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Reading literature helps develop critical-thinking skills

When’s the last time you read a book? The chances you didn’t read one during the last year have radically increased.

For adults it’s roughly one in four — 24 percent according to the Pew Research Center. For my peers, youth, it’s about the same — 22 percent of 13-year-olds and 27 percent of 17-year-olds versus 8 percent and 9 percent, respectively, three decades ago according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

That’s especially unfortunate considering literature can help young adults develop important critical-thinking skills. For instance, U.S. News & World Report recently listed book clubs among five useful tools for developing critical-thinking skills before college.

“Students who read for understanding find it far easier to think critically than those who rush to finish,” writes the story’s author, Meghan Moll, a professional science, math, and ACT tutor with Varsity Tutors. “Analyzing a book requires you to delve deeper and ponder complex questions.”

My own experience with literature bears this out. In his best-selling novels “Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World,” Michael Crichton didn’t just take me on an entertaining roller-coaster ride. My favorite author reignited my childhood passion for prehistoric animals, sparked my intense interest in science, and continually fuels my own creativity.

His novels underscore the importance of critical thinking. “Jurassic Park” gave me a perspective on how humans interact with the biological world and what we can do to alter things — especially with genetic engineering. While the story line shows how people can use science to do beautiful things and change situations for the better, it also demonstrates how we can make devastating mistakes.

It’s probably no surprise that when my English teacher, Mrs. Hodgin, asked her classes at Moscow High School to participate in the Letters About Literature contest last year I wrote about the tangible, positive impact Dr. Crichton’s works have had on me. Sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, Letters About Literature encourages students in grades 4-12 to write a letter to an author — living or dead — whose book affected them personally.

I was the State of Idaho’s winner for Level 3 (grades 9-12) last year. The $100 gift card I won funded a hobby that’s kind of turning into a career — raising and researching ants. Thus, Dr. Crichton hasn’t just fueled my interest in the natural world — in a way he’s also helping fund my exploration of it.

The 2015-2016 Letters About Literature contest begins soon, and I encourage teachers and parents throughout Idaho to get their students involved. It’s an excellent project for classes and individual students.

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress begins accepting entries Nov. 2. They must be postmarked by Dec. 4 for Level 3 (grades 9-12) or Jan. 11 for Level 2 (grades 7-8) and Level 1 (grades 4-6).

After the first two rounds of judging at the Library of Congress, the letters go through the next rounds back in their writers’ home states. The Idaho Commission for Libraries coordinates our local judging. Learn more about it online at http://libraries.idaho.gov/lal .

Meanwhile, if you, your child, or your students haven’t found a book that’s personally affected them, I urge you to resolve that. The benefits of literature are legion. Reading improves vocabulary, organizational skills, and the ability to read, comprehend, and analyze text. Plus, it can provide people with important historical perspective, encourage sympathy for other human beings, and promote appreciation for diversity and understanding of other cultures.

Moreover, literature can help students develop the critical-thinking skills many employers think are lacking in today’s college graduates before they even get to college.

Senior Miles Maxcer is the student council president at Moscow High School. He is currently reading a lot of nonfiction about leadership and different leaders while still conducting an independent study on ants. Read Miles’ winning letter at: http://libraries.idaho.gov/files/Level3WinnerMaxcer.pdf

Miles Maxcer

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How to Encourage Critical Thinking Skills While Reading: Effective Strategies

Encouraging critical thinking skills while reading is essential to children’s cognitive development. Critical thinking enables them to engage deeply with a topic or a book, fostering a better understanding of the material. It is a skill that does not develop overnight but can be nurtured through various strategies and experiences.

One effective way to cultivate critical thinking in children is by sharing quality books with them and participating in discussions that facilitate an exchange of ideas and opinions. Through these conversations, children can draw on their existing knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and experiences to expand their understanding of a subject.

Parents and teachers help kids think more deeply about things. They can do this by answering questions that help kids compare different ideas, look at things from different angles, guess what might happen, and develop new solutions.

Importance of Critical Thinking Skills in Reading

Critical thinking helps us understand what we read better. It helps us ask questions and think more deeply about the text. Critical thinking skills can help us analyze, evaluate, and understand what we read.

By incorporating critical thinking, readers can differentiate between facts and opinions, forming their views based on logical reasoning and evidence. This ability is particularly crucial in today’s information abundance, where readers are often exposed to biased or unreliable content. According to Critical Thinking Secrets , using critical thinking in reading allows learners to exercise their judgment in assessing the credibility of the information.

Furthermore, critical thinking promotes creativity and problem-solving skills. Practicing critical thinking allows learners to devise new and innovative ideas to address various challenges. This skill improves academic performance and prepares young minds for future professional endeavors.

Engaging with quality books and participating in thought-provoking discussions can nurture critical thinking abilities in children. Reading Rockets emphasizes the importance of exposing children to texts that challenge their thinking and encourage them to ask questions, fostering the development of critical thinking skills over time.

Teachers also play a significant role in promoting critical thinking in the classroom. Employing various instructional strategies, such as problem-based learning, asking open-ended questions, and providing opportunities for group discussions, can help students cultivate critical thinking habits.

Developing a Reading Environment That Fosters Critical Thinking

Creating a reading environment that promotes critical thinking enables students to engage with texts more deeply and develop essential analytical skills. The following sub-sections outline strategies for choosing thought-provoking materials and encouraging open discussions.

Choosing Thought-Provoking Materials

Selecting suitable reading materials is critical to stimulating critical thinking among students. Teachers should look for texts that:

Are relevant and relatable to students’ lives and interests
Present various perspectives and diverse characters
Pose challenging questions and open-ended problems

By incorporating such texts into the classroom, students can be exposed to new ideas and viewpoints, promoting critical thinking and engagement with the material. For instance, in Eight Instructional Strategies for Promoting Critical Thinking , teachers are advised to choose compelling topics and maintain relevance to foster critical thinking

Encouraging Open Discussions

Fostering an environment where open discussions occur is essential to promoting critical thinking skills while reading. Teachers should:

Create a culture of inquiry by posing open-ended questions and encouraging students to form opinions and debates
Facilitate discussions by asking students to explain their thinking processes and share their interpretations of the text
Respect all opinions and viewpoints, emphasizing that the goal is to learn from each other rather than reach a “correct” answer

Students who feel comfortable participating in discussions are more likely to develop critical thinking skills. The Reading Rockets emphasizes the importance of reading together and engaging in conversations to nurture critical thinking in children.

Active Reading Strategies

Active reading is an essential skill for encouraging critical thinking skills while reading. This involves consciously engaging with the material and connecting with what you know or have read before. This section discusses key strategies that can help you become an active reader.

Annotating and Note-Taking

Annotating the text and taking notes as you read allows you to engage with the material on a deeper level. This process of actively engaging with the text helps you to analyze and retain information more effectively. As you read, it is important to make marginal notes or comments to highlight key points and draw connections between different sections of the material.

Asking Questions While Reading

One important aspect of critical reading is questioning the material. This means not taking everything you read at face value and considering the author’s interpretation and opinion . As you read, develop the habit of asking questions throughout the process, such as:

What is the author’s main argument?
What evidence supports this argument?
How is the information presented in a logical manner?
What are the possible opposing viewpoints?

By asking questions, you can better understand the author’s viewpoint and the evidence presented, which helps to develop your critical thinking skills.

Summarizing and Paraphrasing

Summarizing and paraphrasing are essential skills for critical reading. Summarizing the material allows you to condense key points and process the information more easily. Paraphrasing, or rephrasing the ideas in your own words, not only helps you better understand the material, but also ensures that you’re accurately interpreting the author’s ideas.

Both summarizing and paraphrasing can enhance your critical thinking skills by compelling you to analyze the text and identify the main ideas and supporting evidence. This way, you can make informed judgments about the content, making your reading more purposeful and engaging.

Developing critical thinking skills while reading literature involves a comprehensive understanding of various literary devices. This section highlights three primary aspects of literary analysis: Recognizing Themes and Patterns, Analyzing Characters and Their Motivations, and Evaluating the Author’s Intent and Perspective.

Recognizing Themes and Patterns

One way to foster critical thinking is through recognizing themes and patterns in the text. Encourage students to identify recurring themes, symbols, and motifs as they read. Additionally, examining the relationships between different elements in the story can help create connections and analyze the overall meaning.

For example, in a story about the struggles of growing up, students might notice patterns in the protagonist’s journey, such as recurring conflicts or milestones. By contemplating these patterns, learners can engage in deeper analysis and interpretation of the text.

Analyzing Characters and Their Motivations

Character analysis is an essential aspect of literary analysis, as understanding characters’ motivations can lead to a thorough comprehension of the narrative. Encourage students to analyze the motives behind each character’s actions, focusing on the factors that drive their decisions.

For instance, in a novel where two characters have differing goals, have students consider why these goals differ and how the characters’ motivations impact the story’s outcome. This exploration can lead to thought-provoking discussions about human behavior, facilitating the development of critical thinking skills.

Evaluating the Author’s Intent and Perspective

Critical thinking is essential to evaluating the author’s intent and perspective. This process involves deciphering the underlying message or purpose of the text and analyzing how the author’s experiences or beliefs may have influenced their writing.

One strategy for accomplishing this is to examine the historical or cultural context in which the work was written. By considering the author’s background, students can better understand the ideas or arguments presented in the text.

For example, if reading a novel set during a significant historical period, like the Civil Rights Movement, understanding the author’s experience can help students analyze narrative elements, enhancing their critical thinking abilities.

Methods to Encourage Critical Thinking Beyond Reading

While reading is essential to developing critical thinking skills, it can be further enhanced by incorporating certain activities in daily routines that promote critical thinking.

Debates and Group Discussions

Debates and group discussions are excellent methods for encouraging critical thinking. By participating in debates or discussions, learners exchange diverse ideas, challenge each other’s reasoning, and evaluate the strength of their arguments. These activities require participants to think and respond quickly, synthesize information, and analyze multiple perspectives.

Teachers and parents can facilitate debates and group discussions by selecting topics that are relevant and related to the subject matter. Promoting respectful dialogue and modeling effective listening skills are also important aspects of setting up successful debates or discussions.

Exploring Other Media Formats

In addition to reading, exploring other media formats like documentaries, podcasts, and videos can help stimulate critical thinking in learners. Different mediums present information in unique ways, providing learners with various perspectives and fostering a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Using diverse media formats, individuals can compare and contrast information, question what they know, and further develop their analytical skills. It is essential that educators and parents encourage learners to explore these formats critically, assessing the credibility of the sources and ensuring accuracy in the information consumed.

Assessing Progress and Providing Feedback

Developing critical thinking skills while reading requires continuous assessment and feedback. Monitoring students’ progress in this area and providing constructive feedback can help ensure development and success.

Setting Measurable Goals

Establishing clear, measurable goals for critical thinking is vital for both students and educators. These goals should be specific, achievable, and time-bound. To effectively assess progress, consider using a variety of assessments, such as:

Classroom discussions
Reflective writing assignments
Group projects
Individual presentations

These different assessment methods can help determine if students are reaching their critical thinking goals and guide educators in adjusting their instruction as needed.

Providing Constructive Feedback

Constructive feedback is essential for students to improve their critical thinking skills. When providing feedback, consider the following guidelines:

Be specific and focused on the critical thinking aspects of students’ work
Link feedback directly to the established goals and criteria
Encourage self-assessment and reflection
Highlight strengths and areas for improvement
Offer realistic suggestions for improvement

By implementing these strategies, educators can ensure that students receive the necessary support and guidance to develop their critical thinking skills while reading.

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Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

In Between the Lines: A Guide to Reading Critically

I often find that Princeton professors assume that we all know how to “read critically.” It’s a phrase often included in essay prompts, and a skill necessary to academic writing. Maybe we’re familiar with its definition: close examination of a text’s logic, arguments, style, and other content in order to better understand the author’s intent. Reading non-critically would be identifying a metaphor in a passage, whereas the critical reader would question why the author used that specific metaphor in the first place. Now that the terminology is clarified, what does critical reading look like in practice? I’ve put together a short guide on how I approach my readings to help demystify the process.

