Define: Literary analysis is the in-depth study of literature, focusing on one or more elements such as character, plot, setting or theme. Students are presented with a “task” or question to consider in relation to a literary text. They need to read, annotate and analyze the text to understand the given elements and then respond to the task or question using textual evidence from the passage.
Don’t assume students know how to analyze literature just because they can summarize it. Model how to read with a pencil by annotating literary elements, asking productive questions, and thinking aloud to show inferential thinking.
💡 Try This: Use a doc cam or projected text to mark the parts of the diamond along with literary elements such as: character, setting, conflict, figurative language, or theme as you read.
Graphic organizers aren’t just for planning, they’re tools for thinking. Empowering Writers provides consistent graphic tools to streamline your instruction. Use the Narrative Writing Diamond when reading literature and the Short Constructed Response Pillar or Informational Pillar to help students organize ideas based on the question type.
💡 Try This: Color-code parts of the organizer to match text annotations.
Help students slow down and really understand the task. Break apart the question to clarify what it’s asking—literal vs. inferential—and what kind of evidence will be needed to answer it.
💡 Try This: Turn the prompt into a statement that will become the topic sentence.
Teach students to prove it with text. Whether citing or paraphrasing, evidence is key. Practice finding quotes that support a claim and pairing them with explanation. The detail generating questions; “What does it look like?” and “Why is it important?,” are tools for providing evidence.
💡 Add a Sentence Starter to frame up student thinking: "This is shown when the author writes, ‘_____’ which shows that…”
Focus feedback on one or two skills at a time like strengthening a topic sentence or elaborating on evidence, rather than correcting everything at once. Use student samples to highlight growth and areas to improve. Empowering Writers uses the Author’s Group Revision Model to show students how to revise and improve their writing.
💡 Try This: Project a representative student sample and go through the revision process with students as you apply the skills learned. Then, have students revise their writing using the same skill. This builds confidence and creates a community of writers.
Next Steps:
For more information on Literary Analysis, check out our digital and print resources. Click this link! Our Informational/Opinion and Narrative resources provide the instructional tools needed for students to excel in all aspects of writing.
This grade 3 student sample shows Empowering Writers skills in action for a literary analysis task! Click here to access the student sample!