critical thinking reading response questions

19 Short Stories and Questions For Critical Thinking

Apr 2, 2024

There have been rumblings in different online teacher groups recently about replacing novels with short stories and informational articles in middle and high school English classrooms. I have to admit I was shocked when I first read the comments because I am a book lover at heart, but since then, I’ve considered that there are several pros and cons to this approach.

Short stories and other smaller texts can provide a briefer timeline to complete tasks, and this process is helpful when there is already SO MUCH curriculum to cover. Short stories and related activities can also be more engaging for our students because of the exposure to diverse voices and themes! Using short stories and lessons provides students with amazing choices to meet their needs and preferences!

On the other hand, incorporating mainly short stories and other shorter passages means students’ already-pressed attention spans (as a result of social media influences and pervasive sources of technology) are reinforced. Plus, students miss out on the more complex stories within longer pieces of fiction that are, dare I say, life-altering! A novel can provide opportunities for sustained reading and layers for analysis that shorter pieces of literature like short stories and related texts cannot offer.

Ultimately, no matter where you find yourself on the issue, I think we can all agree that short stories and their counterparts can be vital, effective, and helpful in the modern classroom!

Continue reading for 19 Short Stories and Questions For Critical Thinking!!

Need help with Test Prep ?  Check out this  FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities  to help students achieve success on standardized tests!

Table of Contents

19 Short Stories and Questions – Suggestions for Teaching Them

You don’t need to remove all novels to be able to include short stories and smaller passages like vignettes, articles, and narratives; there’s a time and place for all genres! But if you’re thinking about ways to include more short stories and fun activities, check out this list of 19 varied short stories and critical thinking questions as well as suggestions for teaching them in middle school and high school.

1.  “The Most Dangerous Game” 

“The Most Dangerous Game” is one of my absolute favorite short stories and overall plots to teach! This suspenseful short story by Richard Connell follows the harrowing ordeal of Sanger Rainsford, a skilled hunter who becomes the prey of a deranged aristocrat named General Zaroff. Stranded on Zaroff’s secluded island, Rainsford must outwit the cunning general in a deadly game of survival, where the stakes are life and death. 

SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHING:

• You could focus on the setting (description of time and place) and examine how the setting changes throughout the story.
• Students could learn about the plot (major events in the story) and list the major events and evidence as they read.
• Define foreshadowing (hints for what will happen by the end of the story) and encourage students to hypothesize about what will happen after every page.
• Analyze the character development (how a character changes over time) of Rainsford and highlight his traits/actions as you read along.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS:

• How does the setting contribute to the tension and suspense in the story?
• How does the author use foreshadowing? How does the author hint at the danger Rainford is facing?
• What inferences can you make about the main character and the changes he undergoes from the beginning to the end of the story?

If you want to teach plot elements and plot analysis , check out this lesson bundle for the story , which includes comprehension quizzes and a variety of activities!

2.  “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

Ambrose Bierce’s story is a gripping tale set during the American Civil War, where a Southern civilian named Peyton Farquhar faces execution by hanging after attempting to sabotage a Union railroad bridge. As Farquhar falls through the trapdoor, time seems to stretch, and he experiences a surreal moment, only to realize his grim reality. 

Integrating historical texts with other short stories and passages like “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” will make history come more alive and relevant for our students!

• Teach about irony (when the opposite occurs from what is expected) and how it plays a role throughout the story.
• Explain the term characterization (how a character is depicted) by looking at direct and indirect references while reading with your students.
• Discuss the major themes (messages) of the story and how they connect to our modern era within a Socratic Seminar.
• How does the author use characterization to convey Peyton Farquhar’s thoughts, emotions, and motivations?
• What is the purpose of irony in this story? How does its use affect the reader’s interpretation and understanding of events?
• What is the significance in our contemporary/real world of the themes of the story, including reality and fantasy, the passage of time, and the consequences of actions?

Ensure students’ understanding of the story with this set of reading questions that are perfect for state test prep, too !

3.  “The Masque of the Red Death”

This chilling tale from Edgar Allan Poe is set in a secluded abbey where Prince Prospero and his wealthy guests attempt to escape a deadly plague known as the Red Death. Despite their isolation efforts, the guests are confronted with their own mortality as a mysterious figure in a blood-red mask appears.

If you have not read any short stories and poems from Poe, this story is a perfect journey into the horror genre!

• The setting (description of time and place) plays a MAJOR role in the story, so following the Prince from room to room and highlighting the imagery (description that connects to the five senses) is very important when reading.
• If you have not introduced mood  (emotion intended for the reader to experience), this story is PERFECT for delineating its progression from start to finish.
• As students read, you might guide them through identifying various examples of  symbolism  (object, person, or place that represents something else); each room, objects within, and the “antagonist” is symbolic in some way!
• How does the author convey the tone of the story? How would you, as the reader, describe the story’s mood?
• What role does the plot structure (focus on the different rooms) play in shaping the reader’s understanding of the story?
• What is the purpose of the symbolism in the story such as the clock and the masked figure?

Check out this EASY-TO-TEACH bundle , you can practice with your students, so they will feel more confident analyzing higher-level language in “The Masque of the Red Death!”

4.  “The Cask of Amontillado”

Another chilling tale from Poe is the classic story “The Cask of Amontillado.” This one is set during Carnival in an unnamed Italian city. The plot centers on a man seeking revenge on a ‘friend’ he believes has insulted him. If your students are anything like mine, they will relish the ending particularly!

This is just one more of Poe’s short stories and tales that will capture the mind of every reader!

•  As you plan for this short story, be sure to encourage your students to analyze the changing setting (description of time and place); following Fortunato from scene to scene will help your students track what is really going on.
• This story is the perfect moment to teach about dialogue (conversation within someone=internal and/or between someone and someone/thing else=external); Montresor certainly means more than what he SEEMS to say!
• You might also offer a mini-lesson on the 3 types of irony and how each plays a role in the story: verbal (when a person says the opposite of what is really intended), situational (an action occurs that is the opposite from what the reader expects), and dramatic (a character expects a result, but the opposite occurs and the audience can tell what will happen)!
• Describe Montresor. What are his motives and personality?
• What inferences can you make about Montresor’s mindset based on his dialogue?
• What is the purpose of the family’s motto and the carnival atmosphere? 

Check out this Short Story Activity & Quiz Bundle for Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” which contains questions and answers modeled after various reading standardized tests as well as pre-quiz reading comprehension questions, graphic organizers, and a writing activity to get students thinking critically about this classic short story involving REVENGE!

Want 7 more teaching ideas for one of Poe’s epic short stories and questions to go with it? Click below!

5.  “To Build a Fire”

This story by Jack London describes the treacherous journey of a man through the harsh Yukon wilderness during extreme cold. Despite warnings and the company of a loyal dog, the man’s arrogance and underestimation of nature’s power lead to a tragic end.

Short stories and ideas related to survival in nature are still relevant today! Who knows when you might get lost on a hike or crashland in no man’s land?

• This story is PERFECT for a bit of  literary analysis  (examining the impact of various ideas, elements, or themes within a piece of literature); you could hone in on literary devices, characterization, theme, etc.!
• Integrating clips from survival shows will help students see connections to the world and extend their thinking by comparing (recognizing similarities) and contrasting (recognizing differences) varied experiences!
• Write a short narrative about surviving 24 hours in a different setting (description of time and place).
• How does the author use irony? Provide an example and explain. 
• What real-world connections can be made between this story and our contemporary life? 
• What is the story’s message about preparedness and respecting nature?

Grab these engaging short stories and activities to make teaching this Jack London story stress-free!

6.  “The Cactus”

Told from the point of view of a young man at his former lover’s wedding, the narrator retells their story. Like most of O. Henry’s short stories and texts, this one has a twist that involves the titular cactus plant.

The ending will end in a bit of fun for your students!

• Introduce diction (word choice) and its impact within the story by hyperfocusing on specific words within the story . Students can look up definitions, locate synonyms, create their own sentences, replace the words, etc.
• Investigate twist endings (unexpected finish to a story); before reading the end of the story, ask students to guess why the girl “rejected” him. Some students may know the answer before reading it!
• Describe the main characters. What similarities and differences are evident? How does this affect the story’s action?
• What inferences can you make about Trysdale and his feelings about love and marriage?
• What are the real and symbolic meanings of the cactus?

This resource packed with questions and answers, graphic organizers, and writing activities is sure to get your students thinking about this love story driven by misconceptions.

7.  “After Twenty Years”

This tale of friendship and betrayal focuses on the reunion of two old friends after twenty years apart on a New York City street corner. As they reminisce, something is revealed that demonstrates the reality of their bond as well as the choices they’ve made in life.

If you have not read O. Henry’s short stories and incorporated character analysis yet, this is your chance! The story is not long and can be completed in one to two class periods!

• Sometimes, we ask students to visualize (create a picture) in their minds, but why not give them the opportunity to use their artistic skills to draw the two characters?
• As students read, annotate for a description of each character; then, students can do a character analysis (investigation of the characters’ similarities and differences).
• What type of irony is used in the story? How does its use affect your interpretation and understanding of the story?
• How does the urban setting contribute to the mood of the story?
• What is the story’s message about friendship and loyalty?

Examine the links between loyalty and duty with this set of resources designed specifically for this O. Henry story.

8.  “The Lottery”

“The Lottery” is the quintessential short story for middle school or high school English! Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” tells the story of an annual ritual that takes place in a seemingly idyllic town. When the townsfolk gather for the lottery drawing, a shocking turn of events demonstrates the dark side of human nature and their ties to (outdated) traditions.

• Introduce the terms suspense (uncertainty and/or excitement leading up to a major event) and tension (anxiety or uneasy feelings experienced by characters). While reading, identify evidence that relates to each of these concepts and chat/write about their impact on meaning and plot.
• Teach title (the name of the text) analysis. The title of “The Lottery” is perfect for teaching the impact of the title and audience expectations. Before reading, students may write what they believe the story will be about based on the title. After reading, students can complete a quick write responding to their previous expectations! You can do a text analysis for all short stories and poems!
• What role does the plot structure play in building suspense and tension? (Consider the revelation of the lottery’s ‘prize’ in particular.)
• What social commentary is being made through the story and its characters?
• Describe Mr. Summers, Tessie, and Old Man Warner. What does the story reveal about their role in the community and their feelings about the lottery?

Give yours elf a breath of fresh air with this NO PREP curriculum that integrates test prep within the teaching of literature by using Shirley Jackson’s quintessential story!

9.  “The Pedestrian”

This Ray Bradbury story follows a lone walker in a futuristic society in which everyone else is consumed by technology, particularly the television. One evening, the walker encounters a police car that questions his unusual behavior and the end is quite unexpected! (Most of Bradbury’s short stories and texts connect to the future and technology in some way!)

• This story exemplifies Dystopian Literature (texts that include a supposedly perfect future society marred in some way by governmental or societal oppression). Using this story to introduce this type of literature is always fun for students because they will easily make connections to other dystopic short stories and poems!
• Teach about mood (the emotional impact of a story’s description/action). The goal is to get students to deepen their critical thinking skills by recognizing how the mood changes and the purpose for that change!
• How does the author use foreshadowing and suspense to build the mood of the story?
• What is the central theme of the story? How might it connect with our current world?
• What similes and metaphors does Bradbury use to describe the community and its members? What is notable about these comparisons?

With this resource about Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian,” you can just print and teach the lesson and activities with EASE! 

10.  “The Gift of the Magi”

This 1905 story by O. Henry relays a tale about a couple struggling to make ends meet. Throughout the story, they both figure out gifts to buy one another for Christmas and realize what love truly means!

• Review character traits (how a character is depicted internally and externally). Log the traits of each character within the story and how they are important to the meaning of the story.
• Extend (move beyond the text) critical thinking skills by encouraging students to think and write about other people. If they had $1,000 to spend on someone else, how would they spend the money and why?

• How would you describe Della and Jim, and their relationship?
• What values do the characters have, when you consider their actions and decisions?
• Explain how dramatic irony is used in the story. Is it necessary? Is it effective? Why or why not?

This tale is a great addition to your short stories and questions unit around the winter holidays! Save yourself time at that time of the year with this lesson bundle . 

11.  “The Monkey’s Paw” 

“The Monkey’s Paw” is a classic horror story about the White family who come into possession of a mystical monkey’s paw that grants three wishes. Despite warnings, they use it and then face devastating consequences as a result.

• Teach about the elements of the horror/suspense genre (Ex. Scary movies are typically dark, stormy, surprising, morbid, etc.).
• Create a thematic statement (message relayed by the text in a complete sentence). There is no perfectly created theme (message) unless it is directly stated by the author; however, students can create a theme by supporting their ideas with evidence from the story!
• What is the main theme of the story? Or how does the author communicate the themes of greed or fate? Is one stronger than the other?
• Are Mr. and Mrs. White more alike or different from one another? How do you know?
• Should we be afraid of the unknown? What message does the story share? Do you agree or disagree?

Examine W.W. Jacobs’ classic story with this set of questions and answers along with rigorous reading and writing activities . While it is ideal for a spooky season, the story is valuable for its ability to hook readers any time of year!

12.  “Lamb to the Slaughter” 

This classic story with a killer plot twist is about a woman who kills her husband and gets away with murder thanks to cooking a leg of lamb!

• You could introduce the plot elements (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), encourage students to identify major events to fit each element and write down textual evidence to support their ideas.
• Complete a film analysis (examination of film techniques and their effects) to compare/contrast the short story with the classic Alfred Hitchcock television episode.
• What is Mary Maloney’s state of mind? Does it remain the same or does it change throughout the story? Explain.
• Is the resolution of the story satisfying? Why or why not? Why do you think the author ended it as he did?
• How does irony contribute to the theme of deception in the story? Explain.

Spice up your middle school English or high school English class with this short stories and activities bundle for Dahl’s famous story!

13.  “The Tell-Tale Heart” 

Poe’s classic psychological thriller is narrated by an unnamed protagonist who insists on their sanity while recounting how they murdered an old man. The narrator is haunted by the sound of the victim’s beating heart, which ultimately drives him to confess to the crime despite not originally being a suspect. 

• Teach symbolism (object, person, or place that represents something else) by focusing on the heart and eye . The author used these symbols in various ways!
• Investigate psychology (the study of the human mind) as a part of the story. Determine what is fact and what is fiction within the narrator’s mind.
• What does the story reveal about the human psyche?
• What is the deeper meaning of the two key symbols in the story – the beating heart and the eye of the old man?
• What role do the narrator’s inner thoughts play in the development of the plot?

This Short Story Comprehension Bundle offers quick (and effective!) ways to assess students’ learning and understanding of the story. It’s easy to use and will no doubt save you time too!

14.  “The Scarlet Ibis” 

Emotional short stories and their counterparts have a place as well in English classrooms! This short story by James Hurst about two brothers is a heartbreaking must-read. Through flashbacks, the unnamed narrator tells the life story of his younger sickly brother William Armstrong, who is nicknamed Doodle. And the end…well, you’ll see.

