for students to know in order to read, discuss, and write about complex texts in that subject.
Figurative meanings: Figures of speech (or figurative language) are those often colorful ways we develop of saying something; they include euphemism, hyperbole, irony, understatement, metaphor, simile, and paradox, among others. Some of them are specific to an era, region, or social group and, thus, can confuse readers.
Impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds: Though we associate the role sound plays more with poetry, it often plays a key role also in drama and, depending on the author’s style, in fiction. It can have a number of effects: emphasis, pleasure, association, mimicry of action, or reinforcing to imagery.
Impact of specific word choice on meaning and tone: Each word comes with its own denotative and connotative meaning which, in a piece of writing being read closely, will be in the author’s mind and, thus, one of the many tools for creating meaning and evoking a certain tone. If, for example, a writer uses a word that is very formal, archaic, or otherwise outdated, it will create in the reader’s mind a certain impression and tone that shapes how that student interprets what the author means. In short, the writer’s choices shape meaning or tone: Certain words carry added, often implied meanings; we describe these as “loaded words,” for they have the power to affect the meaning of the words around them or to influence the speaker’s tone (e.g., turning it from sincere to ironic).
Interpret: This is best understood as a way of explaining what an author wrote using more accessible, familiar language for those who lack experience with or knowledge of the subject or this type of text.
Key terms: In highly technical or scientific subjects, certain terms represent the precision and accuracy that discipline demands. In some subjects, a certain term (e.g., evolution, uncertainty, or entropy) represents a specific idea or applies to a very precise process.
Symbols: In humanities classes, a symbol suggests some greater meaning when it is attached to an idea; thus, the bald eagle symbolizes the American spirit; in science and math, however, symbols represent operations, procedures, and concepts such as change (∆) or pi (π).
Technical meanings: These would be words with specialized meanings specific to the subject being investigated, explained, or argued about; one example might be the distinctions made between political philosophies, such as libertarian and republican.
Tone: When thinking of tone, think about tone of voice. The formal tone of the Constitution matches its importance and subject; the informal tone of a literary text signals the relationship between the individuals and reveals the character of the speaker.
Words and phrases as they are used in a text: Close reading seeks to understand what the text really says; to do this, students must scrutinize the words and phrases used by the author, as they are the key to determining what the author really means or what the text says; also, they are an essential source of evidence.
Planning to Teach: What to Do—and How
Reading Standards: Craft and Structure
Reading 5: Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to one another and the whole.
Literature
6 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
7 Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.
8 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
History/Social Studies
6 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
7 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
8 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
Informational Text
6 Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
7 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
8 Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.
Science/Technical Subjects
6 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
7 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
8 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
Source: Copyright © 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
Common Core Reading Standard 5: What the Student Does
Literature
6 Gist: Break down the text’s structure to see how one component—a sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza—helps develop the theme, setting, or plot.Which component—a sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza—contributes most to the development of the theme, setting, or plot?How does this specific component affect the development of the theme, setting, or plot of this text?
7 Gist: Break down the design of a poem or play to show how one component (e.g., a soliloquy, a sonnet) adds to the meaning of that text.Which form or structure (e.g., a soliloquy, a sonnet) does the author use in this play or poem?How does the author’s use of this specific form or structure contribute to the meaning of the poem or play?
8 Gist: Examine the similarities and differences between the design of multiple texts, explaining how these different designs affect the meaning and style of each text.What are the key structural similarities and differences between these different texts?How do the different structures contribute to the meaning and style of each text?
History/Social Studies
