LESSON 1: STRATEGIES FOR CRITICAL READING

Reading effectively requires approaching texts with a critical eye: evaluating what you read
for not just what it says, but how and why it says it. Effective reading is central to both
effective research (when you evaluate sources) and effective writing (when you understand
how what you read is written, you can work to incorporate those techniques into your own
writing).

Both reading and thinking critically do not mean being ‘critical’ about some idea, argument,
or piece of writing - claiming that it is somehow faulty or flawed. It is going beyond what is
given.

Critical reading means engaging in what you read by asking yourself questions such as,
‘what is the author trying to say?’ or ‘what is the main argument being presented?’ This way
we are communicating with the writer’s idea(s) whether we are affirming or not. Critical
reading involves presenting a reasoned argument that evaluates and analyses what you
have read.

Strategies in Critical Reading

1. Annotating
One of the first strategies to begin with is annotating a text. When you annotate, you
underline important parts of the text, such as the thesis statement, topic sentences of body
paragraphs and explanatory material. It may include encircling important words and even
writing comments or questions as you read the text.

2. Contextualizing
When you contextualize a text, you place it within its original historical
or cultural context. As a reader you should try to identify this context and consider how
this context differs from your own. To do this, you need to consider the following:
a. Language or ideas that appear foreign or out of date.
b. Your knowledge of the time and place in which the work was written.
c. The effect these differences have on your understanding and judgment of the reading.

3. Reflecting on challenges to your beliefs and values

Sometimes our beliefs about an issue are difficult to express because
they are so ingrained. We can discover these beliefs if we will explore on
the challenges that the text post on us.

4. Paraphrasing
When you paraphrase a text, you put it into your own words. This can clarify a difficult or
ambiguous passage. Unlike a summary, a paraphrase contains all the original information.
The purpose of a paraphrase is to simplify without changing any information.

5. Outlining
This can be used as a preliminary to summarizing. Outlining allows you to identify the
basic structure of a text and the main ideas of the text. In an outline you are listing the
main ideas and supporting evidence of a text.

6. Summarizing
Summarizing creates a new text by synthesizing the material of the original. After outlining
the text, the information is put together again in your own words.

7. Exploring the figurative language

Similes, metaphors, and symbols are all examples of figurative language. This type of
language helps writers illustrate their points and get the type of reaction they want from
the reader.

8. Evaluating the logic of an argument

The two parts of an argument are claim and support. The claim is what the writer wants
the reader to accept. That is, the claim is the idea, opinion, or point of view of the writer.
The support is the reasons and evidence that becomes the basis for that claim.

LESSON 1.2: STRATEGIES FOR CRITICAL READING

Critical reading entails active understanding of a processed and judged author’s words
and its meaning. You are thinking critically when you do not rest on accepting the message
of the text but coining it in your personal experiences and perspectives to help you
formulate logical and right assertions. Of course, these assertions are backed up with
strong evidence.

As a critical reader you should reflect on:

What the text says: after critically reading a piece you should be able to take notes,
paraphrasing - in your own words - the key points.
What the text describes: you should be confident that you have understood the text
sufficiently to be able to use your own examples and compare and contrast with other
writing on the subject in hand.
Interpretation of the text: this means that you should be able to fully analyze the text
and state a meaning for the text.

The art of reasoning as offshoot of critical reading and thinking will be next to be
accomplished.

We can define evidence as anything used to support the validity of the assertions.
Evidence includes testimony, scientific findings, statistics, physical objects, and many
more. Weighing all the evidence can help us to decide on something.
It is practical for us to consider the text or the material as an argument of the author
instead of as a fact. In analyzing the text, look for its reliability. To determine whether the
material is reliable, you must be able to distinguish between fact and opinion. A statement
of fact is one that can be verified or proved true by objective means. It is objective and
observation and experimentation are means of verification.

Opinion is one that cannot be verified or proved true by objective means. An opinion is
subjective and must be properly supported with facts before it can be accepted as valid. It
is important to remember that an opinion may be based on facts, but an opinion is not a
fact. Look closely at the author’s use of persuasive words like ought to, should, and must do
for it leads an opinionated statement that is subjective.

Last thing to do is to draw valid conclusions from gathered evidence.

Remember that there are four forms of reasoning - inference, generalization, analogy,
and cause and effect.

Inference is the drawing of a new conclusion from information that is already known. It
can also be used to predict reasonably or logically what will happen in the future.
My sister is excellent at surfing, so she should be good
at skateboarding.
This inference is valid because it is logical to conclude that similar skills are required in
both sports.

Generalization is a conclusion based on several particular facts or cases. A valid

generalization is a statement that holds true in many cases or is supported by evidence.
Every homeroom in our school has more girls than
boys, so there are more girls than boys in our school.

Analogy is a comparison between two things that are similar in some ways but are
essentially unlike. A complete analogy is one that compares two different objects that are
similar in some important way.
The cell is like a factory-it processes raw materials,
produces energy, and discharges wastes.
This analogy is complete because it compares functions that are similar.

Cause and effect sequence is one which something is caused by one or more events that
occurred before it.
When a warm air mass meets a cool air mass, it rains.

ACTIVITY 1: JUDGMENT DAY

Essay(LONG BONDPAPER)

Apply the “exercise your judgment” definition of critical reading in the given
situation.

There is a trolley coming down the tracks and ahead, there are five people
tied to the tracks who are unable to move. The trolley will continue coming and
will kill five people. There is nothing you can do to rescue the five, except that
there is a lever. If you pull the lever, the train will be directed to another track,
which has only one person tied to it.

