Close Reading

“Every book has a skeleton hidden between its covers. Your job as an analytic reader is to find it.”

“Every book has a skeleton hidden between its covers. Your job as an analytic reader is to find it.”

—Adler & Van Doren, How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading (1940, 1972)

X-Ray the BookX-Ray the Book

Creating a Close ReadingCreating a Close Reading

Creating a Close ReadingCreating a Close Reading

Use a short passage.

Creating a Close ReadingCreating a Close Reading

“Read with a pencil.”

Use a short passage.

Creating a Close ReadingCreating a Close Reading

Note what’s confusing.

“Read with a pencil.”

Use a short passage.

Creating a Close ReadingCreating a Close Reading

Pay attention to patterns.

Note what’s confusing.

“Read with a pencil.”

Use a short passage.

Use a short passage.“Read with a pencil.”

Note what’s confusing.

Pay attention to patterns.

Give students the chance to struggle a bit.

Creating a Close ReadingCreating a Close Reading

“Read like a detective. Write like a reporter.”—David Coleman

A Close Reading of an excerpt from

Journey, by Patricia MacLachlan

(Cisneros,and Other Stories, 1991)

Our Purpose

How does the passage help us learn more about family, memories, and what’s important in life?

First Reading: Students Read and Write Independently

Read with a pencil to take notes about the text. •What powerful words or phrases affect you? Circle.•What confuses you? Underline.

Quick-write•What are your impressions of Journey and the people in his life?

Discussion: Partner Talk to Check Meaning

Describe your impressions of Journey and the people in his life.

Second Reading: Teacher Modeling

Read the entire passage aloud, without interruption.

Students should follow along in the text.

Text-Dependent Questions

• What does Journey realize?

• What words and phrases does the author use for each?

Right There Question

• How does MacLachan use photographs as a symbol of memories?

• To what effect?

Think and Search Question

Text-Dependent Questions

• How does MacLachlan use photography words?

• To what effect?

Think and Search Question

Text-Dependent Questions

• What does the author want us to know about Journey?

Author and You Question

Text-Dependent Question

• Would a title change to Once They Loved Me change your perspective?

• Why?

• How would this story differ if was written by Journey’s mother? Cat?

On My Own Question

Text-Dependent Questions

Journal Writing

Using your notes from the reading,

“How does the passage help us learn more about family, memories, and what’s important in life?”

For this journal entry, write an entry explaining what we now know about Journey using evidence from the text.