Reading and Writing Reviewer

CRITICAL READING AS LOOKING FOR WAYS OF THINKING

Effective reading entails a deeper, more analytical sort of engagement. Whenever

the reader reads something and begins to ask questions about what the author has written,
he or she is starting to think critically about the text.
Critical Reading and Thinking
Critical reading is a form of reading that goes beyond passively understanding a
text. As the university of Leicester put it, “The aim of critical reading is not to find fault, but
to assess the strength of evidence and the argument.” Here, the reader finds out the
author’s views on something, asks questions, evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the
author’s argument, and decides whether to agree or disagree with it.
Critical thinking is an extension of critical reading. By reading critically, the reader
thinks and analyzes. He or she does not simply accept the message on the page. The reader
uses his or her own experience and perspective to separate himself or herself from the text
and to judge what to consider
important, logical, and right. In fact, there are two ways to think critically – to look at things
inductively or deductively.
There are some techniques that may help the readers develop their critical thinking
skills. Some of these are the following.
Techniques to Develop Critical Reading Skills
1. Knowing what you’re looking for
Before you open your book or any other reading materials, take a few minutes to
read the title, subtitle, headline, preface or introduction of the reading material. This initial
scan will give you some hints about the main topic of the reading material and the author’s
particular approach to the subject.
2. Keeping a reading journal
Keeping a reading journal to write your feelings and ideas in reaction to your
reading assignment will allow you to develop your impressions of the text and connect
them to your personal experiences. This will allow you also to better relate to the material
and understand the author’s ideas.
3. Annotating the text
Annotating the text means making notes on your copy of the reading. This includes
highlighting or underlying important passages and writing notes, comments, questions,
and reactions. By doing this, you are entering a dialogue with the author and not just
passively reading the text.
4. Outlining the text
By locating the thesis statement, claims, and evidence, and then plotting these into an
outline, you will be able to see how the writer structures, sequences, and connects his or
her ideas. You will be able to better evaluate the quality of the writing.
5. Summarizing the text
Summarizing is a useful skill to understand better a particular text. In this process,
you learn to recognize and differentiate major and minor points in the reading material.
A summary consists the main points of the text and important supporting details.
6. Questioning the text
Questioning the text involves asking specific questions on points that you are
skeptical about. These may be topics that do not meet your expectations or are not
aligned with your personal views.
 The Different Kinds of Claims
Part of critical reading is to be able to distinguish the information that is clearly
stated (explicit) in the text from the ideas that are suggested (implicit). Knowing how to
identify explicit and implicit information will help you evaluate the claims made by an
author.
Every writer makes claims in the text he/she writes. These claims are used by the
writer to help readers understand the things he or she is discussing. Claims are argumentative
in nature, and writers (as well as speakers) employ various forms of claims in order to convey
their arguments to hopefully convince others that they are right. Also known as central
argument or thesis statement of the text, claims are what the writer tries to prove in the text
by providing details, explanations, and other types of evidence. In fact, there are different
kinds of claims.
1. Claim of Fact – A claim of fact or definition presents something projected as factual or true,
but is actually debatable. By debatable, it means that if people do further research, they may
find resources that will prove or disprove the claim.
2. Claim of Value – A claim of value refers to an argument of how important something is.
Essentially, this is biased because people vary in terms of the things they value or cherish.
It remains to be a claim and argumentative in nature because it may not be true for many
people.
3. Claim of Policy – Policies refer to rules, regulations, and processes. When people encounter
problems, they search for solutions or courses of action.
The Context of Text Development
There is always an inspiration behind the writing of a text, and often, it leaves clues
about the situation or the reality that served as the backdrop of the text. This backdrop is
known as the context of the text. Being a critical reader also involves understanding that
texts are always developed with a certain context. This context is defined as the social,
cultural, political, historical, and other related circumstances that surround the text
and form the terms that it can be better understood and evaluated.
There are several ways by which a text is developed. Here are the essentials that
need to be remembered:
• Purpose – The text must have an aim or an objective. You must know the reason why you
are writing the text, and what you intend to achieve from your readers.
• Audience – Do not forget to know your target audience. Remember that you cannot always
resonate to every single person in the world; you need to focus on a target audience.
• Content and Meaning – Your work needs to have substance. Apart from being
considerate of your target audience, what will make them read the work is its content and
meaning. The text will havesubstance if it speaks the truth, if it talks about a topic that is
relevant or timely, and if you use credible sources whom you cite properly.
Hypertext
Hypertext is a nonlinear way of showing information. It is a reading environment
that is based on the Internet. What makes hypertext unique is the speed at which you can
go to different texts. When the first text mentions a concept that is also discussed in
another text, all you need to do is click on the hyperlink and another page will load.
Intertext
Intertextuality is the modelling of a texts’ meaning by another text. It draws origin
from literature and asserts that texts can only be understood in relation to other texts. Also,
present-day texts are believed to have been based on or at least inspired by previously
published literature.
CRITICAL READING AS REASONING (Part 1)
Reasoning refers to the process of using a reason or a cause in order to explain or
justify something. It is used to explain why things happen, to convince people to believe in
or support something, or to demonstrate conviction for the things that one did or said.
Using Schema in Reasoning
Our first instinct is to rely on our previous experiences and knowledge (called
schema) when we reason. This is natural and often helpful and reliable, especially when we
already have a lot of background knowledge from our previous learning and experiences.
Using What You Learned from Reading in Reasoning

