The prompting questions are in bold. Below each prompt are some sentence stems that can be used to answer the question posed in the prompt. The great thing about these three prompts is that you can answer them in any order, and the introduction to the reading will still be complete and smooth. This will make the chapters more readable.
Note that when referring to an individual reading for the first time, it’s customary to do so using the full title of the reading selection and the author’s full name. Subsequent references can use just the author’s last name.
1) What is this reading/article/excerpt about?
- The article/reading discusses/explains/examines/explores …, by …
- In this article you will learn about …
- In (name of article) (name of author(s)) discusses/explains/examines/explores …
- (Name of author(s)) provides a thoughtful/detailed examination/exploration of (name of topic) in (name of reading selection).
- Written by (name of author(s)) in (year), (name of reading), discusses/explains/examines/explores …
2) Why was this reading chosen?
- This reading is helpful in understanding (name of topic) because …
- Unlike many readings on (name of topic), (name of reading) discusses/examines/explains/explores … from a different perspective.
- The authors of (name of article) are experts in (name of topic), which makes this reading…
- (Name of article) gives readers an excellent overview of (name of topic) by …
3) What is the main point/perspective of the reading?
- (Name of author(s))’s primary point is …
- The main thing the author wants readers to understand is …
- The focus of the reading is …