Chapter 1
{ Reading for Understanding
Underlining
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1) Used for Selection and
Emphasis
2) Helps show what is important,
and what is not
3) Some points are worth
reviewing: You probably want to
underline the following:
 A) Important generalizations
and topic sentences
 B) Examples that have helped
you understand a difficult idea
 C) Transitional points, where
the argument changes
Annotating
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1) Annotation refers to the
comments you make in the
margins.
2) Helps to interpret, evaluate, or
question the author’s meaning.
3) Helps to define a word or
phrase, or clarify a point.
4) Not every text needs to be
annotated. However, you should
annotate anything that is especially
difficult to understand.
Read the example of
annotation on page 5: “Land
of Desire.”
Land of Desire Continued...
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1) The annotation should work
by reminding you of the ideas
you have thought about and
understood.
2) Some marginal notes may
remind you of places you
disagreed with the author, or
looked at the ideas in a new
way.
3) You can also use marginal
notes with pictures or other
graphics to help yourself
understand, or to remind
yourself later of your point of
view.
IMPORTANT
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1) When making
marginal notes, it is
important to put
things into your own
words instead of
copying directly from
the text. Expressing
things in your own
words will help you to
understand the
passage and
remember the point.
Exercise 1: Annotating a passage
1) Read the article on pages
8-10: “THE DIRT ON
CLEAN: AN
UNSANITIZED HISTORY”
 2) Reread the passage
carefully, underlining and
circling key ideas and
making notes and
annotations in the margins.
 3) Remember to include the
photograph and its caption
in your annotations.
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Homework
Read the article on
pages 10-11 “The
Blank Slate: The
modern denial of
human nature.”
 2) Reread the passage
carefully, underlining
and circling key ideas
and making notes and
annotations in the
margins.
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Guidelines for Effective Reading
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As you read and re-read,
note which ideas make
you react
Pause frequently- not to
take a break, but to think
about and respond to
what you’ve read.
If a reading has been
difficult, pausing will
provide time for you to
ask questions.
Asking questions
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Context means: the overall
framework in which a word,
passage, or idea occurs.
As you read, start to ask
questions about the text.
Understanding takes time
and careful reading. Asking
questions will help you to
understand the text on a
deeper level.
Questions to aid
understanding
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What is the meaning of the
word/phrase?
Where do I have difficulty
understanding the text?
What is the topic sentence of the
paragraph
What is the connection between
these two points?
What is this transitional word
telling me?
What point is the author trying
to make?
How can I put this idea in my
own words?
Reading is Fun!
Read: “A question of
degree” on pages 13-16.
Then read the questions
in the margins.
 Read pages 17-21 to see
how a reader would
typically answer a
question asked in the
margins.
 TOPIC: are college
degrees really necessary
and important?
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Exercise 2: Understanding what you read
Read “Cuss Time”
by Jill McCorkle
 On the second
reading, answer the
comprehension
questions in the
margins.
 Answer in
complete sentences
and use your own
words as much as
you can.
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Thesis Vs. Topic
A topic means a
subject: what is being
discussed and
written about.
 A thesis means a
statement of
intention and
purpose, expressing
the central idea of the
essay.

What is a Thesis?
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A thesis is a broad
statement, worth
defending, that defines the
scopes and limits of an
essay.
 It should answer a
question, not ask one.
 It should not be obvious.
It should be open to
argument
 The author should
follow the thesis
statement, and stay
away from irrelevant
topics.
Intention
The thesis shows
what an essay is
about
The intention
shows how it
will be
developed.
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Developing a thesis
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Authors can develop
a thesis in several
ways, depending on
their intention
 Explanation
 Analysis and
interpretation
 Argument and
persuasion
Bias
Bias means
preconceived
preference or
prejudice.
 Some authors may
feel so strongly
about a subject, that
they lose objectivity.
 A work can lose
credibility if the
author’s bias causes
them to omit or
distort evidence.
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Tone
The style in
which an author
writes.
 Some authors
use a serious
tone to
communicate
their ideas.
 Some authors
may use humor.
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Audience
The author’s perception
of the audience may
change the tone of the
work.
 For example, you would
not write the same
paper to a general
audience that you
would write for an
audience of specialists.
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Questioning the author:
“The kindness of strangers”
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Read “The kindness of
strangers” by Ruben Martinez
on pages 32-35 and its
annotations.
What is the thesis?
How does he support his
thesis?
Who is his audience?
What is the tone of the article?
Is the author biased?
Does the author manipulate
you?
Does he support his thesis?
Do you agree with the author?
Using Evidence and Reasoning
Evidence
Evidence refers
to any kind of
concrete
information
that can
support a
thesis.

Facts and Statistics
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Things that might be sited to
prove a thesis about excessive
drinking on a college
campus:
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1) The college’s policy
governing drinking in the
dormitories (Facts)
2) The number of bars near
campus (Statistics)
3) The number of students
who frequent those bars
(Statistics)
4) The number of students
who have sought help from
college counselors for
drinking problems. (Statistics)
Surveys
Generalizing from
a representative
sample.
 For example: 8 out
of 10 dentists
approve this new
toothpaste.
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Examples
A single
representative
instance.
 A single expert in
a field gives an
example that
supports the
thesis.
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Anecdotes
Extended examples
with a beginning,
middle, and end
that illustrate a
point the author is
trying to make.
 Usually an
anecdote is a story.
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Appeal to Authority
Citing the research or
the work of
acknowledged
authorities.
 If you wanted to write
an essay about college
drinking problems,
you would likely
consult a source from a
counselor or other
appropriate source.
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Exercise 4: Citing evidence
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Read “In Romania,
Children Left Behind
Suffer the Strains of
Migration.” on pages
44-47.
Identify the types of
evidence cited in the
article.
Is all of the information
cited by evidence?
Interpreting Evidence
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There are three
major ways to
describe how an
author uses
evidence and how
you form
conclusions from
that evidence.
 1) Stating
 2) Implying
 3) Inferring
Statements
The
information is
provided in
the text even
though the
wording may
be different.
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Implications
The text
suggests an
idea that is not
directly stated
in the source.
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Inferences
Through
reasoning, the
reader can form a
probable
conclusion that is
not implicit in the
text.
 The TEXT implies.
The READER
infers.
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Unsupported Inferences
An inference
that is pushed
too far and has
no evidence of
support from
the original text.
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Exercise 5: Drawing Inferences
Read “For College
Athletes, Recruiting is a
Fair (but Flawed) Game”
on pages 52-56.
 Decode, according to the
information in the article
and its accompanying data
which sentences on page
52 are implied, inferred,
stated, or unsupported.
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Using Logical Reasoning
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Most texts used in research
consist of a logical
progression of general
points that lead to an
overall thesis or
conclusion.
There are two main types
of reading: Inductive
Reasoning and Deductive
Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning
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Deductive means
reasoning from general
statements to form a
logical conclusion.
 1) All reptiles are
cold blooded.
(Premise)
 2) Iguanas are
reptiles (Premise)
 3) Therefore,
iguanas are coldblooded
(Conclusion)
Inductive Reasoning
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Inductive reasoning
uses the available
evidence to form
the most likely
conclusion.
 The sky is cloudy
 The ground is
wet.
 It must have
rained today.
However…
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You must be
prepared to
change your
inductive
reasoning if you
find new evidence
that contradicts
your first
conclusion.