The Critical Reading Process Chapter 2

Reading Critically Reading critically means approaching whatever you read in an active, questioning manner. Critically reading includes three strategies that we can use in everyday life: Get ready to do reading Respond to the reading Read on a literal and analytical level These strategies will help to open the door to information you've never encountered and ideas unlikely to come up with friends. Active questioning manner,

By the end of the semester you will be able to: Objectives By the end of the semester you will be able to: Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of essays by professionals, students, and classmates Figure out what sources say, what they assume or imply, whether they are sound, and how they might help to make your point You can extend your skills in other courses, your job, and your community

Getting Started Not getting lost while you read, is hard to do if you do not understand what you are supposed to do or how you are supposed to read a text. First you need to start with “Preparing to Read” Thinking about Your Purpose What are you reading? Why are you reading? What do you want to do with the reading? What does your instructor expect you to learn from the reading? Do you need to memorize details, find the main points, or connect ideas? How does this reading build on, add to, contrast with, or otherwise relate to other reading assignments in the course? Actively question: Thinking about the author’s purpose. Use the text to leave bread crumbs for yourself, so that you may go back and easily find the main points, relevant quotations, insightful statistics, or references for research.

Gaining Background Knowing a reading’s context, approach, or frame of reference can help you predict where the reading is likely to go and how it relates to other readings. Often understanding the assignment or the readings in relationship to the context of the course, helps you to know what to look for in a reading. In Chapter 1, we went over audience and purpose. When assigned a reading, you should look for the audience the writer is trying to reach, as well as what the purpose or point the writer is trying to make. Many times readings have biographical information on the writer, like Clive Thompson on page 584. Does the biographical information give you context clues as to his education, authority, reliability, or bias on the subject he is writing about?

Responding to the Reading Reading Deeply How does the writer begin? What does the opening paragraph or section reveal about the writer’s purpose and point? How does the writer prepare readers for what follows? How might you trace the progression of ideas in the readings? How do headings, previews of what’s coming up, summaries of what’s gone before, and transitions signal the organization? Are difficult or technical terms defined in specific ways? How might you highlight, list, or record such terms so that you master them? How might you record or recall details in the readings? How could you track them or diagram interrelated ideas to grasp their connections. Go through each question with Clive Thompson’s “The New Literacy” on pg. 584.

Responding to the Reading (Continued) How do word choice, tone, and style alert you to the complex purpose of reading that is layered or indirect rather than straightforward? Does the reading include figurative or descriptive language, references to other works, or working themes? How do these enrich the readings?

Annotating the Text One way to respond to the reading is through annotating the text. I know not many people like writing in textbooks, which comes from years of schooling telling you to not write in your books, but in college, you can! It’s a useful way to trace the author’s points Add your own comments and connections On page 22 is a list of ways you can annotated the readings you will have this semester. If you haven’t already, go through the reading for today and annotate.  Keeping a Reading Journal- one way to keep track of all your readings, connections, ideas, and points is within a journal. Either online or on paper, keeping a collection of your ideas is efficient when generating ideas for essays, including detailed support for your essays, and collecting materials and research for papers. Show the pdf of the Annotated version and how to look for points and make their own connections to the readings.

Reading on Literal and Analytical Levels Six levels of Cognition by Benjamin Bloom: Literal Skills Knowing- Recalling information Comprehending- Understanding the meaning Applying- Relating information to another situation Analytical Skills Analyzing- Breaking information into parts Synthesizing- Combining information Evaluating- Judging information

Generating Ideas from Reading Looking for Meaty Pieces- not superficial articles written to inform and convince, not entertain or amuse. Logging Your Reading- Keep a log of the reading you find. Record the author, title, and source for the readings you want to use. Recalling Something You’ve Already Read Paraphrasing and Summarizing: Paraphrase- restating an author’s complicated ideas fully but in your own language, using different wording and different sentence patterns. Summarize- reduce an author’s main point to essentials, using your own clear, concise, and accurate language. Read Critically- Argue with the writer, criticize, wonder, and argue back.