Critical Reading Strategies
Pre-reading strategies:
Step 1: Prediction: Read the title and make a prediction about the contents of the text (Write the
prediction next to the title).
Step 2: Number the paragraphs.
Critical Reading Strategies:
Read With the Grain
Reading to get the general idea of the text-not analyzing the information.
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Note the publication information (author, date, medium).
Read through the text quickly to get the general idea.
Underline any words that you do not know (if necessary) in order to go back and define when
you reread.
Read Against the Grain
Read the text carefully, look for the author’s purpose.
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Circle key terms, cited authors and other essential words or numbers that are related to the
main ideas of the text.
Underline the author’s claims (major claim, and topic sentences).
Highlight, star, or note the evidence that supports the author’s claims.
Define any vocabulary words that make comprehension difficult.
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Annotate the Text
Left Margin: Author’s Purpose
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Summarize, paraphrase, note any
information that leads to understanding
the author’s purpose
Types of evidence
Rhetorical Appeals (Ethos, Logos, Pathos)
Rhetorical Strategies
Right Margin: Reactions
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Write down personal reactions to the
reading (information that stands out,
questions that arise, problems, etc.