Critical Reading: English for Academic Purposes

Critical Reading provides a systematic introduction to the process of analyzing and evaluating a written text. Students develop critical reading skills through analysis of texts from authentic sources (journals, newspapers, magazines, and websites) and a variety of academic dsiciplines. They are encouraged to develop their comprehension and vocabulary skills, while forming a reasoned assessment of the effectiveness and validity of a text.

Highlights

• The text goes beyond the standard "reading comprehension plus vocabulary" approach.
• Includes opportunities for further research, as well as writing tasks designed to allow students to synthesize the materials they have read and reach an individual conclusion.
• Each chapter introduces a fundamental skill for developing critical awareness, including:
  • considering place and date of publication;
  • identifying author bias and purpose;
  • distinguishing between fact and opinion;
  • gauging scope of research;
  • evaluating evidence;
  • comparing the author's argument to other points of view; and
  • ultimately, evaluating the strength and validity of an argument with the goal of writing a critical review of the article.
• Teachers can access My eLab documents for support materials including answer keys and tests.