Aspen Institute. (2012). Close Reading and the CCSS. Washington, DC: Aspen Institute.
Close reading is the methodical investigation of a complex text through answering text
dependent questions geared to unpack the text's meaning. Close reading directs students to
examine and analyze the text through a series of activities that focus students on the
meanings of individual words and sentences as well as the overall development of events
and ideas. The Anchor Standards for Reading found in the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) prioritize the close reading skill of extracting evidence and making inferences
(Standard 1) when reading complex text (Standard 10). All of the intervening standards
(Standards 2-9) call on students to answer specific text dependent questions--from
determining the central idea or theme (Standard 2) to building knowledge by comparing two
or more texts (Standard 9)--but each intervening standard critically relies on the core close
reading skill of "citing specific textual evidence" when reading complex text to "support
conclusions" (Standards 1 and 10). This text dependent approach is one of the key shifts
embodied in the CCSS, and moving students and teachers towards understanding and
embracing close reading when appropriate is a key step to implementing the CCSS.
Aspen Institute. (2012). Close Reading Exemplars and the CCSS. Washington, DC: Aspen
Institute.
Close Reading Exemplars pull together several key shifts within the Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) in a single methodological approach towards reading texts. Close
Reading Exemplars focus on investigating complex texts (Anchor Reading Standard 10) via
text dependent questions that rely on evidence and inferences to answer them (Anchor
Reading Standard 1). They direct students to pay close attention to academic vocabulary as
it appears in context without preloading students with background knowledge of what they
are about to read. By encouraging the sort of close reading techniques that lead students to
proficiency and independence, close reading exemplars represent a critically important
approach for students to experience in literacy and content specific classrooms. While there
are no hard and fast requirements for the design of close reading exemplars, teachers have
found explanations and examples of the following elements helpful to have within them to
assist in the implementation of close reading practices in the classroom: (1) Goals for the
Lesson; (2) Connection to the CCSS; (3) Full Text of the Reading Selection; (4) A Daily
Structure within the Lesson; and (5) Extension Activities.
Boyles, N. (2013). Closing in on Close Reading. Educational Leadership, 70(4), 36-41.
A significant body of research links the close reading of complex text--whether the student
is a struggling reader or advanced--to significant gains in reading proficiency and finds close
reading to be a key component of college and career readiness" (Partnership for Assessment
of Readiness for College and Careers, 2011, p. 7). When the author read this statement in the
content frameworks of one of the consortia now creating assessments for the Common Core
State Standards, she was frankly a little insulted. "Of course" she teaches students to read
closely--both her university students and younger students, through her literacy consultant
work. But on closer examination, she realized she may not be encouraging students to read
closely enough to meet the expectations set by these standards. Exactly what do the
Common Core standards mean by close reading? And what principles and practices should
guide educators as they implement close reading in the classroom--particularly in
elementary classrooms? Much of the available information about close reading centers on
secondary schools, where this skill seems to fit most comfortably. By the time students are
in these later grades, they are more inclined to think abstractly. They read complicated texts
by great authors that beg for careful analysis. But close reading can't wait until 7th grade or
junior year in high school. It needs to find its niche in kindergarten and the years just beyond
if educators mean to build the habits of mind that will lead all students to deep
understanding of text.
Brown, S., Kappes, L., & Aspen, I. (2012). Implementing the Common Core State Standards: A
Primer on "Close Reading of Text". Washington, DC: Aspen Institute.
The Common Core State Standards represent an ambitious effort to improve teaching and
learning at an unprecedented scale. Adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia, these
standards are an attempt to dramatically change what students and teachers do in school, by
redefining high-level, thought-provoking instruction as the norm for all students in all
schools. Among the most significant of the shifts in English language arts is the expectation
that all students will be able to read increasingly complex texts proficiently and
independently. Educators need to harness the knowledge of research, the wisdom of
experience, and the imperative for improvement to implement Close Reading effectively
within the context of a comprehensive literacy framework. Teachers have to be innovative
and creative, while connecting decisions about instructional practice to the research on
reading development and the explicit demands of the Common Core. Hence the authors
recommend that practitioners: (1) Are deliberate and intentional determining when, and for
what instructional purposes, Close Reading is employed. The goal is to move students to
read closely, independent of the teacher; and (2) Understand that while engaged in Close
Reading lessons, students naturally use prior knowledge to deepen their comprehension of
the text. Teachers should activate prior knowledge and build background knowledge when
appropriate, while ensuring that students' examination of text is the central means of
conveying information.