of each chapter.