Responding to Reading
You may be accustomed to reading simply for facts or main ideas. However, critical reading is far more active than fact hunting. It requires responding, questioning, and challenging as you read.
Reading Deeply. College assignments often require more concentration than other readings do. Use these questions to dive below the surface:
- How does the writer begin? What does the opening paragraph or section reveal about the writer’s purpose and point? How does the writer prepare readers for what follows?
- How might you trace the progression of ideas in the reading? How do headings, previews of what’s coming up, summaries of what’s gone before, and transitions signal the organization?
- Are difficult or technical terms defined in specific ways? How might you highlight, list, or record such terms so that you master them?
- How might you record or recall the details in the reading? How could you track or diagram interrelated ideas to grasp their connections?
- How do word choice, tone, and style alert you to the complex purpose of a reading that is layered or indirect rather than straightforward?
- Does the reading include figurative or descriptive language, references to other works, or recurring themes? How do these enrich the reading?
- Can you answer any reading questions in your textbook, assignment, study guide, or syllabus? Can you restate headings in question form to create your own questions and then supply the answers? For example, change “Major Types of X” to “What are the major types of X?”
See section C in the Quick Research Guide, for more on evaluating what you read.
See a Critical Reading Checklist.
Annotating the Text. Writing notes on the page (or on a copy if the material is not your own) is a useful way to trace the author’s points, question them, and add your own comments as they pop up. The following passage ends the introduction of “The New Science of Siblings,” written by Jeffrey Kluger (with reporting by Jessica Carsen, Wendy Cole, and Sonja Steptoe) and featured as the cover story in the July 10, 2006, Time (pp. 47–48). Notice how one writer annotated this passage:
When you annotate a reading, don’t passively highlight big chunks of text. Instead, respond actively using pen or pencil or adding a comment to a file. Next, read slowly and carefully so that you can follow what the reading says and how it supports its point. Record your own reactions, not what you think you are supposed to say:
- Jot down things you already know or have experienced to build your own connection to the reading.
- Circle key words, star or check ideas when you agree or disagree, add arrows to mark connections, or underline key points, ideas, or definitions to learn the reading’s vocabulary.
- Add question marks or questions about meaning or implications.
- Separate main points from supporting evidence and detail. Then you can question a conclusion, or challenge the evidence that supports it. (Main points often open a section or paragraph, followed by supporting detail, but sometimes this pattern is reversed.)
- React to quotable sentences or key passages. If they are hard to understand, restate them in your own words.
- Talk to the writer — maybe even talk back. Challenge weak points, respond with your own thoughts, draw in other views, or boost the writer’s persuasive ideas.
- Sum up the writer’s main point, supporting ideas, and notable evidence or examples.
- Consider how the reading appeals to your head, heart, or conscience.
For advice on keeping a writer’s journal, see Ch. 19.
Keeping a Reading Journal. A reading journal is an excellent place to record not just what you read but how you respond to it. As you read actively, you will build a reservoir of ideas for follow-up writing. Use a special notebook or an easy-to-sort research file to address questions like these:
- What is the subject of the reading? What is the writer’s stand?
- What does the writer take for granted? What assumptions does he or she begin with? Where are these stated or suggested?
- What are the writer’s main points? What evidence supports them?
- Do you agree with what the writer has said? Do his or her ideas clash with your ideas or question something you take for granted?
- Has the writer told you more than you wanted to know or failed to tell you something you wish you knew?
- What conclusions can you draw from the reading?
- Has the reading opened your eyes to new ways of viewing the subject?