Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking
CRWT211 | Sir Adrian Darilag | A.Y. 2024-2025
Reading Reading
Cline et al (2006) Day and Bamford (1998)
● “Reading is decoding and understanding written texts.” ● “Reading is meaning construction from a printed or
● Decoding - translation of the symbols of the writing written message”
system into spoken words that they represent. It is the ● Meaning construction - connecting information from the
basic way of learning. written message with previous knowledge to arrive at
● Understanding - determined by several factors: meaning and understanding.
○ Reading purpose
○ Context Goodman (1967)
○ Nature of the text ● “Reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game that involves
○ Readers’ strategies and knowledge interaction between thought and language”
● Goodman argues that the object of reading is not to
Decoding recognize letters and words, but to make sense of print:
to construct meaning.
Decoding involves three skills: ● Putting those words into interpretation.
1. Phonological awareness - ability to segment sounds,
rhyme, and identify syllables. Critical Reading
2. Alphabetic knowledge (The Alphabetic Principle) -
understanding that letters & words (graphics) are used to Heilman (1967)
represent speech sound. ● “Critical reading is the ability to arrive at the author’s
3. Orthographic knowledge - understanding of the writing main ideas.”
system in order to represent language, combination of
understanding sounds & letters. This includes spelling, Betts (1957)
punctuation, and capitalization.
● ‘Critical reading is done when the reader analyzes the
material which he reads and questions the validity of
Understanding
inferences drawn”
Purposes:
Carter (1953)
● to be entertained
● ‘Critical reading emphasizes the higher through
● to get information
processes having to do with selection-rejection of ideas,
● to understand ideas or theories
the relationships between ideas, and the organization of
● To understand the author’s viewpoint
information.”
● To support one’s view
Context:
Critical Reading
● set of circumstances (social, cultural, political, historical)
that affect the meaning and interpretation of a text
● The when, where, and why of a text Is an analytic activity. The reader rereads a text to identify
● Understanding the idea/perspective of the writer patterns of elements: information, values, assumptions, and
language usage, throughout the discussion. These elements are
Nature of the text: tied together in an interpretation, an assertion of an underlying
● Academic or non academic meaning of the text as a whole.
● Structure, context, audience
● Purpose (informative, persuasive, argumentative) How to Read Critically
Reader’s Schema: ● You analyze the circumstances of the publication of a
● Formal schema - knowledge of text types, genres, piece of writing.
structures ○ Who wrote it?
● Linguistic schema - knowledge about vocabulary and ○ When and where was it published?
grammar ○ Why was it written?
● Content schema - knowledge of the content area of the ● You question how the author reaches his or her
text conclusions and on what evidence these are based.
● Culture - set of beliefs, customs, attitudes, etc. ● You evaluate any original research the author might have
done, as well as any other sources the author uses to
support his or her points.
prepared by: cybct
, Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking
CRWT211 | Sir Adrian Darilag | A.Y. 2024-2025
● You compare and contrast this piece of writing with what Difference Between Reading & Critical Reading
you already know about the topic.
● You consider whether it supports what others have
Reading Critical Reading
written or whether it presents a new opinion.
● You assess the strengths, weaknesses and general validity
Purpose To get basic grasp To form judgements about
of a piece of writing, based on your careful reading of it.
of the text how a text works
Questions to Consider
Activity Absorbing/Unders Analyzing/Interpreting/Eva
tanding luating
Pre-reading Questions:
● Where was this text published? Was it published in a
Focus What a text says What a text does and means
peer-reviewed academic journal, or somewhere else?
How can you tell? Why does it matter?
Direction With the text Against the text
● When was this text published? Is the publication date
(taking for granted (questioning its assumptions
important? Is the material still relevant, or is it dated?
if it is right) and argument, interpreting
● Who wrote the text? What do we know about this
meaning in context)
person? What credentials might this author have? What
biases might he or she have?
Response Restatement, Description, Interpretation,
● What is the author’s opinion of the topic being discussed?
Summary Evaluation
Why did the author write this text? Who is the text
intended for? What does the author want the reader to do
as a result of reading this text? Reading Comprehension
While-reading Questions: ● Reading comprehension is the ability to process text,
● Is this a purely factual piece, or does the author present a understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the
personal opinion here? How can you tell what is a fact and reader already knows.
what is an opinion?
