1. Know where the text is coming from
- Who is the author?
- When was the article written (general timeframe)?
2. Get the story straight
- Who are the actors in the stories told?
- What are they doing / What are the various roles played in these stories?
- How do the actors or roles relate to one another?
- What are the implications of these interactions?
3. Get the argument straight
- What is the author arguing in the text (in my own words)?
- What do I think of this argument?
- Can I articulate a critique of it?
- What questions remain unanswered for me?
- What do I think of how the argument is articulated?
- What theoretical concepts does the author leverage?
- To what ends?
4. Figure out what you’re supposed to take away
- Why was this reading assigned?
- What am I (supposed / expected) to take away from it?
5. Put articles in conversation with each other
- How do the [X] papers’ arguments differ?
- How do they extend on each other? Contradict each other?
