Critical Reading Under The Guidance Of High School English Reading Instruction

In the age of information, when there are different ways to gain information, it is most important to assess the reliability of certain information. People are required to use critical thinking to analyze the idea and supporting facts of a text and furthermore to judge them. Senior high school students , whose world views are gradually forming, are more likely to be influenced by the texts they read. Therefore, they should be taught the method of critical reading.The thesis also analyzes the present English classes and presents the existing problems, especially the stereotyped teaching model which baffles the learners' thinking. The thesis , by deciphering English Curriculum Standards(2003), points out that critical reading meets the requirements of the new curriculum, and facilitates the development of critical thinking. The thesis elaborates from the perspective of theory that reading is a process of criticism and that critical reading , based on the constructivist learning theory and critical discourse analysis, should be an important part in the teaching design. Furthermore, the thesis proposes that the teaching design should centre on a topic and use the training of thinking as the guideline to stimulate the learners' critical thinking under the guidance of well-designed questions. In the critical reading class, learners , whose cognitive schemata are already stimulated in advance, are required to criticize in the perspective of a critic the argument, layout and wording of the reading material, analyze the facts and ideas , draw appropriate inferences and reveal the writing purpose. In this way, the students are able to construct their personal meanings. Critical reading can help the students better understand the text and expand their thinking deeply and broadly.