Three Close Reads - Introduction
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-1THREE CLOSE READS - INTRODUCTIONWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.1 ACTIVITYPreparation• Download “Era 1 Overview: History of Many Shapes and Sizes”PurposeThis activity introduces you to the Three Close Reads process. You will use this process when approaching all readings in the course because it will help you practice historical inquiry. The Three Close Reads process will teach you how to analyze historical accounts and interpretations by using a variety of reading strategies. Instead of simply learning about historical concepts, you will learn to evaluate different perspectives on historical issues, so you can take an active role in constructing and deconstructing history, rather than taking everything you read at face value.ProcessAt the beginning of each new era of this course, you will be provided with an overview reading that will help you get a sense of what’s to come. By looking at a zoomed-out view of an era, you’ll be able to think about the patterns and themes that exist within it, something that is often more difficult to figure out when you study history in smaller time periods or segments.Before digging into the article, take out the Three Close Reads Worksheet, and with your class, quickly review the process as well as how to fill out the worksheet. Reading everything in the course three times might seem insane, but it’s actually a really helpful tool for getting all the information you need from the articles. Don’t worry—the process gets faster and faster with each reading. Somewhere in the middle of the course, you’ll probably notice that the three reads take the same amount of time one used to take.Framing Question or IdeaBefore you start to read, make sure you have a question or idea to think about as you read to write in the box at the top of the Three Close Reads Worksheet. Your teacher will probably provide you with the question or idea at first. As you get farther along in the course, your teacher might ask you to help choose these topics or questions. Keep these in mind as you read the article. Reading 1—Skimming for GistThe first close read is really meant to be a skim of the article. It should be very quick and give you the gist (general idea) of what the article is about. You should be looking at the title, author, headings, pictures, and opening sentences of paragraphs for the gist. On the Three Close Reads Worksheet, look at the “Questions” section for the first close read and see which questions you can answer quickly.Reading 2—Understanding Content Now that you’ve completed the first close read, look at the second section of the worksheet. This read is probably closest to the kind of reading you usually do. Basically, you are trying to get a better understanding of the concepts and arguments that are presented in the article. Review the “Pay Attention to...” and “Questions” sections of the worksheet so you know what to think about when reading, in addition to making sure you understand the information from the article. Also, this is where you will write down any vocab you see in the article that is unfamiliar to you. Your teacher will suggest ways to keep track of these words.
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-2THREE CLOSE READS - INTRODUCTIONWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.1 ACTIVITYBy the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:1.Why are there so many different types of history.2.What are some common characteristics of all histories?3.How do some historians include multiple perspectives?4.Why does this course begin 13.8 billion years ago? That is, billions of years before humans even evolved?5.What will this course use as its frame to tell the history of humanity?Reading 3—Evaluating and Corroborating Now it’s time for the third and final read. For this read, focus on why this article matters, how it connects to other content you’ve studied. Since this is the first reading assignment of the course, you may not connect it to much other than the knowledge you already have. At the end of the third read, discuss the following questions with your class: •Most history courses begin with humans. This course begins with a prehuman era. To what degree does it help you make sense of human historyand your world to think about time at such a large scale?•The end of this article mentions how some of the information you’ll learn in the course may lead you to question the narratives that are presented.Why do you think this might be the case? Why would the author want you to test the claims that are being made? Explain your answer.
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-3THREE CLOSE READS - INTRODUCTIONWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.1 ACTIVITYDirections: Before you read, look at the “Pay Attention to” and “Questions” columns. Write your answers in the third column.Article Title: Era #:Article Author: Lesson #: Overall question or idea to think about as you read:Reading 1: Skimming for GistThis will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the article or essay will be about.Pay attention to ...QuestionsYour answersTitle and headings What is this article going to be about? Images, image captions, graphs, tablesHow do these add to your idea of what the article is going to be about?
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-4THREE CLOSE READS - INTRODUCTIONWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.1 ACTIVITYReading 2: Understanding ContentIn this read, you will pay attention to the information that most helps you understand the article. Pay attention to ...QuestionsYour answersVocabAre there words you don’t understand or recognize? Write those words here, and then annotate the text with a definition or synonym of each word. Or, as an alternative, add them to your vocab tracker.Major claim and key detailsWhat is the main idea of this article (that is, what is the major claim or thesis statement)?In addition to the major claim, what do you think are the three most important details from this article? Explain these key points on the right. Alternatively, your teacher may give you a more specific set of questions to answer about the main details.Analysis and evidenceWhat evidence does the author use to support and extend the main idea or major claim? Provide two to three examples.
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-5THREE CLOSE READS - INTRODUCTIONWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.1 ACTIVITYReading 3: Evaluating and Corroborating The third reading is really about understanding how the article relates to the idea or question you thought about as you read.Pay attention to ...QuestionsYour answersOverall argumentIn what ways were the author’s arguments logical and credible? SupportWhat facts or ideas from this article confirmed what you already knew about world history or the era question?
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-6THREE CLOSE READS - INTRODUCTIONWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.1 ACTIVITYExtendIn what ways did this article deepen your thinking about a topic or topics in world history?This article added to my understanding of ... by...ChallengeHow did this article change or challenge your thinking about a topic or topics in world history?At first, I thought... Now, I think... Or: My thinking on... changed when...