● Does the text present a convincing argument about the Importance Of Reading Comprehension
topic in question? Has the author done empirical ● Development of higher academic self-confidence
research, and if so, what conclusions are reached? ○ Students who understand what they read feel
● Does the research methodology justify the conclusions more confident in their academic capabilities
presented? Are charts and graphs used? What and are more likely to succeed in school.
information do they give? ● Improved writing skills
● If the author is not presenting the results of his or her ○ Reading comprehension can help improve your
own empirical research, how are the author’s points writing skills—exposure to different writing
supported? Are there statistics? If so, where from? How styles and ways of communicating ideas in
about quotations from others? If so, who is being quoted? various genres builds your vocabulary.
Does the author rely on anecdotes? If so, are these ○ That exposure also leads you to develop your
convincing? How effective is the author’s use of writing style and improve your communication
supporting detail? skills.
● How do you respond to a text that has no supporting ● Developing critical thinking and analytical skills
evidence at all, but is simply a well-written presentation ○ Another benefit of reading comprehension is
of the author’s own opinion? that it can help to improve your critical thinking
skills. When trying to understand a text, you
Post-reading Questions: analyze and make sense of the information you
● What is the larger context of this work? How does the are reading. You can then apply that critical
text support or contradict other opinions on this topic? thinking process to other areas of your life.
Who might agree with the text? Who might disagree?
What should you do if a text presents an opinion that is ● Improved problem-solving skills
very different from those presented in other articles you ○ Reading comprehension allows finding solutions
have read on the same topic? Should you ignore it, or to problems to come naturally.
should you consider it? ○ It also encourages empathic listening, logical
● How does the text compare with your own experiences thinking, thinking flexibility, and persistence to
and opinions? Does it support your own experiences, or find solutions.
does it contradict them? Does the text contain
information (for example, about your home country) that
you know to be incorrect?
prepared by: cybct
, Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking
CRWT211 | Sir Adrian Darilag | A.Y. 2024-2025
● Increased empathy and understanding
ACADEMIC TEXT NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
○ Improving reading comprehension can lead to
increased empathy and understanding,
Audience Academia General public
especially for children and adolescents.
○ As they learn to read and comprehend texts, Purpose informs the readers, informs, entertains or
they also develop their ability to see things from provide arguments, persuades the readers
another person’s perspective. That helps them with solid evidence
become more tolerant and understanding of
others, even those who may be different. Style formal, impersonal, personal, emotional, subjective
● Improving memory and recall objective
○ Active involvement in reading comprehension
Structure standard structure no rigid structure
helps you to remember better what you read.
○ That’s because your brain is actively processing
the information as you read, which allows you Language formal language informal and casual language
to embed it.
● Enhancing concentration and focus Citations contains citations and often do not contain citations
○ Research shows that the simple act of and references and references
understanding what you read can help to Reference
improve your attention span. When you
comprehend the material, your brain can better
Author’s Credentials And Biases
filter distractions and focus on the task
● It is always helpful to find out something about the author
Nature of the Text
of a text and to determine:
○ Whether the author is qualified to write with
Knowing about the nature of the text prepares you better in
authority on a particular topic.
understanding the topic, following references, raising arguments,
○ What biases an author might bring to a text.
and flowing with the discussions.
Author’s Credentials
Academic And Non-Academic Texts
● The author’s qualifications to write with authority on a
● Learning how to separate academic texts from
particular topic.
non-academic texts is an imperative for students as this
● Questions to consider:
knowledge is needed in researching, reviewing and
○ What educational background does the author
passing assessments.
have?
○ Has he or she published previously on this topic?
Academic Texts
○ Is the author considered an authority on the
topic?
● Are written by experts or scholars in a particular field.
● Have undergone the peer-review process.
Author’s Bias
● References are organized and compiled .
● It is any opinion or prejudice that affects that author’s
● Are considered as primary sources.
writing and prevents the author from being completely
neutral about the topic or issue about which he/she is
Peer-review
writing.
● It is designed to assess the validity, quality and often the
● The author’s BIAS can be influenced by:
originality of articles for publication.
○ Age & Gender
● Its ultimate purpose is to maintain the integrity of science
○ Cultural background
by filtering out invalid or poor quality articles.
○ Social status
○ Political belief
Non-Academic Texts
○ Upbringing
○ Profession
● Authorship is not limited to credentials or writing ability,
● The author’s BIAS can also be influenced by financial
therefore it can be written by anyone.
interests:
● Creativity is favored over credibility.
○ Was the research sponsored by a particular
● Written for the general public.
company?
● References are not required.
○ Was the author paid to promote a particular
● Are considered as secondary sources.
point of view?
