Page 6 - SpringBoard_CloseReading_Workshop_Grade6_Flipbook

Synthesizing your Understanding
Now that you have read the passage three times and studied its vocabulary and sentences, synthesize your understanding by thinking about the subject, the purpose of the passage, and the author’s tone or attitude. Respond to the following questions as a way of bringing all your knowledge together.
1. What is the subject or topic of the passage? What is this passage about? Be as specific as you can in identifying and summarizing the subject of the passage.
2. What is the purpose of the passage? Now that you have identified the subject of the passage, explain Pirsig’s reasons for writing these paragraphs. What does he hope to communicate to the audience about his subject?
3. What is the author’s attitude toward the subject of the passage? Tone describes the attitude of the author about the subject being discussed. Now that you have identified the subject and the purpose, explain how Pirsig feels about this subject.
Writing Prompt: Based on your current understanding of the passage, summarize Pirsig’s attitude about traveling. Write a paragraph that explains your interpretation of his perspective on this topic. Be sure to:
• Identify the subject, purpose, and tone of the passage in a topic sentence.
• Provide one piece of textual evidence that supports your statement.
• Explain how the evidence supports your topic sentence.
Close Reading Workshop 1 • Close Reading of Informational/Literary Nonfiction Texts 5
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