Close and Critical Reading

Informational Text: “Like Black Smoke: The Black Death’s Journey”

• • • Box 1: What does the text say?

Summary In “Like Black Smoke: The Black Death’s Journey,” the author Diana Childress discusses….

The Black Death, or plague, broke out when… It spread by…

• Box 2: How does the text say it?

Childress uses a ___________ pattern to organize the text structure in this _________. She does this by… • This article is written in ___________ point of view. It is evident because…

• • Box 3: What does the text mean?

The author’s purpose for writing is to _________ the reader of ___________. The events described in the article, such as _____________, help the reader to be more informed of the subject.

• • Box 4: So…what does it mean to me?

While reading this article, I was able to make a __________ connection. The Black Death reminds me of __________ because…