Put on your scholar hat. Critical reading starts before the first page. You should assume that the reading in front of you was the product of several choices made by the author, and that each of these choices is subject to analysis. This is a critical mindset, but importantly, not a negative one. Not taking a reading at face value doesn’t mean approaching the reading hoping to find everything that’s wrong, but rather what could be improved .
Revisit Writing Sem : Motive and thesis are incredibly helpful guides to understanding tough academic texts. Examining why the author is writing this text (motive), provides a context for the work that follows. The thesis should be in the back of your mind at all times to understand how the evidence presented proves it, but simultaneously thinking about the motive allows you to think about what opponents to the author might say, and then question how the evidence would stand up to these potential rebuttals.
Get physical . Take notes! Critical reading involves making observations and insights—track them! My process involves underlining, especially as I see recurring terms, images, or themes. As I read, I also like to turn back and forth constantly between pages to link up arguments. I was reading a longer legal text for a class and found that flipping back and forth helped me clarify the ideas presented in the beginning of the text so I could track their development in later pages.
Play Professor. While I’m reading, I like to imagine potential discussion or essay topics I would come up with if I were a professor. These usually involves examining the themes of the text, placing this text in comparison or contrast with another one we have read in the class, and paying close attention to how the evidence attempts to prove the thesis.
Form an (informed) opinion. After much work, underlining, and debating, it’s safe to make your own judgments about the author’s work. In forming this opinion, I like to mentally prepare to have this opinion debated, which helps me complicate my own conclusions—a great start to a potential essay!

Critical reading is an important prerequisite for the academic writing that Princeton professors expect. The best papers don’t start with the first word you type, but rather how you approach the texts composing your essay subject. Hopefully, this guide to reading critically will help you write critically as well!

–Elise Freeman, Social Sciences Correspondent

Critical Reading and Reading Strategy

What is critical reading.

Reading critically does not, necessarily, mean being critical of what you read.

Both reading and thinking critically don’t mean being ‘ critical ’ about some idea, argument, or piece of writing - claiming that it is somehow faulty or flawed.

Critical reading means engaging in what you read by asking yourself questions such as, ‘ what is the author trying to say? ’ or ‘ what is the main argument being presented? ’

Critical reading involves presenting a reasoned argument that evaluates and analyses what you have read. Being critical, therefore - in an academic sense - means advancing your understanding , not dismissing and therefore closing off learning.

See also: Listening Types to learn about the importance of critical listening skills.

To read critically is to exercise your judgement about what you are reading – that is, not taking anything you read at face value.

When reading academic material you will be faced with the author’s interpretation and opinion. Different authors will, naturally, have different slants. You should always examine what you are reading critically and look for limitations, omissions, inconsistencies, oversights and arguments against what you are reading.

In academic circles, whilst you are a student, you will be expected to understand different viewpoints and make your own judgements based on what you have read.

Critical reading goes further than just being satisfied with what a text says, it also involves reflecting on what the text describes, and analysing what the text actually means, in the context of your studies.

As a critical reader you should reflect on:

What the text says: after critically reading a piece you should be able to take notes, paraphrasing - in your own words - the key points.
What the text describes: you should be confident that you have understood the text sufficiently to be able to use your own examples and compare and contrast with other writing on the subject in hand.
Interpretation of the text: this means that you should be able to fully analyse the text and state a meaning for the text as a whole.

Critical reading means being able to reflect on what a text says, what it describes and what it means by scrutinising the style and structure of the writing, the language used as well as the content.

Critical Thinking is an Extension of Critical Reading

Thinking critically, in the academic sense, involves being open-minded - using judgement and discipline to process what you are learning about without letting your personal bias or opinion detract from the arguments.

Critical thinking involves being rational and aware of your own feelings on the subject – being able to reorganise your thoughts, prior knowledge and understanding to accommodate new ideas or viewpoints.

Critical reading and critical thinking are therefore the very foundations of true learning and personal development.

See our page: Critical Thinking for more.

Developing a Reading Strategy

You will, in formal learning situations, be required to read and critically think about a lot of information from different sources.

It is important therefore, that you not only learn to read critically but also efficiently.

The first step to efficient reading is to become selective.

If you cannot read all of the books on a recommended reading list, you need to find a way of selecting the best texts for you. To start with, you need to know what you are looking for. You can then examine the contents page and/or index of a book or journal to ascertain whether a chapter or article is worth pursuing further.

Once you have selected a suitable piece the next step is to speed-read.

Speed reading is also often referred to as skim-reading or scanning. Once you have identified a relevant piece of text, like a chapter in a book, you should scan the first few sentences of each paragraph to gain an overall impression of subject areas it covers. 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.

When you speed-read you are not aiming to gain a full understanding of the arguments or topics raised in the text. It is simply a way of determining what the text is about.

When you find a relevant or interesting section you will need to slow your reading speed dramatically, allowing you to gain a more in-depth understanding of the arguments raised. Even when you slow your reading down it may well be necessary to read passages several times to gain a full understanding.

See also: Speed-Reading for Professionals .

Following SQ3R

SQ3R is a well-known strategy for reading. SQ3R can be applied to a whole range of reading purposes as it is flexible and takes into account the need to change reading speeds.

SQ3R is an acronym and stands for:

This relates to speed-reading, scanning and skimming the text. At this initial stage you will be attempting to gain the general gist of the material in question.

It is important that, before you begin to read, you have a question or set of questions that will guide you - why am I reading this? When you have a purpose to your reading you want to learn and retain certain information. Having questions changes reading from a passive to an active pursuit. Examples of possible questions include:

What do I already know about this subject?
How does this chapter relate to the assignment question?
How can I relate what I read to my own experiences?

Now you will be ready for the main activity of reading. This involves careful consideration of the meaning of what the author is trying to convey and involves being critical as well as active.

Regardless of how interesting an article or chapter is, unless you make a concerted effort to recall what you have just read, you will forget a lot of the important points. Recalling from time to time allows you to focus upon the main points – which in turn aids concentration. Recalling gives you the chance to think about and assimilate what you have just read, keeping you active. A significant element in being active is to write down, in your own words, the key points.

The final step is to review the material that you have recalled in your notes. Did you understand the main principles of the argument? Did you identify all the main points? Are there any gaps? Do not take for granted that you have recalled everything you need correctly – review the text again to make sure and clarify.

Continue to: Effective Reading Critical Thinking

See also: Critical Analysis Writing a Dissertation Critical Thinking and Fake News

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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2 – Critical Reading

“Citizens of modern societies must be good readers to be successful. Reading skills do not guarantee success for anyone, but success is much harder to come by without being a skilled reader. The advent of the computer and the Internet does nothing to change this fact about reading. If anything, electronic communication only increases the need for effective reading skills and strategies as we try to cope with the large quantities of information made available to us.” –William Grabe

The importance of reading as a literacy skill is without a doubt. It is essential for daily life navigation and academic success. Reading for daily life navigation is relatively easier, compared to academic reading. Think about the kinds of reading you did in elementary and high school (e.g., story books, picture books, textbook chapters, literary works, online information, lecture notes, etc.).

Now think about what you were expected to do with your reading at school (e.g., memorize, summarize, discuss, pass a test, apply information, or write essays or papers).

Research shows that what you expect to do with a text affects how you read it.

–Bartholomae & Petrosky (1996)

So, reading is not always the same; you read school texts differently than the texts you choose outside of school tasks. Furthermore, there are many external and internal factors that influence how you interpret and use what you read. Much depends on your background (e.g., cultural participation in communities, identity, historical knowledge), and the context in which you are reading. Classrooms and teachers certainly have an influence. The teaching methods used by your instructor, the texts your instructor chooses, and expectations of student performance on assignments all affect how you read and what you do to accomplish an assignment.

Different levels of education also emphasize different types of reading. For example, in primary or secondary education, you learn what is known, so you focus on correctness, memorization of facts, and application of facts. In higher education, although you might still be required to understand and memorize information, you expand what is known by examining ideas and creating new knowledge. In those processes at different levels, reading has been used for different purposes.

Multilingual reading and writing expert William Grabe has identified six different purposes:

Reading to search for information (scanning and skimming)
Reading for quick understanding (skimming)
Reading to learn
Reading to integrate information
Reading to evaluate, critique, and use information
Reading for general comprehension (in many cases, reading for interest or reading to entertain)

In college, reading to evaluate, critique, and use information is the most practiced and tested skill. But what does it mean? Reading to evaluate, critique, and use information is related to critical reading.

Definition of Critical Reading

Critical reading is a more ACTIVE way of reading. It is a deeper and more complex engagement with a text. Critical reading is a process of analyzing, interpreting and, sometimes, evaluating. When we read critically, we use our critical thinking skills to QUESTION both the text and our own reading of it. Different disciplines may have distinctive modes of critical reading (scientific, philosophical, literary, etc).

[Source: Duncan , n.d., Critical Reading ]

Critical reading does not have to be all negative. The aim of critical reading is not to find fault but to assess the strength of the evidence and the argument. It is 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 the studies or articles that are weak.

[Source: What is critical reading? ]

There’s No Reason to Eat Animals by Lindsay Rajt

If we care about the environment and believe that kindness is a virtue-as we all say that we do–a vegan diet is the only sensible option. The question becomes: Why eat animals at all?

Animals are made of flesh, bone, and blood, just as you and I are. They form friendships, feel pain and joy, grieve for lost loved ones and are afraid to die. One cannot profess to care about animals while tearing them away from their friends and families and cutting their throats–or paying someone else to do it–simply to satisfy a fleeting taste for flesh.

[adapted from Pattison, 2015, Critical Reading: English for Academic Purposes for instructional purposes ]

What is your position on the issue?

Do you think that the language used helps the audience? How?

How does the language use affect your evaluation of the issue?

Obesity: A Public Health Failure? By Tavis Glassman PhD, MPH, MCHES, Jennifer Glassman M.A., CCC-SLP, and Aaron J. Diehr, M.A.

Obesity rates continue to increase, bringing into question the efficacy of prevention and treatment efforts. While intuitively appealing, the law on weight gain focusing on calories is too simplistic because calories represent only one factor on issues of weight management. From a historical perspective, the recommendation to eat a low fat, high carbohydrate diet may have been the wrong message to promote, thereby making the obesity situation worse. Suggestions to solve the issues of obesity include taxing, restricting advertising, and reducing the use of sugar. Communities must employ these and other strategies to decrease sugar use and reduce obesity rates.

How would you describe the authors’ educational background?

How does the authors’ background affect your evaluation of the argument?

Students Want More Mobile Devices in Classroom by Ellis Booker

Released last week, the Student Mobile Device Survey reveals that students almost unanimously believe mobile technology will change education and make learning more fun. The survey, which collected the responses of 2,350 US students, was conducted for learning company Pearson by Harris Interactive.

According to the survey, 92% of elementary, middle and high school students believe mobile devices will change the way students learn in the future and make learning more fun (90%). A majority (69%) would like to use mobile devices more in the classroom.

The survey results also contained some surprises. For example, college students in math and science are much more likely to use technology for learning, and researchers expected to see this same pattern in the lower grades.

Are you convinced by the survey results? Why?

Color Scheme Associations in Context

The colors you surround yourself with at work are also important as they make a difference in how you are perceived by members of the public. Traditional workplaces still use dark colors such as navy blue, forest green, and chocolate brown to give clients a sense of seriousness and professionalism.

Think about it: which accountant would you choose to prepare your tax return: the one whose office has navy blue drapes and lamps and a maritime scene on the wall or the one whose office is painted in hot pink with a cartoon character on the wall? An online survey of lawyers carried out by Legal Scene magazine showed that of 287 respondents, 38 percent chose a navy blue color scheme for their office; 32 percent chose brown; 19 percent chose forest green; 7 percent chose burgundy; and only 4 percent chose red, pink or orange (Perkins, 2013).

What kind of bias might be implicated in this survey?

What is your personal experience?

These practices do not ask you to memorize or summarize the information you read, but instead, they ask you to provide your opinions and judgment. To answer those questions, you need to engage in critical reading, a form of active reading.

