Teach the Cast
Some of ReadQuest’s cast are still learning. When you teach them, YOU learn it best — catch what they get wrong, then quiz them.
Teach Hunch
You be the teacher — Hunch is still learning. Helping Hunch figure it out is the practice. (Only for you; nothing is saved.)
Teach the connections
Show how the reading ideas connect
You've helped them one at a time. The real understanding is how the ideas CONNECT — teach that next.
Hunch (inference — reading between the lines) × Anchor (evidence — cite the exact words that support it)
You infer the character is nervous, though the text never says "nervous". What does Anchor make you do?
Hunch then says: “I can tell she's nervous — I don't need to point to anything in the text.” — is that right?
The link: read between the lines (Hunch), then tie it to the words on them (Anchor).
Infer it, then prove it from the text.
Crest (main idea — the central message, the peak of the passage) × Sheaf (summarising — gather the whole passage into one tidy armful)
Why does a summary go wrong if you misjudge Crest's main idea?
Crest then says: “A good summary just lists every sentence in the passage.” — is that right?
The link: find the peak (Crest), then gather the passage around it (Sheaf).
Find the main idea, then wrap the passage around it.
Capstone — close-read one passage together
Three moves of a close read. Bring in the cast member for each.
What is the passage MOSTLY about — its central message? Who?
Who do you bring in?
The text never says it, but you can tell the character is scared — read between the lines. Who?
Who do you bring in?
Point to the exact words that prove your inference. Who?
Who do you bring in?
The synthesis: find the main idea, infer beyond the literal, and anchor every inference to the words — that's reading closely.
Main idea, inference, evidence — reading with proof.
Try it in the close-read tools →
