Close Reading in Science (adapted strategy) Gary Carlin, CFN 603 October, 2014

In General Terms … Close Reading is an intensive analysis of a text in order to come to terms with: What a text is saying How the text is saying it What it means

Purpose of the Close Reading Prompt student thinking with questions that cause them to consider a text carefully. The text and the text-dependent questions should also prompt writing, collaboration, and student discussions. The process of writing an essay usually begins with the close reading of a text.

Select a Text Specific Passage* or Entire Text Decide if reading it more than once would be of any value (not a requirement, but with the right text can be very valuable!) Science: A good starting point is the previous Regents examinations - Part C (Constructed Responses with Reading Passages*)

LE June 14 The Return of the Large Blue Butterfly In 1979, the Large Blue Butterfly was declared extinct in the United Kingdom, despite the efforts to protect the grasslands where it lived. Research into the butterfly life cycle discovered the following facts. The butterflies lay their eggs on flowering thyme plants, and the caterpillars fall to the ground after they hatch. The young butterfly caterpillars have a “honey gland” on their posterior end, which, when stimulated by red ants, makes the caterpillars smell and wiggle like red ants. The red ants treat the butterfly caterpillars as ant grubs and carry them to their underground homes. The red ants keep looking after them and guard them, even though the caterpillars eat ant grubs for 10 months before flying away as adult butterflies in the spring. The red ants live in fields of short grass. The grass is short enough to let the sun warm the soil. This is where the ants find and eat insects and plants. Rabbits had kept the grass short until the mid-1950s, when the rabbit populations were suddenly devastated by a viral disease. Additionally, farmers allowed pastures to get overgrown by not letting cattle graze on the grass. The red ants vanished when the taller grass increased the shade and cooled the soil. A program was introduced to protect the pastures where the red ants nested. Their numbers came back. Populations of Large Blue Butterflies from Sweden were brought into the area, and now the Large Blue Butterfly is thriving again.

Start by Observing the Text Look at the text as a “visual picture” What stands out – in your visual picture? Let’s call these “Striking Features”. For example: (1) a date, (2)a scientific name in Latin, (3) a numerical value for a measurement and its units, (4) or a quote.

“Striking Features of a Science Text” Picture, Diagram, Graph Table, Map, etc. Title (bold) Parenthesis, Brackets, hyphens Numbers, Dates, Units, %, Degree, Coordinates Another Language (i.e. Scientific name) Italics Cited Source Acronyms “Words in Quotations” … Letter(s) (i.e. A, B, etc.)

Striking Features of the Sample Text Title (bold): The Return of the Large Blue Butterfly Date(s): 1979, mid 1950’s Words in Quotations: “honey gland” Number/Unit: 10 days

1. Annotating the Text "Annotating" means underlining or highlighting key words and phrases—anything that strikes you as surprising or significant, or that raises questions—as well as making notes in the margins. This allows you to think with the author about the evidence—the first step in moving from reader to writer.

LE June 14 – Annotation Sample The Return of the Large Blue Butterfly In 1979, the Large Blue Butterfly was declared extinct in the United Kingdom, despite the efforts to protect the grasslands where it lived. Research into the butterfly life cycle discovered the following facts. The butterflies lay their eggs on flowering thyme plants, and the caterpillars fall to the ground after they hatch. The young butterfly caterpillars have a “honey gland” on their posterior end, which, when stimulated by red ants, makes the caterpillars smell and wiggle like red ants. The red ants treat the butterfly caterpillars as ant grubs and carry them to their underground homes. The red ants keep looking after them and guard them, even though the caterpillars eat ant grubs for 10 months before flying away as adult butterflies in the spring. The red ants live in fields of short grass. The grass is short enough to let the sun warm the soil. This is where the ants find and eat insects and plants. Rabbits had kept the grass short until the mid-1950s, when the rabbit populations were suddenly devastated by a viral disease. Additionally, farmers allowed pastures to get overgrown by not letting cattle graze on the grass. The red ants vanished when the taller grass increased the shade and cooled the soil. A program was introduced to protect the pastures where the red ants nested. Their numbers came back. Populations of Large Blue Butterflies from Sweden were brought into the area, and now the Large Blue Butterfly is thriving again. Protecting the grasslands didn’t save the Butterfly from extinction Do they lay eggs only on the thyme plant? Why? Why do the red ants keep the caterpillars if they eat their grubs? Red ants are necessary for the butterflies life cycle and they need short grass.

2. Collect the FD&E Observe facts and details about the text. FACTSDETAILS and EXAMPLES

FD&E Sample Observe facts and details about the text. FACTSDETAILS and EXAMPLES Large blue butterfly has a life cycle.Lay eggs that hatch into caterpillars and 10 months later become butterflies. Large blue butterfly caterpillars mimic red ant grubs Caterpillars have a honey gland which makes them smell and wiggle like red ant grubs. Red ants depend on other organisms to keep the grass short. Rabbits and cattle keep the grass short so the sun can keep the soil warm for the red ants. Cattle were part of the Large Blue Butterflies ecosystem. Farmers allowed pastures to become overgrown by not letting cattle graze on grass.

3. Stating a Conclusion Interpreting your observations.  Inductive Reasoning Moving from the observation of particular facts and details to a conclusion, or interpretation, based on those observations. i.e. Just protecting a species is not enough to protect it from extinction, you have to protect the entire ecosystem that it comes from.

3 Reads – For a More Complex Text Read the text with a pen in hand, with a different purposes (increasingly complex) as you read the text three times – 1. Determine the general meaning of the text. – 2. Examine the ways the text uses science-specific vocabulary, data, diagrams, structures, and protocols to create meaning. – 3. Consider the meaning of the text and its connections to other text and prior content knowledge.

Read 1: Comprehension A first reading is about figuring out what a text says. It is purely an issue of reading comprehension. You should be able to answer questions about the key ideas and details of the text. You can provide the questions to the students prior to the first read on a handout or PPT.

Read 2: How the Text Works What evidence was provided to support a claim and the quality of the evidence? If data were presented, how was that done and is it appropriate/sufficient? This second reading might be a total re- reading or a partial and targeted re-reading of key portions of the text.

Read 3: Valuing a Text How does this text connect to other texts (content, approach, style, etc.)and prior knowledge from previous units/courses/life? How does this text change/add to my understanding of a concept or idea? How does this text connect to the theme of the unit/course?