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Close Reading WoRkshop
Close Reading of argumentative nonfiction Texts
Learning Targets
• Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
• Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
• Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g. visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
• Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
• Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.
Close Reading for Meaning
What does learning to read closely mean? As readers, we should not just consider what information is conveyed by a text. We must consider how the author constructs and develops an argument.
In an argument, an author expresses his central assertion in a clear and straightforward claim, and then supports or proves the claim with logical reasons and evidence.
Forms of evidence include facts, statistics, expert opinions, examples, and anecdotes (personal accounts). Determining an author or speaker’s claim and analyzing how the claim is supported helps the reader evaluate the effectiveness of an argument.
In this workshop, you will read three different texts and will practice close reading using strategies that will help you determine the meaning of the texts. Your teacher will guide you through the first activity. In Activity 2, you will work in a collaborative group to read and respond to a visual text. For the third activity, you will work independently to apply close reading strategies to determine meaning in a new text.
leaRning sTRaTegies
Diffusing, Close Reading, Marking the Text, Rereading, Summarizing, Paraphrasing
aCademiC VoCabulaRy
A claim is a position statement that asserts
an idea or makes an argument. A claim is supported by reasons (thinking and logic behind the claim) and evidence (information that supports or proves the claim).
Introducing the Strategy: Diffusing
Diffusing is a strategy for close reading of text. Using this strategy, the reader uses context clues, dictionaries, and/or thesauri to discover the meaning of unfamiliar words. Writing notes about meaning or substituting synonyms for unfamiliar words helps the reader increase comprehension of the text.
Close Reading Workshop 2 • Close Reading of Argumentative Nonfiction Texts 13
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