Critical Reading #4

Critical Reading #4 is due 4/14 @ 11:59 PM. A student example is attached for your convenience. This should be written in 12 point font, Times New Roman, double space, and be a minimum of 3 pages. 

You will need to read two differing articles that talk about the same issue but from different view points. You will need to annotate and summarize both articles, identify the main purpose of both articles, and then take a side/arguement for your personal connection/college connection. Be sure to back up your arguement with the facts, data, examples from the articles and your personal experiences. This should be written in an essay form. 

Annotations

Read both articles and annotate them using Microsoft OneNote. They should be under our class notebook and Critical Reading 3. Please do more than just highlight. I want to see annotations and your thought process behind your reading.

Annotations are a way of marking up your reading such that the key points and pieces of information are made apparent. Your annotations will consist of a set of symbols that you use throughout the reading to draw attention to different types of information (definitions, explanations, examples, etc.). The important thing to keep in mind is that the symbols you choose should be consistent throughout the reading so that those symbols become intuitive and meaningful. The second component to your annotations is margin notes. Margin notes allow you to briefly summarize lists of information or pieces of related information in the margins of the reading for quick reference.

Main Purpose Statement

Identify the main purpose statement for each article.

The main purpose statement should consist of 2-4 sentences that explains the big picture idea of the reading. It is helpful to think of the main purpose statement as the thesis statement of the reading where you introduce the main idea of the reading and briefly mention the supporting points or topics that you will use to illustrate that main idea.

Summary Section

Write a summary of each article.

The summary section should highlight the supporting points and key topics within a reading. In essence, the summary “tells the story” of the reading in a more condensed manner. Someone reading your summary section should be able to get the gist of the reading solely from your summary section alone. There may be times throughout the summary where you draw on specific examples or details from the reading, but the goal of your summary is to focus on explaining the key ideas.

Personal Connections

For the personal connection, try to think outside of the box and draw on your experiences, thoughts or preconceptions to make a link to a topic in the reading. This component of your assignment should be at least 4-5 sentences long and should establish the connection and explain the reasoning behind that connection. For example, if a reading talks about the steps of the scientific method (observations, hypothesis formation, testing, analysis) you could discuss a problem you encountered like a dead battery in your car and explain how you could use the steps of the scientific method to figure out what was wrong. You would want to walk through each step given your personal scenario. This illustrates that you are not only reading about the material and understanding it but that you can also use what you’ve learned in a different context.

College Connection

For the College connection, you will need to form a link between a concept or topic from the reading to a topic from another class you are taking. For example, you could relate a reading about the scientific method to another class, such as psychology and how psychologists use it. This gives you the opportunity to connect different classes together and see how there are connections all across greater education. Be sure to include the title of the course you want to discuss. This component of your assignment should be at least 4-5 sentences long and should establish the connection and explain the reasoning behind that connection.