○ Commercial websites may give readers a
one-sided view of their product or service.
prepared by: cybct
CRWT211 | Sir Adrian Darilag | A.Y. 2024-2025
Reading Reading
Cline et al (2006) Day and Bamford (1998)
● “Reading is decoding and understanding written texts.” ● “Reading is meaning construction from a printed or
● Decoding - translation of the symbols of the writing written message”
system into spoken words that they represent. It is the ● Meaning construction - connecting information from the
basic way of learning. written message with previous knowledge to arrive at
● Understanding - determined by several factors: meaning and understanding.
○ Reading purpose
○ Context Goodman (1967)
○ Nature of the text ● “Reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game that involves
○ Readers’ strategies and knowledge interaction between thought and language”
● Goodman argues that the object of reading is not to
Decoding recognize letters and words, but to make sense of print:
to construct meaning.
Decoding involves three skills: ● Putting those words into interpretation.
1. Phonological awareness - ability to segment sounds,
rhyme, and identify syllables. Critical Reading
2. Alphabetic knowledge (The Alphabetic Principle) -
understanding that letters & words (graphics) are used to Heilman (1967)
represent speech sound. ● “Critical reading is the ability to arrive at the author’s
3. Orthographic knowledge - understanding of the writing main ideas.”
system in order to represent language, combination of
understanding sounds & letters. This includes spelling, Betts (1957)
punctuation, and capitalization.
● ‘Critical reading is done when the reader analyzes the
material which he reads and questions the validity of
Understanding
inferences drawn”
Purposes:
Carter (1953)
● to be entertained
● ‘Critical reading emphasizes the higher through
● to get information
processes having to do with selection-rejection of ideas,
● to understand ideas or theories
the relationships between ideas, and the organization of
● To understand the author’s viewpoint
information.”
● To support one’s view
Context:
Critical Reading
● set of circumstances (social, cultural, political, historical)
that affect the meaning and interpretation of a text
● The when, where, and why of a text Is an analytic activity. The reader rereads a text to identify
● Understanding the idea/perspective of the writer patterns of elements: information, values, assumptions, and
language usage, throughout the discussion. These elements are
Nature of the text: tied together in an interpretation, an assertion of an underlying
● Academic or non academic meaning of the text as a whole.
● Structure, context, audience
● Purpose (informative, persuasive, argumentative) How to Read Critically
Reader’s Schema: ● You analyze the circumstances of the publication of a
● Formal schema - knowledge of text types, genres, piece of writing.
structures ○ Who wrote it?
● Linguistic schema - knowledge about vocabulary and ○ When and where was it published?
grammar ○ Why was it written?
● Content schema - knowledge of the content area of the ● You question how the author reaches his or her
text conclusions and on what evidence these are based.
● Culture - set of beliefs, customs, attitudes, etc. ● You evaluate any original research the author might have
done, as well as any other sources the author uses to
support his or her points.
prepared by: cybct
, Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking
CRWT211 | Sir Adrian Darilag | A.Y. 2024-2025
● You compare and contrast this piece of writing with what Difference Between Reading & Critical Reading
you already know about the topic.
● You consider whether it supports what others have
Reading Critical Reading
written or whether it presents a new opinion.
● You assess the strengths, weaknesses and general validity
Purpose To get basic grasp To form judgements about
of a piece of writing, based on your careful reading of it.
of the text how a text works
Questions to Consider
Activity Absorbing/Unders Analyzing/Interpreting/Eva
tanding luating
Pre-reading Questions:
● Where was this text published? Was it published in a
Focus What a text says What a text does and means
peer-reviewed academic journal, or somewhere else?
How can you tell? Why does it matter?
Direction With the text Against the text
● When was this text published? Is the publication date
(taking for granted (questioning its assumptions
important? Is the material still relevant, or is it dated?
if it is right) and argument, interpreting
● Who wrote the text? What do we know about this
meaning in context)
person? What credentials might this author have? What
biases might he or she have?
Response Restatement, Description, Interpretation,
● What is the author’s opinion of the topic being discussed?
Summary Evaluation
Why did the author write this text? Who is the text
intended for? What does the author want the reader to do
as a result of reading this text? Reading Comprehension
While-reading Questions: ● Reading comprehension is the ability to process text,
● Is this a purely factual piece, or does the author present a understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the
personal opinion here? How can you tell what is a fact and reader already knows.
what is an opinion?