• Define and explain the purpose of a flashback (referring back to the past within a story). Think about the implications of never thinking back on the past or always thinking about the past.
• Complete a comparison chart between Doodle and the Ibis as you read along. Then, students can create a visual of each after they have ready by using their own evidence!
• What is the meaning of the story’s title and the presence of a scarlet ibis in the story?
• What is the central theme of the story? How do the events of the story support this chosen theme?
• How does the author use personification for the storm? What effect does this have on the story?

This flexible resource features critical thinking questions and answers as well as writing and reading activities for students to explore Hurst’s heartbreaking story.

15.  “The Veldt” 

This science fiction story by Ray Bradbury was first published as “The World the Children Made” and it is quite fitting as a title! The story focuses on a futuristic world in which a video screen can be controlled and it turns out to be more than simple virtual reality! By the story’s conclusion, the world the children made is the downfall of their parents. 

• Compare and contrast “The Veldt” with “The Pedestrian,” two short stories and dystopic texts by Ray Bradbury. Analyze the similarities and differences of both short stories and create a thematic statement that connects to both texts!
• Make connections to our current reality in the 21st century. Locate research about the implications of technology on young people and integrate this information as you discuss this short story.
• How does the author address the theme of technology versus humanity in the story? Do you agree with this commentary? Why or why not?
• How does the nursery reflect the personalities of Wendy and Peter in this story?
• Do you know the story of Peter Pan and his friend Wendy? What connections can you make between it and this story by Ray Bradbury?

Ray Bradbury’s classic short stories and similar passages are the BEST to teach in middle and high school English! With so much to dive into, they are sure to be a hit with your students. Grab this set of activities to extend your students’ engagement with rigorous reading and writing activities about “The Veldt.” 

16.  “The Necklace” 

A woman who longs for a life of luxury and elegance beyond her means faces consequences when she loses a borrowed necklace. Guy de Maupassant’s story ends with a twist that has the reader question the value of material possessions. 

• I love comparing this short story with O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.” You might choose to focus on the theme, characterization, setting, etc.
• Summarize (writing about the main idea with details) each chunk of the story as you read with your students. Instead of asking students to write a paragraph, you could ask students to create each summary in only one sentence.
• The story explores vanity, deception, and the consequences of striving for social status. Which theme do you think is the most important? Explain with support from the story.
• Is Mathilde Loisel a likable character? Does this change during the story? Does it matter if the reader likes her? Why or why not?
• What clues does the author provide throughout the story that foreshadow the twist at the story’s end?

Focus on the standards with this Short Story Lesson Bundle for “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant!

Need help with implementing activities for “The Necklace?” See below!

17.  “A Vendetta” 

Guy de Maupassant’s late-19th-century story is all about REVENGE. A mother is obsessed with creating a plan to avenge her son’s murder and she then puts the plan into action with a morbid outcome.

• There are so many texts that involve REVENGE! Why not use this concept as a focus for a thematic unit (texts linked to a similar concept and/or message)? You could read “A Poison Tree,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “Lamb to the Slaughter” as well as “A Vendetta” with the intention of writing about all 4 for a comparison/contrast paper, presentation, or seminar.
• Analyze the development (how a character changes over time) of the mother and the dog throughout the story; you might annotate for similarities and differences as well as their motivations!
• What comment is the story making about the nature (or need) for justice? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
• What similes and metaphors does the author use to communicate the main character’s feelings about the vendetta?
• How does the author use details to explain the main character’s thoughts, feelings, and motivation?

Add these activities for this lesser-known work to your short story plans. It’s sure to keep things fresh for your short stories and activities unit! 

18.  “Thank You, Ma’am” (also known as “Thank You, M’am”)

This heartfelt story by Langston Hughes tells the story of Luella, an older woman in the neighborhood, who is nearly robbed by a young man named Roger. In response to Roger, Luella brings him back to her home and treats him with an abundance of kindness, which has a profound effect on Roger.

This tale is at the top of the list for the BEST short stories and passages for upper middle and younger high school students!

• Introduce perspective and/or point of view (how a story is told: 1st, 2nd, 3rd omniscient, 3rd limited, 3rd objective). Students might rewrite the story from another perspective or extend the story using the perspective of one of the main characters.
• Review plot elements with a focus on the exposition (introduction to the characters, setting, and conflict), climax (highest point of interest/turning point of the story), and resolution (how the story is concluded and/or resolved in some way.) You could assign an activity surrounding each concept: visualization of the scene, a journal response to the event, or a short response focused on how the element is important to the overall theme!

• Do you believe in second chances? What does the story say about second chances? 
• How might the climax of the story also be seen as the turning point in Roger’s life?
• How would you describe Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones? Are her actions expected or unexpected in the story? Consider from Roger’s and the reader’s point of view.

Click to check out all of the details for this BUNDLE with differentiated options , which includes a Test Prep Quiz (with varied options), Venn Diagrams, Graphic Organizers, and Writing Responses!! 

19.  “Click Clack the Rattle Bag”

This short story by Neil Gaiman is creepy and fun in the best ways possible! The narrator is taking care of his girlfriend’s little brother and walking him to bed when the child asks for a story. Instead of the narrator sharing a story, the boy shares about the Click Clacks who drink their prey and leave behind rattling bodies. The end is too good to be missed!

Short stories and plots like those in “Click Clack the Rattle Bag” will most certainly engage even your most struggling learners!

• We all know that test prep can be tough as many reading passages are, well, boring! Why not accomplish some test prep with your students and incorporate 5 standardized test-related questions ? You could focus on theme, structure, order of events, characterization, etc.!
• Help students make inferences (acknowledging and hypothesizing about the impact of details that are not directly referenced or stated) as the scene moves along. Students can analyze the change in the setting, the little boy himself, the story the boy is telling, and specific phrases from the story.
• What details in the story contribute to its eerie atmosphere or mood? Or what figurative language devices does Neil Gaiman use to create a sense of suspense in the story? 
• How does the author use ambiguity in the story? Is it effective or not? Explain.
• What inferences can you make about the relationship between the narrator and the young boy?

This “Click Clack the Rattle Bag” Quiz Pack for middle and high school students uses the Common Core standards and contains questions and answers modeled after various state standardized tests! Make teaching this amazing short story by Neil Gaiman SIMPLE & EASY!

Why should we incorporate more short stories and activities in our teaching?

While I would never advocate replacing all novels with short stories and smaller texts, there is still something to be said about spending quality time with short stories and excerpts. 

Including short stories and standards-based activities is an ideal option to improve reading comprehension and develop skills, especially in middle and high school English classes!

SHORT STORIES AND ACTIVITIES RESOURCES: 

This  Short Stories and Test Prep Questions ULTIMATE BUNDLE with Lessons, Quizzes, and Activities uses the Common Core standards with reading comprehension QUESTIONS and ANSWERS for 18 short stories such as “The Most Dangerous Game,” “The Monkey’s Paw,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “After Twenty Years,” “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Veldt,” “The Lottery,” “The Pedestrian,” etc. modeled after various state reading exams.

Make teaching short stories and activities SIMPLE & EASY!

Just PRINT & TEACH with engaging short stories and lessons!!

Need more fun ideas for teaching short stories and corresponding activities? Check out my store Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep !

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Reading Response Journal Best Practices + 125 Prompts

A reading response journal is an engaging tool that helps deepen your understanding and enjoyment of the books you read.

By exploring different reading response journal  prompts in your reading response journal, you can reflect on various aspects of the text, from plot and character development to your personal connections with the story. These prompts encourage you to think critically and creatively about what you read, which not only enhances your reading skills but also builds on your writing and communication abilities.

The purpose of a reading response journal is multifaceted. It serves not just as a record of your thoughts and questions while reading but also as a great way for you to explore your feelings towards the material.

Whether you’re responding to a riveting fiction novel or an enlightening non-fiction piece, the journal response prompts guide you to articulate your insights and make sense of complex themes. This makes reading a more interactive and transformative experience, turning passive reading into active discussion with the text.

While reading response journals can (and should!) be used by anyone who wants to enhance their reading experience, they are most commonly found in the classroom, where they serve as an invaluable tool to students and teachers alike.

Understanding Reading Response Journals

Reading response journals present a bridge between reading comprehension and expression. They offer a great way to reflect on and engage with texts, deepening your understanding as you read.

What Is a Reading Response Journal?

A reading response journal is a tool that allows you to record personal reflections, questions, and critiques of texts you read. These journals are typically structured with response prompts that guide your thinking process and make room for a variety of responses, ensuring that your independent reading time is fruitful and thought-provoking.

Benefits of Implementing Reading Response Journals

Reading response journals encourage you to think critically and express your thoughts and feelings about the text you’ve read. This practice not only enhances your reading comprehension but also helps develop written communication skills. 

Students benefit from the opportunity to make personal connections to the material, thereby making reading a more engaging and enjoyable experience.

Reading Journals vs. Traditional Book Reports

Unlike traditional book reports, which often focus on summarizing the text, reading response journals are much more personal and exploratory.

They prompt you to reflect on specific aspects of the text and articulate your reactions and ideas. This not only makes the process of reading more dynamic but also hones your analytical skills.

Reading Response Journal Prompts for Different Genres of Text

When you dive into a variety of reading materials, it’s vital to have tailored journal prompts that resonate with the nature of the text. Whether you’re exploring a work of fiction, sifting through an informative piece of non-fiction, or delving into fables and other genres, the right response prompts can significantly enhance your comprehension and engagement with the material.

Fiction Prompts

For Characters : Think about the decisions and motivations of your favorite character. Ask yourself:

• What motives are driving the protagonist’s actions?
• How would I react in a similar situation?

Plot Analysis : Dissect the twists and turns of the story.

• Identify a turning point in the plot and discuss its impact on the outcome.

Non-Fiction Prompts

Assessing Facts : When encountering factual information, gauge its source and validity. Consider:

• Is the argument presented by the author persuasive?

Connecting to Reality : Apply what you’ve learned to the real world.

• How does this information change my understanding of a particular subject?

Fable and Other Genres

Moral Lessons : Fables often have a moral at the end; reflect on this aspect.

• What lesson did the story teach, and how is it applicable to everyday life?

Genre Characteristics : Note the unique features of different genres.

• How does the structure of a poem contribute to its overall meaning?

By using these targeted response prompts, you’ll find that your reading journal becomes a more powerful tool for analysis and reflection across all genres.

Crafting Effective Reading Response Journal Prompts

Crafting effective prompts for your own reading response journal or those of your students is a great way to transform the reading experience. It’s all about asking the right questions and presenting ideas that tap into your critical thinking and personal reflections.

Writing Prompt Guidelines

When you’re developing writing prompts for yourself or others, aim for clarity and focus. Keep your prompts open-ended to allow for a breadth of responses, yet specific enough to direct attention to key elements of the text.

Consider these aspects:

• Relevance : Your prompts should be related to the key themes or ideas in the book.
• Interest : Choose provocative and engaging prompts to spur interest in the topic.
• Complexity : Your prompts should neither be too simple nor overly complicated.

Questions That Encourage Critical Thinking

Response prompts that challenge you to employ critical thinking will deepen your understanding of a text. Here are examples of such questions:

• Analytical : “What are the underlying themes and how do they reflect the context of the work?”
• Interpretative : “How does the author use symbolism to enhance the storytelling?”
• Perspective : “From another character’s viewpoint, how might this situation unfold differently?”

Prompts for Reflecting on Personal Connections

Lastly, prompts that invite you to draw personal connections can be especially powerful. They not only support deep engagement with the text but also foster a personal attachment to the narrative.

Try these prompts:

• Relatability : “Which character’s journey resonates with yours and why?”
• Lesson : “What lessons have you learned from the outcome of the story that apply to your life?”

Integrating these types of prompts into your journal will enrich your reading experience by blending analysis with self-reflection.

Deepening the Reading Experience Through Reading Response Journal Prompts

Engaging with reading response journal prompts can profoundly affect your comprehension and appreciation of a text. By focusing on specific aspects such as themes, characters, and point of view, and exploring connections beyond the text, you can deepen and expand your understanding in meaningful ways.

Themes, Characters, and Point of View

• Themes : Identify central themes and consider how they resonate with your own experiences.
• Characters : Analyze the development, motivations, and relationships of your favorite character.
• Point of View : Reflect on how the narrative’s point of view influences your perception of the story.

Plotting these elements in a reading journal prompts you to consider how they intertwine and contribute to the story as a whole.

Making Connections Beyond the Text

• Historical Setting : Link the story’s setting to real-world events or historical facts that add depth to your reading.
• Personal Reflection : Relate issues from the text to your own life or current affairs.

By making such connections, you transition from passive reading to active engagement, extending the story’s relevance beyond its pages.

Responding to Text with Creativity

• Artistic Responses : Draw scenes or characters to visualize and interpret them uniquely.
• Creative Writing : Write a letter to your favorite character or compose an alternative ending.

Through creative responses, you embrace the freedom to interact with any text, whether it’s through visual art or writing, which can unlock fresh insights and a more personalized experience.

Structuring Reading Response Activities

In structuring reading response activities, you’ll find that consistency and engagement are key. By organizing activities such as independent reading time, guided reading groups and book clubs, and literature circles and reading workshops, you encourage interaction with the text in a way that resonates with your students.

Independent Reading Time

Independent reading time should be a staple routine in your classroom.

During this period, provide a variety of reading journal prompts that cater to both fiction and non-fiction texts. These prompts offer a great way for students to reflect on what they’ve read and to develop a personal connection with the material.

• Allocate at least 15-20 minutes daily for self-paced reading.
• Offer a selection of journal prompts to respond to the daily reading.

Guided Reading Groups and Book Clubs

Guided reading groups and book clubs offer the perfect avenues to foster collaborative learning and critical discourse. Here, you can use response journals as a tool for students to prepare for discussions.

Tailor the prompts to the specific text your group is reading to ensure relevance and to stimulate in-depth conversation.

• Small group size enhances interaction.
• Direct prompts toward elements of the current book to enhance comprehension.

Literature Circles and Reading Workshops

Literature circles and reading workshops give students the autonomy to explore texts more freely. In these settings, you might offer broader, more open-ended prompts that encourage a spectrum of responses based on the varied insights and interpretations of the group members.

• Create roles within literature circles for structured discussion.
• Reading workshops can incorporate mini-lessons on literary elements before independent activities.

Setting Up the Classroom for Success

Creating an ideal learning environment and incorporating reading response journals into your classroom can significantly boost students’ engagement and comprehension. Here’s how you can achieve this in practical ways.

Creating a Reading-Friendly Environment

To foster a love for reading in your students, your classroom should be a haven where books are celebrated and exploration is encouraged.

One great way to do this is to arrange a cozy reading corner with comfortable seating like bean bags or cushions, and make sure there’s ample lighting. Organize shelves with a range of books that are easily accessible to students, categorized by genre or reading level.

Displaying students’ work and reading response journals can also create a sense of ownership and pride in their reading achievements.

Integrating Journals into the Curriculum

Reading response journals are powerful tools that should be woven seamlessly into your curriculum.

Clearly outline your expectations and guidelines for journal entries, focusing on what a good response should include, like reflections on themes, characters, and plots.

Structure the integration by designating specific times during the week for journal work, perhaps after a reading session. This habitual practice ensures it becomes a natural part of students’ learning.

Reading Response Journals in Your Classroom

Implementing reading response journals in your classroom allows for a personal interaction between your students and the text. Provide each student with their own  notebook  and, with your guidance, let them make it their own through customization.

