Reading and interpreting are skills that are central to the successful study of history and other subjects. Reading skills can be improved by using the study strategies discussed in this section. The more you read, the better your reading skills become. The better your reading gets, the more that you will remember, so always thoroughly read the content you have been assigned.

Strategy #1:
Preview chapters and units before you start reading. History textbooks tend to have lots of resources like timelines and graphic organizers to help you study the people and events in the section or chapter. Preview these before you start reading, it will help you retain the information better.

Strategy #2:
As you are reading, write down main ideas, important people, and dates. Here is an example of how to take good notes.

1. Main Idea (Battle of Gettysburg)
1. Supporting Detail (Who was involved?)
2. Supporting Detail (Who won?)
1. minor detail (dates of battle)
2. minor detail (location of battle)

The better organized your notes are, the more you will understand and the better you will do on papers, tests, and other projects/assignments.

Strategy #3:
At the end of the chapter or section, compare your notes to the text, review the visuals (pictures, timelines, charts, and maps), and make any corrections. Look through the review materials such as vocabulary words and questions. Is there anything that you don't know or are unclear about? If so, go back into the content and review that material.