Active reading, which predominates college-level reading, means reading with the purpose of getting a deeper understanding of the texts you are reading and being engaged in the actions of analyzing, questioning, and evaluating the texts. In other words, instead of accepting the information given to you, you challenge its value by examining the source of the information and the formation of an argument.

The difference in how you read falls into two broad categories:

(Source: Reading Critically ]

Reading critically and actively is essential for college students. But what does critical reading look like in actual practice? Here are the steps that you can follow to do the critical reading.

Step 1: Understand the purpose of your reading and be selective

As college students, you are very busy with your daily coursework. A freshman usually takes four to five courses or even six courses per semester. This means you have tons of reading to do every week. Getting to know the purpose of the reading assignments can save you time as your reading is more targeted. Remember you do not have to read a whole chapter or book. What you can do is through scanning to determine the sections that are useful for you and then read the parts carefully.

Step 2: Evaluate the reading text

While reading a text, you need to question/analyze/evaluate the text by considering the following:

Assess whether a source is reliable (Read around the text for the title, author, publisher, publication date, good/bad examples, tones, etc.)
Distinguish between facts and opinions (Scan for any evidence)
Recognize multiple opinions in a text
Infer meaning when it is not directly stated
Agree or disagree with what you read
Consider the relevance of the text to your task
Consider what is missing from a text

It may well be necessary to read passages several times to gain a full understanding of texts and be able to evaluate the source. In this process, you can underline, highlight, or circle important parts and points, take notes, or add comments in the margins.

Critical reading often involves re-reading a text multiple times, putting our focus on different aspects of the text. The first time we read a text, we may be focused on getting an overall sense of the information the author is presenting – in other words, simply understanding what they are trying to say. On subsequent readings, however, we can focus on how the author presents that information, the kinds of evidence they provide to support their arguments (and how convincing we find that evidence), the connection between their evidence and their conclusions, etc.

[Source: Lane, 2021, Critical Thinking for Critical Writing ]

Step 3: Document your reading and form your own argument

After you finish reading a text, sort out your notes and keep track of the sources you have read on the topic you are exploring. After you read several sources, you might be able to form your own argument(s) and use the sources as evidence for your argument(s).

In college, critical reading usually leads to critical writing.

Critical writing comes from critical reading. Whenever you have to write a paper, you have to reflect on various written texts, think and interpret research that has previously been carried out on your subject. With the aim of writing your independent analysis of the subject, you have to critically read sources and use them suitably to formulate your argument. The interpretations and conclusions you derive from the literature you read are the stepping stones towards devising your own approach.

[Source: Does Critical Reading Influence Academic Writing? ]

In a word, through critical reading, you form your own argument(s), and the evidence used to support your argument(s) is usually from the texts that you read critically. The Source Essay Writing Service explains how critical reading influences academic writing.

How does critical reading influence your writing skills?

Once you start reading texts critically, you develop an understanding of how to write research papers. Here are some practical tips that will help you in academic writing:

Examine introductions and conclusions of the texts while critical reading so when you write an independent content, you would be able to decide how to focus your critical work.
When you highlight or take notes from a text, make sure you focus on the argument. The way the author explains the analytical progress, the concepts used, and arriving at conclusions will help you to write your own facts and examples in an interesting way.
By closely reading the texts, you will be able to look for the patterns that give meaning, purpose, and consistency to the text. The way the arguments are presented in paragraphs will aid you in structuring information in your writing.
When you critically read a text, you are able to learn how an argument is placed in the text. Try to understand how you can use this placement strategy in academic writing. Paying attention to the context is an important aspect that you learn from critical reading.
While reading a text, you will notice that the author has given the due credit to the sources used or the references that were consulted. This will help you in understanding how you can cite sources and quotes in your content.
Critical reading skills enhance your way of thinking and writing skills. The more you read, the better is your knowledge and vocabulary. It is important to use the precise words to express your meaning. You can learn new words and improve your writing by reading as many texts as you can.

Activity 1: Discuss the following questions with your group

A website from the United Nations Educational, Scientific ad Cultural Organization (UNESCO) gives some statistics about the level of education reached by young women in Indonesia. Is this a reliable source?
You find an interesting article about addiction to online gambling. The article has some interesting statistics, but it was published ten years ago. Is it worth using?
You find a book about World War II that presents a different opinion from your other sources. What would you like to know about the author before you decide whether or not to take him seriously?
An article tells you that research into space exploration is a waste of money. Do you think this article is presenting facts or opinions? How can you tell? What might you look for in the article?
You find some research that states that people who own dogs generally live longer lives than those who do not. The author has some convincing arguments, but you are not sure whether or not she has enough evidence. How mush is enough?
A newspaper article tells you about human rights abuses in a certain country. The writer of this article has never visited the country in question; his claims are based on interviews with other people. How would you evaluate his information?
You find two websites about the use of seaweed as a source of energy. One is full of long words and complicated sentences; the other uses simple, clear language. Is the first one a more reliable source?
You have read nine different articles that tell you that there is no connection between wealth and happiness. The tenth article gives the opposite opinion: rich people are happier than those who are poor. What questions would you ask yourself about this article before you decide whether or not to consider it?

Activity 2: Reading for analyzing styles

Please read the news and discuss the importance of the graphs in supporting the arguments of the text.

Gender Pay Gap in U.S. Held Steady in 2020

By amanda barroso and anna brown.

The gender gap in pay has remained relatively stable in the United States over the past 15 years or so. In 2020, women earned 84% of what men earned, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers. Based on this estimate, it would take an extra 42 days of work for women to earn what men did in 2020.

As has been the case in recent decades, the 2020 wage gap was smaller for workers ages 25 to 34 than for all workers 16 and older. Women ages 25 to 34 earned 93 cents for every dollar a man in the same age group earned on average. In 1980, women ages 25 to 34 earned 33 cents less than their male counterparts, compared with 7 cents in 2020. The estimated 16-cent gender pay gap among all workers in 2020 was down from 36 cents in 1980.

The U.S. Census Bureau has also analyzed the gender pay gap, though its analysis looks only at full-time workers (as opposed to full- and part-time workers). In 2019, full-time, year-round working women earned 82% of what their male counterparts earned, according to the Census Bureau’s most recent analysis.

Why does a gender pay gap still persist?

Much of this gap has been explained by measurable factors such as educational attainment, occupational segregation and work experience. The narrowing of the gap is attributable in large part to gains women have made in each of these dimensions.

Even though women have increased their presence in higher-paying jobs traditionally dominated by men, such as professional and managerial positions, women as a whole continue to be over-represented in lower-paying occupations relative to their share of the workforce. This may contribute to gender differences in pay.

Other factors that are difficult to measure, including gender discrimination, may also contribute to the ongoing wage discrepancy. In a 2017 Pew Research Center survey , about four-in-ten working women (42%) said they had experienced gender discrimination at work, compared with about two-in-ten men (22%). One of the most commonly reported forms of discrimination focused on earnings inequality. One-in-four employed women said they had earned less than a man who was doing the same job; just 5% of men said they had earned less than a woman doing the same job.

Motherhood can also lead to interruptions in women’s career paths and have an impact on long-term earnings. Our 2016 survey of workers who had taken parental, family or medical leave in the two years prior to the survey found that mothers typically take more time off than fathers after birth or adoption. The median length of leave among mothers after the birth or adoption of their child was 11 weeks, compared with one week for fathers. About half (47%) of mothers who took time off from work in the two years after birth or adoption took off 12 weeks or more.

Mothers were also nearly twice as likely as fathers to say taking time off had a negative impact on their job or career. Among those who took leave from work in the two years following the birth or adoption of their child, 25% of women said this had a negative impact at work, compared with 13% of men.

[Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/25/gender-pay-gap-facts/ ]

Activity 3: Reading for arguments

What’s the main argument of the poem?

Fire and Ice

By robert frost, some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. from what i’ve tasted of desire i hold with those who favor fire. but if it had to perish twice, i think i know enough of hate to say that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice..

References:

Barroso, A., & Brown, A. (2021, May 25). Gender pay gap in U.S. held steady in 2020. Pew Research Center. Retrieved July 22, 2022, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/25/gender-pay-gap-facts/

Bartholomae, D., Petrosky, T., & Waite, S. (2002). Ways of reading: An anthology for writers (p. 720). Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Duncan, J. (n.d.). The Writing Centre, University of Toronto Scarborough. Modified by Michael O’Connor. https://www.stetson.edu/other/writing-program/media/CRITICAL%20READING.pdf

Grabe, W. (2008). Reading in a second language: Moving from theory to practice. Cambridge University Press.

Lane, J. (2021, July 9). Critical thinking for critical writing. Simon Fraser University. Retrieved July 22, 2022, from https://www.lib.sfu.ca/about/branches-depts/slc/writing/argumentation/critical-thinking-writing

Pattison, T. (2015). Critical Reading: English for academic purposes for instructional purposes. Pearson.

Sourceessay. (n.d.). What is critical reading. https://sourceessay.com/does-critical-reading-influence-academic-writing/

University of Leicester. (n.d.). What is critical reading? Bangor University. https://www.bangor.ac.uk/studyskills/study-guides/critical-reading.php.en

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 Skills Part 1: Set Yourself Up for Success

"While - like many of us - I enjoy reading what I want to read, I still struggle to get through a dense research article or textbook chapter. I have noticed, however, that if I take steps to prepare, I am much more likely to persist through a challenging reading. "

Reading Skills Part 2: Alternatives to Highlighting

"It starts with the best of intentions: trusty highlighter in hand or (for the tech-savvy crowd) highlighting tool hovering on-screen, you work your way through an assigned reading, marking only the most important information—or so you think."

Reading Skills Part 3: Read to Remember

"It’s happened to the best of us: on Monday evening, you congratulate yourself on making it though an especially challenging reading. What a productive start to the week!"

Reading a Research Article Assigned as Coursework

"Reading skills are vital to your success at Walden. The kind of reading you do during your degree program will vary, but most of it will involve reading journal articles based on primary research."

Critical Reading for Evaluation

"Whereas analysis involves noticing, evaluation requires the reader to make a judgment about the text’s strengths and weaknesses. Many students are not confident in their ability to assess what they are reading."

Critical Reading for Analysis and Comparison

"Critical reading generally refers to reading in a scholarly context, with an eye toward identifying a text or author’s viewpoints, arguments, evidence, potential biases, and conclusions."

Pre-Reading Strategies

Triple entry notebook, critical thinking.

Use this checklist to practice critical thinking while reading an article, watching an advertisement, or making an important purchase or voting decision.

Critical Reading Checklist (Word) Critical Reading Checklist (PDF) Critical Thinking Bookmark (PDF)

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Hillary Wentworth on SKIL Grad Writing Courses, Critical Reading, & Online Etiquette

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Interrogating Texts

Reading Strategies

15th century Altarpiece fragment, Mary Magdalene reading. National Gallery (Great Britain). Available through ArtSTOR

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 reclining woman reading with irises 1923

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

daumier reader man with book with red-edged pages

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

young man reading book 16th century painting aga khan museum

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] / E. E. Johnson, March 20, 1917

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]

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The Art of Close Reading (Part One)

; you will find this article in the Libraries there.

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The Case for Reading Fiction

Christine Seifert

It’s an easy way to build emotional intelligence.

When it comes to reading, we may be assuming that reading for knowledge is the best reason to pick up a book. Research, however, suggests that reading fiction may provide far more important benefits than nonfiction. For example, reading fiction predicts increased social acuity and a sharper ability to comprehend other people’s motivations. Reading nonfiction might certainly be valuable for collecting knowledge, it does little to develop EQ, a far more elusive goal.

Some of the most valuable skills that managers look for in employees are often difficult to define, let alone evaluate or quantify: self-discipline, self-awareness, creative problem-solving, empathy, learning agility, adaptiveness, flexibility, positivity, rational judgment, generosity, and kindness, among others. How can you tell if your future employees have these skills? And if your current team is lacking them, how do you teach them? Recent research in neuroscience suggests that you might look to the library for solutions; reading literary fiction helps people develop empathy , theory of mind , and critical thinking .

