–Module 13-14:

CRITICAL
READING AS
REASONING

HAZEL MAE M. HERRERA, LPT

SUBJECT TEACHER

Ridgewood School of Caloocan, Inc.

31 L27, Acacia St., Rainbow 5, Ph.2 Bagumbong
Caloocan City
Days: 3 days

Expected date: March 21-23, 2022

TOPIC: CRITICAL READING AS REASONING

Imagine that you are reading a magazine and you see the following statements:

Girls most likely do well in academics during high school years but boys get ahead of them in
college. Female teenagers are more concerned with their physical appearance than male
teenagers.

Do you believe and agree with the statements after reading them? Would you question their
veracity? How would you react after reading the statements? If you question the validity of the
statements by asking the person to give the basis for his/her assertions, then you are one step
closer to becoming a critical reader. On this topic, you are going to learn about critical reading
and its importance.

In this module, you will get to explain critical reading as reasoning. Specifically, it is expected of
you to identify situations that promote critical thinking; explain the importance of critical reading
in your personal and academic life; apply basic principles of critical thinking in various
situations; and identify the types of fallacy.

What is Critical Reading?

Critical reading involves scrutinizing any information that you read or hear. Critical reading
means not easily believing information offered to you by a text. “Read not to contradict and
confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and
consider” as Francis Bacon stated in The Essays.

Critical reading is an active process of discovery because when you read critically, you are not
just receiving information but also making an interaction with the writer. The interaction happens
when you question the writer’s claims and assertions and/or when you comment on the writer’s
ideas.

A critical thinker possesses the following characteristics. (Adapted from skillsyouneed.com)

1. Understands the relation of one idea to another

2. Determines the importance and relevance of ideas and arguments
3. Recognizes, builds and appraises arguments
4. Identifies inconsistencies and errors in reasoning
5. Approaches problems in a consistent and systematic way
6. Reflects on the justification of his own assumptions, beliefs and values

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking on the other hand, is the ability to think clearly and rationally, and the ability to
understand the relation of ideas presented. Similar to a critical reader, you as a critical thinker
should be able to question ideas and assumptions and should not just accept them without
analyzing if there is truth to them or not.

What are Logical Fallacies?

When we read something, we do not just accept everything as it is. We need to read critically,
ask questions to verify if the statement is true. In this lesson, you are going to learn some of the
common logical fallacies. These are just some and there are still more to these. So what are
logical fallacies?

Logical Fallacies are errors in reasoning that invalidate an argument. As a critical reader, you
have to identify and examine fallacies and manipulative language found in the text. It is therefore
important that you know some of the common fallacies which are found in the table below.
Critical reading is engaging yourself in a text or any material that you are reading. Although the
word ‘critical” means to express criticism or disapproval about something like a book, movie or
piece of art, etc., critical reading does not necessarily mean that you have to be “critical” of
something that you read.

Critical reading is more engaging yourself about what the author or writer is trying to tell you
in his or her writing, or being focused on the intention or the argument being presented in the
material.

It is exercising your judgement about the material being read, and not just accepting or being
satisfied with everything that is presented by the author without analyzing the points, especially
the author’s opinions whether true, valid or acceptable.

The critical reading strategies are:

1. Annotating. It is the first strategy that you can use as a critical reader. It is underlining or
highlighting the important ideas or points in a text like thesis statement, topic sentence,
supporting details, body of the material and the conclusion.

2. Contextual Reading. In contextual reading, a reader studies the author of the text, the time or
period when the author wrote it and the important events that occurred during the time the text
was written.

3. Outlining. It’s an overview of a document in which information and ideas are arranged
according to hierarchy-the main idea being at the top followed by the rest of the supporting ideas
or subtopics.

4. Summarizing. It’s the condensing or writing of a material in the reader’s own words.

5. Paraphrasing. One way of understanding a text better is to paraphrase it.

Paraphrasing is putting or writing a text in your own words but maintaining the original
information as given by the author.

