CLOSE READINGCLOSE READING

The Three Levels of The Three Levels of Reading:Reading:

“Close reading” is a special kind of ANALYTICAL reading.

When readers read “closely”, they SLOW DOWN and think about each

Worddetail, or Image

of the text as they read.

CLOSE READERS:CLOSE READERS:Look BEYOND the plot for DEEPER LAYERS of MEANING

The three layers of reading are:

•Reading on the lines (literal),

•Reading between the lines (inferential),

•Reading beyond the lines (evaluative).

The First LevelThe First Level•Readers find meaning is found DIRECTLY in the text: you can literally put a finger in the reading and POINT TO THE ANSWER.

•Answers questions “Who?”, “What?”, “When?”, and “Where?”Can you think of a Level One QuestionCan you think of a Level One Question from “The Most Dangerous Game”?from “The Most Dangerous Game”?

The Second LevelThe Second Level• Readers INTERPRET what is in the text.

•Readers REASON, COMPARE, & CONTRAST,

CLASSIFY, ANALYZE.

•Readers look for what passages REPRESENT or

SUGGEST.

•The exact answer CANNOT be found directly in the

text: the answer is “between the lines”.

•Key questions include “How?”, and “Why?”Can you think of a Level Two QuestionCan you think of a Level Two Question from “The Most Dangerous Game”?from “The Most Dangerous Game”?

THE THIRD LEVELTHE THIRD LEVEL•The third level is SUPER abstract.

•The answers are found beyond the lines.

•Readers move beyond the text to connect to

UNIVERSAL MEANING.

•Key questions include “Why is this important?”

“How does this text connect with my life? With all

human beings?”

•Readers move BEYOND THE “WHAT?” to the

“SO WHAT?”Can you think of a Level Three QuestionCan you think of a Level Three Question from “The Most Dangerous Game”?from “The Most Dangerous Game”?

Some Examples:Some Examples:Level One: Literal

•Where does Rainsford spend the first night of his hunt?

Level Two: Inferential

•What happened to General Zaroff at the end of the story?

Level Three: Evaluative

•Zaroff states that 'instinct is no match for reason‘. Do you agree? Explain.