Close Reading

1. Close Reading …Contain your excitement…

2. What is Close Reading? • Exciting! • Challenging! • Enthralling! • Fun! … Well it’s mandatory, so deal with it.

3. But You’ll Never Succeed if Your Attitude Stinks!

4. All We Need is a Little Understanding Two Types • Context – explain what a given word means by looking at the text around it for clues. • Own Words – that’s the one where using quotes gets you killed. (Consider your mind blown…)

5. Context Questions • What are they looking for? • The meaning of a word or phrase that is provided in the question. • Proof that you can work out what that word or phrase means by using clues from the text.

6. COPY Context Success Criteria Two steps to victory! • Quote the word or phrase and state what it means. • Explain how you figured it out using the passage.

7. For Science! Err, English… • Here comes an example! She was five years old, due to start school in three months time. It was a torrid, but beautiful day and she was playing between the film of shimmering heat. It was the kind of heat that could wear a mere mortal down his bare bones. Show how the context helped you work out the meaning of the word “torrid”.

8. Figure it Out! • What are the clues? • She was five years old, due to start school in three months time. It was a torrid, but beautiful day and she was playing between the film of shimmering heat. It was the kind of heat that could wear a mere mortal down his bare bones.

9. Okay! What do you think ‘torrid’ means? (Sheldon will attempt to send you the answer via his amazing psychic ability…)

10. Step Numbero Uno • Quote the word and state what it means. • ‘Torrid’ means extreme and uncomfortable heat.

11. Step Duex • Explain how the passage helped you to work it out. The author refers to “shimmering heat”, which conveys how extreme the temperature was, and how it created a heatwave. 1 mark

12. Full Answer • ‘Torrid’ means extreme and uncomfortable heat. The author refers to “shimmering heat”, which conveys how extreme the temperature was, and how it created a heatwave. 2 marks

13. Your Turn! “I seem finally to be learning what you were always trying to teach me, that my own country is exotic and even as perilous as Algeria. It is impossible to survive it without a good mind and a fully functioning gun.” Show how the context helped you work out the meaning of the word “perilous” (2). (Use your criteria!)

14. Seek the Clues! “I seem finally to be learning what you were always trying to teach me, that my own country is exotic and even as perilous as Algeria. It is impossible to survive it without a good mind and a fully functioning gun.” “…impossible to survive it without a good mind and a fully functioning gun.”

15. Write Your Answer! • ‘Perilous’ means… dangerous. • The author refers to the fact that you must possess a “fully functioning gun” in order to stay alive and protect yourself.

16. Answer in Your Own Words In these questions, you are being asked to summarise/paraphrase what the writer has said. You must use your own words as far as possible.

17. QUOTES ARE THE ENEMY!

18. Worth the Effort • Around half of the questions in the paper will ask you to answer in your own words. Quoting will lose the marks!

19. COPY Own Words Success Criteria..? • Put the author’s idea into your own words. • DO NOT quote from the passage.

20. Here Comes the Example! Glasgow is a city which has experienced constant change and adaptation, from its period as a great industrial city and as the Second City of Empire, to its latter day reinvention as the City of Culture and the Second City of Shopping. This is a city with pull, buzz, excitement, and a sense of style and its own importance. It has a potent international reach and influence. Glasgow’s story continually weaves in and out of a global urban tapestry: following the trade threads of Empire... 1. Explain why, according to the writer, Glasgow was an important world city in the past (2)

21. Pick Out the Important Parts What do you have to understand?

22. Glasgow is a city which has experienced constant change and adaptation, from its period as a great industrial city and as the Second City of Empire, to its latter day reinvention as the City of Culture and the Second City of Shopping. This is a city with pull, buzz, excitement, and a sense of style and its own importance. It has a potent international reach and influence. Glasgow’s story continually weaves in and out of a global urban tapestry: following the trade threads of Empire...

23. The question is asking why Glasgow was an important city in the past. Thus, the most important pieces of information that you need to pick out and understand are: “...its period as a great industrial city and as the Second City of Empire...” “...following the trade threads of Empire...”

24. The Answer For two marks you would need to have two of the following (or something similar): • 1. it was very important for industry/ manufacture. • 2. it was second only to London as a symbol of the British Empire. • 3. It was important for international commerce.

25. “We all travelled light, taking with us only what we considered to be the bare essentials of life.” Q. The family “travelled light”, in your own word explain what they took with them.

26. Laughably Easy? Sheldon thinks so! … And he’s a scientist! All you need is a little practice!

27. Can you identify the question? • By looking at the context of the paragraph, explain how the writer helps you understand what ‘disenfranchised’ means. • In your own words, explain why the author thinks that bears are not dangerous. • What does ‘ambivalent’ mean? Use the surrounding sentences to help you? • Why does Dean think that Billy is unhappy? Answer in your own words. • Explain the writer’s use of parenthesis in line 14. This one is on sentence structure.

28. Next Please! Bring on the Imagery!

29. Imagery – getting the picture! What is an image? • An image is a picture that the writer tries to create through words. • As readers we try to see what the image is. • The picture is formed inside your head. (Or maybe on paper if you happen to be doodling at the time!) How is the image created? • The writer uses words and figures of speech to create the image. • Images are created because we associate ideas with particular words. • The writer could use comparisons (similes, metaphors) to create an image.

