1. Close Reading Develop an understanding of a text based on
1. the words themselves
the larger idea the words suggest

2. Writing about Close Reading
It’s different than reading closely…..
Start with larger meaning you’ve discovered
THEN
Use the small details (the language itself) to support your interpretations

3. Style
Tone
Sentence Structure
Vocabulary

4. See what I mean in this example.

5. And there, at last, I got my ticket to the disaster.
I could see not just into the pit now, but also its access ramp, which trucks had been traveling up and down since I had arrived that morning. Gathered along the ramp were firefighters in their black helmets and black coats. Slowly they lined up, and it became clear that this was an honor guard, and that someone's remains were being carried up the ramp toward the open door of an ambulance.
Everyone in the dining room stopped eating. Several people stood up, whether out of respect or to see better, I don't know. For a moment, everything paused.
Then the day flowed back into itself. Soon I was outside once more, joining the tide of people washing around the site. Later, as I huddled with a little crowd on the viewing platform, watching people scrawl their names or write ''God Bless America'' on the plywood walls, it occurred to me that a form of repopulation was taking effect, with so many visitors to this place, thousands of visitors, all of us coming to see the wide emptiness where so many were lost. And by the act of our visiting -- whether we are motivated by curiosity or horror or reverence or grief, or by something confusing that combines them all --that space fills up again

6. Now…
Read the following questions, and then read it again looking for the answers.

7. Questions on Paragraph
Why is the first paragraph one sentence?
In that paragraph, why does Berne call the empty space “the disaster”?
Why does the third sentence begin with “Gathered” rather than “Firefighters”?
What examples of figurative language appear in the fourth paragraph?
Does the word huddled in the fourth paragraph remind you of anything else you’ve read?
What is the effect of the dashes in the final sentence?

8. And there, at last, I got my ticket to the disaster.
I could see not just into the pit now, but also its access ramp, which trucks had been traveling up and down since I had arrived that morning. Gathered along the ramp were firefighters in their black helmets and black coats. Slowly they lined up, and it became clear that this was an honor guard, and that someone's remains were being carried up the ramp toward the open door of an ambulance.
Everyone in the dining room stopped eating. Several people stood up, whether out of respect or to see better, I don't know. For a moment, everything paused.
Then the day flowed back into itself. Soon I was outside once more, joining the tide of people washing around the site. Later, as I huddled with a little crowd on the viewing platform, watching people scrawl their names or write ''God Bless America'' on the plywood walls, it occurred to me that a form of repopulation was taking effect, with so many visitors to this place, thousands of visitors, all of us coming to see the wide emptiness where so many were lost. And by the act of our visiting -- whether we are motivated by curiosity or horror or reverence or grief, or by something confusing that combines them all --that space fills up again

9. What TWO categories do the questions from the last page fit into?
Why is the first paragraph one sentence?
In that paragraph, why does Berne call the empty space “the disaster”?
Why does the third sentence begin with “Gathered” rather than “Firefighters”?
What examples of figurative language appear in the fourth paragraph?
Does the word huddled in the fourth paragraph remind you of anything else you’ve read?
What is the effect of the dashes in the final sentence?

10. Ahhh yes, Infested or filled? Word choice (diction)
Word arranging (syntax)

11. The room was infested with women.
Test this out…
The room was infested with women.
What picture does this create in your mind? How does the speaker of this line feel? How would it change your response if the lines was…

12. The room was stocked with women. OR The room was congested with women
The room was stocked with women. OR The room was congested with women. The room was clogged with women. The room was impregnated with women. The room was abounding with women.

13. Common Diction Questions:
Which of the important words in the passage (verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs) are general and abstract? Which are specific and concrete?
Are the important words formal, informal, colloquial, or slang?
Are some words nonliteral or figurative, creating figures of speech such as metaphor?

14. Common Syntax Questions:
What is the order of the parts of the sentence? Is it the usual SVO or is it inverted?
Which part of speech is more prominent – nouns or verbs?
What are the sentences like? Are they periodic (moving toward something important at the end) or cumulative (adding details that support an important idea in the beginning of the sentence)?
How does the sentence connect its words, phrases, and clauses?

15. Sometimes Style is referred to as Schemes and Tropes
Schemes are artful syntax such as parallelism, juxtaposition, antithesis
Tropes are artful diction such as metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole

16. Analyzing Style
Style is a subset of rhetoric. It is also a means of persuasion.
There are three different methods to analyzing style:
Annotation
Dialectical Journal
Graphic Organizer

17. Annotation

18. Annotating a Text 1. Pick up a pencil, a pen, or a post-it.
2. Read everything at least twice.
The first time, read quickly to get a sense of what the text is about.
The second and subsequent times read carefully.
Mark anything that you think is:
A. confusing,
B. interesting
C . surprising, or
D . important.
Mark anything that is unfamiliar and keep going.

19. 4. Write questions where you made annotations. These questions can
3. Begin to annotate.
A. Circle, underline, or stick on a post-it for important ideas and
explain their significance.
B. Mark repetitions or rhetorical signals.
C . Circle confusing words or phrases. Define from context or
dictionary if possible .
D . Note passages that seem inconsistent.
E. Note passages that generate a strong positive or negative
response .
4. Write questions where you made annotations. These questions can
be for the instructor to answer, for the class to discuss, for you to use
in future writing assignments , or for you to keep as a reminder of what you were thinking.
5. Think about the connections between this text and other texts you
have read, information from other classes, and personal experiences.

20. In addition Identify main ideas (thesis statements, topic sentences)
Identify words, phrases, or sentences that appeal to you
Identify words, phrases, or sentences that you don’t understand
Look for figures of speech or tropes such as metaphors, similes, and personification
Look for imagery and detail
Note juxtapositions
Ask questions
Comment on what you have read
Write down what the voice in your head is saying

21. Example

22. Another Example

23. Hints for using Annotation
Use sticky notes if you can’t write in text

24. Dialectical Journal (double-entry notes)
Columned to help visually represent the conversation between the text and the reader
Answer what effect the writer is striving for
Answer how the effect serves the author’s purpose
Break into small sections to analyze specific word and sentence choices

25. Dialectical Journal

26. Note Taking
Para.
Note Making
Dialectical Journal

27. Another Example

28. Graphic Organizer Use paragraph divisions to divide text for you
Takes much time to complete, BUT…
Gives great deal of information to analyze
Divide as you (or Mrs. Grimm) see fit 

29. Rhetorical Strategy or Style Element
Graphic Organizer
Rhetorical Strategy or Style Element
Effect or Function

30. Homework