Objects of Interest

There are many resources available for students and teachers to help with the process of critical reading, reflection, and writing. Dan Kurland has an excellent website of resources - Reading and Writing Ideas As Well As Words. 

What is critical reading? According to Kurland:

Critical reading is an analytic activity. The reader rereads a text to identify patterns of elements -- information, values, assumptions, and language usage-- throughout the discussion. These elements are tied together in an interpretation, an assertion of an underlying meaing of the text as a whole.

Critical thinking involves bringing outside knowledge and values to bear to evaluate the presentation and decide what to ultimately accept as true.

This is a great resource for academic reading strategies from the Baltimore City Public Schools - Take a Closer Look! 

Here is a simple checklist you can use to help focus your reading:

Critical Reading Checklist:

• What's the point?
• Who says?
• What's new?
• Who cares?