Frankenstein+reading+practice



= = CRITICAL READING OF THE NOVEL Each of you will receive a copy of a passage from //Frankenstein//. Read that page and then answer these questions as completely as you can on the back of your passage sheet. Just because this is hard does not mean you are doing a bad job. This part is supposed to be difficult. 1. What does section this remind me of? What I read or seen something similar before? What do I already know about this topic, character, idea, situation, etc?

2. Circle every unfamiliar word on your page. Look at at least 3 of them and put mini-definitions near the word on your page. Then make a note of what you DON’T understand about the characters or the events on the page. Then tell me what you want to know that the author doesn’t tell you, OR you may complain about what’s missing. Next, underline the MOST IMPORTANT idea on the page. It could be something that a character says or does. It could be the narrator explaining or describing something. Decide by thinking about what this idea has to do with understanding the whole book. Last, I want you to put ??? in the margin next to the craziest sentence on the page (opinion).

3. Visualize the scene you are reading. Answer these questions: what does this look like? Can I imagine the scene? Can I smell, taste or hear it? What would it feel like to touch or be near? How would I describe it differently than Shelley? Then describe it for me in 2-3 sentences.

4. Write down what you guess will come next, or predict what the author means, but does not say, on one section of your passage. Good readers do not have to be right, they just have to make the effort.

5. Summarize in 2 sentences what happens on your page. If you have dialogue, summarize what information or feelings are communicated. Do not paraphrase.

6. Use fix-up strategies to get the most out of your reading. Do you miss things sometimes when you read? Well, go back and check on what you normally miss. Re-read the hard part aloud in your head. Check the things that cause you problems. In Frankenstein, it could be the complicated descriptions or the Creature’s sophisticated language, for example. The more familiar you become with the problems you have reading, the more control you have over them. Knowing what is difficult for you is the first step to conquering that weakness. Then write down what you did in 1-2 sentences.

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