What strategy is effective for teaching critical reading skills?

Teaching students to annotate texts actively is an effective strategy for developing critical reading skills because it encourages engagement and deepens comprehension. Active annotation involves marking key ideas, questions, and connections while reading. This process enables students to interact with the text, facilitating a better understanding of the material as they make notes and highlight important concepts. It promotes higher-order thinking by urging students to analyze, summarize, and evaluate the information instead of passively consuming it.

This method also supports metacognition, as students reflect on their reading processes and comprehension. By annotating, they develop critical thinking skills as they consider the author's arguments, identify underlying themes, and question the text's assumptions. Ultimately, this technique fosters independent thinkers who can approach texts with curiosity and skepticism, essential components of critical literacy.