Reading like a Scientist
Scientists make discoveries by closely observing the world and analyzing their observations to
ask questions and formulate answers. This same method can be applied to reading
comprehension. In fact, this is exactly what the Common Core State Standard mean when they
refer to teaching students close reading. According to the Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC):
Close, analytical reading stresses engaging with a text of sufficient complexity directly
and examining meaning thoroughly and methodically, encouraging students to read and
reread deliberately. Directing student attention on the text itself empowers students to
understand the central ideas and key supporting details. It also enables students to
reflect on the meanings of individual words and sentences; the order in which sentences
unfold; and the development of ideas over the course of the text, which ultimately leads
students to arrive at an understanding of the text as a whole.
(PARCC, 2011, p. 7)
Strategies for teaching close reading, therefore, should emphasize the process of making
observations in the text, asking questions about the text, and forming an analysis of the text in
order to extract meaning from the text by reading and re-reading the text. This, coincidentally,
is the scientific method. Linking the two concepts not only encourages close, analytical reading,
but also enhances student understanding of the scientific process.
This exercise is designed to teach student’s the following strategies for intentionally marking
the text during a close read:
First Read
1. Number each paragraph
Have students number each paragraph of the text in the left margin. This will allow
students to refer to text in a specific paragraph when answering questions related to
the text.
2. Chunk the text
Have students group paragraphs in the text at natural breaks in the text. In this
exercise, the paragraphs are already chunked for the students: 1 / 2 / 3-4 / 5-6. This
will make the text more manageable and allows students to see the themes
provided in the text.
Include a discussion of why these chunks were chosen. As your students become
more experienced with this process, you may wish to leave out the suggested
chunks and have students chunk the text on their own.
Second Read
1. Circle key terms
Have students circle the key terms in the text. Key words can be words that are
defined in the text, are repeated throughout the text, or are provide insights into the
meaning of the entire text.
2. Underline the claims
Have students underline the claims in the text. Claims can be identified as belief
statements that the author is making. Students will quickly discover that the other
makes multiple claims throughout the text.
Third Read
3. Left margin: What is the author SAYING?
In the left margin, have students summarize each chunk in 10 words or less. This will
allow students to look at the text in smaller segments, which they can later pull
together to determine the overall meaning of the text.
4. Right margin: Dig deeper into the text
In the right hand column have students use power words to describe what the
author is doing (e.g. comparing the structure of a cell to the structure of a school),
represent the information with a picture, or ask a question that digs deeper into the
text.
Make an Argument
Once the students complete the third read, present them with the accompanying
questions and have them formulate a possible answer to the question. Students should
use textual data to support their claims.
Mark the text:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The human
genome consists
of nuclear DNA
and mitochondrial
DNA.
Number each paragraph
Chunk: 1-2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Circle key terms
Underline the claims
Left margin: What is the author SAYING?
Right margin: Dig Deeper into the text
What is DNA?
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a large molecule that contains an organism’s
1 genetic information and determines an organism’s physical traits like hair color
and eye color in humans. The entire set of DNA required for building an
organism is called a genome.
Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in
the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can
2 also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA).
Together, the nuclear DNA and the mitochondrial DNA make up the human
genome.
Genetic
information is
determined by
the sequence of
bases in DNA.
The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases:
adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA consists of
about 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of those bases are the same in
3
all people. The order, or sequence, of these bases determines the information
available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which
letters of the alphabet appear in a certain order to form words and sentences.
1
A molecule of
DNA is made of
two nucleotide
strands that twist
into a double
helix.
Nuclear DNA
condenses to
form
chromosomes
that are visible
under a
microscope
during cell
division.
DNA bases pair up with each other, A with T and C with G, to form base pairs.
Each base is also attached to a sugar molecule, which is attached to a phosphate
molecule. Together, a base, sugar, and phosphate are called a nucleotide.
Nucleotides link together by attaching the sugar of one to the phosphate of
4
another to form a long string of nucleotides. A complete DNA molecule consists
of two nucleotide strands that form a spiral called a double helix. The structure
of the double helix is somewhat like a ladder, with the base pairs forming the
ladder’s rungs and the sugar and phosphate molecules forming the vertical
sidepieces of the ladder.
Nuclear DNA is tightly packed into a larger structure called a chromosome. The
nuclear DNA in human cells consists of 23 pairs of chromosomes. Chromosomes
are not visible in the cell’s nucleus—not even under a microscope—when the cell
5 is not dividing. However, the DNA that makes up chromosomes becomes more
tightly packed during cell division and is then visible under a microscope. Most of
what researchers know about chromosomes was learned by observing
chromosomes during cell division.
Brainstorm:
Where do you
think our nuclear
DNA comes from?
Where do you
think the
mitochondrial
DNA comes from?
(Hint: it has to do
with human
reproduction.)
Brainstorm: What
do you think
might cause
multiple
variations of the
same trait?
Draw a picture of
a nucleotide
based on the
description
provided.
Using a computer,
research
karyotyping. What
is it and how is it
performed?
Make an Argument
A karyotype is a method for visualizing an individual’s genome. When making a karyotype, scientist take
a sample of a person’s cells and take a picture of the chromosomes using a camera fixed to a
microscope. What must a cell be doing in order for scientists to create a karyotype? Refer to the text to
support your answer.
From the text, students should be able to conclude that chromosomes are only visible when the cell is
dividing. Therefore, scientists can only create a karyotype from cells that are actively dividing. It may be
useful to provide a template for students to follow. Below is an example template that may be used:
In paragraph ___, the author states _________. Therefore, I predict _____________.