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Close Read

by Darlene Anne

Common Core

Strategies

Step by Step

for Success

Title

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Common Core Close Read Strategies for Success

Table of Contents

*These posters can be laminated and placed on display to serve as reminders of the key components of the close read. The bookmarks can be printed back-to-back and can be used until students get accustomed to annotating. I have provided options for individualizing as well, because some students prefer coming up with their own symbols.

Copyright©2013DarleneAnne

Page(s)

Common Core State Standards 3

Close Read Overview 4-5

Close Reading Step-by-Step Instructions for Teachers 6-9

Close Reading Observations 10

Close Reading Poster 11

Text Toolbox Symbols Poster/Handout* 12-14

How to Perform a Close Read 15

NAMES Poster 16

What to Look for in a Close Read 17

Dig Deep: Fiction Poster 18

Dig Deep: Nonfiction Poster 19

Partner Close Read Questions 20

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain ; Chapter 1; Grades 5&6 21

The Prince and the Pauper Annotation Example 22

A Letter from Santa Clause by Mark Twain; Grades 5&6 23-24

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court A Letter of Explanation; by Mark Twain; Grades 7&8

25-26

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court Annotation Example 27-28

Mark Twain’s Letter to J. H. Todd; Grades 7&8 29

Independent Close Read Questions 30

Speech by William Lyon Phelps 31-32

Answer Key to Phelps’ Speech 33

Speech by George Graham Vest 34-35

Answer Key to Vest’s Speech 36

Text Toolbox and NAMES Bookmarks* 37-40

Terms of Use 41

Teaching students how to annotate text is an important part of teaching them how to perform close reading of a complex text. By interacting with the text, they become active readers, rather than passive readers. They begin thinking about text and language differently, and as a result, become active participants in their own learning. However, annotating is more than just writing on the text. We have to teach students what to look for depending on the text type, we have to model annotation, and we have to provide lots of opportunities for students to practice. Annotating text can be amazing for students who have problems focusing and paying attention. Annotating keeps students focused, because it requires them to stay actively involved with the text. Annotating makes it difficult for students to drift off. It also enables the teacher to easily monitor attentional issues and reading progress, by checking on the student’s annotations.

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Close Reading and Students with Attention Deficit Disorder

Three Key Components of the Close Read

Annotating Summarizing Rereading

Teach Students to Perform a Close Read

How Can Text Annotations Facilitate Understanding?

Teaching students how to read closely empowers them to become independent learners, and for this reason it is the first two words of the Common Core K-12 Anchor Standards.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Connection to the Common Core State Standards

Close Reading: The Heart of the Core “Close Read” Overview

*Many teachers have asked me about the “close read.” I decided to write the following blog post to address some of the questions I’ve been asked. It also serves as an overview for the way this step-by-step lesson is set up. ------------------------------ Lately, I have been fielding questions about the “close read.” Most teachers (and parents) would simply like to know what a close read is, what it isn’t, and why the heck the word “read” is suddenly a noun! Some aspects of teaching this way of reading are new, but they will soon be familiar to all of us, just like the term “close read” itself. I always feel as though I must place those words in quotation marks. Soon, the grammatical alteration will evolve into the commonplace and familiar, but right now it still seems awkward. Let's start by taking a look inside a typical classroom. The students are getting ready to read a passage that the teacher has carefully chosen. She knows it will be challenging, but she is confident that if she introduces it by giving students some necessary information, they should do just fine. Today we are going to read title of work. Author wrote it right after fill in the circumstances. In this passage, the author explains/argues/informs/tells the story of... You should be interested in this because how this relates to students. You will encounter the following vocabulary words state and define the words. While you are reading, look for the concepts or ideas. While we may not use all of these techniques all of the time, we probably use some of them some of the time. We were, in fact, taught that preparing the students in this way would enhance their comprehension of a passage. And while these prereading strategies aren't always terrible, they are not an effective way to prepare students for challenging texts. Therefore, we should not use these techniques when teaching the Common Core "close read."

