Instructor Manual: McCuen/Watts, Readings for Writers, 17e, 2027, 9798214143965; Chapter 1: Reading Critically
Instructor Manual
McCuen/Watts, Readings for Writers, 17e, 2027, 9798214143965;
Chapter 1: Reading Critically
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Chapter Objectives........................................................................................................2
Complete List of Chapter Activities and Assessments.................................................2
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................2
Additional Resources....................................................................................................5
Teaching Resources................................................................................................................................... 5
a
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in 1
whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: McCuen/Watts, Readings for Writers, 17e, 2027, 9798214143965; Chapter 1: Reading Critically
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
This chapter discusses four different types of reading: casual reading, reading for pleasure, reading for
information, and critical reading. Critical reading is the main focus of this chapter. It explains that critical
reading involves analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating the text. The chapter then details the fourteen
steps of critical reading, giving various examples throughout. One of the fourteen steps, annotation, gets a
deep dive, as many different ways of approaching the text are discussed.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
Recognize the differences among casual reading, reading for pleasure, reading for information, and
critical reading.
Read critically by analyzing to see how ideas are composed, how they are connected to other ideas,
and how they are often based on biases or prejudices.
Read critically by synthesizing to absorb or blend the ideas analyzed and forge something new and
original.
Read critically by evaluating to assess and grade the material that you have read.
Apply the fourteen steps to critical reading.
[return to top]
COMPLETE LIST OF CHAPTER ACTIVITIES AND
ASSESSMENTS
The following activities are covered in this chapter:
Principles of critical reading applied to a brief essay. The activity includes:
o The essay with numbered questions that a critical reader would ask in the margin.
o The answers to these questions.
[return to top]
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Kinds of Reading
a. There are at least four different kinds of reading:
i. Casual reading is the most common. This includes reading emails, glancing at
magazines, signs, newspaper headlines, etc.
a
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in 2
whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: McCuen/Watts, Readings for Writers, 17e, 2027, 9798214143965; Chapter 1: Reading Critically
ii. Reading for pleasure is the second most common. It is relaxed and uncritical and
includes activities like reading a novel, stories, editorials, etc.
iii. Reading for information is usually done at work or at school. It requires
attention, understanding, and memorization.
iv. Critical reading is what is emphasized in this book. It is an active way of reading
that includes taking notes and engaging in a kind of mental dialogue with the
writer. Critical reading involves:
i) Analysis: As students read, they analyze the text to understand how ideas
are composed and connected. May include research and fact checking.
ii) Synthesis: As students read, they absorb or blend the ideas analyzed and
forge a new and original perspective or argument.
iii) Evaluation: The final step in critical thinking is to evaluate. This step is
extremely important because it gives students the power to assess and
grade the material they read. After examining both sides of an argument,
that is, “for” or “against”, students must take one side.
II. Steps to Critical Reading
a. Read actively. Determine the author’s main point as well as any secondary effects that
stem from it. Make notes in the margin on agreements or disagreements with the author’s
opinions.
b. Demystify the writer. Reading critically begins with regarding the writer’s work as
any other human production—which is to say, “prone to error.”
c. Understand what you read. Reread difficult passages and look up all unfamiliar
words in a dictionary for clear understanding. Students cannot form an opinion about
what they have read unless they understand what the author is saying.
d. Imagine an opposing point of view for all opinions. In other words, look for
reasons that support the other side. Look at the subject from all angles.
e. Look for biases and hidden assumptions. To reveal possible biases and hidden
assumptions, check the author’s age, sex, education, beliefs, and ethnic background.
f. Separate emotion from fact. Talented writers frequently color an issue with
emotionally charged language, thus casting their opinions in the best possible light. As a
critical reader, students must evaluate an argument’s logical, factual, and emotional
dimensions.
g. If the issue is new to you, look up the facts. If reading about an unfamiliar
issue, be willing to supplement with research. To make a critical judgment, know and
carefully weigh the facts.
h. Use insights from one subject to illuminate or correct another. Be
prepared to apply any current knowledge to the reading.
i. Evaluate the evidence. Critical readers do not accept evidence at face value.
i. Verify a questionable opinion by cross-checking with other sources.
ii. Check the date of the evidence.
iii. Use common sense in evaluating evidence.
