Lesson #3

Critical Reading and

Analysis

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 Writer’s Prompt:
Think in detail. Think about the little
things. Write a paragraph summarizing
your experience as you rode the bus to
Lindenwood today. What did you do?
What did you say? What did you see?
What did you read? What did you think
about?

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 Assignment
• Buy or download 1984 by George Orwell
– http://www.george-orwell.org/1984/0.html
– Read Chapter 1 and 2 – due by August 28, 2009
• Read, Reason, Write –
– Chapter 2 – pages 33-47
– Examining the context of a source
– Analyzing the style used by the author
• Page 45 “Remote Control” by Dave Barry
– Do #1 and #2 questions under Reflection and Writing

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 Ellen Goodman
• Ellen Goodman is a
Pulitzer prize winning
columnist, author,
speaker, and
commentator who refuses
to call herself a pundit.
Ellen has long been a
chronicler of social change
in America, especially the
women’s movement and
its effects on our public
and private lives.

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 In Praise of a Snail’s Pace
Ellen Goodman
Questions for Reading and Reasoning
2.What is Goodman’s main idea, or
thesis?
3.What examples illustrate the problem
the author sees in our times? What
evidence does Goodman present to
suggest that people want to change the
times?

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 In Praise of a Snail’s Pace
Ellen Goodman
Questions for Reflecting and Writing
2.Goodman quotes Stone’s description of
our times as one of “continuous partial
attention.” Do you agree? Why or why
not? Is this a problem? Why or why
not?
3.For what kind of research would
Goodman’s essay be valuable?

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 Four Responses to
Literature

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 The Four Responses to
Literature
1. The Response to Content
2. The Analytical Response
3. The Evaluation Response
4. The Research Response

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1. The Response to Content
• What does it say?
• How could it be summarized?
– The ability to summarize and
paraphrase material involves both
reading and writing skills
– It is an excellent skill for your academic
career

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 2. The Analytical Response
• How is it written?
– Word Choice
– Sentence Structure
– Use of figurative language – metaphor
and simile
• How does it compare with another
work?

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 3. The Evaluation Response
• Is it logical?
• Is it Adequately Developed?
• Does it Achieve its purpose?
– What is the writer’s purpose?
– What is the context in which the piece is
written?

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 4. The Research Response
• How Does it Help Me to Understand
Other Works, Ideas or Events?
– Use the piece of literature to learn more
about a larger event
• Read diaries of holocaust survivors to
understand the Jewish experience in WWII
• Read a slave’s account of daily life to
understand issues surrounding the Civil War

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 Gettysburg

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 The Gettysburg Address

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 Group Response
• Content
– How could it be summarized?
• Analytical
– How is it written? How does it compare with
another work?
• Evaluation
– Does it achieve its purpose? Is it logical?
• Research
– How does it help me understand other
events or larger ideas?

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