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Now, we call giving the students a lot of prereading information, "frontloading," and we know it does not help advance students' reading skills. Here are some techniques that we should avoid: Don't • Begin by summarizing a text as a means of introduction. • Give students definitions of challenging vocabulary words that they might

come across. • Introduce a purpose for reading, because reading then becomes a “mad

hunt” for answers. Students will end up passing over other information. • Tell students why they should be motivated and interested. • Interrupt the reading by making observations. Right now, I realize that I hate the word "don't." So here's a "do" or two (or five). Do • Encourage students to read, reread, focus, and go slowly. • Give students the tools necessary to tackle a challenging text. • Tell students to mark up the text, either on the actual text or on post-it

notes. • Let the text determine the purpose and the discussion. • Let students' questions, connections, and observations unfold naturally.

Some teachers will say that teachers should always conduct the second read, and they should read to students. I do not. I believe in a gradual release of responsibility, similar to the method that Fisher and Frey (http://www.fisherandfrey.com/) recommend. Step 1: Teacher directs/models. Step 2: Students collaborate. Step 3: Independent practice. Keep in mind that this is just one way to teach the “close read.” I have found it helpful, and I hope you do too. Best of luck to you in teaching the close read. (I did it! No quotation marks!) *blogpost from Meatballs in the Middle

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http://www.fisherandfrey.com/

http://meatballsinthemiddle.blogspot.com/

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Close Reading Step by Step

1) Choose a short passage that is at your students’ frustration level. Or use one of the texts included with this unit. Distribute the Close Read Observation handout.

2) Ask students to read the text and answer question 2 on the

Observation handout. When they have finished, have students share their thoughts on the main idea of the passage. Many will simply say they didn’t understand it, while others may have a basic understanding.

3) Show the students the definition poster. This will give them the basic idea of what is involved in performing a close read.

Definition poster p.11


The Prince and the Pauper

p. 21; grades 5-6

Close Read Observation handout p. 10

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court pp.25-26; grades 7-8

Excerpt: Excerpt:

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4) Distribute Text Toolbox Symbols, and explain that people who use

these types of markings as they read can dramatically improve their comprehension and reasoning skills. They are also able to pinpoint the parts they don’t understand. Have students answer #3 & #4 on the

Observation handout. (Note: There are three versions of the text toolbox, so that you have the option of allowing students make up their own symbols.)


5) Teacher Directed Practice: Now project the same passage from #1 on a screen, using a projector or an interactive whiteboard. Read the passage aloud before making any annotations. Then begin modeling how to use the symbols on the text by going through the passage and making marks. Really get in there and show your thought process. If an idea is suggested, show students how the active reader uses reasoning skills to make inferences.

*I have included annotated versions of the passages, but you may have different observations!

Text Toolbox Symbols p.12-14

Annotated: The Prince and the Pauper

p.22

Annotated: A Connecticut Yankee in King

Arthur’s Court p.27-28

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6) Have students do a pair and share or a whole-class brainstorm about what they noticed about how you conducted your close read. Share observations on the Close Read Observation handout. When you are finished, ask students if listening to you “think out loud” has made the text easier to understand. Have them answer #6 on the Observation sheet. They will probably have a much better understanding of the text now. They will also be able to make more connections to the text.

7) Distribute How to Perform a Close Read. The NAMES poster summarizes the process, as do the student bookmarks. You may want to also distribute How to Perform a Close Read: What

to Look for by Genre. (This can also be held over for another time, when students are more familiar with the basics of annotating.) These instructions should repeat and reinforce many of the observations that students have already made on the Close Read Observation handout. The posters on pages 16 and 17 will help students remember what to look for in fiction and nonfiction.


p.15 p.16 p.17

pp.37-40 pp.18-19

©DarleneAnne

8) Students Collaborate: Now it is time for students to try a close read with a partner. Assign partners, and ask students to read the passage once through without annotating. Then tell them to annotate. Next, they will go through the passage with their partner, discussing and annotating as they go along. You can use the passage that you did not use for modeling the annotations, or you can use another text. 9) Then, ask partners to evaluate the experience they had while annotating the text together. They should write about their specific observations and what they learned during the rereading/discussion process. Part of the goal is to notice difficult aspects of the passage. Students should self-evaluate whether or not their understanding of the text was strengthened. 10) Independent Practice: These are two of the best unknown speeches ever written! Students should be able to tackle them both. The Pleasure of Reading is on Flesch-Kincaid reading level 6.8, and Eulogy for a Dog is level 8.4, but I think Eulogy is such a high interest topic that many 5th and 6th graders would be fine with it.

