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SubjectFree lesson

CRITICAL READING

ClassNotes Team 11 MIN READUPDATED 4 JUL 2026

ENGLISH LANGUAGE JSS2 SECOND TERM

WEEK ONE

THEME: READING

CRITICAL READING

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

    1. Explain the meaning of critical reading

CONTENT

Critical reading means that a reader applies certain processes, models, questions, and theories that result in enhanced clarity and comprehension. There is more involved, both in effort and understanding, in a critical reading than in a mere "skimming" of the text. What is the difference? If a reader "skims" the text, superficial characteristics and information are as far as the reader goes. A critical reading gets at "deep structure" (if there is such a thing apart from the superficial text!), that is, logical consistency, tone, organization, and several other very important sounding terms.

What does it take to be a critical reader? There are a variety of answers available to this question; here are some suggested steps:

  1. Prepare to become part of the writer's audience.

After all, authors design texts for specific audiences, and becoming a member of the target audience makes it easier to get at the author's purpose. Learn about the author, the history of the author and the text, the author's anticipated audience; read introductions and notes.

  1. Prepare to read with an open mind.

Critical readers seek knowledge; they do not "rewrite" a work to suit their personalities. Your task as an enlightened critical reader is to read what is on the page, giving the writer a fair chance to develop ideas and allowing yourself to reflect thoughtfully, objectively, on the text.

  1. Consider the title.

This may seem obvious, but the title may provide clues to the writer's attitude, goals, personal viewpoint, or approach.

  1. Read slowly.

Again, this appears obvious, but it is a factor in a "close reading." By slowing down, you will make more connections within the text.

 

  1. Use the dictionary and other appropriate reference works.

If there is a word in the text that is not clear or difficult to define in context: look it up. Every word is important, and if part of the text is thick with technical terms, it is doubly important to know how the author is using them.

  1. Make notes.

Jot down marginal notes, underline and highlight, write down ideas in a notebook, do whatever works for your taste. Note for yourself the main ideas, the thesis, the author's main points to support the theory. Writing while reading aids your memory in many ways, especially by making a link that is unclear in the text concrete in your writing.

  1. Keep a reading journal

In addition to note-taking, it is often helpful to regularly record your responses and thoughts in a more permanent place that is yours to consult. By developing a habit of reading and writing in conjunction, both skills will improve.

Critical reading involves using logical and rhetorical skills. Identifying the author's thesis is a good place to start, but to grasp how the author intends to support it is a difficult task. More often than not an author will make a claim (most commonly in the form of the thesis) and support it in the body of the text. The support for the author's claim is in the evidence provided to suggest that the author's intended argument is sound, or reasonably acceptable. What ties these two together is a series of logical links that convinces the reader of the coherence of the author's argument: this is the warrant. If the author's premise is not supportable, a critical reading will uncover the lapses in the text that show it to be unsound.

 

THEME: WRITING

LETTER WRITING - INFORMAL

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

  1. Identify the format of an informal letter
  2. Write an informal letter

CONTENT

What is an Informal letter?

An informal letter, also referred to as a friendly letter, is a personal letter written to friends or relatives. It is written in a personal fashion. You can write it to anyone with whom you have a non-professional relationship, although this doesn't exclude business partners or workers whom you're friendly with either.

There are fewer formatting rules for informal letters than there are for business or formal letters. The letter can be used for some reasons like conveying message, news, giving advice, congratulate recipient, request information, asking questions, etc. It is a personal letter, written to whom you are familiar with, like friends, siblings, parents or any other closed one. While writing an informal letter, one can afford to be friendly, and make use of personal or emotional tone.

Format of Informal letter

There is no set format when writing an informal letter. But there is a general pattern, some conventions that people usually follow. We will be looking at this pattern and certain tips on how to write effective and attractive informal letters. These can act as guidelines when you are drafting a letter; they are not hard and fast rules. Let us begin.

 

Address

The first thing to write is your address, i.e. the address of the writer (basically, the sender’s address). We usually write the address on the left-hand side of the page at the very top. The address should be accurate and complete. Even when writing to close friends or relatives the address must be written, so they can reply to the letter with ease. If the recipient of the letter is in another country, do not forget to write your country as well in the address.

Date

Next just below the address we write the date. This allows the reader to have a reference as to when the informal letter was written. He can then relate better to the contents of the letter. The date, preferably, should be in expanded form.

Greeting

Now since you know the person you are writing to, the greeting can be informal as well. If it is a friend or someone close to your age you can greet them by their first name, like “Dear Alex”. If you are writing to your relative like your mother/father/aunt/uncle etc, you may greet them as such, for example, “Dear Mom”. And if you are writing to an elder person, someone you respect greatly you can address them as Mr or Mrs Like say for example you were writing a congratulatory letter to your teacher, it can be addressed as “Dear Mrs Alex”.

Introductory Paragraph

And now we begin writing the actual letter. The introductory paragraph sets the tone for the whole letter. You might begin by asking the recipient about their well being. Or you may say that you hope the letter finds them in good health and great spirits. The opening of informal letters should be casual and comforting. It must not be formal and direct as in business letters.

Body of the Letter

The letter overall should maintain a friendly tone. But you have to adjust the language and the wordings according to who you are writing to. With a friend, you can afford to be very casual and flippant even. But if you are writing to an elder relative, you must be extremely respectful and considerate.