CS Christine Seifert is a professor of communication at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she teaches rhetoric, strategy, and professional writing

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Reading Widely to Develop Critical Thinking Skills

As a literature specialist, I read as much as I can, and find that I’m constantly learning about and from the texts I encounter. Reading engages our minds in ways that nothing else can, and it not only provides us with knowledge but also challenges us to think in new ways.

Significantly, reading develops the critical thinking skills that are essential to success in a wide range of areas: skills of analysis, interpretation, and of being able to create an argument and explain it. This is why it’s essential to read often and widely. Take a look at some of the ways wide reading can develop your critical thinking:

Reading improves vocabulary and language skills . You will become aware of the techniques used by good writers and learn new words and their connotations. This will help develop your own command of language both when you write and when you have to explain things verbally. You will find that you have a new ability to analyse, explain, and persuade!

Every good story has a problem. Problem solving is at the heart of critical thinking, and when you read, you will see how characters solve the problems they face. You will also be thinking about a character’s problem, and possible solutions before you find out what the character does. When you engage with a story, you will start to make predictions based on the information you have been given. You will find yourself looking for clues and pieces of evidence you can use to solve the puzzle, and you will be able to apply these problem-solving skills to the tasks and problems you encounter at school and in your everyday life.

Use your imagination. Reading forces you to imagine the world of the story: what the landscape and characters look like, what their thoughts are and how they interact with other characters and their world. If you read a book rather than watching the movie, you will have to form your own version of the writer’s world based on the language they use.

Grow your knowledge base and develop areas of interest . If you read widely, you can learn about new subjects or learn more within an existing area of interest. You won’t only learn facts and information, but wide reading will improve your organisational skills (you will learn how a complex text is organized and how to navigate it) and your ability to comprehend and analyse a text you haven’t seen before. You will be able to apply what you learn to other questions you face and use your new skills to understand other books you read.

To get started, why not talk to your Seven Springs Education tutor about your interests? They can help you with some reading recommendations. I often do this with my students. If you enjoy the Percy Jackson series, you might want to read further tales of mythology and fantasy, for example Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi, or The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste. Or you could try something different in a genre you wouldn’t usually read. Perhaps you could start with a mystery story such as Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, or Robert Westall’s The Watchtower , which is both a mystery story and a ghost story. The important thing to remember is to read what you enjoy and pursue your interests, but don’t forget to challenge yourself sometimes by trying something different.

It is important not to think of critical thinking as a natural gift that we either have or we don’t, but as an ability that we can train, develop, and improve. Reading widely will definitely help with this and will give you the skills you need to think clearly and rationally in order to solve all kinds of problems.

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Habit Formation

Creating a reading routine for mental health, tips on incorporating reading into daily life for psychological benefits..

Updated July 25, 2024 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley

Reading has mental health benefits through its effects on cognitive functioning, physical health, and sleep.
Reading habits can be introduced into an existing routine through a variety of behavioral changes.
Consider your individual situation to develop strategies for strengthening your reading habit.

We often think of mental health in the negative, such as having a disorder or problem. However, mental health is actually a state of well-being. It guides our ability to cope with life stressors, realize our abilities, learn, work, and contribute to our community (World Health Organization, 2022). We can implement strategies in our lives that support mental health and mitigate mental health conditions like depression or anxiety . One of those strategies is reading.

How Reading Can Support Mental Health

Casual reading has mental health benefits. Readers find that the act of reading reduces stress , regardless of the type of material they read (Schabasser, 2024). A much-cited finding from the University of Sussex reports that reading reduces stress levels by 68 percent (Lewis, 2009). Researchers further comment that the time spent reading can be as brief as six minutes a day. Stress impacts the body and mind by affecting a person’s energy, ability to concentrate, and mood (American Psychological Association, 2022). Reading can be an effective tool to reduce a person’s stress level and support mental health.

When a proficient reader reads a text, they can enter a state of “ deep reading ” that allows them to take another perspective. Deep reading requires attention and insight, and we in turn are given stronger theory of mind , empathy, and critical thinking strategies (Kidd & Castano, 2013; Mar et al., 2006; O’Sullivan et al., 2015). With these cognitive skills, readers can develop better social connections with others, which in turn further supports mental health (Kawachi, 2001).

Sleep is a well-known contributor to mental health. Poor sleep is linked with physical health problems and increased cognitive and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety (Chattu et al., 2018). Reading before bed can help improve sleep quality (Finucane et al., 2021). The Sleep Foundation notes that reading before bed can help signal to the brain that it is time to relax and prepare for sleep onset.

Older adults who read at least once a week are less likely to have cognitive decline as they age (Chang et al., 2021). This effect is long-term, indicating that it is protective of cognitive functioning. Reading has even been linked with longevity; people who read are more likely to live longer (Bavishi et al., 2016). The act of reading is support for cognitive health throughout our lifespan.

Principles of Developing a Routine

Building a new routine depends on the formation of habits. In Atomic Habits , James Clear outlines effective strategies for building a new habit:

1. Make it obvious.

Become aware of current habits
Use implementation intentions
Use habit stacking
Design your environment

2. Make it attractive.

Use temptation bundling
Join a culture that values your new habit
Create a motivation ritual

3. Make it easy.

Reduce friction
Prime the environment
Master the decisive moment
Use the two-minute rule
Automate your habits

4. Make it satisfying.

Use reinforcement
Design a way to see the benefits
Use a habit tracker
Never miss twice

Implementing a Reading Routine

Reading routines are personal, and only you will know your individual situation. That said, here are some strategies to consider when building a reading routine at home based on the psychology of forming new habits:

Take inventory of what you do during the day. Notice any habits are you already performing and if there are any you would like to decrease or replace.
Determine when and where you will start reading. Think about the time of day you want to read and the spaces in your home or community that you want to read in.
Link reading to habits you already do, such as reading right before bed or during a commute to work.
Display books around your home. Keep library books nearby.
Pair listening to audiobooks with necessary tasks like housework, driving, or working out. (Yes, audiobooks count as reading.)
Join a book club. Many local libraries have book clubs for patrons. Goodreads and other book media platforms host online book clubs as well.
Have a small snack or a quick walk before settling in to read.

Keep books in your bag or at your bedside. If you have an e-reader, keep a book downloaded and ready to read.
Put your phone into Do Not Disturb for the time you want to read.
Decide what you want to read ahead of time so you can quickly start reading when and where you want to.
Read high-interest books. Consider genre fiction and other reading mediums, such as comics or graphic novels.
Put a reminder or an alert on your phone for when you need to start reading.
Reward yourself after you spend time reading.
Use an app like Bookly or StoryGraph to track reading progress.
Make it easy to get back on track. Don’t force yourself to read a book that is not capturing your interest. Your initial goal is to build a reading habit, not read specific books. Once your habit is solid, you can work toward new reading goals.

With these strategies, you are well on your way to building a reading routine that will benefit your mental health. Happy reading!

American Psychological Association. (2022, October 31). How stress affects your health . https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/health

Bavishi, A., Slade, M. D., & Levy, B. R. (2016). A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity. Social Science & Medicine , 164 , 44–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.07.014

Chang, Y.-H., Wu, I.-C., & Hsiung, C. A. (2021). Reading activity prevents long-term decline in cognitive function in older people: Evidence from a 14-year longitudinal study. International Psychogeriatrics , 33 (1), 63–74. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610220000812

Chattu, V. K., Manzar, Md. D., Kumary, S., Burman, D., Spence, D. W., & Pandi-Perumal, S. R. (2018). The Global Problem of Insufficient Sleep and Its Serious Public Health Implications. Healthcare , 7 (1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7010001

Finucane, E., O’Brien, A., Treweek, S., Newell, J., Das, K., Chapman, S., Wicks, P., Galvin, S., Healy, P., Biesty, L., Gillies, K., Noel-Storr, A., Gardner, H., O’Reilly, M. F., & Devane, D. (2021). Does reading a book in bed make a difference to sleep in comparison to not reading a book in bed? The People’s Trial—an online, pragmatic, randomised trial. Trials , 22 (1), 873. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-021-05831-3

Kawachi, I. (2001). Social Ties and Mental Health. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine , 78 (3), 458–467. https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/78.3.458

Kidd, D. C., & Castano, E. (2013). Reading literary fiction improves theory of mind. Science , 342 (6156), 377–380.

Mar, R. A., Oatley, K., Hirsh, J., Dela Paz, J., & Peterson, J. B. (2006). Bookworms versus nerds: Exposure to fiction versus non-fiction, divergent associations with social ability, and the simulation of fictional social worlds. Journal of Research in Personality , 40 (5), 694–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2005.08.002

O’Sullivan, N., Davis, P., Billington, J., Gonzalez-Diaz, V., & Corcoran, R. (2015). “Shall I compare thee”: The neural basis of literary awareness, and its benefits to cognition. Cortex , 73 , 144–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2015.08.014

Schabasser, C. (2024). Reading: A Solution for Stressed Managers? London Journal of Social Sciences , 7 , 53–69. https://doi.org/10.31039/ljss.2024.7.118

World Health Organization (WHO). (2022). Mental Health . https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strength…

Mara Whiteside, Ph.D., is a pediatric neuropsychologist and assistant professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

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Critical thinking in reading comprehension: fine tuning the simple view of reading.

1. Introduction

2. executive function, 3. critical thinking, 4. belief systems, 5. reading comprehension, 6. conceptual framework, 7. the present study, 8.1. participants, 8.2. assessments, 8.3. encoding, 8.4. vocabulary, 8.5. reading fluency, 8.6. critical thinking, 8.7. listening comprehension, 8.8. silent reading comprehension, 8.9. assessment administration, 9.1. research question 1, 9.2. research question 2, 9.3. research question 3, 10. discussion, 11. conclusions, 11.1. limitations, 11.2. future research, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

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Click here to enlarge figure

Variable	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
1. CCTT	1
2. CCTT	0.369 **	1
3. CCTT	0.265 **	0.224 **	1
4. CCTT	0.125 **	0.284 **	0.101	1
5. CCTT	0.746 **	0.714 **	0.650 **	0.454 **	1
6. Reading comprehension	0.436 **	0.396 **	0.199 **	0.182 **	0.481 **	1
7. Encoding	0.307 **	0.295 **	0.163 **	0.065	0.339 **	0.551 **	1
8. Accumaticity (WCPM)	0.204 **	0.238 **	0.154 **	0.097	0.273 **	0.286 **	0.509 **	1
9. Prosody	0.121 **	0.215 **	0.066	0.020	0.170 **	0.186 **	0.247 **	0.208 **	1
10. Academic vocabulary	0.322 **	0.344 **	0.201 **	0.109 **	0.391 **	0.437 **	0.501 **	0.297 **	0.073	1
11. Listening comprehension	0.291 **	0.213 **	0.080	0.121 **	0.279 **	0.642 **	0.329 **	0.197 **	0.132 **	0.265 **	1
Range (min–max)	0–19	0–14	0–17	0–14	3–53	4–26	7–16	7–16	0–10	5–43	72–108
Mean (sd)	10.34 (3.19)	6.79 (2.61)	10.17 (2.87)	3.34 (1.69)	30.54 (6.87)	15.27 (4.20)	15.66 (3.25)	126.62 (26.10)	11.18 1.86	24.19 5.82	92.96 6.35
Percentile Attainment	na	na	na	na	<4th grade	9th	DC	50th	na	45th	45th

Item	Factor Loading	Communalities
1	0.712	0.507
2	0.767	0.588
3	0.519	0.269
4	0.585	0.342
% of variance extracted	42.64

	Location
	Meghalaya	Assam	West Bengal	Total
Variable	Mean (sd)	Mean (sd)	Mean (sd)	Mean (sd)
Reading Comprehension	11.85 (3.40) ***	16.02 (3.97)	16.51 (3.77)	15.27 (4.20)
Critical Thinking Composite	25.91 (5.23) ***	32.33 (6.96)	31.43 (6.44)	30.54 (6.87)
Accumaticity (WCPM)	110.33 (22.54) ***	138.66 (25.32) ***	123.88 (26.10) ***	126.62 (26.10)
Prosody	4.80 (1.11) ***	5.32 (1.27)	5.57 (1.07)	5.30 (1.9)
Encoding	12.31 (3.18) ***	16.26 (2.41)	17.02 (2.62)	15.66 (3.25)
Academic Vocabulary	19.30 (4.85) ***	25.65 (5.38)	25.58 (5.22)	24.19 (5.82)
Listening Comprehension	89.42 (6.54) ***	94.16 (5.96)	93.54 (6.34)	92.86 (6.35)