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A Letter from Santa to Susy by Mark Twain

pp. 23-24; grades 5-6

A Letter to J. H. Todd by Mark Twain p. 29; grades 7-8

Eulogy for a Dog pp. 34-35; grades 7-8 Independent

Close Read p. 30

Partner Close Read

p. 20

The Pleasure of Reading pp. 31-32; grades 5-6

Close Read Observations

1) Read the text.

2) What is the passage mostly about?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

3) What does it mean to perform a close read?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

4) What should you do when you annotate?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

5) Watch how a close read is done, and write down your observations.

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Name______________________________ Date ___________________________

What I Notice What Others Notice___

6) What new information have you now learned about the passage? ___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________


©DarleneAnne

©Darlene Anne

Close reading is thoughtfully and actively reading and analyzing a text for better understanding. The reader writes responses and comments on the text or on a post-it. This is called annotating.

Good readers… Number the paragraphs. Stop and summarize. Ask questions about the text. Make inferences about the speaker or

narrator. Find details to support the main idea. Mark the words and parts they don’t

understand. Use text details to form inferences.

What is close reading?

What should I do when I annotate? . . .

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Reading . . Close

©DarleneAnne ©Darlene Anne ©DarleneAnne

? !

Words and

Comments

Important

Key Word or Detail

I Understand

Unfamiliar Vocabulary

Word

I Don’t Understand

I’m Surprised!

I Made a Connection

I’m Thinking!

Symbol Meaning

for annotating text during a close read


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DarleneAnne©2013

©DarleneAnne ©DarleneAnne

Important

Key Word or Detail

I Understand

Unfamiliar Vocabulary

Word

I Don’t Understand

I’m Surprised!

I Made a Connection

I’m Thinking!

Symbol Meaning



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©DarleneAnne ©DarleneAnne

Symbol Meaning



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©Darlenenne How to Perform a Close Read

3. Reread the Text. Mark the Following:

15 Copyright©2013DarleneAnne

Name______________________________

Close reading is thoughtfully and actively reading, rereading, and analyzing a challenging text for deep understanding. It is helpful to write responses and comments on the text or on a post-it. This is called annotating. 1. Before You Read: Number the paragraphs for easy reference. Break the text up into sections, called “chunks.” A chunk could be a paragraph, more than a paragraph, or less. Draw a line under each chunk.

2

1

Chunking

Summary

Understood

Connection Surprising

Question

Important

Main Idea Purpose

Paragraph #

On the Right: *Question parts you don’t understand.

On the Left: *Check what you understand.

Within the Text: * Mark key words and details. * Circle unfamiliar words. * Mark parts that are interesting or surprising.

*Summarize each chunked section.

On the Left: On the Right: *Connect the text with what you already know. *Determine the main idea and purpose. *Write down any new questions the text raises.

1

Use the Following Strategies

2. Read the Passage. Mark the Following:

DarleneAnne©2013

DarleneAnne©2013


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How to Perform a Close Read

NAMES Number the Paragraphs

Arrange Chunks

Mark for Understanding

and Questions

Establish Main Idea and

Purpose

Summarize Chunks


DarleneAnne©2013

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What to Look for in a Close Read

Name______________________________ Date ___________________________

Look for specific information, depending on the genre.

Fiction:

o What is the first thing you notice? o Make inferences about the

narrator. o What is the mood? o What is the setting? o Which characters are introduced? o Which passages tell you about the

characters? o Has a conflict been introduced? o Mark unfamiliar words. o Are any ideas suggested, but not

mentioned outright? o Does the author use any figurative

language?

