This lesson plan is anchored by the text "A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials" from Smithsonian.com. The main focus of today’s close reading is to gain a clear understanding of the religious and political factors leading up to the Salem Witch Trials. Building on the structural understanding students gained in the first day, today they dig into the specific details and evidence in the text. This understanding is crucial for a complex understanding of the Trials themselves. In order to develop this understanding, students must employ skills to cite specific details from the text and connect those details with the greater ideas and events that made up the Salem Witch Trials. Special Materials: Student guided notes sheet Copies of the anchor text for all students