eMysteries Toolkit

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2019-1-DE03-KA201-060127] 38 Strategic reading and planning The skills students develop in their close reading practices can be applied and used in other areas of their education. By employing close reading practices, students can evaluate the text, synthesize the information and provide informed opinions on a range of topics. Students can put these skills to good use for future creative writing and assignment writing exercises. Taking a reverse essay writing approach, close reading tools such as text-dependent questions, considerations of syntax and the identification of text features, like comparing and contrasting, can help a student to plan and write their essays more strategically. 3.1. Preparing for Close Reading Activities Close reading activities are based on excerpts that allow for close analysis of vocabulary, text features, and syntax as strategies used by a writer to convey meaning in a certain way. In this section we will use as an example an excerpt from the beginning of Camilla Läckberg’s The Ice Princess in its English version of 2012 The house was desolate and empty. The cold penetrated into every corner. A thin sheet of ice had formed in the bathtub. She had begun to take on a slightly bluish tinge. He thought she looked like a princess lying there. An ice princess. The floor he was sitting o n was ice cold, but the chill didn’t bother him. He reached out his hand and touched her. The blood on her wrists had congealed long ago. His love for her had never been stronger. He caressed her arm, as if he were caressing the soul that had now left her body. He didn’t look back when he left. It was not ‘good - bye’, it was ‘until we meet again’.