						95% Confidence Interval
	B	SE B	β	t	R	Lower	Upper
Model 1					0.594
Constant	−23.691	2.144		−11.050 ***		−27.907	−19.474
Induction	0.175	0.051	0.133	3.435 ***		0.075	0.275
Credibility	0.054	0.052	0.037	1.044		−0.048	0.156
Deduction	0.192	0.063	0.119	3.036 **		0.068	0.317
Assumptions	0.117	0.088	0.047	1.335		−0.055	0.289
Accumaticity	−0.009	0.006	−0.053	−1.324		−0.021	0.004
Prosody	0.149	0.134	0.042	1.109		−0.115	0.412
Academic Vocabulary	0.058	0.029	0.081	1.995 *		0.001	0.116
Encoding	0.366	0.059	0.283	6.198 ***		0.250	0.482
Listening Comprehension	0.302	0.024	0.457	12.441 ***		0.254	0.350
Model 2					0.593
Constant	−23.369	2.079		−11.238 ***		−27.459	−19.280
Induction	0.184	0.050	0.140	3.666 ***		0.085	0.282
Deduction	0.220	0.061	0.137	3.621 ***		0.101	0.339
Academic Vocabulary	0.062	0.029	0.086	2.108 *		0.004	0.119
Encoding	0.353	0.052	0.273	6.738 ***		0.250	0.456
Listening Comprehension	0.304	0.024	0.460	12.540 ***		0.256	0.352

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Share and Cite

Paige, D.; Rupley, W.H.; Ziglari, L. Critical Thinking in Reading Comprehension: Fine Tuning the Simple View of Reading. Educ. Sci. 2024 , 14 , 225. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030225

Paige D, Rupley WH, Ziglari L. Critical Thinking in Reading Comprehension: Fine Tuning the Simple View of Reading. Education Sciences . 2024; 14(3):225. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030225

Paige, David, William H. Rupley, and Leily Ziglari. 2024. "Critical Thinking in Reading Comprehension: Fine Tuning the Simple View of Reading" Education Sciences 14, no. 3: 225. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030225

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Choosing Effective Vocabulary
How to Fill a Page (When You Have Nothing to Say)
Resources – Books
Critical Thinking and Reading Skills
Key Terms and the Inference Continuum
Bad Inferences – Fallacies and Biases
Application: Inferences and History
An Aside: Strong Inferences vs. Ghosts
Eight Types of Evidence – Strengths and Weaknesses
Bad Evidence – Fallacies and Poor Appeals
Value Conflicts and Key Terms
Tragic Application of Values
Common Value Systems
Fallacies and a Few Fun Techniques
Donna Hicks’s Essential Elements of Dignity
Fundamental Needs
Mapping Classroom Culture – Support and Humiliation
The Dignity Pledge
Separation and Segregation
Stripping Away Resources and Protections
Violence and Intimidation
Murder and Elimination
Toxic Mythologies and Deep Narratives
Scapegoating and Conspiracy Theories
Caricature and Stereotypes
Denial and Willful Ignorance
Conclusion and FAQs

The Lifelong Benefits of Reading: How Books Can Transform Your Life

Discover the transformative power of books and unlock a world of lifelong benefits through reading.

In today’s fast-paced digital age, where information is readily available at our fingertips, it’s easy to overlook the profound impact that reading can have on our lives. But beneath the surface lies a treasure trove of wisdom, knowledge, and personal growth waiting to be unraveled.

From broadening our horizons and enhancing our empathy to improving our cognitive abilities and reducing stress, books have the remarkable ability to shape and transform us. In this article, we will delve into the countless ways in which reading can enrich our lives, offering a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

So, grab a cup of tea, find a cozy nook, and embark on a journey that will leave you with a newfound appreciation for the power of the written word. Whether you’re a devoted bookworm or someone who has yet to discover the joys of reading, prepare to be inspired by the lifelong benefits that await you on this literary adventure.

The Power of Reading

Reading is more than just a pleasurable pastime; it is a gateway to personal growth and transformation. When we dive into a compelling story or immerse ourselves in a thought-provoking non-fiction book, we open ourselves up to new ideas and perspectives. Books have the power to challenge our preconceived notions and expand our understanding of the world.

Reading also enhances our cognitive abilities. It improves our vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. As we engage with the written word, our brains are stimulated, creating new neural connections and improving our overall mental agility.

But reading is not just about intellectual growth. It has a profound impact on our emotional well-being as well. Whether it’s losing ourselves in a fictional world or finding solace in a self-help book, reading provides an escape from the pressures of everyday life. It allows us to explore our own emotions and connect with the experiences of others, fostering empathy and compassion.

Mental Benefits of Reading

The mental benefits of reading are manifold. Research has shown that reading regularly can improve our memory and concentration. When we read, we are required to focus our attention and retain information, exercising our brain in the process. This mental workout not only improves our ability to recall information but also enhances our concentration and attention span in other areas of life.

Furthermore, reading has been linked to a reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia. By regularly engaging our brains through reading, we can help keep our minds sharp and agile as we age. It’s like a workout for the brain, keeping it in top shape and staving off the effects of aging.

In addition to improving memory and cognitive function, reading can also enhance our problem-solving skills. As we encounter different scenarios and challenges in books, we are exposed to various ways of thinking and problem-solving. This exposure broadens our mental toolkit, allowing us to approach real-life problems with a fresh perspective and a wider range of strategies.

Emotional Benefits of Reading

Reading has a profound impact on our emotional well-being. It provides an escape from the stresses of everyday life, allowing us to immerse ourselves in different worlds and experiences. Whether we’re laughing out loud at a humorous novel or shedding tears over a heart-wrenching story, books evoke a wide range of emotions that allow us to connect with our own feelings.

Moreover, reading can increase our empathy and understanding of others. When we read about characters from different backgrounds or with different perspectives, we gain insight into their lives and experiences. This exposure to diverse narratives helps us develop a broader worldview and fosters empathy towards others, ultimately making us more compassionate individuals.

Reading can also be therapeutic. It can provide solace during difficult times and offer a sense of comfort and understanding when we feel alone. Books have the power to validate our emotions and provide us with the tools to navigate challenging situations. They can serve as a form of self-help, guiding us towards personal growth and healing.

Physical Benefits of Reading

While reading is often associated with mental and emotional benefits, it also has positive effects on our physical well-being. One of the most notable physical benefits is stress reduction. Reading has been shown to lower heart rate and reduce stress levels, promoting a sense of calm and relaxation. By immersing ourselves in a good book, we can escape from the demands of daily life and find respite from the pressures that weigh us down.

Furthermore, reading can improve sleep quality. Engaging in a quiet activity like reading before bed can help signal to our bodies that it’s time to wind down and prepare for sleep. By creating a bedtime routine that includes reading, we can promote better sleep hygiene and ensure a more restful night’s sleep.

Additionally, reading can have a positive impact on our overall brain health. Studies have shown that reading can improve brain connectivity and increase neural activity. This stimulation of the brain can help ward off cognitive decline and improve cognitive function, leading to better overall brain health.

Social Benefits of Reading

Reading is often seen as a solitary activity, but it can also have social benefits. When we read a book, it opens up opportunities for conversation and connection with others. Book clubs, discussion groups, and literary events provide spaces for like-minded individuals to come together and share their thoughts and experiences.

Reading can also foster a sense of community. When we engage with a popular book or series, we become part of a larger cultural conversation. We can connect with others who have shared similar reading experiences and engage in discussions about the themes and ideas presented in the books. This shared connection can create a sense of belonging and camaraderie.

Furthermore, reading can improve our communication skills. As we encounter different writing styles and perspectives in books, we develop a greater appreciation for language and storytelling. This exposure to diverse narratives can enhance our own writing and communication abilities, allowing us to express ourselves more effectively and connect with others on a deeper level.

The Impact of Reading on Personal Growth and Development

Reading is a powerful tool for personal growth and development. It provides us with a wealth of knowledge and insights that can help us navigate the complexities of life. Whether we’re seeking advice on relationships , career guidance, or personal development, books offer a vast array of resources and perspectives to draw from.

One of the key ways in which reading promotes personal growth is by expanding our knowledge and perspective. By exposing ourselves to different ideas, cultures, and experiences through books, we broaden our understanding of the world and challenge our own beliefs and assumptions. This expansion of knowledge can lead to personal transformation and a greater sense of empathy and understanding towards others.

Furthermore, reading enhances our creativity and imagination. When we read, we are transported to different worlds and introduced to unique characters and situations. This exposure to new ideas and perspectives stimulates our own creativity and imagination, allowing us to think outside the box and approach problems with a fresh perspective.

Reading also offers us the opportunity for introspection and self-reflection. Through the experiences of characters in books, we can gain insight into our own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. This self-awareness can lead to personal growth and self-improvement as we identify areas for development and work towards becoming the best version of ourselves.

How Reading Can Improve Creativity and Imagination

Reading is a wellspring of inspiration for creativity and imagination. When we engage with books, we are exposed to different writing styles, storytelling techniques, and imaginative worlds. This exposure helps us think creatively and generate new ideas in various aspects of our lives.

By immersing ourselves in the worlds created by authors, we can expand our own imagination. Books allow us to visualize characters, settings, and events, fostering our ability to create vivid mental images. This enhanced imagination can be beneficial in many areas, such as problem-solving, brainstorming, and artistic endeavors.

Moreover, reading exposes us to different perspectives and ways of thinking, which can fuel our creative thinking. By encountering diverse narratives and exploring different points of view, we challenge our own assumptions and expand our thinking beyond conventional boundaries. This exposure to new ideas can inspire us to approach problems and projects in innovative ways.

Reading can also help us develop our own writing and storytelling skills. As we engage with well-crafted narratives, we subconsciously absorb writing techniques and storytelling structures. This exposure to quality writing can enhance our own writing abilities, allowing us to communicate more effectively and captivate our audience.

Reading as a Form of Relaxation and Stress Relief

In our fast-paced and digitally connected world, finding moments of relaxation and calm can be challenging. Reading offers a respite from the demands of daily life and provides a much-needed escape from the constant stream of information and stimuli.

When we immerse ourselves in a good book, our minds are transported to a different world. The act of reading requires focus and concentration, allowing us to temporarily disconnect from our worries and concerns. This focused immersion in a captivating story or subject matter helps us relax and unwind, promoting a sense of calm and tranquility.

Moreover, reading has been shown to lower heart rate and reduce stress levels. The rhythmic nature of reading, combined with the engagement of the mind, creates a soothing effect on the body. As we become absorbed in a book, our breathing slows, and our heart rate decreases, promoting a state of relaxation and stress relief.

Additionally, reading before bed can improve sleep quality. Engaging in a quiet and calming activity like reading helps signal to our bodies that it’s time to wind down and prepare for sleep. By incorporating reading into our bedtime routine, we can promote better sleep hygiene and ensure a more restful night’s sleep.

How to Develop a Reading Habit

Developing a reading habit is a journey that requires commitment and intention. Here are some tips to help you cultivate a love for reading and make it a regular part of your life:

Set aside dedicated time for reading: Carve out specific time slots in your day for reading. It could be a few minutes in the morning, during your lunch break, or before bed. Consistency is key, so aim to read at the same time each day.
Create a cozy reading environment: Find a comfortable spot in your home where you can relax and focus on your reading. Set the mood with soft lighting, a cozy blanket, and a cup of tea or coffee.
Start with books that interest you: Choose books that align with your interests and passions. If you’re not sure where to start, ask for recommendations from friends, join a book club, or explore different genres to discover what resonates with you.
Set realistic reading goals: Set achievable reading goals for yourself, such as reading a certain number of pages or chapters each day. This will help you stay motivated and track your progress.
Limit distractions: Minimize distractions during your reading time by turning off your phone or putting it on silent mode. Create a quiet and focused environment that allows you to fully immerse yourself in the book.
Join a reading community: Engage with others who share your love for reading by joining online book clubs or discussion groups. This will provide opportunities for meaningful conversations and recommendations for new books to explore.
Keep a reading journal: Record your thoughts, reflections, and favorite quotes in a reading journal. This can enhance your reading experience and serve as a valuable resource for future reference. Remember, developing a reading habit takes time and patience. Be gentle with yourself and enjoy the process of discovering new worlds and ideas through books.

