Critical Reading
​What does it mean to be a critical reader?

Successful learners are those who learn from the text by reading critically. Critical readers not only read for general understanding but also read to . . .
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Analyze
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Synthesize
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Integrate
Critical readers connect this information with what they read in other texts, with what they hear in leture, and with what they already know, often through a writitng task. These connections are what build a reader's understanding.
Understanding discourse markers, or literacy cues, will help your learners become a critical reader. Once they have learned these cues or markers, they will be able to see the purpose of a text, understand the text's organization, and identify the author's flow of ideas.
These five organizational patterns or strategies help learners organize their ideas and new information, analyze a text's argument or main idea, outline the supporting details and information, and synthesize ideas from other texts and lectures.
​The originality steps and checklists can be used to help your learners write summaries and paraphrases by using their "own" words. Many times they are told to "use their own words" or be original. However, rarely are they given the practice and tools to succeed. ​