LESSON 2: CRITICAL READING AND THESIS STATEMENTS

Lesson objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
 States the thesis statement of an academic text;
 Outline reading texts from an article; and
 Uses knowledge of text structure to glean the information he/she
needs.

Motivational Activity

Ponder on this statement of Gary Goshgarian: “Crticial reading is an active

process of discovery.” You can map out your answers by writing words/phrases that you
associate with reading, active, and process of discovery. Write as many words as you
can.

Critical
Reading

Processing Activity

1. What does it mean to read critically?

2. Why did Goshgarian say that critical reading is an active process of discovery?

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 Key Takeaways

WHAT IS CRITICAL READING?

Imagine that you are reading a magazine and you see the following statements:

 Girls most likely do well in academics during high school years but boys get
ahead of them in college.
 Female teenagers are more concerned with their physical appearance than male
teenagers.

Do you believe and agree with the statements after reading them? Would you
question their veracity? How would you react after reading the statements?

If you question the validity of the statements by asking the person to give the basis
for his/her assertions, then you are one step closer to becoming a critical reader.
Reading critically does not, necessarily, mean being critical of what you read. Both
reading and thinking critically don’t mean being ‘critical’ about some idea, argument, or
piece of writing - claiming that it is somehow faulty or flawed. Critical reading means
engaging in what you read by asking yourself questions such as, ‘what is the author
trying to say?’ or ‘what is the main argument being presented?’

When reading academic material you will be faced with the author’s interpretation
and opinion.  Different authors will, naturally, have different slants. You should always
examine what you are reading critically and look for limitations, omissions,
inconsistencies, oversights and arguments against what you are reading. Critical
reading means being able to reflect on what a text says, what it describes and what it
means by scrutinizing the style and structure of the writing, the language used as well
as the content.

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As a critical reader you should reflect on:

 What the text says:  after critically reading a piece you should be able to take
notes, paraphrasing - in your own words - the key points.

 What the text describes: you should be confident that you have understood the
text sufficiently to be able to use your own examples and compare and contrast
with other writing on the subject in hand.

 Interpretation of the text: this means that you should be able to fully analyse
the text and state a meaning for the text as a whole.

The following are some of the suggested ways to help you become a critical reader:

1. Annotate what you read.

Annotating is any action that deliberately interacts with a text to enhance
the reader's understanding of, recall of, and reaction to the text. Sometimes
called "close reading," annotating usually involves highlighting or underlining key
pieces of text and making notes in the margins of the text.

*your teacher will provide you a set of example for annotation for better understanding.

2. Outline the text

An outline is a plan for or a summary of a writing project or speech. Outlines are

usually in the form of a list divided into headings and subheadings that distinguish main
points from supporting points. Most word-processing programs contain an outline
feature that allows writers to format outlines automatically. An outline may be either
informal or formal. Look at the example chart below.

Thesis Statement:
Supporting details: (Main ideas every paragraphs)
Point 1:
2 types of outline
Point 2:
1. Topic Outline - uses words & phrases
Point 3:
2. Sentence Outline – uses sentences
(repeat steps )

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ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
The following is an example of an outline:

Thesis: In order to succeed in the classroom, college students need to utilize the
resources available to them throughout their college careers.
I. Advising
A. Find the right program(s) and/or career field
B. Implement a plan for fulfilling program requirements
C. Sign up for the correct classes
1. Verify prerequisites
2. Find times that work
3. Locate proper instructor
D. Evaluate progress
II. Help with content
A. Study groups
B. Tutoring
1. Drop-in
2. Individual
C. SI sessions
III. Technology
1. Computer Labs
2. Academic websites
3. Forums and online discussions

In this example, the Roman numerals I, II, and III are each of the body
paragraphs that will appear in the essay. Next to each Roman numeral is the central
idea behind each paragraph and how it relates to the essay’s main point (or thesis). The
letters that appear under each Roman numeral show the details that will be offered in
each paragraph to support the main idea of the paragraph. If some of the details require
multiple explanations, these are noted with numbers under the letters.