j. Ponder the values behind a claim. Critical reading means thinking about the
values implicit in an argument.
a
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in 3
whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: McCuen/Watts, Readings for Writers, 17e, 2027, 9798214143965; Chapter 1: Reading Critically
k. Recognize logical fallacies. Sometimes a claim is supported by evidence, and
sometimes it is not. Being logical does not guarantee being right, but avoiding logical
fallacies is a requirement of critical thinking.
l. Don’t be seduced by bogus claims. Arguments are often based on unsubstantiated
statements. A proper claim will always be documented with verifiable evidence.
m. Annotate your reading. Students should write notes as they read. To annotate while
reading is, in a way, to interact with the reading—almost like chatting with the author.
i. Write down the immediate impression of the essay. These questions can help
students with annotation:
1. Did the subject interest you?
2. Did the reading leave you inspired, anxious, angry, amused, or better
informed?
3. Did the reading remind you of something in your own experience? (Cite
the experience.)
4. Did you agree or disagree with the author? Or partially agree/disagree?
(Note specific passages.)
5. Did the reading give you any new ideas?
ii. Note the author’s style, especially the words or expressions used. These
questions can help students:
1. What specific passages really made you think?
2. Where did the writer use an especially apt expression or image? What
was it? What made it so good?
3. Where, if any place, did the author write something you didn’t
understand?
4. What kind of audience did the author seem to address? Did it include
you, or did you feel left out?
iii. Students should make marginal notes that express their response to the author’s
ideas. Students should:
1. Supplement the author’s idea or example with one of their own.
2. Underline passages that seem essential to the author’s point.
3. Write any questions they might want to ask the author if he or she were
sitting next to them.
4. Write down any sudden insight they experienced.
5. Write why they agree or disagree with the author.
6. Write a marginal explanation of any allusion made by the writer.
n. Finally, be sure you understand the writer’s opening context. The writing
may be part of an ongoing debate that began before students arrived and will continue
after they have left. Some essays begin by plunging right into an ongoing discussion,
taking for granted that the reader is familiar with the opening context. The effect can be
mystifying, like hearing an answer but not knowing the question.
[return to top]
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
In addition to this manual, the following instructor materials are available for this textbook.
a
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in 4
whole or in part.
Instructor Manual
McCuen/Watts, Readings for Writers, 17e, 2027, 9798214143965;
Chapter 1: Reading Critically
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Chapter Objectives........................................................................................................2
Complete List of Chapter Activities and Assessments.................................................2
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................2
Additional Resources....................................................................................................5
Teaching Resources................................................................................................................................... 5
a
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in 1
whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: McCuen/Watts, Readings for Writers, 17e, 2027, 9798214143965; Chapter 1: Reading Critically
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
This chapter discusses four different types of reading: casual reading, reading for pleasure, reading for
information, and critical reading. Critical reading is the main focus of this chapter. It explains that critical
reading involves analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating the text. The chapter then details the fourteen
steps of critical reading, giving various examples throughout. One of the fourteen steps, annotation, gets a
deep dive, as many different ways of approaching the text are discussed.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
Recognize the differences among casual reading, reading for pleasure, reading for information, and
critical reading.
Read critically by analyzing to see how ideas are composed, how they are connected to other ideas,
and how they are often based on biases or prejudices.
Read critically by synthesizing to absorb or blend the ideas analyzed and forge something new and
original.
Read critically by evaluating to assess and grade the material that you have read.
Apply the fourteen steps to critical reading.
[return to top]
COMPLETE LIST OF CHAPTER ACTIVITIES AND
ASSESSMENTS
The following activities are covered in this chapter:
Principles of critical reading applied to a brief essay. The activity includes:
o The essay with numbered questions that a critical reader would ask in the margin.
o The answers to these questions.