Establish a series of prompts and questions that inspire critical thinking and personal connections to the reading material. Regularly review these journals, offering constructive feedback and fostering a dialog that can help adjust the curriculum to meet their needs and interests.

Encouraging Student Engagement With Reading Response Journal Prompts

To effectively engage students in reading, you need to employ targeted strategies, foster environments that encourage discussion, and support the transition from reading to writing.

Strategies for Reluctant Readers

If you’ve noticed that some of your students are hesitant about reading, it’s important to create an atmosphere that both acknowledges their challenges and encourages progress.

Start by incorporating read aloud sessions where you model expressive and fluent reading. This not only holds their attention but also shows the joy of storytelling.

Offering a variety of engaging independent reading response journal prompts can also pique their interest.

Promoting Student-Owned Discussions

Discussions can dramatically boost engagement and comprehension. Encourage your students to talk about their reading in small groups or reading circles.

Give them specific, open-ended questions that prompt reflection and personal connections. These can range from character motivations to real-world applications.

Facilitate but don’t dominate; let the students take ownership of their learning.

Turning Readers into Strong Writers

Reflection offers a powerful tool in turning readers into strong writers.

Utilize tailored journal prompts that require students to go beyond summarizing and instead ask them to reflect on their reading, analyzing themes and questioning motives. Guiding them through a process of in-depth analysis will strengthen both their reading and writing skills.

Visit  25 engaging reading response journal prompts  to inspire robust writing from your students.

Assessing Student Responses to Reading Response Journal Prompts

When you assess your students’ responses in their reading journals, you’re looking to gauge their reading comprehension skills, provide constructive feedback through reading conferences, and utilize their entries for formative assessment. This process is an integral part of understanding and enhancing your students’ interaction with the text.

Evaluating Reading Comprehension Skills

Character Analysis:  You can tell if students understand a character’s motives and development by their ability to describe and discuss their favorite character in their journal. Look for detailed descriptions, connections made between actions and character traits, and references to specific parts of the text.

Comprehension Questions:  Evaluate the depth of students’ answers to comprehension questions. Good responses go beyond the surface, showing thorough understanding and critical thinking. Students should be explaining ‘the why’ behind a character’s actions, the themes, and the implications of events within the reading.

Feedback and Reading Conferences

Personal Opinions and Ideas:  Encourage students to express their opinions and ideas about the text. When you provide feedback, acknowledge their perspectives and offer insights that might deepen their understanding or challenge their assumptions.

Reading Conferences:  Use reading conferences as a platform to discuss students’ journal entries. This one-on-one interaction is an opportunity to not only clarify misunderstandings but also to applaud insightful observations and guide the student toward more nuanced analysis.

Using Journals for Formative Assessment

Reading Logs:  Take note of the diversity and consistency of students’ reading logs. These logs can give you a clear picture of how regularly students engage with their reading tasks.

Formative Assessment:  Reading journals offer excellent tools for formative assessment. By regularly reviewing responses, you can adjust instruction to better suit your students’ learning needs before they are formally evaluated.

Remember, your goal is to help build strong reading comprehension skills while maintaining an interactive and supportive environment.

Tools and Resources for Teachers

In your quest for effective teaching tools, incorporating reading response journals in your classroom can be a game changer. These resources are designed specifically to support you in fostering students’ reading comprehension and writing skills.

Editable Journal Prompt Strips

Editable journal prompt strips are a versatile resource for any reading lesson.

You can tailor these prompts to align with your current lesson or a specific book that your students are reading. These digital strips can be adapted and printed, making them convenient for students to stick in their notebooks or use as bookmarks.

• Example Prompt: “Describe the main character’s biggest challenge and how they overcame it.”

Reference Anchor Charts

Anchor charts are essential visual aids that can help your students remember concepts and strategies. Hang  reference anchor charts  around your classroom so that your students can easily view and be reminded of different reading response prompts or strategies while they work on their assignments.

• Visual Reminder : Display charts with questions like “What is the author’s purpose?”

Guidelines and Expectations Sheets

Lastly, to ensure your students are clear about what is expected of them, provide them with guidelines and expectations sheets. These sheets can outline the objectives for reading time, how many journal entries are required, and what a quality response should include.

• Clarity : Set explicit expectations, such as “Each journal entry must be at least three sentences long.”

By using these editable, visually supportive, and clear instructional materials, you’ll help scaffold your students’ reading response efforts effectively.

So…how will you structure your reading response journal? And how will you use it?

We can’t wait to hear all about it!

Frequently Asked Questions About Reading Response Journal Prompts

In this section, you’ll find answers to common queries about enhancing your reading experience with journal prompts that not only deepen understanding, but also cultivate a love for literature.

Can reading response journals be effective for distance learning?

Yes, reading response journals can be very effective for distance learning. They offer a flexible, asynchronous way for students to engage with texts and for teachers to monitor and assess students’ comprehension and critical thinking skills.

Here’s how they can be beneficial in a distance learning environment:

• Flexibility : Reading response journals can be completed at any time, which is ideal for distance learning where students may be working at different paces or have varying schedules.
• Digital Integration : Journals can be easily integrated into digital platforms. Students can use word processors, educational apps, a Google form, or learning management systems (LMS) like Google Classroom or Canvas to submit their journal entries.
• Regular Communication : They provide a consistent line of communication between students and teachers. Teachers can read and respond to entries, offering feedback and guidance even from a distance.
• Individualized Learning : Journals allow for personalized responses, catering to each student’s understanding and perspective, which is particularly important in a remote setting where one-on-one interaction is limited.
• Engagement and Accountability : Assigning regular journal entries can keep students engaged with their reading assignments and hold them accountable for their learning.
• Ease of Assessment : Teachers can assess students’ comprehension, writing skills, and critical thinking through their journal entries without the need for real-time interaction.
• Promotion of Self-Reflection : Journals encourage students to reflect on their learning, which can be a crucial self-regulatory skill in the less structured environment of distance learning.
• Technology Skills : Using digital tools for journaling can help students develop their technology skills, which are increasingly important in today’s digital world.

The Reading Response e-Journal has been valued as an effective tool for involving students in authentic reading and writing activities, which can be especially beneficial in a distance learning context where students might feel disconnected from the classroom.

In summary, reading response journals are adaptable to distance learning and can offer a rich educational experience when in-person teaching is not possible. They can be a cornerstone of remote literacy instruction, providing a structured yet flexible approach to developing reading and writing skills.

What are some effective strategies for engaging with any book through reading response questions?

To engage with any book, try implementing  versatile reading journal prompts  that can apply to various genres and themes. This includes asking for character analysis, theme exploration, and personal connections to the text.

How can a reading response journal incorporate social studies?

A reading response journal can incorporate social studies by encouraging students to connect the texts they read with historical events, cultural contexts, societal issues, and geographic information. Here are some ways to blend social studies into a reading response journal:

• Historical Context : Students can write about how the setting and time period of a story influence the characters and plot. They can also compare and contrast the historical context of the story with actual historical events or social issues they are studying in social studies.
• Cultural Reflections : Reading materials that include different cultures can prompt students to explore and reflect on those cultures in their journals. They can compare the cultural elements in the story to their own culture or to other cultures they have studied.
• Current Events : Students can connect the themes or issues presented in their reading to current events or societal issues, drawing parallels and discussing their implications in their journal entries.
• Geography : If a story takes place in a specific location, students can research that area and reflect on how geography affects the narrative. They can also map out the locations mentioned in the story to gain a better understanding of the setting.
• Civic Concepts : When texts touch on themes like government, law, citizenship, or social issues, students can use their journals to discuss these civic concepts and relate them to what they have learned in social studies.
• Economic Connections : If a story involves elements of trade, business, or economic systems, students can analyze these aspects and compare them with real-world economic principles.
• Primary Sources : Students can include analyses of primary sources that relate to their reading. For example, if they are reading a historical novel, they might examine letters, photographs, or newspaper articles from the actual time period.
• Biographical Studies : When reading biographies or texts with strong character development, students can delve into the lives of real historical figures or societal roles represented in the text, comparing them to the characters in the stories.

The integration of social studies into reading response journals helps students to see the connections between literature and the real world, deepening their understanding of both subjects. For example, the article “ Integrating Social Studies into Reading and Writing Workshops ” from Two Writing Teachers discusses how reading and writing workshops can be a platform for integrating social studies content, which could be reflected in journal responses.

How can 4th graders be encouraged to reflect on their reading with journal prompts?

One great way to inspire 4th graders to reflect on their reading is to provide prompts that are age-appropriate and elicit personal connections, such as describing feelings about characters’ choices or predicting future plot points. Prompts should be simple yet thought-provoking to maintain their interest.

Could you provide an example of what a high-quality reading response journal entry looks like?

A high-quality journal entry includes a summary of the reading material intertwined with personal insights, critical analysis of themes, and cited textual evidence to support opinions. It should reflect a deep engagement with the text and showcase the reader’s unique perspective.

What is a reading response letter?

A reading response letter is a written reflection from a student that details their thoughts, reactions, and questions about a book or text they have read.

This form of assessment is typically more informal and personal than a traditional essay or report. It is structured as a letter, often addressed to the teacher or a classmate, and it provides students with an opportunity to express their understanding and feelings about the reading material in a conversational tone.

The  Curriculum Corner  explains that reading response letters are a great way to interact with students about what and how they are reading. These letters can include summaries of the text, connections the student makes to their own life or other texts, questions they have, and their personal critique or evaluation of the reading.

Reading response letters serve several educational purposes: they encourage students to think deeply about the text, they provide a way for teachers to assess comprehension and critical thinking skills, and they help foster a habit of reflective and analytical reading. The letters can be a part of a regular routine, such as weekly or bi-monthly assignments, to ensure consistent engagement with reading material.

What types of reader response journal prompts are most beneficial for high school students?

High school students benefit from prompts that challenge their critical thinking and analytical skills. Questions may focus on analyzing literary devices, comparing texts, or exploring complex themes, as encouraged by resources like  The Curriculum Corner’s reading response prompts .

How can open-ended reading response questions boost comprehension and critical thinking?

Open-ended questions prompt you to think beyond the text, make inferences, and connect personal experiences to the reading, thereby enhancing comprehension and encouraging critical examination of the material.

What reading responses and/or lesson plans are most effective for middle school students?

Effective reading responses and lesson plans for middle school students often include activities that promote engagement, reflection, and deeper comprehension of the texts they read. Here are some methods that have been highlighted as effective:

• Written Reading Responses (RRs) : These encourage students to articulate their thoughts and questions about a text in writing, fostering critical thinking and comprehension.
• Concrete Found Poems : This creative activity has students select words and phrases from a text and rearrange them into a poem, which can help with understanding the tone, mood, and themes of the text.
• Think Marks : These are visual or textual annotations that students make while reading to note significant moments, questions, or feelings, which can aid in comprehension and retention.
• Stop and Jot : This strategy involves students pausing at intervals during reading to jot down thoughts or questions, helping to maintain focus and engagement with the text.
• Reader Response Lessons : These lessons can be designed to evaluate the effectiveness of students’ interpretations and to encourage them to explore, question, and challenge texts while making connections and inferences.

Incorporating these activities into a reading curriculum can help middle school students develop a more nuanced understanding of the texts they read and improve their ability to think critically about literature.

In what ways can a reader response journal template support high school students’ analytical skills?

A reader response journal template provides a structured way for students to dissect texts, synthesize information, and articulate their analyses, which are key components in developing strong analytical skills.

How can a reading response journal be used to analyze informational text?

A reading response journal can be an effective tool for analyzing informational texts by providing a structured way for students to process and reflect on the information they are reading. Here’s how students can use a reading response journal to analyze informational text:

• Summarization : After reading a section of an informational text, students can summarize the key points in their own words, which helps to ensure they have understood the main ideas.
• Vocabulary Building : Students can note down new or subject-specific vocabulary they encounter, along with definitions or contextual sentences from the text, to enhance their understanding of the language used in the informational text.
• Question Generation : Encouraging students to write down questions they have while reading can help them engage more deeply with the material and may lead to further research or discussion.
• Text Feature Analysis : Informational texts often include text features such as headings, subheadings, graphs, charts, and captions. Students can reflect on how these features contribute to their understanding of the content.
• Connection Making : Students can connect the information in the text to their own experiences, other texts they have read, or broader world concepts, which can help them to see the relevance and application of the information.
• Critical Thinking : Students can analyze the author’s purpose, point of view, and the arguments presented. They can evaluate the evidence provided and discuss whether they find the arguments convincing.
• Reflecting on Learning : Students can write about what they have learned from the text and how this new information affects their understanding of the topic.
• Synthesizing Information : When reading multiple texts on a similar topic, students can synthesize the information, compare and contrast different sources, and draw their own conclusions based on their reading.
• Citing Textual Evidence : When making claims or observations about the text, students can practice citing specific evidence from the text to support their responses.
• Graphic Organizers : Incorporating graphic organizers into the journal, such as KWL charts (Know, Want to know, Learned) or cause-and-effect diagrams, can help students organize their thoughts and analyze the informational text.

The Nonfiction Digital Reading Response Journal on Teachers Pay Teachers provides an engaging way for students to practice nonfiction reading skills and take ownership of their learning through various response activities designed for informational texts.

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Reading Response Questions That Work With Most Texts

Students needed to see what a ‘quality’ reading response looked like. Once these questions were demystified a bit, it was all downhill.

A List Of Reading Response Questions That Work With Most Texts

by Terry Heick

Though I’ve been busy with TeachThought over the last decade or so, my original ‘trade’ was teaching English (literature, writing, digital media, etc.)

I was recently going through an old folder of reading reflection prompts and forms, and found a reading log that I called a ‘Self-Guided Reading Response Log’ (whatever that means). It’s a few years old, but I remember using it first as a way for students to get ‘points’ in a reading program we were doing at the time.

I thought it might be useful to share the student-centered approach it takes, and its usefulness across content areas (depending on what you want them to analyze). It’s primarily about the craft of writing and elements of style, but 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and several others would work after reading almost anything.

See also our TeachThought Curricula: 15 Reading Responses To Non-Fiction Texts

How I Used It

Anytime students read any text, they’d take this form and select a certain number of prompts to respond to. If they had trouble selecting the prompts that were most appropriate to their text, I’d assign them by simply circling the ones I wanted them to focus on.

Ideally, though, they’d eventually learn to choose the ones that made sense to their brain based on their reading of their book. In fact, if they couldn’t do so, that was ‘data’ and helped me see where they were as readers.

And that was the point. I didn’t want to school up’ everything single thing they read, but I did want to help them understand the relationship between reading and writing–between craft and purpose. I wanted them to think, on their own, I read this, and I picked these questions to use to guide my writing.

And eventually guide their reading, too.

By January, they had it down and would just hand me their responses labeled accordingly. Mr. Heick, I left a reading response on your desk somewhere.   I used it that year with 8th-graders and it worked well once they got used to each prompt, what they meant, and what ‘exemplar’ models of each looked like.

This was important–they needed to see what a ‘quality’ response looked like. I modeled a few using think-alouds, shared a few of the better examples from students, etc. I was also sure to include some quality responses that weren’t necessarily from the wordsmiths in the classroom and was sure to include those that used diagrams, concept maps, and drawings as well. Once these questions were demystified a bit, it was all downhill.

