Critical Reading PDF

Critical Reading
Critical Reading
?
Reading as a Dialog
All reading is an active,

reflective, problem-solving
process. We do not simply
read words; we read ideas,
thoughts that spring from the
relationships of various
assertions.
2 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

Critical Reading
Dan Kurland's www.criticalreading.com
 Non-critical reading
– To non -critical readers, texts provide facts.
 Critical reading
– to recognize an author’s purpose
– to understand tone and persuasive elements
– to recognize bias
 facts + interpretation

Critical Reading
 Non-critical reading is satisfied with recognizing what

a text says and restating the key remarks.
 Critical reading goes two steps further.
 Having recognized what a text says , it reflects on
what the text does by making such remarks.
– Is it offering examples? Arguing?
– Appealing for sympathy?
– Making a contrast to clarify a point?
 Finally, critical readers then infer what the text, as a
whole, means , based on the earlier analysis.

Critical Reading
 What a text says – restatement – talks

about the same topic as the original text
 What a text does – description – discusses
aspects of the discussion itself
 What a text means – interpretation —
analyzes the text and asserts a meaning for
the text as a whole

Critical Reading
 Restatement generally takes the form of a

summary, paraphrase, or précis
– when learning the definitions and concepts of a
new discipline,
– when there is agreement on the facts of a
situation and their interpretation,
– when a text is taken to offer a complete and
objective presentation, or
– when the word of a specific author or source is
accepted as authoritative.
Critical Reading
 Description
– what topics are discussed?
– what examples and evidence are used?
– what conclusions are reached?
 We want to recognize and describe how
evidence is marshalled to reach a final
position, rather than simply follow remarks
from sentence to sentence.

Critical Reading
 Interpretation
– This final level of reading infers an overall meaning.
– We examine features running throughout the text to see

how the discussion shapes our perception of reality.
– We examine what a text does to convey meaning:

 how patterns of content and language shape the
portrayal of the topic and how relationships between
those patterns convey underlying meaning.

Critical Reading
 Goals
– to recognize an author’s purpose
– to understand tone and persuasive elements
– to recognize bias

Critical Reading
 Notice that none of these goals actually refers to

something on the page. Each requires inferences
from evidence within the text:
 recognizing purpose involves inferring a basis for
choices of content and language
 recognizing tone and persuasive elements
involves classifying the nature of language choices
 recognizing bias involves classifying the nature of
patterns of choice of content and language

Critical Reading
 Critical reading is not simply close and

careful reading.
 To read critically, one must actively

recognize and analyze evidence upon the
page.

Critical Reading
 what to look for ( analysis ) and

 how to think about what you find ( inference )
 The first part —what to look for— involves

recognizing those aspects of a discussion that
control the meaning.
 The second part —how to think about what you
find— involves the processes of inference, the
interpretation of data from within the text.

Critical Reading
 All reading is an active, reflective, problem-

solving process.
 We do not simply read words; we read ideas,

thoughts that spring from the relationships of
various assertions.

Critical Reading
 Writing
– what we say (content),
– how we say it (language), and
– the flow from one assertion to another, how ideas
connect to one another to convey broader
meaning (structure).
 Structure
– Time narrative
– Argument development (facts + assertions)

Critical Reading
 IDEAS
– providing appropriate and sufficient arguments
and examples?
– choosing terms that are precise, appropriate, and
persuasive?
– making clear the transitions from one thought to
another and assured the overall logic of the
presentation

Critical Reading
University of Toronto http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/critrdg.html
 don't read looking only or primarily for

information
 do read looking for ways of thinking about

the subject matter

Critical Reading
University of Toronto http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/critrdg.html
 First determine the central claims or

purpose
 Begin to make some judgements about
context
 Distinguish the kinds of reasoning the text
employs
 Examine the evidence
(the supporting facts, examples, etc)
 Critical reading may involve evaluation.
Critical Reading
Pearson - http://occawlonline.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pubbooks/lardner_awl/chapter1/custom5/deluxe-
content.html
 The Process: Reading & Annotating

 Recall your purpose.
– What are you looking for?
– How will you use what you find? Identify the weave of the
text:
– Double underline the author’s explanation of the main
point(s) and jot "M.P." in the margin. (Often, but not
always, a writer will tell an engaged reader where the text is
going.)
– Underline each major new claim that the author makes in
developing the text and write "claim 1," "claim 2," and so on
in the margin.

Critical Reading
content.html
– Circle major point of transition from the obvious

(subtitles) to the less obvious (phrases like
however, on the other hand, for example, and so
on).
– Asterisk major pieces of evidence like statistics
or stories or argument note in the margin the kind
of evidence and its purpose, for example, "story
that illustrates claim."
– Write "concl." in the margin at points where the
writer draws major conclusions. Locate passages
and phrases that trigger reactions.
Critical Reading
content.html
– Put a question mark next to points that are

unclear and note whether you need more
information or the author has been unclear or
whether the passage just sounds unreasonable or
out-of-place.
– Put an exclamation point next to passages that
you react to strongly in agreement, disagreement,
or interest.
– Attach a post-it note next to trigger passages
and write a brief reaction as you read.

What Next?
Building Models – expectations

1. Introduction
2. Background
3. Experiment / Project
4. Results / Outcome – Evaluation
5. Conclusion
– References
– Appendices

Structure
 The main idea of a text

(the “red thread”) intro
– I will show X survey
– stated in the abstract
exp
– stated in the introduction
– supported by rest of the text result
– reiterated in the conclusion
concl

Organisation - mindmaps
Related idea 2
Related idea 1
Main idea
Related idea 3 Related idea 4

Summary: Critical Reading
 DIALOG  recognizing purpose

 facts + interpretation  recognizing bias
 What a text says –  ways of thinking
restatement  evidence + evaluation
 What a text does –  annotate texts
description  models – red thread
 What a text means –  mindmapping
interpretation  goal oriented
 aware

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Critical Reading

All reading is an active,

2 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

3 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

 Non-critical reading is satisfied with recognizing what

4 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

 What a text says – restatement – talks

5 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

 Restatement generally takes the form of a

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– We examine features running throughout the text to see

– We examine what a text does to convey meaning:

8 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

– to recognize an author’s purpose

– to understand tone and persuasive elements

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 Notice that none of these goals actually refers to

10 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

 Critical reading is not simply close and

 To read critically, one must actively

11 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

 what to look for ( analysis ) and

 The first part —what to look for— involves

12 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

 All reading is an active, reflective, problem-

 We do not simply read words; we read ideas,

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 don't read looking only or primarily for

 do read looking for ways of thinking about

16 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

 First determine the central claims or

 The Process: Reading & Annotating

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– Circle major point of transition from the obvious

– Put a question mark next to points that are

20 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

Building Models – expectations

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 The main idea of a text

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Related idea 3 Related idea 4

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 DIALOG  recognizing purpose

24 06/11/2014 APS - Critical Reading

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