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Textbooks often present a multitude of information to a student in a format that is not always easy to digest especially if your student is a reluctant reader. To make the textbook reading process more efficient, students might try a variety of approaches from skimming to reading the first and last sentence of each paragraph. Building effective reading comprehension skills not only takes practice, but also takes the right tools. A great approach to utilize when practicing reading comprehension is that of the SQ3R method: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. These five simple steps can take a dreaded reading process and make it more manageable while also providing strong learning opportunities. The first step in the SQ3R method is Survey. This is a preview of the text and allows the student to recognize where to find key pieces of information. Survey for headers, vocab, introductions, conclusions, and graphics. Identifying these items at this point in the process will give the student a strong introduction to the text while also allowing them to visualize how they might want to outline their own notes. After a quick skim of the text, the next step is to Question. Students should engage with the text at this point by turning headers into questions that will be placed in their notes as an outline to the text. A header such as “English Settlements in America” in a US History textbook does not need to be constrained to a simple question such as “What were some examples of English Settlements in America?”, but can be specified further with questions such as “When did the English Settlements in America develop?", "Who were the leaders of English Settlements in America?”, “What were some common similarities and differences between and among English Settlements in America?”. These questions can also be developed based on the subheadings within each section. This process will create more purpose in reading as now the goal is to answer these questions as you read and engage with the text in a more thorough manner. The first of the 3 Rs is Read. This is the point where the student will dive into the text and use their questions to guide their understanding. Anytime an answer to their question appears in the section they are going over they should note it in their outline of the text. Adding keywords or related ideas below each question is also encouraged to further understanding. This is the last step where the student will be engaging with the text to the fullest extent so all important components should be identified by the end of the reading period. The next R is Recite. Go back through your notes one section at a time and see if you can answer the questions you wrote. If you cannot or the notes you took for the section do not help with recalling the information, go back to the text and try to fully break down the information. Always try to recall the information using your own words so you are not focused on memorizing wording over concept. Finally, the last step to the SQ3R method is Review. After you have completed the outline of the text and answered all the questions you have written out, you should review the material you learned. Then from there, set aside time each night to review the materials and re-answer the questions. Create a study plan for the questions you are constantly missing and maintain well paced out review lessons to avoid last minute cramming. Not only does the SQ3R method provide more insight in the moment that the student has when working with the text, but it allows for critical thinking and studying that goes beyond rote memorization. Encourage your student to attempt this method next time they are outlining for school and see how much progress they make compared to traditional methods of just skimming for the information.