Planning Support for Close Reading

Planning Support for Close Reading:

Possible Lenses, Patterns, Understandings

In narratives / In informational texts
Types of lenses /

What characters/people: say/think/do
Characters’ expressions, gestures, and appearance
Relationships
Setting descriptions
Time period
Recurring objects

/ A subject’s:

Facts
Phrases
Descriptions

Photos or graphics
Quotes from experts
Author’s stated opinions
Comparisons
Types of patterns /

Which details fit together?
How do they fit together?

Types of understandings /

Character’s/people’s:

Feelings
Traits
Relationships
Motivations
Comparisons to others

Whole text:

Issues
Symbols/metaphors/motifs
Themes
Lessons

Definitions of unknown concepts or terms
Main idea of a section
Central idea of an entire text
Author’s bias or point of view
Comparisons

In narratives and informational texts
Types of lenses / Choose words that seem particularly selected by the author, such as:

Words that evoke:

Strong emotions
Strong images
A clear idea

Words that reveal style:

Informal tone
Formal tone
A clear voice

Particular kinds of words:

Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs

Types of patterns /

Which words fit together?
How do they fit together?

Types of understandings / An author’s:

Tone
Purpose
Relationship to the subject/theme

Text’s:

Central ideas
Issues
Lessons
Symbols/metaphors/motifs
Themes

In narratives / In informational texts
Types of lenses / Lens #1: Describe the organization of the text:
Genre as structure chosen for a purpose:

Fantasy, to explore good and evil
Historical fiction, to reflect on current ideas in a historical context

Location of parts within the whole:

Plot mountain:

Exposition: introducing character, setting, and backstory
Rising Action: pressures and obstacles
Climax: dramatic point, characters or problems come together
Falling Action: characters or communities change, lessons learned
Resolution: ending, some things wrap up, others might not

Technique the author uses:

Descriptions
Dialogue between characters
Action
Setting
Inner thinking
Scene endings and beginning
Flashbacks
Definition of a term
Comparisons

Lens #2: Purpose of that organization:

To set the stage
To reveal
To create suspense
To foreshadow

/ Lens #1: Describe the organization of the text:
Genre as structure chosen for a purpose:

Editorial, to convince or persuade
Article, to inform and educate

Location of parts within the whole:

Sections
Text features
Order of techniques (see below)

Techniques the author uses:

Definition of a term
Comparisons
Cause or effect
Description
Anecdote
Claim

Lens#2: Purpose of that organization:

To present a cause for an effect
To make a complex idea more concrete
To provide context
To clear up misconceptions
To develop a reader’s expertise

Types of patterns /

How are the parts similar?
How are the parts different?
What purpose do the parts serve?

Types of understandings / Character:

Development
Changes
Critical moments

Whole Text:

Themes
Central Ideas
Issues
Lessons
Symbols/metaphors/motifs
Author’s purpose

Definitions
Main idea of a section
Central idea of an entire text
Author’s bias or point of view
Purpose behind the author’s choices

In narratives / In informational texts
Types of lenses / Lens #1: What is the author’s and/or character’s point of view here?

What they are thinking
What they believe
What they feel or want

Lens #2: What makes the author and/or character’s point of view persuasive?

Text evidence
Word choice
Structure
What characters: say/think/do
Character expressions, gestures, and appearance
Relationships
Setting descriptions
Time period
Recurring objects

/ Lens #1: What is the point of view/argument?

Ideas or claims
Reasons the claim is right
Evidence supporting the reasons
Counterargument
Logic
Validity
Relevance

Lens#2: What makes the point of view/argument persuasive?

Text evidence
Word choice
Structure
Emotional appeals (personal stories or anecdotes)
Engaging voice (humor, passion, or outrage)
Sense of audience (angled evidence, or tone)
Nods to commonly held beliefs or even stereotypes
Cacophony, or “ranting”
Rhetorical devices (metaphors, alliteration, or irony)

Types of patterns /

Which points of view/ideas are repeated?
What technique does the author use to make his or her point of view/argument?
What sticks out as different or unusual in the text?

Types of understandings / What is the purpose or effect of these points of view?

What is revealed about a theme?
The author’s purpose?
The effect on the reader?
Which point of view is rewarded in the text?
Comparison of points of view

/ Validity and strength of the argument:

Central idea or claim
Most/least persuasive parts
How similar or different from the reader’s point of view
How well-supported
Effective or ineffective parts
The strength of counterargument

Author’s style:

Most commonly used craft or persuasion techniques
Balance of style and argument
Effective or ineffective persuasive techniques

Types of lenses / Lens #1: Choose a comparison:

Characters or subjects
Themes or central ideas
Settings
Authors (texts by the same author or different author)
Genres
Styles
Other ways (awards won, time period, social issues, etc.)

Lens #2: Then choose your texts:

What other text fits with this chosen comparison?

*Some students may find it helpful to flip these steps.
Types of patterns / Decide how to compare:

Text evidence
Word choice
Structure
Point of view

Types of understandings / Have new ideas about:

The lens you looked through
The authors’ choices
The messages these texts send
See characters or subjects as more complex
Analyze kinds of relationships between characters or ideas in texts

Theme or central idea

When considering author’s purpose:

Analyze each author’s point of view
Understand more of an author’s style
See how genre choices affect story, topic, or readers
Examine what it takes to be an “award-winning” book
Analyze what texts from a time period show us about that period in history