Someone oncesaid that everything is a problem. If you win the lottery, you pay higher taxesand become saddled with long-lost relatives looking for gifts. If you areawarded first prize in a poetry contest, some of your colleagues will envy you.If you drive a beautiful car, you will pay higher insurance. Every positive hasa negative. Everything has a flip side.

            Though this may be a ratherpessimistic way of looking at the world, it can help students become criticalreaders, particularly when they are reading nonfiction. In this morning’snewspaper, for example, there are a number of stories that have a flip side:

 The Flip Side

The President declares that the majorfighting in Iraq             Americansoldiers continue to be ambushed.

is over and the Iraqis have beenliberated.                                 Anarchyreigns in the cities.

Mortgagerates for homebuyers are at a thirty-year-low.        Housingprices are at an all-time high.

You can buy a new camcorder with nopayments and             An interest rateof 19.6% is calculated from the

no interest for one year.                                                               Beginningof the loan if you do not pay in full

within the first twelve months.

The mighty Ducks hockey team made itto the

Stanley Cup finals for the first timein franchise history.         They lostthe series in seven games to the

New Jersey Devils.

The U.S. congress passes the PatriotAct, enabling law            Some innocentpeople are held indefinitely against

enforcement to more effectively fightterrorism.                      theirwill.

            Unfortunately,many of my students read at face value only. Teaching them to consider the flipside of what they read allows them to sharpen their ability to dig under the surfaceof text.