Choosing the Right Books for Personal Growth and Transformation

Choosing the right books for personal growth and transformation requires thoughtful consideration. Here are some factors to consider when selecting books that will enrich your life:

Reflect on your goals and interests: Consider what areas of personal growth you would like to focus on and choose books that align with those goals. Whether it’s self-help, spirituality, or professional development, there are books available to support your journey.
Read reviews and recommendations: Research books that have received positive reviews and recommendations from trusted sources. Look for books that have resonated with others and have a track record of inspiring personal growth and transformation.
Explore different genres and perspectives: Step out of your comfort zone and explore genres and perspectives that are new to you. By exposing yourself to diverse narratives, you expand your understanding of the world and gain fresh insights.
Consider the author’s credentials and expertise: Look into the author’s background and expertise to ensure they have the necessary knowledge and experience to guide you on your personal growth journey. Check for credentials, reviews, and recommendations before committing to a book.
Trust your intuition: Pay attention to your gut instinct when choosing books. If a particular title or synopsis resonates with you, trust that it may hold valuable insights and lessons for your personal growth.

Remember that personal growth is a lifelong journey, and the books you choose to read are a reflection of that journey. Be open to exploring new ideas and perspectives, and allow yourself to be transformed by the power of the written word.

Related: Reading These 9 Books Will Change Your Life

Incorporating Reading into Your Daily Routine

Incorporating reading into your daily routine is a surefire way to make it a regular habit. Here are some practical tips to help you make reading a part of your everyday life:

Set a reading goal: Determine how much time you want to dedicate to reading each day. It could be as little as 10 minutes or as much as an hour. Set a realistic goal that you can commit to consistently.
Create a reading schedule: Find a time in your daily schedule that works best for you. It could be in the morning, during your lunch break, or before bed. Establish a routine by consistently reading at the same time each day.
Keep a book with you at all times: Carry a book with you wherever you go, whether it’s a physical book or an e-reader. This way, you can take advantage of any free moments throughout the day, such as waiting in line or during your commute.
Make reading a priority: Treat reading as a non-negotiable part of your day. Prioritize it over other activities that may be less fulfilling or productive. By giving reading the importance it deserves, you’ll make it a priority in your life.
Create a cozy reading environment: Designate a specific reading spot in your home where you can relax and focus on your book. Make it cozy and inviting with cushions, blankets, and soft lighting.
Minimize distractions: Create a distraction-free environment by turning off your phone or putting it on silent mode. This will help you stay focused and fully immerse yourself in the book.
Keep a reading log: Keep track of the books you’ve read, along with any thoughts, reflections, or favorite quotes. This will not only serve as a record of your reading journey but also provide valuable insights for future reference.

Remember, consistency is key when it comes to developing a reading habit. By incorporating reading into your daily routine, you’ll be able to enjoy the lifelong benefits that books have to offer.

Ever read 4 books in a day?

Although reading is one of the most beneficial things that you can do for your mind, most people just can’t find the time in their days.

It can be difficult to read 500 pages a day like Warren Buffet or read 50 books a year like Bill Gates and with our daily routines and demanding day jobs, this may just not be possible.

We are here to bridge the gap!

With the Snapreads app, you get the key insights from the best nonfiction books in minutes, not hours or days. Our experts transform these books into quick, memorable, easy-to-understand insights that you can read on your time or listen on the go.

What Is Snapreads?

With the Snapreads app, you get the key insights from the best nonfiction books in minutes, not hours or days. Our experts transform these books into quick, memorable, easy-to-understand insights you can read when you have the time or listen to them on the go.

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Critical reading: what is critical reading, and why do i need to do it.

Critical reading means that a reader applies certain processes, models, questions, and theories that result in enhanced clarity and comprehension. There is more involved, both in effort and understanding, in a critical reading than in a mere "skimming" of the text. What is the difference? If a reader "skims" the text, superficial characteristics and information are as far as the reader goes. A critical reading gets at "deep structure" (if there is such a thing apart from the superficial text!), that is, logical consistency, tone, organization, and a number of other very important sounding terms.

What does it take to be a critical reader? There are a variety of answers available to this question; here are some suggested steps:

1. Prepare to become part of the writer's audience.

After all, authors design texts for specific audiences, and becoming a member of the target audience makes it easier to get at the author's purpose. Learn about the author, the history of the author and the text, the author's anticipated audience; read introductions and notes.

2. Prepare to read with an open mind.

Critical readers seek knowledge; they do not "rewrite" a work to suit their own personalities. Your task as an enlightened critical reader is to read what is on the page, giving the writer a fair chance to develop ideas and allowing yourself to reflect thoughtfully, objectively, on the text.

3. Consider the title.

This may seem obvious, but the title may provide clues to the writer's attitude, goals, personal viewpoint, or approach.

4. Read slowly.

Again, this appears obvious, but it is a factor in a "close reading." By slowing down, you will make more connections within the text.

5. Use the dictionary and other appropriate reference works.

If there is a word in the text that is not clear or difficult to define in context: look it up. Every word is important, and if part of the text is thick with technical terms, it is doubly important to know how the author is using them.

6. Make notes.

Jot down marginal notes, underline and highlight, write down ideas in a notebook, do whatever works for your own personal taste. Note for yourself the main ideas, the thesis, the author's main points to support the theory. Writing while reading aids your memory in many ways, especially by making a link that is unclear in the text concrete in your own writing.

7. Keep a reading journal

In addition to note-taking, it is often helpful to regularly record your responses and thoughts in a more permanent place that is yours to consult. By developing a habit of reading and writing in conjunction, both skills will improve.

Critical reading involves using logical and rhetorical skills. Identifying the author's thesis is a good place to start, but to grasp how the author intends to support it is a difficult task. More often than not an author will make a claim (most commonly in the form of the thesis) and support it in the body of the text. The support for the author's claim is in the evidence provided to suggest that the author's intended argument is sound, or reasonably acceptable. What ties these two together is a series of logical links that convinces the reader of the coherence of the author's argument: this is the warrant. If the author's premise is not supportable, a critical reading will uncover the lapses in the text that show it to be unsound.

Questions, comments, and other sundry things may be sent to [email protected]

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Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read More

A large percentage of the population is missing out on the significant benefits of reading. According to Statistic Brain , about a third of U.S. high school graduates will never read another book after graduating and 42 percent of college students will never read another book after obtaining their degree.

Reading can improve your life in several ways leading to better well-being and mental health, personal growth, and a boost in confidence. These benefits will carry over to your school work, career and social life.

If you haven’t read a book in years or think reading is for nerds, perhaps you should reconsider. The following are just a few of the benefits associated with reading and the reasons why you should read more.

Reading expands your vocabulary

The more you read, the more words you’ll be exposed to. Consistent exposure to new words, learning their meanings and seeing the context in which they’re used will increase your mental dictionary. You will have more words available to use and more ways to use them in conversation and in writing. This will improve your ability to communicate effectively, allowing you to better articulate your thoughts and more accurately express how you feel. Most writers would attest that reading makes them better at writing.

Reading stimulates your brain

Your brain needs to be kept active and engaged in order to stay healthy. Reading is great exercise for the mind. From a neurobiological standpoint, reading is more demanding on the brain than processing speech and images. Mental stimulation from reading will improve your memory and learning capacity, keep your mind sharp by slowing cognitive decline as you age, and strengthen your brain against disease like Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Reading improves your memory

Reading creates new memories. With each of these new memories, your brain forms new connections between neurons called synapses and strengthens existing ones. As you read you are memorizing and recalling words, ideas, names, relationships, and plots. You’re essentially training your brain to retain new information.

Reading makes you smarter

Reading makes you smarter, it’s that simple. In the paper What Reading Does for the Mind by Anne E. Cunningham and Keith E. Stanovich, reading was found to compensate for average cognitive ability by building vocabulary and expanding general knowledge. Development of intelligence is not dependent on cognitive ability alone, it’s only one variable.

Reading increases knowledge

Reading is one of the primary ways to acquire knowledge. The knowledge you gain is cumulative and grows exponentially. When you have a strong knowledge base, it’s easier to learn new things and solve new problems. Reading a wide range of books will help expand your general knowledge. Specific knowledge can be acquired by taking a deep-dive on a subject or topic. Filling your mind with new facts, new information, and new ideas will make you a better conversationalist as you’ll always have something interesting to talk about.

Reading strengthens focus and concentration

In order to comprehend and absorb what you’re reading, you need to focus 100% of your attention on the words on the page. When you’re fully immersed in a book, you’ll be able to tune out external distractions and concentrate on the material in front of you. A consistent reading habit will strengthen your attention span which will carry over to other aspects of your life.

Reading enhances analytical thinking skills

You can develop your analytical thinking skills over time by consistently reading more books. Reading stimulates your brain, allowing you to think in new ways. Being actively engaged in what you’re reading allows you to ask questions, view different perspectives, identify patterns and make connections. Compared to other forms of communication, reading allows you more time to think by pausing to comprehend, reflect and make note of new thoughts and ideas.

Reading relieves stress

A 2009 study has shown that reading is more effective at reducing stress than listening to music, going for a walk, having a cup of coffee or tea, or playing video games. Reading for only six minutes is enough to slow your heart rate, ease tension in your muscles and lower stress hormones like cortisol. “Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation” according to Dr. David Lewis, who conducted the study.

Reading improves your imagination

Reading a good novel can transport you to another place, another time or another world. You can escape reality and temporarily forget about what’s bothering you. Exercising your imagination will improve your ability to visualize these new worlds, characters and perspectives. Opening your mind to new ideas and new possibilities makes you more creative and more empathetic.

Reading helps you sleep better

The addition of reading to your bedtime ritual will reduce stress and train your brain to associate reading with sleep. This will make it easier to fall asleep and allow you to enter into a deeper sleep. TV, smartphone and tablet screens emit blue light which disrupts your internal clock and negatively impacts the quantity and quality of your sleep. Avoid reading on a screen at least an hour before bed and read a physical book instead.

You might also like: How To Read More Books

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How Reading Improves Critical Thinking - The Happy Hollisters

How Reading Improves Critical Thinking

Reading for Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is an important skill for children to develop as they grow. Good critical thinking skills can be attained in a variety of ways. Reading mystery books is one way; books supply a landscape in which children can develop critical thinking skills simply by enjoying the story and then discussing and analyzing it with others.

Types of Books that Produce Critical Thinkers

Books that are best for creating critical thinkers are, surprisingly, fictional stories. Because fiction is more of an art form, it leads children down paths that they are left to invent a large part of themselves. To truly get the total feel and setting for a book of fiction, readers must consider the inferences and symbolism within the story, which involves a much deeper level of thinking than nonfiction. The Happy Hollisters by Jerry West is a fictional mystery set of 33 books for young readers. Each book guides the reader through an elaborate maze of fun characters and clues, prompting them to solve the mystery before the end of the book. They are involved in the detective process from beginning to end of each book, from uncovering the mystery to collecting the clues and coming to a solution at the end. This process of engaging readers adds to the value of these books when it comes to reading for critical thinking.

How Can Parents Add to Critical Thinking Skills

Parents can start off by choosing appropriate books for their children to read. The Happy Hollisters series is a great starting point for children who enjoy reading a great story and for parents who want to strengthen their child’s critical thinking skills. Family reading time, even if it is quiet time, is still quality time spent together. At the end of their reading sessions, parents get a feel for what their children understand from the book and guide them to think a bit more about what they have read, for example, talking about the clues that the children have found so far, what they could mean individually, and what they could all mean when pieced together. This helps a child to realize that multiple levels of thinking are possible. Taking the clues and learning to combine the reasons as to how they could be important is learning critical thinking through reading.

