Close Reading of Informational Text — Print · Grade 10 English

Chapter: Informational Reading & Media

Close Reading of Informational Text

Learning goals

Readings for this unit

Before this unit

Summarize a short passage accurately, locate a relevant detail, and write a complete sentence. For grammar tasks, identify the subject and verb first.

Session 1 (35–45 minutes): read the selection, study two short explanation sections, and work through one example. Session 2: try one practice set and explain the exit check. Use a separate session for the chapter workshop; do not try to finish a long book or essay in one class.

A central idea states what a nonfiction text develops about its topic. Supporting details explain, illustrate, qualify, or challenge it.

Write an objective summary by keeping the main idea and important connections while leaving out your judgment and minor examples. Attribute a disputed claim to its source.

A strong summary preserves qualifications. Replacing “some respondents” with “students” can turn an accurate report into an unsupported generalization.

A practical method: read once for literal understanding, mark a relevant detail, write a tentative response, then test it against another detail. In a language task, identify the intended meaning before changing the sentence. In a research task, record what each source actually establishes before synthesizing.

For Grade 10, the application expectation is: Connect craft, evidence, and a qualified claim. Evaluate a serious alternative reading. Plan a response of about 220–320 words when a task calls for a developed paragraph; a sentence-editing task may need much less. These lengths guide planning rather than replace the success criteria.

This unit connects to the course reading library. The story “A Line on the Water” develops this grade’s inquiry into choices, conscience & consequences. The argument packet includes differently situated sources; distinguish fictional exercise evidence from historical records in your book study.

Build your understanding

Teach this unit across two core sessions: Parts 1–2 with the first worked case, then Parts 3–4 with the changed case and independent application. Allow 45–60 minutes per session, followed by separate reading/writing or source-study sessions in the parent plan. Pause at each question; do not assign this entire page as one short lecture.

Part 1 · Identify a question and an answer

A central idea states what a nonfiction text develops about its topic. Supporting details explain, illustrate, qualify, or challenge it.

A topic names a subject; a central idea states what the text explains about that subject. Read the full selection, identify its question and distinguish a main claim from an illustrative example. An objective summary attributes disputed claims to their source without adding the summarizer’s approval.

Work through this unit’s case: An article explains that school gardens offer observation practice, but require watering plans during vacations. It describes one successful garden and one abandoned bed. State the central idea and give a two-sentence summary. A reasoned response is: School gardens can support learning when maintenance is planned. The article contrasts two gardens to show how vacation care affects whether that opportunity lasts.

Pause and explain

State the central idea and give a two-sentence summary.

Check your reasoning after answering

School gardens can support learning when maintenance is planned. The article contrasts two gardens to show how vacation care affects whether that opportunity lasts.

Part 2 · Follow structure and connection

Write an objective summary by keeping the main idea and important connections while leaving out your judgment and minor examples. Attribute a disputed claim to its source.

Sequence, comparison, cause/effect and problem/solution are ways information is organized. Identify the actual relationship between paragraphs rather than relying on a signal word alone. An event appearing earlier does not prove it caused a later one; look for a stated mechanism and supporting evidence.

Work through this unit’s case: A report says that 14 of 20 interviewed bus users wanted a later route. It recommends a trial, noting that nonusers were not interviewed. Summarize without expanding the finding. A reasoned response is: Most interviewed users wanted a later route. The report recommends a trial but cannot show demand among people who were not interviewed.

Pause and explain

Summarize without expanding the finding.

Check your reasoning after answering

Most interviewed users wanted a later route. The report recommends a trial but cannot show demand among people who were not interviewed.

Part 3 · Check a detail’s evidential role

A strong summary preserves qualifications. Replacing “some respondents” with “students” can turn an accurate report into an unsupported generalization.

Ask whether a detail defines a term, illustrates a process or actually tests a claim. An invented model can clarify how a process works without being a real-world measurement. Distinguish the population or conditions studied from a broader group the author hopes to describe.