We can use what we read to reason. In doing so, we need to consider the following:
1. Is what we read related to the issue we are going to reason about?
2. Can we clearly establish the reason why we are using this particular reading
material as our evidence for reasoning?
3. Can we cite the source/s of what we read?
Characteristics of Sound Reasoning
The following are some indicators of sound reasoning:
1. Ideas were substantiated with facts from other people.
2. It is focused on the issue.
3. It tries to represent the views of not just one person.
4. It does not attack people to discredit them and make their arguments less credible.

CRITICAL READING AS REASONING (Part 1)

A. Formulating Evaluative Statements
Evaluative statement refers to a statement that states one’s sound judgment about
something through writing which is supported by reasons and evidences. It also presents
the strengths and weaknesses of something based on a set of criteria which needs to be
factual, substantial, and unbiased. How to Formulate an Evaluative Statement
1. Begin with positives.
2. Keep your feedback concise.
3. When pointing out negatives, focus on the situation, not the person. Mention, too,
why it is negative.
4. Provide a solution or suggested improvement to the negatives, as well as a
justification about why the solution or suggestion will work.

Identifying Assertions
An assertion is an opinion or a claim. Authors make assertions in the texts they write.
Both assertion and a claim need to be substantiated with proof; otherwise, they will be
rendered invalid. An assertion, though, contains more intensity and forcefulness on the
part of the speaker. In fact, there are four common types of assertion, which are classified
according to the degree of certainty they can be judged as true or false.
Four Common Types of Assertion
1. Fact – A statement that can be proven objectively by direct experience, testimonies of
witnesses, verified observations, or the results of research.
2. Convention – A way in which something is done, similar to traditions and norms.
3. Opinion – Opinions are based on facts, but are difficult to objectively verify
because of the uncertainty of producing satisfactory proofs of soundness.
4. Preference – Preferences are based on personal choice; therefore, they are
subjective and cannot be objectively proven or logically attacked.
 Formulating Counterclaims
A counterclaim is given by a reader who has different views from what the
original author believed in. It is made to rebut a previous claim. It provides a
contrasting perspective to the main argument. The following questions may help in
formulating a counterclaim:
1. What are the major points on which you and the author can disagree?
2. What is their strongest argument? What did they say to defend their position?
3. What are the merits of their views?
4. What are the weaknesses or shortcomings in their argument?
5. Are there any hidden assumptions?
6. Which lines from the text best support the counterclaim you have formulated?

B. Determining Textual Evidence

Textual evidence is defined as the details given by the author to support his
or her claim. It basically refers to proof/evidence cited within the text. It must be
near the claim and must be logically related to the claim. It must also be from
credible sources and must be based on facts.

