CRITICAL

READING
SKILLS
 OBJECTIVES:

Students must know the skills

and characteristics of a critical
reader

Students must know the

important strategies to be a
critical reader

And students must possess

and demonstrate the skills of
a critical reader
 Critical reading is a more ACTIVE
way of reading. It is a deeper and
more complex engagement with a
text.
Critical reading is a process of
analyzing, interpreting and,
sometimes, evaluating. When we
read critically, we use our critical
thinking skills to QUESTION both
the text and our own reading of it.
READING
To get a basic grasp of the text.
Absorbing/Understanding
What a text SAYS

CRITICAL READING
To form judgments about HOW a
text work
Analyzing/Interpreting/Evaluating
What a text DOES and MEANS
Critical readers
- are able to raise questions while
reading.
- can think logically.
- are skeptical.
- are openminded.
- are in touch with their own personal
thoughts and ideas about a topic.
- are able to identify arguments and
issues.
- are creative.
7 CRITICAL
READING
STRATEGIES
 PREVIEWING
-Learning about the text before reading it.
Predicting the content from a title
The abstract
The headings and sub-headings
And skim-reading the introduction and
conclusion
 Predicting Content from a Title

Is it good to make people happy?

- Why might it be good to make people
happy?
- What is meant by good in this context?
Can I quickly find a definition?
- Why is it good to make people happy, and
not merely nice to do so?
- Explore the link between morality,
goodness and happiness
 CONTEXTUALIZING
-Placing a text in its historical, biographical,
and cultural contexts.
When was it written?
Who wrote the article?

QUESTIONING TO
UNDERSTAND AND
REMEMBER
-Asking questions about the content.
Write questions anytime, for every paragraph
or brief section.
 REFLECTING ON
CHALLENGES TO YOUR
BELIEFS AND VALUES
-Examining your personal responses.
First, just read the text or the article then
place an X to the word or paragraph that
challenge your beliefs and opinions.
Ask yourself What reaction did you have
and WHY? How do you think your beliefs
and opinions and being challenged?
 OUTLINING AND SUMMARIZING
-Identifying the main ideas and restating them
in your own words.

EVALUATING AN ARGUMENT
-Testing the logic of a text as well as its credibility
and emotional impact.

COMPARING ANDCONTRASTING
RELATED READINGS
-Exploring likenesses and differences between
texts to understand them better.
Points to remember :
-Always read a text with your purpose in mind.
-At an early stage, focus on establishing and
expanding global ideas and acquiring
vocabulary.
- Always interrogate the text as you read -
always try to read actively.
- Summarize the text after you have read it and
note key bibliographic details
- Too much highlighting/underlining is not helpful.
 SUMMARY
CRITICAL READING
Questioning, Comparing, and Evaluating
7 Critical Reading Strategies
Previewing
Contextualizing
Questioning to understand and remember
Reflecting on challenges to your beliefs and values
Outlining and summarizing
Evaluating an argument
Comparing and Contrasting related readings
 Group activity
Apply the strategies to the story given.
Write your understanding in crosswise
yellow paper.
And someone in your group will read it in
front of the class.
Just ask the facilitator if you have questions
or inquiries about the activity.
Fighting!!!
Reference(sources):
http://www.salisbury.edu/counseling/new/7_critical_reading_str
ategies.html
Schumm, J.S. & Post, S.A. (1997). Executive Learning: Successful
Strategies for College Reading and
Studying. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Seyler, D. U. (1997). The Reading Context: Developing College
Reading Skills. Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Karland, Dan. http://www.criticalreading.com/
Knott, Deborah. Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing.
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/reading-and-
researching/critical-reading
Wheeler, Dr.L.Kip. Critical Reading of an Essays Argument. Dr.
Wheelers Website. 12 Oct. 2004.
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/reading_basic.html