Reading for critical thinking is beneficial for children. The Happy Hollisters book series is a fun educational tool that the whole family can enjoy together and develop their critical thinking skills at the same time. Integrating time to read for critical thinking is important for all children, and all participating family members will benefit from it.

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Home > Graduate Research and Creative Practice > Culminating Experience Projects > 456

Culminating Experience Projects

The importance of critical thinking skills in secondary classrooms.

Clinton T. Sterkenburg , Grand Valley State University Follow

Date Approved

Graduate degree type, degree name.

Education-Instruction and Curriculum: Secondary Education (M.Ed.)

Degree Program

College of Education

First Advisor

Sherie Klee

Academic Year

According to research, many students lack effective critical thinking skills. The ability to think critically is crucial for individuals to be successful and responsible. Many students have difficulties understanding this important skill and especially lack the ability to initiate and apply the process. Although a difficult task, educators have the responsibility to teach critical skills to students and to discern when certain instructional methods or activities are not helping students. Each student is different, and their needs must be considered, this correlates with how they learn and process information. Research has shown that traditional teaching methods that require students to regurgitate information do not prove helpful in teaching students to apply and understand the critical thinking process. Therefore, effective teachers expand upon traditional teaching methods and differentiate instructional and activity design for imparting critical thinking skills to students. This project presents some of the possible reasons students have difficulties thinking critically and provides examples of instructional and lesson design methods that are proven to help students understand critical thinking. The goal of this project is to provide a guide for secondary teachers to address the lack of critical thinking skills in many students. The ability to think critically will greatly benefit students and help them become productive members of society.

ScholarWorks Citation

Sterkenburg, Clinton T., "The Importance of Critical Thinking Skills in Secondary Classrooms" (2024). Culminating Experience Projects . 456. https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gradprojects/456

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What Kamala Harris has said so far on key issues in her campaign

As she ramps up her nascent presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris is revealing how she will address the key issues facing the nation.

In speeches and rallies, she has voiced support for continuing many of President Joe Biden’s measures, such as lowering drug costs , forgiving student loan debt and eliminating so-called junk fees. But Harris has made it clear that she has her own views on some key matters, particularly Israel’s treatment of Gazans in its war with Hamas.

In a departure from her presidential run in 2020, the Harris campaign has confirmed that she’s moved away from many of her more progressive stances, such as her interest in a single-payer health insurance system and a ban on fracking.

Harris is also expected to put her own stamp and style on matters ranging from abortion to the economy to immigration, as she aims to walk a fine line of taking credit for the administration’s accomplishments while not being jointly blamed by voters for its shortcomings.

Her early presidential campaign speeches have offered insights into her priorities, though she’s mainly voiced general talking points and has yet to release more nuanced plans. Like Biden, she intends to contrast her vision for America with that of former President Donald Trump. ( See Trump’s campaign promises here .)

“In this moment, I believe we face a choice between two different visions for our nation: one focused on the future, the other focused on the past,” she told members of the historically Black sorority Zeta Phi Beta at an event in Indianapolis in late July. “And with your support, I am fighting for our nation’s future.”

Here’s what we know about Harris’ views:

Harris took on the lead role of championing abortion rights for the administration after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022. This past January, she started a “ reproductive freedoms tour ” to multiple states, including a stop in Minnesota thought to be the first by a sitting US president or vice president at an abortion clinic .

On abortion access, Harris embraced more progressive policies than Biden in the 2020 campaign, as a candidate criticizing his previous support for the Hyde Amendment , a measure that blocks federal funds from being used for most abortions.

Policy experts suggested that although Harris’ current policies on abortion and reproductive rights may not differ significantly from Biden’s, as a result of her national tour and her own focus on maternal health , she may be a stronger messenger.

High prices are a top concern for many Americans who are struggling to afford the cost of living after a spell of steep inflation. Many voters give Biden poor marks for his handling of the economy, and Harris may also face their wrath.

In her early campaign speeches, Harris has echoed many of the same themes as Biden, saying she wants to give Americans more opportunities to get ahead. She’s particularly concerned about making care – health care, child care, elder care and family leave – more affordable and available.

Harris promised at a late July rally to continue the Biden administration’s drive to eliminate so-called “junk fees” and to fully disclose all charges, such as for events, lodging and car rentals. In early August, the administration proposed a rule that would ban airlines from charging parents extra fees to have their kids sit next to them.

On day one, I will take on price gouging and bring down costs. We will ban more of those hidden fees and surprise late charges that banks and other companies use to pad their profits.”

Since becoming vice president, Harris has taken more moderate positions, but a look at her 2020 campaign promises reveals a more progressive bent than Biden.

As a senator and 2020 presidential candidate, Harris proposed providing middle-class and working families with a refundable tax credit of up to $6,000 a year (per couple) to help keep up with living expenses. Titled the LIFT the Middle Class Act, or Livable Incomes for Families Today, the measure would have cost at the time an estimated $3 trillion over 10 years.

Unlike a typical tax credit, the bill would allow taxpayers to receive the benefit – up to $500 – on a monthly basis so families don’t have to turn to payday loans with very high interest rates.

As a presidential candidate, Harris also advocated for raising the corporate income tax rate to 35%, where it was before the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that Trump and congressional Republicans pushed through Congress reduced the rate to 21%. That’s higher than the 28% Biden has proposed.

Affordable housing was also on Harris’ radar. As a senator, she introduced the Rent Relief Act, which would establish a refundable tax credit for renters who annually spend more than 30% of their gross income on rent and utilities. The amount of the credit would range from 25% to 100% of the excess rent, depending on the renter’s income.

Harris called housing a human right and said in a 2019 news release on the bill that every American deserves to have basic security and dignity in their own home.

Consumer debt

Hefty debt loads, which weigh on people’s finances and hurt their ability to buy homes, get car loans or start small businesses, are also an area of interest to Harris.

As vice president, she has promoted the Biden administration’s initiatives on student debt, which have so far forgiven more than $168 billion for nearly 4.8 million borrowers . In mid-July, Harris said in a post on X that “nearly 950,000 public servants have benefitted” from student debt forgiveness, compared with only 7,000 when Biden was inaugurated.

A potential Harris administration could keep that momentum going – though some of Biden’s efforts have gotten tangled up in litigation, such as a program aimed at cutting monthly student loan payments for roughly 3 million borrowers enrolled in a repayment plan the administration implemented last year.

The vice president has also been a leader in the White House efforts to ban medical debt from credit reports, noting that those with medical debt are no less likely to repay a loan than those who don’t have unpaid medical bills.

In a late July statement praising North Carolina’s move to relieve the medical debt of about 2 million residents, Harris said that she is “committed to continuing to relieve the burden of medical debt and creating a future where every person has the opportunity to build wealth and thrive.”

Health care

Harris, who has had shifting stances on health care in the past, confirmed in late July through her campaign that she no longer supports a single-payer health care system .

During her 2020 campaign, Harris advocated for shifting the US to a government-backed health insurance system but stopped short of wanting to completely eliminate private insurance.

The measure called for transitioning to a Medicare-for-All-type system over 10 years but continuing to allow private insurance companies to offer Medicare plans.

The proposal would not have raised taxes on the middle class to pay for the coverage expansion. Instead, it would raise the needed funds by taxing Wall Street trades and transactions and changing the taxation of offshore corporate income.

When it comes to reducing drug costs, Harris previously proposed allowing the federal government to set “a fair price” for any drug sold at a cheaper price in any economically comparable country, including Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Japan or Australia. If manufacturers were found to be price gouging, the government could import their drugs from abroad or, in egregious cases, use its existing but never-used “march-in” authority to license a drug company’s patent to a rival that would produce the medication at a lower cost.

Harris has been a champion on climate and environmental justice for decades. As California’s attorney general, Harris sued big oil companies like BP and ConocoPhillips, and investigated Exxon Mobil for its role in climate change disinformation. While in the Senate, she sponsored the Green New Deal resolution.

During her 2020 campaign, she enthusiastically supported a ban on fracking — but a Harris campaign official said in late July that she no longer supports such a ban.

Fracking is the process of using liquid to free natural gas from rock formations – and the primary mode for extracting gas for energy in battleground Pennsylvania. During a September 2019 climate crisis town hall hosted by CNN, she said she would start “with what we can do on Day 1 around public lands.” She walked that back later when she became Biden’s running mate.

Biden has been the most pro-climate president in history, and climate advocates find Harris to be an exciting candidate in her own right. Democrats and climate activists are planning to campaign on the stark contrasts between Harris and Trump , who vowed to push America decisively back to fossil fuels, promising to unwind Biden’s climate and clean energy legacy and pull America out of its global climate commitments.

If elected, one of the biggest climate goals Harris would have to craft early in her administration is how much the US would reduce its climate pollution by 2035 – a requirement of the Paris climate agreement .

Immigration

Harris has quickly started trying to counter Trump’s attacks on her immigration record.

Her campaign released a video in late July citing Harris’ support for increasing the number of Border Patrol agents and Trump’s successful push to scuttle a bipartisan immigration deal that included some of the toughest border security measures in recent memory.

The vice president has changed her position on border control since her 2020 campaign, when she suggested that Democrats needed to “critically examine” the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, after being asked whether she sided with those in the party arguing to abolish the department.

In June of this year, the White House announced a crackdown on asylum claims meant to continue reducing crossings at the US-Mexico border – a policy that Harris’ campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, indicated in late July to CBS News would continue under a Harris administration.

Trump’s attacks stem from Biden having tasked Harris with overseeing diplomatic efforts in Central America in March 2021. While Harris focused on long-term fixes, the Department of Homeland Security remained responsible for overseeing border security.

She has only occasionally talked about her efforts as the situation along the US-Mexico border became a political vulnerability for Biden. But she put her own stamp on the administration’s efforts, engaging the private sector.

Harris pulled together the Partnership for Central America, which has acted as a liaison between companies and the US government. Her team and the partnership are closely coordinating on initiatives that have led to job creation in the region. Harris has also engaged directly with foreign leaders in the region.

Experts credit Harris’ ability to secure private-sector investments as her most visible action in the region to date but have cautioned about the long-term durability of those investments.

Israel-Hamas

The Israel-Hamas war is the most fraught foreign policy issue facing the country and has spurred a multitude of protests around the US since it began in October.

After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late July, Harris gave a forceful and notable speech about the situation in Gaza.

We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent.”

Harris echoed Biden’s repeated comments about the “ironclad support” and “unwavering commitment” to Israel. The country has a right to defend itself, she said, while noting, “how it does so, matters.”

However, the empathy she expressed regarding the Palestinian plight and suffering was far more forceful than what Biden has said on the matter in recent months. Harris mentioned twice the “serious concern” she expressed to Netanyahu about the civilian deaths in Gaza, the humanitarian situation and destruction she called “catastrophic” and “devastating.”

She went on to describe “the images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time.”

Harris emphasized the need to get the Israeli hostages back from Hamas captivity, naming the eight Israeli-American hostages – three of whom have been killed.

But when describing the ceasefire deal in the works, she didn’t highlight the hostage for prisoner exchange or aid to be let into Gaza. Instead, she singled out the fact that the deal stipulates the withdrawal by the Israeli military from populated areas in the first phase before withdrawing “entirely” from Gaza before “a permanent end to the hostilities.”

Harris didn’t preside over Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in late July, instead choosing to stick with a prescheduled trip to a sorority event in Indiana.

Harris is committed to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, having met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at least six times and announcing last month $1.5 billion for energy assistance, humanitarian needs and other aid for the war-torn country.

At the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, Harris said: “I will make clear President Joe Biden and I stand with Ukraine. In partnership with supportive, bipartisan majorities in both houses of the United States Congress, we will work to secure critical weapons and resources that Ukraine so badly needs. And let me be clear: The failure to do so would be a gift to Vladimir Putin.”

