The Liu Method – A Reading Strategy for Success

Who is Eric Liu?

Eric Liu is a communications professor at UW.

A former President Clinton speech writer.

Founder of the Guiding Lights Network an organization promoting public citizenship and personal empowerment.

Is an author and lecturer.

How does Eric Liu tie to Mr. Sun-K?

Mr. Sun-K will be lecturing about Eric Liu’s reading strategy, the Liu Method, this summer at the Advance Placement, or A.P., Conference in Orlando.

Because of Eric Liu, Mr. Sun-K gets to go to Disney World!

Insert Mr. Sun-K Here

What is the Liu Method?

The Liu Method is an analytical reading strategy that was developed by Eric Liu.

The Liu Method helps students comprehend and analyze a short piece of writing.

We will be practicing the Liu Method as a reading strategy to help us be successful on the Reading HSPE.

There are three steps of the Liu Method.

Step 1: The Foundation

Read the passage and underline key phrases or terms (a minimum of five).

Then, write a statement that begins with a verb that summarizes the text:

“The author explains…”

“The author persuades…”

“The author narrates a story about…”

The author informs…”

Step 2: The Architecture

Read the passage a second time.

Organize the paragraphs together in chunks in a logical sequence:

Example:

-Beethoven’s Childhood.

-Beethoven’s Education.

-Beethoven’s Early Career.

-Beethoven’s Late Career.

Step 3:The Music

Read the passage a third time.

Look for the craft, or techniques, the author uses to makes his work sing.

Examples:

Poetic Devices: Simile, Metaphor, Alliteration, etc.

Literary Devices: Character, Setting, 1st Person, etc.

Informational Cues: Context Clues, Bold Headings, Charts, Graphs, Inferences, etc.

Let’s Practice Together