WEEK 5:

READING STRATEGIES
FOR CRITICAL THINKING
BY PAUL MICHAEL PEREZ, CRWT 111

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING

Reference:
Harris,T.
(2016).
Critical
Reading
Critical
Thinking
[PowerPoint
slides].
SlidePlayer.

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING
● Critical thinking requires critical reading to develop because a huge part of
you is influenced by what you read and hear. Up to 80% of knowledge is
learned through the eyes, and reading plays the biggest role.

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
1. Improve your vocabulary (to make comprehension easier)
● Read a wide range of texts to have a varied vocabulary background.
● Have a dictionary at all times.
○ It could be a better option, especially when studying technical terminologies.
○ Install a dictionary application on your mobile phone and computer for more
convenient access.
○ Remember, however, that there are English words that cannot be directly
translated into Filipino—and vice versa.
● Never assume the meaning of a word that you are unfamiliar with.
● Keep a vocabulary journal where you write down all words that you learn on a
daily or weekly basis (ex. notebook or a set of index cards). This is helpful,
especially when memorizing jargons often used in your industry or field of study.
● Learn at least three words a day and try using them in a sentence.
● Find opportunities to apply the learned words in actual conversations. The more
frequent you apply the learned words, the more familiar they can get.

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
Merriam Webster’s Top Words for 2021:
● 10th: “META”
● 9th: “GUARDIAN”
● 8th: “CISGENDER”
● 7th: “MURRAYA”
● 6th: “CICADA”
● 5th: “INFRASTRUCTURE”
● 4th: “NOMAD”
● 3rd: “WOKE”
● 2nd: “PERSEVERANCE”
● 1st: “INSURRECTION”

● Word of the Year: “VACCINE”

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
2. Mind your reading comprehension skills
● Monitoring your reading comprehension means being conscious of your
recalls. You should be aware of the words, phrases or sentences that you do
not understand fully or confuse you. As you do, you need to challenge your
comprehension for looking for context clues and inducing analytical thinking.
○ Try to recall and explain the key points on your own words after each
section. Break your reading up into smaller sections using the
subheadings and again recite. Concentration plays a large part in your
ability to comprehend so assess your focus.
○ Avoid reading at a slower pace just to compensate for your
comprehension level. Reading at a slower speed often interferes with
comprehension because it forces us to resort to word-for-word (verbatim)
reading.
○ Use a line guide to keep focused on the text and avoid having your eyes
wander around.

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
3. Improve Your Reading Speed
● Keep in mind that the reading pace depends on the type of material you are reading
and your goal. The type of reading that you need to do also dictates the reading rate.
● Proactively focus on 2-4 words at a time instead of fixating on a per-word reading
basis. (Ex. reading phrase-for-phrase instead of word-for-word.)
● Read with your eyes and mind. Pronouncing the words while you read slows down your
speed because it forces your focus on each word rather than on groups of words.
● Practice makes perfect. Practice will increase speed, vocabulary, comprehension, and
knowledge base.
● Force yourself to read at a faster rate for short periods of time, like reading a certain
number of pages per hour.
● Go at a speed that is uncomfortable but you are still comprehending the material.
Check for comprehension as your reading rate increases.
● Avoid rereading as much as possible. Pay attention to your concentration or focus.
● You should never read at a rate that is slower than your average rate. Slower speed
does not guarantee a better understanding of the material.

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 CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
4. Apply The SQ3R Method—Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review
● an active reading method
SURVEY
● Scan over the table of contents of a new book to have a clear understanding of its content and
plan your reading in advance.
● Survey the entire chapter before you start reading.
● Look at the title and all subtitles to know what the chapter is about and how it is broken up into
parts. Label major headings and subheadings to show the relationship between topics. You
may also want to create your own outline based on your syllabus.
● Look at the end of the chapter aids, such as questions, summaries, etc. This will help you
select the main ideas as you read.
● Read the introduction and/or first paragraph first. This will tell you the purpose of the chapter
and its importance.
● Read the last paragraph. This will summarize the text and can make understanding of the
entire text easier and faster.
● Be mindful of the different terminologies used. Create a terminology index as you read. The
author might have used these words to familiarize you with future topics.

