Using SQRW While Reading and Taking Notes from Textbooks

Learning About SQRW

SQRW is a strategy for reading and taking notes from textbooks. Each letter is SQRW stands for a step in the strategy. Use this rhyme to remember the steps:

Survey, Question, Read, and Write

That will make your notes just right

Here are the four steps in SQRW. As you learn about each step, underline the words that will help you remember what to do for that step.

Survey: In this step you read to learn what a textbook chapter is about. You read the:

• Title. It is found at the beginning of the chapter. The title tells the general topic of the chapter.
• Introduction. The introduction gives an overview of the information in the chapter. It is found in the first paragraph or two of the chapter.
• Headings. The headings tell the specific topics that will be covered in the chapter.
• Summary or Conclusion. A summary restates the main points made in the chapter. A conclusion provides a generalization made from the facts and ideas presented in the chapter. A summary or conclusion is usually found in the last paragraph or two in the chapter.

Question: In this step you form questions that help you understand what to look for as you read. You:

• Use the words who, what, where, when, why, or how to change headings into questions. Sometimes more than one question needs to be created for a heading.

Read: In this step you read to find the answers to your questions.

Write: In this step you write your answers.