Text and Context Connections in Critical Reading

• Critical Reading

  is a technique that allows readers to analyze claims and evaluate messages based on proofs.
• Critical Reader

  • can distinguish facts from opinion
  • not gullible
  • evaluates information
• How to read critically?

  1. Determine the writer's purpose
  2. Summarize the message of the text
  3. Identify the writer's claim to know their stand
• Summary

  tells the main idea and presents the major points of the text. Restating the message of the text indicates that you truly understand what it is all about.
• Claim

  is a central argument or thesis statement that the writer wants you to accept. Writers use sufficient details, logical proofs, expert opinion, and other pieces of evidence to prove their argument or thesis statement.
• CLAIM OF FACT

  argues that something exists by presenting credible sources of information, factual data, and testimonies. Asserting a a debatable issue. Quantitative.
• CLAIM OF POLICY

  argues that a policy or law needs to be implemented to solve a problem. Modal verbs "should, ought to, need to, must" are used to indicate a claim of policy

  an action should be taken to solve a problem.
• CLAIM OF VALUE

  • asserts the importance of goodness in an argument
  • argues whether something is better than the other
  • based on personal judgement
  • qualitative
• Context

  • are circumstances surrounding a text and influencing the writer collectively
  • further explanation of the subject
  • background information of a situation
• You can analyze the context of a text by identifying its intertextuality.
• Intertext

  • refers to a text which connects to or used another text
  • its meaning is interpreted by pointing back to another text
  • referencing or a secondary meaning of the original piece

  ex: characters inspired from other stories
• Hypertext

  • can be defined as a nonlinear text which connects to other works through hyperlinks
  • external link
  • jump from one site to another
• Evaluative Statement

  • value judgment based on sound reasoning
  • meaning, was it useful to you or relevant?
  • if you agree to the text then you write this

  ex: relevant, useful, timely, meaningful, etc.
• Counterclaims

  • statements that oppose or contradict a writer's claim
  • you did not accept the writer's claim
• textual evidence

  • these are details found in the text that support a writer's claim