Close Reading Chart

Instructions: Complete a close-reading chart for each of the assigned readings from They Can’t Kill Us Until
They Kill Us this semester. Print out and fill in several copies of the chart or draw the chart in your notes. Use
the charts for discussion board, journal, prewriting, and drafting assignments. For Unit 1, select passages that
answer questions from discussion board questions and/or journals that will help you with your Essay #1:
Rhetorical Analysis assignment.

Objectives: By doing this assignment you will:

 bring your prior knowledge and experience to the reading

 construct meaning from the reading
 gain insight into the significance of the larger issues in America
 create clear, organized notes with quotes you an reference in your essays

Procedures:

 Passage: Select 5 passages that engage you and that you find significant for some reason.
You can also do this for passages that seem ambiguous, that confuse or puzzle you or when
an important key term or concept is defined in the reading. For Unit 1, select passages from
the readings that speak to, respond to, or help you answer the questions from discussion
boards and journals.

 Response: Write a 2-3 sentence response to the passage you have chosen. Consider the
following questions as you respond:

a. Why were you drawn to this passage?

b. How does this passage illustrate an important idea or concept detailed in the assigned
reading?
c. How does this important idea relate to larger American issues or help answer the
questions from the Discussion Board or Journal?
d. What are the rhetorical strategies of your passages?
e. What do you think is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
f. Who is the audience/reader of this passage?
g. Based on this passage, what do you think is the author’s argument?
h. For ambiguous passages, explain why you were drawn to it or what you think the
passage’s ambiguities might mean. This is a great way to have a conversation with
yourself about the work, break it down, and ponder aspects you find confusing,
mysterious, or complex.
i. List a question if you have one, about your passage. See if, by the end of the article,
you are able to answer your question.
 They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us
Directions: Select 5 quotes and find examples of passages that speak to you in a humanly important way.
Quotation, Passage, or Scenario Page Response: Observation, Reflection, Questions
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.