ENGLISH 4 CLOSE AND CRITICAL READING

DEFINITION Careful and purposeful reading Rereading Encounter with the text when readers focus on the following: What the author had to say What the author’s purpose was What the words mean What the structure of the text tells us

EFFECTIVE READERS Engage in close reading to take the most meaning from it Read and reread multiple times, each time with a different purpose and focus

MICRO-READING Attentive reading of a text Finely detailed, very specific examination of a text

ASSISTS WITH… Understanding the purpose in reading Seeing ideas in a text as being interconnected Looking for and understanding systems of meaning Engaging in a text while reading Getting beyond “surface” reading or skimming Formulating questions and seeking answers to the questions while reading

WAYS TO INTERACT WITH A TEXT Chunk the text Underline and circle…with a purpose Left margin: what is the author SAYING? Right margin: dig deeper into a text Ask questions

CHUNK THE TEXT Avoid being overwhelmed Break it up into smaller sections by drawing a horizontal line between paragraphs to divide

UNDERLINE AND CIRCLE Underline and circle specific items Think about your purpose in reading This changes depending on the text For example, when reading an argument, you may want to circle the claims – when reading a poem, you may want to underline the imagery Ask your teacher what he or she wants you to focus on and underline/circle that

LEFT MARGIN Summarize each chunk Main idea(s)/key point(s) These can usually be found if they are repeated Try for 10 words of less summaries

RIGHT MARGIN Use power verbs to describe what the author is DOING (i.e., describing, illustrating, arguing, etc.) Represent the information with a picture You can be creative to visually represent the chunk with a drawing

ASK QUESTIONS Text dependent questions: What is the author TELLING me here? Are there any hard of important words? What does the author want me to understand? How does the author play with language to add meaning?

MORE ABOUT ASKING QUESTIONS What word(s) stand out? (Typically vivid words, unusual choices, or a contrast to what a reader expects will stand out) How do particular words get us to look at characters or events in a particular way? Do they evoke an emotion? Did the author use nonstandard English or words in another language? Why? Are there any words that could have more than one meaning?

STILL MORE ABOUT ASKING QUESTIONS Is the voice formal or informal? If it seems informal, how did the author make it that way? If it’s formal, what makes it formal? Does the voice seem appropriate for the content? What stands out about the way this sentence is written?