up:: [[Learning and Knowledge Management]] tags:: #source/article # Levels of Reading [The Four Levels of Reading: Improve Skills One Level At A Time](https://fs.blog/levels-of-reading/) There are four, cumulative levels of reading, meaning that you can't reach higher levels without a firm understanding of the lower levels. And our reading levels depend on our goals to begin with, not everything require [[#Syntopical Reading]]. #### Elementary Reading Also called rudimentary, basic, or initial reading. This level marks the start of literacy, as one can understand basic written instruction, and perhaps repeating it without a deeper understanding. #### Inspectional Reading This level can be understood as intelligent, structured skimming. We gain to ability to examine the surface level of written material to decide if it's worth reading in depth. Reading for entertainment often require up to this level of reading. Examples of this level answers the questions of "What is the book about?", but not necessarily constitute a deeper understanding of structure, underlying motivation, or perspective. #### Analytical Reading Analogous to the "chewing and digesting" of books, this level of reading requires an understanding of the "how" and "why" of the written material. What is the author trying to communicate? Is there a message or perspective? How is the writing structured to achieve its goals? One hallmark of analytic reading is the *ability to explain on the author's perspective*, and understand the writing components that the author used for their intentions. #### Syntopical Reading The highest level of reading, akin to a literature review. *The reader should be able to construct an analysis of the subject from their own perspective* that may be absent from all the source material, as the reader forms new understanding or opinions from a field reading. This type of reading is intellectually engaged, active, and effortful. The sign of syntopical reading is the active seeking of reading opposing perspectives, and the ability to form connections of various writings on the same subject.