CRITICAL READING AND WRITING

Fall Semester
WEEK 1
2020-2021
 What is critical reading?
Critical reading is the process of reading that goes
beyond just understanding a text.
 
Critical reading involves
(1) carefully considering and evaluating the reading
text,
(2) identifying the reading's strengths and
implications, and
(3) identifying the reading's weaknesses and flaws.
 ?What is critical reading
• 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?’

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
analyze the text and state a meaning for the text as a whole.
 ?What is critical reading
• Critical Thinking is an extension of Critical Reading.
• Thinking critically, in the academic sense, involves being
open-minded - using judgment and discipline to process
what you are learning about without letting your personal
bias or opinion detract from the arguments. 
• Critical thinking involves being rational and aware of your
own feelings on the subject – being able to reorganize your
thoughts, prior knowledge and understanding to express
new ideas or viewpoints. 
• Critical reading and critical thinking are therefore the very
foundations of true learning and personal development.
 SQ3R: A strategy for reading critically
SQ3R is a well-known strategy for reading.  SQ3R can be
applied to a whole range of reading purposes as it is flexible
and takes into account the need to change reading speeds.

SQ3R is an acronym and stands for:

• Survey
• Question
• Read
• Recall
• Review
SURVEY
This relates to speed-reading, scanning and skimming the text.  At
this initial stage you will be attempting to gain the general gist of the
material in question.

QUESTION
It is important that, before you begin to read, you have a question
or set of questions that will guide you - why am I reading this?
Having questions changes reading from a passive to an active
pursuit.  Examples of possible questions include:
What do I already know about this subject?
How does this chapter relate to the assignment question?
How can I relate what I read to my own experiences?
READ
This involves careful consideration of the meaning of what the author is
trying to convey and involves being critical as well as active.

RECALL
Regardless of how interesting an article or chapter is, unless you make a
concerted effort to recall what you have just read, you will forget a lot of the
important points.  Recalling from time to time allows you to focus upon the
main points – which in turn aids concentration. A significant element in being
active is to write down, in your own words, the key points. 

REVIEW
The final step is to review the material that you have recalled in your notes. 
Did you understand the main principles of the argument? 
Did you identify all the main points? 
Are there any gaps?
 What is critical writing?
• Critical writing is writing which analyses and evaluates
information, usually from multiple sources, in order to
develop an argument.
• A mistake many beginning writers make is to assume that
everything they read is true and that they should agree with
it, since it has been published in an academic text or journal.
• Being part of the academic community, however, means that
you should be critical of (i.e. question) what you read,
looking for reasons why it should be accepted or rejected, for
example by comparing it with what other writers say about
the topic, or evaluating the research methods to see if they
are adequate or whether they could be improved.
 How to write critically
In order to write critically, you need to use a range of
sources to develop your argument.
You cannot rely solely on your own ideas; you need to
understand what others have written about the same
topic.
Additionally, it is not enough to use just a single source
to support your argument, for example a source which
agrees with your own view, since this could lead to a
biased argument. You need to consider all sides of the
issue.
 This semester
• In this course, each week I will share with you
a piece of reading in connection with our
department. Then, I will ask you to read it
(critically), and in the class we will (critically)
discuss the main ideas.
• In the writing section, every 3 weeks I will ask
you to (critically) write an opinion essay on
one of the readings. (it will be explained later).
 Assignment of the week
• TEACHING GRAMMAR
• Seven Bad Reasons for Teaching Grammar –
and Two Good Ones
Michael Swan
 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Before Reading
1. How much grammar does one need in order to be able to communicate
comfortably in a second or foreign language?

2. Some people claim that grammar is not very important as long as you can get
your message across in the language you are studying. Do you agree with this
statement?

3. What has been your experience in learning the grammar of a second

language?

4. How do you go about teaching grammar? How do you decide which grammar
points to present first, second, and so on?
 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Before Reading
5. Is grammar best taught in isolation or in context? Explain your
answer.

6. Does one have to consciously know the rules of grammar? Why or

why not?

7. How important are grammar drills in second language learning?

What are the assumptions of discrete grammar practice?

8. How do you correct your students’ grammar mistakes? Give at least

three different techniques you usually employ in your teaching.