30. COPY Success Criteria • (QUOTE) • State the Technique • Say what is being compared to what • Say what they have in common

31. Attack of the Obvious • The most likely techniques that will come up in imagery questions are: • Simile – comparing one thing to another by using ‘like’ or ‘as’. • Metaphor – comparing one thing to another by saying that it is that thing. “He was dynamite on the dancefloor.”

32. Similies – think ‘similar’ • “All eyes on my, in the centre of the room just like a circus.” • “Your love is like a rollercoaster.” • “I’m feeling so fly like a G6.” • “You’re as cuddly as a cactus, you’re as charming as an eel.” • “You change your mind like a girl changes clothes.”

33. Metaphors • “You paint me a blue sky and go back and turn it to rain.“ • “You shoot me down but I won’t fall, I am titanium.” • “’Cause baby you’re a firework, come on show them what you’re worth.” • “You are the thunder, I am the lightning.” • “You’re my kryptonite!”

34. REMEMBER: ‘Just as… so too…’ ‘Teaching is somewhat like banging one’s head against a wall…’ Technique: Simile Comparison: Teaching/ Hitting your head against a wall. ‘Just as hitting your head against a wall is painful and pointless, so too teaching in a frustrating and fruitless endeavour.’

35. One Good-Looking Answer ‘Teaching is somewhat like banging one’s head against a wall…’ ‘A simile is used to compare teaching to banging your head against a wall. The writer claims that just as hitting your head against a wall is painful and pointless, so too teaching is a frustrating and fruitless endeavour.’

36. Try This on for Size ‘The traders at my stall were like vultures round a carcase.’

37. ‘The traders at my stall were like vultures round a carcase.’ Technique: Simile Comparison: Vultures/ Traders at the stall ‘Just as vultures crowd round a carcass to feed, tearing at the flesh of the animal, so too the traders at the stall to grab the best wares for themselves.’ ‘A simile is used to compare the traders at the stall to vultures. Just as vultures crowd round a carcass to feed, tearing at the flesh of the animal, so too the traders huddle at the stall to grab the best wares for themselves.’

38. A little of the Perry • “’Cause baby you’re a firework, come on show them what you’re worth.” • Technique: • Comparison: • “Just as… So…”

39. It’s not romantic… Ask Superman. • “You’re my kryptonite!” • Technique: • Comparison: • “Just as… So…”

40. Word Choice Carefully selected for your bewilderment.

41. REMEMBER! • You must be aware of the difference between the denotation and the connotation of a word. • Denotation= the dictionary definition of a word. • Connotation= all the secondary meanings associated with a word.

42. For example, Denotation of the word “home”= the place where someone lives and sleeps. Connotation of the word “home”= a place of warmth, safety and security.

43. COPY Word Choice Success Criteria • 1. Identify the word or phrase. • 2. Note the connotations. • 3. Explain the effect of the word. Explain what the writer is trying to tell us.

44. Word Choice and Imagery • Connotations are the key • What a word suggests or is associated with • Consider if it is positive or negative/ how extreme a word it is/ what mood or atmosphere it creates/ what sort of people it suggests

45. Write down connotations of the words in bold. Use the words at the bottom to help you. 1. “Listen,” he mumbled. 2. “Listen,” she whispered. 3. “Listen,” they chanted. 4. “Listen,” she screamed. 5. “Listen,” he hollered. 6. “Listen,” she moaned. 7. “Listen,” he insisted. 8. “Listen,” she shrieked. secretive forbidden persuasive in pain trying to be heard/get control Angry frightened desperate Shy Apologetic Unsure repeating what’s annoyed confident been told memorised conspiratorial annoying pushy

46. Write down connotations of the words in bold. Use the words at the bottom to help you. 1. He ambled along the road. • 2. He strode along the road. • 3. He shuffled along the road. • 4. He swaggered along the road. • 5. He strolled along the road. • 6. He sauntered along the road. • 7. She marched along the road. • 8. She mooched along the road. • 9. She meandered along the road. • 10. She strutted along the road. • angry rushed overconfident aimless purposeful depressed confident brisk tired self-satisfied relaxed comfortable moody relaxedcheerful curious dreamy formal moping self-pitying happy ostentatious extrovert smug superior down (Quiz Mark /10)

47. Write down connotations of the words in bold. Use the words at the bottom to help you. • 1. She smirked. • 2. He beamed. • 3. She smiled. • 4. He sneered. • 5. She grinned. • friendly cheerful happy mocking cruel cheeky delighted pleasant joyful gleeful nasty superior mischievous Quiz Mark /5

48. Write down connotations of the words in bold. • The warm afternoon • The sweltering afternoon • The glorious afternoon • The boiling afternoon • The scorching afternoon • The balmyafternoon • Quiz Mark /12

49. Simon Cowell features as an acid-tongued judge • Question: How does the word choice illustrate the writer’s attitude to Cowell?  (2A) • Strategy: • Quote the key word • Give the meaning • Give the connotations • Answer: • “acid-tongued”  • Means he is a critical judge • Suggests the writer thinks he is cruel, mocking and cutting to the contestants.

50. The McCanns now live in the shadow of police suspicion. • Question: How does the word choice illustrate what the McCanns’ lives are like now?  (2A) • Strategy: • Quote the key word • Give the meaning • Give the connotations • Answer: • “shadow”  • Means they are always being monitored by police • Suggests their lives are miserable, fearful and gloomy because of the constant pressure.