I’d score the response, as with all writing, out of 4 in half-point increments. I used a universal rubric to score–1 point each for textual evidence, clarity, creativity, and overall quality. Easy to grade, and easy to differentiate for all reading levels, text forms, etc.

Today, this would probably make more sense as a Google Form (one of the many ways to use Google Forms in the classroom) . No forms to make copies of, nothing to lose, simple to document, so if you’re feeling industrious, let us know in the comments that you’ve done so so we can use it too. I included a slightly modified version of the questions below.

In summary, these reading response questions are universal, academic, standards-based, differentiation-friendly, and allow for some degree of student choice.

1. Why did you decide to read this material?

2.  Compare and contrast this text or media with related text/media.

Be specific–what text or media, what are the similarities and dissimilarities, etc.

3.  What did the author’s purpose seem to be?

What seemed to be the Author’s Purpose in creating this text? Why do you think they might’ve written it? What were they hoping this text would accomplish? Why do you think so?

4. What can you say about the theme ?

What was the theme? What were some of the theme topics (love lost, overcoming adversity, civic responsibility, etc.)? What is the author’s overall message to their audience? Is there a sentence you can choose from the text that captures that? What supporting details allow you to make this inference?

5. What is the author’s position on any relevant theme or issue?

As a result of this reading, what can you infer is the author’s position on any relevant theme or issue? This will often be a social issue–poverty, love, war, courage, race, etc. As with almost any reading or writing, this is differentiation-friendly and can help students develop expert reading skills–which, in part, involves thinking like an author instead of like a ‘student.’

If you have a student who reads four grade levels above their current grade and is highly motivated, they can infer what the author is implying or assuming about–well, almost anything. What does E.B. White seem to believe about the role of loyalty in friendship from the reading of “Charlotte’s Web”? What about death and loss? Agrarianism? This likely is worthy of a longer post. Hopefully, it makes sense enough to begin using in your classroom.

6. Who seems to be the audience?

Who wants or needs to know this information? Does there seem to be a specific audience the author is trying to reach? Why do you think so? If not, what makes you think there is not a specific audience?

TeachThought Curricula: 15 Reading Responses To Non-Fiction Texts

7.  What is the overall tone of the work ?

What does the author’s general attitude towards their audience? How do the language, content, imagery, and allusions combine to give the reading a ‘feel,’ or tone? What details help you to understand this? What can you infer about the author’s position on important themes or issues because of that tone?

8.  What point of view does the author write from?

What point of view was the book written from? What does the author seem to assume is true? Is the author biased in any way? Does the author seem to be aware of this bias? Might it be done on purpose to further the theme? Is it satirical? Ironic?

9. What are the most relevant supporting details ?

What is the relationship between the author’s purpose, thesis or theme, and supporting details?

10. How is the book  structured?

What structural elements did you notice in the book? How did these elements impact your understanding of the content? Were there any text features that were super helpful—or just plain annoying? What could they have done differently, and what effect would that change have had?

11. How would you describe the author’s writing style?

What elements of the author’s writing style did you notice? How do these elements impact your understanding or enjoyment of the text?

12. Does the author have credibility to write about this subject or topic?

Why or why not? Be specific.

13.  What is the general mood of the text?

What is the author’s general attitude toward their topic? What details make you think so? How would this text make most people ‘feel’? What is the relationship between the tone, mood, and purpose?

14. How is the plot, argument, or information organized?

Cause/effect? Chronological order? Compare/contrast? Question/answer? Lots of options here–be specific, and defend your answer.

15.  What would you change?

Choose one important part of this reading that the author could’ve made a different choice—the structure, organization, purpose, audience, characterization, pacing, supporting details, mood, etc.—and then explain how they could’ve done it differently, and what effect it would’ve had on the reading.

Create your own response. Be creative, playful, and fun. If it’s not any of the three, I’ll hand it back.

FICTION ONLY

17. Index the characters

List the full name of all characters you’d consider important (be prepared why you included someone or left them out). For each character, include one line from the text characterizing them; also, label each character as major/minor, flat/round, and static/dynamic character.

18. Could you connect with any of the characters ?

Could you see yourself in this character at all, in any major or minor way? How did this affect your reading?

19. What were the (significant) characters motivated by?

What were the significant characters motivated by? What was the protagonist motivated most by? How did this affect their experience in the story? Was their source of motivation something that you could relate to?

20. What other stories does this remind you of?

21. What do you think influenced the author in ‘conceiving’ and writing this book? Think about books, movies, social events, etc. What makes you think so?

21 Reading Response Questions For Self-Guided Response (That Work With Most Texts )

Founder & Director of TeachThought

• Harvard Library
• Research Guides
• Faculty of Arts & Sciences Libraries

Interrogating Texts

• Reading Strategies

Rogier van der Weyden, 1399 -1464. Altarpiece fragment, Mary Magdalene reading. National Gallery (Great Britain). Available through   A rt STOR

Workshop of Rogier van der Weyden. St. Ivo reading, ca.1450. National Gallery (Great Britain). Available through   ArtSTOR

Max Beckmann (1884-1950). Reclining Woman Reading, with Irises (192 3). Oil on canvas. Private collection. Image available in  HOLLIS

H onore  Daumier (1808-1879). Reader (1863). Oil on wood.  University of California, San Diego.  Image available in   ARTStor

Young Man Reading a Book (c.1570-1574). Attributed to Mirza 'Ali (c.1510-1576). Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Image available in HOLLIS

Ms. Richardson 5, fol. 66v Book of Hours, England, ca. 1420. Houghton Library. Image linked from HOLLIS

Pencil drawing of reader in Farnsworth Room [originally in Widener Library] / E. E. Johnson, March 20, 1917 [Farnsworth Room Scrapbooks, v.1]. image available in HOLLIS

Thinking-Intensive Reading

Critical reading--active engagement and interaction with texts--is essential to your academic success at Harvard, and to your intellectual growth.  Research has shown that students who read deliberately retain more information and retain it longer.

Your college reading assignments will probably be more substantial and more sophisticated than those you are used to from high school. The amount of reading will almost certainly be greater.  College students rarely have the luxury of successive re-readings of material, however, given the pace of life in and out of the classroom. 

So how should you approach reading in this new environment?

While the strategies described below are (for the sake of clarity) listed sequentially, you typically do most of them simultaneously. If you're used to doing little more than moving your eyes across the page, they may feel awkward at first, and you may have to deploy them consciously.  But

But as they become habits, you'll notice the differences -- both in what you “see” in a course reading, and in the confidence with which you approach your texts.

Look “around” the text before you start reading. 

Previewing enables you to develop a set of expectations about the scope and aim of the text.  These very preliminary impressions offer you a way to focus your reading. 

You’ve probably engaged in one version of previewing in the past, when you’ve tried to determine how long an assigned reading is (and how much time and energy, as a result, it will demand from you).  But you can learn a great deal more about the organization and purpose of a text by taking note of features other than its length. For instance:

• What does the presence of headnotes , an  abstrac t, or other  prefatory materia l  tell you?
• Is the author known to you already?  If so, how does their  reputation   or  credentials (like an institutional affiliation)   influence your perception of what you are about to read?

If an author is unfamiliar or unknown in an essay collection, does an editor introduce them (by supplying brief biographical information, an assessment of the author’s work, concerns, and importance)?

Texts demand different things of you as you read, so whenever you can, register the type of information you’re presented with. 

• How does the disposition or  layout of a text  prepare you for reading? Is the material broken into parts--subtopics, sections, or the like?  Are there long and unbroken blocks of text or smaller paragraphs or “chunks” and what does this suggest?  How might the identified parts of a text guide you toward understanding the line of inquiry or the arc of the argument that's being made?
• Does the text seem to be arranged according to certain conventions of discourse ? Newspaper articles, for instance, have characteristics that you will recognize, including "easy" language. Textbooks and scholarly essays are organized quite differently. 

2. Annotate

Annotating puts you actively and immediately in a "dialogue” with an author and the issues and ideas you encounter in a written text. .

It's also a way to have an ongoing conversation with yourself as you move through the text and to record what that encounter was like for you. Here's how to make your reading thinking-intensive from start to finish:

• Throw away your highlighter : Highlighting can seem like an active reading strategy, but it can actually distract from the business of learning and dilute your comprehension.  Those bright yellow lines you put on a printed page one day can seem strangely cryptic the next, unless you have a method for remembering why they were important to you at another moment in time.  Pen or pencil will allow you to do more to a text you have to wrestle with.  
• Mark up the margins of your text with words and phrases : the   ideas that occur to you, notes about things that seem important to you, reminders of how issues in a text may connect with class discussion or course themes. This kind of interaction keeps you conscious of the reasons you are reading as well as the purposes your instructor has in mind. Later in the term, when you are reviewing for a test or project, your marginalia will be useful memory triggers.
• Develop your own symbol system : asterisk (*) a key idea, for example, or use an exclamation point (!) for the surprising, absurd, bizarre.  Your personalized set of hieroglyphs allow you to capture the important -- and often fleeting -- insights that occur to you as you're reading.  Like notes in your margins, they'll prove indispensable when you return to a text in search of that perfect passage to use in a paper, or when you are preparing for a big exam.  
• Get in the habit of hearing yourself ask questions: “What does this mean?” “Why is the writer drawing that conclusion?” “Why am I being asked to read this text?” etc. 

Write the questions down (in your margins, at the beginning or end of the reading, in a notebook, or elsewhere. They are reminders of the unfinished business you still have with a text: something to ask during class discussion, or to come to terms with on your own, once you’ve had a chance to digest the material further or have done other course reading.

3. Outline, Summarize, and Analyze

The best way to determine that you’ve really gotten the point is to be able to state it in your own words. take the information apart, look at its parts, and then, put it back together again in language that is meaningful to you. three ways to proceed: .

Outlining  the argument of a text is a version of annotating, and can be done quite informally in the margins of the text, unless you prefer the more formal Roman numeral model you may have learned in high school.  Outlining enables you to see the skeleton of an argument: the thesis, the first point and evidence (and so on), through the conclusion. With weighty or difficult readings, that skeleton may not be obvious until you go looking for it.

Summarizing  accomplishes something similar, but in sentence and paragraph form, and with the connections between ideas made explicit.

Analyzing  adds an evaluative component to the summarizing process—it requires you not just to restate main ideas, but also to test the logic, credibility, and emotional impact of an argument.  In analyzing a text, you reflect upon and decide how effectively (or poorly) its argument has been made.  Questions to ask:

• What is the writer asserting?
• What am I being asked to believe or accept? Facts? Opinions? Some mixture?
• What reasons or evidence does the author supply to convince me? Where is the strongest or most effective evidence the author offers  -- and why is it compelling?
• Is there any place in the text where the reasoning breaks down?  Are there things that do not make sense,  conclusions that are drawn prematurely, moments where the writer undermines their purposes?

4. Look for repetitions and patterns

The way language is chosen, used, and positioned in a text can be an important indication of what an author considers crucial and what they expect you to glean from their argument.  .

Language choices can also alert you to ideological positions, hidden agendas or biases.   Be watching for:

• Recurring images
• Repeated words, phrases, types of examples, or illustrations
• Consistent ways of characterizing people, events, or issues

5. Contextualize

Once you’ve finished reading actively and annotating it,   consider the text from the multiple perspectives..

When you contextualize, you essentially "re-view" a text you've encountered, acknowledging how it is framed by its historical, cultural, material, or intellectual circumstances. Do these factors change, complicate, explain, deepen or otherwise influence how you view a piece? 

Also view the reading through the lens of your own experience. Your understanding of the words on the page and their significance is always shaped by what you have come to know and value from living in a particular time and place.

6. Compare and Contrast

Set course readings against each other to determine their relationships (hidden or explicit)..

• At what point in the term does this reading come?  Why that point, do you imagine?
• How does it contribute to the main concepts and themes of the course? 
• How does it compare (or contrast) to the ideas presented by texts that come before it?  Does it continue a trend, shift direction, or expand the focus of previous readings?
• How has your thinking been altered by this reading, or how has it affected your response to the issues and themes of the course?

Susan Gilroy , Librarian for Undergraduate Writing Programs, Lamont Library 

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Interrogating texts [2 page printable]

• Last Updated: Jul 30, 2024 6:26 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/sixreadinghabits

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Questions for Critical Reading

Lara Henerson November 24, 2021

One of the most important skills students can learn is critical thinking and, by extension, critical reading. Critical reading helps students form their own opinions about texts and teaches them to think for themselves. If students come from an educational background where this skill has not been prioritized, they may have trouble with the concept. Here are some questions that students can ask as they learn how to read critically.

The Big Question

The big question students should ask themselves when they read any text is: "Am I thinking about what I'm reading?" That's an easy question to answer with a simple "yes" or "no," but the most successful students will break the question down further by asking the following sub-questions.

Ask yourself...

• What sources did the author use?
• What is the author's background?
• Who is the intended audience of the text?
• What was the author's purpose in writing this piece?
• What information does the author assume is true?
• Does understanding the information depend on knowing the context?
• Does the author show any biases?
• Is the author stating facts or opinions?
• What is the author's final conclusion? Do you agree with it?

Let's try it!

These questions can be applied to any text. Assign your students a short article and have them answer the questions. Then put them in groups to discuss their answers. For bonus points, see if your students can think of other critical reading questions. There will be as many interpretations of the text as there are students, so encourage healthy debate.

Developing these skills will turn your students into free-thinking individuals, which will help them not only throughout their academic careers, but also throughout their lives.

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Comments (2)

Karen L. (Teacher)

December 16, 2021 at 3:24 pm

Excellent points! It's so important to teach critical thinking. CT is about credibility (the author's sources), logic (reasons), and emotional appeal. It's not about just what they said, it's about all of these. And style too.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler (Author)

December 27, 2021 at 5:40 pm

Well said, Karen. Thanks for sharing!

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Reading & Writing Purposes

Introduction: critical thinking, reading, & writing, critical thinking.

The phrase “critical thinking” is often misunderstood. “Critical” in this case does not mean finding fault with an action or idea. Instead, it refers to the ability to understand an action or idea through reasoning. According to the website SkillsYouNeed [1]:

Critical thinking might be described as the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking.

In essence, critical thinking requires you to use your ability to reason. It is about being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information.

Critical thinkers rigorously question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value. They will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments, and findings represent the entire picture and are open to finding that they do not.

Critical thinkers will identify, analyze, and solve problems systematically rather than by intuition or instinct.

Someone with critical thinking skills can:

• Understand the links between ideas.
• Determine the importance and relevance of arguments and ideas.
• Recognize, build, and appraise arguments.
• Identify inconsistencies and errors in reasoning.
• Approach problems in a consistent and systematic way.
• Reflect on the justification of their own assumptions, beliefs and values.

Read more at:  https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/critical-thinking.html

Critical thinking—the ability to develop your own insights and meaning—is a basic college learning goal. Critical reading and writing strategies foster critical thinking, and critical thinking underlies critical reading and writing.

Critical Reading

Critical reading builds on the basic reading skills expected for college.

