Reading as a Writer

Close reading leads to good writing. By reading as a writer, you can discover strategies for your own writing. Use this activity to focus on the decisions and techniques an author uses to communicate.

Your Turn: Choose a favorite text to read. Then work with a partner to follow the steps for reading as a writer.

1. Ask prereading questions.
• What is the writer’s purpose for this piece of writing? (to inform, to persuade, to entertain?)
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is this the kind of writing I could picture myself doing?
2. Read the text once for understanding.
3. Break up the text into parts (paragraph; heading; beginning, middle, ending ).
4. Read each part closely, asking these questions (make a copy of this Google Doc to fill in your answers):
• What does this part do or accomplish? How does the writer accomplish it?
• How does this part relate to the part that came before it?
• What writing features stand out? (a short but effective sentence or a strong piece of evidence)
• What writing strategies or techniques from this part could I try out in my own writing?
5. Extension activity: Apply one or more of the techniques you discovered to a piece of writing you are developing.