Who is speaking in the passage? Who seems to be the main audience? (To whom is the narrator speaking?) What is the first thing that jumps out at me? Why? What's the next thing I notice? Are these two things connected? How? Do they seem to be saying different things? What seems important here? Why? What does the author mean by ______? What exact words lead me to this meaning? Is the author trying to convince me of something? What? How do I know? Is there something missing from this passage that I expected to find? Why might the author have left this out? Is there anything that could have been explained more thoroughly for grea

FIGURE 1. Craft Techniques and Related Questions for Close Reading Craft Technique Possible Questions Imagery, including comparisons: Similes Metaphors Personification Figurative language Symbols What is being compared? Why is the comparison effective? (typically because of the clear, strong, or unusual connection between the two) What symbols are present? Why did the author choose these symbols? Word choice What word(s) stand out? Why? (typically vivid words, unusual choices, or a contrast to what a reader expects) How do particular words get us to look at characters or events in a particular way? Do they evoke an emotion? Did the author use nonstandard English or words in another language? Why? What is the effect? Are there any words that could have more than one meaning? Why might the author have played with language in this way? Tone and voice What one word describes the tone? Is the voice formal or informal? If it seems informal, how did the author make it that way? If it's formal, what makes it formal? Does the voice seem appropriate for the content? Sentence structure Short sentence Long sentences Sentence fragments Sentences in which word order is important Questions What stands out about the way this sentence is written? Why did the author choose a short sentence here? (for example, so it stands out from sentences around it, for emphasis) Why did the author make this sentence really long? (for example, to convey the "on and on" sense of the experience.) Why did the author write a fragment here? (for example, for emphasis or to show a character's thoughts) Based on the order of the words in this sentence, which word do you think is the most important? Why? What was the author trying to show by placing a particular word in a certain place? Getting students to ask themselves the four general questions and the more specific questions about