Close reading is an important skill for readers of all ages.Close reading is emphasized by the Common Core State Standards.Learning how to teach close reading benefits both you and your students.
Step 1: You can read the text yourself.
If you want to teach close reading, you need to do it yourself.Determine the apparent audience and the writer's purpose by extrapolate all of the details that are directly stated and implied in the text.If you want to model adequate detail from a close reading, you need to make a list of the details you have gleaned from the text.In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check, said Dr. Martin Luther King in his famous "I have a dream" speech.The promissory note was signed by the architects of our republic when they wrote the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.The "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" would be guaranteed by this note.America has failed on this promissory note and her citizens of color are concerned.America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds, instead of honoring this sacred obligation.Who is the speaker is one of the details you can glean from the text.What is the purpose of the passage?A large number of US citizens gathered in a rally for civil rights to convince the audience that black men deserve the same rights as white men.What kind of language is used?A banking transaction between the US government and its citizens is an extended metaphor.America is given a female gender and agency by Dr. King.Which rhetorical devices are used?The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are cited by Dr. King.He uses an appeal to the audience's sense of fairness when he talks about the government failing to fulfill their end of the promise.
Step 2: The text should be presented in a certain way.
It is important to consider the specific way you are going to give a student the text.If you are helping a student prepare close reading for a specific purpose, such as a state-wide exam that will be taken on a computer, you may want to mirror the process of the exam as much as possible.Are you going to give the passage to your student?Double- or triple-space the text to give him more room to make annotations.Do you want the student to read from a book?He can write notes on the scrap paper.Are you going to use the computer to read him?Will he need scrap paper if he highlights and makes notes on the computer screen?
Step 3: Explain the purpose of reading.
The student should know that he is supposed to do a close reading, and what information he should be getting from the text while he reads.It is possible to explain the differences between reading for pleasure and performing a close reading.Ask the student to explain in his own words what his goal is for close reading so that you can be sure he understands.You can explain the context of the speech for the excerpt from I have a dream.Tell the student that you want him to read the excerpt and figure out what the passage is about, who is speaking, why he is talking, and to whom he seems to be addressing his words.
Step 4: The student should be told to look at the text.
Look at any title or author attribution present, determine the form (prose or poetry, for example) and then do an initial read of the text.It would be helpful to have him read the text all the way through, then begin annotating and making notes on the second read-through.Students should be able to answer "big picture" questions about the text, such as "what is the passage about?" and "who seems to be speaking?"They should be aware that Dr. King is speaking and that the excerpt is part of a speech, but they may need to be told in a sentence or two before the passage begins.
Step 5: There is a system for annotations.
The student should be given explicit instructions on how to make notes on the text.It is useful to give him explicit instructions to begin with.You can tell him to highlight the main sentence, make a box around active verbs, and underline the most important concrete nouns.If he is reading directly from a book, you can ask him to make a chart and list the nouns, adjectives, and verbs separately and then copy down the main sentence.For a persuasive piece like the "I have a dream" speech, your instructions may be slightly different.You might want the reader to highlight any rhetorical devices, circle words that have strong connotations for the listener, and list important details to the side.
Step 6: Questions that support and assess understanding are asked.
You should be prepared to ask questions to help the student understand the text.A second grade student may not be able to answer the same questions as a high school student, for instance.What details does the author include to make you see what is happening in your mind?What do you think are the reasons why some details are left out?The author has a purpose for writing.Does the author use persuasive language?Where?Why does a character do this?What emotions are said in the passage?How does it make you feel?What do you think the intended audience of the passage is?
Step 7: The student should relate details from the text.
Depending on the student's age and abilities, ask them to explain all of the details he can glean from the text.He can either tell you the details or write them down.This is not a summary, but a close reading, which requires listing as much detail as possible.After the student finishes, you may want to share your list with him.If his was a bit spare, this can give you the chance to model a more thorough list of details, and you may even find that he noticed some details that you did not.There is a chance for a discussion about how each of you approached the text and why your lists differed.
Step 8: The details should be divided into two categories.
When the student tells you details from the text, divide them into things that are explicitly stated in the book and those that aren't.Extrapolating more information is a useful skill, but it is important for the student to know the difference between what is in the text and what isn't.Close reading should focus on what is in the text, not what the student thinks it should say.America has treated black men unfairly, the country was founded on principles of free will and innate rights of humans, and the speaker and audience are in Washington DC asking for change from the text.Dr. King is an influential leader, people listening to his speech want things to change, and American laws supported the equality of black and white men at the time of the speech.
Step 9: Close reading can be used to improve other skills.
It is possible to make the activity seem more meaningful by reading into the students own writing.Giving students a reason for doing an activity other than "you will be tested on it" gives them more of a stake in their own education.There are many ways to connect the "I have a dream" speech to other student skills.Students could write and deliver their own speeches about injustice in their lives, write journal entries in the persona of Dr. King, or even do a creative response that follows the theme of the speech.
Step 10: Be aware of problem areas.
Along with the text, you might want to provide some support.The student shouldn't be challenged to identify complex vocabulary words because the process of close reading is important.If there are a couple of very challenging vocabulary words that you think may stump your student, you might want to provide a gloss for them beneath the passage.If you think your students won't understand the finance terms, you can give them glosses for the "I have a dream" speech.If the passage doesn't make sense out of context, you may want to give a couple of sentences about the speech that was given by Dr. Martin Luther King in front of the Lincoln Memorial.Over 200,000 people attended the speech, which was part of the March on Washington.
Step 11: You can use different media.
Close reading is not limited to printed texts.Reluctant readers may be more willing to read visual texts.Teaching the skills of close reading with a visual then later applying them to print text has the potential to engage more reluctant students.It is important for effective visual texts to have enough ambiguity to leave them open for interpretation, but also to offer rich nuances that allow the close reader to get a better idea of what is going on.The speech "I have a dream" can be heard in audio format.You could provide both audio and written copies for students who have trouble with both reading and processing audio.Delivery can be discussed in addition to the speech's content.
Step 12: Keep the passages short.
The selected passage should be short.An entire novel is not a good choice for close reading.A paragraph or two is more appropriate.Close readers in the early grades should focus on a very short paragraph, while more advanced readers may be able to read 2 fairly complex paragraphs.The "I have a dream" speech is over 1,600 words and would not be appropriate for a short close-reading lesson.There are many short sections that can be analyzed on their own.
Step 13: Select texts with difficulty in mind.
A close-reading text is not so difficult that a student can't engage with it.A student can become bogged down in vocabulary if a text is too difficult.The majority of the details will be obvious to the student if the text is too easy.The "I have a dream" speech example is appropriate for most high school students, but may be more difficult for younger children.
Step 14: Student interests should be built on.
It can be helpful to provide texts that the student finds interesting and relevant to his life when you are just starting to work with him.If necessary, you can move to texts further outside of his comfort zone.If your student is a fan of sports, finding a text about the final moments of a basketball game could keep him engaged with the reading.