Wrestling with Reading

Kinds of Reading For content and pleasure For information For instigation/catalysis/inspiration

Types of College Reading Practices Analysis: examining parts in detail Interpretation: relate parts to whole & start to make assumptions Synthesis: make connections, see consequences Evaluation: make judgments & defend them

Analysis, Interpretation and Synthesis Ask yourself some or all of the following questions. What is the purpose of your reading? What questions do you have about the work? What is it about? How is it put together? What categories (parts or elements) should I divide it into? What is its central idea (theme)? What elements are most significant? Which ones deserve less attention as a result? How do I interpret the meaning and significance of the relationship between elements and between the elements and the whole text? What reasonable inferences or generalizations can I make? What patterns can I see (or synthesize) from the parts? How do they relate to each other? How does this text relate to others? What can I conclude about the text? How does this conclusion contribute to the text?

Evaluation What are my reactions to the text? What makes me respond this way? Is the work unified? Do all the elements relate to its central idea? Is there a sense of completion or of ambiguity at the end? Why? What is the value or significance of the work in the larger scheme of things ("the big picture of life")? Do I agree or disagree with the work. Can I support or refute it?

Active Reading Previewing: getting background information when applicable Reading: interacting with the text; reading and re-reading carefully Writing: annotating or making notes in margins or in a journal Summarizing: distilling and understanding the content; analyzing, interpreting, synthesizing, evaluating.

7 Key Steps to Critical Reading Annotating Previewing Contextualizing Questioning/Investigating Reflecting Outlining/Summarizing/Restating Connecting (Comparing/Contrasting)