Validating Claims and Counterclaims Using Textual Evidence

Before we believe in something, like a claim made in a text, we must first
validate it using textual evidence. Textual evidence helps bolster a writer’s
claims.
Similar with claims, counterclaims also need proof/evidence. However, you
must note that making counterclaims is a greater challenge because you need to
prove to the readers, who may believe differently, that your counterclaim is
believable.
Evidence can include the following:
• facts and statistics (objectively validated information on your subject);
• opinions from experts (leading authorities on a topic, such as researchers
or academics); and • personal anecdotes (generalizable, relevant, and
objectively considered).
The following are the characteristics of good evidence:
• unified;
• relevant to the central point;
• specific and concrete;
• accurate; and
• representative or typical

Things to Remember When Writing Academically or Professionally

Since academic and professional writing are starkly different from personal and
literary writing, there are things that you need to remember:
• Know your purpose for writing. Are you writing to inform people? To educate?
To make them follow and take action? Or simply to narrate? To entertain? You
need to be clear with what you want to do in order to begin writing.
• Base everything you write on facts. This is nonfiction, so you must base your ideas
on reality and factual information. If you don’t, you will lose credibility.
• Do not be wordy. Those in the workplace do not have a lot of time, so a short but
meaningful text will be helpful. Also, wordiness can cause confusion to readers,
 so avoid it.
• Avoid using idioms and poetic language. While literary texts and personal
conversations allow you to use idioms and poetic language. Academic and
professional writing do not. Instead, writers must use language that is direct or
straight to the point.
INTELLECTUAL WRITING

