Reading Standard 1

Cite specific textual evidence

All claims, assertions, or arguments about what a text means or says require evidence from within the text itself, not the reader's opinion or experience; students should be able to quote or refer to a specific passage from the text to support their ideas.

Important distinctions the author makes

Authors draw a line at times between ideas, categories, or certain elements, attributing more meaning or importance to one another

Explicitly

Clearly stated in great or precise detail; may suggest factual information or literal meaning, though not necessarily the case.

Attending to such features

Close reading demands paying attention to any features, such as format, source, or date published, that might add subtle but noteworthy meaning to the document.

Text

In its broadest meaning, a text is whatever one is trying to read: a poem, essay, or article; in its more modern sense, a text can also be an image, an artwork, speech, or multimedia format such as website, film, or social media message, such as a Tweet.

Connecting insight gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole

It is not enough to discern the meaning of small detail; close reading demands connecting all the dots to reveal how these small details contribute to the meaning of the larger text.

Analysis of primary and secondary source

Primary sources are those accounts recorded from people who witnessed or participated in the event themselves; these sources include journals, letters, oral history recordings; secondary sources are those written by others based on primary sources and the opinions of scholars past and present.

Conclusions drawn from the text

Readers take a group of details (different findings, series or events, related examples) and draw from them an insight or understanding about their meaning or importance within the passage or the text as a whole.

Read closely (or close reading)

Reading that emphasizes not only surface details but the deeper meaning and larger connections between words, sentences, and the full text; this also demands scrutiny of craft, including arguments and style used by the author

Support conclusion

Related to citing textual evidence, this phrase requires readers to back up their claims about what a text says with evidence, such as examples, details, or quotations.

Gaps or inconsistencies in the account:

Some gaps are intentional, meant to leave room for interpretation or allow for some ambiguity that adds depth and complexity to a text; unintended gaps or inconsistencies undermine the credibility of the work or author by raising questions about the accuracy or reliability of the information.

Where the text leaves matters uncertain

The writer may have intended to be ambiguous or unclear to imply a lack of clarity or resolution about this subject; it can also mean the writer did not tie up loose ends, this, creating a weak link in an argument or narrative.

Informational text

These include nonfiction texts from a range of sources and written for a variety of purposes; everything from essays to advertisements, historical documents to op-ed pieces. Informational texts include written arguments as well as infographics.

Literature

This text can include not only fiction, poetry, drama, and graphics stories but also artworks, such as master paintings or works by preeminent photographers.

Logical inferences

To infer, readers add what they learned from the text to what they already know about the subject; however, for the inference to be logical, it must be based on evidence from the text.