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 CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
4. Apply The SQ3R Method—Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review

QUESTION
● Turn the subheadings into questions before proceeding to read so that your mind is
actively looking for answers rather than passively reading along.
● Create questions from information printed in the margins.
● Create questions for each graph presented. You might need to go back to these data
once you review.
● Try writing out the questions so that you can periodically look at the questions and stop
to see if you can recall the information.

READ
● Start reading only when you can concentrate and commit to it. Example is having proper
reading posture (sitting instead of lying down).
● You must locate the main idea of each paragraph (i.e. through watching out for
keywords and jargons).

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
4. Apply The SQ3R Method—Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review

RECITE
● Take time to paraphrase what you read out loud while reading. It helps you avoid
plagiarism and helps you remember the main idea at the same time.
● Try to associate reading material with life experience (“mnemonic” or memory devices).

REVIEW
● Review starts with organization.
● Review your notes and questions created for the daily lesson or chapter. Review the
highlighted areas, comments you made as you read, and your index card file. Recite
main points of each section.
● Develop study aids like mnemonics for material you must memorize.
● Create an outline from your texts.
● Recite the information daily to ensure automatic recall and true learning.
● Check and recheck the information where you hesitate.

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
5. Do Skimming
➢ Speedy reading for general meaning
➢ Lets your eyes skip over sentences or phrases that contain details
➢ Allows you to concentrate on identifying the central or main points
➢ Pre-views a selection of text prior to detailed reading
➢ Refreshes understanding of a text following detailed reading
➢ Speed reading at basic level
➢ Works best with non-fiction or factual texts
➢ Speed ranges from 700-1000 words per minute

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
5. Do Skimming
● Once you know where the reading is headed, you can begin to
read only the first sentence (or topic sentence) of each paragraph.
● At the end of each topic sentence, your eyes should drop down
through the rest of the paragraph, looking for important pieces of
information.
● Continue to read only topic sentences until you are near the end.
● Stop skimming in the last few paragraphs as they may contain the
conclusion or summary.
● If you feel you are grasping the main ideas while skimming, then
you are skimming correctly.

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
6. Do Scanning
➢ Passing the vision speedily over a selection of text to find specific words or
phrases
➢ Skipping over large portions of texts to find what you are looking for
➢ Speed ranges above 1000 words per minute
➢ Covers more area than skimming within the same amount of time
➢ Does not require reading of entire texts
➢ May be limited to specific information and may not help the reader understand the
general idea

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CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS

6. Do Scanning
● Establishing your purpose, locating the appropriate
material, and knowing how the information is structured
before you start scanning is essential. The material
could be arranged alphabetically, chronologically,
non-alphabetically, by category, or textually.
● Use your hands when scanning.
● Use also your peripheral vision for scanning.
● Keep the concept of key words in mind while scanning.

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 CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
SKIMMING:
● Meant to identify main points
without identifying the details
● Covers 700-1000 wpm
===
Skimming will help you locate the
information quickly. It will also
increase the amount of usable
material you obtain for your research.
SCANNING:
● Meant to identify specific details
without understanding the main
points
● Covers more than 1000 wpm
===
You scan when your aim is to find specific
pieces of information. The most important
benefit of scanning is its ability to help you
become a more flexible reader.
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 CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
7. Make Inferences
Making inferences is a comprehension strategy used by proficient readers
to “read between the lines,” make connections, and draw conclusions about
the text’s meaning and purpose.
● Inference means concluding based on knowledge and experience. It is
an ability to understand implicit messages conveyed by a writer based
on the reader’s schema (background knowledge).

To make inferences:
● Take two or more details from the reading and see if you can draw a
conclusion.
● When you are asked an inference question, go back over the reading
and look for hints within the text.

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 CRITICAL THINKING REQUIRES CRITICAL READING: TIPS
7. Make Inferences

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