Close Reading and Evidence
Year 9 HEAP • Novel: Jurassic Park • Close reading
Close reading is not a search for hidden symbols. It is the discipline of noticing what a short passage is doing, how it does it and why that matters for the novel as a whole. In a long novel, selection is part of the skill.
Choosing a passage
- Choose a moment where something changes or a character decides.
- Choose a passage with more than one element working at once: description, dialogue, action or viewpoint.
- Choose a passage you can contextualise: you know who is speaking, where and why.
- Avoid a passage that only confirms what you already think; look for complication.
- Keep the quotation short enough to analyse in detail.
The quotation log
| Page | Short quotation | Context | What it shows | Link to a claim |
|---|
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
Record the page number from your own edition. Keep the quotation short. If you cannot explain the context without retelling the whole chapter, choose a different passage.
The analysis routine
| Step | Question | Sentence starter |
|---|
| 1. Context | Where are we, who is present and what has just happened? | "After..., when..." |
| 2. Observe | What exactly does the text say? | "The description of... suggests..." |
| 3. Analyse | What language, image or structure is doing the work? | "The repetition of... creates..." |
| 4. Interpret | What does this invite the reader to think or feel? | "This positions the reader to..." |
| 5. Connect | How does it support a claim about the novel? | "This supports the novel's argument that..." |
| 6. Qualify | What else could this passage be doing? | "However, the passage also..." |
Model paragraph
When the tour first reaches the dinosaurs, the novel lingers on the visitors' reaction rather than on the animals themselves. The description moves from the characters' disbelief to their gradual acceptance of what they are seeing, and the delay lets the reader share that shift. This is more than spectacle: it establishes the park's appeal before the novel begins to dismantle its safety claims. By making the impossible feel desirable, the passage ensures that the later disaster is experienced as a loss as well as a warning.
| Move | Where it appears |
|---|
| Context | "When the tour first reaches the dinosaurs..." |
| Observe | "lingers on the visitors' reaction... moves from disbelief to acceptance..." |
| Analyse | "the delay lets the reader share that shift..." |
| Interpret | "establishes the park's appeal before..." |
| Connect | "ensures that the later disaster is experienced as a loss..." |
Writing about language
| Instead of... | Write... |
|---|
| "The author uses descriptive language." | "The description concentrates on sounds and movements before it gives a clear visual image." |
| "The mood is tense." | "Short sentences and interrupted dialogue make the scene feel rushed and uncertain." |
| "The dinosaur is scary." | "The animal is described through what the characters cannot see, so the reader's fear comes from uncertainty." |
| "Malcolm is smart." | "Malcolm's dialogue turns the scene into an argument about prediction, even as the others try to dismiss him." |
Evidence and context
| Problem | Why it weakens the analysis | Fix |
|---|
| Long quotation | The reader loses the specific words that matter. | Cut to the key phrase and analyse it closely. |
| No context | The quotation could mean something different in another scene. | Say who speaks, where and what has just happened. |
| Quotation as proof | It shows what the text says, not what it means. | Explain the effect and connect it to a claim. |
| Page number missing | The evidence cannot be checked. | Record the page from your edition. |
| Only one kind of evidence | The interpretation may be selective. | Include a second moment that complicates or supports the claim. |
Close reading planner
| Field | Your notes |
|---|
| Page and context | |
| Short quotation | |
| What is happening | |
| Language or structure | |
| Effect on the reader | |
| Claim about the novel | |
| Alternative reading | |
Common errors
- Quote dumping. A long quotation followed by a paraphrase.
- Feature spotting. Naming a technique without explaining its effect.
- Contextless quotation. A line that could come from anywhere in the novel.
- Plot summary. Retelling the scene instead of analysing the writing.
- Overclaiming. Using one short passage to settle a debate about the whole novel.
Next, compare the novel with its film adaptation.