THE THREE LEVELS OF
READING
ENGLISH 3
BELLRINGER
Choose one of the cartoons below.
1. Summarize what is going on in the cartoon.
2. What statement is the cartoon making about our society or culture?
3 Levels
of Reading
Reading on
the Line
(Literal)
Reading
Between
the Lines
(Inferential)
Reading
Beyond the
Lines
(Thematic)
ON THE LINE
Find meaning directly in the text.
This is where you, the student, are reading
for content.
What did the author say?
The facts reveal who, what, when, where,
and why.
BETWEEN THE LINES
At this level we interpret the text.
What does the passage represent, suggest or
personify?
What does a certain example of figurative
language (like metaphor)mean?
Analyze for:
Interpretations
Comparisons or Contrasts
Repeated Ideas
Patterns
BEYOND THE LINES
• Connect the text to UNIVERSAL meaning.
• How does this text connect ….
• with my life?
• with life in a larger sense for all human beings?
• with my ideas about morality, values, or what’s
right and wrong?
• What perception about life in general is the author
communicating to me?
• What do I think of those perceptions?
• Move from the “what?” of the text to the “So what
does that mean?”
UNIVERSAL IDEAS (THEMES)
• Universal ideas or themes carry the meaning of what is true
for every human being on the planet.
• The theme of a text describes an opinion about life, human
nature or elements of society.
• Some examples:
• Friendship is dependent on sacrifice: This is the idea that
you can't have friends if you don't act like a friend.
• Crime does not pay: A popular theme played out in books
throughout time is the concept that honesty is honored and
criminals will eventually be caught.
• Death is part of the life cycle.
• Sacrifices and hard work pay off in the end, despite the
challenges along the way.
SUMMARIZING: WHAT’S UP?
• On the Line— Just the Facts
• Who, what, when, where, how, why?
• Between the Lines– Interpret
• Compare, contrast, analyze
• Beyond the Lines– the UNIVERSAL idea
• How does this apply to basic humanity?
What does the text describe about life,
human nature or elements of society?
“THE TUNNEL” BY MARK STRAND
• Read and annotate eight things.
“The Tunnel” by Mark Strand
A man has been standing
in front of my house
for days. I peek at him
from the living room
window and at night,
unable to sleep,
I shine my flashlight
down on the lawn.
He is always there.
After a while
I open the front door
just a crack and order
him out of my yard.
He narrows his eyes
and moans. I slam
the door and dash back
to the kitchen, then up
to the bedroom, then down.
I weep like a schoolgirl
and make obscene gestures
through the window. I
write large suicide notes
and place them so he
can read them easily.
I destroy the living
room furniture to prove
I own nothing of value.
When he seems unmoved
I decide to dig a tunnel
to a neighboring yard.
I seal the basement off
from the upstairs with
a brick wall. I dig hard
and in no time the tunnel
is done. Leaving my pick
and shovel below,
I come out in front of a house
and stand there too tired to
move or even speak, hoping
someone will help me.
I feel I’m being watched
and sometimes I hear
a man’s voice,
but nothing is done
and I have been waiting for days.
WHEN I ANNOTATE, WHAT DO I
WRITE?
As you work with a text, consider all of the ways that you can
connect with what you are reading. Here are some
suggestions that will help you with your annotations:
Record a REACTION
Ask a QUESTION
Give an OPINION
Make a CONNECTION between two parts of a text, to yourself,
or to the real world.
Circle UNKNOWN words or phrases
Underline IMPORTANT ideas, symbols, or figurative language
Make notes about the TONE or MOOD
RELATE to other things you’ve read, seen, or heard
Mark INTERESTING WORDS and PHRASES
ANNOTATION RUBRIC
Points
Criteria
4
•
•
•
•
•
3
• Demonstrates satisfactory understanding
• Has many of the qualities of the annotations in the 4-point range
but doesn‘t push far enough to remain at the upper levels of
thinking
• Annotations don’t always seem insightful or purposeful
2
• Annotations are too general
• Thinking processes stay at lower levels of thinking (identification,
comprehension) rather than moving into the upper levels (analysis,
synthesis, evaluation)
1
• Annotations are vague
• Shows a minimal amount of effort, understanding, or active
reading
• Has notes that look exactly like those of a neighbor or few to no
annotations at all
Demonstrates thorough understanding of the reading
Only the most important concepts within the text are marked
Demonstrates evidence of active reading
Annotations are evenly distributed throughout the passage.
Annotations would be useful later when the reader needs to recall
the material
Remember
and
Understand
Reading on the Line
1. Write the most significant word from
the text.
2. Quote the entire sentence in which
the word appears and include the page,
line or paragraph number.
3. Write at least two dictionary
definitions of the word (denotation).
4. Explain why the word is important to
the meaning of the work by placing it in
the context of the narrative.
Analyze and
Interpret
*Draw & Explain
Reading Between the Lines
1. Referring to the text,
draw FOUR images
created from the text
R
*Draw & Explain
Reading
On the Line
*Draw & Explain
2. Write an explanation of the connection
between the four images from the text
and the word you have written in the
inner circle.
*Draw & Explain
Evaluate
and Create
Reading Beyond the Lines
Reading Between the Lines
Reading
On the Lines
Write TWO thematic statements drawn from the
significant word you wrote in the innermost circle
and the images you drew in the middle circle.
These should be UNVERSAL theme
statements.