Nonfiction:

o What is the purpose of the text? o What is the main idea? o Look for supporting details. o Examine the text features. o Notice the text structure. o Mark unfamiliar words and

content vocabulary. o Label facts and opinions. o Does the author use any

figurative language? o Does the passage answer any

questions? o Does the passage leave you with

questions?

Dig Deep!

And Think!


figurative language

Close Read

18 Fiction

mood

setting

characters

narrator conflict

unfamiliar words

character description



19 Nonfiction

purpose

main idea

supporting details

unfamiliar words

facts

Close Read

questions

opinions answers

text features


. .

Partner Close Read


Directions: Now it is time for you to closely read a complex text. 1. Follow steps #1 and #2 from How to Perform a Close Read.

2. Now reread the text with your partner. Discuss it as you go along and

annotate together. Use the tips detailed in #3 from How to Perform a Close Read and also use What to Look for in a Close Read.

3. Dig deep! Each of you brings a unique perspective to the reading! You do not have to annotate in exactly the same way. Instead, use your discussion to make observations and share new insights about the passage.

Answer the following questions about your close reading experience. 1. Evaluate your experience. Did your discussions help you come to any

new conclusions about the text? Explain. _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

2. Did your discussions bring up any new connections or questions about the text? Explain. _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

3. What is the main idea of the passage? Which details support it?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________ 20

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The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

Chapter I: The Birth of the Prince and the Pauper

In the ancient city of London, on a certain autumn day in the second

quarter of the sixteenth century, a boy was born to a poor family of the

name of Canty, who did not want him.

On the same day, another English child was born to a rich family of

the name of Tudor, who did want him. All England wanted him

too. England had so longed for him, and hoped for him, and prayed God

for him, that, now that he was really come, the people went nearly mad

for joy. Mere acquaintances hugged and kissed each other and cried.

Everybody took a holiday, and high and low, rich and poor, feasted and

danced and sang, and got very mellow; and they kept this up for days

and nights together.

By day, London was a sight to see, with gay banners waving from

every balcony and housetop, and splendid pageants marching along. By

night, it was again a sight to see, with its great bonfires at every corner,

and its troops of revelers making merry around them. There was no talk

in all England but of the new baby, Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales, who

lay lapped in silks and satins, unconscious of all this fuss, and not

knowing that great lords and ladies were tending him and watching over

him—and not caring, either.

But there was no talk about the other baby, Tom Canty, lapped in his

poor rags, except among the family of paupers whom he had just come

to trouble with his presence.


The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

Chapter I: The Birth of the Prince and the Pauper

In the ancient city of London, on a certain autumn day in the second

quarter of the sixteenth century, a boy was born to a poor family of the

name of Canty, who did not want him.

On the same day, another English child was born to a rich family of

the name of Tudor, who did want him. All England wanted him

too. England had so longed for him, and hoped for him, and prayed God

for him, that, now that he was really come, the people went nearly mad

for joy. Mere acquaintances hugged and kissed each other and cried.

Everybody took a holiday, and high and low, rich and poor, feasted and

danced and sang, and got very mellow; and they kept this up for days

and nights together.

By day, London was a sight to see, with gay banners waving from

every balcony and housetop, and splendid pageants marching along. By

night, it was again a sight to see, with its great bonfires at every corner,

and its troops of revelers making merry around them. There was no talk

in all England but of the new baby, Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales, who

lay lapped in silks and satins, unconscious of all this fuss, and not

knowing that great lords and ladies were tending him and watching over

him—and not caring, either.

But there was no talk about the other baby, Tom Canty, lapped in his

poor rags, except among the family of paupers whom he had just come

to trouble with his presence.

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8

1

2

3

4

!

