
Stage 2: Encounter and Engagement (What Do I See?)
Once you begin to examine a text, the first step is to figure out exactly what you are being shown. This establishes the foundation for then examining and analyzing the text in greater detail.

Critical thinking moves
- Attention: to examine a text closely and carefully
- Noticing: to identify which specific elements most catch your attention
Once you’ve itemized a text’s major elements, the next step is to begin organizing them to reflect your particular sense of what you’re being shown.

Critical thinking moves
- Characterization: to describe in your own words what a text’s elements show or say