“I’m ready for

my close-up Mr.

DeMille!”

CLOSE READINGS

By: Kimberley Cooper

OBJECTIVE

A

fter the presentation students will be able to define close reading and

demonstrate a close reading of a complex text with 90% proficiency.

A

fter the presentation students will be able to translate what they think

about texts, and the author’s purpose, the structure, and the flow of

texts by creating a well-written essay analyzing the selection.

STANDARDS

R

ead closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make

logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing

or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

D

etermine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their

development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

A

nalyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and

interact over the course of a text.

STANDARDS

I

nterpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including

determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and

analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

A

nalyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences,

paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter,

scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

A

ssess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a

text.

STANDARDS

I

ntegrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including

visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.*

D

elineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the

validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

A

nalyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build

knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

R

ead and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and

proficiently.

W

hat is a close

reading?

L

et’s examine what Dr.

Douglas Fisher

(Professor of Language

and Literacy Education in

the Department of

Teacher Education at San

Diego State University)

CLOSE READINGA

close reading is a careful and

purposeful reading of a text.

A

ctually, it’s a careful and purposeful

rereading of a text.

I

t’s an encounter with the text where

students really focus on what the

author had to say, what the author’s

purpose was, what the words mean,

and what the structure of the text tells

readers.

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H

ow to do a close

reading?

CLOSE READING

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C

onsider these four elements• Language• Narrative• Syntax• Context

L

anguage (diction

used to fit the audience,

style and purpose of the

text)

CLOSE READING

W

hat did the author repeat?

W

hat was emphasized?

W

hat kind of language is used?• Formal/informal• Slang• Figurative language/mood words

What words are important to

understanding the theme/thesis?

N

arrative (story)

CLOSE READING

W

ho is telling the story?

F

rom what perspective (point of

view) is the story told?

H

ow is the story told?

W

hat motivates the narrator to tell

the story in this manner?

S

yntax (the order author’s

arrange their words to

provide meaning/get a

point across)

(grammar/sentence

structure)

CLOSE READINGD

oes the author use Standard American

English?

W

hy would the author use nonstandard

syntax?

W

ho is the audience?

H

ow does this writing style affect the

audience?

C

ontext (happenings

surrounding authorship)

CLOSE READING

W

hat is the setting of the story?

W

hat is the background of the

author?

I

n what environment was the story

written? (what was happening at

the time the story was written?)