CRWT111: BSN 2ND YEAR 2ND SEMESTER PRELIM SUMMARY

LESSON 1: Introduction to Critical Reading

  • Reading is multifaceted = it has different phases or parts

  • needs one’s sense to recognize words and understand the context

  • integration of fluency, vocabulary, and motivation to decode meaning

  • Vocabulary means knowledge of words

  • Day and Bamford (1998) = Meaning construction

    • connecting information from the written message with previous knowledge to arrive at meaning and understanding

    • schema or schemata or prior/background knowledge = reason why we understand what we read

  • Cline et al. (2006) = Decoding and Understanding

    • Decoding = translation of the symbols of writing system to spoken words (ex. Braille)

    • Understanding = determined by factors (purpose, context, nature of the text, and readers’ strategies and knowledge)

  • Five Macro Skill = reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing

  • Reading comprehension = ability to process text, understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the reader already knows

    • Discover new things = allows us to educate ourselves

    • Access and comprehend different reading materials

    • Develop our mind and enhance our imagination and creativity

    • Improve our vocabulary and spelling; linguistic and communicative competence (written and spoken forms)

    • Build a good self-image

  • These are questions we can answer through merely

    reading a text.

    • What is the title?

    • Who is the author?

    • Who are the people involved in the text?

    • What are the names of the characters?

  • These questions will require readers to go beyond reading

    • What are the assumptions made in the text? Are they important? Are they possible? Are they reasonable?

    • What is the evidence stated that support the claim? Are they appropriate to the context? Are they true today?

    • Are the beliefs or values of the author explicit?

    • Were there inconsistent statements?

    • What could be the possible counterclaims for the text?

    • Can you see any justification (direct or implied) for the research decisions? Do the justifications seem reasonable?

    • How does the development of information affect the purpose of the text?

  • Reading isn’t just fundamental. It is critical.

  • Critical reading is an analytic activity

  • A critical thinker/ reader might read the same work to appreciate how a particular perspective of the events and a particular selection of facts can lead to a particular understanding

  • Reading critically means reflecting on:

    • Content of the text = able to interpret and explain the main points with own word

    • Descriptions in the text = able to create own examples and compare them with other texts

    • Interpretation of the text = objectively analyze the text in parts and in whole

  • The Difference Between Reading and Critical Reading

    • Purpose

      • Reading

        • To know the title

        • To know who the author is

        • To search for specific information

        • To get a basic grasp of the text

      • Critical Reading

        • To recognize arguments

        • To form judgments about HOW a text works

        • To assess the strengths of the text

        • To evaluate evidence

        • To generate questions

    • Activity

      • Reading

        • Memorizing

        • Absorbing

        • Understanding

      • Critical Reading

        • Analyzing

        • Interpreting

        • Evaluating

    • Questions

      • Reading

        • What is the text about?

        • Who are the characters?

        • What is the setting?

        • What is the plot?

        • What is the theme?

      • Critical Reading

        • What is the main argument?

        • How does the text work? How is it argued?

        • What kinds of reasoning and evidences are used?

        • What are the underlying assumptions?

        • What does the text mean?

    • Direction

      • Reading

        • WITH the text (taking for granted it is right)

      • Critical Reading

        • With and AGAINST the text (questioning its assumptions and arguments, interpreting meaning in context, and connecting it to other similar texts)

    • Response

      • Reading

        • Restatement, Summary

      • Critical Reading

        • Description, Interpretation, and Evaluation

  • Critical Reading as a Daily Routine

    • Be consistently conscious of the nature and content of the text

    • Making reading a habit widens our horizons

    • Absorb as much as you can

  • The Goal of Reading

    • To be entertained

    • To be informed

    • To understand

    • For academic purposes

  • Adopting a Healthy Attitude in Reading

    • encouraged to learn meaning and identify value rather than absorb everything at face value

    • one has to equip him or herself with tools that make learning more convenient and less tiresome.

    • maintain objectivity when reading as this allows a person to analyze the text using logic and not feelings.

    • Dr. Seuss – the more you read the more things you know. The more that you learn the more places you’ll go.

LESSON 2: The Nature of the Text

  • Knowing more about the nature of the text prepares you better in understanding the topic > references > arguments > discussion

  • What questions should be asked?

    • this information are often reflected on the cover, preface and table of content of the book. For stories, the synopsis at the back

  • Who are the stakeholders?

    • Who is affected by the issue?

      • Equipping yourself with prior knowledge can help you identify the biases of the authors, and possibly the unintentional errors.

    • What are his or her goals in writing the text?

      • text is no longer consistent with the author’s prior works or statements

  • Learning how to separate academic texts from non-academic texts is needed in researching, reviewing and passing assessments.

  • Academic texts

    • intended for publication, such as journal articles, reports, books, and chapters in edited collections

    • important feature of academic texts; organized in a specific way; they have a clear structure.

  • Types of academic text

    • Essay - A fairly short, self-contained argument, often using sources from a class in response to a question provided by an instructor

    • Research paper - A more in-depth investigation based on independent research, often in response to a question chosen by the student.

    • Thesis/ dissertation - The large final research project undertaken at the end of a degree, usually on a topic of the student's choice.

    • Research proposal - An outline of a potential topic and plan for a future dissertation or research project.

