Lesson Topic: The Science of Close Reading Grade level:12

Length of lesson: 54 minutes

Stage 1 Desired Results
Content Standard(s):
11.4.3.3- Analyze the impact of the authors choices regarding how to
develop and relate elements of a story or drama (eg. Where a story is set,
how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced or developed)
11.4.4.4- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in
the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact
of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple
meanings, or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.
11.7.3.3- Write narratives and other creative texts to develop real or
imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen
details, well-structured event sequences
Understanding(s)/goals
Students will understand:

Writers do specific things

(make specific moves) in order
to achieve a certain tone,
voice, or style.

In looking closely at a text, we

can determine and analyze
choices made and decide the
authors aims.

There are universal literary

devices used across the span
of literature, and they can use
these in their own writing.

Essential Question(s):

What are the things that

contribute to a writers style?

What does it mean to write

how a great writer writes?

How do you achieve a certain

tone?

Student objectives (outcomes):

Students will be able to:

Look closely at the presented text and be able to describe authors

purposes for making specific writing moves.

Imitate this and any future authors writing style by including the same
types of details.

Talk about word choice, characterization, point of view, flashback,

varying sentence lengths, (literary elements, language concepts, and
writing concepts).
Stage 2 Assessment Evidence
Performance Task(s):
Other Evidence:

Annotation of passage of

Sharing with the class about

Catcher in the Rye
one stylistic/ writing choice you
made and why.

Sample writing of next scene

Stage 3 Learning Plan
Learning Activities:

Materials Needed

2 different colored writing utensils for each student. (highlighters,

pens, pencils, markers)

Copy of passage for each student, Mr. Anderson, and myself

Cookies

Verbal list as students annotate of some possibilities. Written on the

board for 1st hour instead of verbal.
o Coolest verb
o Well-described image
o Metaphor or simile
o Where it shifts from flashback to present
o A word that you might not know
o Something Holden says
o Something Holden does
o Something Holden thinks
o A detail about Holden
o A detail about his surroundings
o A specific detail
o A phrase you like

Daily Map- 54 minutes

Hook- How is close literary analysis like baking cookies? Extended metaphor.
Ask students if they like reading, keep hands up if they like science, keep
hands up if they like people watching, keep hands up if they like swear words.
Explain that we are going to metaphorically bake cookies today. If you think
broadly about cookie baking its a lot like close reading. So if you were to
extend my metaphor, whats one option about what the words in the passage
would be? What would the way the words all fit together and make a whole
be represented by? What could looking at the way things shape up to be
mean in the cookie world? What might all the little gems like the unique
words and phrases and the things that make them beautiful be represented
by? And would you agree or disagree: cookies all have their own unique
flavors based on the chocolate chips that you throw in?
Instructions
We are going to look closely today at a passage that can tell us a lot
about the character of Holden. We are going to put Holden Caulfield
under a microscope.
I am going to ask a student to pass out copies of the text were looking
at, you need to take out a writing utensil
We will read the passage out loud (popcorn reading)
After we finish reading, students take 4 or 5 minutes to annotate for
themselves with a little bit of either verbal or written guidance and
scaffolding from me as I circulate around the room. Keep focus on just
noticing some of the ingredients.
After we finish annotating, ask students to turn to the one or two

people closest to you and talk about some of your highlights.

Share, if comfortable, some of those with class. Direct focus towards
just noticing things about the text for now.
Class will discuss the things that were said to make bigger inferences
about the tone, the character, and the situation. We will look at the
things he is saying vs. thinking. We will look at specific writing moves
and choices that Salinger made in order to get his point across.
During discussion, focus on building off ideas of classmates. Introduce
transition words/the idea of I agree/disagree with what ______ said,
and heres why. Or __________ made a good point, I also noticed what
they are saying in this section of text. Or __________ made a good
point, but I dont understand why
Students will discuss their annotations and synthesize the style
deductively.
I will tell students that we are freewriting for 7.5 minutes using
Holdens voice. Students will use what they learned about Salingers
style to imitate how they think Holden would talk about a certain event