Edward- royalty-wanted

Tom- poor-unwanted

Purpose- to show contrast

1500’s Poor,

unwanted baby born

England celebrates over

the prince’s birth

Prince gets a lot of

attention

No one cares about baby

Tom

My Dear Susy Clemens, I have received and read all the letters which you and your little sister have written me... I can read your and your baby sister's jagged and fantastic marks without any trouble at all. But I had trouble with those letters which you dictated through your mother and the nurses, for I am a foreigner and cannot read English writing well. You will find that I made no mistakes about the things which you and the baby ordered in your own letters--I went down your chimney at midnight when you were asleep and delivered them all myself--and kissed both of you, too... But... there were... one or two small orders which I could not fill because we ran out of stock ... There was a word or two in your mama's letter which . . .I took to be "a trunk full of doll's clothes." Is that it? I will call at your kitchen door about nine o'clock this morning to inquire. But I must not see anybody and I must not speak to anybody but you. When the kitchen doorbell rings, George must be blindfolded and sent to the door. You must tell George he must walk on tiptoe and not speak--otherwise he will die someday. Then you must go up to the nursery and stand on a chair or the nurse's bed and put your ear to the speaking tube that leads down to the kitchen and when I whistle through it you must speak in the tube and say, "Welcome, Santa Claus!" Then I will ask whether it was a trunk you ordered or not. If you say it was, I shall ask you what color you want the trunk to be . . . and then you must tell me every single thing in detail which you want the trunk to contain. Then when I say "Good-by and a merry Christmas to my little Susy Clemens," you must say "Good-by, good old Santa Claus, I thank you very much." Then you must go down into the library and make George close all the doors that open into the main hall, and everybody must keep still for a little while. I will go to the moon and get those things and in a few minutes I will come down the chimney that belongs to the fireplace that is in the hall--if it is a trunk you want--because I couldn't get such a thing as a trunk down the nursery chimney, you know . . .

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At Christmas-time in the 1870s , Mark Twain enjoyed horse-drawn sleighs brimming over with food and toys to his less fortunate neighbors and friends. He also enjoyed playing Santa for his children. On Christmas morning in 1875, Susy, Twain’s 3-year-old daughter, woke up to find this delightful letter propped up on her bed.

A Letter from Santa Claus


DarleneAnne©2013

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If I should leave any snow in the hall, you must tell George to sweep it into the fireplace, for I haven't time to do such things. George must not use a broom, but a rag--else he will die someday . . . . If my boot should leave a stain on the marble, George must not holystone it away. Leave it there always in memory of my visit; and whenever you look at it or show it to anybody you must let it remind you to be a good little girl. Whenever you are naughty and someone points to that mark which your good old Santa Claus's boot made on the marble, what will you say, little sweetheart? Good-by for a few minutes, till I come down to the world and ring the kitchen doorbell. Your loving Santa Claus Whom people sometimes call "The Man in the Moon"


Photo of the Twain family. The Twains lived in Hartford, Connecticut from 1874-1891. It was there that Twain wrote some of his most famous novels, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Although Twain traveled frequently, he was said to be a doting father when home with his children.

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A WORD OF EXPLANATION

It was in Warwick Castle that I came across the curious stranger

whom I am going to talk about. He attracted me by three things: his

candid simplicity, his marvelous familiarity with ancient armor, and the

restfulness of his company—for he did all the talking. We fell together, as

modest people will, in the tail of the herd that was being shown through,

and he at once began to say things which interested me. As he talked

along, softly, pleasantly, flowingly, he seemed to drift away imperceptibly

out of this world and time, and into some remote era and old forgotten

country; and so he gradually wove such a spell about me that I seemed

to move among the specters and shadows and dust and mold of a gray

antiquity, holding speech with a relic of it! Exactly as I would speak of my

nearest personal friends or enemies, or my most familiar neighbors, he

spoke of Sir Bedivere, Sir Bors de Ganis, Sir Launcelot of the Lake, Sir

Galahad, and all the other great names of the Table Round—and how

old, old, unspeakably old and faded and dry and musty and ancient he

came to look as he went on! Presently he turned to me and said, just as

one might speak of the weather, or any other common matter—

"You know about transmigration of souls?"