College Readers’ Characteristics

• College readers are willing to spend time reflecting on the ideas presented in their reading assignments. They know the time is well-spent to enhance their understanding.
• College readers are able to raise questions while reading. They evaluate and solve problems rather than merely compile a set of facts to be memorized.
• College readers can think logically. They are fact-oriented and can review the facts dispassionately. They base their judgments on ideas and evidence.
• College readers can recognize error in thought and persuasion as well as recognize good arguments.
• College readers are skeptical. They understand that not everything in print is correct. They are diligent in seeking out the truth.

Critical Readers’ Characteristics

• Critical readers are open-minded. They seek alternative views and are open to new ideas that may not necessarily agree with their previous thoughts on a topic. They are willing to reassess their views when new or discordant evidence is introduced and evaluated.
• Critical readers are in touch with their own personal thoughts and ideas about a topic. Excited about learning, they are eager to express their thoughts and opinions.
• Critical readers are able to identify arguments and issues. They are able to ask penetrating and thought-provoking questions to evaluate ideas.
• Critical readers are creative. They see connections between topics and use knowledge from other disciplines to enhance their reading and learning experiences.
• Critical readers develop their own ideas on issues, based on careful analysis and response to others’ ideas.

The video below, although geared toward students studying for the SAT exam (Scholastic Aptitude Test used for many colleges’ admissions), offers a good, quick overview of the concept and practice of critical reading.

Critical Reading & Writing

College reading and writing assignments often ask you to react to, apply, analyze, and synthesize information. In other words, your own informed and reasoned ideas about a subject take on more importance than someone else’s ideas, since the purpose of college reading and writing is to think critically about information.

Critical thinking involves questioning. You ask and answer questions to pursue the “careful and exact evaluation and judgment” that the word “critical” invokes (definition from The American Heritage Dictionary ). The questions simply change depending on your critical purpose. Different critical purposes are detailed in the next pages of this text.

However, here’s a brief preview of the different types of questions you’ll ask and answer in relation to different critical reading and writing purposes.

When you react to a text you ask:

• “What do I think?” and
• “Why do I think this way?”

e.g., If I asked and answered these “reaction” questions about the topic assimilation of immigrants to the U.S. , I might create the following main idea statement, which I could then develop in an essay:  I think that assimilation has both positive and negative effects because, while it makes life easier within the dominant culture, it also implies that the original culture is of lesser value.

When you apply text information you ask:

• “How does this information relate to the real world?”

e.g., If I asked and answered this “application” question about the topic assimilation , I might create the following main idea statement, which I could then develop in an essay:  During the past ten years, a group of recent emigrants has assimilated into the local culture; the process of their assimilation followed certain specific stages.

When you analyze text information you ask:

• “What is the main idea?”
• “What do I want to ‘test’ in the text to see if the main idea is justified?” (supporting ideas, type of information, language), and
• “What pieces of the text relate to my ‘test?'”

e.g., If I asked and answered these “analysis” questions about the topic immigrants to the United States , I might create the following main idea statement, which I could then develop in an essay: Although Lee (2009) states that “segmented assimilation theory asserts that immigrant groups may assimilate into one of many social sectors available in American society, instead of restricting all immigrant groups to adapting into one uniform host society,” other theorists have shown this not to be the case with recent immigrants in certain geographic areas.

When you synthesize information from many texts you ask:

• “What information is similar and different in these texts?,” and
• “What pieces of information fit together to create or support a main idea?”

e.g., If I asked and answered these “synthesis” questions about the topic immigrants to the U.S. , I might create the following main idea statement, which I could then develop by using examples and information from many text articles as evidence to support my idea: Immigrants who came to the United States during the immigration waves in the early to mid 20th century traditionally learned English as the first step toward assimilation, a process that was supported by educators. Now, both immigrant groups and educators are more focused on cultural pluralism than assimilation, as can be seen in educators’ support of bilingual education. However, although bilingual education heightens the child’s reasoning and ability to learn, it may ultimately hinder the child’s sense of security within the dominant culture if that culture does not value cultural pluralism as a whole.

Critical reading involves asking and answering these types of questions in order to find out how the information “works” as opposed to just accepting and presenting the information that you read in a text. Critical writing involves recording your insights into these questions and offering your own interpretation of a concept or issue, based on the meaning you create from those insights.

• Crtical Thinking, Reading, & Writing. Authored by : Susan Oaks, includes material adapted from TheSkillsYouNeed and Reading 100; attributions below. Project : Introduction to College Reading & Writing. License : CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial
• Critical Thinking. Provided by : TheSkillsYouNeed. Located at : https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ . License : Public Domain: No Known Copyright . License Terms : Quoted from website: The use of material found at skillsyouneed.com is free provided that copyright is acknowledged and a reference or link is included to the page/s where the information was found. Read more at: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/
• The Reading Process. Authored by : Scottsdale Community College Reading Faculty. Provided by : Maricopa Community College. Located at : https://learn.maricopa.edu/courses/904536/files/32966438?module_item_id=7198326 . Project : Reading 100. License : CC BY: Attribution
• image of person thinking with light bulbs saying -idea- around her head. Authored by : Gerd Altmann. Provided by : Pixabay. Located at : https://pixabay.com/photos/light-bulb-idea-think-education-3704027/ . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved
• video What is Critical Reading? SAT Critical Reading Bootcamp #4. Provided by : Reason Prep. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hc3hmwnymw . License : Other . License Terms : YouTube video
• image of man smiling and holding a lightbulb. Authored by : africaniscool. Provided by : Pixabay. Located at : https://pixabay.com/photos/man-african-laughing-idea-319282/ . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved

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Questioning: The Ultimate Reading Strategy for Critical Thinkers

Questioning is a reading strategy that involves generating and answering questions before, during, and after reading to enhance comprehension. It helps readers to engage with the text, think critically, and retain information. This article will provide an overview of questioning as a reading strategy, discuss its formation and promotion, explore how it can help RTI students, and offer practical tips for implementing it in the classroom.

Overview of Questioning as a Reading Strategy

Questioning is a metacognitive reading strategy that involves actively engaging with the text by asking questions, seeking answers, and making connections between ideas. The strategy is divided into three stages: before, during, and after reading.

Before Reading: This stage involves generating questions before reading to help activate prior knowledge and set a purpose for reading. Questions could be related to the author, genre, topic, or theme of the text.

During Reading: This stage involves generating questions while reading to monitor comprehension, clarify understanding, and make predictions. Questions could be related to the meaning of unfamiliar words, the main idea, or the author's purpose.

After Reading: This stage involves generating questions after reading to evaluate understanding, reflect on learning, and make connections to real-life situations. Questions could be related to the text's relevance, the author's bias, or the characters' motivations.

Formation and Promotion of Questioning as a Reading Strategy.

The questioning reading strategy was first introduced in the 1960s by the educational psychologist, Benjamin Bloom, who developed the Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Bloom's Taxonomy is a framework for classifying learning objectives into six hierarchical levels, ranging from simple recall of information to complex analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The questioning strategy is based on the higher-order thinking levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, which require students to engage in critical thinking and problem-solving.

Since its inception, the questioning strategy has been widely promoted by educators, researchers, and curriculum developers as a powerful tool for improving reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. It has been incorporated into various reading programs and curricula, including the Reading Recovery Program, the Common Core State Standards, and the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework.

How Questioning Helps RTI Students

The RTI framework is a multi-tiered system of support designed to help struggling students by providing targeted interventions that address their specific needs. The questioning reading strategy is an effective tool for RTI students because it helps them to:

Activate Prior Knowledge: Questioning before reading helps students to activate their prior knowledge and build connections between what they already know and what they will be reading. This can improve their comprehension and retention of information.

Monitor Comprehension: Questioning during reading helps students to monitor their comprehension and identify areas of confusion or misunderstanding. This can help them to clarify their understanding and improve their overall comprehension.

Reflect on Learning: Questioning after reading helps students to reflect on what they have learned and make connections to real-life situations. This can help them to apply their learning and develop a deeper understanding of the text.

Implementing Questioning in the Classroom

Here are some practical tips for implementing the questioning reading strategy in the classroom:

Model the Strategy: Model the questioning strategy by asking students questions about the text before, during, and after reading. This can help them to see how the strategy works and develop their own questioning skills.

Provide Guided Practice: Provide guided practice by giving students a set of questions to answer before, during, and after reading. This can help them to develop their questioning skills and build confidence.

Encourage Independent Practice: Encourage independent practice by having students generate their own questions before, during, and after reading. This can help them to take ownership of their learning and develop their critical thinking skills.

Use Graphic Organizers: Use graphic organizers, such as KWL charts or mind maps, to help students organize their questions and make connections between ideas.

Differentiate Instruction: Differentiate instruction by providing different levels of questioning for students at different levels of proficiency. For example, lower-level questions for struggling readers and higher-level questions for advanced readers.

In conclusion, questioning is a powerful reading strategy that can help RTI students to improve their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. By generating and answering questions before, during, and after reading, students can engage with the text, monitor their comprehension, and reflect on their learning. Implementing this strategy in the classroom requires modeling, guided practice, independent practice, graphic organizers, and differentiated instruction. By incorporating questioning into their reading instruction, teachers can help their students to become more effective readers and critical thinkers.

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Critical Thinking Reading Comprehension Worksheets

• Take these as online quizzes here!

Short Story Reading Comprehension Worksheets

• Beginning Level
• Answers for this series are included at the end of each worksheet.
• "My Friend" - Low Beginning. 3 answer choices. 7 questions. 74 words.
• "My House" - Low Beginning. 3 answer choices. 7 questions. 92 words.
• "Time to..." - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 89 words.
• "My Family" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 6 questions. 90 words.
• "Rainy Day" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 78 words.
• "A Call to the Pool" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 116 words.
• "The Singing Bird" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 96 words.
• "Seeing Stars" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 92 words.
• "I Fly" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 4 questions. 113 words.
• "The Drive" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 120 words.
• "Zach's Animals" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 104 words.
• "Griffin's Talents" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 112 words.
• "A Happy Visitor" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 170 words.
• "An Adventure" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 177 words.
• "Running" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 148 words.
• "Paul Cooks" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 112 words.
• "Bella Hides" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 135 words.
• "First Prize" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 155 words.
• "What Number?" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 154 words.
• "The Interview" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 205 words.
• "Julian's Work" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 194 words.
• "Talia's Special Day" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 204 words.
• "One Hundred Dollars" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 273 words.
• "New Shoes for Maddy" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 223 words.
• "The 20" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 256 words.
• "Big City Noise" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 238 words.
• Intermediate Level
• "By the Water" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 225 words.
• "A Cold Day" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 14 questions. 286 words.
• "Vet Emergency!" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 247 words.
• "Late" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 14 questions. 284 words.
• "The Brenners" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 297 words.
• "Bullied" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 197 words.
• "The New School" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 14 questions. 286 words.
• "The Park" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 297 words.
• "Worth Working For" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 280 words.
• "The Rent Man" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 215 words.
• "Time with Grandpa" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 237 words.
• "The Bus Driver" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 15 questions. 294 words.
• "A Day Like No Other" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 305 words.
• "A Mystery" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 247 words.
• "Just One Touch" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 15 questions. 326 words.
• "Wanga" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 340 words.
• "Ana Finds an Apartment" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 408 words.
• "Guermo's Surprise" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 372 words .
• "Canopy of Nature" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 332 words .
• "Blizzard in Birmingham" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 319 words.
• "A Christmas in March" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 385 words.
• "Bail" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 301 words.
• "Clean Water Act" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 632 words.
• "BB" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 511 words .
• Advanced Level
• "The Mini Problem" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 291 words .
• "Flower Power" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 368 words.
• "Seeing Clearly" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 284 words .
• "Accused" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 285 words.
• "City Girl" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 429 words.
• "Fried" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 235 words.
• "Tattoo" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 350 words.
• "The Transfers" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 381 words.
• "Wild" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 493 words.
• "Scorpion" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 333 words
• "Remains of a Marriage" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 345 words.
• "Museum Hours" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 179 words.
• "Seeing Through" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 10 questions. 326 words.
• "Ursula Pugh" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 8 questions. 324 words.
• "Dreams" - High Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 357 words.
• "Tracks" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 11 questions. 531 words.
• "Love Train" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 12 questions. 646 words.
• "The Storm" - High Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 407 words.

Informational Passages Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In these reading comprehension worksheets, students are asked questions about information they have read about a specific topic. each passage reads similar to a newspaper of journal article, and provides interesting information about some aspect of history, nature, mechanics, science, art, and more. questions involve critical thinking with a focus on logic and inference..

• Answer Key - This answer key is available but still under development.
• "The Sun" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Gas" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Music" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Birds" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Heart" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Butterfly" - Low Beginning. 5 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Pigs" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Brain" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Ocean" - Low Beginning. 7 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Trees" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Alligators" - Low Beginning. 6 questions. Under 100 words.
• "The Blow-Dryer" - Low Beginning. 5 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Green Grass" - Low Beginning. 6 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Taste" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Bees" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Frogs" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Beds" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Humans" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Fish" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Houses" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Soda Pop" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Tea" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Ice Fishing" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Bears" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Flags" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Leonardo Da Vinci" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words..
• "Tennis" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Dogs" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Money" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Abraham Lincoln" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Corn" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Umbrellas" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Ben Franklin" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Cars" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• Answer Key - This is the answer key for to the intermediate level informational passages.
• "Helicopters" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Yellowstone National Park" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Empress of the Blues" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "The Cactus" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Space Exploration Voyagers 1 and 2" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Television" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Hibernation and Estivation" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Marco Polo" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Movie Ratings" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Birdsongs" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Counting" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Easter Island" - High Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Mosquitoes" - High Intermediate. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Fingerprints" - High Intermediate. 11 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Mother's Day" - High Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Europe" - High Intermediate. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• Answer Key - This is the answer key for to the advanced level informational passages.
• "Chocolate" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 600 words.
• "Houses Around the World" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Cells" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Soccer" - Low Advanced. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Bathtubs" - Low Advanced. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Pollution" - Low Advanced. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Interstate Highways" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 800 words.
• "The U.S. Census" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 800 words.
• "Sleep" - Low Advanced. 11 questions. Under 800 words.
• "The U.S. Postal Service" - Mid Advanced. 11 questions. Under 800 words.
• "Chemical Elements" - Mid Advanced. 11 questions. Under 800 words.
• "Africa" - Mid Advanced. 11 questions. Under 1000 words.

Technical Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In these reading comprehension worksheets, students are asked questions about the meaning, significance, intention, structure, inference, and vocabulary used in each passage. each passage reads like an encyclopedic or technical journal article. answers for worksheets in this section can be found at the end of each individual worksheet..

• "Water" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 300 words.
• "Paper" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 300 words.
• "The Flu" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Nuts" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "The Sun" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "The White House" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Soap" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Clocks" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "The Robin" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Hybrid Vehicles" - Intermediate level. 4 questions with answers included. Under 500 words.
• "Photography" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 500 words.
• "Biomimetics" - Intermediate level. 4 questions with answers included. Under 700 words.
• "The Great Debates" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Salt" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 700 words.
• "Colony Collapse" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 600 words.
• "Columbian Exchange" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 700 words.
• "Ethanol" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 600 words.
• "Generations" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 600 words.
• "The Hubble Telescope" - Advanced level. 7 questions with answers included. Under 1000 words.
• "Intellegence Augmentation" - Advanced level. 5 questions with answers included. Under 1000 words.

