CRITICAL READING--Who, What, When, Why and How
Who should read critically?
You.
When do you read critically?
Ideally, always, but particularly when you read for academic purposes.
Why Read Critically?
Critical reading leads to critical thinking. In other words, instead of blindly accepting
what is written on a page, you separate yourself from the text and decide for yourself
what is or is not important or logical or right. And you do so because you bring to your
reading your own perspective, experience, education and personal values, as well as your
powers of comprehension and analysis.
Critical reading is an active process of discovery. You discover where an author stands
on an issue; you discover the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s argument and you
decide which side outweighs the other. The end result is that you have a better
understanding of the issue.
Ultimately, this will lead to being a better writer, because critical reading is the first step
to critical writing. Good writers look at the written word the way a carpenter looks at a
house - they study the fine details and the way the details connect and create the whole.
The better you become at analyzing and reacting to another’s written work, the better you
become at analyzing and reacting to your own: Is it logical? Do my points come across
clearly? Are my examples solid enough? Is this the best wording? Is my conclusion
persuasive?
What is Critical Reading?
If you have ever read a magazine article, newspaper editorial or a piece of advertising and
found yourself questioning the claims of the authors, you have already exercised the
basics of critical reading: You look beneath the surface of the words and think about
their meaning and significance. You make judgements based on careful analysis and
sound reading. It is a strategy that requires relatively slow reading and re-reading.
When you read critically you might ask the following questions of the author:
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What does he/she mean by that?
Can he/she support that statement?
How do you define that term?
Is the conclusion acceptable in the light of your personal experience?
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How did you draw that conclusion?
Do all experts agree?
Is this evidence not dated?
You might also take the position that:
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Other experts would disagree with you.
That is not true
You are contradicting yourself.
I see your point, but I do not agree
That is not a good choice of words.
You are jumping to conclusions.
Good point. I never thought of that.
This is an extreme view.
How de we read critically?
1.
Do close reading. Close reading is a strategy of selecting and storing information
that is used most often in academic study. This involves extracting the relevant
sections of the sentence, organizing it in a logical way ans storing it so you can
use it in discussion or examinations.
2.
Re-read. You never get the essence of an article on a first reading; you are too
busy trying to figure out where the essay is going. To really understand what an
author is doing, you have to read an essay at least twice. Most of the essays
assigned in this class are short for this very reason. I expect you to read each one
twice.
3.
Summarize what you read. In your notebook, see if you can summarize the main
points of the article in one paragraph. You will find yourself going back to the
text to remind yourself of main points; this gives you one more reading and a
chance to see if you can identify the claim and main points of evidence in the
essay.
4.
Outline what you read, briefly and simply. This will help you see how the author
constructed his/her argument and give you ideas for what you do and do not want
to do in your own writing.
5.
Analyze the essay by asking yourself the following questions, and noting the
answers in your notebook:
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What are the author’s assumptions?
What kind of audience is the author addressing?
What are the author’s purpose and intentions?
How well does the author accomplish those purposes?
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How convincing is the evidence presented? Is it pertinent? Is it reliable? Is it
specific enough?
How good are the sources of evidence used?
Did the author address opposing views on the issue?
Finally, is the author persuasive?
6.
Argue with the author. Ask some of the questions that appear under the “What is
Critical Reading?” section above.
7.
Annotate your text. Always read with pen in hand. Ask those questions.
Underline key points. Identify major claims. Circle words you do not
understand. Make wavy lines by confusing places. You must mark your text up
in order to get to the bottom of the structure of the article. (Only put marks in
your own books)
Material Consulted: Online Review of Writing Programme at the University of
Connecticut