A. Book Review or Article Critique

Reading a book or an article is different from reviewing it. A review means you are
analyzing and evaluating what you have read. A book review is an analysis and evaluation
of the contents, as well as the merits and demerits of a book. It includes the summary of the
story (synopsis) and a personal evaluation of the book’s strengths and weaknesses. Similar
to a book review, an article critique provides an evaluation and a critical analysis of the
contents of an article (from the newspaper, magazines, academic journals).
When you review an article, you need to look at how balanced the article is.
The Structure and Features of a Book Review and an Article Critique
Before writing a book review or an article critique, you must do the following:
1. Introduction – To start writing the introduction of a book review or an article critique, use
the notes that you have taken down while you were critically reading the material. Then, you
may be guided by the following:
a. Know the content of information in which the material was written – author’s
background (life, culture, and beliefs) and socio, economic, or political conditions in
which the material was produced. b. Indicate the title of the material, year or date of
publication, and author’s name. c. State the main argument or author’s purpose of the
material if writing an article critique. d. Come up with a thesis statement that will
indicate what your evaluation of the material will be. If you are doing a book review, is
it a positive, negative, or mixed review? If you are writing an article critique, are you
for or against the main argument?
e. Briefly summarize the book or the main points of the article.
2. Body – This is the analysis and evaluation part of the review or critique. The following are
the questions that can help you in your critical evaluation of the material.
a. When writing a book review:
• What are the setting, theme/s, plot, characterization, and other significant literary
devices used by the author?
• How do these elements contribute to the overall meaning of the book?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?
• What significant human experience and relationships can you relate to in light of your
personal experience?
• How is the book similar to and/or different from other books in the same genre? • Is
the book informative, entertaining, or meaningful? Would you recommend it to
others? Why or why not?
b. When writing an article critique:
• Are the ideas presented clear and convincing? What pieces of evidence are used to
support the author’s ideas? Are they valid or accurate?
• Is the purpose of the paper achieved? If yes, how? If no, why?
• What is the overall structure of the article? Are the ideas logically organized and
adequately developed?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the article?
 • What further issues does the article raise?
• Does the article contribute to your knowledge or understanding of a particular concept
or topic? How is it helpful to other works in the discipline or to works of a related
topic?
3. Conclusion – This includes the summary of your overall evaluation of the material. It
may also involve the main reasons stated in the body paragraphs, why you agree or
disagree with the author. Take Note: After writing the review or critique, do not forget to
cite the references you used for your paper. You may follow the American Psychological
Association (APA) referencing style in citing your references.
B. Literature Review
Literature review is not exclusive to your common notion of literature—poems,
novels, sonnets, etc. Instead, it refers to the body of academic and scholarly writing
pertaining to your field of specialization. It is one of the most important parts of a research
paper, which you must write at least twice or more during your academic life, because it
situates your study in the present body of knowledge. A review of existing literature
allows you to:
• examine what has already been done or proven;
• explain where previous researchers focused on in the past; and,
• identify what parts still need to be researched.
A good literature review has cited sources. It should relate the different
researches to one another. The following questions should be considered:
• Are the researches contradictory?
• Did different researches find out the same thing?
• Is the research the only one in the field?
Different Components of Literature Review
1. Introduction
• Defines the topic and the scope being considered
• Notes intentional exclusions
• States the general findings of the review and the availability of the sources
2. Main Body
• Organizes the evaluation of the sources whether chronologically or
thematically • Showcases the critical summary and evaluation of the research’s
premise, methodology, and conclusion
• Uses grammatical connectors, relational words or phrases and
transitional devices 3. Conclusion
• Summarizes the key findings of the review
• Offers the reviewer’s justification of the conducted research
4. References
• Reflects the in-text citations
• Contains complete and correct citations
C. Research Report
A research report is a detailed document that presents everything that went
on in the research from statement of the problem to research outcome. A research
inquiry in the form of framework may be made in the investigation of a phenomenon
or concept. It is often used in various field of discipline like philosophy and the
sciences. Its purpose is to contribute new knowledge and positive change to the
society. Its implications can be seen in the advances of medicine, technology,
science, business, military, education, and others.
Components of a Research Report
Preliminary Materials
1. Title of the Report
• It is the short heading of what is being discussed in the study.
2. Table of Contents
• It contains the parts of your research report together with the pages
where they can be found. 3. Abstract
• It is an overview of the research study and is typically two to four paragraphs in length
containing 200-300 words.
4. Introduction
• It provides the key question that the researcher is attempting to answer and a
review of any literature that is relevant. In addition, the researcher will provide a
rationale of why the research is important and will present a hypothesis that
attempts to answer the key question. 5. Literature Review
• It contains discussion of previous local and foreign researches that are related to
the study. In it, the researcher will have a basis for his or her research
framework.
6. Methodology
• Here, the researcher will discuss the research steps or procedures that he or
she has done. It also includes the statistical formula used, number of respondents,
kind of research, and others. 7. Results, Discussion, and Conclusion
• In results, the researcher will report what he or she has found out in the study.
• In discussion, the researcher will relate the results with the problem,
framework, and review. • In conclusion, the researcher will discuss the outcome
of research and its implications. It is also the part where the researcher states if
the hypothesis will be accepted or rejected and what he or she thinks should be
done with the research (if it is given a chance to be replicated or adapted
by future researchers).
Supplementary Materials
1. References or Bibliography
• This component contains all the materials or documents used in research. It
includes research reports, research journal articles, books, magazines, website
URLs, and others.
2. Appendices
• Appendices contain supplementary or extra information not placed in other parts
of the research report. Examples of these are charts and graphs, interview
transcripts, coding sheets, and diagrams or pictures.
D. Project Proposal
Students may be prompted to write and submit a proposal for a term paper, book
or article review, or any project a teacher would require them to submit at the end of the
school year. A project proposal, like any other proposal, is persuasive in nature. It is
 generally used to convince the readers to do what the proposal suggests, such as buying
goods or services, funding a project, or implementing a program. Parts of a Project
Proposal
1. Rationale
• It answers the question Why? and attempts to explain why a project is necessary. To
write the rationale effectively, you need the following:
a. Introduction: Problem
This section informs the readers about the problem and objectives of the
proposal. It explains why the problem is considered a problem and what causes
it.
b. Effects of the Problem
It enumerates the effects of the problem. It focuses on the intended
project beneficiaries. 2. Project Title
• A catchy title will help capture the attention of the audience.
3. Project Time, Date, and Venue
• It presents the duration, date, and venue needed for the completion
of the project. 4. Project Description
• It describes the activities that the project will undertake to address the problem. It also
points out the strength of the approach, the general impact of the proposed project, the
outcome, and who will be affected.
5. Project Objectives
• It states the specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART)
objectives of the project.
6. Project Proponents and Beneficiaries/Participants
• This section is composed of two parts:
a. Proponents
b. Beneficiaries/Participants
7. Program Flow/Activities
• It presents the steps and processes involved in the project.
8. Budget Proposal
• One of the important parts of the proposal is the budget. It must be presented clearly in
an itemized form.
9. Project Monitoring
• It presents who will be assigned or available during the activity’s implementation. It
also presents who will ensure that everything flows smoothly.
10. Project Evaluation
• This section includes the assessment of the project.

