Helpful Hints for Reading To the Lighthouse

When reading To the Lighthouse it is important to remember to pay close attention to everything that you read.  Not only the important events (because there aren’t any) but to the words of each character.  Everything in this story has tremendous meaning, so just take it one page, one sentence, and one word at a time.  Here are some tips that you can use when reading this story:

• If you own your own copy of the book, it is a good idea to take notes (in the actual book).  Highlight all important passages and write notes to yourself as you read.  This can help a lot when you go back to find any passages or important things that you may need.

• If you do not have your own copy (or you don’t want to write in the book) another method that you can try is to use post-it notes.  While you are reading, use the post-its to write down anything that you think of:  all important facts, quotes, passages, and thoughts that you encounter.  Then you can post the note in your book.  It won’t ruin the book and you can just take them out when you are done.

• A third technique that you could use it to make a dialectic journal.  This is where you write down the important quotes or passages that you find and explain their importance: whether it be in figurative language, diction and syntax, setting, or it has some other importance.  Below is an example of what a dialectic journal looks like:

Remember:  No matter how long the story is, YOU CAN DO IT! And if you 

                    follow these tips you can do it well. 

    Keep Reading!

Introduction     Author Background     Setting    Plot    Characters

Figurative Language    Diction/ Syntax    Tone    Themes/ Motifs

Memorable Quotes    Meet the Designers

Helpful Hints

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