“A CALL TO CRUSADE”

A Close Reading

LEARNING TARGETS:

Use the strategy of close reading to deeply

understand and analyze the text

Cite strong evidence from the text to support your

ideas

Participate with your peers in the discussion of the

text

CLOSE READING

What is close reading?

What do close readers do?

“A CALL TO CRUSADE”

Speech given by Pope Urban II to the council of

Clermont after the Byzantine emperor, Alexios I

Komnenos called on him to help him get aid from the

west against the Seljuq Turks

This speech was given before the Crusades began

READING #1

Read silently to line #20.

Annotate your text as you go:• Underline interesting words and phrases• Place a ? where the text becomes confusing• Jot your thoughts pertaining to the guiding question

in the margins

Guiding Question:• What role do the people Pope Urban is

speaking to play in this society?

THINK-PAIR-SHARE

Share your first impressions of the text and your

thoughts pertaining to the guiding question with

your neighbor.

Be sure that both of you get a chance to share.

Be prepared to discuss this with the whole class.

READ ALOUD/DISCUSSION

What role do the people Pope Urban is speaking to

play in this society?

What words and phrases does Urban use to

describe their role and responsibilities?

What will happen if they don’t follow through?

Why do you think Urban begins his speech in

this way?

READING #2

Read silently from line #20-45.

Annotate your text as you go:• Underline interesting words and phrases• Place a ? where the text becomes confusing• Jot your thoughts pertaining to the guiding question

in the margins

Guiding Question:• What other expectations does Pope Urban have

of his people?

THINK-PAIR-SHARE

Share your impressions of the text and your

thoughts pertaining to the guiding question with

your neighbor.

Be sure that both of you get a chance to share.

Be prepared to discuss this with the whole class.

READ ALOUD/DISCUSSION

What other expectations does Pope Urban have of his

people?

Sometimes speakers use repetition of words or sentence

structures to convey a message. Can you find any

examples of this in this section of the text?

Why do you think Urban does this?

How would you describe the tone of the speech so far?

How do you think it made the people in the audience feel?

READING #3

Read silently from line #45-60.

Annotate your text as you go:• Underline interesting words and phrases• Place a ? where the text becomes confusing• Jot your thoughts pertaining to the guiding question

in the margins

Guiding Question:• How does Pope Urban feel about the current

state of society and the leadership of the Christian clergy?

READ ALOUD/DISCUSSION

How does Pope Urban feel about the current state of

society?

How does he feel about the leadership of the

Christian clergy?

How do the people in the audience respond to him?

He still hasn’t really reached his main point. Why do

you think Urban takes so long to lead into it?

HOMEWORK

Read the rest of “A Call to Crusade”.

Annotate your text as you go:• Underline interesting words and phrases• Place a ? where the text becomes confusing• Jot your thoughts in the margins

Short Written Response (one paragraph):• What is the purpose of Pope Urban giving this

speech? What is interesting about the way he organizes it? Give specific details from the text in your answer.