1. Common Core State Standards Professional Learning Series
English Language Arts: Informational Text — Reading
Welcome to our final unit in the module, Unit 3!
Unit 3: Supporting Student Comprehension
September 2012

2. Unit 3 Objectives Define and understand close reading of text
Understand how to use text-dependent questions to closely read text through lesson exemplars
Identify structures of informational text
These are our objectives for Unit 3.

3. What is Close Reading?
Close reading requires students to be actively involved in the text that they read, drawing understanding, inferences, and meaning directly from the text.
Close reading supports the CCSS for ELA/Literacy’s focus on student’s engaging in evidence-based discussion and writing about a text. Students need to be explicitly taught how to find textual evidence to answer questions and to support inferences that they draw from the text.
The following videos will help you get a sense of what close reading looks like and how to define it.

4. How to do a Close Reading
Video: “How to do a Close Reading” yer_embedded&v=adXdTXEzmzE
Let’s watch the video "How to do a Close Reading" and notice the ways the students interact directly with the text of Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go!"

5. How to do a Close Reading? (Cont.)
Video: Douglas Fisher Interview, Part I zUg3Y Video: Douglas Fisher Interview Part II pvc
To gain a definition of close reading and how it relates to the CCSS for ELA/Literacy, view the following two parts of an interview with California State University, San Diego professor, Dr. Douglas Fisher.

6. Close Reading and the Common Core State Standards
CCR Anchor Standard 1 "Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text."
In the first video, Dr. Fisher says that "Close reading isn't in the Common Core State Standards." While he is correct that it is implied rather than explicitly called close reading in the grade-level standards, it is directly mentioned in the CCR Anchor Standards for Reading.

7. Close Reading and the Common Core State Standards (Cont.)
Standard 2 "Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas." Standard 8 "Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence."
Additionally, students would need to read closely to meet the remainder of the CCR Anchor Standards for Reading (and the related grade-level standard). Consider how close reading is necessary to achieve the following two standards.
Let’s take a few minutes to look at the remainder of the CCR Anchor Standards and your own grade-level standards  for reading and consider the importance of close reading in achieving these standards in their separate documents.

8. Model of a Close Reading
Conducting close reading of a text in a classroom requires preparation. The teacher must be familiar with the text and prepare text-dependent questions in Advance. Video: “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” ela-curriculum-video-close-reading-of-a-text- mlk-letter-from-birmingham-jail
In the following video, David Coleman, one of the authors of the CCSS for ELA/Literacy, models close reading. While you watch his discussion of teaching Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", notice the questions he asks and how he guides students through the text. A copy of the letter is available in your participant packet if you choose to read along.
Refer back to your CCR Anchor Standards. Select two of the standards that Coleman's close reading of the letter addresses. After the video, we’ll have a brief table discussion.
Which standards did you choose and why?

9. Commonalities in Close Reading
The focus is on text meaning
Background preparation/explanation is minimized
Students must do the reading/interpretation
Teacher’s major role is to ask text- dependent questions
Multi-day commitments to texts
Purposeful rereading Short reads
Dr. Timothy Shanahan of the University of Illinois at Chicago, has stated that while there are many versions of close reading, in all of them, "the meaning is hidden in the text a
and needs to be acquired through careful and thorough analysis and reanalysis." In his presentation he highlights key features in guiding students through a close reading of text.
With a table partner, describe how Shanahan's key features of close reading compares to your current practice.
For additional information, review Shanahan’s presentation, “Meeting the Challenge of Common Core: Preparing for Close Reading”

10. Close Reading Strategies
Video: “Close Reading Strategies with Informational Text” strategies-with-informational-text-by- expeditionary-learning
Let’s watch the video, "Close Reading Strategies with Informational Text" to see how a fifth grade teacher conducts close reading in his classroom. Pay attention to how he directs student learning and how the students respond.

11. Close Reading for English Learners
In your packet, let’s read the article, “Understanding Language: What does Text Complexity Mean for English Learners and Language Minority Students” by Fillmore and Fillmore.
Let’s read “Understanding Language: What does Text Complexity Mean for English Learners and Language Minority Students” by Fillmore and Fillmore.
Reflect on your instructional strategies to assist English learners in achieving a higher level of understanding complex text.

12. Table Discussion
Turn to a table partner and discuss these two questions:
What types of attention to language do Fillmore and Fillmore recommend when supporting English learners in their reading of the Letter?
How can you begin to implement this type of language support?
Please discuss these points with a table partner.

13. Text-Dependent Questions
“Text-dependent questions specifically ask
questions that can only be answered by
explicitly referring back to the text being
read.”
Source: Achieve the Core, “A Guide to Creating Text Dependent Questions for Close
Analytic Reading
Let’s review this quote.

