1. 1. What does the text say? ● After actively reading the article and talking to the text, you are ready to tackle the close and critical reading assessment. ● The first box is asking for explicit meaning, or what the text is saying directly. ● You find the content of this box by going back and re reading. ● Essentially this is a summary of the main points.

2. 3. What does the text mean? ● Here, you are not to give specifics from the text and a new summary. ● Instead think: ○ What is the reason this article was written? ○ What is the author's point? ● So, the answer here is implicit, or not directly there. ● You must do some thinking and read between the lines for figure out what the author’s claim is about the overall topic.

3. 2.How does the text say it? ● Now that you know what the text says, and what the author’s point is, you are to take a close look at HOW the author makes his/her point. ● This means you are to look at: ○ The format of the text Is it argumentative? Then the author may use a counterargument. ○ Does the author use evidence from valid sources? Give examples. ○ What kind of tone does the author use? This helps you understand the purpose as well. Is he/she making jokes? Then it’s a playful tone Is he/she being sarcastic? Perhaps a critical tone Serious? You MUST use examples from the text in quotations, to support what you are saying.

4. 4.So what does it mean to you? ● NEVER write the following in this box: ○ I don’t connect with this text. ○ It doesn’t meant anything to me. ○ I don’t care. ○ I don’t know. ● Instead, think outside the box. - Why do you think it is important to know the information in this article? - Can you relate what you read to your life or that of someone you know? How? - What did this article make you think of? - Is the information in this article related to something else you have read? Assuming you actually read?