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The new edition of Critical Reading has ten main units, together with an Introduction and Review unit. Below are the questions students will explore in each unit, together with some of the topics they will be working with.

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The Introduction unit explains what is meant (and not meant) by "critical" reading. We look at key critical reading questions through an exploration of the relationship between mathematics and great works of art.

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The first few main units deal with the context of publication: the who, where, when, and why of the text.

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Unit 1. Where and when was this text published?

You are (or you're planning to be) a doctor, teacher, farm worker, or member of the military. How is artificial intelligence going to affect your job? Working with the theme of AI in the workplace, this unit asks students to consider where a text was published: in an academic source, such as a journal, or somewhere else? Students learn about the peer-review process and how to identify a peer-reviewed article. They also consider at what point a text becomes outdated.

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Unit 2. Who wrote the text?

For many young people, the prospect of spending a year doing volunteer work in so-called developing countries is appealing, but who really benefits from this? Artefacts from remote parts of the world are commonly held in western museums, but should they be? Different perspectives on these questions are explored.  The focus here is on the author (or on people quoted by the author). What credentials does the author have? Is the author biased in any way, and if so, where does this bias come from? 

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Unit 3. Why was the text written? Who is the intended audience?

If you want to know whether a roller coaster you want to ride is actually safe, where will you look for information? This unit works with the topic of engineering to examine the purpose and intended audience of the text. We look at how language reflects the intended audience of the text. Also covered here are why air travellers don't usually need to worry about turbulence, and how a physics expert might describe what happens during a bungee jump. 

 

Unit 4. Is online material reliable?

Many people use the internet to look for health advice, but can you trust the information you find? In this new unit, we look at the CRAAP test for website analysis. Developed by Sarah Blakeslee at California State University, Chico, this test encourages readers to analyze the  currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose of a website. We explore what online sources say about exercise and sleep habits, and students carry out a webquest on a health-related topic of their choice.

 

The next units look at the text itself; students evaluate the information provided by the author(s).

 

Unit 5. ​Does the text present facts, opinions, or assumptions?

The Kaos Temple skateboard park in Spain used to be a church. London's Attendant café started out as a public toilet. Adaptive reuse, or the repurposing of old buildings, can be a controversial topic in architecture. This unit shows students how to identify facts, opinions, and assumptions. In one of the most thought-provoking readings in the book, students consider whether a disused prison with a history of inmate abuse is a suitable venue for a rock concert. Do the advantages of adaptive reuse outweigh the disadvantages? Students decide. 

 

Unit 6. Is the text based on empirical research? If so, how should it be evaluated?

Women's soccer is more popular than ever, but are female players seen as talented as their male counterparts? Students look at research into this subject and learn how to evaluate it. They also learn about research that shows how perceptions are influenced by the viewer's physical and emotional condition. Students learn about the Scientific Method and how to evaluate research. Working through the unit, they consider Anaïs Nin's statement that “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” 

 

Unit 7. What role do diagrams and photographs play in the text?

Diagrams and photographs play a useful role in supporting the author's message, but they can be confusing; they can also be used to manipulate the reader's thought process. This unit shows examples of infographics that are not done well; it also shows students how to "read" photographs. For example, we see two photographs of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, which convey very different messages. One reading looks at a more positive use of photography: in citizen science projects. 

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Unit 8. Is the text from a non-academic source? If so, what can be inferred from it?

A newspaper story from 2023 told the story of Shelley, a nurse who fell in love with a man she met online. A year later, she learned the truth: He was scamming her. By the time she learned the truth, she had lost over $500,000. In another true story, an elderly woman clicked on a message on her computer, and found herself giving $2,000 to scammers. We look at how narrative structure works, and at what can be inferred from stories about individual people. 

 

Finally, students make connections between the text and (a) other things they have read or heard about, and (b) their own experiences and personal beliefs.

 

Unit 9. How does the text compare with other materials on the same subject?

Most people recognize that climate change is a serious concern—but not Uncle Frank, who believes it to be a hoax, and who has "evidence" to support his beliefs. This unit encourages readers to look at what other sources say about the topic of a text, and shows them how to determine whose opinion is the most valid. Should minority views be disregarded, or could there be a grain of truth there? Students make this decision.

 

Unit 10. How does the text compare with the reader's own experiences and beliefs?

It can be hard for students to bring their own backgrounds and opinions to a text. The goal here is to show students that their opinions matter; along with the author and the text, they are the third component of the reading process. The first reading allows students to share their experiences and opinions of capitalist, socialist, and communist systems. The second looks at the colourful anarchist community of Christiania in Copenhagen, Denmark, and explores attitudes towards this kind of community.

 

Finally, we finish with a Review unit, which shows students how to write a critical review of a text. 

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For More Information

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