Five (5) Strategies to Help Teach Students how to Critically Read Complex Texts

1. Number the paragraphs

The Common Core asks students to be able to cite and refer to the text. One simple way to do this is by numbering each paragraph, section, or stanza in the left hand margin. When students refer to the text, require them to state which paragraph they are referring to. Then the rest of the class will be able to quickly find the line being referred to. 

2. Chunk the text

When faced with a full page of text, reading it can quickly become overwhelming for students. Breaking up the text into smaller sections (or chunks) makes the page much more manageable for students. Students do this by drawing a horizontal line between paragraphs to divide the page into smaller sections.

At the beginning of the year, the teacher should model grouping the paragraphs into chunks before handing out the assignment. In the directions say, “Chunk paragraphs 1-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12” (look at the paragraphs to see where natural chunks occur). Paragraphs 1-3 may be the hook and thesis statement, while 6-8 may be the paragraphs where the author addresses the opposition. It is important to understand that there is no right or wrong way to chunk the text, as long as you can justify why you grouped certain paragraphs together.

By the end of the first semester ask students to chunk the text on their own. They should be able to number the paragraphs then make decisions about what paragraphs will be grouped together. At this point, most of the class’s chunking should be similar.

3. Underline and circle… with a purpose

Direct students to underline and circle very specific things. Think about what information you want students to take from the text and ask them to look for those elements. Information  students circle and underline may change depending on the text type.

For example, when studying an argument, ask students to underline “claims”. Claims are belief statements that the author is making. Students will quickly discover that the author makes multiple claims throughout the argument.

When studying poetry, students could underline the imagery they find throughout the poem.

Have students circle “Key terms” in the text (key terms are words that 1. are defined,  2. repeated throughout the text). This should give the student a good idea about what the entire text is about.

You can also ask students to circle the names of sources, power verbs, or figurative language.

Providing students with a specific thing you want them to underline or circle will focus their attention on that area much better than “underlining important information”.

4. Left margin: What is the author SAYING?

It isn’t enough to ask students to “write in the margins”. Teachers must be very specific and give students a game plan for what they will write. This is where the chunking comes into play.

In the left margin ask students to summarize each chunk (model how to write summaries in 10-words or less). The chunking allows the students to look at the text in smaller segments and summarize what the author is saying in just that small, specific chunk.

5. Right margin: Dig deeper into the text  

In the right-hand margin direct the students to complete a specific task for each chunk. This may include:

·     a. Use a power verb to describe what the author is DOING. (For example: Describing, illustrating, arguing, etc..) Note: It isn’t enough for students to write “Comparing” and be done. What is the author comparing? A better answer might be: “Comparing the character of Montag to Captain Beatty”.

·     b. Represent the information with a picture. This is a good way for students to be creative to visually represent the chunk with a drawing.

·     c. Ask questions. This must be modeled by teacher for students will always say that they do not have any questions to ask. When modeled, students can begin to learn how to ask questions that dig deeper into the text.

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There are many other things students can write in the margins. However,  teachers must model and teach these strategies so that students will have an idea of what to write when they are on their own. Students need to read the text at least five times so that they can actively interact with the text.

Highlighters are not required.

Adapted from http://iteachicoachiblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/five-simple-close-reading-strategies.html