“The article proves that gardens are the best way to learn science.” A reasoned response is: The article supports a conditional benefit, not a comparison with every method. Preserve the maintenance condition and avoid “proves” when the evidence does not justify it.

Pause and explain

“The article proves that gardens are the best way to learn science.”

Check your reasoning after answering

The article supports a conditional benefit, not a comparison with every method. Preserve the maintenance condition and avoid “proves” when the evidence does not justify it.

Part 4 · Explain and qualify in your own words

A strong summary preserves qualifications. Replacing “some respondents” with “students” can turn an accurate report into an unsupported generalization.

Write the central idea followed by two relevant details and an explanation of their relationship. Preserve important limits when paraphrasing. If two sources conflict, compare their definitions, time periods, methods and access before deciding one must be false; they may be answering different questions.

Work through this unit’s case: Source A — Committee report (fictional): Thirty-eight volunteers collected 23 bags of litter in three hours. Photographs show less visible litter after the event. The committee calls the event a success and requests funding for another cleanup. It did not weigh bags or test water quality. Source B — Resident statement (fictional): Cleaner banks matter, but oil remained on the water. Celebratory photographs can suggest that all environmental problems have been solved. The next report should state what was removed and what still needs professional investigation. I support volunteering and a separate referral for water testing. Source C — Municipal memo (fictional): The town can provide $900 for supplies and $1,500 for a preliminary water investigation. These funds serve different purposes. A preliminary test can identify whether further testing is warranted; it does not, by itself, establish the source or full extent of contamination. Permission and qualified professionals are required. Apply close reading of informational text to the assigned selection. Explain a supported reading with two details, and test one limitation. Use the complete selection or book where a short excerpt is insufficient. A reasoned response is: The report documents litter removal, the resident distinguishes water contamination, and the memo separates funding purposes. The event can be successful within its stated scope while water quality remains unresolved. Support this interpretation with precisely located details from the selection; recognize what the ending leaves unresolved.

Pause and explain

Apply close reading of informational text to the assigned selection. Explain a supported reading with two details, and test one limitation. Use the complete selection or book where a short excerpt is insufficient.

Check your reasoning after answering

The report documents litter removal, the resident distinguishes water contamination, and the memo separates funding purposes. The event can be successful within its stated scope while water quality remains unresolved. Support this interpretation with precisely located details from the selection; recognize what the ending leaves unresolved.

Apply the whole unit · Close Reading of Informational Text — evidence and explanation

An article explains that school gardens offer observation practice, but require watering plans during vacations. It describes one successful garden and one abandoned bed.

Your task

State the central idea and give a two-sentence summary.

What your response should show

  • Answer the specific question accurately.
  • Use a relevant detail and explain why it matters.
  • Apply the unit’s defined terms or method correctly.
  • Recognize a meaningful limitation or alternative.
Response guidance — after your attempt

  1. Identify the task, source and the evidence actually supplied.

  2. School gardens can support learning when maintenance is planned. The article contrasts two gardens to show how vacation care affects whether that opportunity lasts.

  3. Apply the relevant relationship and test the conclusion against an alternative.

  4. Check the explanation and scope: School gardens can support learning when maintenance is planned. The article contrasts two gardens to show how vacation care affects whether that opportunity lasts.

School gardens can support learning when maintenance is planned. The article contrasts two gardens to show how vacation care affects whether that opportunity lasts.

Sources and optional reference tools — checked 16 October 2026

Parent / teacher teaching notes

Read the complete linked local selection before discussing a whole-text claim. Ask the learner to explain a detail before reading the model. Credit evidence-based alternatives; examples and answer keys support discussion and do not automatically grade written understanding. If the learner cannot explain the first checkpoint, reread the definition and work one shorter case before continuing.

The key idea

A central idea states what a nonfiction text develops about its topic. Supporting details explain, illustrate, qualify, or challenge it.

