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CONTENT-AREA READING

SESSION 2  |  Grades K-12 / ELL  |  Handout

Understand the unique skills of subject-area reading

Reread texts with a different set of purposes or lenses.

GLASSES: Summarize the important concepts and determine the main ideas.

Close Reading Eyeglasses

MICROSCOPE: Zoom in to analyze the text and evaluate author decisions.

Close Reading Microscope

TELESCOPE: Zoom out and integrate this knowledge with other sources.

Close Reading Telescope
Close Reading Triggers

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Readers persevere through difficult text

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Everyone reads (English/Language Arts)

Reading is meant to convey an experience to the reader.

Understand the individual story elements that compose the work.

Emphasize that readers must infer author ideas and intentions.

Rich language creates a vivid, sensory, and descriptive experience.

Authors play with words using multiple meaning words, idioms, etc.

Eye to Eye

Allusions, analogies, and other figurative language require inferring.

Illustrations provide additional details beyond the print text and beg to be read.

Z is for Zeus

Historians read

See the bigger picture.

Look for cause-effect relationships among the individuals and events.

Identify those who acted and those who were affected.

Think beyond the individual event to others occurring elsewhere.

Track simultaneous events to remember that events impact each other.

Time Tracker
Example & Template

Reader must balance fact v. opinion and interpretation.

Often reads like a narrative, with individuals in conflict in various settings.

Infer the author’s perspective on the topic or issue.

Place a heavy emphasis on reading multiple accounts.

Scientists read

Expect a heavy emphasis on vocabulary.

Vocabulary in science texts is specialized, using a large amount of jargon.

Root-word knowledge is an advantage in mastering science terms.

Emphasize the reading of visual literacy.

Concepts are detailed vividly and descriptively.

Essential information is communicated in figures and diagrams.

Examples | Portrait | Landscape

Visual literacy is also depicted within videoed animation.

Present concepts in multiple forms—written, formulaic, and graphic.

Many science concepts include a strong presence of math.

Read to understand how concepts are interrelated.

“Doers” read

Emphasize accuracy and error detection.

Precision is essential.

Read to reach an end result.

Requires an understanding of processes.

Integrate comprehension strategies in all subjects

PRIZE: Utilize these cards to remind students to change their reading purposes as they move through the subject areas.