
as the opportunity to use language in
powerful ways to get things done in the
world. http://www.curriculum.org/secretariat/files/Nov29CriticalLiteracy.pdf
Questions to Promote CRITICAL LITERACY
Who is the author/producer?
What do you think are the author’s values, attitudes and beliefs?
How do you think the author sees the world?
Who or what may have influenced the author’s world view? Explain.
What is it that they believe in that is different from what we believe in?
What do you interpret to be the author’s intent? Explain.
Who is the target audience? How do you know?
How might different people interpret the message of the text?
When and where was the text crafted? How do you know?
What was going on in the world at the time the text was crafted?
How has the author worded ideas in the text?
How does the wording influence the meaning?
Where is the “agent of action” placed in the sentence (spoken or written)?
For example:
Police Catch Criminal! (places focus on “police” and softens focus on “criminal”)
Criminal Caught By Police! (places focus on “criminal” and softens focus on “police”)
Criminal Caught! (places sole focus on “criminal”)
How do the features of text influence the message?
How does the medium influence the message of the text?
Who published the text?
Who is making money from the text (what are the commercial implications)?
More Questions to Promote CRITICAL LITERACY
♦ Who is the author/producer of this text?
♦ Knowing what we know about who created this text, how do we expect him
or her to treat the subject matter?
♦ Why are we reading or viewing this text?
♦ What do we already know about the text based on what we can see?
♦ What do the images suggest? What do the words suggest?
♦ What kind of language is used in this text? What is its influence on the
message?
♦ What do you interpret to be the author’s intent? Explain.
♦ With whom do you think the author wants us to identify or sympathize?
♦ Who is the target audience? How do you know?
♦ How might different people interpret the message of the text?
♦ How are children, adolescents, or young adults represented in this text? How
are boys or girls represented?
♦ What has been left out of this text that you would like to have seen included?
♦ Is the text fair? Does it treat the subject matter/sides/parties fairly?
♦ Who benefits from this text? Who does not?
♦ What does the reader/viewer need to know ahead of time in order to really
understand this text?
♦ What is real in the text? What is not real? How is reality constructed?
♦ How might the creator of this text view the world? Why do you think that?
Nov29Questions.pdf (application/pdf Object)