Notice all that the above outline accomplishes: The main ideas/paragraphs of the
essay have been grouped into an order that makes sense; the main idea behind each
paragraph is identified along with the support that will be offered. Essentially, the essay
is completely organized. Now the writer can simply follow the outline and turn each idea
into a paragraph by expanding on the details that are present. 

While creating an outline such as this will take a small amount of time, the time
put into creating this outline should result in saving even more time during the writing
phase. If following the outline, the writer should not get stuck wondering what comes
next or how to expand upon an idea.

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What is a Thesis Statement?

A thesis statement usually appears at the conclusion of the introductory

paragraph of a paper. It offers a concise summary of the main point or claim of the
essay, research paper, etc. It is usually expressed in one sentence, and the statement
may be reiterated elsewhere. Consider an example of thesis statement below from a
selected paragraph.

Psychologists have argued for decades about how a person’s character is

formed. Numerous psychologists believe that one’s birth order (i.e. place in the
family as the youngest, oldest or middle child) has the greatest influence. Birth
order can have a significant impact in the information of a child’s character. Birth
order can strongly affects one’s relationship with parents, relationship with others
and how one views responsibility as an adult.

Thesis statement: Birth order can strongly affects one’s relationship with parents,
relationship with others and how one views responsibility as an adult.

Sub points: Birth order can have a significant impact in the information of a
child’s character (in the thesis or nearby help the reader knows how the essay
will be organized)

3. Summarize the text.

Summarizing reduces a text to its main idea and necessary information.

Summarizing differs from paraphrasing in that summary leaves out details and terms. A
summary is usually one paragraph long.

4. Evaluate the text.

Another significant reason for reading texts is to evaluate them. Usually,

evaluating texts is a mostly subjective task, which relies on a person’s personal
experiences, biases, and personal feelings about the text/topic. Oftentimes, evaluations
discuss how the author/writer likes or dislikes something. Unlike summaries, which
attempt to be unbiased, an evaluation allows the writer to inform the audience about
good or bad qualities of a text or other medium being evaluated.

Exercise 2.1 ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

 Read the sample article, Wrigley’s Chewing Gum. Apply the four ways of reading
critically. Annotate as you read then get the main idea after reading.

Wrigley’s Chewing Gum

(1) Wrigley’s chewing gum was actually developed as a premium to be given

away with other product rather than as a primary product for sale. As a teenager,
William Wrigley Jr. was working for his father in Chicago selling soap that has been
manufactured in his father’s factory. The soap was not very popular with merchants
because it was priced at 5 cents, and this selling price did not leave a good profit margin
for the merchants. Wrigley convinced his father to raise the price to ten cents and to
give away cheap umbrellas as a premium for the merchants. This worked successfully,
confirming to Wrigley that the use of premium was an effective sales tool.

(2) Wrigley then established his own company; in his company he was selling
soap as a wholesaler, giving baking soda away as a premium, and using a cook book to
promote each deal. Over time, the baking soda and cookbook became more popular
than the soap, so Wrigley began a new operation selling baking soda, he soon decided
on chewing gum. Once again, when Wrigley realized that the demand for premium was
stronger than the demand for the original product, he created the Wm. Wrigley Jr.
Company to produce and sell chewing gum.

(3) Wrigley started out with two brands of gum, Vassar and Lotta gums, and soon
introduced Juicy Fruit and Spearmint. The latter two brands grew in popularity, while the
first two were phased out. Juicy Fruit and Spearmint are two of Wrigley’s main brand to
this day.

Main idea:

Exercise 2.2
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Activity: Outlining ideas from a given article (Wrigley’s Chewing Gum)
In this section, write your outline from the given article. Make sure to follow the
steps and guidelines in making a formal outline.

Thesis statement:

Evaluation

Choose a news article about a recent national issue (an issue that has made it to
the news headlines in the past two weeks or so). As a critical reader, evaluate the news
article and find out if there are flaws in the way the article is presented.
Use the following criteria for your evaluation:

 What is the purpose of the advertisement/news?

 What are some interesting information that catch your attention? Did they present
evidence and/or credible sources to support for the text’s credibility?
 Write your answers in a clean sheet of paper.

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