Role Play Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In these reading comprehension worksheets, students can increase their understanding of colloquial and idiomatic expressions and get a feel for conversational english. they also allow several students to participate at the same time - which makes them really fun great for use in school or at home..

• Answer Key - This is the answer key to the role play worksheets.
• "What Time Is It?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "How Are You?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Tie Your Shoes!" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Where Are My Glasses?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "A Cookie" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Where Are My Keys?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "City Life, Country Life" - Beginning Level. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Flu Shot" - Intermediate Level. 5 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Vinegar" - Intermediate Level. 4 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Wait for Me!" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Glasses" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Hungry" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Want to Know a Secret?" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Milk and Aesthetics" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 500 words.

Dual Version Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In each of these reading comprehension worksheets, the same story is told, but with two versions: one that is basic, and one that is more advanced. this allows students to make direct comparisons between the advanced version to the more basic one, and makes for a powerful learning experience..

• Answer Key - Coming Soon!
• "An Overcast Day" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Who Knows My Name?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 200 words.
• "A Call to the Pool" - Beginning Level. 6 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Oh No!" - Beginning Level. 8 questions. Under 300 words.
• "An Adventure" - Beginning Level. 6 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Happy Birthday" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 400 words.
• "My Family" - Beginning Level. 8 questions. Under 300 words.
• "My Family" - Beginning Level. 5 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Driving Directions" - Beginning Level. 6 questions. Under 400 words.
• "A Happy Visitor" - Beginning Level. 7 questions. Under 300 words.
• "The Singing Bird" - Intermediate Level. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Violet Makes a Cake" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "A Visit to the Doctor" - Intermediate Level. 7 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Making Dinner" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "The Market" - Intermediate Level. 10 questions. Under 500 words.
• "Maria Gets Her License" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 500 words.
• "A Paper for School" - Advanced Level. 7 questions. Under 300 words.
• "A Birthday Surprise" - Advanced Level. 7 questions. Under 600 words.
• "Getting a New Job" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 600 words.
• "The Dinner Party" - Advanced Level. 9 questions. Under 600 words.

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• Subject Guides

Being critical: a practical guide

Critical reading.

• Being critical
• Critical thinking
• Evaluating information
• Reading academic articles
• Critical writing

The purposes and practices of reading

The way we read depends on what we’re reading and why we’re reading it. The way we read a novel is different to the way we read a menu . Perhaps we are reading to understand a subject, to increase our knowledge, to analyse data, to retrieve information, or maybe even to have fun! The purpose of our reading will determine the approach we take.

Reading for information

Suppose we were trying to find some directions or opening hours... We would need to scan the text for key words or phrases that answer our question, and then we would move on.

It's a bit like doing a Google search and then just reading the results page rather than accessing the website.

Reading for understanding

When we're reading for pleasure or doing background reading on a topic, we'll generally read the text once, from start to finish . We might apply skimming techniques to look through the text quickly and get the general gist. Our engagement with the text might therefore be quite passive: we're looking for a general understanding of what's being written, perhaps only taking in the bits that seem important.

Reading for analysis

When we're doing reading for an essay, dissertation, or thesis, we're going to need to actively read the text multiple times . All the while we'll engage our prior knowledge and actively apply it to our reading, asking questions of what's been written.

This is critical reading !

Reading strategies

When you’re reading you don’t have to read everything with the same amount of care and attention. Sometimes you need to be able to read a text very quickly.

There are three different techniques for reading:

• Scanning — looking over material quite quickly in order to pick out specific information;
• Skimming — reading something fairly quickly to get the general idea;
• Close reading — reading something in detail.

You'll need to use a combination of these methods when you are reading an academic text: generally, you would scan to determine the scope and relevance of the piece, skim to pick out the key facts and the parts to explore further, then read more closely to understand in more detail and think critically about what is being written.

These strategies are part of your filtering strategy before deciding what to read in more depth. They will save you time in the long run as they will help you focus your time on the most relevant texts!

You might scan when you are...

• ...browsing a database for texts on a specific topic;
• ...looking for a specific word or phrase in a text;
• ...determining the relevance of an article;
• ...looking back over material to check something;
• ...first looking at an article to get an idea of its shape.

Scan-reading essentially means that you know what you are looking for. You identify the chapters or sections most relevant to you and ignore the rest. You're scanning for pieces of information that will give you a general impression of it rather than trying to understand its detailed arguments.

You're mostly on the look-out for any relevant words or phrases that will help you answer whatever task you're working on. For instance, can you spot the word "orange" in the following paragraph?

Being able to spot a word by sight is a useful skill, but it's not always straightforward. Fortunately there are things to help you. A book might have an index, which might at least get you to the right page. An electronic text will let you search for a specific word or phrase. But context will also help. It might be that the word you're looking for is surrounded by similar words, or a range of words associated with that one. I might be looking for something about colour, and see reference to pigment, light, or spectra, or specific colours being called out, like red or green. I might be looking for something about fruit and come across a sentence talking about apples, grapes and plums. Try to keep this broader context in mind as you scan the page. That way, you're never really just going to be looking for a single word or orange on its own. There will normally be other clues to follow to help guide your eye.

Approaches to scanning articles:

• Make a note of any questions you might want to answer – this will help you focus;
• Pick out any relevant information from the title and abstract – Does it look like it relates to what you're wanting? If so, carry on...
• Flick or scroll through the article to get an understanding of its structure (the headings in the article will help you with this) – Where are certain topics covered?
• Scan the text for any facts , illustrations , figures , or discussion points that may be relevant – Which parts do you need to read more carefully? Which can be read quickly?
• Look out for specific key words . You can search an electronic text for key words and phrases using Ctrl+F / Cmd+F. If your text is a book, there might even be an index to consult. In either case, clumps of results could indicate an area where that topic is being discussed at length.

Once you've scanned a text you might feel able to reject it as irrelevant, or you may need to skim-read it to get more information.

You might skim when you are...

• ...jumping to specific parts such as the introduction or conclusion;
• ...going over the whole text fairly quickly without reading every word;

Skim-reading, or speed-reading, is about reading superficially to get a gist rather than a deep understanding. You're looking to get a feel for the content and the way the topic is being discussed.

Skim-reading is easier to do if the text is in a language that's very familiar to you, because you will have more of an awareness of the conventions being employed and the parts of speech and writing that you can gloss over. Not only will there be whole sections of a text that you can pretty-much ignore, but also whole sections of paragraphs. For instance, the important sentence in this paragraph is the one right here where I announce that the important part of the paragraph might just be one sentence somewhere in the middle. The rest of the paragraph could just be a framework to hang around this point in order to stop the article from just being a list.

However, it may more often be that the important point for your purposes comes at the start of the paragraph. Very often a paragraph will declare what it's going to be about early on, and will then start to go into more detail. Maybe you'll want to do some closer reading of that detail, or maybe you won't. If the first paragraph makes it clear that this paragraph isn't going to be of much use to you, then you can probably just stop reading it. Or maybe the paragraph meanders and heads down a different route at some point in the middle. But if that's the case then it will probably end up summarising that second point towards the end of the paragraph. You might therefore want to skim-read the last sentence of a paragraph too, just in case it offers up any pithy conclusions, or indicates anything else that might've been covered in the paragraph!

For example, this paragraph is just about the 1980s TV gameshow "Treasure Hunt", which is something completely irrelevant to the topic of how to read an article. "Treasure Hunt" saw two members of the public (aided by TV newsreader Kenneth Kendall) using a library of books and tourist brochures to solve a series of five clues (provided, for the most part, by TV weather presenter Wincey Willis). These clues would generally be hidden at various tourist attractions within a specific county of the British Isles. The contestants would be in radio contact with a 'skyrunner' (Anneka Rice) who had a map and the use of a helicopter (piloted by Keith Thompson). Solving a clue would give the contestants the information they needed to direct the skyrunner (and her crew of camera operator Graham Berry and video engineer Frank Meyburgh) to the location of the next clue, and, ultimately, to the 'treasure' (a token object such as a little silver brooch). All of this was done against the clock, the contestants having only 45' to solve the clues and find the treasure. This, necessarily, required the contestants to be able to find relevant information quickly: they would have to select the right book from the shelves, and then navigate that text to find the information they needed. This, inevitably, involved a considerable amount of skim-reading. So maybe this paragraph was slightly relevant after all? No, probably not...

Skim-reading, then, is all about picking out the bits of a text that look like they need to be read, and ignoring other bits. It's about understanding the structure of a sentence or paragraph, and knowing where the important words like the verbs and nouns might be. You'll need to take in and consider the meaning of the text without reading every single word...

Approaches to skim-reading articles:

• Pick out the most relevant information from the title and abstract – What type of article is it? What are the concepts? What are the findings?;
• Scan through the article and note the headings to get an understanding of structure;
• Look more closely at the illustrations or figures ;
• Read the conclusion ;
• Read the first and last sentences in a paragraph to see whether the rest is worth reading.

After skimming, you may still decide to reject the text, or you may identify sections to read in more detail.

Close reading

You might read closely when you are...

• ...doing background reading;
• ...trying to get into a new or difficult topic;
• ...examining the discussions or data presented;
• ...following the details or the argument.

Again, close reading isn't necessarily about reading every single word of the text, but it is about reading deeply within specific sections of it to find the meaning of what the author is trying to convey. There will be parts that you will need to read more than once, as you'll need to consider the text in great detail in order to properly take in and assess what has been written.

Approaches to the close reading of articles:

• Focus on particular passages or a section of the text as a whole and read all of its content – your aim is to identify all the features of the text;
• Make notes and annotate the text as you read – note significant information and questions raised by the text;
• Re-read sections to improve understanding;
• Look up any concepts or terms that you don’t understand.

Questioning

Questioning goes hand-in-hand with reading for analysis. Before you begin to read, you should have a question or set of questions that will guide you. This will give purpose to your reading, and focus you; it will change your reading from a passive pursuit to an active one, and make it easier for you to retain the information you find. Think about what you want to achieve and keep the purpose in mind as you're reading.

Ask yourself...

• Why am I reading this? — What is my task or assignment question, and how is this source helping to answer it?
• What do I already know about the subject? — How can I relate what I'm reading to my own experiences?

You'll need to ask questions of the text too:

• Examine the evidence or arguments presented;
• Check out any influences on the evidence or arguments;
• Check the limitations of study design or focus;
• Examine the interpretations made.

Are you prepared to accept the authors’ arguments, opinions, or conclusions?

Critical reading: why, what, and how

Blocks to critical reading.

Certain habits or approaches we have to life can hold us back from really thinking objectively about issues. We may not realise it, but often we're our own worst enemies when it comes to being critical...

Select a student to reveal the statement they've made.

I have been asked to work on an area that is completely new. Where do I start in terms of finding relevant texts?

Ask for guidance:

ask your tutor or module leader

use your module reading lists

make use of the Skills Guides (oh... you are! Excellent!)

ask your Faculty Librarians

Take a look at our contextagon and begin to consider sources of information .

I don’t understand what I'm reading – It's too difficult!

If the text is difficult, don’t panic!

If it is a journal article, scan the text first – look at the contents, abstract, introduction, conclusion and subheadings to try to make sense of the argument.

Then read through the whole text to try to understand the key messages, rather than every single word or section. On a second reading, you will find it easier to understand more.

If you are struggling to get to grips with theories or concepts, you might find it useful to look at a summary as a way in -- for example, in an online subject encyclopaedia .

If you are struggling with difficult vocabulary, it may be useful to keep a glossary of key vocabulary, particularly if it is specialist or technical.

Remember, the more you read, the more you will understand it and be able to use it yourself.

Take a look at our Academic sources Skills Guide .

Help! There is too much to read and too little time!

University study involves a large amount of reading. However, some texts on your reading lists are core texts and some are more optional.

You will generally need to read the core text, but on the optional list there may be a range of texts which deal with the same topic from different perspectives. You will need to decide which are the most relevant to your interests and assignments.

Keep in mind the questions you want the text to answer and look for what is relevant to those questions. Prioritise and read only as much as you need to get the information you need (if it's a book, use the index; if it's an article, concentrate on the relevant parts).

Improve your note-taking skills by keeping them brief and selective.

If in doubt, ask your tutor or Faculty Librarians for guidance.

Take a look at the Organise and Analyse section of the Skills Guides.

I am struggling to remember what I have read.

To remember what you have read, you need to interact with the material. If you have questioned and evaluated the material you are reading, you will find it easier to remember.

Improve your active note-taking skills using a method like Cornell or Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review (SQR3).

Annotate your pdfs and use a note-taking app .

Make time to consolidate your reading periodically. You could do this by summarising key points from memory or connecting ideas using mindmapping.

Consider using a reference management program to keep on top of reading, and mind-mapping software like Mindgenius to connect ideas.

Where did I read that thing?

Make sure you have a good system for taking notes and try to keep your notes organised/in one place, whether that is using an app or taking notes by hand. There is no right way to do this - find a system that works for you.

Logically label and file your notes, linking new information with what you already know and cross-reference with any handouts.

Make sure you make a note of information for referencing sources.

Where possible, save resources you have used to Google Drive or your University filestore , and organise these (e.g. by module, assessment, topic etc.).

Many of the above tips can be achieved with reference management software .

I have strong opinions about the argument being presented in the reading – why can’t I just put this side forward?

Truth is a complicated business. Core texts or texts by highly respected authors are an author’s interpretation, and that interpretation is not above question. Any single text only provides a perspective. Even a scientific observation may be modified by further evidence. Critical writing means making sure your argument is balanced, considering and critiquing a range of perspectives.

Read texts objectively and assess their value in terms of what they can bring to your work, rather than whether you agree with them or not.

If you agree or disagree strongly with an author, you still need to analyse their argument and justify why it is sound or unsound, reliable or unreliable, and valid or lacking validity.

Ignoring opposing views can be a mistake. Your reader may think you are unaware of the different views or are not willing to think the ideas through and challenge them.

Be careful not to be blinded by your own views about a topic or an author. Engaging actively with a text which you initially don’t agree with can mean you have to rethink or adjust your own position, making your final argument stronger.

Take a look at the other parts of the Being critical Skills Guides .

That's not right. Try again.

Being actively critical

Active reading is about making a conscious effort to understand and evaluate a text for its relevance to your studies. You would actively try to think about what the text is trying to say, for example by making notes or summaries.

Critical reading is about engaging with the text by asking questions rather than passively accepting what it says. Is the methodology sound? What was the purpose? Do ideas flow logically? Are arguments properly formulated? Is the evidence there to support what is being claimed?

When you're reading critically, you're looking to...

• ...link evidence to your own research;
• ...compare and contrast different sources effectively;
• ...focus research and sources;
• ...synthesise the information you've found;
• ...justify your own arguments with reference to other sources.

You're going beyond just an understanding of a text. You're asking questions of it; making judgements about it... What you're reading is no longer undisputed 'fact': it's an argument put forward by an author. And you need to determine whether that argument is a valid one.

"Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting"

– Edmund Burke

"Feel free to reflect on the merits (or not) of that quote..."

