Close reading of a text is not typically the first thing on a student’s mind when it comes time to read. I have found that student’s usually fall into one of two categories when reading: 1. those who want to read solely for the pleasure – they remember some details but don’t pick up on themes and meanings, 2. those who read solely to find an answer – they don’t find any pleasure in reading – it is completely a means to an end.
Students in both categories need help when it comes time to compare, contrast, and analyze two or more texts. I have been implementing a close reading strategy that has really helped my kids learn to be more observant readers. How does it work? It takes several steps to accomplish and kids will probably balk at them. Stick with it, though! If students will follow the steps thoroughly, by the time they are finished with the process they will have read through the entire selection at least six times. Practice makes perfect! This repeated reading fosters comprehension, increases fluency, and develops higher order thinking skills, all qualities that readers must have in order to be successful. Students will be practicing this system with current events articles. Make this a weekly practice! One reason students do not succeed in reading and writing is that they are not well-read. Students must be cognizant of the world around them! I use a fabulous resource for articles for my kids. It is www.kellygallagher.org. Just go to the resources section on this website and look at ‘article of the week.’ So, without further adieu, here is the system:
1. Select a piece of text (just one – once they ‘get’ the system, we will move to two pieces of text and responding to a writing prompt over both)
2. Read through the text quickly, just to get an idea of what it is about.
3. Read through the text again. This time, number the paragraphs (just write small numbers to the left of the first sentence of each). This may seem trivial, but when kids are writing about a text, they need something that can be used for reference. The paragraph numbers give them that anchor.
4. Read again. As you read, circle 5-6 words in each paragraph that you think are important to the meaning of the paragraph. Highlight any unfamiliar words (try to define by context clues, if you can’t, look them up in a dictionary).
5. Read again. Underline the main points or claims the author is making in each paragraph. There may be more than one in a paragraph.
6. Read each paragraph individually. In the left hand margin beside each paragraph, write one sentence that summarizes what the author is saying in that paragraph.
7. Last time! Read each paragraph individually. In the right hand margin beside each paragraph, write an –ing phrase that tells you what the author is doing in the paragraph. (for example – persuading readers to stop smoking; explaining the dangers of second hand smoke)
8. Finally, use what you have learned as you have read and analyzed the text to write a one page reflection about the article. If you quote from the article to support your points, you may reference the paragraph number from which the quote arises.
The writing, of course, is optional for now. Once we go through the remaining steps in writing in response to text, the writing process will be simple. Close reading is the first step to good writing. Students don’t like to read something more than once; however, to really grasp the meaning of informational type texts, it is imperative to do more than a surface reading. Developing analytical reading skills will benefit students both now and when they go to college.
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