Close Reading
Close reading is the act of reading closely. Students read and then reread and then read again - using questioning and discussion each time to dig into a text to find meaning using evidence from the text.
Close reading “is an intensive analysis of a text in order to come to terms with what it says, how it says it, and what it means.” - Tim Shanahan
It accomplishes what is expected in the Common Core Standards for literature and informational texts in the domains of Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.
Synthesizing is the key - students take their own ideas, combined with meaning from the text, to then form new connections and ideas and compare those to the text.
Using 21st century skills such a critical thinking, collaboration, and communication, students can comprehend a text on an even higher level through interaction and engagement.
Close reading “is an intensive analysis of a text in order to come to terms with what it says, how it says it, and what it means.” - Tim Shanahan
It accomplishes what is expected in the Common Core Standards for literature and informational texts in the domains of Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.
Synthesizing is the key - students take their own ideas, combined with meaning from the text, to then form new connections and ideas and compare those to the text.
Using 21st century skills such a critical thinking, collaboration, and communication, students can comprehend a text on an even higher level through interaction and engagement.
Considering this Learning Pyramid, students can have 10% retention from merely reading a text. In order for students to independently read complex texts in a critical and careful manner, they must continually ask themselves questions as they read and as they re-read and tune in to the key details, the structure, and the ideas.
In order to help this process, teachers can create "text dependent" questions to guide their questioning and provoking the use of text evidence. These questions are not low-level knowledge, "right-there" questions - they are questions that have students USE the text for evidence to analyze content, structure, and author's purpose. This scaffolding gets students to eventually go through this thinking process on their own. Going even further, teachers can facilitate discussion and articulation for students to interact and comprehend on a completely different level using these higher forms of learning. This way, students can see that critical questioning as we read is really the path to using the resulting deep understanding for something more.
Whether reading fiction or non-fiction or reading for pleasure or for information - close reading is the key to getting it and owning it and consequently using it. However, not all texts require close reading - it is needed when it is needed. Some texts simply require more attention to detail than others, depending on levels of text complexity. It is our job to model, scaffold, and provide opportunities and tools for students to be prepared and ready in any needed scenario - for all subjects, as required by the Common Core Standards.
In order to help this process, teachers can create "text dependent" questions to guide their questioning and provoking the use of text evidence. These questions are not low-level knowledge, "right-there" questions - they are questions that have students USE the text for evidence to analyze content, structure, and author's purpose. This scaffolding gets students to eventually go through this thinking process on their own. Going even further, teachers can facilitate discussion and articulation for students to interact and comprehend on a completely different level using these higher forms of learning. This way, students can see that critical questioning as we read is really the path to using the resulting deep understanding for something more.
Whether reading fiction or non-fiction or reading for pleasure or for information - close reading is the key to getting it and owning it and consequently using it. However, not all texts require close reading - it is needed when it is needed. Some texts simply require more attention to detail than others, depending on levels of text complexity. It is our job to model, scaffold, and provide opportunities and tools for students to be prepared and ready in any needed scenario - for all subjects, as required by the Common Core Standards.
Resources to Support Close Reading
Close Reading Background
- What is Close Reading?
- Close Reading in the Primary Grades
- Close Reading and the Common Core State Standards
- Close Reading and the Common Core Standards - Part 2
- Video Examples - Close Read Complex Text, and Annotate with Tech
- Be Flexible - Why Discussions of Close Reading Sound Like Nails Scratching on a Chalkboard
- Close Reading Strategy Guide
Close Reading Posters
Close Reading Annotation
- Five Close Reading Strategies to Support the Common Core
- Annotation and Active Reading
- Guiding Student Reading with Active Reading Strategies
Close Reading Graphic Organizers
- Graphic Organizers for Reading
- Evidence-Based Answers - Synthesizing
- Reciprocal Teaching: Powerful Hands-on Comprehension Strategy
Text-Dependent Questions
Close Reading Samples
- Downloadable Complex Texts and Text-Dependent Questions from Achieve
the Core - Non-Fiction Reading Passages with Text-Dependent Questions