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A handout on tips for critical reading in college-level courses
This handout from the Center for Writing at the University of Minnesota defines critical reading as not only paying attention to what a text communicates but how and why the content is presented in a specific way.
Critical reading is necessary when evaluating sources, but it can also help students develop as writers. By understanding the rhetorical moves in a text, students learn to apply these techniques in their own writing.
After defining critical reading, the handout provides seven strategies with a few bullet points to elaborate. Focusing on reading is something that university students may not think about when studying for a course, writing a paper, or conducting research.
The handout points out that 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).” And part of being an effective reader is evaluating your own reading practices and strategies.
Download the handout as a PDF or visit the Center for Writing at the University of Minnesota website to explore other resources for multilingual writers and readers.
To identify the purpose of completing a reading, examine the assignment prompts and the syllabi to understand how will you be using texts. Ask yourself: are you reading to remember information, comprehend, analyze, or to develop your own research project?
Preview the reading by skimming over the sections before beginning so you have a sense of the information and topics and know where the reading is heading. As you read, take time to take notes, highlight key ideas, or write down connections to other course content and topics. This process will force you to engage more deeply with the text and may allow you skim some later passages if you already know the information you are reading for and what topics are most important for your course.
The more times you read a passage or assignment the better you will understand its meaning and relationship to other information in your course. Your first reading is usually done for basic information and key ideas, but your second or third readings can focus on other aspects (e.g. style, organization, difficult concepts, etc.). Be patient. Critical reading involves re-reading the whole text or parts of it. Sometimes a confusing passage becomes clearer as you read on and re-read.
Consider asking yourself the following questions to better understand yourself as a reader and then make adjustments to your reading process based on your responses.
To identify the purpose of completing a reading, examine the assignment prompts and the syllabi to understand how will you be using texts. Ask yourself: are you reading to remember information, comprehend, analyze, or to develop your own research project?
Preview the reading by skimming over the sections before beginning so you have a sense of the information and topics and know where the reading is heading. As you read, take time to take notes, highlight key ideas, or write down connections to other course content and topics. This process will force you to engage more deeply with the text and may allow you skim some later passages if you already know the information you are reading for and what topics are most important for your course.
The more times you read a passage or assignment the better you will understand its meaning and relationship to other information in your course. Your first reading is usually done for basic information and key ideas, but your second or third readings can focus on other aspects (e.g. style, organization, difficult concepts, etc.). Be patient. Critical reading involves re-reading the whole text or parts of it. Sometimes a confusing passage becomes clearer as you read on and re-read.
Consider asking yourself the following questions to better understand yourself as a reader and then make adjustments to your reading process based on your responses.