Critical Reading

Another approach to gauge content and focus is to adapt the techniques of a précis, both for content reading and for your research. College students use précis summary/response in several classes, especially history, social studies, and the sciences. This form of structured reading helps to evaluate content from a neutral perspective. It can give you distance to edit your own work and insight to give feedback to others with neutrality. Critical reading does not equal criticism that rips the content to shreds. Think of it as a structured reading log.

Developing précis skills also helps to focus any research examples in your articles without taking up extra word space.

First Summarize

Begin like any other reading. Read thoroughly. Annotate ideas, questions, and essential thoughts. Look up unfamiliar words. Be sure to grasp the main theme of the selection.

The purpose is to give a brief, original summary of a long selection, i.e. a chapter or essay review. The aim is to give a condensed version of the original selection including the author’s pov without adding any commentary of your own. Regardless of your emotional reaction and opinion either as a topic or in presentation.

Cut to the primary information. For example your initial notes or summary might look like this.

Content material: “because it was generally believed that the truth would come to light, the committee paid no attention to the criticisms so unjustly hurled upon them.”

Your summary: “The committee ignored the criticisms.”

Next Detail Response

Guidelines:

1. Look for the essential facts or dominating idea of the passage.

2. Begin your opening statement by expressing what the passage tends to say or show.

3. Enlarge on the essentials with as few sentences as possible. Avoid adjectives.

4. Summarize only what the author says; do not add your own opinions.

5. Try to use only your own words. If you must include the author’s then put as quotes.

6. Reread and ask yourself: would a person who has not read the original understand what was said based on your précis?

Also be careful not to leave too much out for the sake of clarity.

For example: “A young man, seeking to avenge the murder of his father by his uncle, kills his uncle, but he himself and others die in the process.” Do you recognize this famous play based on this summary? In what ways is it too obscure?

The response is written in a freewrite style but with more critical thinking. Go beyond a reaction level to the piece. As you ask the questions during the summary stage now think of what your opinion is to those answers. For example, “What are the implications of the author’s pov?” “Did the author effectively accomplish their purpose?” “Did you learn anything?”

Keep a précis to about a half-page. Examine your feedback. Does it meet the requirements of your purpose? What’s good or what’s missing?

Action Steps:

1. Ask for précis feedback from a trusted reader or another writer.

2. Then examine their summary and note if your intended objectives are recognized clearly.

3. Write a few précis summaries for a few of your own research sources. Do they help clarify the examples you want to use to support your presentation?

Share: Did you find this style of reading helpful or too structured for you personally? Why?

Read deep, marcy

On Saturday I’ll repost the whole self-feedback outline as a general form to revise and refresh from whichever angle you consider to be the most efficient for your style.