Worked examples

Example 1 · Read and reason

State the central idea and give a two-sentence summary.
  1. Establish what the source explicitly says.
  2. Write an objective summary by keeping the main idea and important connections while leaving out your judgment and minor examples. Attribute a disputed claim to its source.
  3. Select the detail that supports the response and test its limit.
Answer: School gardens can support learning when maintenance is planned. The article contrasts two gardens to show how vacation care affects whether that opportunity lasts.

Example 2 · Apply to a different case

Summarize without expanding the finding.
  1. Read the new source without assuming the first answer transfers unchanged.
  2. A strong summary preserves qualifications. Replacing “some respondents” with “students” can turn an accurate report into an unsupported generalization.
  3. Explain the relationship between the detail and your conclusion.
Answer: Most interviewed users wanted a later route. The report recommends a trial but cannot show demand among people who were not interviewed.

Example 3 · Find and repair the mistake

“The article proves that gardens are the best way to learn science.”
  1. Identify the claim, sentence, or inference that does not fit the task.
  2. The article supports a conditional benefit, not a comparison with every method. Preserve the maintenance condition and avoid “proves” when the evidence does not justify it.
  3. Check the revision against the original source.
Answer: The article supports a conditional benefit, not a comparison with every method. Preserve the maintenance condition and avoid “proves” when the evidence does not justify it.

Example 4 · Grade 10 reading-to-writing model

Apply close reading of informational text to the assigned selection. Explain a supported reading with two details, and test one limitation. Use the complete selection or book where a short excerpt is insufficient.
  1. Identify the model’s main claim and its qualification.
  2. Return to the assigned text and record the evidence needed to test it.
  3. Connect craft, evidence, and a qualified claim. Evaluate a serious alternative reading.
Answer: The report documents litter removal, the resident distinguishes water contamination, and the memo separates funding purposes. The event can be successful within its stated scope while water quality remains unresolved. Support this interpretation with precisely located details from the selection; recognize what the ending leaves unresolved.
Check the reasoning

A model answer is one supported route through a task. Evidence-based alternative readings are acceptable.

Avoid these mistakes

Check your understanding

State the central idea and give a two-sentence summary.

Discuss the answer

School gardens can support learning when maintenance is planned. The article contrasts two gardens to show how vacation care affects whether that opportunity lasts.

What makes the mistaken response inaccurate?

Discuss the answer

The article supports a conditional benefit, not a comparison with every method. Preserve the maintenance condition and avoid “proves” when the evidence does not justify it.

Sustained reading and writing

Apply this unit beyond short practice. Complete the activities when you reach the assigned section of the text; a parent can use the teaching plan to schedule them. Read the named passages in full and keep first drafts, feedback, and revisions.

Activity 1 · Historical summary

Assigned reading and preparation

Read Wollstonecraft Chapter 2 paragraphs 1–19; read Macbeth I.1–I.3.

Your task

Summarize the assigned Wollstonecraft section and distinguish her claim from a present-day fact claim.

Success criteria

  • Respond accurately to the stated task.
  • Use precise relevant evidence, references, or an explained revision.
  • Explain the reasoning and preserve a meaningful qualification.
Hint

Use the named text or your own draft; start with a precise reference. Separate summary from interpretation and compare the support for a competing claim.

Response guidance — discuss after your attempt

Attribute claims about education and custom to the historical author. A summary should preserve the reasoning and date-bound assumptions without endorsing every generalization.

Activity 2 · Whole-chapter map

Assigned reading and preparation

Finish Wollstonecraft Chapter 2 paragraphs 58–76; read Macbeth III.1–III.3. Complete Chapter 3 assessments.

Your task

Summarize the development of Wollstonecraft’s assigned chapter across its four reading sections.

Success criteria

  • Respond accurately to the stated task.
  • Use precise relevant evidence, references, or an explained revision.
  • Explain the reasoning and preserve a meaningful qualification.
Hint

Use the named text or your own draft; start with a precise reference. Separate summary from interpretation and compare the support for a competing claim.

Response guidance — discuss after your attempt

Trace the relation between education, cultivated dependence, and moral reasoning while preserving complications. The summary should connect sections rather than list isolated quotations.

