1. Close Reading

2. “Every book has a skeleton hidden between its covers
“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)

3. X-Ray the Book

4. Creating a Close Reading

5. Creating a Close Reading
Use a short passage.
Creating a Close Reading

6. Creating a Close Reading
Use a short passage.
“Read with a pencil.”
Creating a Close Reading

7. Creating a Close Reading
Use a short passage.
“Read with a pencil.”
Note what’s confusing.
Creating a Close Reading

8. Creating a Close Reading
Use a short passage.
“Read with a pencil.”
Note what’s confusing.
Pay attention to patterns.
Creating a Close Reading

9. Creating a Close Reading
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 Reading

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

11. Journey, by Patricia MacLachlan
A Close Reading of
an excerpt from
Journey, by Patricia MacLachlan
(Cisneros,and Other Stories, 1991)

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

13. 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?

14. Discussion: Partner Talk to Check Meaning
Describe your impressions of Journey and the people in his life.

15. Second Reading: Teacher Modeling
Read the entire passage aloud, without interruption.
Students should follow along in the text.

16. Text-Dependent Questions
What does Journey realize?
What words and phrases does the author use for each?
Right There Question

17. Text-Dependent Questions
How does MacLachan use photographs as a symbol of memories?
To what effect?
Think and Search Question

18. Text-Dependent Questions
How does MacLachlan use photography words?
To what effect?
Think and Search Question

19. Text-Dependent Question
What does the author want us to know about Journey?
Author and You Question

20. Text-Dependent Questions
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

21. 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.