go through Terry Heck
Critical reading is reading with the purpose of critically examining a text and its ideas.
To add more to this definition, we can say, “Critical reading is reading for the purpose of critical examination of a text and its implicit and explicit themes and ideas.”
What is critical reading? To expand on the simple definition above, critical reading is the careful, close reading of a text in order to fully understand it and evaluate its merits. It’s not just a matter of skimming a text or reading plot points; rather, critical reading requires that you read attentively and thoughtfully, taking into account the text’s structure, purpose, and audience, as well as other characteristics (such as tone, mood, diction, etc.).
See critical thinking definition
Critical reading is the process of reading texts to fully understand them. It involves asking about the author’s intention, the structure and purpose of the text, and the meaning of individual words and phrases. Critical readers also consider the context in which the text was written and how different readers might interpret it.
What are critical reading strategies? Critical reading strategies are anything readers do that help them critically evaluate a text.
See Create a reading culture in the classroom
What are some examples of critical reading strategies?
critical reading strategies
infer(Going between the lines is the act of identifying and examining implicit messages and biases. )
Claim/Counterclaim (Itemize them and how they work/don’t work together in a specific text; a concept map might be useful here)
keep a diary (the process of reflecting on and evaluating a text while or after reading)
See The 8 Most Important Critical Thinking Skills
mark text
reread
Adjust reading speed
Monitor understanding
SPQ: Stop, Paraphrase and Question
contrarian (seeing a text from a specific perspective other than your own—usually contrary to your beliefs, views, or opinions)
key shot (When reading a text, “seeing” the text through the lens of specific concepts or categories, including socioeconomic, historical, gender, race, sexual orientation, and other “concepts” or realities; this can help uncover biases, create new meanings that readers could not previously understand, and perhaps most importantly, help readers understand the subjectivity of reading and how much our own biases influence our understanding of the texts we read and the world around us).
See How to help your students understand quality
Why is critical reading important?
Critical reading is important because it allows you to critically read and analyze a text, break it down into its component parts and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. It can also help you understand the author’s purpose in writing the article and how it relates to your own life.
As a process of reading a text that focuses on understanding and evaluating the arguments and evidence presented, critical reading involves asking questions about the text, making connections with other texts, and thinking critically about the author’s arguments. Critical reading is necessary for success in school and life because it allows you to critically evaluate information and make informed decisions.
How to read critically
To read critically, you only need to read to identify and evaluate the “quality” of the text.
Quality can mean different things depending on the purpose and context of the text. Note that quality here is not the same as “quality” in literature or film or other fiction. In these cases, specific markers of quality certainly exist, but they relate to the ability to deliver compelling fiction (e.g., telling a “good story”). The use of dialogue to develop characters, the use of background conflict, and the weaving of a unified narrative through the course of dozens of small events, each designed to help readers slowly discover some truth about themselves or the world around them—these are all practices that help determine the quality of a novel.
In nonfiction forms (such as essays), quality is more concerned with the clarity and relevance of a particular claim, and the author’s ability to demonstrate the importance and truth of that claim.
Wikipedia provides a powerful example of the need for critical reading: “Psychologist Cyril Burt was famous for his research on the influence of genetics on intelligence. Shortly after his death, his research on heredity and intelligence became discredited amid evidence that he had falsified research data. A 1994 paper by William H. Tucker sheds light on how to “read critically” when and if falsified data is discovered. “Uncritical reading” of Burt’s paper by many prominent psychologists. Tucker shows that recognized experts in the field of intelligence research blindly accepted Cyril Burt’s research even though it had no scientific merit and was probably directly falsified: they wanted to believe that IQ was heritable and believed in the uncritical empirical claims that supported this view. This article therefore demonstrates how critical reading (and vice versa) is related to beliefs and structures of interest and power.
Types of questions to ask when reading critically
Critical reading is the process of analyzing a text to understand its meaning and evaluate its arguments. When you read a passage critically, you ask yourself questions about the author’s purpose, the evidence they provide, and the logic of their argument.
Who is saying what to whom? That is, who are the authors, what is their message, and who is that message for?
Is this true? By what standards?
Does the paper pass the “so what?” test? challenge. In other words, are these claims convincing and important? Is it worth understanding?
What is clearly stated? What is implied? What is the relationship between the two?
What are the underlying assumptions of the text and the claims within it?
Does the knowledge (facts, truth, information, data, etc.) in the text represent our current best understanding of things? If not, what changed and why? How does this change affect the intensity and meaning of the text itself?
What is fact and what is opinion here?
What is the significance of this passage?
What claim does this article make? Are these claims clear? Relevant? Is it convincing? New? That is, has this sentence been said before?
What reasons are there to support these claims? Are these reasons consistent with the claims? That is, is the assertion of evidential reasoning accurate?
That is, is the claimed evidentiary reasoning accurate?
By asking questions like this, you not only guide your own understanding of the text, but you also begin to learn how arguments (and the texts that contain them) are constructed. This helps students develop their own reasoned, strong arguments, while also providing practice in analyzing and evaluating the merits of arguments presented by others (these can be formal academic arguments or informal ‘arguments’/claims made in real conversations in everyday life).
critical reading mindset
When we bring ourselves into reading, our “self” is forever changed, even slightly. The acquisition of knowledge changes us, and reading is the process of acquiring knowledge. The same article you read five years ago now takes on a new meaning because its meaning is not in the text but in your mind, and it has changed over time. This realization illustrates the need for critical reading (and critical thinking while reading).
See Critical thinking is a state of mind
As humans, we misunderstand so much and lack so much information and perspective. This leads to humility becoming one of the most important reading strategies for critical reading. By bringing this mindset to a text, we have a better chance of assessing the strength of the text’s claim reasoning and, in the process, a better chance of improving our own knowledge and critical reasoning skills.
exist Why students should read”, I said, “When we read—really, really read—after a while, as our minds begin to sort out new ideas, the parts of us that are usually very loud become quiet and powerless. Then, pushing further, we look inwards, turning our skins outside, exposing our pulsating, exposed nerves to the text. We build a sense of self to withstand the sheer momentum of the text, and then rummage through the pieces when it’s all over to see what’s left. in the back. “
Reading is interested in what is said, comprehension is interested in meaning, critical reading is interested in content actually true.
