Critical Reading Strategies in Literature Flashcards
(reasons)
What the text SAYS is the?
RESTATEMENT.
At first, you simply talk about the same topic as what is written in the original text.
(reasons)
What a text DOES is the?
DESCRIPTION.
You discuss and examine the aspects of the discussion or the content of the text.
What the text MEANS is the?
INTERPRETATION.
As you read critically, you should analyze the text and assert a meaning for the text as a whole.
What are the (3) main goals in reading critically?
- Recognize the author’s purpose. (involves inferring a basis for choices
of content and language.) - Understand the tone and persuasive elements of the text. (involves classifying the nature of language choices used by the author.)
- Recognize/acknowledge bias. (involves classifying the nature of patterns of choice
and language used in the text.)
What are the 7 critical reading strategies?
- Previewing
- Annotating
- Contextualizing
- Outlining and Summarizing
- Analyzing
- Rereading
- Responding
What is previewing?
Gathering important information about it.
Previewing helps prepare your mind for the barrage of information that is to come when you do the actual reading.
What are the questions to consider when previewing?
- Who wrote the text? What are the author’s other works?
- Where and when was the text published? What were the major events around
the time the text was written or published? - What can you infer about the text based on the title?
- What seems to be the general progression or organization of ideas based on the
chapter titles or section headings and subheadings? - What is your purpose for reading the text?
What is annotating?
Highlighting or making notes of important ideas in the text.
How can you annotate?
❏ With a pencil or a pen in hand, underline important ideas such as the thesis,
topic sentences, and key concepts. Also, highlight unfamiliar words so you can
look them up later.
❏ Make notes such as questions and comments or responses on the margins as
you read.
❏ Develop a symbol system. You may draw symbols to mark important words or
sentences so that the text will not appear cluttered.
What is contextualizing? How do we do contextualizing?
You consider the historical, cultural, or biographical context of the text. Identify the context(s) in which the text was written and determine how this context differs from your own.
What is outlining? What is summarizing?
Outlining: In outlining the text, you identify the basic structure of the text (i.e., the main ideas and the supporting ideas) and make connections between those ideas.
Summarizing: Restating the text in your own words. Summarizing the text allows you to present your understanding of the text by reviewing and synthesizing important ideas.
What is analyzing?
Deals with examining the information presented to support the author’s argument(s).
What are the guide questions in analyzing?
Is there enough evidence to support the author’s argument? Does the evidence
relate to and support the thesis or the main point the author is trying to convey?
Are the pieces of evidence relevant, credible, and up-to-date?
Are the sources of information credible?
Why did the author take that particular position? What is the author’s background that may have led to or influenced his or her position?
What is rereading?
It is a repeated examination of the text to enable you to improve your comprehension of the text and identify ideas that you may not have noticed in the initial reading.
What is responding?
Drawing meaning from what you have read and presenting it in writing or talking about it to others.