14. Text-Dependent Questions (Cont.)
Effective text-dependent questions probe into a text in order to guide students to pluck out key meanings or ideas found in the text.
Let’s review this slide.

15. Text-Dependent Questions (Cont.)
The following questions from “Achieve the Core” can
help generate a core series of questions to support the
close reading of any text:
Identify the Core Understandings and Key Ideas of the Text
Start Small To Build Confidence
Target Vocabulary and Text Structure
Tackle Tough Sections Head-on
Create Coherent Sequences of Text-Dependent Questions
Identify the Standards That Are Being Taught
Create the Culminating Assessment
The following list from Achieve the Core’s toolbox, “A Guide to Creating Text Dependent Questions for Close Analytic Reading,” can help teachers generate a core series of questions to support the close reading of any text.
Let’s take a look at these steps in detail by reading the page in your participant packet.
Step One: Identify the Core Understandings and Key Ideas of the Text
As in any good reverse engineering or "backwards design" process, teachers should start by identifying the key insights they want students to understand from the text-keeping one eye on the major points being made is crucial for fashioning an overarching set of successful questions and critical for creating an appropriate culminating assignment.
Step Two: Start Small to Build Confidence
The opening questions should be ones that help orientate students to the text and be sufficiently specific enough for them to answer so that they gain confidence to tackle more difficult questions later on.
Step Three: Target Vocabulary and Text Structure
Locate key text structures and the most powerful academic words in the text that are connected to the key ideas and understandings, and craft questions that illuminate these connections.
Step Four: Tackle Tough Sections Head-on
Find the sections of the text that will present the greatest difficulty and craft questions that support students in mastering these sections (these could be sections with difficult syntax, particularly dense information, and tricky transitions or places that offer a variety of possible inferences).
Step Five: Create Coherent Sequences of Text-Dependent Questions
The sequence of questions should not be random but should build toward more coherent understanding and analysis to ensure that students learn to stay focused on the text to bring them to a gradual understanding of its meaning.
Step Six: Identify the Standards That Are Being Addressed
Take stock of what standards are being addressed in the series of questions and decide if any other standards are suited to being a focus for this text (forming additional questions that exercise those standards).
Step Seven: Create the Culminating Assessment
Develop a culminating activity around the key ideas or understandings identified earlier that reflects (a) mastery of one or more of the standards, (b) involves writing, and (c) is structured to be completed by students independently
How does focusing students’ attention on the text to find evidence of their conclusions will promote critical thinking?

16. Lessons Featuring Text-Dependent Questions
Achieve the Core has developed several exemplars
that feature the following:
Reading tasks in which students are asked to read and reread passages and respond to a series of text dependent questions
Vocabulary and syntax tasks which linger over noteworthy or challenging words and phrases
Discussion tasks in which students are prompted to use text evidence and refine their thinking
Writing tasks that assess student understanding of the text
Let’s review the slide.

17. Lessons Featuring Text-Dependent Questions (Cont.)
Review one of the following lessons
featuring text-dependent questions
developed by Achieve the Core that model
how teachers can support students as they
read.
Grade 3: “Because of Winn-Dixie”
Grade 6: “The Making of a Scientist”
Grade 8: “The Long Night of the Little Boats”
Let’s take some time and look at the grade-level material closest to the grade you currently teach. All three are in your participant packet.

18. Lessons Featuring Text-Dependent Questions (Cont.)
The CCSS for ELA/Literacy Appendix B includes text exemplars and performance tasks to guide educators in both selecting text at the appropriate complexity band and to ensure the tasks they assign students promote the standards and close reading of texts.
These materials are divided into text complexity grade bands as defined by the Standards: K–1, 2–3, 4–5, 6–8, 9–10, and 11–CCR.
Elementary
Grades K—1 and 2—3 exemplars include informational text and read—aloud informational text. For grades 4—5, the exemplars are informational text, including performance tasks for each one.
Middle School
The grades 6—8 exemplars are divided into content areas: English Language Arts, History/Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, and Technical Subjects, with performance tasks for each exemplar.
High School
Exemplars for grades 9—12 are also divided into content areas: English Language Arts, History/Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, and Technical Subjects, with performance tasks for each exemplar.

19. Informational Text Structures
Informational text structures provide the framework for an author to share information with a reader for a particular purpose: a job application, a recipe, a map, a direction sheet for assembling a toy, a speech, or a research paper have different structures because the purpose of each text is different.
The California CCSS for ELA/Literacy also highlight informational text structures and features in Standard 5.
CCR Anchor Reading Standard 5
“Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.”

