NATIONAL
MATH + SCIENCE
INITIATIVE
English
The Three Levels
of Reading
A Guide to Using the
Student Resource
ABOUT THIS RESOURCE
Image. Equazcion.
4 February 2013.
creativecommons.org.
Readers who use close reading strategies will
discover the three layers of reading as they slow
down to notice each aspect of the text. The three
levels of reading are
reading on the line,
● reading between the lines, and
● reading beyond the lines.
●
At the first level, students find meaning directly in
the text. As they read, they are mentally answering
the questions who, what, when, and where.
At the second level, students draw inferences from
what is in the text. As they read, their key concerns
are the following: What does a passage represent,
suggest, or personify? What does a certain
allusion or metaphor mean? How do an author’s
choices reveal attitude or meaning? They are also
analyzing what they read: interpreting, classifying,
comparing, contrasting, and finding patterns.
At the third level, students move beyond the text
to connect to universal meaning. As they read,
they should be asking mental questions, “How does
this text connect with my life? With life in a larger
sense? With all human beings? With my ideas about
morality or values? What kinds of perceptions
Copyright © 2013 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.nms.org.
T E A C H E R
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
P A G E S
C
lose reading is a special kind of analytical
reading. When readers look at a text
this way, they slow down their reading
in order to assess the importance of each word,
detail, or image, and they make inferences or draw
conclusions about the meaning of the text as they
read. Close readers look beyond the plot for deeper
layers of meaning.
English—The Three
English—of
Levels of Reading
about life in general is the author communicating to
me? What do I think of those perceptions?” At this
level, students will move from the what of the text
to the so what. They connect literature with their
own experiences and with universal meaning.
This strategy works well with any richly layered
text and may be assigned in the middle or at the
end of a unit or conclusion of a work. This strategy
can also be used with an entire work or with just an
excerpt.
This resource is included in Module 3: Generating
Text-Based Responses.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
This activity can be done individually or in groups;
however, the first time students attempt this lesson,
it is advisable to have students work in groups so
that they can talk through their ideas.
Students should be encouraged to present their
finished concentric circle activities to the class.
You may wish to have students follow the
instructions for “The Three Levels of Reading,”
● colored pencils, crayons, markers, etc.
but instead of completing the activity on paper,
● templates for circles (optional)
have students construct an online Glogster using
● sample Glogster: http://csheilad.edu.glogster.
www.edu.glogster.com. A sample Glogster may be
com/three-levels-of-reading/
found using the link in the Materials and Resources
section of this Teacher Overview.
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
W
hile a template for the concentric circles
has been included with the student
resource, you may wish to provide
flipchart or butcher paper to groups so students can
work more interactively with one another.
Note: Examples of how to fill out the circle
diagram can be found in the grade-level examples
on the NMSI website.
Have students read the text and then write a short
summary. Using the summary as a guide, students
should then find what they think is a significant
word that connects to the theme of the text.
For younger or more inexperienced students,
provide a list of appropriate words from the
passage or generate a list with the class as a whole.
Model the thinking required in creating the list—
talk to students about why the words on the list
are appropriate. Students need to understand the
connections so they can learn to do this type of
thinking on their own.
Copyright © 2013 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.nms.org.
P A G E S
large paper for creating concentric circles
T E A C H E R
●
For more experienced students, either let groups
choose their words and then share them with the
class as a whole, or assist them in generating a
list. The words in the list should work well with
all three levels of this activity. Direct students to
pay attention to words that are repeated, as well as
focusing on abstract nouns, which can be the basis
for a thematic statement.
NATIONAL
MATH + SCIENCE
INITIATIVE
English
The Three Levels of Reading
Student Resource
Instructions for Creating Concentric Circles Graphic
1. Across the top of the paper, write the title of the work and the author’s name.
2. Draw three large concentric circles on the paper (one circle inside another circle inside a larger
circle). Or use the template provided by the teacher.
3. First level of reading: For the innermost circle, concentrate on the concrete level of meaning—
reading on the line.
a. Write the most significant word from the part of the work assigned.
b. Quote the entire sentence in which the word appears—or enough of the sentence to reveal the
word’s use in context. Document the source of the quotation in parentheses.
c. Write multiple dictionary definitions of the word (denotation).
d. Explain why the word is important to the meaning of the work by placing it in the context of the
narrative. (Explain what is literally happening in the text when the word is used.)
4. Second level of reading: In the middle circle, concentrate on the abstract level of meaning—reading
between the lines.
a. Draw four images that relate to the assigned part of the reading.
b. Write an explanation of the link between each image and the word you have written in the
innermost circle.
5. Third level of reading: In the outer circle, concentrate on the thematic level of meaning—reading
beyond the lines. Write two thematic statements drawn from the significant word you wrote in the
innermost circle and the images you drew in the middle circle. These should be universal thematic
statements and should not refer directly to the text.
Copyright © 2013 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.nms.org.
English—The Three Levels of Reading
Title:
Author:
Copyright © 2013 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.nms.org.
NATIONAL
MATH + SCIENCE
INITIATIVE
English
The Three Levels of Reading
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Thematic statement #1: True equality can be achieved
only if people are judged based on facts rather
than on prejudice.
The scales of justice represent the
ideal of how the American justice
system works—that all people are
treated equally in a courtroom.
Equal: “But there is one way in this
country in which all men are created
equal—”
1. as great as; the same as
2. like or alike in quality, degree,
value, etc.; of the same rank, ability,
merit, etc.
3. evenly proportioned or balanced
4. adequate or sufficient in quantity
or degree
Atticus illustrates the illusion
of equality in real life by
using an example that some
ladies make better cakes than
others.
The jury is
charged with the duty of determining
Tom Robinson’s guilt or innocence,
and they are supposed to look at him
as an equal.
The word equal in this context
refers to how Atticus believes men
should be treated in a court of law.
Atticus maintains that all people are not
created equal in the fact that some people
are smarter than others, are born with more
opportunity, etc.
Thematic statement #2: Even though all people are not
born with the same abilities and opportunities, in a
court of law, all people should be treated as equals.
Copyright © 2013 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.nms.org.