1. RPDP Secondary Literacy     Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program RPDP.net

2. RPDP Secondary Literacy Ready, Set, Read Developing a Critical Stance Created and Developed by Jill M. Leone Reading Specialist © 2007

3. RPDP Secondary Literacy We will discuss how to – think beyond the words on the page consider the author's intent for the selection and his or her success at communicating it.

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6. Many readers tend to accept everything they read as being true accurate and well-written

7. RPDP Secondary Literacy What you read is often someone else's ideas written down. Sometimes what writers have in their minds doesn't come through clearly when they write about it.

8. RPDP Secondary Literacy Sometimes, authors do a good job of explaining, but other times they don't do a good job at all.

9. RPDP Secondary Literacy As readers, we have to figure out what the author is trying to explain. We also have to judge the author's success in making ideas clear to us.

10. RPDP Secondary Literacy If you were to speak with a writer directly, you could ask about anything that seems unclear. You could even challenge the writer.

11. RPDP Secondary Literacy Because writers aren’t here to help you through their material, you can instead ask questions of the text to help you understand. This can be done in different ways depending upon your purpose for reading.

12. RPDP Secondary Literacy First, you have to be objective or neutral about the text. This means to read without any bias or prejudice. You need to keep an open mind and a sense of curiosity.

13. RPDP Secondary Literacy Pretend you’re standing back and putting a little distance between yourself and whatever you’re reading.

14. RPDP Secondary Literacy Before reading During reading After reading

15. RPDP Secondary Literacy Look at some strategies and questions that can help increase your understanding.

16. RPDP Secondary Literacy The author of this passage would probably agree with…  What did the author have to know to write this?  Give examples from the text to support your answer.

17. RPDP Secondary Literacy Try to figure out the writer’s purpose. The writer’s purpose is closely related to the main idea. Once you understand the writer’s purpose, it’s easy to figure out the main idea.

18. RPDP Secondary Literacy If the writer says we really need to build more hotels in Las Vegas, you should understand that – The writer’s purpose is to influence the way you think. The writer might be presenting only his own point of view. This is probably persuasive text.

19. RPDP Secondary Literacy Attempts to influence and change the way a reader thinks or acts The writer tries to – persuade/convince discourage or encourage push the reader into action warn the reader about something

20. RPDP Secondary Literacy Check the adjectives he chooses. Are the writer's feelings toward the subject positive, negative, or neutral? Does the writer give his own opinion, or does he objectively present the opinions of others?

21. RPDP Secondary Literacy Whose voice is heard? Who is quoted? Whose voice is not represented? Can you imagine why?

22. RPDP Secondary Literacy Is this information useful? Is it accurate? Up to date? What has the writer said about the subject? What doesn’t the writer tell us? Can you imagine why?

23. RPDP Secondary Literacy Do you trust the information? Is the author qualified to write about this topic? How would the text be different if told in another time, place, or culture?

24. RPDP Secondary Literacy What background information should the author include? What did the author leave out? What does the author want us to remember from this information? How did the author use descriptive words in the text?

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26. Compare the writer’s style or tone of one article or story to another. How are they alike? How are they different?

27. RPDP Secondary Literacy Not everything in print is true. Many people misread what’s factual because they don’t: distinguish between fact and opinion make inferences pick up on the author’s bias or tone or use their own prior knowledge

28. RPDP Secondary Literacy They accept the information presented without questioning or evaluating it in any way. Many readers believe: “If it’s in print, it must be true.”

29. RPDP Secondary Literacy How does the author show that the story is based on fantasy? How does the author make this fantasy seem real? Give examples.

30. RPDP Secondary Literacy How well does the writer use: How well does the writer use: Imagery Irony Mood Personification Humor

31. RPDP Secondary Literacy Check to see what other literary devices the author uses. Some literary devices are:  similes  metaphors  foreshadowing  flashback

32. RPDP Secondary Literacy Think about the title. Another good title for this passage is … Explain why the title is or is not a good choice for the story. Use references from the text to support your answer.

33. RPDP Secondary Literacy Who is the narrator? From whose perspective is the story told? What are the advantages of telling the story in this way? Disadvantages?

34. RPDP Secondary Literacy The setting of a story is always important. It influences the way characters act and think and all aspects of their lives.

35. RPDP Secondary Literacy Does the setting seems real to you? Would the story have seemed more realistic in a different setting?

36. RPDP Secondary Literacy How did the author's choice of setting affect the characters in the selection? How effective is this choice of setting on what happens to the characters?

37. RPDP Secondary Literacy How does the author show similarities in developing characters in the story? Does this add interest to the story?

38. RPDP Secondary Literacy Do all of the characters seem real to you? Can you compare them to anyone you know? Can you compare them with characters in another story?

39. RPDP Secondary Literacy Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist? Who has the power in the story? How do you know? How is this power used?

40. RPDP Secondary Literacy Does the author make you care about some characters yet actually dislike other characters? This takes a great deal of skill on the part of a writer.

41. RPDP Secondary Literacy With whom does the author want you to identify or sympathize? What in the text makes you think that? Do the characters try to change their own behavior or way of thinking? How?

42. RPDP Secondary Literacy Was the sequence of events in the story logical? Explain. Are the facts in the story accurate? Give some proof.

43. RPDP Secondary Literacy Was the plot strong enough to make a convincing story? Why or why not? Did the author finish the story the way the characters would have wanted? Why or why not? Explain.

44. RPDP Secondary Literacy What part of the story best describes the author’s message and why? What does the author hope you learn from reading this story?

45. RPDP Secondary Literacy Can you create a visual representation of the writer’s message?

46. RPDP Secondary Literacy In your opinion, is this a good story? Why or why not? Would you like to read something else by this author? Why or why not? What connections can you make between this and other stories you’ve read?

47. RPDP Secondary Literacy What connections can you make between this and your own life experience? What connections can you make between this and the life of someone you know?

48. RPDP Secondary Literacy Wrap-up with these questions: Does the author say what he has to say clearly? How could the author have said things more clearly? What would you say instead?

49. RPDP Secondary Literacy Why do you think people should or should not read this story ? What questions do you have about this story? What surprised you about this story? Write one or two writing topics from your own life that connect with this story. Write one or two statements from someone whose point of view is represented in the book. Write one or two statements from someone whose point of view is not represented in the book.

50. RPDP Secondary Literacy Thinking about the way an author writes and asking these types of questions is called critical stance. Stance means your viewpoint or perspective. Being critical of what you read and how it is written helps you to understand.

51. RPDP Secondary Literacy Try to think like a detective when you read. A good reader is always a good detective.

52. RPDP Secondary Literacy Ask questions before, during, and after reading. What is the author trying to tell you? Why is the author telling you that? Does the author say it clearly? How could the author have said things more clearly? What would you say instead?

53. RPDP Secondary Literacy Copyright Notice Permission is granted to copy (unmodified) all or part of this PowerPoint for educational, personal, non-commercial use off-line as long as the copyright message (Copyright © 2007 by Jill Leone) is maintained on the title page. This material may not be sold, duplicated on other websites, incorporated in commercial documents or products, or used for promotional purposes. Copyright © 2007 by Jill M. Leone