[return to top]
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Kinds of Reading
a. There are at least four different kinds of reading:
i. Casual reading is the most common. This includes reading emails, glancing at
magazines, signs, newspaper headlines, etc.
a
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in 2
whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: McCuen/Watts, Readings for Writers, 17e, 2027, 9798214143965; Chapter 1: Reading Critically
ii. Reading for pleasure is the second most common. It is relaxed and uncritical and
includes activities like reading a novel, stories, editorials, etc.
iii. Reading for information is usually done at work or at school. It requires
attention, understanding, and memorization.
iv. Critical reading is what is emphasized in this book. It is an active way of reading
that includes taking notes and engaging in a kind of mental dialogue with the
writer. Critical reading involves:
i) Analysis: As students read, they analyze the text to understand how ideas
are composed and connected. May include research and fact checking.
ii) Synthesis: As students read, they absorb or blend the ideas analyzed and
forge a new and original perspective or argument.
iii) Evaluation: The final step in critical thinking is to evaluate. This step is
extremely important because it gives students the power to assess and
grade the material they read. After examining both sides of an argument,
that is, “for” or “against”, students must take one side.
II. Steps to Critical Reading
a. Read actively. Determine the author’s main point as well as any secondary effects that
stem from it. Make notes in the margin on agreements or disagreements with the author’s
opinions.
b. Demystify the writer. Reading critically begins with regarding the writer’s work as
any other human production—which is to say, “prone to error.”
c. Understand what you read. Reread difficult passages and look up all unfamiliar
words in a dictionary for clear understanding. Students cannot form an opinion about
what they have read unless they understand what the author is saying.
d. Imagine an opposing point of view for all opinions. In other words, look for
reasons that support the other side. Look at the subject from all angles.
e. Look for biases and hidden assumptions. To reveal possible biases and hidden
assumptions, check the author’s age, sex, education, beliefs, and ethnic background.
f. Separate emotion from fact. Talented writers frequently color an issue with
emotionally charged language, thus casting their opinions in the best possible light. As a
critical reader, students must evaluate an argument’s logical, factual, and emotional
dimensions.
g. If the issue is new to you, look up the facts. If reading about an unfamiliar
issue, be willing to supplement with research. To make a critical judgment, know and
carefully weigh the facts.
h. Use insights from one subject to illuminate or correct another. Be
prepared to apply any current knowledge to the reading.
i. Evaluate the evidence. Critical readers do not accept evidence at face value.
i. Verify a questionable opinion by cross-checking with other sources.
ii. Check the date of the evidence.
iii. Use common sense in evaluating evidence.
j. Ponder the values behind a claim. Critical reading means thinking about the
values implicit in an argument.
a
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in 3
whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: McCuen/Watts, Readings for Writers, 17e, 2027, 9798214143965; Chapter 1: Reading Critically
k. Recognize logical fallacies. Sometimes a claim is supported by evidence, and
sometimes it is not. Being logical does not guarantee being right, but avoiding logical
fallacies is a requirement of critical thinking.
l. Don’t be seduced by bogus claims. Arguments are often based on unsubstantiated
statements. A proper claim will always be documented with verifiable evidence.
m. Annotate your reading. Students should write notes as they read. To annotate while
reading is, in a way, to interact with the reading—almost like chatting with the author.
i. Write down the immediate impression of the essay. These questions can help
students with annotation:
1. Did the subject interest you?
2. Did the reading leave you inspired, anxious, angry, amused, or better
informed?
3. Did the reading remind you of something in your own experience? (Cite
the experience.)
4. Did you agree or disagree with the author? Or partially agree/disagree?
(Note specific passages.)
5. Did the reading give you any new ideas?
ii. Note the author’s style, especially the words or expressions used. These
questions can help students:
1. What specific passages really made you think?
2. Where did the writer use an especially apt expression or image? What
was it? What made it so good?
3. Where, if any place, did the author write something you didn’t
understand?
4. What kind of audience did the author seem to address? Did it include
you, or did you feel left out?
iii. Students should make marginal notes that express their response to the author’s
ideas. Students should:
1. Supplement the author’s idea or example with one of their own.
2. Underline passages that seem essential to the author’s point.
3. Write any questions they might want to ask the author if he or she were
sitting next to them.
4. Write down any sudden insight they experienced.
5. Write why they agree or disagree with the author.
6. Write a marginal explanation of any allusion made by the writer.
n. Finally, be sure you understand the writer’s opening context. The writing
may be part of an ongoing debate that began before students arrived and will continue
after they have left. Some essays begin by plunging right into an ongoing discussion,
taking for granted that the reader is familiar with the opening context. The effect can be
mystifying, like hearing an answer but not knowing the question.
[return to top]
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
In addition to this manual, the following instructor materials are available for this textbook.
a
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in 4
whole or in part.
