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18.4: The Reading Cycle- Stages and Strategies

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    434472
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    This active, critical reading occurs during the reading cycle. Each stage of the cycle, as illustrated in the image below, has a distinct purpose and is interconnected. In other words, you can learn how to manage college-level reading by learning which skills to employ during different stages of reading. The cycle moves in a circle because a reader often returns to previous stages, using whatever strategy is needed. Learn and establish new habits of using specific strategies during each stage to become a better reader and writer. In the graphic below, the reading strategies described in this chapter are linked to the stage in the reading cycle where readers often use them. 

    Stages of the Reading Cycle

    1.  Before Reading: Prepare to read by pre-reading, previewing, chunking text, and asking questions
    2. During Reading: Read actively and critically by annotating, asking critical questions, seeking main ideas, and taking good notes such as Cornell notes
    3. After Reading: In a reading journal, summarize, outline, make inferences, and prepare to discuss
    4. On to Writing: Use notes and annotations from your reading strategies in your essays.

    This image shows the steps of the reading cycle and has the same text as the list under the "Stages of the Reading Cycle" header 

     


    This page titled 18.4: The Reading Cycle- Stages and Strategies was last modified on Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:15:46 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by The Butler Community College English Department.