In Katherine Anne Ackley’s book, “Perspectives on Contemporary Issues: Seventh Edition”, chapter one instructed the reader how to read critically. Reading critically is defined as the process of making a rhetorical analysis, or examination, of a piece of work. First, a reader must read a piece of work to understand it, then they must be able to assess, or criticize, it. To do so, the reader should examine the author’s position, and the evidence provided to support that position. They should also be able to discern between logical and illogical pieces of evidence. Reading critically can be used to write summaries, critiques, arguments, synthesis’, and research papers. Ackley provided nine questions for readers to simplify the critical reading
process. “What does the title tell you?” The title can potentially reveal the subject, indicate the author’s position, and reflect the author’s tone, or opinion on the subject. “What do you know about the author?” Knowledge of what the author has done and is like, can give the reader an idea of their credibility and authority. “What is the author’s purpose?” There are three main types of writing: persuasive,expository, and expressive. Persuasive is used to persuade the reader to agree with the author, expository is used to inform the reader about a topic, and expressive is used to express the author’s attitude toward a subject. Knowing the author’s purpose allows the reader to effectively analyze the work. The other questions are self-explanatory: “What is the thesis/main idea?” “What are the key ideas and supporting evidence/details?” “What notes can you make as you read?” “Can you summarize in your own words?” “How would you evaluate what you have read?” Ackley gave multiple examples of how to follow the guidelines given above and also provided ways to critically read other forms of publications such as newspapers, blogs, and advertisements. However, the methods used for different types of works did not stray far from the original procedural questions. Chapter one of “Perspectives on Contemporary Issues” supplied a simple set of questions to enable readers to analyze many different kinds of works critically.
He too quickly dismisses the idea of reading on your own to find meaning and think critically about a book. For him, Graff states that “It was through exposure to such critical reading and discussion over a period of time that I came to catch the literary bug.” (26) While this may have worked for Graff, not all students will “experience a personal reaction” (27) through the use of critical discussion.
Almost everyone’s heard of her, there have been numerous books written about her, several thousand letters accounted for that she wrote. She was also the wife of the second president and the mother to the sixth American president, who was this woman? She was Abigail Adams. Abigail Adams life didn’t acquire meaning solely from knowing and being around these two great men however, Adams was eminently worth knowing as an individual herself. Throughout the ages, women have always been involved in war but Abigail Adams brought a new concept to women and war with her involvement in the early colonial years and the American Revolution. Abigail Adams did many things in her lifetime but the questions I will be attempting to answer is how exactly did she impact the Revolutionary War and change the social roles of women in such a male dominated society.
According to Katherine, “A creative person has to create. It doesn’t really matter what they create. If such a dance wanted to go out and build the cactus gardens where he could, in Mexico, let him do that, but something that is creative has to go on. (Katherine, Dunham, Dancing a life, 2002)”. It has been said that an idol is someone whom everyone looks up to because of the great things they accomplished throughout their life span. Acknowledged as an African American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, civil activist and writer. Katherine Dunham, not only normally known for the generous acts of kindness but also for the huge impact she had in incorporating different dance styles and creating them into her very own ballet pieces. An influential woman who supported African American culture and believed there shouldn’t be any divisions between people. Not completely another mother of modern dance but a women who greatly influenced modern dance to enhance it in many ways. Katherine is and was famous for her anthropology movement in the world of dance, her creativity and dedication.
Abigail Adams: A Revolutionary American Woman. Abigail Adams married a man destined to be a major leader of the American Revolution and the second President of the United States. Although she married and raised men that became such significant figures during their time, she herself played an important role in the American society. The events that happened in her life, starting from childhood and ending in her adult years, led her to be a revolutionary woman. Three main reasons behind her becoming such a strong, independent woman was the fact that she married a man who had an important role in politics, growing up with no education, and raising a family basically by herself.
Cokie Roberts’ Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation examines women's role in the establishment and development of the United States of America. Throughout the book, Roberts attempts to prove that women have natural characteristics in which they use to their advantage to build a foundation for the future of all women. She examines the lives of some of the most important women in U.S. history, such as Abigail Smith Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Sarah Livingston Jay, Martha Washington and Mary White Morris. Roberts researched all of the women who “had the ears of the Founding Fathers,”. She believes that since these women lived in such a strange and wonderful time period that they must have strange and wonderful stories to tell. The book
"Any critical reading of a text will be strengthened by a knowledge of how a text is valued by readers in differing contexts."
Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing written by; Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Eighth Edition, published April, 2007 by Bedford/St. Martin’s, is a textbook about writing and critical thinking. In the first chapter of Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing, “Thinking Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths”, the Authors begin by setting a relatable scene of what it’s like for a college student. How a new found independence can be overwhelming, especially with regards to critical thinking, showing that what we have learned, needs to be re-evaluated and that an open mind in essential. "What Is Critical Thinking" In this section of the chapter the editors explain what it means to be a critical thinker. They explain that critical thinking is not just studying dates and facts, but rather taking those facts and examining them. The editors then proceed by explaining how having an open mind, and taking others' perspectives into account when formulating our own opinions on what the author is trying to say to us is important. A critical thinker takes all aspects into account and reflects on personal experience as well. The editors also point out that different cultural experiences bring different opinions. They suggest that we need to become active learners, continuously questioning the meaning behind everything, testing not only the theories of others but also our own experiences and analyzing the text rather than going for the obvious. They show that thinking outside the box is the epitome of critical thinking. Basically, we need to step outside our comfort zones and what we have always been taught. The editors also suggest that we need to re-evaluate our per...
“The Ethics of Close Reading: Close Encounters” is an article written by Jane Gallop for the 2000 Journal of Curriculum. It discusses the topic of close reading itself, the social impact of the concept, the ethical aspect of reading, and the various ways close reading can be applied to daily life. The term “close reading” is used in the article more than fifty-one times, and defined on twelve separate occasions, generally being defined as, “looking at what is actually on the page, reading the text itself, rather than some idea “behind the text.” It means noticing things in the writing, things in the writing that stand out” (Gallop p.7).
“As a profoundly deaf woman, my experiences have shown me that the impossible is indeed possible.”- Heather Whitestone. It was this attitude that led Heather Whitestone to be crowned Miss America, despite her deafness. Whitestone has inspired and gained the respect of not only the deaf community, but also the hearing community. Her loss of hearing has not stopped her from achieving her goals and dreams.
Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Routledge, 2006. 135-167. Print.
“Critical literacy demands that the reader deliberately assume a stance that takes other view points into account”
Incorporating a critical literacy perspective into the foreign language classroom may seem daunting at first, but it is not impossible. As Barbara Comber argues, curriculum that focuses on “critical social action and textual production is often reserved for adult or workplace domains" (453), however, incorporating this perspective into the classroom can help “connect them with community members about matters of immediate significance" (453). The practices of critical literacy can allow the students to think outside the box, develop both as individuals and collectively, “claim value in their experiences and critique mainstream ideals that marginalize them and their families" (Jones 60).
Parker, Robert Dale. Critical Theory: A Reader for Literary and Cultural Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012 . Print.
According to the University of Leicester, critical writing is defined as: the clear and confident refusal to accept the conclusions of other writers without evaluating the arguments and evidence that they provide, the clear presentation of own evidence and argument, leading to your own conclusion, and the recognition of the limitations in your own evidence, argument, and conclusion. Basically all this is used to say that when writing and thinking critically the reader has to “think against the grain,” and challenge the idea that the author is trying to push in their piece of writing. Typical critical thinking is then formatted into essays or strictly academic methods of communication, however with advances in technology and the introduction of other popular methods of communication, there are now other unconventional places where examples of critical writing may be seen. With the introduction and heavy use of the internet, the world was able to share information, words, and ideas so easily that the way people communicated in a split second manner pushed people to use short hand. As this trend picked up popularity and more people began using slang
Whilst critical literacy skills are absolutely necessary in a holistic approach to learning in the 21st Century (MCEETYA, 2008), and considering the current global shift in seemingly focusing on the betterment of the immediate society rather than a global society, it would seem more prudent to encourage students into critically assessing the text presented to them. However, as this shift also suggests, a rapid progression for a more united, global society, and by extension a more intense modification of literacy education, and the education establishment itself, may require much more time, discretion and subtlety than a drastic shift of the traditional model (Bolstad et al., 2012). A more socially and politically charged approach to literacy learning may also deter from the practical skills and mere enjoyment of students learning literacy. The whole language model allows for students to choose subjects and ideas that interest them (Rose, 2016), without purposefully pushing the agenda of critical thinking. As it is a set of beliefs rather than a set method of teaching, there is also no specific way to apply the whole language model to a classroom debated (Seely Flint et al., 2014), thus critical analysis of text may still be touched on. For example, a lesson may entail reading an illustrated storybook, and students may be asked to write or say what they had gleaned from the story and how the images helped with the narration of the story. The lesson allows for an analysis of the story and a deeper reflection of the author’s intention without eliminating an appreciation of the story. As understanding language is central to the learning and development of students (ACARA, n.d.), the ability to enjoy learning literacy so as to engage and entice students’ interest in English is paramount in a 21st