Research indicates that students need to improve their critical thinking skills, but many students miss the opportunity to do so by not reading and analyzing their textbooks closely enough. Often, students believe that textbooks are objective materials full of "facts" that must be memorized, understood, and given back to the instructor, rather than subjective materials based on particular points of view. To combat this problem, a professor at a midwestern university developed a method for increasing critical thinking skills among basic writers by using textbook journals. Students were required to note ideas in the margins of their books as they read, and then write journal entries from the marginalia. A content analysis of their remarks over the course of a semester indicated that paying greater attention to details of what the author said made students more aware of what they disagreed with, did not understand, liked, or disliked about what they read. Some made insightful comments about the slim difference between argumentative and informative essays, or how material in the textbook was presented. Almost all said they felt their critical thinking skills had improved and that they could better defend their own ideas as a result. Textbook journals appear to be a promising strategy, and may be suitable for a writing across the curriculum program. (Samples of student comments are included.) (JC)