6. Comparing and Contrasting. It’s naming the similarities of two or more ideas or information.

7. Evaluating an Argument. A critical reader must not accept anything on face value; instead, he
or she must evaluate whether the claim or the argument that the author is presenting is true and
can be supported by evidence.

8. Reflecting on Challenges to your Beliefs and Values. There are reading materials that will
affect your emotions.

9. Looking for Patterns of Opposition. This strategy should not be confused with number 8
strategy.

10. Judging the Writer’s Credibility. You ask questions to check if the writer of the text is
credible enough to get your approval of what s/he has written.

11. Exploring the Figurative Language. This refers to the language that uses words or
expressions with a meaning different from the literal interpretation.

12. Recognizing Emotional manipulation. Some writers become emotionally manipulative if they
want their readers to agree with them or to believe what they are saying and resort to false and
exaggerated statements or appeals.
A critical reader and a critical thinker therefore, must not depend on the use of their instinct or
intuition when reading. Both must know how to observe, identify, analyze, interpret, infer,
evaluate, explain, solve problems and make decisions. These are the necessary skills a “thinking”
reader should possess. Critical thinking and critical reading therefore, go hand in hand in helping
you develop into a more active learner rather than being passive to the information.

Here are some key points to sum up our lesson:

 Critical thinkers examine, evaluate and weigh information and arguments which make
them more knowledgeable.

One must be careful in interpreting what critical thinking is. It is neither being cynical nor
being faultfinder. It is not pretending to know more than what you actually know.
Uncritical people are usually impatient, easily annoyed by problems, and judge based on
first impressions alone. They usually focus more on their own opinion and are guided by
emotions rather than logic.

A critical thinker possesses the following characteristics. (Adapted from

skillsyouneed.com)

1. Understands the relation of one idea to another

2. Determines the importance and relevance of ideas and arguments

3. Recognizes, builds and appraises arguments

4. Identifies inconsistencies and errors in reasoning

5. Approaches problems in a consistent and systematic way

6. Reflects on the justification of his own assumptions, beliefs and values

The critical reading strategies are:

1. Annotating

2. Contextual Reading

3. Outlining

4. Summarizing
5. Paraphrasing

6. Comparing and Contrasting

7. Evaluating an Argument

8. Reflecting on Challenges to your Beliefs and Values

9. Looking for Patterns of Opposition

10. Judging the Writer’s Credibility

11. Exploring the Figurative Language

12. Recognizing Emotional manipulation

The SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite & Review) Method is also a commonly used
critical reading strategy.

As a critical reader, you should be able to use textual evidence when you are asked by
your teacher to support your analysis of what the writer has explicitly or implicitly stated
in the text you are required to read.

You should be able to determine whether the ideas are explicit or implicit so that you can
make your inference about the text you read.

References

Books

Jessie S. Barot, Academic Reading and Writing for Senior High School Quezon City: C&E
Publishing, Inc., 2016, 88-90.

Grace M. Saqueton and Marikit Tara A. Uychoco. Critical Reading, English for Academic and
Professional Purposes Manila: Rex Bookstore. 2016, 17-19.

Jessie S. Barot, Essentials of Studying, Reading and Writing, Reading to Think, Thinking to
Write Manila:Rex Bookstore, 2012, 27-29.
Marella Therese A. Tiongson and Maxine Rafaella C. Rodriguez. Reading and Writing Skills
First Ed. Manila : Rex Book Store, Inc. , 2016 pp.22-23

Maria Teresa M. Antonio, Maria B. Sarte, Maria Edna R. Inigo and Orlando L. Tangonan.
READING and WRITING SKILLS for Senior High School Students Malabon City: Mutya
Publishing house, Inc., 2017 pp64-67

Image

“Rhetorical Fallacies and Propaganda”, Dalton’s Dynamic Daily Endeavors, last accessed July 3,
2020,
https://sites.google.com/site/daltonsdynamicdailyindeavors/rhetorical-fallacies-propaganda