Chapter 1: Myth or Reality Subject Area: Life Sciences -- Focus: Introduction to Critical Reading -- Critical Reading Skills: how different reading strategies can be used for different tasks -- what critical reading is (and what it is not) -- why critical reading is an important skill to have -- the key questions you will answer as you read critically -- how critical reading goes beyond reading strategies you already know -- Readings: Reading 1: Igopogo: The Monster of Lake Simcoe (957 words) -- Reading 2: The Call of the Weird: In Praise of Cryptobiologists (893 words) -- Independent Research: Mythical Creatures -- Synthesis and Written Response: The search for mythical creatures is a waste of time and money. Discuss

Chapter 2: What Is the Best Way to Eat? Subject Area: Nutritional Science -- Focus: Academic or Not? -- Critical Reading Skills: how to tell whether or not a text is academic -- how the peer-review process works -- why peer-reviewed texts are preferable for academic study -- why the publication date of a text is important -- Readings: Reading 1: The Caveman Diet (1546 words) -- Reading 2: There's No Reason to Eat Animals (994 words) -- Reading 3: Obesity: A Public Health Failure? (2144 words) -- Independent Research: Popular Diets -- Synthesis and Written Response: Meat is an essential part of a healthy diet. Do you agree or disagree?

Chapter 3: The Values of Sports Subject Area: Sports Studies -- Focus: Author Credentials and Bias -- Critical Reading Skills: why it is important to know something about the author of a text and the people quoted by the author -- what bias is and how to recognize it -- why an author may be biased -- Readings: Reading 1: MMA for Kids: Teaching Violence, or Values? (1634 words) -- Reading 2: Sports Doping Should Be Legal and Controlled (855 words) -- Reading 3: Why the Olympics Are a Lot Like The Hunger Games (1616 words) -- Independent Research: Sports -- Synthesis and Written Response: Sports are more than just winning and losing; issues related to values and ethics also need consideration. Discuss with reference to one sport or sporting event.

Chapter 4: Approaches to the Global Energy Crisis Subject Area: Environmental Science -- Focus: Stance, Audience and Purpose -- Critical Reading Skills: how to identify the author's stance -- how the author's intended audienc influences the text -- why the author's purpose is important -- Readings: Reading 1: Panda Poop Power Promising for Biofuel Production (561 words) -- Reading 2: Living Off-Grid (929 words) -- Reading 3: Adverse Health Effects of Industrial Wind Turbines (1592 words) -- Independent Research: Alternative Sources of Energy -- Synthesis and Written Response: How can we solve the energy crisis? Compare and evaluate two or more possible solutions.

Chapter 5: Leaders and Leadership Subject Areas: Business Studies, Leadership and Management -- Focus: Fact or Opinion? -- Critical Reading Skills: how to distinguish facts from opinions -- Readings: Reading 1: Top Ten Qualities that Make a Great Leader (1628 words) -- Reading 2: Why We Need Quiet, Introverted Leaders (801 words) -- Reading 3: MIA: Women in the Executive Suite (1346 words) -- Independent Research: Influential thinkers in business -- Synthesis and Written Response: What qualities, skills and personal characteristics should successful leaders have?

Chapter 6: Technology in Education Subject Areas: Education, Computer Studies -- Focus: Interpreting Evidence 1: Casual Observation and Empirical Research -- Critical Reading Skills: how to evaluate conclusions drawn from author experience -- how to recognize the steps of the scientific method -- what to consider when reading reports of empirical research -- Readings: Reading 1: Swimming against the Tide of PowerPoint (797 words) -- Reading 2: Students Want More Mobile Devices in Classroom (569 words) -- Reading 3: Facebook as a Formal Instructional Environment (1627 words) -- Independent Research: Applications of technology in education -- Synthesis and Written Response: Technology is a key component of education in the twenty-first century. Discuss.

Chapter 7: Design and Productivity Subject Areas: Interior Design -- Focus: Evidence 2: Other Forms of Support -- Critical Reading Skills: how to identify and evaluate evidence not based on author experience: anecdotes, visual items, statistics and quotations from others -- how authors try to persuade readers using no evidence at all -- how to evaluate these kinds of evidence -- Readings: Reading 1: Ancient Chinese Wisdom for the Modern Workplace (1419 words) -- Reading 2: Sitting Too Long Is Bad for You, but a Treadmill Desk Left Me Cold (894 words) -- Reading 3: Workstation Design for Organizational Productivity (644 words) -- Independent Research: Work and study spaces -- Synthesis and Written Response: There is a strong connection between design of the environment and productivity at work or in school. Discuss

Chapter 8: Inequality, Wealth and Happiness
Subject Areas: Economics, Psychology -- Focus: The Text in Context 1 -- Critical Reading Skills: why it is important to consider the text in its broader context -- what a school of thought is and why it is important to know the schools of thought in your area of study -- how to approach a text that presents an opinion or theory very different from anything else you have read -- Readings: Reading 1: Can Money Buy Happiness? An Examination of Happiness Economics (1428 words) -- Reading 2: Denmark is Considered the Happiest Country. You'll Never Guess Why. (1236 words) -- Reading 3: Is Bhutan the Happiest Place in the World? (1746 words) -- Independent Research: Wealth and Happiness -- Synthesis and Written Response: What is the relationship between the wealth of a country, its economic policies and the happiness of its citizens?

Chapter 9: Social Networks: A Magic Number? Subject Areas: Social Anthropology, Computer Studies -- Focus: The Text in Context 2 -- Critical Reading Skills: why is it important to ask yourself whether the text supports your own experiences -- why it can be difficult to do this -- Readings: Reading 1: The Magic Number (1976 words) -- Reading 2: Is Dunbar's Friend-Limiting Number Still Relevant in the Facebook Era? (958 words) -- Reading 3: Social Networks: A Learning Tool for Teams? (916 words) -- Independent Research: Social Networks -- Synthesis and Written Response: What is the value of social networks?

Chapter 10: Looking at the Stars Subject Areas: Astronomy -- Focus: Bringing It All Together: Writing a Critical Review -- Critical Reading Skills: the key components of a critical review -- how a critical review is different from a research essay -- how to structure a critical review -- Readings: Reading 1: Why It's Important to Look at the Stars - Literally (1574 words) -- Reading 2: Does Mars Have Rights? (1179 words) -- Synthesis and Written Response: Critical review

"Critical Reading provides a systematic introduction to the process of analyzing and evaluating a written text. Students develop critical reading skills through the analysis of texts taken from authentic sources (journals, newspapers, magazines and websites) and a variety of academic disciplines. Students are encouraged to develop their comprehension and vocabulary skills, while at the same time forming a reasoned assessment of the effectiveness and validity of the text. There are opportunities for the further research, as well as writing tasks designed to allow students to synthesize the materials they have read and reach an individual conclusion." (Book Cover)