CLOSE READING
MODEL LESSON
FROM
THE BASAL ALIGNMENT PROJECT (BAP)
&
ACHIEVETHECORE.ORG
Focus Text: Because of Winn-Dixie
By Kate Di Camillo
Facilitator: Christy Schwartz
READ AND ANNOTATE
•
Underline the major points.
•
Circle keywords or phrases that are confusing or unknown
to you.
•
Use a question mark (?) for questions that you have during
the reading. Be sure to write your question.
•
Use an exclamation mark (!) for things that surprise
you, and briefly note what it was that caught your
attention.
•
Draw an arrow (↵) when you make a connection to
something inside the text, or to an idea or experience
outside the text. Briefly note your connections.
http://fisherandfrey.com/resources/
LISTEN & FOLLOW ALONG
•
Underline the major points.
•
Circle keywords or phrases that are confusing or unknown
to you.
•
Use a question mark (?) for questions that you have during
the reading. Be sure to write your question.
•
Use an exclamation mark (!) for things that surprise
you, and briefly note what it was that caught your
attention.
•
Draw an arrow (↵) when you make a connection to
something inside the text, or to an idea or experience
outside the text. Briefly note your connections.
http://fisherandfrey.com/resources/
REREAD, THINK, & DISCUSS
1.
Why was Miss Franny so scared by Winn-Dixie? Why was she
“acting all embarrassed?” (p. 1)
2.
How did the Herman W. Block Memorial Library come to get its
name? (p. 2)
3.
Opal says, “She looked sad and old and wrinkled.” What happened
to cause Miss Franny to look this way? (p. 4)
4.
What were Opal’s feelings when she realized how Miss Franny felt?
(p. 4)
5.
Earlier in the story, Opal says that Winn-Dixie “has a large heart,
too.” What does Winn-Dixie do to show that he has a “large heart?”
6.
Opal and Miss Franny have three very important things in common.
What are these?
REREAD, THINK, DISCUSS, & WRITE
The title of this selection is “Because of WinnDixie.” Using your answers from the earlier
questions and class discussion, explain why this
is an appropriate title for the selection. Be
sure to clearly cite evidence from the text for
each part of your answer.
In my classroom, these are printed back-to-back on card stock and laminated to provide
scaffolding that supports students as they practice Next Gen. (CCSS) ELA Standards.
This is a rating scale that I use to assess whether students’ constructed responses meet the
corresponding Next Generation (CCSS) ELA Standards.
EVALUATING TEXT DEPENDENT
QUESTIONS FOR THIS LESSON
• Find the “Checklist for Evaluating Question Quality.”
• Work with a partner and use the checklist to evaluate the questions that go
with this lesson.
• According to the checklist, which things do the lesson questions address
really well?
• Is there a question that doesn’t measure up, according to the checklist?
What is it lacking, and how specifically could it be improved? Please rewrite
the question with your partner, and share the new version with us in the
upcoming discussion.
GROUP SHARING - Q & A SESSION
• Share your checklist results. What was good about the questions, and
were there any that you rewrote to make them more closely aligned?
• Share any “aha” moments that you had during this session.
• Share challenges and successes you’ve experienced when implementing
close reading.
• Share the CCSS ELA “big picture” as you understand it. How and
where will close reading fit into your instructional day? What standards
does it address?
• Questions? Ask away! If I can’t answer right now, I’ll take your contact
info. and get back to you when I find the answer. 
RESOURCES
• Link to Join the Basal Alignment Project
• Achieve the Core - CCSS Aligned Lessons, PD Modules,Videos, & More
• Fisher and Frey Website - CCSS Aligned Close Reading and Annotation
Resources
• Shanahan on Literacy - Blog About CCSS & Close Reading