You have two choices:

1. Do nothing and the five people will die
2. Pull the lever and save the five people but let one person die.

ACTIVITY 2: Let Us Try This( 1 whole)

The following statements are to be analyzed as factual or opinionated. Reason/s can also
be presented to support the assertions.

Statement Factual or Opinionated Reason

The subject of a sentence
will never be found inside a
prepositional phrase.
Hans Solo and Luke
Skywalker are characters in
the Star Wars movies.
It is very important to
identify the predicate of a
sentence.
The fact is that Boracay has
the most beautiful sand in
the world.

PERFORMANCE TASK NO. 1 (LONG BONDPAPER)

Directions: Write a persuasive Essay about the importance of Reading as a Form of

Reasoning.

Introduction:
 What is reading
 Importance of reading
 What are the functions/forms of reading
Body:
 How can we use reading as a form of reasoning
 Why is it important
 Its benefits/how it helps us
o A reliable and organized way of reasoning
 How it improves our reasoning
Conclusion:
 Summarize

LESSON 2: FORMULATING EVALUATIVE STATEMENTS

Evaluation refers to the making of a value judgment. Once you have taken a position in a
controversy involves value judgment. To support the position, we must make value
judgments as well. In doing this, certain criteria are involved.

An evaluative statement can be used to show your opinions, judgments, and points of
view in a clear concise manner. An evaluative statement is a way of giving a better
explanation to show the strengths and weaknesses of something through writing. It
presents a value judgment based on a set of criteria. This value judgement is based on the
evidenced gathered. It explains the reason of both strength and weakness as they are.

An evaluative statement manifests the objectivity of reaction to a text read and analyzed.

Evaluative statements must be fair, factual, and substantial. It must be written carefully
because people may believe in them, and we must not be unfair or cruel to authors of texts.
Providing well-crafted justification exhibit how critically the argument is treated and
researched.

Why are evaluative statements so important?

The veracity of the information from the material read is put into question if there is the
absence of evaluation. It helps us strengthen our critical thinking and assess the overall
quality of the text.
By evaluating, one is carrying out in-depth research of the different sides of arguments,
understanding the perspective of the author based on what you are reading, summarizing
it, and rewriting it in the same flow of the authors intention.
Through evaluation, one can develop own opinions and skills after gauging and balancing
the positives and the negatives of any argument.

Let us practice evaluating statement.

“Every person has something good to add to this world.”
1. Begin with the positives.
It is true that human being is good and capable to share goodness.
2. Keep your feedback concise.
The statement is an acknowledgement of human beings’ capability to share goodness to
others. In times of calamities, modern heroes and heroines manifest the value of sharing
goodness to others.
3. When pointing out negatives, focus on the situation, not the person.
Our world would be good if all human being willed to share goodness. No more hatred, anger,
violence, and death brought by selfishness and conceitedness if good intention of sharing is
emancipated.

How to form evaluative statements?

Evaluative statement is about your judgement of the text’s content and property. This
judgement came from your exercise of critical thinking and careful study of the gathered
evidence. The evidence substantiates the text. This evidence can lead you to support or not
the claim of the writer. From it, you can decide crafting your own stand or opinion in an
argument supported by research or valid reasons.

The composition can be in two easy ways:

1. Formulating assertions about the content and the properties of a text
read.
Assertions are declarative sentences that claim something is true about something
else. In this step, you must examine which ideas are facts or opinions, make inferences or
conclusions, and assess the overall quality of the text. These assertions usually hold
evaluative languages such as useful, significant, important, insightful, detailed, up-to-date,
comprehensive, practical, etc.

2. Formulating a meaningful counterclaim in response to a claim in the

text read.
A counterclaim is an opposition you make about the claim of a writer. You must
recognize courtesy when you state your counterclaims. You can include modals – may,
could, would, etc. Some frequency adverbs can also be used like usually, generally,
commonly. Another set of adverbs showing probability can be utilized such as probably,
possibly, and presumably.

If you are not so smart, you should try to be a teacher.

If you are not so smart, you should try to be a teacher.,
teachers are smart. The statement is very discriminative
against those with average intelligence and teachers in
general. Lots of professional who are called so smart are
honed, trained, instructed, and guided by teachers.

ACTIVITY 1(1/4 SHEET OF PAPER)

Answer the following questions. Write the letter of the answer on the space
before the number.
1. Which of the following presents the clearest evaluative statement?
A. Full-time learner attainment is high.
B. Learner attainment is consistently high.
C. Learner attainment is higher that of the other school.
D. Full-time learner attainment is well above national comparators: 60% against a sector
average of 54%.

2. Which of the following presents the clearest evaluative statement?

A. Learner completion diminished.
B. Learner completion has fallen over the last year.
C. Seventy percent of our learners failed to complete.
D. Learner completion for 2005-2006 was 68% below our target of 70%.

3. Which of the following presents the clearest evaluative statement?

A. Every individual is blessed.
B. Every individual is thoughtful.
C. Thoughtful and generous individuals are highly blessed.
D. The individual is highly blessed, thoughtful, and generous.

4. Which of the following presents the clearest evaluative statement?

A. People are inclined to technology.
B. People are productive in technology.
C. The technology is productive because of people.
D. People inclined to technology are more productive.

5. Which of the following presents the clearest evaluative statement?

A. People seek attention.
B. People seek attention to all.
C. People usually seek attention.
D. People who are not motivated usually seek attention.

PERFORMANCE TASK NO. 2 (LONG BONDPAPER)

Directions: Write 10 Evaluative Statements about the Inaugural Speech of VP Leni Robredo.