1. Rigorous ELA Instruction Through Close Reading Strategies
Kelley Webb, Humanities Program Specialist
Easter White, Title I ELA Lead Specialist

2. Georgia Milestones ELA Criterion-Referenced Breakdown by Item Type:
Total Number of Items: 44 / Total Number of Points: 55
Breakdown by Item Type:
40 Selected Response (worth 1 point each; 10 of which are aligned NRT)
2 Constructed Response (2 points each)
1 Constructed or Extended Response (worth 4 points): literary prose
1 Extended Response (worth 7 points): informative/explanatory or argument/opinion
Norm-Referenced
Total Number of Items: 20 (10 of which contribute to CR score)
Embedded Field Test
Total field test items: 6
Source GA DOE
Total number of items taken by each student: 60

3. Sample Assessment Grade 3 Informational Task
Students can do their rough draft online – they only submit their final draft
Students must cite textual evidence in the essay
2 texts to analyze – students must closely read both texts
Responses elicit evidence that students understand the text they have read and can communicate effectively through informational elaboration and knowledge of language and conventions.
Graded for:
Statement of Purpose / Focus and Organization– clearly stating and maintaining a main idea or controlling idea; ensuring that ideas move logically from the introduction to the conclusion; using effective transitions; staying on topic throughout
Elaboration of Evidence – providing evidence from sources about your topic; elaborating with specific information from the sources; expressing ideas using precise language
Conventions – following the rules of usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling

4. Sample Assessment Grade 7 Informational Task
Students can do their rough draft online – they only submit their final draft
Students must cite textual evidence in the essay
2 texts to analyze – students must closely read both texts
Responses elicit evidence that students understand the text they have read and can communicate effectively through informational elaboration and knowledge of language and conventions.
Graded for:
Statement of Purpose / Focus and Organization– clearly stating and maintaining a main idea or controlling idea; ensuring that ideas move logically from the introduction to the conclusion; using effective transitions; staying on topic throughout
Elaboration of Evidence – providing evidence from sources about your topic; elaborating with specific information from the sources; expressing ideas using precise language
Conventions – following the rules of usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling

5. What will students struggle with on the upcoming Georgia Milestones
What will students struggle with on the upcoming Georgia Milestones? Why?
What?
complex texts
text-dependent questions
written response
citing evidence
analyzing and synthesizing information from two or more texts
Why?
lack of student exposure to complex texts using close reading strategies
lower level comprehension questions (Who? What? Where?)
lack of teacher experience and training with literary analysis
lack of teacher knowledge of Common Core standards
lack of student experience with written response to text-dependent questions
For those of you who met with us last time, we identified some areas we believe the students will struggle with on Georgia Milestones.
Many teachers still don’t integrate the use of complex texts during instruction. Due to the lack of teacher understanding of the standard, they often ask lower level questions. For example, many teachers know they are supposed to teach about characters but ask lower level questions such as “Who is the main character?” “Who was your favorite character?” “List the traits of that character.” rather than “What events in the story caused the character to change?”
Once we are able to identify some of the causes, how do we prepare our teachers and students for these assessments?

6. How do we prepare our teachers and students for these assessments?
provide teachers with sample assessment items
model lessons that integrate reading and writing and cover multiple standards
provide examples of complex texts (variety of literary, informational, and digital texts) and assist teachers with selection of these texts
model close reading strategies, text analysis strategies, and text-dependent questioning
Then we identified areas in which we could support our teachers:
Close reading is 1 strategy that addresses all of these pieces

7. Definitions of Close Reading
“The reading, rereading, and analysis of text for the purpose of interpreting it.”
Donalyn Miller, Foreword, Falling in Love with Close Reading, 2013
“It is about making careful observations of a text and then interpretations of those observations.”
Patricia Kain for the Writing Center at Harvard University
“It involves rereading; often rereading a short portion of a text that helps a reader to carry new ideas to the whole text.”
Kylene Beers and Robert Probst, Notice and Note, 2012

8. What Close Reading Is Not:
just rereading over again
underlining main ideas
circling unknown words
fill-in-the blank (cloze) reading

9. What Close Reading Is: a process to learn more about the text
careful and purposeful rereading of text
rereading to determine or build meaning
rereading to make connections and develop new understandings

10. Reading Anchor Standards
Key Ideas and Details: Standards 1-3 (what the text says) 1: cite evidence 2: identify central ideas 3: interaction of characters, events, and/or ideas Author’s Craft and Structure: Standards 4-6 (how the text says it) 4: how vocabulary shapes meaning 5: text structure 6: point of view/purpose Integration of Knowledge & Ideas: Standards 7-9 (compare/contrast) 7: multimedia 8: evaluate argument 9: multiple texts

11. Close Reading with a “Lens”
3 key steps
Read through lenses
Use lenses to find patterns
Use the patterns to develop a new understanding of the text.

12. “Story of My Life”
Listen to the lyrics and see if you can determine the central message of the song

13. Close Reading with a “Lens”
3 key steps:
Read through lens:
the character’s life
Use lens to find patterns:
What words go together? What do these words have in common?
Use the patterns to develop a new understanding of the text
Did your initial thoughts about the song remain the same or change?

14. What Lenses Can Readers Use?
theme
characters
setting
time period
word choice
text structure
point of view
perspective

15. Model Lesson: Pilgrims

16. Reading Anchor Standards
Key Ideas and Details: Standards 1-3 (what the text says) 1: cite evidence 2: identify central ideas 3: interaction of characters, events, and/or ideas Author’s Craft and Structure: Standards 4-6 (how the text says it) 4: how vocabulary shapes meaning 5: text structure 6: point of view/purpose Integration of Knowledge & Ideas: Standards 7-9 (compare/contrast) 7: multimedia 8: evaluate argument 9: multiple texts

17. Close Reading with a “Lens”
3 key steps:
Read through lens:
word choice
Use lens to find patterns:
author’s perspective about Pilgrims
Use the patterns to develop a new understanding of the text
different perspectives about Pilgrims from different authors

18. Model Lessons
Grade K-1 Informational Text Close Reading: (Bugs) Grade 3-5 Informational Text Close Reading: (Gorillas) Grade 3-8 Informational Text Close Reading: (Pilgrims) Middle/High School Close Reading of MLK Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail

19. Survey Says
Survey Link:

20. Reading Anchor Standards
Key Ideas and Details: Standards 1-3 (what the text says)
1: Say back what the text says and suggests  
2: Determine central ideas, themes, morals, lessons
3: Connect parts of the text
Author’s Craft and Structure: Standards 4-6 (how the text says it)
4: Analyze figurative language, symbolism, metaphor
5: Analyze structural choices 
6: Discern perspective and point of view  
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Standards 7-9 (compare/contrast)
7: Compare and contrast multiple versions or different media 
8: Analyze overall argument 
9: Compare and contrast how texts develop similar themes/ideas

21. Feedback Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MTGTZ5G QR Code:
Please fill out a survey about today’s professional learning so that we can provide you with meaningful support. We will use this information to provide additional professional development opportunities as well. We truly value your feedback.
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22. Which one?

23. Powerful Close Reading Instruction
must raise engagement and joy, not diminish it
must lead to student independence, not dependence on teacher prompting
must be one piece of your reading instruction, not the only part
must allow time for students to read for extended periods and across many pages of text, not interrupt time spent reading with activities
must be repeated across time and involve lots of opportunities for practice, not be a one-time, off-the checklist activity
must be designed in response to the strengths and needs of your students, not planned solely to match a book or fit a scope and sequence