Table of Contents
Foreword Donalyn Miller viii
Acknowledgments xii
Chapter 1 Close Reading, A Love Story 1
What Close Reading Was, Is, and Can Be 2
What You Will Find in This Book 5
Teaching Within a Close Reading Ritual to Build Independence 7
Falling in Love with Close Reading 8
Chapter 2 The Essence of Understanding: A Study of Text Evidence 9
The Tools of the Trade: Getting Ready to Close Read for Text Evidence 11
Standards and Close Reading for Text Evidence 13
Closely Reading Media: Engage Students Through Popular Songs and Text Evidence 13
More Than Just "Because": Closely Reading Narrative Texts to Analyze Evidence and Meaning 15
The Facts We Choose to Tell: Modifying the Lesson to Analyze Text Evidence in Informational Texts 25
Next Steps: Extensions and Support for Close Reading of Text Evidence 27
Additional Lessons for Providing Extra Support 28
Additional Lessons for Providing Advanced Work 29
Closely Reading Life: Looking at Specific Details in Our Lives 30
Chapter 3 A Way with Words: A Study of Word Choice 32
The Tools of the Trade: Getting Ready to Close Read for Word Choice 34
Standards and Close Reading for Word Choice 34
Closely Reading Media: Engage Students Through Television Ads and Word Choice 35
"Macroscopic" vs. "Really Big": Closely Reading Informational Texts to Analyze Word Choice and Tone 38
"You Look Fine, Honey": Modifying This Lesson to Analyze Word Choice in Narrative Texts 45
Next Steps: Extensions and Support for Close Reading of Word Choice 46
Additional Lessons for Providing Extra Support 47
Additional Lessons for Providing Advanced Work 48
Closely Reading Life: Looking at Word Choice in Our Lives 48
Chapter 4 If You Build It: A Study of Structure 50
The Tools of the Trade: Getting Ready to Close Read for Structure 51
Describing Organizational Choices 52
Describing the Purpose of Structural Choices 53
Standards and Close Reading for Structure 53
Closely Reading Media: Engage Students Through Video Games and Structure 54
How the Pieces Fit Together: Closely Reading Narrative Texts to Analyze Structure and Theme 57
Making the Invisible Visible: Modifying the Lesson to Analyze Structure in Informational Texts 68
Next Steps: Extensions and Support for Close Reading of Structure 71
Additional Lessons for Providing Extra Support 73
Additional Lessons for Providing Advanced Work 73
Closely Reading Life: Looking at Structure in Our Lives 74
Chapter 5 Through Your Eyes: A Study of Point of View and Argument 76
The Tools of the Trade: Getting Ready to Close Read for Point of View and Argument 78
Closely Reading Media: Engage Students Through Evaluating Arguments in Political Commentary 78
Standards and Close Reading for Point of View and Argument 79
But It Seemed So Innocent! Closely Reading Informational Texts to Analyze Point of View and Argument 82
From Every Angle: Modifying This Lesson to Analyze Point of View and Argument in Narrative Texts 89
Next Steps: Extensions and Support for Close Reading of Point of View and Argument 92
Additional Lessons for Providing Extra Support 94
Additional Lessons for Providing Advanced Work 94
Closely Reading Life: Looking at Point of View and Argument in Our Lives 95
Chapter 6 The Family Tree: Closely Reading Across Texts 98
Tools of the Trade: Getting Ready to Close Read Across Texts 100
Standards and Close Reading for Reading Across Texts 101
Closely Reading Media: Engage Students Through Comparing Sitcoms 102
"Stop Me If You Heard This One Before": Closely Reading Across Narrative Texts 103
There Is No I in Team: Modifying This Lesson to Closely Read Across Informational Texts 112
Next Steps: Extensions and Support for Close Reading Across Texts 114
Additional Lessons for Providing Extra Support 116
Additional Lessons for Providing Advanced Work 116
Closely Reading Life: Looking Across Texts in Our Lives 117
Chapter 7 I Believe in You: A Vision of Independence 119
Putting It All Together: Allowing a Text to Guide Our Reading 120
Keeping the Love Alive: Preparing for Your Close Readers 123
Unconditional Love: An Endnote 125
Appendix 126
References 133