Noteworthy: Reading Strategies in Practice

Reviewed by Kelly Arney, Dean of Behavioral Sciences, Associate Professor, Grace College and Seminary on 7/1/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This textbook is well-suited for core college classes, particularly those that aim to build foundational academic reading and critical thinking skills. The structure and sequence—from reading strategies to specific genres (informational, narrative, academic)—align with the cognitive demands placed on first-year college students. This could be used for high school-level AP classes equally well. Each chapter builds logically on the previous, helping students scaffold their skills effectively. The glossary at the end is a nice review. The author also bolds and provides examples of the main topics and vocabulary terms.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book moves nicely through the chapters building on each other. Chapter 1 introduces the main ideas of reading and reviewing. Each builds on the others. Chapter 5, “The Reading–Writing Connection,” is particularly valuable for college core classes that integrate composition. It helps students move from comprehension to synthesis and analysis, emphasizing the interconnected nature of reading and writing at the college level.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The book’s focus on reading strategies (e.g., annotation, rhetorical reading, vocabulary building, critical reading) makes it pedagogically strong. These metacognitive skills are essential for academic success across disciplines, making the textbook a valuable cross-curricular resource.

Clarity rating: 5

The inclusion of practice readings and exercises (e.g., “What Kind of Reader Are You?”, student response samples, revision examples) allows students to immediately apply what they learn. These opportunities for active engagement support a learning-by-doing model that is highly effective in core general education classes.

Consistency rating: 5

The flow of each chapter is consistent. The examples are demonstrated throughout each chapter to help students see real examples of how to use each skill or term. Each chapter has a consistent layout: foundations, multiple readings with introductions, guiding features like Tip! boxes, a wrap-up, key terms, and licensing. This makes it accessible for students and flexible for instructors to adopt in various teaching formats (online, hybrid, in-person). They build on each other and have reviews at the end to help students go over the terms again.

Modularity rating: 5

Each chapter is broken down into well-defined sections with clear subheadings, which allows instructors to assign smaller, digestible portions of reading. For example, Chapter 1 contains multiple subunits such as “Strategies for Academic Reading,” “Vocabulary-Building Techniques,” and “What to Annotate,” each of which could function independently as a short reading assignment or in-class activity. While the chapters build conceptually from introductory to more advanced skills, they are not overly dependent on each other. For example, Chapter 3 on narrative texts and Chapter 4 on academic articles can be used out of sequence depending on course objectives, such as aligning with a composition unit on personal essays or research papers. This flexibility supports course customization without disrupting the student learning experience.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Readings within the chapters are labeled separately (e.g., Reading 1.1, Reading 2.2), making it easy to pull a specific excerpt without requiring students to read the entire chapter. Each reading is introduced with context and includes its own key concepts, allowing instructors to select and rearrange content without loss of coherence. The text does not overuse self-references to other chapters or pages, which is often a barrier to reordering content. Instead, references are sparing and general (e.g., mentioning that “this builds on strategies introduced earlier”) without requiring the reader to backtrack for comprehension.

Interface rating: 5

The textbook maintains a consistent layout throughout. Chapter titles, subheadings, and reading sections are clearly marked and visually separated, which helps readers navigate the material with ease. They can easily be broken up to weekly assignments. The uniform structure across chapters—including predictable elements such as “Chapter Foundation,” numbered readings, and “Chapter Wrap-Up”—reduces cognitive load and supports intuitive use. n digital formats (e.g., PDF or online OER platforms), navigation is straightforward. Headings and subheadings make it easy to locate specific sections quickly. This makes it well-suited for modular course design, as instructors and students can jump directly to relevant portions of the text without confusion.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Throughout the chapters, the writing is polished and grammatically correct. There are no noticeable issues with subject-verb agreement, punctuation, tense consistency, or sentence fragments. The language is concise and direct, effectively conveying complex reading strategies and instructional concepts without unnecessary jargon. This clarity enhances comprehension, particularly for students developing academic literacy skills.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

No identified insensitive or offensive text.