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Close Reading WoRkshop
Close Reading of poetry
Learning Targets
• Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed.
• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.
• Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall
structure of a text.
• Explain how an author develops the point of view of the speaker in a text.
• Read and comprehend literature, including poems, in the grades 6–8 text
complexity band proficiently
• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Close Reading for Meaning
To read closely means to look beyond the basic information conveyed by a text. As readers, we should also consider the author’s point of view and purpose for writing the text, as well as the author’s tone and the theme. Examining word choices and other details of the text help us to better understand the author’s intended meaning.
Poets use a variety of literary techniques to convey tone, which expresses the author’s attitude about the subject of the poem. Often a poem will have a variety of subjects, and the tone of the poem may shift, or change, as it explores them. Other shifts may occur when there is a change in the speaker, setting, or structure of a poem. Recognizing these shifts can help a reader to understand the poem’s message, or theme.
In this workshop, you will read three different texts and practice close reading using strategies that will help you make meaning of the text. Your teacher will guide you through the first activity. In Activity 2, you will work in a collaborative group to read and respond to the 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
Introducing the Strategy: Diffusing
Diffusing is a strategy for close reading of text. 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 meaning of the text.
ACTIvITy 1
Guided Practice
You will read the text in this activity at least three times, focusing on a different purpose for each reading.
First Reading: First Impressions
Read the following poem silently. Your focus for this first reading is on understanding the meaning of the poem. As you read, practice diffusing the words you may not know by replacing unfamiliar words with the definitions or synonyms for the words that appear to the right. Using this strategy will help your understanding.
Close Reading Workshop 3 • Close Reading of Poetry 31
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