In today’s rapidly evolving world, it is crucial for students to develop effective communication skills. One such skill is argument writing, which requires the ability to make a claim and back it up with evidence. Teaching students argument writing through close reading is an effective method for helping them develop this skill and improve their overall academic performance.
What is Close Reading?
Close reading is a method of literary analysis that involves careful examination of a text to understand its deeper meanings, structure, and rhetorical devices. This strategy teaches students to think critically about what they read and engage with the content on a more profound level.
Teaching Argument Writing through Close Reading
1. Select a suitable text: Choose a text with strong arguments or opinions that will challenge your students’ critical thinking abilities. This can be an article, an essay, or even a short story.
2. Introduce the concept of argument writing: Explain to your students that argument writing is the process of making a claim based on evidence found within the text. Teach them the difference between claiming something without evidence (an assertion) and making a well-founded claim supported by strong evidence.
3. Model close reading skills: Begin by reading the selected text together as a class, focusing on specific sections containing claims and supporting evidence. Demonstrate how to analyze the text carefully, asking questions and encouraging discussion among the students.
4. Practicing close reading: Have your students work individually or in small groups to identify claims within the text and the evidence provided supporting each claim. Encourage them to ask questions about the author’s choices in phrasing or selecting evidence.
5. Crafting claims from evidence: Ask students to choose one piece of evidence they found while practicing close reading and create their own claim based on it. Teach them how to write clear, concise claims that are easy for readers to understand.
6. Strengthening arguments: Have your students write an argument paragraph that supports their claim with evidence derived from their close reading of the text. Encourage them to use transition words, quotes, and other rhetorical devices to strengthen their arguments.
7. Revising and editing: Once students have written their arguments, ask them to peer-review each other’s work. Emphasize the importance of revising and editing in argument writing to make their claims more persuasive and effective.
8. Reflect on the process: Finally, provide opportunities for your students to reflect on their learning experience. Ask them to consider how close reading has helped them develop a better understanding of the text and the arguments it presents.
By teaching argument writing through close reading, you can help your students become more critical thinkers and effective communicators. Integrating this literary analysis method into your curriculum can lead to improvements not only in students’ writing but also in their overall academic performance.
