1. Close Reading
Informational Text

2. Title Discuss with your group:
Does the title immediately influence what you are about to read, or does it, at the moment you begin your first reading, remain mysterious or vague?

3. Murder or Suicide? Number each paragraph
Read the first two paragraphs.
Use a ? for any questions you have.

4. Circle Key Words and Phrases
Now, read the first two paragraphs again.
Circle any key words and phrases.
Which words stand out, and why?
Do any words likely carry multiple and/or ambiguous meanings?  
Do repeated words carry the same meaning when repeated, or do they change? Words often gather or evolve in meaning when repeated.  
Do particular words or phrases seem drawn to or connected with each other? These often add up so that a clearer sense of the poem emerges.

5. Define the words
Use the dictionary to define any words you did not know in the first two paragraphs.
Write the definitions on the page.

6. Things that Surprise you
Use an ! for anything that surprised you in the first two paragraphs.
Share with your table.

7. Main Idea Underline main ideas in the first two paragraphs.
What is the main idea of the first two paragraphs?

8. Continue Reading
Let’s read the next paragraph. As we read, add questions, exclamation marks, underlining and circles as we go.

9. Continue Reading Use an arrow when you make a connection.
Ask yourself:
Does this relate to something I read earlier in the article?
Does this relate to information I already knew (prior knowledge)?

10. Finish Reading the Article
Now, continue reading, using the strategies as you go.
When you finish, answer the following:
What is the main idea of the article?
List at least 3 details that support the main idea.
Write any connections you made to other texts you have read.