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.
.
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
