There are a variety of different strategies that an individual can use to read a particular piece of material, but it is important for an individual to find the best strategy for the type of resource that the individual is using. There is a wide range of different written materials that an individual may have to use in order to study for an exam, interview, or other similar purpose and each type of written material requires a different reading strategy in order to use that resource in the most effective way possible. One of the strategies that an individual can use to read and study a variety of different material is known as Read, Examine, Decide, and Write (REDW.) This reading strategy is primarily intended for reading materials that the individual is having difficulty understanding. As a result, REDW is usually used for textbooks or other material that the individual cannot understand even though the individual has attempted to understand the information by reading the material very slowly and carefully.
As is suggested by the words that make up the name of the strategy, REDW consists of four separate steps. First, the individual should read the paragraph or passage that the individual is having difficulty understanding and attempt to identify the main idea of the paragraph. In other words, the individual should read over the paragraph and simply attempt to determine what the paragraph is actually saying. Once the individual has identified the main idea of the paragraph, the individual should examine each sentence in the paragraph or passage and write down a few words that explain the main idea of each sentence. The individual should then decide which words best explain the main idea of the paragraph and which words are just describing details that support the main idea of the paragraph. Finally, the individual should write down the main idea of the paragraph and any key supporting details that seem important in his or her notes and move onto the next paragraph. This will allow the individual to break down the material that he or she needs to read into the smallest parts possible and take notes on each part so it is easier for the individual to understand the information.