Economics instructors who wish to improve their students’ critical reading and writing skills need to emphasize general techniques: note-taking, annotating important ideas in the text, putting question marks next to those claims that require clarification or additional information, finding definitions to explain unfamiliar terminology, asking questions about the content, identifying the main ideas and rephrasing them in their own words, etc. In addition, reading and writing in economics requires discipline-specific techniques. This is because economics relies heavily on both deductive and inductive reasoning, economic models supported by empirical evidence, testable hypotheses, and the evaluation of assumptions. This essay explains why critical reading and critical writing are fundamental to studying economics, what elements of critical reading and writing are specific to this discipline, and how these elements are related to Hansen’s learning proficiencies. Hansen’s proficiencies ultimately shape educators’ expectations of the knowledge and skills economics majors need to succeed in the workplace after graduation. We discuss nine interrelated elements of critical reading in economics: 1)Identifying and considering the question a text addresses; 2)Selecting and evaluating reading materials; 3) Using graphical tools; 4) Evaluating strengths and weaknesses of economic arguments; 5) Understanding the relationship between theory and real-life phenomena; 6) Analyzing data; 7) Understanding differing viewpoints and taking sides in economic arguments; 8) Recognizing the limitations of economic analysis; and 9)Using writing as an extension of critical reading. We show how these critical reading elements can be mapped onto Hansen’s proficiencies. Although we mostly focus on how to advance critical reading skills in introductory courses, we also provide a complete framework of developing critical reading and writing skills up through intermediate and capstone research courses in economics. Using specific pedagogical examples, we demonstrate how to develop critical reading and writing skills to make students more “economics literate,” and thus more proficient in economic principles, economic theory, and economic policy-making.