Ch 2 Thinking and Reading Critically

critical thinking skills

- reading - analyzing visual texts - writing a rhetorical analysis - analyzing an argument's logic - writing an essay - refuting opposing arguments - evaluating sources - summarizing - paraphrasing - synthesizing

preview

- skimming the argument when you approach the argument for the first time to help form a general impression of the writer's position on the issue, the argument's key supporting points and the context for the writer's remarks - begin by looking at the title, first paragraph (thesis statement) and the last paragraph (concluding statement

guidelines for reading critically

- assess the accuracy of a source's information - be sure opinions are supported convincingly - evaluate the supporting evidence - consider opposing arguments - be on the look for bias - in your sources and in yourself - in the sources

Reading critically

- does not mean arguing with every idea you encounter. - what is does mean is commenting on, questioning, and evaluation these ideas

Active Reader

- means participating in the reading process by taking the time to preview a source and then to read it carefully, highlighting and annotating it - will prepare you to discuss the source with others and to respond in writing to what you have read.

suggestions for highlights

- underline key ideas - for example, ideas stated in topic sentences - box or circle words or phrases you want to remember - place a check mark or star next to an important idea. - place a double check mark or double star next to an especially significant idea - draw lines or arrows to connect related ideas - write a question mark near an unfamiliar reference or a word you need to look up - number the writer's key supporting points or examples

think critically

- you do not simply accept ideas at face value. - question these ideas,, analyzing assumptions in order to understand them better

highlighting general rules

- you look for the same signals that you look for when you read the essay the first time; for example the essay's thesis and topic sentences and the words and phases that identify the writer's intent and emphasis, but physically mark these elements and use various symbols to indicate your reactions to them

Questions for annotating

1.) What issue is the writer focusing on? 2.) Does the writer take a clear stand on this issue? 3.) What is the writer's thesis? 4.) What is the writer's purpose (his or her reason for writing)? 5.) Does the argument appear in a popular periodical or in a scholarly journal? 6.) Does the writer seem to assume readers will agree with the essay's position? 7.) What evidence does the writer use to support the essay's thesis? - Does the writer include enough evidence? 8.) Does the writer consider (and refute) opposing arguments? 9.) Do you understand the writer's vocabulary? 10.) Do you understand the writer's references? 11.) Do you agree with the points the writer makes? 12.) Do the views the writer expresses agree or disagree with the views presented in other essays you have read?

critical response

a paragraph or more in which you analyze ideas presented in an argument and express your reactions to them 1.) begin your critical response by identifying your source and it's author 2.) write a clear, concise summary of te writer's position 3.) analyze the argument's supporting points one by one, considering the strength of the evidence that is presented 4.) also consider whether the writer addresses all significant opposing arguments and whether those arguments are refuted convincingly 5.) quote, summarize, and paraphrase the writer's key points as you go along, being careful to quote accurately and not to misrepresent the writer's ideas or distort them by quoting out of context on summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting, and synthesizing sources 6.) as you write, identify arguments you find unconvincing, poorly supported, or irrelevant 7.) at the end of your critical response, sum up your assessment of the argument in a strong concluding statement

Annotating

means making notes - of your questions, reactions, and ideas for discussion or writing - in the margins or between the lines 1.) keeping this kind of informal record of ideas as they occur to you will prepare you for class discussion 2.) provide a useful source of material when you write

Bias

prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

highlight

you use underlining and symbols to identify the essay's most important points - Note: this active reading strategy will help you to understand the writer's ideas and to see connections among those ideas when you reread