1	Strategies for Teaching Critical Reading October 2007 Presented by Angela Lanier, Reading Specialist Trinity University
2	What factors impact reading? Text (type of text, level of difficulty) Reader (skill, interest, background) Strategies (how to read the text) Goal (often determined by the instructor and/or the assignment) [Source: King, K. (n.d.) Reading strategies. Retrieved August 10, 2007, from http://www.isu.edu/~kingkath/readstrt.html]
3	What makes reading difficult? Reader characteristics Lack of fluency Motivation level Lack of strategies Limited or no background knowledge
4	Which text factors might have an impact on your sample text? Can you read critically from an easy text?
5	What is Critical Reading? “Critical reading refers to a careful, active, reflective, analytic reading.” Critical reading goes beyond what a text says Critical reading addresses: what a text does (purpose, organization description, etc.) what a text means (interpretation, inference) (http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading.)
6	"“Critical literacy…encourages readers to..." “Critical literacy…encourages readers to be active participants…: to question, to dispute, and to examine power relations. It also asks us to second guess what we believe is true, ask harder and harder questions, see underneath, behind, and beyond the texts, see how these texts establish and use power over us, over others, on whose behalf, and in whose interest.” (Molden, K. (2007). Critical literacy, the right answer for the reading classroom: Strategies to move beyond comprehension for reading improvement. Reading Improvement, 44, 50-56.)
7	Critical Reading is NOT just… Literal comprehension Repeating what the text says Memorizing facts and details Sharing personal opinions and feelings about the text
8	What do critical readers do? Interact with the text (preview, annotate, respond, ask questions) Access prior knowledge Use context clues & signal words Distinguish facts & opinions Adjust reading process to fit purpose Re-read Summarize
9	Critical Reading BUZZ WORDS Analyze Annotate Elaborate Evaluate Evidence Infer/Imply Language/Word Choice Paraphrase Purpose Re-read Rhetorical or Organizational Structure Signal or Transition Words Summarize Theme Thesis Tone
10	Review the list of BUZZ words. Mark them according to the following: + if you use it regularly ü if you use it occasionally X if you never use it
11	Strategies that Promote Active Reading Model Guided Practice Independent Practice
12	Pre-reading Strategies Set a purpose for reading Discuss text background (historical context, author biography) Discuss the issue in the text Preview the text (structure, vocabulary, etc.) Dissect questions Identify signal words, nouns, verbs
13	During Reading Annotate text: codes/symbols, comments, reactions, questions, labels, summaries Highlight information AND label or explain the reason for highlighting Tend to context clues, signal words, text structure Re-read: 1^st time to get the gist; 2^nd time for annotation & reactions 3^rd time for evaluation & analysis (if needed)
14	What to look for during reading: Main point/thesis Theme Evidence/support Purpose Tone/attitude Perspective Audience Assumptions Patterns of organization Fairness Implications Author motivation Historical context Cause/effect Language use and word choice Connections Strength/weakness of argument
15	Reading Guides
16	Post Reading Respond to questions Review notes and annotations for class discussion Organize relevant information into a visual Write a letter or counter response to the author Write a creative or parallel text from a different stance Other:
17	Think of a pre, during and post reading strategy for your sample text.
18	Suggestions for Integrating Critical Reading into a Content Class Begin class with a critical reading response to a brief excerpt or quote from relevant material Incorporate critical reading questions into assessments and class discussions Use the BUZZ WORDS regularly in discussions and assignment directions Focus on one critical reading objective or concept at a time; model and provide frequent opportunities for practice Reserve critical reading practice for shorter (even easier) passages that complement the longer text. (For longer content texts, use reading guides, that help scaffold the material.)
19	Which of the suggestions from the previous slide can you use without sacrificing content?
20	Assessment For diagnostic assessment, use excerpts and a variety of questions For multiple choice critical reading questions, have students explain choices Use a new text with a familiar structure and/ or topic for assessments Refer to paragraph or line numbers, especially for longer works Ask students to identify evidence to support an answer & elaborate on the answer Use scoring guides and examples to present criteria for good and bad answers Use non-formal assignments as diagnostics
21	Sample scoring guide/checklist for PARAPHRASING ___Use different wording from the original text (my own words) ___Change the sentence structure ___Include most important information ___Has the same meaning as the original text ___Makes sense
22	Using this checklist, you could As a warm up, have students paraphrase a quote related to your topic (before showing them the checklist) Use the checklist to diagnose their paraphrasing skills & gather data Provide students with the checklist for instruction and modeling Ask students to evaluate sample paraphrases according to the checklist Include 2-3 paraphrasing questions on your next assessment
23	Resources (in packet) Types of Critical Reading Questions List of Signal Words Common Graphic Organizers Sample Reading Guides Website List Bloom’s Taxonomy
24	"“Every time you read" “Every time you read, you're teaching yourself how to read” [Source: King, K. (n.d.) Reading strategies. Retrieved August 10, 2007, from http://www.isu.edu/~kingkath/readstrt.html]