Falling in Love with Close Reading: Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A Study of Point of View & Argument

Point of view can be a complex task, especially for 5th graders.  The standards don't really tell us where to stop, so I end up teaching all types.... and I'm not gonna lie.... even I get confused sometimes!  However, the focus of this chapter is geared more toward understanding the argument of the writer/speaker and being able to critique it.  This is a higher-order thinking skill that is beneficial to my students and an area that needs improvement.  This is a wonderful way to get students to look at the text closely and to truly understand what the author is trying to get across.  It has requires a lot of inferential thinking.

Major Take-Aways

• Have students take brief notes as they read bout speaks' major points and evidence of support.
• Have students choose an argument and try to find support to disprove or support their thinking.
• Have students find the validity of an argument: what are the strengths/weaknesses?
• When guiding students through a lesson, start off with texts that have an obvious point of view and build your rigor from there.
• Have students consider what is the point of the argument and what makes it persuasive?

I was super excited about this last one!  I plan on making something with all of the text-marking strategies I have learned through my Close Reading reads.  In this chapter, the author suggests having students mark on the right side of the text with techniques that the author uses and the left side of the text with arguments that the author makes.  

I just loved this organizational strategy!