Close reading for explicit meaning

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RL.9-10.1CCSS RI.9-10.1England: GCSE English Language Paper 1 Q1England: SAT Reading and Writing (Information and Ideas)

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Close reading for explicit meaning.

I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
I can explain each step and say why it works.
I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Citing textual evidence

Leads to: Command of evidence (SAT/ACT)

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Citing textual evidence). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

Claim: Ella is determined. A: "Ella has two brothers." B: "Ella likes pasta." C: "Ella lives near the sea." D: "Ella practised the piece every evening until she could play it without a mistake." Which sentence best supports the claim? (A / B / C / D) → DPrompt: First decide what the answer to the question is.
Claim: The new park has been popular. A: "The park opened in May." B: "The park has a pond." C: "Over 2,000 people visited in the first week." D: "The park was designed by a local artist." Which sentence best supports the claim? (A / B / C / D) → CPrompt: First decide what the answer to the question is.
Claim: The village depended on the river. A: "The river was wide." B: "Villagers drank from it, fished in it and watered their crops with it." C: "A bridge crossed the river." D: "The river froze one winter." Which sentence best supports the claim? (A / B / C / D) → BPrompt: First decide what the answer to the question is.

Hook · 3 min

Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
Share the objective: Close reading for explicit meaning. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
Example: The museum's new wing, funded largely by local donations rather than government grants, will house the region's first permanent exhibition on textile history. According to the text, how was the new wing mainly funded?
Step 1: The answer is stated directly in the text.
Step 2: So the answer is: by local donations
Answer: by local donations
Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

Although the comet had been predicted to appear in March, cloudy skies meant that most observers in the northern hemisphere did not see it until the first week of April. According to the text, why did most northern observers see the comet late? (Cloudy skies blocked the view. / The comet was too faint. / Observers were in the southern hemisphere. / The prediction was wrong.) → Cloudy skies blocked the view.Prompt: Find the part of the text that talks about this.
The museum's new wing, funded largely by local donations rather than government grants, will house the region's first permanent exhibition on textile history. According to the text, how was the new wing mainly funded? (by a textile company / by government grants / by ticket sales / by local donations) → by local donationsPrompt: Find the part of the text that talks about this.

You do: independent practice · 7 min

Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 5 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

Although the comet had been predicted to appear in March, cloudy skies meant that most observers in the northern hemisphere did not see it until the first week of April. According to the text, why did most northern observers see the comet late? (Observers were in the southern hemisphere. / The prediction was wrong. / Cloudy skies blocked the view. / The comet was too faint.) → Cloudy skies blocked the view.Prompt: Find the part of the text that talks about this.
Unlike most of her contemporaries, who painted in studios, the artist worked outdoors in all weathers, believing that only direct observation could capture changing light. What does the text say the artist believed? (Direct observation outdoors was needed to capture changing light. / Studios gave the best light. / Her contemporaries were more talented. / Bad weather ruins paintings.) → Direct observation outdoors was needed to capture changing light.Prompt: Find the part of the text that talks about this.

Watch out for

Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

Review first: Citing textual evidence.
Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

Move on to: Command of evidence (SAT/ACT).
Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-9.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Close reading for explicit meaning

Name

Date

Score/ 5

1
Question 1
The bridge, completed in 1932, was initially criticised as an eyesore; within a decade, however, it had become the city's most photographed landmark. According to the text, how did opinions of the bridge change?
- A. It was demolished after a decade.
- B. It was praised at first and later criticised.
- C. It was always admired.
- D. It went from being criticised to becoming a popular landmark.

The Four-Day Week: Promise and Pitfalls

In recent years, a growing number of companies have experimented with a four-day working week, in which employees work about 80 per cent of their usual hours for 100 per cent of their pay, on the condition that they maintain their output. Supporters argue that the model could transform working life. Critics warn that its benefits may be exaggerated. The most widely reported trials have produced striking results. In one large study involving several dozen organisations, most companies chose to continue the four-day week after the trial ended. Employees reported less stress, better sleep and fewer days off sick, while company revenue remained broadly stable. For businesses struggling to recruit, the promise of an extra day off can be a powerful attraction. Yet these findings come with important caveats. Companies that volunteer for such trials may already be enthusiastic about flexible working and well suited to it. Their success may not be representative of all workplaces. Moreover, many of the participating organisations were offices or creative businesses, where output is relatively easy to reorganise. In hospitals, schools or factories, where staff must be present to deliver a service, reducing hours without hiring more people may simply be impossible. There are also questions about what happens in the long term. Early enthusiasm can fade, and the pressure to fit five days of work into four may eventually lead to longer, more intense working days, cancelling out the benefits to wellbeing. None of this means the idea should be dismissed. It does suggest that the four-day week is less a universal solution than a tool that may suit some sectors far better than others. The challenge for policymakers is to learn from the trials without assuming that what worked for a marketing agency will work for an emergency ward.

2
Question 2
Read "The Four-Day Week: Promise and Pitfalls". According to paragraph 1, what condition comes with the four-day week?
- A. Employees must maintain their output.
- B. Employees must take a pay cut.
- C. Employees must work longer hours.
- D. Employees must work at weekends.

Cooling the City (with data)

On hot summer afternoons, the centres of large cities can be several degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside. This "urban heat island" effect occurs because dark surfaces such as asphalt and roofing absorb sunlight and release it slowly as heat, while buildings trap warm air and reduce the cooling effect of wind. A lack of vegetation makes the problem worse: trees and plants cool the air by providing shade and releasing water vapour. In a recent study, researchers measured the average afternoon surface temperature in July across four neighbourhoods of one city, alongside the percentage of each area covered by trees. Their results are summarised below. Neighbourhood | Tree cover (%) | Average July afternoon surface temperature (°C) Northgate | 8 | 41 Riverside | 15 | 38 Elm Park | 27 | 34 Hillcrest | 35 | 32 The researchers caution that tree cover is not the only factor: Riverside, for instance, is next to a large river, which may have cooled it independently. Nevertheless, they conclude that expanding urban tree cover is a promising strategy for reducing extreme heat, particularly in neighbourhoods where many residents lack air conditioning.

3
Question 3
Read "Cooling the City (with data)". According to paragraph 1, why do dark surfaces make cities hotter?
- A. They reflect all sunlight back into space.
- B. They produce their own electricity.
- C. They block the wind completely.
- D. They absorb sunlight and release it slowly as heat.

4
Question 4
Unlike most of her contemporaries, who painted in studios, the artist worked outdoors in all weathers, believing that only direct observation could capture changing light. What does the text say the artist believed?
- A. Studios gave the best light.
- B. Direct observation outdoors was needed to capture changing light.
- C. Her contemporaries were more talented.
- D. Bad weather ruins paintings.
5
Question 5
Although the comet had been predicted to appear in March, cloudy skies meant that most observers in the northern hemisphere did not see it until the first week of April. According to the text, why did most northern observers see the comet late?
- A. The prediction was wrong.
- B. The comet was too faint.
- C. Observers were in the southern hemisphere.
- D. Cloudy skies blocked the view.

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Answer key: Close reading for explicit meaning

1. D. It went from being criticised to becoming a popular landmark.
2. A. Employees must maintain their output.
3. D. They absorb sunlight and release it slowly as heat.
4. B. Direct observation outdoors was needed to capture changing light.
5. D. Cloudy skies blocked the view.