AUGUST ??, 2011 Critical Thinking Overview

Objectives: Review the 5 critical thinking components and their importance to Honors English III! :) Create personal big goals after reviewing the big goals for the class

The Principles of Critical Thinking 1. We need to understand how to read and write well through close reading and clear, explicit writing 2. We need to practice reading and writing well on a daily basis (just like a sport or an instrument)

The 5 levels of critical thinking 1. Paraphrasing 2. Explicating the theme 3. Analysis 4. Evaluation 5. Creation

Paraphrasing Putting the author’s words into your own words Must capture the meaning of the text in a clear and meaningful way Example  “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter” –Mark Twain  Paraphrase: Laughter is the key to battling all that life throws at you.

Explicating the theme The ability to state, elaborate, exemplify, and illustrate the thesis of a paragraph Example  “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter” –Mark Twain  Mark Twain is saying that laughing at what ails us is the best way to fight it.

Analysis Author’s purpose Important questions/problems in the text Significant information Basic conclusions and concepts Fundamental assumptions Significant implications Point of View

Evaluation Assessing the key points in your analysis Example: “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter” –Mark Twain  Mark Twain’s observation about the role of laughter in a man’s life is very astute. Many negative or frustrating things happen in life, and his witty quip about the necessity of laughter is a sharp evaluation about the role humor plays in our time on earth. (continued in an essay…)

Creation Actively interpreting and recreating the role of the author Examples  Writing a witty response to Twain’s quote  Writing a letter to Twain in which you ask about his quote  Inventing a conversation between Twain and yourself/a historical character

Our Practice Let’s read the article together! Step One: Paraphrasing. Box #1: “Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who'd rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there's no reason we can't entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.”

Step One: Paraphrasing “Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who'd rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there's no reason we can't entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.” How can we paraphrase this? Note: throughout this exercise, you will complete this assignment on your own paper, even if your answers are the same as your partner’s.

Step One: paraphrasing Turn to your neighbor and complete the rest of your paraphrasing on your own paper You have 15 minutes to complete this step Share-outs? Note: throughout this exercise, you will complete this assignment on your own paper, even if your answers are the same as your partner’s.

Step Two: Explicating On your own paper, explain the theme of this article in your own words. Class Brainstorm  what is the theme of this article?  She’s speaking about graduation and advice…  What are some of the key points she brings up in this article?  How can we tie them together into a cohesive message? Complete your theme statement with your partner   anyone have one to share? Note: throughout this exercise, you will complete this assignment on your own paper, even if your answers are the same as your partner’s.

Step Three: Analysis Answer these questions as a class:  What is the author’s purpose in this article?  What is the most important problem, question, or issue in this article? Answer these questions with your partner:  What is the most important conclusion in this article?  What is the point of view in this article?  What are the most significant implications of this article (in other words, what are the most important take-aways you get from reading this)? Note: throughout this exercise, you will complete this assignment on your own paper, even if your answers are the same as your partner’s.

Step Four: Evaluation Answer these as a class:  Does the author clearly state her meaning, or is the text vague in some way? Explain.  Does the author remain superficial in her analysis, or does she examine her material on a meaningful level? Explain. Answer in pairs:  Is the subject of the article significant or trivial? Explain.  What role does humor play in the author’s writing? Explain. Note: throughout this exercise, you will complete this assignment on your own paper, even if your answers are the same as your partner’s.

Step Five/Homework: Creation You will complete the last step on your own and finish it for homework Directions:  In the style of the author above, write your own advice for 5 th graders about to enter middle school. It must be in the style of a graduation speech, but the content is up to you! I will help you if you need some brainstorming ideas, and you can brainstorm with your partner, but you must complete yours individually

Why are we doing this? …this leads us to one of our BIG goals: college- ready work! Getting our writing to an AP English level will be hard and require a lot of work. However, AP credit is accepted in most colleges Therefore, if you can do AP-quality work, you can do college-level work and be COLLEGE READY!