BAC324: Leadership and Motivation: Choosing your Book

1. Read the front and rear jackets of the book, including information about the author. This can give you a more rounded picture of the book while reading.

2. Always read the title page, introductions, table of contents, prefaces and any notes from the author. These will help familiarize yourself with the content of the book and its origins, the author & his/her credentials, etc.

3. Check to see if there is a glossary, index, or any other information at the back of the book that you can use while you are reading.

4.  Find the right place to read your book. Some people need complete silence while others can read in any environment. Only you know what your best reading environment is, so find it and use it! Many students like to read & study in the library, where there are both areas with some activity and areas that are designated as quiet zones (such as Individual Study Rooms and Couchman Reading Room). You might consider reading outside, in a vehicle, in an empty classroom, in a building lobby, in the Heritage Center cafe, in bed, or anywhere!

Unless otherwise specified, suggestions here have been adapted with permission from: http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/44162

Here are some ground rules for reading. You don't have to do any of these, but don't be afraid to do any of the following. In fact, we encourage it!

It's okay to....

Here are some tips for how to effectively read & prepare for writing your book review & giving your presentation.

Remember, don't write in library copies but make notes in a notebook or online. You can also use Post-it notes/flags to mark particular information or include notes directly in the book. Just remove them before returning the book!  :)

1. Make a note of key information, including vocabulary you don’t understand, significant quotes, references to other works, or any parts of the text relating to themes, significant issues, events, or things you've learned in this (or another) class.

2. Consider journaling about your own reactions and questions you may have. You should come up with your own unique system to note what you think is important, questionable, or worthy of discussion. This will help you prepare for your initial paragraph, outline, and final review/presenation.

3. After you read each chapter, write a summary the main ideas/events from that chapter. Just one or two sentences will help you remember highlights when you review.

4. Make a list of key vocabulary words and definitions from the text (you could do this with Post-its directly in the book). Choose words that are unique to the author/story/culture or advanced vocabulary. You can even create your own index, listing page numbers for important concepts.

Here are some characteristics of a scholarly article:

• Articles written by professors or researchers
• Designed for students, professors, & researchers
• Articles reviewed in-depth by other researchers before publication
• The articles will also contain a bibliography at the end of the article.

• Select the "Peer Reviewed" option when on the Advanced Search Screen
• Another option is to select "Journal Article" as a Publication Type on the Advanced Search