Interactive graph
Active Reading
Table of Contents
Read with a pencil in hand - mark, question, and extract before highlights die in the book.
Key Concept
- Passive reading forgets by Friday - active reading leaves something you can cite next month.
- Layered Reading separates the passes; The Feynman Technique tests whether the marks became understanding.
- Yellow highlights without extraction are bookmarks, not learning - move marks into notes before the spine closes.
- Active reading feeds Literature Notes - your words, not the author's sentences copied twice.
Level 1 - Recognize
Active reading is marking what matters while you read so something survives after the spine closes.
Level 2 - Explain
Highlights with a next step - margin notes that become sentences in your own words, not yellow bookmarks.
Level 3 - Use
Skim first, mark second, extract third - one pass cannot hold structure and your take in one sitting.
Level 4 - Connect
Marking slows the read but saves useful ideas; without extraction and review, even careful highlights become a private archive nobody can use.
Level 5 - Create
Build a reading workflow that separates skimming, marking, extraction, and teach-back, then turn the strongest take into a linked note in your own words.
Examples
- Glad the first pass on the coaching manual marked three sections - second pass only those got sentences in my own words.
- My kid underlined one confusing paragraph and explained it back to me - the mark survived because she had to say it out loud.
Note Relationships
| Relationship | Wikilink | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| contradicts | The Collector's Fallacy | when highlighting replaces extraction |
| extends | Layered Reading | Active marks are the middle layer before summarize |
| extends | Literature Notes | Extracted marks become literature notes in your words |
| extends | The Feynman Technique | Teach-it-back proves the marks became understanding |
