Critical readers are active readers who maintain a comprehensive understanding of the material.
This includes the ability to:

• Identify material as fact, opinion, or argument.
• Identify main topic or thesis.
• Describe the types of evidence used in the construction of the argument.

Fact:  A statement that can be proven or disproven/The Eifel Tower is located in Paris, France. Opinion:  A statement of personal preference        /I like chocolate chip cookies.
Argument: A statement containing a non-religious belief that is neither decidedly true nor false, but can be reasonably opposed, and proven or disproven through strategic organization of appeals and evidence.
Reading to babies is the best predictor of academic success.
Thesis: Main argument or claim around which the entire work is built.

Evidence: Includes any combination of the following:
–Facts & Statistics
–Expert Testimony
–Anecdotes
–Observations/Descriptions of the Situation