Words to know

evidence
A detail, observation, or source used to support a claim.
interpretation
A reasoned account of meaning, supported and tested against a text.
qualification
A condition or limit that makes a claim more accurate.

In the real world

Use this skill to understand public messages, communicate clearly, and verify what your own evidence supports.

Exit check

Without notes, explain one useful method from this unit and apply it to a fresh detail or sentence. Name a mistake it helps you avoid.

Check your explanation after answering

A central idea states what a nonfiction text develops about its topic. Supporting details explain, illustrate, qualify, or challenge it. A valid response gives an actual application and explains the detail or revision. Avoid this mistake: “The article proves that gardens are the best way to learn science.”

Explain your reasoning without notes. If a key idea is missing, revisit the lesson and try again.

Problem 1

Summarize without expanding the finding. Give a detail and explain its relevance.
Answer and explanation

Most interviewed users wanted a later route. The report recommends a trial but cannot show demand among people who were not interviewed.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 2

A learner writes: “The article proves that gardens are the best way to learn science.” Explain the problem and produce a better response.
Answer and explanation

The article supports a conditional benefit, not a comparison with every method. Preserve the maintenance condition and avoid “proves” when the evidence does not justify it.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 3

Compare what you must inspect in these two cases. What can transfer, and what must be checked again?
Answer and explanation

A central idea states what a nonfiction text develops about its topic. Supporting details explain, illustrate, qualify, or challenge it. The method transfers, but the particular detail, scope, and context must be read again. Most interviewed users wanted a later route. The report recommends a trial but cannot show demand among people who were not interviewed.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 4

Using an assigned reading or one exercise source, write a developed response applying close reading of informational text. Aim for 220–320 words; name the reading or reproduce the sentence you revise.
Answer and explanation

School gardens can support learning when maintenance is planned. The article contrasts two gardens to show how vacation care affects whether that opportunity lasts. A complete response supplies context, a focused claim, a brief supporting detail, explanation, and a relevant qualification. Do not simply repeat this model.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 5

Write two specific feedback comments on a response to this unit: one on accuracy or meaning and one on evidence or language. Then state a revision priority.
Answer and explanation

Check whether the response explains a central idea states what a nonfiction text develops about its topic. supporting details explain, illustrate, qualify, or challenge it. Ask for a relevant detail and the reason it supports the conclusion. Prioritize the mistaken assumption shown here: “The article proves that gardens are the best way to learn science.”

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 6

Choose a fresh sentence or detail from the assigned selection. Explain how this unit’s method applies, and identify one uncertainty or limitation.
Answer and explanation

The report documents litter removal, the resident distinguishes water contamination, and the memo separates funding purposes. The event can be successful within its stated scope while water quality remains unresolved. The response must supply its own precise detail and explain it; copying the model without fresh evidence is insufficient.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 7

Record what the source explicitly states before interpreting it.
Answer and explanation

A report says that 14 of 20 interviewed bus users wanted a later route. It recommends a trial, noting that nonusers were not interviewed. These are the supplied words; conclusions about motives or causes need additional reasoning.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 8

Give a plausible alternative response and explain which source detail would help choose between responses.
Answer and explanation

Most interviewed users wanted a later route. The report recommends a trial but cannot show demand among people who were not interviewed. A different conclusion needs a source detail it explains at least as well; identify what would confirm or challenge it.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 9

Explain one choice in the model answer that makes it more accurate than the mistaken answer.
Answer and explanation

The article supports a conditional benefit, not a comparison with every method. Preserve the maintenance condition and avoid “proves” when the evidence does not justify it. The improved answer matches the source’s scope and meaning.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 10

Write a first response, obtain or generate a focused feedback question, and revise. Explain what changed and why.
Answer and explanation

Most interviewed users wanted a later route. The report recommends a trial but cannot show demand among people who were not interviewed. Record an original draft and a revision. A useful change clarifies the claim, adds evidence, or corrects meaning rather than merely swapping synonyms.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

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