Critical Reading Skills

Critical Reading Skills
Critical Reading Skills

A person with critical reading skills has the ability to evaluate the credibility of a piece of writing. All writers have a purpose when they write, and usually a writer will choose or emphasize facts and details which support his or her purpose, and ignore facts which don’t. As readers make sense of what they read, they use various relationships of ideas to aid recognition and fluency. Critical reading includes the ability to evaluate ideas and synthesize what one reads. They are the ability to see relationships of ideas and use them as an aid in reading. A reader who is constantly looking for new information and inspiration encounters a text with an open mind, but at the same time questions the purpose and content of the text by testing it against his or her previous knowledge and experience. A critical reader is also trying to discover the hidden message in the text and to find out how the information in the text accords with his or her opinions, values and objectives.

Critical reading skills: Self improvement
A self-improving reader with critical reading skills discusses what he or she has read with others and listens to their points of view. They then might find that their interpretations reveal new dimensions to the subject, which broaden their way of thinking about it. This type of reader reflects these ideas when applying the information in new situations. Reading skills can also give people the confidence to investigate new sources of information, such as reading books and material from the Internet that nobody has recommended, and learn about subjects that are not actually taught anywhere. These skills empower readers to forge their own way and to pursue studies determined by their own goals and objectives. They allow readers to use the knowledge they acquire through reading to help themselves and other people.

Critical reading skills: Action
By having critical reading skills, a person can read fluently, smoothly and expressively at speeds approaching regular speech. The active vocabulary of an average person is about 1,000 words (National Reading Panel). Most people can recognize around 5,000 words. Many adults have a strong sense that their vocabulary can be improved. In doing so, it would likely have a positive impact on their reading skills. The secret to reading well is the ability to comprehend and extract the appropriate meaning and relevance of what is being read. Comprehension depends on the complexity of the text, and the sophistication of vocabulary. At LearningRx, we have proven methods that improve reading skills. Call a LearningRx Center near you or check us out at www.learningrx.com.

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