HOW TO THINK CRITICALLY IN 9H ENGLISH FOUR WAY THINKING

WHAT IS FOUR WAY THINKING? Four way thinking is a strategy to think critically about a text.

WAIT! WHAT IS A TEXT? A “text” is any document that conveys a message to an audience. Usually, the word “text” refers to a written work, such as a book or an article. However, we will also use “text” to refer to films, advertisements, interviews, and even social media pages, all of which you can analyze using four way thinking.

WHAT IS FOUR WAY THINKING? Four way thinking is a strategy to think critically about a text. You’ll use this strategy all throughout 9H English in class discussions, reflections, and literary analysis essays. With four way thinking, you use a chart to move from summarizing a text (where we do much of our thinking) to analyzing and evaluating a text (where “critical thinking” happens).

FOUR WAY THINKING CHART SummarizeInterpret AnalyzeEvaluate

STEP ONE: SUMMARIZE In the chart… Write a brief overview of the plot. Always include the author and title. Assume your reader has never read the book. Tell it in the order it happens, INCLUDING the ending. Stick to a few sentences. Stay objective—keep your opinions OUT of it. Ask yourself… What general story does the book tell? What are the most important events and people from the book? How would I describe the book to a person who has never even heard of it?

EXAMPLE: THE GIVING TREE Summarize: Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree tells the story of the relationship between a young boy and a tree. As the boy grows up, the tree offers him her leaves to sell, her branches to build a house, her trunk to craft a boat, and finally, her stump to sit on. The tree sacrifices herself out of her love for the boy and finds great happiness in doing so.

STEP TWO: INTERPRET In the chart… Describe the messages or ideas the author conveys to the audience. List possible themes. Brainstorm how the book relates to: Yourself Other books you’ve read The outside world Ask yourself… What is the author trying to convey? What are the lessons I learned from the book? What is the moral of the story? How does the book connect to myself, other books, and the outside world?

EXAMPLE: THE GIVING TREE Interpret: The meaning of unconditional love and sacrifice Generosity can be a strength and a weakness The dangers of exploiting relationships with others Environmentalism and the need to protect our natural resources

STEP THREE: ANALYZE In the chart Choose ONE theme or message you wrote down in the last box. Describe what the author is trying to say or to teach the audience about that theme. Explain why that message is the most important or meaningful in the text. List at least one example from the text that supports this interpretation. Ask yourself… So what? What’s the most important message to remember from the book? Why is this the most important theme? Where do I see that theme in the plot?

EXAMPLE: THE GIVING TREE Analyze: Generosity can be a strength and a weakness The tree demonstrated great generosity towards the boy, who earned money from her leaves, built a house with her branches, and made a boat with her trunk. “And the tree was happy”—the tree enjoyed providing for the boy and did so willingly. Yet, the story ends with the tree as a stump; the tree is dead and can no longer provide for anyone. Readers feel sympathy and love for the tree and resentment towards the boy, who took advantage of her generosity. The tree’s generosity brought her joy but ultimately killed her. Silverstein issues a warning of being overly generous to those who do not repay your kindness.

STEP FOUR: EVALUATE In the chart… Add your own opinion on the theme you analyzed in the last box. Judge the text and the author’s message—take a side. Give detailed reasons for your critique. It’s okay to have mixed feelings! Ask yourself… What do I think about this theme? Do I agree or disagree with the author’s message? Why did I come to this conclusion? Was the author successful in his/her purpose for writing?

EXAMPLE: THE GIVING TREE Evaluate: I think Shel Silverstein’s message on generosity is a bit dark. It’s true that some people are like the boy and will exploit kindness and take advantage of the tree in their lives. Many others would show kindness and gratitude in return, making generosity more worthwhile. Perhaps if the boy had demonstrated more appreciation of the tree, Silverstein’s message would be truer to real life. However, I think this story is also a warning for our society; if we continue to act as the boy in the story, using up our natural resources without a plan for the future, we may end up with only stumps to sit on.

PRACTICE TIME… Read the given picture book in your small group. Discuss each box in the chart together. How would you summarize the book? Interpret? Analyze? Evaluate? Take notes on the group discussion as a second example of four-way thinking. You will use these notes to complete a chart on your own for homework, so stay focused!