1. Close Reading Reading with a PLAN for Understanding the Material What do you know about active reading?

2. Objectives for today: As a student, you will understand how to read informational text. You will: Learn a PLAN for analyzing a text. Practice using the PLAN to determine text structure, purpose, audience, claims, and evidence.

3. Close Reading: What is it? Reading carefully with a purpose Using a PLAN or strategy to read and understand the material NOT this: My first college textbooks looked just like this. I did not understand how to determine and show what was important and so I was just coloring. What a waste of time!

4. What is the PLAN? (Step 1) P: Paragraphs First, number the paragraphs in the passage. This allows you to refer to the text quickly and easily.

5. What is the PLAN? (Step 2) L: Draw Lines to CHUNK it into reasonable sections Draw lines between the sections. Natural divisions for this text occur before the subheadings. For a shorter text, you might chunk one paragraph at a time.

6. What is the PLAN? (Step 3) A: Annotate the text – underline and circle with a purpose. Put a BOX around words you do not recognize or whose definition you do not know. The second time you read: underline key details that are repeated.

7. What is the PLAN? (Step 3) A: Annotate the text – decide what other items are important and mark them. Use (Parentheses) around phrases (or clauses) to help you decode complex sentences. [bracket] cue words to help you decide the text structure (i.e. first, most importantly, problem, solution, dates, times) Double Underline for the Thesis Statement (main claim) and Topic Sentence of each chunk/section

8. What is the PLAN? (Step 4) N: Notes – use your margins well. LEFT margin: Summarize each chunk. What is the author saying? RIGHT margin: Purpose: what is the author doing in the chunk? Ask questions: what do you not understand?

9. What is the PLAN? (Step 4) N: Notes – use your margins well. When you have made notes on each section, summarize your notes at the bottom of the text. What was the overall idea of the chunks (LEFT margin)? What was the author’s overall purpose (RIGHT margin)? Do you have any remaining questions?

10. What is the PLAN? P: Paragraphs (number) L: Lines (chunk text) A: Annotate (use boxes, underlining, brackets, and parentheses with a purpose) N: Notes (left and right margins)