CLOSE READING Letting Texts Speak for Themselves

Definition  Close Reading involves exploring a short text to gain a detailed understanding and a deeper appreciation of its meaning, style, and contribution to humanity.

Purpose  To develop students’ abilities to think critically about text  To reinforce the expectation that students support their ideas with evidence  To analyze techniques writers use (to increase text understanding and improve writing)

Key Components  Digging deeply into short, rich passages (with limited pre-reading activities)  Focusing on the text itself  Rereading (three times) with a purpose  Reading with a pencil  Discussing the text with others  Writing about the text.

Pointers and Recommendations for Everyone  Let the text speak for itself. Avoid bringing in background knowledge or focusing on connections that tie only loosely to the text.

Three Major Steps  OBSERVE: (Notice Key Ideas and Details)  INTERPRET: (Analyze Craft and Structure)  APPLY/ASK: (Synthesize & Extend)

First Read: The What  Observe: (Notice Key Ideas and Details):  What does _________ think about __________?  What event is the narrator discussing and what does it show?  Which details does the author use to support his point or explain his ideas?  What are the most important (characters, details, moments, statements, etc. ) in this passage?  What are the central ideas/topics of this passage?  Describe how (character) responds to (major challenge/conflict).

Second Read: The How  INTERPRET: (Analyze Craft and Structure):  What does the word “__________” mean? How can context help me determine that?  Which words really stand out here? Why is that?  Who is narrating this story? How do you know? What is this person’s point of view about (topic)? How does it compare with yours?  How do the words work together to create a tone toward his topic? How does this tone help me understand his point of view about or purpose for discussing this topic?  What might have happened/changed if _____ hadn’t happened first? How does the sequence of the events or the narration create meaning/help you understand the author’s point?

Third Read: The Why and So What  APPLY/ASK: (Synthesize & Extend)  What does this text cause me to think about or wonder related to (some broader idea or aspect of the human condition)?  What connections can I make with this text and others I have read?  What themes does the author convey or what are his/her primary purposes for writing?  Explain the cause and effect relationships present in this passage.  Which details provide the most/least convincing support of the author’s/narrator’s main point?

References  Anne Arundel County Reading Council. (2012). A close look at close reading: Scaffolding students with complex texts. Burke, B. Retrieved from  Odegaard Writing and Research Center. Close reading. Retrieved from  Read Write Think. Sample close reading questions. Retrieved from  The Aspen Institute. (2012). Implementing the Common Core State Standards: A primer on “close reading of text.” Brown, S. & Kappes, L. Retrieved from