One way to determine the tonality of your letter is to remember how you talk to the person in a conversation. And then apply the same syntax and sentiments to the letter.

Conclusion

In the conclusive paragraph sum up the reason for writing the letter, i.e. summarize the letter. Say a meaningful and affectionate goodbye to the reader. And do not forget to invite the reader to write back or reply to your letter. It shows an intention to keep the conversation going.

Signature

There is no one way to sign off informal letters. Since they do not follow a strict format, you may sign off as you please. Some commonly used phrases are

 

Lots of Love

Best,

Best Wishes,

Kind Regards,

Kindly,

Pick the one that best suits the occasion and then simply sign your name below the greeting.

THEME: SPEECH WORK

ORAL COMPREHENSION

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

  1. Explain ideas from materials provided

THEME: GRAMMATICAL ACCURACY

ADVERBIALS

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

  1. Identify adverbials in given passages
  2. Make sentences with adverbials

CONTENT

In English grammar, an adverbial is an individual word (that is, an adverb), a phrase (an adverbial phrase), or a clause (an adverbial clause) that can modify a verb, an adjective, or a complete sentence.

Like almost any adverb, an adverbial can appear in many different positions in a sentence.

Examples and Observations

  1. My sister usually visits on Sundays.
  2. When she isn't working, my sister visits on Sundays.
  3. My sister visits on Sundays when she isn't working.

The Difference Between Adverbs and Adverbials

"Adverbs and adverbials are similar but not the same. Though they share the same modifying function, their characters are different. An adverbial is a sentence element or functional category. It is a part of a sentence that performs a certain function. An adverb, on the other hand, is a type of word or part of speech. We can say that an adverb may serve as an adverbial, but an adverbial is not necessarily an adverb."

Placement of Adverbials

"In reality, adverbials are very free in their placement, appearing in different positions in the sentence, not just sentence-final:

  1. sentence-initial—[Yesterday], I ran a marathon.
  2. sentence-final—I ran a marathon [yesterday].
  3. preverbal—I [always] run well in the heat.
  4. postverbal—I handed the baton [quickly] to the next runner.
  5. within the verb group—I have [never] won a race.

What are Fronted Adverbials?

Fronted adverbials are single words that are used at the beginning of sentences to give more information about the action in the main clause. They are "fronted" because they have been moved to the front of the sentence, or in front of the verb. They must be followed by a comma.

Examples of Fronted Adverbials:

Fronted adverbials include the following words in bold:

    • Occasionally, she would share her sweets.
    • All of a sudden, he ran away.
    • Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it.

THEME: LITERATURE

MYTHS AND LEGENDS

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

  1. Identify the features of popular myths and legends

CONTENT

Myths and Legends are the traditional stories which hold special significance to a group or culture. They are passed down through the generations by word of mouth.

What is the difference between a Myth and a Legend?

Legends are stories which are thought to be based on true events, which have deep significance to the culture from which they originate.

For instance, the legend of King Arthur. Although many historians agree that he existed as a Romano-British leader between the 5th and 6th century, there are several legends within British folklore which cannot be verified. For instance, that he achieved his royal status by pulling a sword from an anvil.

Myths are stories derived from traditions or legends, which have a deep symbolic meaning and usually involve a lesson which will be helpful to the reader.

One such myth is that of Theseus and the Minotaur. This story includes the fantasy element of a horned monster with the head of a bull and body of a man, and there is no concrete evidence of the protagonist Theseus having existed at all. Despite this, the story is still significant to the study of Ancient Greece and provides a symbolic and thought-provoking narrative for the reader.

Myth and Legend - characteristics

These are called story elements and they include; Characters, plot, setting, theme, events, real-life all ages problems based on real-life events, the setting is every time.

Story Elements

Characterization

Characters are very few Animated, inanimate, or personified gods or humans with super or god-like traits.

The gods or superheroes can take the form of a human, but are immortal with supernatural powers.

Setting

Place is cultural relevant.

Time is past realistic time.

Plot

The plot will most likely include plenty of action, suspense, and basic conflict.

May offer explanations about the beginnings of the world or natural phenomenon.

May also focus on difficult tasks or obstacles to be overcome.

Plot deals with relationships between humans and gods/ superheroes, or gods/ superheroes and gods/ superheroes, the way people accept or fulfil their destiny, and human's struggle with god and evil forces both within themselves and outside themselves. Others plots tell how the world began, how people were made, how seasons change, animals have certain characteristics, how the moon, sun, and earth interact…

A collection or set of myths becomes a Mythology.

A mythology can have a connected plot about an institution, situation, behaviour, or happening that explains power through force or energy in human form. With the force or energy used to control nature, people, or a complex situation. This control is traditionally exercised by gods with godly attributes.

Attributes can be for good or bad: wise, foolish, love, hate, virtuous, evil, …

In a more modern sense, the beings maybe superheroes.

Theme

Explains natural phenomena, origins of life, human behaviour, social phenomena, religious customs, human strengths, weaknesses or lessons for life.

Style

Reflects culture's customs, values, and beliefs.

Reflection of human strengths, frailties,  weaknesses, or imperfections.

Usually includes supernatural beings or events.

Believe the main character can survive all obstacles to achieve a goal.