I said I had not heard of it. He was so little interested—just as when

people speak of the weather—that he did not notice whether I made

him any answer or not. There was half a moment of silence, immediately

interrupted by the droning voice of the salaried cicerone:

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain


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"Ancient hauberk, date of the sixth century, time of King Arthur and the

Round Table; said to have belonged to the knight Sir Sagramor le Desirous;

observe the round hole through the chain-mail in the left breast; can't be

accounted for; supposed to have been done with a bullet since invention of

firearms—perhaps maliciously by Cromwell's soldiers."

My acquaintance smiled—not a modern smile, but one that must have

gone out of general use many, many centuries ago—and muttered

apparently to himself:

"Wit ye well, I saw it done ." Then, after a pause, added: "I did it

myself."

By the time I had recovered from the electric surprise of this remark, he

was gone.


DarleneAnne©2013

A WORD OF EXPLANATION

It was in Warwick Castle that I came across the curious stranger

whom I am going to talk about. He attracted me by three things: his

candid simplicity, his marvelous familiarity with ancient armor, and the

restfulness of his company—for he did all the talking. We fell together, as

modest people will, in the tail of the herd that was being shown through,

and he at once began to say things which interested me. As he talked

along, softly, pleasantly, flowingly, he seemed to drift away imperceptibly

out of this world and time, and into some remote era and old forgotten

country; and so he gradually wove such a spell about me that I seemed

to move among the specters and shadows and dust and mold of a gray

antiquity, holding speech with a relic of it! Exactly as I would speak of my

nearest personal friends or enemies, or my most familiar neighbors, he

spoke of Sir Bedivere, Sir Bors de Ganis, Sir Launcelot of the Lake, Sir

Galahad, and all the other great names of the Table Round—and how

old, old, unspeakably old and faded and dry and musty and ancient he

came to look as he went on! Presently he turned to me and said, just as

one might speak of the weather, or any other common matter—

"You know about transmigration of souls?"

I said I had not heard of it. He was so little interested—just as when

people speak of the weather—that he did not notice whether I made

him any answer or not. There was half a moment of silence, immediately

interrupted by the droning voice of the salaried cicerone:

27

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain


!

1

2

3

8

The stranger talked about the knights

of the round table as

though he knew them.

But they lived long

ago.

Tour guide ?

The narrator is touring a castle when he becomes fascinated

by a stranger who is

unusually familiar with

the old armor and

relics.

The stranger must read a

lot about the knights.

Or he is crazy

Souls moving?

The stranger mentions the

idea of “migrating”

souls, as though it is a common

idea.

Is he in a trance?

8 Reminds me of when my grandfather tells stories.

DarleneAnne©2013

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"Ancient hauberk, date of the sixth century, time of King Arthur and the

Round Table; said to have belonged to the knight Sir Sagramor le Desirous;

observe the round hole through the chain-mail in the left breast; can't be

accounted for; supposed to have been done with a bullet since invention of

firearms—perhaps maliciously by Cromwell's soldiers."

My acquaintance smiled—not a modern smile, but one that must have

gone out of general use many, many centuries ago—and muttered

apparently to himself:

"Wit ye well, I saw it done ." Then, after a pause, added: "I did it

myself."

By the time I had recovered from the electric surprise of this remark, he

was gone.


!

4

5

6

7

The stranger is old

fashioned.

How? There were no guns in

the 6th century !

The stranger claims to have shot the bullet hole. The narrator is shocked!

Oh. Was it done much later ?

The 6th century

armor has a bullet hole

How could the stranger have shot a hole in the ancient armor?

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Nov. 20. 1905 J. H. Todd 1212 Webster St. San Francisco, Cal. Dear Sir, Your letter is an insoluble puzzle to me. The handwriting is good and exhibits considerable character, and there are even traces of intelligence in what you say, yet the letter and the accompanying advertisements profess to be the work of the same hand. The person who wrote the advertisements is without doubt the most ignorant person now alive on the planet; also without doubt he is an idiot, an idiot of the 33rd degree, and scion of an ancestral procession of idiots stretching back to the Missing Link. It puzzles me to make out how the same hand could have constructed your letter and your advertisements. Puzzles fret me, puzzles annoy me, puzzles exasperate me; and always, for a moment, they arouse in me an unkind state of mind toward the person who has puzzled me. A few moments from now my resentment will have faded and passed and I shall probably even be praying for you; but while there is yet time I hasten to wish that you may take a dose of your own poison by mistake, and enter swiftly into the damnation which you and all other patent medicine assassins have so remorselessly earned and do so richly deserve. Adieu, adieu, adieu! Mark Twain

