What is critical reading?

Critical reading is a form of language analysis that does not take the given text at face value, but
involves a deeper examination of the claims put forth as well as the supporting points and possible
counterarguments

Exmple

Examples make abstract ideas concrete. Probably the single greatest key to critical reading is the
realization that critical reading is not concerned with what the examplesare, as with what the examples
are examples of. For quick insight into this notion, consider the remark: Mervin runs like a duck

Why is critical reading importance

It is important to read critically. Critical reading requires you to evaluate the arguments in the
text. . This also means being aware of your opinions and assumptions (positive and negative) of the
text you are reading so you can evaluate it honestly.

English Language Learners and the Five Essential Components of Reading Instruction

• Phonemic awareness. Phonemes are the smallest units making up spoken language. ...

• Phonics. ...

• Vocabulary development. ...

• Reading fluency, including oral reading skills. ...

• Reading comprehension strategies.

Top 5 critical reading techniques

• Survey – Know what you're looking for! Before you crack open your book, take a few minutes to
read the preface and introduction, and browse through the table of contents and the index. ...

• Ask questions. ...

• Read actively. ...

• Respond to your own questions. ...

• Record key concepts

Write a critical summary

A great way to make sure you really understood the text is to write a summary of the article. Using
your notes and highlighted areas, think about the following themes:

• Who was the article written for?

• What is the goal of the article?
• Did it achieve this goal? If not, what kind of information is missing in order for it to be more
successful?
• What are the main points of the article?
• How could it be improved?
• What are the possible next issues to be addressed on this particular subject? What does the
future hold in this area?
 • Who else is writing about this subject? What do they have to say that’s different from the
author’s take?

A useful way to establish your thoughts on the article is to write a classic five paragraph essay that
elaborates a thesis, anti-thesis and supporting ideas.

Practice SQ3R

This stands for:

• Survey. Skim the text in order to get the gist of it, looking out for main points, dates, names
and important descriptions.
• Question. Before you do an in-depth reading, make a list of questions relevant to the subject
or assignment you’ve been given based on the skimming you did. Examples of some
questions you could ask:
How does this author’s position on gay marriage differ from author X’s position?
In what way is this issue relevant to me or to my family/community/school, etc?
What impact is this article going to have on the way we think about X?
• Read. Read the article thoroughly, taking notes as you go along.
• Recall. Write down the main points and arguments that you remember from the text. This is
a crucial point in deepening your understanding of it. Without having to look at the text again,
recall the essence of the argument and the main points that you can remember. What stood
out to you?
• Review. Go over your recall notes carefully and give the text another reading. Fill in any
gaps that are missing in your notes based on your new reading.

What is the purpose of critical thinking?

Critical thinking is about making the best possible decision by:

• Considering all sides to a topic or issue, weighing the pros and cons
• Making sure your own conclusions are not biased
• Making sure your judgment is not being affected by faulty reasoning or
inaccurate information
• Basically, the purpose of critical thinking is to make sure your
judgment is clear and objective when considering something. It can
be hard to think critically when one has high emotional investment
in the topic or issue at hand.

• For example, someone's opinion on the morality of contentious

topics (like abortion or capital punishment) is often highly charged
with the way the topic makes them feel to such a degree that they
might...
Critical reading process
This guide lists the steps to follow when critically reading a text. You will be following these
steps in this activity

Analyse the task

Break down the assignment into component parts.

• Underline instructional words, e.g. discuss, explain, identify, justify

• Circle key content words and phrases
• Look for hints on structure (List? Cause and effect? Problem/solution? Compare and
contrast?)
• Be clear about what the task requires: put the question in your own words
• Brainstorm the question:
o Bring all your ideas together on one page
o Take stock of everything you know
o Identify gaps in your knowledge

Being research

Find articles and other relevant references

• Use LibrarySearch on the library homepage and consult Subject Guides

• Follow strategies for researching (consult Liaison Librari an for further information)
• Use key words from assignment task as search terms

Pre reading activies

Scan the text for the following information:

• Who is the author/s?

o What are their qualifications/positions?
o Might the writer be biased? Why?
• What is the publication?
o Is it authoritative?
o Is it current?

Skim the text; highlight key words and main ideas:

• Read the title, abstract or summary, headings, sub-headings; and note the graphics
• Read the introduction, first sentence of each paragraph, and conclusion

Note: For more information on these techniques, go to the Learning Lab reading tutorial

Make a list of question

Relate the content of the text to your research questio n

 • Is this text relevant to my research question?
• If so, list questions about the content of the article or report

Deep reading

Relate the content of the text to your research question

• Highlight key ideas, write short comments in margin

• Note the patterns of organisation in the text. Common patterns include:
o list/sequence
o problem/solution
o cause/effect
o compare/contrast
.