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Glossary
Definition of word.
during-reading strategies
dur-ing-read-ing strat-e-gies
During-reading strategies are active reading strategies implemented while reading a book. During-reading strategies are composed of concurrent assignments or activities that will slow the reading process, but will diminish the likelihood that reading does not become a meaningless tasks devoid of comprehension.
Below are some during-reading strategies.
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Date. "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child" (1Co. 13:11). Both children and adults mature in thought by the accumulation of study. The Balancing the Sword books will act as a journal of insights and opinions which will show your progression. Write the date next to each chapter before answering the questions.
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Audio. Many books, especially popular books with expired copyrights, are now available on audio. Some audio books are available for purchase while other audio books are free (e.g., LibriVox). Microsoft provides Narrator and Apple provides VoiceOver which are screen readers for the visually impaired. Both software products will read a book to you if you have a copy of the text on your computer screen. Reading literature that surpasses a reader’s ability is slow, frustrating, and exhausting. Difficult literature hinders the learning process. The reader may commit reading misques without knowing that mistakes have occurred. The absence of correction reinforces bad habits. Monitored reading under a parent, a teacher, or a more advanced reader is not always possible. Using an audio book will perfect your pronunciation, inflection, and speed. (Warning: Do not allow professional readers preclude your own reading of the text.) Professional readers complete the entire Bible in 72 hours. The Bible is available on audio for free and on DVD for purchase. Listen to a chapter of the Bible before attempting to read the text.
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Reread. A simple text on a familiar subject can be easily understood by reading the text once. Complex thoughts on an unfamiliar topic may only be understood after reading the text five times or more. The first reading of a sentence may only conquer the pronunciations. The first reading may only establish the general idea or the text's difficulty. Rereading an individual sentence or paragraph several times may prevent an accumulation of confusion. In other cases, the student may elect to read the text completely knowing that he will commence reread the entire text immediately upon completion. The other active reading strategies that are listed here should diminish the number of times that rereading a text is required. The Bible, especially the KJV, has long and complex sentence structures. (See Bible Translations by Difficulty.) A simple reading through the entire Bible once only establishes a general exposure. After passively reading the entire Bible once, the average reader cannot give a basic summary of the books. Biblical books are merged; stories are forgotten; concepts are missed; and, ideas are misunderstood. If the Bible's text is confusing, reread the chapter.
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Vocabulary. If you do not recognize a word, you might miss the intended meaning of the author. Each new vocabulary word that you add to your learning, the more you will strengthen yourself to understand future readings and the more you will enhance your ability to more precisely express yourself. List unfamiliar words. Research the definitions using a dictionary or using a cueing system to decipher the meaning of a word without a dictionary.
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Journalism's Five Ws and One H: News reporters are taught to research the answer to six questions to ensure their news story is complete. The five Ws and one H are each summarized by a single word: (1) who, (2) what, (3) when, (4) where, (5) why, and (6) how. Skillful note taking will aid you in writing a formal report later. As you read the Bible, attempt to answer these six main questions of journalism.
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Who? or Characters. List the characters who are mentioned in the text as you read. Give careful attention to the frequency or significance of each character. A character may be mentioned many times or play a key role. Separate main characters from secondary or supporting characters. Classify characters as morally good, bad, mixed, neutral, or unclear. Marking verse citations would help you track frequency.
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What? or Ideas/Actions. List key ideas discussed or actions that occur: e.g., create, modify, move, maintain, destroy, etc. Actions create the plot.
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When? or Historical Setting. List manifestations of the historical context of the book, that is, list the verses which act as historical markers that indicate chronology or timing relative to other events.
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Where? or Geographical Setting. List the locations that are mentioned in the text as you read.
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Where? or Social Setting. List manifestations of the cultural context of the book, that is, list the verses which reveal the ancient Near-Eastern culture or the classical Greco-Roman culture of the people in contrast to Western culture.
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Why? or Logic/Motive. List the support for the ideas, or list the motives behind the actions.
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How? or Methods. List persuasion techniques, or list the methods used to achieve the actions.
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Keywords. A single word can be the pivotal element in a story, and certain words can summarize entire essays. Look for repetition. Repeated words, types of words, and phrases often establish or reveal an author's theme. List the keywords that you suspect might become important later. Keywords identified will be helpful in the post-reading strategies.