20. Informational Text Structures (Cont.)
Find your grade level for Standard 5 in
California's CCSS for ELA/Literacy Reading for Informational Text
Elementary pages 3-4
Secondary pages 21-22
Turn to the CCSS for ELA/Literacy grade-level standards and find your grade’s standard 5 under informational text.
Take a look at the text features, purpose, and types of texts designated for the grade level you teach.
Elementary pages 3-4
Secondary pages 21-22

21. Informational Text Structures (Cont.)
Explicit teaching of text structures supports students in accessing text to understand its purpose.
Generally, informational text contains signal words and phrases that cue the reader to the text’s structure and purpose.
Explicit teaching of these structures and features will support students in being able to access complex texts in order to understand these texts purposes.
Generally, informational text does contain signal words and phrases that can help the reader understand the text’s structure and its purpose.

22. Info. Text Structures (Cont.)
Description
Describes a particular topic. Signal words: for example, in particular, for instance, to illustrate, such as, most important, another
Problem and Solution
Identifies a problem, provides possible solutions with possible results, and finally, the actual solution selected. Signal words: the problem is, the difficulty is, it is possible to, if-then, one challenge is, therefore
List and Enumeration
Lists connected information, outlines a series of steps, or orders ideas in a hierarchy. Signal words: first, second, third, last, then, at that time, during, immediately, next, until, while, soon, after, now
These charts of text structures and the signal words commonly associated with these structures can support students in recognizing the structure of the text that they are reading.

23. Info. Text Structures (Cont.)
Cause and Effect
Can include several reasons why an event occurred or several effects that resulted from a cause or multiple causes. Signal words: therefore, as a result, lead(s) to, because of, in order to, for these reasons, thus, if-then, may be due to
Problem and Solution
Identifies a problem, provides possible solutions with possible results, and finally, the actual solution selected. Signal words: the problem is, the difficulty is, it is possible to, if-then, one challenge is, therefore
List and Enumeration
Lists connected information, outlines a series of steps, or orders ideas in a hierarchy. Signal words: first, second, third, last, then, at that time, during, immediately, next, until, while, soon, after, now
These charts of text structures and the signal words commonly associated with these structures can support students in recognizing the structure of the text that they are reading.

24. Strategically Teaching Informational Text
Video: "Comic Book Templates: An Entry Point into Nonfiction." ching-nonfiction-entry-points
In the video the teacher uses many instructional strategies to support all students' understanding of nonfiction texts. Which do you notice?

25. Text Exemplars and Performance Tasks, Appendix B
Elementary: Grades K–1 and 2–3 exemplars include informational text and read-aloud informational text. For grades 4–5, the exemplars are informational text, including performance tasks for each one.
Middle School: The grades 6–8 exemplars are divided into content areas: English Language Arts, History/Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, and Technical Subjects, with performance tasks for each exemplar.
High School: Exemplars for grades 9–12 are also divided into content areas: English Language Arts, History/Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, and Technical Subjects, with performance tasks for each exemplar.
The CCSS for ELA/Literacy Appendix B includes text exemplars and performance tasks to guide educators in both selecting text at the appropriate complexity band and to ensure the tasks they assign students promote the standards and close reading of texts.
These materials are divided into text complexity grade bands as defined by the Standards: K–1, 2–3, 4–5, 6–8, 9–10, and 11–CCR.

26. Text Exemplars and Performance Tasks, Appendix B (Cont.)
Grades 4-5: Students identify the overall structure of ideas, concepts, and information in Seymour Simon’s Horses (based on factors such as their speed and color) and compare and contrast that scheme to the one employed by Patricia Lauber in her book Hurricanes: Earth’s Mightiest Storms. [RI.5.5]  
Grades 9-10: Students evaluate the argument and specific claims about the “spirit of liberty” in Learned Hand’s “I Am an American Day Address,” assessing the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and the validity of his reasoning. [RI.9– 10.8]
Read the performance task below most closely related to your grade level. As you read, think about the tasks that you assign to students when reading texts.
How does the performance task you read promote close reading?

27. Module Summary This module has prepared you to:
Identify the informational text standards associated with your grade-level classroom.
Select the tools you need to identify students’ reading skills and increase their ability to read more complex text.
Implement strategies in your classroom that support students in reading more complex text.
In this module we examined the following objectives:
Identify the informational text standards associated with your grade-level classroom.
Select the tools you need to identify students’ reading skills and increase their ability to read more complex text.
Implement strategies in your classroom that support students in reading more complex text.

28. Post-Assessment
Let’s take a few moments to take the module’s post-assessment found in your participant packet.
Let’s take a moment and let’s do the module’s post-assessment found in your participant packets.
Answers:
2. C
1. B
3. D
4. C
5. A
7. A  
6. D
8. B
9. C
10. C

29. Conclusion of Module
You have successfully completed English Language Arts: Informational Text-Reading professional learning module.
As educators, we share in the common goal of preparing all students to be college and career ready, and the teaching of informational text across the content areas is a key to achieving that goal for all students.