3.1: Introduction to Critical Reading--Readings

Introduction to Critical Reading

Why do we read? This may sound like a simple question but take a moment to reflect on the ways in which you have engaged with reading in your life. We typically read to:

· For guidance / to follow instructions: Think about times that you’ve had to follow a recipe for a new meal that you’re cooking or think about a time you received an email for a new job with information on the next steps you needed to take.

· For understanding/ to better comprehend: As a student you have had to read to understand new subject matter throughout the years.

· For information/ to be informed: Think about a time you or someone in your family received a notice from the gas or electric company about changes to service or needed maintenance. These types of notices are to help inform people.

· For enjoyment / to be entertained: You may have experienced books that you’ve enjoyed reading in the past, or you may have played videogames that required some reading through character dialogue or background information.

Now think about your role as a new college student. Many of your instructors will expect you to be read texts that may be longer and use academic language, which may be difficult to understand at times. Some of your professors may also expect you to already know how to navigate their reading assignments on your own and to engage in critical reading.

What is critical reading?

Critical reading is when you are actively engaged with a text. While skimming a text is a useful skill to get an idea of what will be covered in a reading, you will retain a better understanding of a reading when you take your time with it. This is the first step in active reading. Take your time with the text. You will be able to make more connections about the reading.

What are some other critical reading strategies?

· Read with an open mind. We all have preconceived ideas about different topics and may have our guard up when we are confronted with a reading about a topic we already feel strongly about. When you go into a text with an open mind, you will be able to understand what the author’s point of view is and how they are supporting their point of view. This will help you have a better understanding of the reading itself.

· Consider who the author’s intended audience is. Writers aren’t writing for everyone. Good writers will always consider who their target audience is. For example, a student who is writing about their college’s new recycling program for their college newspaper is envisioning their audience to have a connection to the college itself, whether the audience is a current student, former student, faculty member, or staff.

· Think about the title. What connections can you make about the title of the text? Titles will often provide insight as to the author’s topic, argument, and tone. Consider the following headline from an article found on Disability Scoop, a news source for developmental disability news:

“How Taylor Swift’s Music is Teaching Social-Emotional Skills to Students in Special Ed.”

What sort of connections can you form just from the title that will prepare you to read the full article? What do you think the author’s focus will be on? Who do you think the author’s intended audience will be?

· Consider subheadings, photos, and pull quotes. Sometimes a reading will have multiple subheadings and select specific quotes to highlight in a bigger size text. Think about what these tools are adding to the reading and the author’s perspective.

· Annotate the reading and take notes. Be messy with your text! Highlight, circle, or underline important ideas from the text or areas that interest you. Write out questions in the margins that come up as you read the text. If a detail in the texts makes you think of something or causes a reaction, write that down. Keep a notebook to organize your notes in.

· Look up unfamiliar words. We are not walking dictionaries. It’s OK to search for the definition of words we haven’t encountered before. Whether you have a dictionary at your side or look it up online, looking up new words will help you with understanding the reading.

· Summarize the reading to yourself. Challenge yourself by writing out a summary of the reading. Writing a summary will help you reflect on the notes you took. If you’re having a hard time summarizing the main points of the reading, then it may be a chance to re-read or review your notes again.

· Read the text again. There’s nothing wrong with reading the text again. This is part of slowing down the reading process.

Why is annotating a text important?

Annotating a text allows you to:

· Understand a text.

· Track changes and/or the progression of the author’s argument and supporting points.

· Identify areas of interest or concern. Understand what we do know and what we do not know.

· Prepare for a class discussion on the reading.

· Prepare for writing assignment about the reading.

Example annotations of a text:

What do you notice about the annotations that the reader has made in the above reading excerpt? Would you have made a note of anything different?