In November of 1905, Mark Twain sent an angry letter to salesman J.H. Todd, who had just attempted to sell Twain a bogus medication to cure meningitis and diphtheria. Todd was aware that Twain was in ill health, and also that Twain’s young daughter and son died from those illnesses. Twain, recently widowed, was enraged with Todd, and he sent this reply.

Mark Twain’s Letter to J.H. Todd


DarleneAnne©2013

Independent Close Read


Directions: Now it is time for you to closely read a complex text. Use the tips you learned in How to Perform a Close Read and What to Look for in a Close Read. Answer the following questions about your close reading experience. 1. Evaluate your reading experience. Did rereading help you come to any

new conclusions about the text? Explain. _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________ 2. What is the main idea of the passage? Provide text evidence. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________ 3. Speeches are usually given to persuade, inform, entertain, or to

inspire. What is the purpose of this speech? Provide text evidence.

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

4. For what audience and situation could the author have given this

speech? Explain.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

5. Choose a good title for this speech.___________________________

_______________________________________________________ 30

The habit of reading is one of the greatest resources of mankind; and we

enjoy reading books that belong to us much more than if they are borrowed. A

borrowed book is like a guest in the house; it must be treated with

punctiliousness, with a certain considerate formality. You must see that it

sustains no damage; it must not suffer while under your roof. You cannot leave

it carelessly, you cannot mark it, you cannot turn down the pages, you cannot

use it familiarly. And then, some day, although this is seldom done, you really

ought to return it.

But your own books belong to you; you treat them with that affectionate

intimacy that annihilates formality. Books are for use, not for show; you should

own no book that you are afraid to mark up, or afraid to place on the table,

wide open and face down. A good reason for marking favorite passages in books

is that this practice enables you to remember more easily the significant sayings,

to refer to them quickly, and then in later years, it is like visiting a forest where

you once blazed a trail. You have the pleasure of going over the old ground, and

recalling both the intellectual scenery and your own earlier self.

Everyone should begin collecting a private library in youth; the instinct of

private property, which is fundamental in human beings, can here be cultivated

with every advantage and no evils. One should have one's own bookshelves,

which should not have doors, glass windows, or keys; they should be free and

accessible to the hand as well as to the eye. The best of mural decorations is

The following passage is a speech that was written and delivered by William Lyon Phelps in 1933. Read closely, annotate, and answer the questions that follow.


31

books; they are more varied in color and appearance than any wallpaper, they

are more attractive in design, and they have the prime advantage of being

separate personalities, so that if you sit alone in the room in the firelight, you are

surrounded with intimate friends. The knowledge that they are there in plain

view is both stimulating and refreshing. You do not have to read them all. Most

of my indoor life is spent in a room containing six thousand books; and I have a

stock answer to the invariable question that comes from strangers. "Have you

read all of these books?"

"Some of them twice." This reply is both true and unexpected.

There are of course no friends like living, breathing, corporeal men and

women; my devotion to reading has never made me a recluse. How could it?

Books are of the people, by the people, for the people. Literature is the immortal

part of history; it is the best and most enduring part of personality. But book-

friends have this advantage over living friends; you can enjoy the most truly

aristocratic society in the world whenever you want it. The great dead are

beyond our physical reach, and the great living are usually almost as

inaccessible; as for our personal friends and acquaintances, we cannot always see

them. Perchance they are asleep, or away on a journey. But in a private library,

you can at any moment converse with Socrates or Shakespeare or Carlyle or

Dumas or Dickens or Shaw or Barrie or Galsworthy. And there is no doubt that

in these books you see these men at their best. They wrote for you. They "laid

themselves out," they did their ultimate best to entertain you, to make a

favorable impression. You are necessary to them as an audience is to an actor;

only instead of seeing them masked, you look into their innermost heart of heart.


