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Interrogating Texts: 6 Reading Habits to Develop in Your First Year at Harvard - Research Guides

Critical reading—active engagement and interaction with texts—is essential to your academic success at Harvard, and to your intellectual growth. Research has shown that students who read deliberately retain more information and retain it longer. Your college reading assignments will probably be more substantial and more sophisticated than those you are used to from high school. The amount of reading will almost certainly be greater. College students rarely have the luxury of successive re-readings of material, either, given the pace of life in and out of the classroom. While the strategies below are (for the sake of clarity) listed sequentially, you can probably do most of them simultaneously. 1. Y ou’ve probably engaged in one version of previewing in the past, when you’ve tried to determine how long an assigned reading is (and how much time and energy, as a result, it will demand from you). What does the presence of headnotes, an abstract, or other prefatory material tell you? 2. 3.

http://hcl.harvard.edu/research/guides/lamont_handouts/interrogatingtexts.html

The Great Geek Manual » The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries I make no secret of the fact that I’m a hardcore bibliophile, but we’re a common enough lot these day. And the one sight that always makes me linger over a webpage is rows and rows of neatly organized books. So, in an effort to draw more like-minded read here to my little blog, I decided to round-up a gallery of photos of some of the most beautiful libraries I’ve ever seen photos of. Enjoy. If you enjoy this gallery, make sure you check out our other list of The United States’ Most Beautiful Libraries! Abbey Library St.

Twenty-six Lies About H.R. 3200 Summary Our inbox has been overrun with messages asking us to weigh in on a mammoth list of claims about the House health care bill. The chain e-mail purports to give "a few highlights" from the first half of the bill, but the list of 48 assertions is filled with falsehoods, exaggerations and misinterpretations. We examined each of the e-mail’s claims, finding 26 of them to be false and 18 to be misleading, only partly true or half true. Kurt Vonnegut explains drama I was at a Kurt Vonnegut talk in New York a few years ago. Talking about writing, life, and everything. He explained why people have such a need for drama in their life. He said, “People have been hearing fantastic stories since time began.

45 Things You Can Learn Online for Free! You know what I love about the Internet? You can find courses, tutorials and lessons for almost anything – and many of them are free. Are you interested in learning to crochet or designing your own website but don’t know when you’ll have the time? 120 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power Here are 120 things you can do starting today to help you think faster, improve memory, comprehend information better and unleash your brain’s full potential. Solve puzzles and brainteasers.Cultivate ambidexterity. Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, comb your hair or use the mouse.

5 Freewriting Secrets for Being a "Genius" You've heard of freewriting, certainly. At its most basic, it's about forcing your internal editor to stay away while you splash your most raw and unusual thoughts onto the page. In Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insights, and Content (2nd edition, revised & updated), Mark Levy tells how he uses freewriting, not only to loosen up his writing muscles, but to solve business problems of all kinds. Levy, author, writing teacher, and marketing strategist, shares a few "secrets" for making freewriting an indispensible tool: 5 Freewriting Tips 1.

50 Life Secrets and Tips Memorize something everyday.Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning, you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment. Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.Constantly try to reduce your attachment to possessions.Those who are heavy-set with material desires will have a lot of trouble when their things are taken away from them or lost. Possessions do end up owning you, not the other way around. Become a person of minimal needs and you will be much more content.Develop an endless curiosity about this world.Become an explorer and view the world as your jungle. Stop and observe all of the little things as completely unique events. Try new things.

100 Free Foreign Language Classes Online March 1st, 2010 If you have always wanted to learn a language but were too put off by the high cost associated with most classes, then take a look at all these great opportunities to learn a foreign language online, at no cost to you. With so many learning opportunities online, it is a shame not to take advantage of all that you can, so be sure to spend some time with these classes. Whether you want to learn one of the major world languages or want something a little less popular, there are sure to be lessons here to help you start to speak whatever language you are interested in learning. French

Mentat Wiki This wiki is a collaborative environment for exploring ways to become a better thinker. Topics that can be explored here include MemoryTechniques, MentalMath, CriticalThinking, BrainStorming, ShorthandSystems, NotebookSystems, and SmartDrugs. Other relevant topics are also welcome. SiteNews Wiki Topics Couple Denied Adoption Because They're Vegetarian Original photo: estoril / CC Adopting a child that's in need of a home is one of the most selfless and loving decisions a person can make -- but in Greece, having a big heart means nothing if you don't eat meat. A vegetarian couple from the island of Crete recently had their adoption application rejected on the grounds that they might impose their diet on their adoptive child, because they say that a child's upbringing must include eating meat. There's just one problem though: that's not true at all.After filing paperwork towards adopting a child, the would-be parents got back a letter from social services informing them that their application had been rejected because of concerns that the child would be raised as a vegetarian, like them. The head of the Crete's welfare services offered the disappointed couple the following explanation: "We asked the University of Crete medical school on the issue and they said the child's diet must include meat, fish, etc.

Tell me about yourself. TRAPS: Beware, about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters. BEST ANSWER: Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying.

All Documentaries Welcome to the Must Watch section. It is our understanding that for a truly democratic society to exist, there must be a free flow of easily accessible information. For the most part (not including heavy censorship in China), the Internet has allowed for this free flow of information to everyone and anyone with access to the internet and it is imperative that this right continues to be protected. Unfortunately, the principle of free flowing information does not exist in the mainstream media because our governments continue to allow large corporations to consolidate the entire media industry. For this reason, many facts, perspectives, and opinions do not make it to our televisions, movie theatres, newspapers, and radio stations. The documentaries below epitomize the importance of free flowing information and the lack of it in mainstream media.

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