Apprenticing Critical Thinking

Through Reading CirclesPresented by

Jennifer Britton

11/05/2012

Important TerminologyLesson: ______________________________

Page #(s) where the word appears

Copy the sentence in which the word/term appears. Meaning of word/term and Its importance to the text

Paraphrase

Lesson: ____________________________

Sentence to Paragraph (Copy the original Sentence followed by the page number).

My Paraphrase Revised Paraphrase Based upon Group Discussion

Clarification: Lesson: ____________________________________

Sentence/Paragraph Needing Clarification. See the note below.

Explain why you chose this sentence/passage as needing clarification during your circle’s discussion time.

Write down the clarification that the group discussion provided.

Note: Copy the first three words of the sentence or passage, then the last three words followed by the page number. To show that you are omitting some of the words, use “. . .” between the first and last three words of the sentence. If you are referring to a passage of more than one sentence, then you should use four periods between the first and last three words of the passage: “. . . .”

“There are three . . . other than demonstration.” (p. 141) “Emotions are those . . . . the way mentioned.” (p. 141)

Assumptions

Lesson: ___________________________

List any assumptions that you think the author holds and explain what in the text signals these assumptions: what is the author taking for granted that might be questioned?

Are these assumptions valid or invalid? Do these assumptions affect the writer’s ability to communicate clearly? Why or why not? Do these assumptions indicate bias? If so, what is the bias for or against?

Exam

ine thewriter's

assumptions

Implications

Lesson: ___________________________

Implications: List implications that flow from the author’s statements. See the note below.

What consequences are likely to follow if the author’s thinking is carried out? ORWhat consequences are likely to follow if the author’s thinking is ignored?

Note: To indicate which sentence or sentences you are referring to, copy the first three words of the sentence or passage, then the last three words followed by the page number. To show that you are omitting some of the words, use “. . .” between the first and last three words of the sentence. If you are referring to a passage of more than one sentence, then you should use four periods between the first and last three words of the passage: “. . . .”

“There are three . . . other than demonstration.” (p. 141) “Emotions are those . . . . the way mentioned.” (p. 141)

Summarize: Purpose, Key Question, Key Points

Lesson: ______________________________

Purpose, question, Main Idea, SupportIn this column, write a paragraph that summarizes the reading. In your summary, you should state the purpose, the key question, and the key points/events of the reading assignment.

The main purpose of this article is______________________________________________________________________.

The key question that the author addresses is ____________________________________________________________________.

The main idea (paraphrased) of the article is________________________________________________________________________

The most important information (facts, experiences, data) the author uses to support his main idea is

___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________

Allusion ExplicatorLesson: Orpheus.Eurydice.Hermes by Rilke

List any allusions that the author uses: copy the sentence or sentences where the allusions occur.

Explain the allusion, and then what that allusion has to do with the meaning of the text.

SEE-I: State, Elaborate, Exemplify, and Illustrate

Responding to “A New Social Agenda” by David Brooks, NYTimes , January 5, 2012 Directions: David Brooks makes several inferences in the form of “if you believe [X], then you should/must do [Y].” Choose one of these inferences from the list below, and write a 250- to 300-word paragraph explaining why you agree or disagree with his thinking. Use the SEE-I outline below to help plan your paragraph.

If you believe in the dignity of labor, it makes sense to support an infrastructure program that allows more people to practice the habits of industry. If you believe in personal responsibility, you have to force Americans to receive only as much government as they are willing to pay for. If you believe in the centrality of family, you have to have a government that both encourages marriage and also supplies wage subsidies to men to

make them marriageable. If you believe social trust is the precondition for a healthy society, you have to have a simplified tax code that inspires trust instead of degrading it. If you believe that firm attachments and stable relationships build human capital, you had better offer early education for children in disorganized

neighborhoods. If you want capitalists thinking for the long term and getting the most out of their workers, you have to encourage companies to be more deeply

rooted in local communities rather than just free-floating instruments of capital markets.

I. State: I agree/disagree with David Brooks’s claim that

II. Elaborate: Why do I agree or disagree with this claim? What are the underlying assumptions in this claim? Are the assumptions valid or invalid?

III. Exemplify: What are some implications of his claim that support my agreement or disagreement?

IV: Illustrate: What can I compare Brooks’s claim to?