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William Lyon Phelps (1865-1943) was an American educator, literary critic and author. He served as a professor of English at Yale University from 1901 to 1933. He was also a well-known speaker, newspaper columnist, and radio personality. On April 6, 1933, he delivered this speech, which came to be known as The Pleasure of Books, during a radio broadcast.

His fondness for books was not shared by everyone, especially those in Nazi Germany. In 1933, the Nazis began staging book burning events, during which German university students burned books with "un-German" ideas. 1. Answers will vary. Hopefully, students will notice that in the second paragraph, Phelps writes of the importance of annotating texts. 2. The main idea of the speech is stated in the first sentence: “The habit of reading is one of the greatest resources of mankind; and we enjoy reading books that belong to us much more than if they are borrowed.” 3. The purpose of the speech is to inspire others to read. Text evidence includes, “Literature is the immortal part of history; it is the best and most enduring part of personality.” And “...in a private library, you can at any moment converse with Socrates or Shakespeare or Carlyle or Dumas or Dickens or Shaw or Barrie or Galsworthy.” 4. If you point out the date, some perceptive students might know that book burning was taking place in Germany. However, most students will probably say that Phelps wrote the speech to encourage students to read and own more books. This would not be wrong, as long as they include textual evidence to support this idea. There are many possible examples of evidence. 5. Answers will vary, but they should be similar to what the speech is now called.

Teachers’ Notes and Answer Key for William Lyon Phelps’ 1933 Speech, The Pleasure of Books

*Flesch-Kincaid readability level- 6.8


*There are many possible discussion questions that could arise from the reading. Feel free to allow students to explore, share ideas , and share connections.

33

Gentlemen of the Jury:

The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and

become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care

may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom

we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their

faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps

when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of

ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us

honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stone of malice

when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.

The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world,

the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or

treacherous is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty,

in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry

winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's

side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds

and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards

the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends

desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is

as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

The following passage is a speech that was written and delivered by George Graham Vest in 1869. Read closely, annotate, and answer the questions that follow.


34

If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and

homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of

accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his

enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in

its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all

other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be

found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert

watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.

A statue of Old Drum stands outside the Warrensburg,

Missouri courtroom.


35

Teachers’ Notes and Answer Key for George Graham Vest ‘s 1869 Speech, Eulogy for a Dog

*Flesch-Kincaid readability level- 8.4

George Graham Vest (1830-1904) was a U.S. senator from Missouri from 1879 to 1903. He was also one of the leading orators and debaters of his time. Before becoming a senator, he practiced law in a small Missouri town. This poignant speech, now known as Eulogy for a Dog, was given in court, when he represented a man who was suing another man for killing his dog. He won the case. 1. Answers will vary. 2. The main idea of the passage is that the dog is man’s best friend. In fact, many think that this common phrase originated from this speech. However, Vest may have gotten the idea for the phrase from the New York Literary Journal, which in 1821 published this verse:

The faithful dog - why should I strive To speak his merits, while they live

In every breast, and man's best friend Does often at his heels attend

Vest may have gotten the idea from this verse, but it might be a good idea to ask students how he may have gotten hold of a verse that was written and published before he was born. There was no Google! There is much evidence to support this main idea. 3. The purpose of the speech is to persuade. He uses many details to drive home the point that dog is man’s best friend. Almost any detail from paragraphs 2 and 3 will suffice. 4. Two details prove that the speech was written for the jury in a court case. First, it begins “Gentleman of the Jury.” Also, the photograph of the statue stands in front of the courthouse. Students have to read the embedded text to figure this out, so it is great close-reading practice. 5. Answers will vary, but they should be similar to what the speech is now called.

*There are many possible discussion questions that could arise from the reading. Feel free to allow students to explore, share ideas , and share connections.


36

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Number The Paragraphs Arrange Chunks Mark for Understanding and Questions Establish Main Idea and Purpose Summarize Chunks


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