– anon.

Critical reading involves understanding the content of the text as well as how the subject matter is developed...

• How true is what's being written?
• How significant are the statements that are being made?

Regardless of how objective, technical, or scientific the text may be, the authors will have made certain decisions during the writing process, and it is these decisions that we will need to examine.

Two models of critical reading

There are several approaches to critical reading. Here's a couple of models you might want to try:

Choose a chapter or article relevant to your assessment (or pick something from your reading list).

Then do the following:

Determine broadly what the text is about.

Look at the front and back covers

Scan the table of contents

Look at the title, headings, and subheadings

Read the abstract, introduction and conclusion

Are there any images, charts, data or graphs?

What are the questions the text will answer? Write some down.

Use the title, headings and subheadings to write questions

What questions do the abstract, introduction and conclusion prompt?

What do you already know about the topic? What do you need to know?

Do a first reading. Read selectively.

Read a section at a time

Answer your questions

Summarise or make brief notes

Underline or highlight any key points

Recite (in your own words)

Recall the key points.

Summarise key points from memory

Try to answer the questions you asked orally, without looking at the text or your notes

Use diagrams or mindmaps to recall the information

After you have completed the reading…

Go back over your notes and check they are clear

Check that you have answered all your questions

At a later date, review your notes to check that they make sense

At a later date, review the questions and see how much you can recall from memory

Choose a relevant article from your reading list and make brief notes on it using the prompts below.

Choose an article you have read earlier in your course and re-read it, applying the prompts below.

Compare your comments and the notes you have made. What are the differences?

Who is the text by? Who is the text aimed at? Who is described in the text?

What is the text about? What is the main point, problem or topic? What is the text's purpose?

Where is the problem/topic/issue situated?, and in what context?

When does the problem/topic/issue occur, and what is its context? When was the text written?

How did the topic/problem/issue occur? How does something work? How does one factor affect another? How does this fit into the bigger picture?

Why did the topic/problem/issue occur? Why was this argument/theory/solution used? Why not something else?

What if this or that factor were added/removed/altered? What if there are alternatives?

So what makes it significant? So what are the implications? So what makes it successful?

What next in terms of how and where else it's applied? What next in terms of what can be learnt? What next in terms of what needs doing now?

Here's a template for use with the model.

Go to File > Make a copy... to create your own version of the template that you can edit.

CC BY-NC-SA Learnhigher

Arguments & evidence

Academic reading can be a trial. In more ways than one...

It might help to think of every text you read as a witness in a court case. And you're the judge ! You're going to need to examine the testimony...

• What’s being claimed ?
• What are the reasons for making that claim?
• Are there gaps in the evidence?
• Do other witnesses support and corroborate their testimony?
• Does the testimony support the overall case ?
• How does the testimony relate to the other witnesses?

You're going to need to consider all sides of the case...

Considering the argument

An argument explains a position on something. A lot of academic writing is about gathering those claims and explaining your own position through their explanations.

You'll need to question...

• ...the author's claims ;
• ...the arguments they use — are their claims well documented ?;
• ...the counter-arguments presented;
• ...any bias in the source;
• ...the research method being used;
• ...how the author qualifies their arguments.

You'll also need to develop your own reasoned arguments, based on a logical interpretation of reliable sources of information.

What's the evidence?

Evidence isn't just the results of research or a reference to an academic study. You might use other authors' opinions to back up your argument. Keep in mind that some evidence is stronger than others:

You can get an idea of an author's certainty through the language they use, too:

Linking evidence to argument

• Why did the author select the evidence they did? — Why did they decide to use a particular methodology, choose a specific method, or conduct the work in the way they did?
• How does the author interpret the evidence?
• How does the evidence prove or help the argument?

Even in the most technical and scientific disciplines, the presentation of argument will always involve elements that can be examined and questioned. For example, you could ask:

• Why did the author select that particular topic of enquiry in the first place?
• Why did the author select that particular process of analysis?

Synthesis :

"the combination of components or elements to form a connected whole."

You'll need to make logical connections between the different sources you encounter, pulling together their findings. Are there any patterns that emerge?

Analyse the texts you've found, and how meaningful they are in context of your studies...

• How do they compare to each other and to any other knowledge you are gathering about the subject? Do some ideas complement or conflict with each other?
• How will you synthesise the different sources to serve an idea you are constructing? Are there any inferences you can draw from the material?

Embracing other perspectives

Good critical research seeks to be impartial, and will embrace (or, at the very least, address) conflicting opinions. Try to bring these into your research to show comprehensive searching and knowledge of the subject.

You can strengthen your argument by explaining, critically, why one source is more persuasive than another.

Recall & review

Synthesising research is much easier if you take notes. When you know an article is relevant to your area of research, read it and make notes which are relevant to you. Consider keeping a spreadsheet or something similar , to make a note of what you have read and how it relates to the task.

You don't need elaborate notes; just a summary of the relevant details. But you can use your notes to help with the process of analysing and synthesising the texts. One method you could try is the recall & review approach:

Try to summarise key words and elements of the text:

• Sketch a rough diagram of the text from memory — test what you can recall from your reading of the text;
• Make headings of the main ideas and note the supporting evidence;
• Include your evaluation — what were the strengths and weaknesses?
• Identify any gaps in your memory.

Go over your notes, focusing on the parts you found difficult. Organise your notes, re-read parts, and start to bring everything together...

• Summarise the text in preparation for writing;
• Be creative: use colour and arrows; make it easy to visualise;
• Highlight the ideas you may want to make use of;
• Identify areas for further research.

Critical analysis vs criticism

The aim of critical reading and critical writing is not to find fault; it's not about focusing on the negative or being derogatory. Rather it's about assessing the strength of the evidence and the argument. It's just as useful to conclude that a study or an article presents very strong evidence and a well-reasoned argument as it is to identify weak evidence and poorly formed arguments.

Criticising

The author's argument is poor because it is badly written.

Critical analysis

The author's argument is unconvincing without further supporting evidence.

Academic reading: What it is and how to do it

Struggling with academic reading? This bitesize workshop breaks it down for you! Discover how to read faster, smarter, and make those academic texts work for you:

Think critically about what you read...

• examine the evidence or arguments presented
• check out any influences on the evidence or arguments
• check out the limitations of study design or focus
• examine the interpretations made

Active critical reading

It's important to take an analytical approach to reading the texts you encounter. In the concluding part of our " Being critical " theme, we look at how to evaluate sources effectively, and how to develop practical strategies for reading in an efficient and critical manner.

Forthcoming training sessions

Forthcoming sessions on :

CITY College

Please ensure you sign up at least one working day before the start of the session to be sure of receiving joining instructions.

If you're based at CITY College you can book onto the following sessions by sending an email with the session details to your Faculty Librarian:

[email protected]

There's more training events at:

• << Previous: Reading academic articles
• Next: Critical writing >>
• Last Updated: Aug 7, 2024 2:21 PM
• URL: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/critical

Teaching Critical Reading with Questioning Strategies

Sparking starter questions, becoming sidekicks, from curious to suspicious readers.

• Why did grave robbers sometimes steal the mummy?
• Why are step pyramids called step pyramids?
• I wonder why the people blamed the pharaohs for angering the gods.
• What are some other ways…
• What if you…
• Can you imagine…
• If … , then…
• Would you consider explaining more what the narrator is thinking?
• I am wondering if the narrator gets in trouble a lot, and how often?
• Did you consider adding another character? Two fat house cats doing this would be funnier.
• Type I questions seek to understand information from the reading.
• Type II questions cause the reader to analyze, critically examine, and appraise the information presented by recognizing what is missing or only implied.
• Type III questions judge the author's position or formulate an alternative—or even contrary—hypothesis.
• Do you believe that the death of a beautiful woman is the most tragic thing a poet can write about?
• You say you wrote "The Raven" in a step-by-step procedure. Do you think all poets work this way? Do they have to follow your approach?
• You say _____, but what about _____ ?
• You imply ______, but ______ ?
• Are you saying that _____ ? If so,______ ?
• Why don't you mention ______ ?
• Didn't you consider ______ ?
• If what you say is true, what about ______ ?
• What you say is interesting, but I think that ______.

Bloom, B. S. (1956). (Ed.) Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals . Chicago: Susan Fauer Company.

Ciardello, A. V. (2007). Puzzle them first: Motivating adolescent readers with question finding . Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Duke, N., &amp; Pearson, P. D. (2002). Effective practices for developing reading comprehension: What research has to say about reading (3rd ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Lewin, L. (2006) Reading response that really matters . New York: Scholastic.

Raphael, T., Highfield, K., &amp; Au, K. (2006) QAR Now: A powerful and practical framework that develops comprehension and higher-level thinking in all students . New York: Scholastic.

• 1 This activity is available on the Web site of the National Teaching and Learning Forum ( www.ntlf.com/html/lib/bib/assess.htm)

ASCD is a community dedicated to educators' professional growth and well-being.

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28 Critical Thinking Question Stems For Any Content Area

Guest Post by TeachThought Staff

Critical thinking isn’t a skill, nor is it content knowledge or even evidence of understanding. While it involves and requires these ideas, critical thinking is also very much a state of mind — a willingness and tendency to sit with an idea and ‘struggle wonderfully’ with it.

In critical thinking, there is no conclusion; it is constant interaction with changing circumstances and new knowledge that allows for broader vision which allows for new evidence which starts the process over again. Critical thinking has at its core raw emotion and tone. Intent.

The purpose of these stems is to help students practice this slippery ‘skill.’ By having dozens of questions written generally enough to be widely applicable, but with an inherent rigor that challenges students to think, the ability to practice thinking critically is always available.

1. What evidence can you present for/against…?

2. How does … contrast with …?

3. How could you outline or concept map…? Explain your response with examples.

4. Why is … significant? Explain your reasoning.

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of …?

6. What is the point or ‘big idea’ of …?

7. How could you judge the accuracy of …?

8. What are the differences between … and …?

9. How is … related to …?

10. What ideas could you add to … and how would these ideas change it?

11. Describe … from the perspective of ….

12. What do you think about …? Explain your reasoning.

13. When might … be most useful and why?

14. How could you create or design a new…? Explain your thinking.

15. What solutions could you suggest the problem of …? Which might be most effective and why?

16. What might happen if you combined … and …?

17. Do you agree that …? Why or why not?

18. What information would you need to make a decision about …?

19. How could you prioritize …?

20. How is … an example of …?

21. What are the most important parts or features of …?

22. Which details of … are most important and why?

23. What patterns do you notice in …?

24. How could you classify … into a more/less general category?

25. What makes … important?

26. What criteria could you use to assess …?

27. How could … and … function together? How do they work separately and together and different ways?

28. Where is … most/least …? Explain your reasoning.

Critical Thinking Cards

In adddition to the text and cards, we’ve included a graphic below. You also can  purchase them in card-format  to be printed and used right away in your classroom, a sample of which you can see below.

By making them cards, they are not only easier to ‘keep around’–on your desk, on a shelf in a workstation area, or even copied and given to students– but more importantly, meaningful thinking can become a part of your daily routines. Writing prompts, reading circles, Socratic discussions and more all benefit from critical thinking, and providing students with stems is a way of supporting them as their confidence grows and their habits as thinkers develop.

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32 Open-Ended Questions for Reading Comprehension

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Author:  TeamTom Education , Tags:  Question Stems , Questioning Strategies

( words) minutes to read 

Improving reading comprehension is the goal of reading instruction, and open-ended questions can help! Reading comprehension can be a challenge to achieve because it’s such a complex set of skills. There are many reading comprehension strategies for readers to employ across many genres at different reading levels .

Close-ended questions could require a simple yes or no. They could be multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank. However, open-ended questions require students to either reexamine text evidence or extend their own thinking.

Reexamine and Extend – those are powerful thinking skills!

So let’s look at a quick list of open-ended questions that you can use in your classroom.

Open-Ended Questions to ask Before Reading the Text

• Looking at the cover, what do you predict this book might be about?
• What detail on the cover supports that prediction ?
• What do you think will happen in the plot?
• What ideas do you think will be present in this text?
• Can you please describe what you think the illustration on the front cover is trying to tell us?
• Why do you think the author used this title?
• Why do you think the author used this type of font (style of letters) on the cover?
• What do you already know from reading the title?
• What connections can you make after reading the blurb?
• How do you think this story will end?
• What is a problem that you think could occur in this story?
• What questions could you ask before reading this text?

Discover Our Award-Winning Comprehension Resources

Drawing conclusions, key ideas & details, summarizing, and so many more!

Open-Ended Questions to Ask During the Reading

• What time of day do you think it is in this story?
• Why do you think it is that time of day?
• What connections can you make to this setting?
• What would you do if you went to this place?
• Do you think you would enjoy being here?
• Why do you think the author started the story/text this way?
• How are you adjusting your predictions after reading this (page, section, chapter)?
• What sentences parked your imagination?
• How do you think the character is feeling? What evidence supports your thinking?
• What could happen to make this character feel a different way?
• Which details were the most interesting to you?
• What questions do you have now?
• How did the setting change?
• How does the setting impact the plot for these characters?

After the Text

• What do you think the author hoped you would think after reading the text?
• What do you think about the story/text?
• Can you summarize the text in just two or three sentences?
• What was your favorite part?
• Was the plot/text different than you thought it would be?
• What would you change in this text if you could write it?

Use these questions in your class, in guided reading , in literacy centers, or during your daily reading comprehension warm-up routine .

How to Use Reading Response Questions for any Book

Here are some ways that a teacher can use reading response questions to any book:

As a warm-up activity: Reading response questions can be used as a warm-up activity to get students thinking about the book before they start reading. This can help to engage students and to focus their attention on the text.

As a way to check for comprehension: Reading response questions can be used as a way to check for comprehension after students have read a section of the book. This can help teachers to identify any areas where students may need additional support.

As a way to spark discussion: Reading response questions can be used to spark discussion about the book. This can help students to share their thoughts and ideas about the text, and to build their understanding of the book.

As a way to promote writing: Reading response questions can be used to promote writing by asking students to write about their thoughts and ideas about the book. This can help students to develop their writing skills and to express their understanding of the text.

As a way to assess student learning: Reading response questions can be used to assess student learning by asking students to answer questions about the book. This can help teachers to track student progress and to identify areas where students need additional support.

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Critical Thinking Is About Asking Better Questions

by John Coleman

Summary .   

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and effectively break down an issue in order to make a decision or find a solution. At the heart of critical thinking is the ability to formulate deep, different, and effective questions. For effective questioning, start by holding your hypotheses loosely. Be willing to fundamentally reconsider your initial conclusions — and do so without defensiveness. Second, listen more than you talk through active listening. Third, leave your queries open-ended, and avoid yes-or-no questions. Fourth, consider the counterintuitive to avoid falling into groupthink. Fifth, take the time to stew in a problem, rather than making decisions unnecessarily quickly. Last, ask thoughtful, even difficult, follow-ups.

Are you tackling a new and difficult problem at work? Recently promoted and trying to both understand your new role and bring a fresh perspective? Or are you new to the workforce and seeking ways to meaningfully contribute alongside your more experienced colleagues? If so, critical thinking — the ability to analyze and effectively break down an issue in order to make a decision or find a solution — will be core to your success. And at the heart of critical thinking is the ability to formulate deep, different, and effective questions.