    • Literature review - A critical synthesis of existing research on a topic, usually written in order to inform the approach of a new piece of research.

  • Academic texts are

    • Formal and unbiased

    • Clear and precise

    • Focused and well-structured

    • Well-sourced

    • Correct and consistent

    • Book reports

    • Translations

    • Essays

    • Conference papers

    • Academic journals

    • Abstract

  • Academic texts are:

    • Objective = based on facts with solid basis; emotions of the authors cannot be felt from texts or materials.

    • Written by professionals in any given field

    • Often take years to publish = intense writing and review.

    • Written with formal words and may contain technical terms

    • Accompanied with a list of references

  • Non-Academic Texts

    • published quickly and can be written by anyone

    • includes personal opinions, letters to editors, memos, magazine, fiction or non-fiction, newspapers, digital media, blogs, text messages, business letters

  • Non-academic texts are:

    • Non-objective = more personal and based on opinions or one's point-of-view

    • Written for the mass public = no specific audience

    • Written with casual, informal language = slang

    • Not limited to authorship credentials, writing ability or substance = as fame, with or without credibility

LESSON 3: Steps in Critical Reading

  • Developing The Habit

    • one needs to have the genuine desire to learn and discover new things

  • Prioritize reading

    • realistic schedule

    • create a timetable to ensure your progress

  • Find informative books of good value

    • Do not just look at titles or topics, but on the author’s credibility, the reputation of the publishing company

    • start reading books that genuinely pique your curiosity or are aligned with your already existing hobbies, skills, interests, or field of specialization.

    • reading schedule every day, which may last from 30 minutes to several hours

    • reading because you have a goal and not just because you have a schedule to fill

  • Have your reading habit planned.

    • Designating your own reading spot in the house

    • always set a quantity-based reading activity instead

  • Do not limit your reading habit.

    • Read as much as you can, as often as you want.

  • Be a morning reader.

  • Try speed reading

    • Step 1: Analyze the critical reading

    • Step 2: Practice pre-reading

    • Step 3: Highlight and annotate

    • Step 4: Evaluate the text

    • Step 5: Mind mapping.

    • Step 6: Consolidating

Reading Strategies for Critical Thinking

  • Previewing

    • pre-reading strategy to improve the reader’s ability to focus.

    • skim the text to get the main idea before reading it in detail.

    • Skimming is a reading technique that is used to get an overall view, gist or impression of the content.

    • Better concentration leads to better understanding.

    • Remember T.H.I.E.V.E.S.

  • Contextualizing

    • It literally means studying in context.

    • place the texts in their historical, biographical, and cultural contexts to be aware of the differences between the contemporary ideas and those

      written in the texts.

    • Every era is different, to fully decode the text, readers must

      take note the significance between the time and place

  • Questioning

    • engaging strategy that helps the readers clarify and comprehend what he is reading.

  • Reflecting

    • person analyzes his/her own experiences, or own skills, practice, and responses in order to learn more and gain improvement.

    • deepens learning; enables someone to make sense of the acquired knowledge.

  • Outlining and Summarizing

    • reading strategy that organizes ideas and the main points of the text.

    • Outline = skeleton of the text pinpointing the main ideas of the text.

    • Summary = brief account of the important points of something. it maintains the ideas presented in the original text.

  • Evaluating the argument

    • focus on information and they consider its connection to their own viewpoint.

    • Readers make evidence-based judgments.

  • Comparing and Contrasting

    • Involve exploring similarities and differences between related texts.

    • May help readers increase understanding of the texts and also, evaluate the information presented; tell whether whose work is more accurate, believable and consistent.

  • Reading Strategies for Critical Thinking

    • Improve your vocabulary words.

      • Read a wide range of text.

      • Have a dictionary at all times.

      • Never assume the meaning of a word that you are unfamiliar with.

      • Keep a vocabulary journal where you write down all words that you learn on a daily or weekly basis.

      • Learn at least three words a day and try using them in sentences

      • Find opportunities to apply the learned words in actual conversations.

    • Mind your reading comprehension skills.

      • Be Conscious of Your Recalls.

      • Try to recall and explain the key

      • points on your own words after each section.

      • Avoid reading at a slower pace just to compensate for your comprehension.

      • Use a line guide.

    • Improve your reading speed.

      • Keep in mind that the reading pace depends on the type of material you are reading and your goal.

      • Proactively focus on 2-4 words at a time instead of fixating on a per word reading basis.

      • Read with your eyes and mind.

      • Practice makes perfect.

      • Force yourself to read at a faster rate for short periods of time.

      • Go at a speed that is uncomfortable but you are still comprehending the material.

      • Avoid rereading as much as possible.

      • You should never read at a rate that is slower than your average rate.

    • Apply the SQ3R Method

      • Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review

      • active reading method that, will seem time consuming at the beginning, can still enhance your reading comprehension and learning efficiency.

    • Do Skimming & Scanning

      • Skimming = locate the information quickly. It will also increase the amount of usable material you obtain for your research.

      • Scanning = reading a text quickly in order to find specific information

    • Make inferences

      • Take two or more details from the reading and see if you can draw a conclusion.

      • When you are asked an inference question, go back over the reading and look for hints within the text.