● Does the text present a convincing argument about the Importance Of Reading Comprehension
topic in question? Has the author done empirical ● Development of higher academic self-confidence
research, and if so, what conclusions are reached? ○ Students who understand what they read feel
● Does the research methodology justify the conclusions more confident in their academic capabilities
presented? Are charts and graphs used? What and are more likely to succeed in school.
information do they give? ● Improved writing skills
● If the author is not presenting the results of his or her ○ Reading comprehension can help improve your
own empirical research, how are the author’s points writing skills—exposure to different writing
supported? Are there statistics? If so, where from? How styles and ways of communicating ideas in
about quotations from others? If so, who is being quoted? various genres builds your vocabulary.
Does the author rely on anecdotes? If so, are these ○ That exposure also leads you to develop your
convincing? How effective is the author’s use of writing style and improve your communication
supporting detail? skills.
● How do you respond to a text that has no supporting ● Developing critical thinking and analytical skills
evidence at all, but is simply a well-written presentation ○ Another benefit of reading comprehension is
of the author’s own opinion? that it can help to improve your critical thinking
skills. When trying to understand a text, you
Post-reading Questions: analyze and make sense of the information you
● What is the larger context of this work? How does the are reading. You can then apply that critical
text support or contradict other opinions on this topic? thinking process to other areas of your life.
Who might agree with the text? Who might disagree?
What should you do if a text presents an opinion that is ● Improved problem-solving skills
very different from those presented in other articles you ○ Reading comprehension allows finding solutions
have read on the same topic? Should you ignore it, or to problems to come naturally.
should you consider it? ○ It also encourages empathic listening, logical
● How does the text compare with your own experiences thinking, thinking flexibility, and persistence to
and opinions? Does it support your own experiences, or find solutions.
does it contradict them? Does the text contain
information (for example, about your home country) that
you know to be incorrect?
prepared by: cybct
, Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking
CRWT211 | Sir Adrian Darilag | A.Y. 2024-2025
● Increased empathy and understanding
ACADEMIC TEXT NON-ACADEMIC TEXT
○ Improving reading comprehension can lead to
increased empathy and understanding,
Audience Academia General public
especially for children and adolescents.
○ As they learn to read and comprehend texts, Purpose informs the readers, informs, entertains or
they also develop their ability to see things from provide arguments, persuades the readers
another person’s perspective. That helps them with solid evidence
become more tolerant and understanding of
others, even those who may be different. Style formal, impersonal, personal, emotional, subjective
● Improving memory and recall objective
○ Active involvement in reading comprehension
Structure standard structure no rigid structure
helps you to remember better what you read.
○ That’s because your brain is actively processing
the information as you read, which allows you Language formal language informal and casual language
to embed it.
● Enhancing concentration and focus Citations contains citations and often do not contain citations
○ Research shows that the simple act of and references and references
understanding what you read can help to Reference
improve your attention span. When you
comprehend the material, your brain can better
Author’s Credentials And Biases
filter distractions and focus on the task
● It is always helpful to find out something about the author
Nature of the Text
of a text and to determine:
○ Whether the author is qualified to write with
Knowing about the nature of the text prepares you better in
authority on a particular topic.
understanding the topic, following references, raising arguments,
○ What biases an author might bring to a text.
and flowing with the discussions.
Author’s Credentials
Academic And Non-Academic Texts
● The author’s qualifications to write with authority on a
● Learning how to separate academic texts from
particular topic.
non-academic texts is an imperative for students as this
● Questions to consider:
knowledge is needed in researching, reviewing and
○ What educational background does the author
passing assessments.
have?
○ Has he or she published previously on this topic?
Academic Texts
○ Is the author considered an authority on the
topic?
● Are written by experts or scholars in a particular field.
● Have undergone the peer-review process.
Author’s Bias
● References are organized and compiled .
● It is any opinion or prejudice that affects that author’s
● Are considered as primary sources.
writing and prevents the author from being completely
neutral about the topic or issue about which he/she is
Peer-review
writing.
● It is designed to assess the validity, quality and often the
● The author’s BIAS can be influenced by:
originality of articles for publication.
○ Age & Gender
● Its ultimate purpose is to maintain the integrity of science
○ Cultural background
by filtering out invalid or poor quality articles.
○ Social status
○ Political belief
Non-Academic Texts
○ Upbringing
○ Profession
● Authorship is not limited to credentials or writing ability,
● The author’s BIAS can also be influenced by financial
therefore it can be written by anyone.
interests:
● Creativity is favored over credibility.
○ Was the research sponsored by a particular
● Written for the general public.
company?
● References are not required.
○ Was the author paid to promote a particular
● Are considered as secondary sources.
point of view?
○ Commercial websites may give readers a
one-sided view of their product or service.
prepared by: cybct
