1. Supporting Comprehension of Challenging Texts
Close Reading
Supporting Comprehension of
Challenging
Texts

2. Close reading is an intense reading of the text in order to come to terms with what it says, how it says it, and what it means.
It requires multiple readings of the text.

3. How can we teach students to do it?
What is it?
How can we teach students to do it?
Analyzing a text
Looking at text to understand

4. Six Basic Strategies for Close Reading (but there are more!)
Read at least three times for different purposes.
Highlight key words and defend choices.
Pull quotes from the passage and discuss why they are important to meaning.

5. Close Reading Strategies (Continued)
Ask and answer text dependent questions.
Complete a graphic organizer.
Rewrite a portion of the text in your own words.

6. A Close Reading Format
First Reading—Students read independently. Encourage students to circle or underline words, phrases, or sentences that are confusing.
First Discussion—Ask students to talk with a partner about the selected text and what they think about its meaning or what they noticed most.
Do not read the text to the students first, allow the students to read it first.
Have partners discuss the passage

7. Basic Close Reading Format (Continued)
Second Discussion: Assessing for Understanding and Confusions
Invite students to share observations and interpretations with class.
Second Reading--Teacher Modeling Reading of the Selected Text
Then each student reads the passage to their partner.
Next, share with the class out loud

8. Basic Close Reading Format (Continued)
Third Reading--Teacher reads text while students follow along.
The teacher thinks aloud demonstrating locating clues and creative/critical thinking.
Third Discussion—Teacher asks text dependent questions to prompt re-reading of parts of the text and the use of textual evidence.

9. Possible Final Close Reading Activities
Journal Writing
Completion or student creation of Graphic Organizer(s)
Group Research of Questions Posed During Discussions
Let students come up with the graphic organizers, not teacher given
Students develop questions based on the reading? Questions based on the common exam….?

10. Text-Dependent Questions
Purpose of these
questions is to promote
and encourage use of
textual evidence.
Questions should move from
explicit to implicit meanings.
Students must reference the text!
Text based

11. Text Dependent Questions Are Essential to Close Reading!
Standards-based questions answered through reading the text
Should be higher level
Give attention to
text structure
voice
main idea
vocabulary
shades of meaning
sentence structure
academic vocabulary
Require teacher preparation

12. Consider the Gettysburg Address Text Dependent Questions
Good text dependent questions will often linger over specific phrases and sentences to ensure high level comprehension—they help students
deepen understandings.
In the first sentence, what does Lincoln tell us about this new nation?
What is he saying that is significant about America? Is he saying that no one has been free or equal before? So what is new?
What impact does starting the sentence with “now” have on its meaning?
When Lincoln says the nation was “so conceived and so dedicated” what is he referring to?

13. Challenge Students And Provide Repeated Opportunities for Positive Struggle to Increase Ability to Interpret Rigorous Texts!
Handout on matching readers to texts

14. Close Reading Tips
Use a short passage that deals with an important concept or strategy in your content area
Read with a pencil
Note what is confusing
Pay attention to word choice and how words convey the main ideas
Give students a chance to struggle
Highlighters can be used also
Use common exam words…ex. main idea and central idea, same thing

15. If we expect to solve the problems in the world today, problems that our ancestors could not have imagined, then we must ensure that students can think deeply, look for evidence, and justify their ideas Text Complexity - Raising Rigor in Reading Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Diane Lapp