Critical Thinking and Literature

The aim of Critical Thinking and Literature: Resources is to help students think critically about and analyze different kinds of writing. They can then arrive at their own understanding about the meaning of a reading selection. Students learn how to organize their thoughts and analysis so that they can write about their understanding of each reading selection. Critical Thinking and Literature: Resources a book of literature selections from short stories, folklore, documents, newspaper columns, poetry, etc. The workbook is self-contained. All the readings are included in the workbook. Students complete most of the comprehension exercises and short written assignments in the workbook too. Critical Thinking and Literature: Resources is designed for readers in or above the middle school level. If you review the selections, you can easily see which can be used with lower level students, e.g., the Red Riding Hood selections while the comparison using Shelley's "Ozymandias" is probably more suited for more mature readers. Students use various reading selections as the foundation for analyzing and thinking about the content, meaning, and theme. Graphics thinking organizers are the main vehicle that students use to help themselves: -analyze the meaning of each selection they read; -organize their thoughts in preparation for writing. The organizers cover such thinking or analytical areas as: comparison and contrast, classification, sorting, cause and effect, sequencing, etc. There are extensive guidance and tips on how to fill out a graphic thinking organizer when each is first introduced. After applying an organizer to a particular selection, students write their analysis, based on the reading selection and their completed thinking organizer. The section of the book entitled COURSE INTRODUCTION gives details about the relationship among reading, meaning and writing. The analysis using the graphics thinking organizers in Critical Thinking and Literature: Resources as well as the preparation exercises, called mini-exercises. A companion volume "Snipp snapp snute, så er eventyret ute" - Folklore Reader and Critical Thinking Workbook has additional critical thinking materials and different reading selections. Readers who use Critical Thinking and Literature: Resources should have more options for analyzing and writing about other texts and literary selections they meet. They will probably be able to transfer much of the critical thinking "techniques" used in Critical Thinking and Literature: Resources to other curriculum areas.