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Summarize. Most words, whether written or spoken, are supportive in function. Few words are primary in function. The skillful reader or listener is capable of distinguishing between supportive and primary words. Attempt to identify the most pivotal elements of a text while the ideas are fresh in your thoughts. If a text is difficult, stop to summarize after every sentence. If a text is a moderate challenge, stop to summarize after every paragraph. If a text is very difficult, stop to summarize after every chapter. If you are reading the book with another person, switch readers ever other verse or paragraph. After reading a verse or paragraph, allow the “coach” to summarize the text. If the text or concepts are very difficult, stop to summarize each verse.
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Images. In the right-hand panel for notes of the BTS books, draw a quick image that depicts the chapter or a scene of the chapter. Do not draw an image to match an image already given in the BTS books. [Specify the number of frames expected for each book.]
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BTS Questions. Test your comprehension immediately after reading a chapter. The average person has very low comprehension and retention levels when reading, whether reading a newspaper, economic report, or Scripture. After reading each chapter, answer the Balancing the Sword questions. All Balancing the Sword questions are text-dependent questions. If you do not know the answer, reread the chapter or quickly scan the chapter for keywords corresponding to the questions. If you are using an on-line or computer tool, you can search for the keywords. Write the verse or verses in which the answer is found for each answer. Place the verse or verses in parentheses following the answer. Precede a verse with the abbreviation “v.” and precede multiple verses with the abbreviation “vv.” For example, use “(v. 5)” for verse 5 and use “(vv. 7-8, 11)” for verses 7 to 8 and 11. Make sure that you confirm your answers using the answer key in the back of the book.
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Personal Questions. Attempt to answer any of your questions that you previously generated for yourself as part of the pre-reading strategies.
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Create Questions. Create simple text-dependent questions, that is, questions that can be answered directly from the text. Make your questions as though you were creating a quiz for another student. Provide an answer for each of your questions along with a citation making clear where the answer is found. Avoid a question that duplicates or overlaps the Balancing the Sword questions. Your questions should not be subjective to an impartial reader. (Objective questions have clear answers. Subjective questions are open for interpretation. For example, What does the text mean? Or, how did the character feel?).
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Predictions. "Hindsight is 20/20" is a common expression meaning that people can clearly see a matter after it occurs. Only prophets could foretell unknowable events which are logically contrary to all current conditions. But, prescient readers can foresee some matters before they unfold. The reader’s degree of prudence, like a sixth sense, grants a prenotion of what will come to pass. Can you detect the ending based upon the circumstances and the trajectory of the story? Reflect upon and revise your predictions as needed.
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Personalize. Life is cyclical in nature. Human experiences are recurrent. The past is prolog to the future. "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun" (Ecc. 1:9). Therefore, we can improve our lives by studying the lives of others. We can loosely foresee the future by studying history. Authors often write to impart knowledge, share an experience, teach a lesson, etc. because these authors desire to enrich the lives of their readers. Readers who are mentally and emotionally connected to insightful literature reap manifold benefits. In fact, a skillful writing can enable a reader to wisely and vicariously learn from the instructive experiences of characters instead of foolishly experiencing the same downfalls. Personalizing reading also increases the reader's interest and memory. Authors can introduce readers to new cultures and to completely different life experiences. The more distant the reader feels to the literature, the more difficulty the reader will have in personalizing the text. To illustrate, a small boy who feels alienated from his peers can easily relate to a story about a boy who faced a neighborhood bully, but the same young reader will struggle to relate to a poem about old age. The Bible addresses every subject "under the sun." Here are several open-ended questions that may help you to personalize the literature.
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Can you relate to any of the characters? Which character and how?
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Have you made similar discoveries? What discoveries and when?
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Have you experienced the same events in your life? Which events and how was your life effected by the event?
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Do you know of others who reported similar experiences? Who and how do you know the person?
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Could you foresee any of the events in the story happening to you? Which events and how could this happen?
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Did any of the ideas help you to improve your logic or to better understand your life? Which ideas?
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What would you have done if faced with similar circumstances?
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How did you feel about the protagonist or antagonist? Why?
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Comment. Journal your insights and discoveries in the notes section (the right-hand panel) of the BTS books as you progress. Exercise your skills to comment on the Text just as commentators attempt to explain the Text. [How does compare to Close Reading?]
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Visualize. The goal of reading is to accurately recreate images in our mind that match those witnessed or envisioned by the author. As you read, construct a diagram in your mind by the author's description. Paint a scene in your imagination. Visualize the characters in action as the story unfolds. Incorporate each detail described by the author into the movie of your creative thought. Plot the locations on a map. A vivid fabrication in your mind will reinforce memory.
See pre-reading strategies and post-reading strategies and close reading to learn more.
Author: Allen B. Wolfe
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