Primary Sources

• firsthand records, events, theories, opinions, or actions
• may not always be accurate

Facts

• information based on real, provable events, or situations

Opinions

• beliefs based on personal judgements rather than indisputable facts

Biases

• opinions or beliefs that affect a person's ability to make fair, unclouded judgements or decisions

Stereotypes

• oversimplified opinions that do not account for individual differences, about an entire group of people or things

Critical Reading

• a reading style in which the reader carefully analyzes the text, judging its credibility and the author's intentions rather than accepting the material as fact

Author's Purpose

• the author's main reason for writing a particular piece

Narrative (forms of text)

• tells a story or relates a chain of events

Expository (forms of text)

• explains a subject

Technical (forms of text)

• passes along precise information
• usually in formal or semiformal style

Persuasive (forms of text)

• tries to get the reader to agree with the author

Topic

• the general subject matter covered by the work

Main Idea

• the work's specific message
• the reason the text is written

Supporting Details

• explains the main idea

Themes

• subjects that a written work frequently touches on
• ideas or concepts that the book comes back to again and again

Topic Sentences

• express the main point of a paragraph or of a larger text
• appears early in the structure
• usually in the begin of a text
• usually makes a statement that the remaining sentences will explain

Summary Sentences

• usually appears at the end of a paragraph, chapter, section, or document
• conclusions based on topic
• provides closure to a text