“Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.” – John Locke CRITICAL READING

Goal: Do you understand? Writing to Inform Reporter Questions: who, what, when, where, why, how Accuracy of InformationSo what?Author’s interpretation Goal: Are you convinced? Writing to Persuade Clearly Defined TermsFair Use of InformationClear LogicEmotional Weight EXPOSITORY FORMS

All critical reading begins with an accurate summary. Why are you reading this text? Your purpose influences which aspects of the text are important to your summary and which are distractions. STEP 1: SUMMARY

Highlight or underline key points Brackets around quotable passages Connect related ideas with lines Outline main ideas in the margin (like Cornell Notes) Circle words needing definition or investigation Comments and questions in the margin Annotations reflect your observations of details in the text, questions the text raises, new ideas it suggests, and personal reactions. ANNOTATION & NOTE-TAKING

Does the author have a particular bias (stated or unstated) that affects the presentation of evidence? Does the author have more than one purpose? Which purpose has priority? Do the purposes conflict? Is the text: Aesthetic/ Entertaining Persuasive (like an argument) Descriptive/ Informative (like a summary) STEP 2: AUTHOR PURPOSE (SPIN)

 Summary: Sam-I-Am offers breakfast to an unnamed narrator. The narrator refuses to eat under any circumstances. Finally, he surrenders and tries the food, discovering that he likes it.  Description: A children’s story told in rhyme and repetition that describes a persuasive argument between Sam-I-Am and the narrator. EXAMPLE: GREEN EGGS AND HAM

 Dr. Seuss may intend the narrator (whose lack of a name makes him universally identifiable) to represent a child unwilling to try new things, no matter what enticement or logical reasoning is offered. The repetition of increasingly silly situations shows children that their objections can easily become unmoored from logical reality.  Based on the apparent age difference between Sam-I-Am (shorter and younger than the narrator), I also think that the story might be a social satire on how older people reject the ideas of the younger generation out of hand. The book was written in 1960 (as the Beat writers were challenging the political status quo), and Dr. Seuss himself was a political cartoonist known for injecting social satire in his work on other occasions. PURPOSE AND INTERPRETATION

Identify points of agreement or disagreement Why do you agree or disagree on each point? STEP 3: DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE?

Divide and ConquerRead for General OverviewRead DeeperOne Sentence per Major IdeaThesis StatementPut the Pieces TogetherCheck for AccuracyRevise! SUMMARIZING: 8 EASY STEPS

Document! Weave into your argument Compare to confirm meaning Combine or divide sentences Change up the language to fit Change the order to fit your purpose Locate the major ideas SUMMARIZING: 7 EASY STEPS

Virtual-reality systems can represent physical space by using cyberspace, even to the extent that people can feel telepresent in a scene that is transmitted, perhaps Mars or the deep ocean (Heim 80). We can achieve the illusion of being present in remote locations, for example the planet Mars or deep parts of the ocean, by using virtual-reality equipment that creates a cyberspace representation of the real world (Heim 80). SUMMARIZING IN ACTION Original Version: Virtual-reality systems can use cyberspace to represent physical space, even to the point that we can feel telepresent in a transmitted scene, whether Mars or the deep ocean.

This article covers the topic of measuring the extent of global deforestation. The article discusses the reasons for concern, the technique, the results, and the project’s current goal. According to the author of “Seeing the Forest,” the extent of global deforestation was difficult to measure until satellite remote sensing techniques were applied. Measuring the extent of global deforestation is important because of concerns about global warming and species extinctions. The technique compares old infrared LANDSAT images with new images. The authors conclude the method is accurate and cost effective. SUMMARIZING IN ACTION