Reading a textbook is not necessarily anyone’s favorite part of taking classes. For the most part the books are completely humorless, go into minute detail, and lack the interest factor. As you read, you want to make sure that you highlight the important parts so that you don’t have to skim back over each and every sentence looking for the information that you need. How do you determine what needs to be highlighted? It is a fine balance between what is necessary and what is just extra fluff.
You may have seen other students with almost every line of every chapter highlighted. This isn’t going to do much good if you just want to draw attention to a few facts and statements. As you read, think about what information could potentially be on the next test. Look for important dates, discoveries, and people. Look for statements that summarize what the entire chapter or heading is about. If you are working with a math or science textbook you might see formulas or example equations that you know you are going to come back to, go ahead and highlight them.
Choose the color wisely before you begin to highlight. If you really want to avoid taking notes and just want to use the textbook as your main resource for study consider taking an extra step when highlighting. Maybe all of the important dates are marked in yellow, the important people in pink, and the statements or facts in blue. No matter what the subject of study, highlighting can be a helpful tool when used correctly.
