CLOSE READING
UNDERSTANDING, ANALYSIS & EVALUATION
NEW HIGHER
CfE
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
“What Am I Reading?”
Getting an Overview
You will make a more positive start on your first reading of a piece of prose IF
YOU KNOW FROM THE BEGINNING WHAT IT IS ABOUT!
Refer: 1)
2)
New Higher Paper
Work Booklet
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
HOW TO GET AN OVERVIEW
(Look at the Higher Paper)
1. Look at the HEADLINE/TITLE
2. Look at the short introductions under the heading, Subheadings, photo
captions etc
3. Read the “Questions about Both Passages” at the end of the paper.
4. What are the passages about?
5. Consider: do the above give you an idea about THE WRITER’S ATTITUDE
TOWARDS THE TOPIC (i.e. Tone)?
6. Ask yourself, “What do I expect this article to be about?”
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
TOGETHER: LOOK AT EXAMPLE 1 :
Passages 1 and 2
Note:
Passage 1:
•The text in ITALICS is an introduction which gives a clue as to what the article is
going to be about ….
•Look at the HEADING? Is the writer’s attitude to this topic positive or negative?
What words help you to understand this?
Passage 2
•Note the words “Explores past and present (press) coverage of immigration
issues.”
•Note the heading, WE HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE ….What is the writer trying to say
about how newspapers write about immigration?
• Always the same … nothing has changed?
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
Do on your own: Examples 1 and 2
Using the Overview Clues, answer the following:
1. What key ideas do you think will be covered in Passage 1?
2. What key ideas do you think will be covered in Passage 2 ?
3. What do you think the writer’s attitude will be in each passage?
(What words/phrases suggest this?)
4. Do you think the two writers are in agreement or disagreement
about the topic?
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
“HOW CAN I FIND THE MAIN IDEAS IN
LONG PASSAGES”
- SUMMARISING You are often asked to summarise ideas/key points etc in long passages (i.e. your
Higher paper) …. Where do you start???
Hints:
Paragraphing is a writer’s tool for giving you their story in manageable chunks.
It signals the introduction of:
• A new idea,
• A different way of expressing an idea which has previously been mentioned.
• It can contain a conclusion
• Or the opening of another side to an argument.
= LOOK AT TOPIC SENTENCES IN EACH PARAGRAPH WHEN SUMMARISING.
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
DO:
“LATIN DANCING” EXAMPLE
(p11-12 of text)
Using topic sentences as a clue, summarise what key idea you think
each paragraph will be about.
1.
Look at the topic sentence or main idea in each
paragraph.
2.
Look at the sequence of these paragraphs to see
how the “argument” of the article is developing.
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
SUMMARISING LONG, COMPLEX SENTENCES
Sometimes you are asked to show understanding of long, complex
sentences.
Just as you do with a paragraph, you have to find the MAIN IDEA – or,
the SUBJECT of the long and complex sentence.
“Because of the popularity of partner dancing – as opposed to the
lone experience of shuffling one’s feet and randomly jerking your
arms at a club/family wedding – the BBC has decided to make a
celebrity version of Come Dancing the centrepiece of its new
Saturday night schedule.”
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
How?
1. Simplify the sentence by (temporarily) ignoring all parts in
parenthesis, or long lists of similar items.
2. Then, identify what the subject of the sentence is. i.e. who or
what is the main topic being discussed?
3. Make a note of what you are being told about this subject.
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
Answer?
The BBC is the subject … and what they intend to do
= They are going to put on a show about partner dancing.
The rest of the complex sentence tells us why they are going to do that
i.e. it’s so popular … and better than dancing on your own!
… Too Easy!
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
Do:
“The Men Behind the Morphsuit”
Refer to Work Booklet p
First: Do a quick overview …
• What do you think this article will be about?
• What do you think the writer’s attitude is towards the topic?
3. What words or phrases suggest this?
Now do a Summary ….
3. Skim/read, paying attention to topic sentences and
SUMMARISE THE PASSAGE INTO SEVEN (7) MAIN IDEAS
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
Answers:
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS
HOMEWORK ….
Regularly find a newspaper article or feature article and practise these
summary skills
…. You will get faster
…. You will improve your vocabulary.
…. You will become better at recognising
the writer’s attitude to his topic.
Mrs K. Woods - Drummond CHS