More broadly, NATO is central to our approach to global security. For President Biden and me, our sacred commitment to NATO remains ironclad. And I do believe, as I have said before, NATO is the greatest military alliance the world has ever known.”

Police funding

The Harris campaign has also walked back the “defund the police” sentiment that Harris voiced in 2020. What she meant is she supports being “tough and smart on crime,” Mitch Landrieu, national co-chair for the Harris campaign and former mayor of New Orleans, told CNN’s Pamela Brown in late July.

In the midst of nationwide 2020 protests sparked by George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, Harris voiced support for the “defund the police” movement, which argues for redirecting funds from law enforcement to social services. Throughout that summer, Harris supported the movement and called for demilitarizing police departments.

Democrats largely backed away from calls to defund the police after Republicans attempted to tie the movement to increases in crime during the 2022 midterm elections.

Additional credits

UK riots latest: Thousands take part in anti-racism protests; petrol bomb thrown at mosque in 'racially motivated' incident

Police are on high alert this weekend amid concerns over more disorder breaking out as protests take place across the country. In Northern Ireland, police are investigating a "racially motivated" attack on a mosque.

Saturday 10 August 2024 23:00, UK

Demonstrators during an anti-racism protest organised by Stand Up to Racism, in George Square, Glasgow. Picture date: Saturday August 10, 2024.

Protesters gather outside Reform UK's London office
Liverpool court hears how teenager stole £19,000 of vapes during riots
Petrol bomb thrown at mosque in 'racially motivated' incident
Impact of riots could be felt for years to come, warns justice secretary
Tory councillor's wife remanded in custody over stirring up racial hatred online
Listen: 'Unease and fear' - How Muslim communities feel about the riots
Watch : Bodycam footage of Southport riot
Watch : Pubgoers embrace Muslims 'defending their community'
Analysis: The many reasons the far right stayed off streets
Further reading : The men who've been jailed so far

That's all our coverage on this story for now.

Thousands of anti-racism protesters have descended on cities across the country - outnumbering anti-immigration demonstrators for the fourth day in a row.

Before we go, here's a recap of the main updates from the last 24 hours:

A court in Liverpool has heard how a 16-year-old stole £19,000 worth of vapes during riots in the city centre last week;
A petrol bomb was thrown at a mosque in Northern Ireland in an incident described by police as racially motivated. The mosque in Newtownards, County Down, was attacked at around 1am, with graffiti sprayed on its front door;
Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Tory councillor, has been remanded in custody ahead of a crown court appearance over publishing written material intended to stir up racial hatred;
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned the impact of the riots on the judicial system will be felt for years to come;
The parents of six-year-old Bebe King, who was killed in the Southport stabbings, have paid tribute to their "precious daughter" and revealed her older sister saw the attack and escaped.

Police have been granted enhanced stop and search powers in part of Yeovil tonight.

Avon and Somerset Police said the powers allow officers to search people who they consider "at risk of violence", without reasonable suspicion.

The force said the technique has already resulted in arrests being made this evening.

It comes after it reported a small number of people had gathered in the grounds of a church for a peaceful demonstration.

Four men have been charged following the riots in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough last week.

Cleveland Police said a 24-year-old man had been charged with burglary over the unrest in Middlesbrough last Sunday.

Another 24 year-old was charged with violent disorder and a 27-year-old was charged with assault by beating of an emergency worker.

A 19-year-old was charged with violent disorder in relation to the riots in Hartlepool on 31 July.

All four men have been remanded in custody and are due to appear in court on Monday.

The impact of the riots could be felt for months or years to come, the justice secretary has warned.

Writing a piece for The Observer, Shabana Mahmood said the justice system has shown it can act swiftly, but its work has been made more difficult due to the state it was left in by the Conservatives.

Courts have been working extended hours to deal with rioters who were charged by police during the week-long disorder.

"The justice system has shown it can rise to this challenge. Should further criminality and disorder ensue, we will continue to deliver justice, until the last offender languishes in one of our jails," Ms Mahmood said.

"But we must make no mistake. Rising to this challenge has been made harder by doing so within the justice system we inherited from the Conservatives."

She pointed out that there are "record crown court backlogs" and prisons "close to overflowing".

"The impact of these days of disorder will be felt for months and years to come. They make the job of rebuilding the justice system harder," she added.

The parents of a six-year-old girl who was killed in the Southport stabbings have paid tribute to their "precious daughter" and revealed her older sister saw the attack and escaped.

Bebe King died along with nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, after the stabbings at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in the Merseyside town on 29 July.

The deaths of the three girls sparked anti-immigration protests and riots across UK towns and cities after false information circulated on social media that the attacker was an illegal migrant.

In a statement issued by Merseyside Police, Bebe's parents Lauren and Ben said their daughter "was full of joy, light, and love, and she will always remain in our hearts as the sweet, kind, and spirited girl we adore".

They revealed their nine-year-old older Genie witnessed the attack and managed to escape, saying: "She has shown such incredible strength and courage, and we are so proud of her.

You can read more about this story here ...

Photos of three men have been released by police as they continue to investigate the disorder that broke out in Whitehall last week.

Metropolitan Police said more than 100 arrests were made at the protest on Wednesday 31 July.

However, in the days that followed, a huge amount of footage and other evidence has been reviewed to try to identify outstanding suspects, it added.

It urged people who recognise any of the three men to get in touch or contact Crimestoppers.

Sky News understands Sir Keir Starmer has cancelled his holiday as protests continue to take place across the country.

Thousands of police officers have remained on duty today in case violence flared again.

But, for a fourth day in a row, anti-racism protesters far outnumbered far-right demonstrators in several areas.

A dispersal order has been enforced in Liverpool city centre today and will remain in place for 48 hours.

It also covers parts of Everton, Kensington, Vauxhall and Kirkdale.

Merseyside Police said it had been introduced "following incidents of disorder".

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Chris Taylor said: "This order will give officers on the ground the ability to direct people suspected of being involved in or planning criminality to leave the designated area for a period of 48 hours, and to arrest them if they return."

A Section 60 order, which gives officers enhanced stop and search powers, is already in place in the area.

"Both orders are extra tools at our disposal to help keep the public safe, and highly visible police patrols will enforce them in the next 48 hours," Mr Taylor said.

A total of 779 people have been arrested over rioting, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has said.

Of those, 349 have been charged, it added.

Suspected rioters have continued to appear in court today, including the wife of a Tory councillor who has been accused of publishing written material intended to stir up racial hatred.

Lucy Connolly, 41, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Saturday morning and did not enter a plea.

The NPCC said specialist officers have been tasked with pursuing suspected online offenders and so-called influencers, who they say are responsible for "spreading hate and inciting violence on a large scale".

Across the country, teams have been investigating "hundreds of leads".

"This abhorrent activity didn't happen by itself. Large crowds and gatherings didn't mobilise spontaneously," said Chief Constable Chris Haward, the NPCC lead for serious and organised crime.

"It was the result of dozens of so-called influencers, exploiting the outpouring of grief from the tragic loss of three young girls in Southport.

"They knowingly spread misinformation, stoked the flames of hatred and division and incited violence from the comfort of their own homes, causing chaos on other people's doorsteps."

The leader of Newcastle City Council has said he is "angry" that some residents were made to "feel unsafe" by "right wing agitators".

In a post on Facebook, Councillor Nick Kemp praised police for their work in the city, and urged people to stay "united".

Protests organised by Enough Is Enough have been taking place today, but passed without any violence or disorder breaking out.

"Northumbria Police have done a phenomenal job in preparing for today and their swift actions throughout the entire week have acted as a deterrent," Cllr Kemp said.

"Across the country, we have seen right wing agitators looking to divide our city and sow seeds of hatred. Today, Newcastle showed them what we are about.

"However, I am angry that they have made some of our residents feel unsafe. That their actions have caused doubt among those who call our city home."

You can read his full statement below...

We are here, we are listening, and we are ready to act 🤝 That is the message from our Leader, Cllr Nick Kemp, who says... Posted by Newcastle City Council on  Saturday, August 10, 2024

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How to cite ChatGPT

Use discount code STYLEBLOG15 for 15% off APA Style print products with free shipping in the United States.

We, the APA Style team, are not robots. We can all pass a CAPTCHA test , and we know our roles in a Turing test . And, like so many nonrobot human beings this year, we’ve spent a fair amount of time reading, learning, and thinking about issues related to large language models, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-generated text, and specifically ChatGPT . We’ve also been gathering opinions and feedback about the use and citation of ChatGPT. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and shared ideas, opinions, research, and feedback.

In this post, I discuss situations where students and researchers use ChatGPT to create text and to facilitate their research, not to write the full text of their paper or manuscript. We know instructors have differing opinions about how or even whether students should use ChatGPT, and we’ll be continuing to collect feedback about instructor and student questions. As always, defer to instructor guidelines when writing student papers. For more about guidelines and policies about student and author use of ChatGPT, see the last section of this post.

Quoting or reproducing the text created by ChatGPT in your paper

If you’ve used ChatGPT or other AI tools in your research, describe how you used the tool in your Method section or in a comparable section of your paper. For literature reviews or other types of essays or response or reaction papers, you might describe how you used the tool in your introduction. In your text, provide the prompt you used and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response.

Unfortunately, the results of a ChatGPT “chat” are not retrievable by other readers, and although nonretrievable data or quotations in APA Style papers are usually cited as personal communications , with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating. Quoting ChatGPT’s text from a chat session is therefore more like sharing an algorithm’s output; thus, credit the author of the algorithm with a reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citation.

When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

You may also put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix of your paper or in online supplemental materials, so readers have access to the exact text that was generated. It is particularly important to document the exact text created because ChatGPT will generate a unique response in each chat session, even if given the same prompt. If you create appendices or supplemental materials, remember that each should be called out at least once in the body of your APA Style paper.

When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).

Creating a reference to ChatGPT or other AI models and software

The in-text citations and references above are adapted from the reference template for software in Section 10.10 of the Publication Manual (American Psychological Association, 2020, Chapter 10). Although here we focus on ChatGPT, because these guidelines are based on the software template, they can be adapted to note the use of other large language models (e.g., Bard), algorithms, and similar software.

The reference and in-text citations for ChatGPT are formatted as follows:

Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023)
Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)

Let’s break that reference down and look at the four elements (author, date, title, and source):

Author: The author of the model is OpenAI.

Date: The date is the year of the version you used. Following the template in Section 10.10, you need to include only the year, not the exact date. The version number provides the specific date information a reader might need.

Title: The name of the model is “ChatGPT,” so that serves as the title and is italicized in your reference, as shown in the template. Although OpenAI labels unique iterations (i.e., ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4), they are using “ChatGPT” as the general name of the model, with updates identified with version numbers.

The version number is included after the title in parentheses. The format for the version number in ChatGPT references includes the date because that is how OpenAI is labeling the versions. Different large language models or software might use different version numbering; use the version number in the format the author or publisher provides, which may be a numbering system (e.g., Version 2.0) or other methods.

Bracketed text is used in references for additional descriptions when they are needed to help a reader understand what’s being cited. References for a number of common sources, such as journal articles and books, do not include bracketed descriptions, but things outside of the typical peer-reviewed system often do. In the case of a reference for ChatGPT, provide the descriptor “Large language model” in square brackets. OpenAI describes ChatGPT-4 as a “large multimodal model,” so that description may be provided instead if you are using ChatGPT-4. Later versions and software or models from other companies may need different descriptions, based on how the publishers describe the model. The goal of the bracketed text is to briefly describe the kind of model to your reader.

Source: When the publisher name and the author name are the same, do not repeat the publisher name in the source element of the reference, and move directly to the URL. This is the case for ChatGPT. The URL for ChatGPT is https://chat.openai.com/chat . For other models or products for which you may create a reference, use the URL that links as directly as possible to the source (i.e., the page where you can access the model, not the publisher’s homepage).

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How to cite ChatGPT
We, the APA Style team, are not robots. We can all pass a CAPTCHA test, and we know our roles in a Turing test.And, like so many nonrobot human beings this year, we've spent a fair amount of time reading, learning, and thinking about issues related to large language models, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-generated text, and specifically ChatGPT.