CRITICAL

READING
SKILLS
 OBJECTIVES:

Students must know the skills

and characteristics of a critical
reader

Students must know the

important strategies to be a
critical reader

And students must possess

and demonstrate the skills of
a critical reader
 Critical reading is a more ACTIVE
way of reading. It is a deeper and
more complex engagement with a
text.
 Critical reading is a process of
analyzing, interpreting and,
sometimes, evaluating. When we
read critically, we use our critical
thinking skills to QUESTION both
the text and our own reading of it.
READING
To get a basic grasp of the text.
Absorbing/Understanding
 What a text SAYS

CRITICAL READING
 To form judgments about HOW a
text work
Analyzing/Interpreting/Evaluating
What a text DOES and MEANS
Critical readers
- are able to raise questions while
reading.
- can think logically.
- are skeptical.
- are open‐minded.
- are in touch with their own personal
thoughts and ideas about a topic.
- are able to identify arguments and
issues.
- are creative.
7 CRITICAL
READING
STRATEGIES
 PREVIEWING
-Learning about the text before reading it.
 Predicting the content from a title
 The abstract
 The headings and sub-headings
 And skim-reading the introduction and
conclusion
 Predicting Content from a Title

Is it good to make people happy?

- Why might it be good to make people
happy?
- What is meant by ‘good’ in this context?
Can I quickly find a definition?
- Why is it good to make people happy, and
not merely nice to do so?
- Explore the link between morality,
goodness and happiness
 CONTEXTUALIZING
-Placing a text in its historical, biographical,
and cultural contexts.
 When was it written?
 Who wrote the article?

 QUESTIONING TO
UNDERSTAND AND
REMEMBER
-Asking questions about the content.
 Write questions anytime, for every paragraph
or brief section.
 REFLECTING ON
CHALLENGES TO YOUR
BELIEFS AND VALUES
-Examining your personal responses.
 First, just read the text or the article then
place an “X” to the word or paragraph that
challenge your beliefs and opinions.
 Ask yourself What reaction did you have
and WHY? How do you think your beliefs
and opinions and being challenged?
 OUTLINING AND SUMMARIZING
-Identifying the main ideas and restating them
in your own words.

 EVALUATING AN ARGUMENT
-Testing the logic of a text as well as its credibility
and emotional impact.

 COMPARING ANDCONTRASTING
RELATED READINGS
-Exploring likenesses and differences between
texts to understand them better.
Points to remember :
-Always read a text with your purpose in mind.
-At an early stage, focus on establishing and
expanding global ideas and acquiring
vocabulary.
- Always interrogate the text as you read -
always try to read actively.
- Summarize the text after you have read it and
note key bibliographic details
- Too much highlighting/underlining is not helpful.
 SUMMARY
CRITICAL READING
 Questioning, Comparing, and Evaluating
7 Critical Reading Strategies
 Previewing
 Contextualizing
 Questioning to understand and remember
 Reflecting on challenges to your beliefs and values
 Outlining and summarizing
 Evaluating an argument
 Comparing and Contrasting related readings
 Group activity
 Apply the strategies to the story given.
 Write your understanding in ½ crosswise
yellow paper.
 And someone in your group will read it in
front of the class.
 Just ask the facilitator if you have questions
or inquiries about the activity.
Fighting!!!
Reference(sources):
http://www.salisbury.edu/counseling/new/7_critical_reading_str
ategies.html
Schumm, J.S. & Post, S.A. (1997). Executive Learning: Successful
Strategies for College Reading and
Studying. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Seyler, D. U. (1997). The Reading Context: Developing College
Reading Skills. Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Karland, Dan. http://www.criticalreading.com/
Knott, Deborah. “Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing.”
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/reading-and-
researching/critical-reading
Wheeler, Dr.L.Kip. “Critical Reading of an Essay’s Argument.” Dr.
Wheeler’s Website. 12 Oct. 2004.
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/reading_basic.html