What is Critical Reading?

 “critical” - from the Greek krinein, to judge, to

discern (identify as separate or distinct)
 “exercising or involving careful judgment;
exact; nicely judicious” (Webster’s dictionary)
 does not imply condemnation
 does assume a close, careful reading, and
understanding of the literature’s main ideas

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Reading and Responding *
 Productive and unproductive approaches to
reading exist.
 Be aware of and shape your responses, to
 improve your performance
 meet the expectations of
 academic readers of your writing (colleagues /
instructors)
 professional readers (when you’re on the job)
* notes taken from an essay by Henry Jankiewicz, Syracuse University. WWW
document, accessed Sept 2005:: http://web.syr.edu/~hjjankie/docs/rdrspnd.html

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Productive Reading
Techniques
 Examine and improve your method of
reading
 Use different techniques for the different
stages in the reading process:
 Before Reading

 While You’re Reading

 After You’re Done Reading

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Techniques - Before Reading
Before you begin reading
 Chose a Good Attitude - Setting
 be open to the text’s world
 be rested, alert, attentive (the ideal!)
 choose a quiet, comfortable spot
 Equipment: have on hand
 pen and paper (or an open word-processing document, to
take notes)
 lots of battery power for your laptop (if you’re using one)
 dictionary (Ideally, the Oxford English Dictionary
 notes or other texts, if applicable
 Four Key Questions to Ask About the Text
 (see next few slides)

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Before Reading -
Four Key Questions
Orient yourself to the text: four key questions:
1. Where did this reading FIRST appear?
 can be a tricky question; for ENGL 1177 & many
post-secondary courses, readings are usually
collected into a textbook, after having appeared
elsewhere first
 use your textbook & Internet resources to help
 author / book / article name search - try “Google Scholar”
 library searches - e.g., BCIT library; then check by call
number to see what section the book is located in - this
gives you a sense of the audience for the text (e.g.,
accountants; engineers)
 publisher searches - look at publisher’s catalogues
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Before Reading - 4 Key
Questions, cont.
2. Who was the original audience for this
text? How do you know?
 using detective work to answer question #1 will
make answering this question easier.
 be aware that texts can have multiple audiences:
for example, essays we’re reading in this class will
have been originally prepared for an audience other
than that of English Academic Writing students.
 Your detective work, done early, makes critical
reading and summarizing much easier later on.

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Before Reading - Four Key
Questions, cont.
3. What’s the purpose of this text - that is,
what does the author want to
accomplish? examples: express, inform,
persuade, entertain.

4. What’s the primary idea or thesis of this

text? - If you reduced the text to a single
sentence, what would it be?

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Techniques - While Reading
Active Involvement
While you’re reading
 Use a dictionary on the spot, as you need to.
 Note down to highlight ideas that interest
you.
 Note down questions or comments about the
text; set up a dialogue with the text.

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While Reading:
Only the Boring Are Bored
(Jankiewicz)

 Reading responses can fail by neglecting key

questions and taking up these two, which you
should avoid:
 Did you like the reading?

 Was it entertaining?

 Some very useful readings are difficult and

tiresome - get beyond the emotional block.
 Course readings are not entertainments. A
reading might be challenging but insightful

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While Reading:
Questions and Approach
(Jankiewicz)

 Find something to do with the text. Work it.

Use it -- discuss it, ask questions.
 Don’t ask:
 Did I enjoy it?
 Did the text entertain me?

 Do ask:
 Did I understand it?
 Can I (as a writer) entertain readers who
love ideas?
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While Reading:
Some Fruitful Strategies
(Jankiewicz)
 Begin Freely : think, freewrite, use your
own approaches.
 Summarise
 Engage the Reading: don’t complain but
take possession of the subject:
1) Be interested.
2) If you're not interested, get interested.
3) If you can't get interested, seem
interested.

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While Reading:
Contextualizing
(Jankiewicz)
 Go beyond "local" concerns to ask:
 What function does this reading have in terms of the
goals of the course? Why was it assigned?
 What is the teacher trying to teach you by having you
read this?
 The answer to these questions are far more
critical than whether or not you enjoyed the
reading.
 You might dislike a reading but learn a lot from
it, or love it and learn nothing.

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While Reading:
Not Understanding
(Jankiewicz)
 Not understanding parts of the reading
can be an advantage, allowing you to
 identify the problem
 work at the text
 seek clarification are needed to make this
reading useful to you -- Where does it fall
short?
 This kind of analysis and critique is not
the same as complaining.

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While Reading:
Dodges & Weak Strategies
(Jankiewicz)

 “I Didn't Like This Article:” can block

further discussion - get beyond this response
 “I Loved This:” can be a way of not dealing
in any depth with the material - get beyond
this response
 “In My Not So Humble Opinion:” Relying
on mere opinion is counterproductive. You
need to back your claims with evidence.

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Dodges / Weak Strategies, cont.
(Jankiewicz)

 Reducing Plan: Reducing a reading to one

idea or slogan is an oversimplified version of
the author's claim, ignoring complicating
subordinate ideas and qualifications.
 “So-and-so Is an Idiot:” Grant authors
some credibility and don’t just trash them.
Instead, seek to refute the ideas you
disagree with.

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Techniques - After Reading
After you’ve finished reading
 Read the text again - completely, or to
clarify certain points or passages
 Go back and skim the text, to see how
idea(s) & arguments are presented.
 Read your notes and think about what
you’ve written.
 Tell someone what you’ve read -- “high
points,” your response, questions:
“inkshed” or discussion

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After Reading, cont.
After you’ve finished reading you can also
 write a summary of what you’ve read
 what the text - author is saying, in short form
 helps you understand content & structure
 write a critical assessment: your analysis of
 what the text says
 how it presents its main ideas
 the validity or effectiveness of the main ideas.
A summary is the first assignment in this class; a critical
assessment essay is the last assignment.
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