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1 – Critical Thinking

Since ancient times, the concept of critical thinking has been associated with persuasive communication, usually in the form of speeches, scholarly texts, and literature.

Today, there are many vehicles for information and ideas, but the elements of critical thinking in a university context still bear strong influences from early scholarly writing and oration.

Definition of Critical Thinking

“Critical Thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.”

Source: https://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/about/criticalthinking/what

Critical thinking may seem very abstract in  definitions such as the one above, but it is, above all,  an action . One source says critical thinking “is about being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information” ( Skills You Need)   Most college curricula are designed to develop critical thinking.

“Critical thinkers rigorously question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value … They will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments, and findings represent the entire picture and are open to the possibility that they do not. It is more than the accumulation of facts, it is a way of thinking.”

                                                                                                                                   ( Source: Skills You Need )

In her article, “Why Are Critical Thinking Skills Necessary for Academics?,” journalist Jen Saunders  says, “universities concern the ways in which people research and write; their members are responsible for maintaining the foundational principles of truth and knowledge within the folds of scholarship, and permit scholars to grasp and comprehend academic subjects at levels of expertise.” ( https://classroom.synonym.com/ )

Saunders provides this information on the specific ways that critical thinking is important in  college-level work:

• Critical thinking supplies the foundation of high-quality academic writing.
• Peer awareness is an element of critical thinking in that it helps students understand and communicate with those who have different experiences, opinions, and perspectives.
• Critical thinking are necessary for passing some exams (e.g.,  essay answer, a series of multiple-choice questions to test comprehension, and especially situations where students must look for context clues or decipher word elements).
• When students are required to defend a thesis or dissertation, they need to be able to anticipate questions and respond on the spot to those asked by committee members.

Author and master teacher Michael Stratford (Demand Media), in his article, “What Are the Key Ideas for Critical Thinking Skills?”,  and the website, Skills You Need, note that someone with critical thinking skills can:

• Interpret data – becoming aware of all of the parts of an argument, such as point of view, audience, and thesis as well as reasoning through moral dilemmas
• Analyze and synthesize –  the ability to break down data into individual parts and reassemble them to create something original
• Infer and answer :  the ability to explain a problem with an inference, or educated guess. This requires knowing the difference between explaining by inference or by assumptions based on previous ideas
• Make Connections between ideas from varied sources
• Recognize, build, and appraise arguments put forth by others and determine their importance and relevance through objective evaluation
• Spot inconsistencies and errors in reasoning
• Approach problems consistently and systematically
• Reflect on the justification of one’s own assumptions, beliefs, and values

Indeed.com ., a service for finding jobs and polishing a resume, provides the following information about critical thinking. Their website offers five types of skills are important:

Five Important Critical Thinking Skills

Observation.

Observational skills are important for critical thinking because they help you to notice opportunities, problems, and solutions.  Eventually, good observers can predict  or anticipate problems or issues because their experience widens when they get in the habit of close observation. It is necessary to train yourself to pay close attention to details.

After you have spotted and identified a problem from your observation, your analytical skills become important: You must determine what part of a text or media is important and which parts are not. In other words,  gathering and evaluating sources of information that may support or depart from your text or media. This may involve a search for balanced research reports or scholarly work, and asking good questions about the text or media to make sure it is accurate and objective.

Now that you have gathered information or data, you must now interpret it and find a solution or resolution.  Even though the information you have may be incomplete, just make an “educated guess,” rather than a quick conclusion.  Look for clues (images, symbolism, data charts, or reports) that will help you analyze a situation, so you can evaluate the text or situation and come to a measured conclusion.

COMMUNICATION

In the context of critical thinking, this means engaging or initiating discussions, particularly on difficult issues or questions, especially when you face an audience that you know disagrees with your position. Use your communication skills to persuade them. Active listening, remaining calm, and showing respect are very important elements of communicating with an audience.

PROBLEM SOLVING

The problem-solving part of critical thinking involves applying or executing a conclusion or solution. You will want to choose the best, so this requires a strong understanding of your topic or goal, as well as some idea of how others have handled similar situations.

Essential “Critical” Vocabulary

[Source:  ( https://www.espressoenglish.net/difference-between-criticize-criticism-critique-critic-and-critical/]

Now let’s examine the many ways the word “critical” is used in various academic contents. You might be familiar with movie reviews or customer reviews on products in which a critic offers comments.  Below are some reviews of a long-standing Chinese restaurant in Columbus, Hunan Lion:

• The restaurant is over priced. You pay for the atmosphere. Ordered the beef and oriental veggies and to be honest it was onions and 3 pieces of broccoli. The meat was fatty and that is the worst. Typically the food is good but last night it wasn’t.
• 35 years of incredible food. By far the best Chinese restaurant in Columbus. If you want to have a great experience, without a doubt go there, you will love it.
• We ordered take out 10/01/2020. Food was TERRIBLE! The Crab Rangoon…well it’s not crab and I’m not sure of the texture it had going on but it was disgusting! The entire order of food after 1 bite went in the trash! I will certainly spread the word DO NOT ORDER FOOD from this restaurant! They are expensive and you are wasting your money. The girl at the cash register surpasses RUDE.
• The food and service were fantastic! We were in on Christmas day, and despite being busy, they did a magnificent job. We will definitely be back!

These reviews were voluntary; nevertheless, the writers of them are considered “critics,” because what they are really offering is judgment.

In a professional or academic setting, critics do much more than give a strong opinion. Whether they offer positive or negative comments, they all try to do so as objectively as possible. In other words, they avoid Personal Bias, meaning they try not to rely exclusively on their personal experiences, but rather they include influences from people, environments, cultures, values, stereotypes, and beliefs.

It is worth noting that all of these influences are part of being human. Part of critical thinking, however, means acknowledging the impact your own biases may have on the questions you ask or your interpreting of material; then, learn to overcome these evaluations. You must be like a judge in a courtroom:  you have to try to be fair and leave your own feeling out of the situation.

Activity #1:, inference exercise, harper’s is the oldest general-interest monthly magazine in the u.s. it emphasizes excellent writing and unique and varied perspectives. one of its most celebrated features is the “harper’s index,” which is a collection of random statistics about  politics, business, human behavior, social trends, research findings, and so forth. the reader is left alone to make sense of a fact by using inferences and background knowledge., below are some statistics from “harper’s index.” it is up to you to decide what each statistic suggests. something surprising mysterious what could explain its significance.

Choose a few of the facts below and write a response for each in which you raise questions , offer a possible explanation , or propose a tentative theory to explain the fact, or its significance.  Consider what the statistic suggests beyond what is written. Your response should be your own opinion , without consulting any internet resources or others.

Example:    Percentage increase last year in UFO sightings nationwide:   16% Source: [ July 2021 • Source: National UFO Reporting Center (Davenport,Wash.)] Response: Is this a large or small increase? Maybe the  increase is due to the recent U.S. government’s release of a file on unidentified flying objects (UFOs), or, what they call, “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” Maybe people feel like they can admit to seeing such phenomena since the government now acknowledges their existence? In the recent past, perhaps people would be laughed at or stigmatized if they claimed to see a UFO because the government and general public believed the idea of “alien life forms”  was ridiculous.

Percentage by which the unemployment rate of recently graduated U.S. physics majors exceeds that of art history majors:  60%

Source:  November 2020 • Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York

ACTIVITY #2 – LINKING FACTS

Sometimes the “Harper’s Index” features pairs of statistics.  It is up to you to decide what the pair, seen together, suggests. Select a couple of the pairs below and write down questions you may have, or possible explanations that tell why the pair might be significant.  Consider what the statistic suggests beyond what is written. What you write should be your own opinion , without consulting any internet resources or others.

Type your response below each set:

Movie Reviews

One of the most familiar types of criticism we encounter is a movie review,  a short description of a film and the reviewer’s opinion about it. When you watch a movie on Netflix, for example, you can see the number of stars (1-5) given by those who have watched and rated the movie. Professional reviewers usually try to give a formal, balanced account of a movie, meaning they usually provide a summary and point out some positive and negative points about a film. Amateur critics, however, can write whatever they like – all positive, all negative, or a combination.

Amateur film critiques can be found in many places; the movie review site, IMDB , is one of the most popular, with a user-generated rating feature.  Another popular site is Rotten Tomatoes, which uses a unique ‘tomato meter’ to rate movies: a green tomato means fresh while red means rotten. You can also view the individual ratings given by critics. It has more than 50,000 movies in its database. And finally, another good source of movie reviews is Metacritic , which offers a collection of reviews from various sources.

Let’s look at this review by professional movie critic Roger Ebert ( https://www.rogerebert.com/

In “Top Gun: Maverick,” a sequel to “ Top Gun, ” an admiral refers to navy aviator Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise)—call sign “ Maverick ”—as “the fastest man alive.” Truth be told, our fearless and ever-handsome action hero earns both appraisals and applause.  Indeed, Cruise’s consistent commitment to Hollywood showmanship deserves the same level of respect usually reserved for the fully-method actors such as Daniel Day-Lewis . Even if you somehow overlook the fact that Cruise is one of our most gifted and versatile dramatic and comedic actors with movies like “ Mission Impossible , ”  “ Born on the Fourth of July ,” “ Magnolia ,” “ Tropic Thunder ,” and “ Collateral ” on his CV, you will never forget why you show up to a Tom Cruise movie.

Director Joseph Kosinski allows the leading actor to be exactly what he is—a star—while upping the emotional and dramatic stakes of the first Top Gun (1986) with a healthy dose of nostalgia.  In this Top Gun sequel, we find Maverick in a role on the fringes of the US Navy, working as a test pilot. You won’t be surprised that soon enough, he gets called on a one-last-job type of mission as a teacher to a group of recent training graduates. Their assignment is just as obscure and politically cuckoo as it was in the first movie. There is an unnamed enemy—let’s called it Russia because it’s probably Russia—some targets that need to be destroyed, a flight plan that sounds nuts, and a scheme that will require all successful Top Gun recruits to fly at dangerously low altitudes. But can it be done?

In a different package, all the proud fist-shaking seen in “Top Gun: Maverick” could have been borderline insufferable, but fortunately Kosinski seems to understand exactly what kind of movie he is asked to navigate. In his hands, the tone of “Maverick” strikes a fine balance between good-humored vanity and half-serious self-deprecation, complete with plenty of emotional moments that catch one off-guard.

In some sense, what this movie takes most seriously are concepts like friendship, loyalty, romance, and okay, bromance.  Still, the action sequences are likewise the breathtaking stars of “Maverick.” Reportedly, all the flying scenes were shot in actual U.S. Navy F/A-18s, for which the cast had to be trained. Equally worthy of that big screen is the emotional strokes of “Maverick” that pack an unexpected punch. Sure, you might be prepared for a second sky-dance with “Maverick,” but perhaps not one that might require a tissue or two in its final stretch.

Available in theaters May 27th, 2022

ACTIVITY #3 – BEING A CRITIC

Analyze the film review above.  Does the reviewer give the movie a strongly positive or negative review? A mildly positive or negative review? A balanced review? How can you tell?  Support your opinion by identifying words, phases, and/or comparisons that directly or indirectly are positive, negative, or neutral.

ACTIVITY #4 – WRITE A MOVIE REVIEW

Select a movie to review. Choose one you either love or hate. (If it evokes emotions, it’s usually easier to review.) You may choose any movie, but for this assignment, don’t choose a film that might upset your target audience – your instructor and classmates. A movie review can be long or short.  Usually a simple outline of the plot and a sentence or two about the general setting in which it takes place will be sufficient, then add your opinion and analysis. The opinion section should be the main focus of your review. Don’t get too detailed. Your instructor will determine the word limit of this assignment.

Suggestions:

Do a web search to find information about the film: is it based on real-life events or is it fiction?

Find some information about the director and his/her/their style.

Look for information about the cast, the budget, the filming location, and where the idea for the film’s story came from. In other words, why did the producers want to make the movie?

Be sure to keep notes on where you find each piece of information – its source.  Most of the facts about movies are considered common knowledge, so they don’t have to be included in your review.

Avoid reading other reviews. They might influence your opinion, and that kind of information needs to be cited in a review.

When you are watching the film make notes of important scenes or details, symbolism, or the performances of the characters. You may want to analyze these in detail later. Again, keep notes on the source of the information you find.

Don’t give away the ending! Remember, reviews help readers decide whether or not to watch the movie. No spoilers!

Suggested Steps:

Write an introduction where you include all the basic information so that the film can be easily identified. Note the name, the director, main cast, and the characters in the story, along with the year it was made. Briefly provide the main idea of the film.

Write the main body. Analyze the story, the acting, and the director’s style. Discuss anything you would have done differently, a technique that was successful, or dialogue that was important. In other words, here is where you convey your opinion and the reasons for it. You may choose to analyze in detail one scene from the film that made an impression on you, or you may focus on an actor’s performance, or the film’s setting, music, light, character development, or dialogu

Make a conclusion. Search for several reviews of the film. Include how the film was rated by others. You will need to include information about where you found the information. Then, give your own opinion and your recommendation. You can end with a reason the audience might enjoy it or a reason you do not recommend it. Include a summary of the reasons you recommend or do not recommend it.

[Source:  https://academichelp.net/academic-assignments/review/write-film-review.html]

————————————————

References:

10 Top Critical Thinking Skills (and how to improve them).(2022).   Indeed.com: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/critical-thinking-skills

Difference between criticize, criticism, critique, critic, and critical. Espresso English : https://www.espressoenglish.net/difference-between-criticize-criticism-critique-critic-and-critical/

Hansen, R.S. (n.d.).  Ways in which college is different from high school.  My CollegeSuccessStory.com .

Ideas to Action. Critical Thinking Inventories. University of Louisville:  https:// louisville.edu/ideastoaction/about/criticalthinking/what

Saunders, J. (n.d.). “Why Are Critical Thinking Skills Necessary for Academics?,” Demand Media.

Stratford, M. (n.d. ) What are the key ideas for critical thinking skills? Demand Media .

Van Zyl, M.A., Bays, C.L., & Gilchrist, C. (2013). Assessing teaching critical thinking with validated critical thinking inventories: The learning critical thinking inventory (LCTI) and the teaching critical thinking inventory (TCTI). Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across The Discipline , 28(3), 40-50.

What is Critical Thinking? (n.d.). Skills You Need : https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/critical-thinking.html

Write a Film Review. Academic Help: Write Better : https://academichelp.net/academic-assignments/review/write-film-review.html

Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking Copyright © 2022 by Zhenjie Weng, Josh Burlile, Karen Macbeth is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Reading Response Prompts - KNOWLEDGE Questions Critical Thinking Activities

Description

Reading is Thinking! These KNOWLEDGE Reading Response Prompts are perfect for Reading Comprehension summarizing activities. Includes 10 cards that can be used to ask questions or prompt students to recount the main idea and important details of text.

Check out the complementary Thinking Questions Prompts and Application Questions Prompts for a complete package to help students develop higher-order thinking skills.

Questions are open-ended and broad enough that they work for a wide variety of genres.

Each question is on a task card and can be used as small group work in literacy centres, as a whole class activity or independent work.

Included is also a list of suggested uses.

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