The Three Levels of

Reading:
Close reading is a special kind of ANALYTICAL reading.

en readers read closely, they SLOW DOWN and think about each

Word
detail, or
Image

of the text as they read.

CLOSE READERS:

Look BEYOND the plot for DEEPER LAYERS of MEANI

The three layers of reading are:

Reading on the lines (literal),

Reading between the lines (inferential),

Reading beyond the lines (evaluative).

The First Level

Readers find meaning is found
DIRECTLY in the text: you can
literally put a finger in the reading and
POINT TO THE ANSWER.
Answers questions Who?, What?,
When?,
and Where?

Can you think of a Level One Question

from The Most Dangerous Game?

The Second Level

Readers INTERPRET what is in the text.

Readers REASON, COMPARE, & CONTRAST,

CLASSIFY, ANALYZE.
Readers look for what passages REPRESENT or
SUGGEST.
The exact answer CANNOT be found directly in the
text: the answer is between the lines.
Key questions include How?, and Why?
Can you think of a Level Two Question
from The Most Dangerous Game?

THE THIRD LEVEL

The third level is SUPER abstract.
The answers are found beyond the lines.
Readers move beyond the text to connect to
UNIVERSAL MEANING.
Key questions include Why is this important?
How does this text connect with my life? With all
human beings?
Readers move BEYOND THE WHAT? to the
Can you think of a Level Three Question
SO WHAT?
from The Most Dangerous Game?

Example

One of history's most important tasks is to identify

myths and misconceptions and correct them. This is
especially important in the study of the Indian peoples
of North America. Many textbooks still begin their
treatment of American history with the European
"discovery" of the New World--largely ignoring the first
Americans, who crossed into the New World from Asia
and established rich and diverse cultures in America
centuries before Columbus's arrival. Although few
textbooks today use the word "primitive" to describe
pre-contact Native Americans, many still convey the
impression that North American Indians consisted
simply of small migratory bands that subsisted
through hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants. As
we shall see, this view is incorrect; in fact, Native
American societies were rich, diverse, and
sophisticated.

Some Examples:
Level One: Literal
How do many textbooks begin American History?

Level Two: Inferential

Which culture is given more importance in contemporary
re-telling of history?

Level Three: Evaluative

How does the treatment of Native American history influence

and reflect how Native Americans might be viewed today?