What is technical reading?

Technical reading is reading done for information, usually in your academic area of study. It is something you will do all your professional life. Technical reading in English will be especially important to your career.

What will we do in this class?

Read → Think → Write

Each week we will read a short STEM article from the web and try to understand the following points:

• Subject Matter: What was this article about?
• Main Idea: What did the article say about the subject matter?
• Supporting Details: What evidence did the article give?
• Conclusions: What was the final thought?
• Vocabulary: What was the important vocabulary for the subject matter?
• Your Evaluation: Are the ideas in the article important/correct? Why or why not? 
• Your Questions: What questions do you have about this subject matter?

You will write your answers to these kinds of questions in English but, your ideas and opinions are more important than your level of English writing.

An example article  (also, your homework reading).

Survey

To help me make this the best class possible, please answer the following questions.

1. Please write a short self-introduction.
2. Explain briefly what your field is.
3. What are some of the things that people in your field do?
4. What are your particular interests in your field ?
5. After graduation, what do you expect to do in your field?
6. In what ways is English important to you in your field?
7. Have you used English in your field so far?
8. Please read CEFR-J1.1 Levels for Reading. What is your level according to CEFR-J?

About CEFR-J