“Implementation of Close
Reading with Secondary ELLs”
By Mary Kay Hughes
mkhughes26@gmail.com
Purpose: For You to
Experience Close Reading
Firsthand
Session Description
• Guided experience close
reading process.
• It is a “hands-on” session.
• Active participation is required
for you to maximize your
learning.
•You will leave with 3 gifts for
your efforts!
Experiential understanding of
close reading
Understanding of textdependent questions
 Handouts to help you delve
deeper into close reading with
complex texts
The following quote is from the
“Revised Publishers’ Criteria for
the Common Core State
Standards in English Language
Arts (ELA)
and Literacy, Grades 3-12”
“Reading well means
getting the maximum
insight and knowledge
possible from each
source.”
Read closely
to determine what the text
says explicitly and to
make inferences from it
(College and Career Readiness
Anchor Standards for Reading,
CCSS, p. 35).
The Common Core Reading
Standards expect secondary
students to:
• Determine themes or
central ideas in a text
• Analyze the
development of themes
over the course of the
text
• Determine the meanings
of words and phrases as
they are used in a text
• Delineate and evaluate
the argument and specific
claim in a text
• Assess whether the
reasoning is valid and the
evidence is relevant and
sufficient
• Analyze and evaluate the
effectiveness of the
structure an author uses
in his argument
Close Reading: Summary
Students are expected to:
• comprehend complex text and
draw evidence and knowledge
from it
• use evidence from a text to
support a spoken or written
claim about the text
Experience:
Close Reading
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
“I Have A Dream” Speech
Handout: “Address to civil rights
marchers in Washington, D.C. on
August 28, 1963”
Close Reading Experience
• Read the speech
silently to
yourself.
View Video of MLK speech
A good source for the
video:Top 100 Speeches
http://www.americanrhet
oric.com/speeches/mlkih
aveadream.htm
Re-read the speech
For the following
purposes:
• Is there an emotional hook?
• What theme(s) do you see?
• Word choice/What uncommon
language is used?
• What analogy does King use in
developing his argument?
• Other texts referenced?
• Symbolism/figurative
language/repetition?
What theme(s)/big ideas?
Uncommon language?
References to historical texts?
How is argument elaborated?
Structure of argument?
Complex text/symbolism/
prior knowledge?
Summary: Close Reading
Used to help you understand
and learn from complex
texts—difficult texts with
multiple layers of meaning
Text-Dependent
Questions
• In the article “Engaging
the Adolescent Learner”
by Fisher and Frey, read
the subsection on the
st
back of the 1 page
entitled “Text-Dependent
Questions” (handout).
Example of TextDependent Question
• Cite examples that King gives
which serve to support his
claim that “[the Negro ] finds
himself in exile in his own
land”.
A non-example of a
text-dependent question
How do you think it would
have felt to have participated in the
march and to have been in the
audience?
Example or Non-example of
a text-dependent question?
Explain the argument that
Dr. King makes in his
speech and tell which U.S.
historical documents he cites to
build his case.
• Turn-to a partner and
explain the difference
between a textdependent question and
a non-text-dependent
question
Write your own textdependent question based
on King’s speech.
Resources Cited/Used:
• www.corestandards.org websiteResources
• www.youtube.com/user/fisherandfre
y (Also, search Sadlier -Close Reading
by Frey on Youtube.)
• Erdmann, Richard and Christine Drew,
live webinar on close reading,
December 14, 2012. Part of a Colville
School District ELA training.
More Resources
Brown, Sheila and Lee Kappes, “Implementing
the Common Core State Standards: A Primer
on ‘Close Reading of Text’”, published by The
Aspen Institute, October, 2012.
www.aspeninstitute.org/education
Fisher, Douglas and Nancy Frey, “Text
Complexity and Close Readings” in “Engaging
the Adolescent Learner, International Reading
Association. www.reading.org.
• Hess, Karen, “Teaching and Assessing
Understanding of Text Structures Across
Grades”, published by the National Center for
the Improvement of Educational Assessment,
2006; research updated 2008.
• Coleman, David and Susan Pimental, “Revised
Publishers’ Criteria for the Common Core
State Standards in English Language Arts and
Literacy, Grades 3-12.
www.commoncore.org/resources
• Boyles, Nancy, “Closing in on Close Reading”
in Educational Leadership, Dec 2012/Jan 2013.
• Close Reading & Text-Dependent Questions
3-2-1 Summary
• 3 Purposes of Close Reading
• 2 Criteria of TextDependent Questions
• 1 Definition of Close
Reading
• Turn-to a partner and share
what you wrote (1 min. each)
• Who is willing to share what
they wrote with the group?
•Did we meet our goals?
Experiential understanding of
close reading
Understanding of textdependent questions
 Handouts to help you delve
deeper into close reading with
complex texts
Summary of Major Shifts with the
Common Core
• Close Reading of Complex
Text
• Text-Dependent Questions
• Vocabulary Acquisition
• Argumentative Writing
• More nonfiction Texts
Evaluation
• What worked well?
• What could have been done
differently?
• What would have helped you
more/improved the
experience for you?