How to apply close reading to better comprehend what you read.

I. Text Marking (first reading) What is text marking? Text marking is Reading the selection carefully and making notes in the margin.

Text Marking Strategies 1. Highlight, underline, or circle important words, phrases, or concepts. 2. Write comments that show you understand. 2. Write questions that show what you are wondering about. 3. Write notes that differentiate between fact and opinion. 4. Write your observations about the writer’s strategies, (organization, word choice, perspective), and how they affect the article.

II. Responding to Text Dependent Questions (second reading) What are text dependent questions? Text dependent questions are questions about relevant and specific supporting details, sequence of events, facts/opinions, and main ideas. They require you to go back into and reread the selection to locate the source before you write your response. They help you demonstrate understanding of the selected reading.

Strategies for Answering Text Dependent Questions Always answer your question in complete sentences using correct capitalization and punctuation. Restate the question in your answer. Cite evidence from the text by paraphrasing or by using direct quotes.

III. Responding to questions that ask you to interpret and analyze the text (third reading) What is text analysis? You are asked to interpret and analyze text when you are given a question that requires you to think more deeply about what you have just read. Unstated main idea Making Inferences Interpretations Drawing conclusions Making generalizations Making connections Making predictions of future outcomes Author’s purpose These questions are answered in more than one sentence, (sometimes a paragraph is required). You are required to support your answer using details and examples from the text source itself. They help you develop an interpretation of the selected reading.

Strategies for Answering Interpretation and Analysis Questions Read the question carefully and think about a logical answer that can be supported by the reading selection. Restate the question in your answer and make your statement. Now, support your statement using two to three pieces of evidence from the text.

Close Reading Summary Step I: First Read: Text Marking + Step II: Second Read: Responding to Text Dependent Questions Step III: Third Read: Responding to Interpreting and Analysis Questions = Increased Comprehension of Content