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.  More specifically, close reading gives students the opportunity to work collaboratively as they analyze and appreciate:  Vocabulary  Context  Tone  Structure  Devices It is a key requirement of the Common Core State Standards and directs the reader’s attention to the text itself.

Purpose  To help students learn to use reading strategies independently  To develop students’ abilities to think critically about text  To build motivation in the reader  To encourage students to develop expertise in multiple content areas/disciplines  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.  (Stating, “My grandfather fought in WWII,” in response to a text about war would not be sufficient. Rather, saying, “I remember my grandfather talking about similar struggles to the one the narrator mentions. For instance, when the narrator says…” This is much more text dependent).

Three Major Steps  OBSERVE: (Notice Key Ideas and Details):  What does the text say?  What structures, words, patterns do I notice?  What’s going on and how do I know?  INTERPRET: (Analyze Craft and Structure):  How does the author develop his ideas?  How do the words, patterns, and structures convey and create meaning?  How do the author’s choices about language and structure help me dig deeper into the text?  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?

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