E. Position Paper
A position paper is meant to formally present a person’s views on how to solve a
problem. As a writer, your goal is not only to state and defend your position on the issue
but also to show how your stance relates to other position. It is a composition that
highlights an opinion of an author or specified entity about an issue. As a debate, it
presents one side of an arguable opinion and persuades the readers or audience that the
author has a well-founded knowledge about the issue.
Components of a Position Paper
1. Introduction
• It identifies the issue that will be discussed and states the author’s
position on that issue. 2. Body
 • It contains the central argument and can be further broken up into sections:
a. Possible objections to your position (counter-argument)
b. A discussion of both sides of the issue, which addresses and refutes arguments that
contradict the author’s position (your argument)
c. Explain that your position is still the best one, despite the strength of counter-
argument. This is where you can work to discredit some of the counter-
arguments.
3. Conclusion
• It restates the key points and when applicable, suggests resolution to the issue.
WRITING FOR DIFFERENT CONTEXTS
A. Résumé
A résumé (or resume or less commonly resumé) is a document that contains a brief
account of a person’s education, skills, work experience, and other qualifications. It is
usually sent along with job applications to convince your prospective employer that you
are the best candidate for the position you are applying for. Sometimes, a résumé is also
needed for school applications. It allows school admission officers to assess your
qualifications for a scholarship program or for other academic purposes.
Although résumés may not be the same in terms of composition, all of them share
a few basic features.
Basic Features of a Résumé
1. Heading – It is the element of your résumé that indicates your identifying
information such as your full name, address, contact number and e-mail address.
2. Objective – This element informs the reader of the specific purpose of your résumé,
such as application for a job or a degree program. It should specifically match the
job or position you are applying for. Career objective is usually expressed in a one-
liner statement that sums up the job you are seeking. This element is very important
because it prompts your prospective employer to whether or not you share with
them the same career objective.
3. Education – This is the feature of your résumé that presents your educational
attainment. Employers will be impressed to see your highest educational
attainment. You need to indicate here the degree/s you obtained, from which school,
and the month and year you obtained such degree/s. Special awards, distinctions,
or even advanced courses you may have taken may also be included if these are
noteworthy.
4. Experience – This element basically refers to your employment history. Employers
want to know if you have past experiences directly or indirectly related to the job
you are seeking. In this section, you need to indicate the position you previously
held, the name of the company you worked for, and your date of employment.
5. Skills – This refers to your special abilities or talents that may be related to the job
you are pursuing. Fluency in foreign languages will be a special skill and is often
an advantage. Other office-related know-how like your competence in MS Word,
Excel, or PowerPoint may also be included.
B. Application for College Admission
One of the common ways taken to employment is going to college. Application essay
is often seen as an essential part of a college application. It is an essay that is a response
to a prompt that allows admissions committees to get to know you more personally and
to assess how you can contribute to their school community. It can also be a proof to
show that you are competent at writing and thinking.
Most Common Types of Essay Questions (The College Board, 2015)
 1. The YOU question. This question asks a student to tell them about himself or
herself. 2. The WHY US question. This question inquires about your plans and probes
deeper into your choice of a course in college.
3. The CREATIVE question. This question seeks to assess your competency at thinking
and writing creatively by expressing your views and showing your personality.
Parts of a College Application Letter
1. Introduction
a. State who you are and what you are applying for.
b. State an eye-catching statement about yourself.
c. Show your enthusiasm to study in the university you are applying to.
2. Body
a. Present your academic qualifications, extracurricular involvement, community
activity engagements, and some personal qualities with specific evidence.
b. Organize your thoughts and segregate them into paragraphs. You may separate
paragraphs by theme.
c. State the benefits the university can obtain by admitting you. Do not just give facts;
explain how these facts will benefit the university.
3. Conclusion
a. Indicate your interest in interview.
b. Indicate how the interview can contact you.
c. Express your hope for your positive response from the Admission Director.
d. Express your gratitude.