Close Reading
Jennifer Corbett, Ed.S.
jennifer.corbett@cowetaschools.org
Overview
 Research
 Close reading instruction
 Practices
 Short texts
 Rereading
 Text-dependent questions
 Annotation
 After-reading tasks
 Application
Objectives
 To know the importance, key principles, and indicators
of modeling thinking of complex text through thinkalouds, demonstrations, and annotation
 Identify characteristics of a quality purpose statement,
understand how a quality purpose statement will
support students in accessing complex texts, and engage
in and complete tasks assigned
What is close reading?
 Essentially, close reading means reading to uncover
layers of meaning that lead to deep comprehension
(Boyles, 2013).
 Close reading is an instructional routine in which
students critically examine a text, especially through
repeated readings (Fisher & Frey, 2012).
Why close reading?
 With the increase of rigor due to the Common Core State
Standards, every student needs to learn academic English
(Barrow, 2014).
 Common Core State Standard – ELACC RI & RL
 ELACC6RL1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 PARCC standard
Common Core
PARCC
Short texts – literary &
informational
 Folktales
 Short articles
 Legends
 Biographies
 Myths
 Personal narratives
 Short stories
 Poetry
 Scenes from plays
 Sections of a novel (a
sentence, paragraph, or
page)
Example – scene from a play
 An extended metaphor from Anne Frank: Diary of a
Young Girl
 We’ve had bad news. The people from whom Miep got
our ration books have been arrested. So we have had to
cut down on our food. Our stomachs are so empty that
they rumble and make strange noises, all in different
keys. Mr. Van Daan’s is deep and low, like a bass fiddle.
Mine is high, whistling like a flute. As we all sit around
waiting for supper, it’s like an orchestra tuning up. It only
needs Toscanini to raise his baton and we’d be off in the
“Ride of the Valkyries.”
Rereading
 The idea
 To expand the reader’s purpose with each rereading
 Students look for evidence to cite in response to specific
questions
 Rereading can be completed
 independently
 with peers, or through
 think-alouds
Rereading
 Why the Bear Has a Short Tail (on LearnZillion)
 Sources
 Video (6 minutes)
 Power Point
 Handout of notes for rereading
 Copy of the story
Think-alouds
 Generally more appropriate for k-3
 An intro to annotation using sticky notes
 One significant difference between a think aloud and a
read aloud is that during a read aloud you teach (for
example, predictions, character traits, beginning, middle
and end, story elements and so forth). However, during a
think aloud you model your thinking (in other words
your reading comprehension) out loud as you read
(Patsalides, 2012).
Whole
Question Types
Across Text
Opinions, Arguments
Intertextual Connections
Entire Text
Inferences
Segments
Author’s Purpose
Paragraph
Vocabulary and Text
Structure
Sentence
Word
Part
Key Details
General Understanding
Text Dependent Questions
 Click here to read Eleven by Sandra Cisneros
Question type
General understanding
After line 75, retell what’s happened to Rachel up to this
point in the story?
Key Details
In lines 16 – 19 Rachel compares growing old to three
different things. Tell how all three things are alike. Explain
in your own words Rachel’s idea about growing up.
Vocabulary & Test
Structure
Read the boxed paragraph a couple of times to yourself.
Notice the words and phrases that help you experience
Rachel’s feelings in your imagination.
Author’s Purpose
From what point of view is this story told? Circle the
pronouns in lines 24 – 30.
Inferences
What do you infer about how Mrs. Price feels about
Rachel? What do you infer about Mrs. Price’s character?
Opinions, Arguments,
Intertextual Connections
In your opinion, do you think the teacher handled this
situation appropriately? What could she have done
differently to find the owner of the sweater?
Craft technique & possible
questions
Figurative language
• simile
• metaphor
• personification
• symbols
What is being compared?
Why is the comparison effective?
What symbols are present? Why did
the author choose these symbols?
Word choice
What words stand out and why?
Did the author use nonstandard
English? Why? What was the effect?
Tone and voice
What one word describes the tone?
Is the voice formal or informal?
Does the voice seem appropriate for
the content?
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•
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Sentence structure
Short sentences
Long sentences
Sentence fragments
Why did the author choose a short
sentence here?
Why did the author write a fragment
here?
Your turn
 Let’s take a short passage and create a table of textdependent questions based on the two examples
presented.
Annotating texts
 Before reading
 Make predictions
 During reading
 Ask questions
 After reading
 State opinions
 Free lesson plans online to
introduce students to
annotating texts
 Analyze author’s craft
 Activities also available with
textbooks (i.e. Holt)
 Reflect
 AKA Dialogue with Text
 Make connections
Modeling annotation
 Model texts with annotations (from previous students)
 “They can see that there is no one right way to annotate
but that there are patterns and categories that seem to be
used by readers as they work to make sense of their
reading.” (Porter-O’Donnell, 2004).
 Alternatives for students with no books
 Photocopy selected documents and public domain texts
 Keep a dialectical journal
information
interpretation
Student work sample
Annotation
Teachers
Pay
Teachers
Pinterest bookmarks
Classroom posters
Close Read
Close re
Close ad
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Close ad
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Close re ad
ad
Close Read by Tracy Watanabe is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
1 1st Read: Students read and annotate
2
Students think and quick write
3
Students talk with partner
4 2nd Read: Teacher reads, students listen
5 Think, write, talk
6 3rd Read: Listen and watch while teacher
reads and annotates
7 4th Read: Students reread to find
answers and evidence
8 Respond in writing, citing evidence
from the text
Close listening
 Interactive read-alouds (Fisher, Flood, Lapp & Frey,
2004)
 Text-based questions are answered orally
 Because children’s listening comprehension outpaces
their reading comprehension in the early grades, it’s
important that your students build knowledge through
being read to as well as through independent reading,
with the balance gradually shifting to silent, independent
reading (Boyles, 2013).
Jigsaw - Earth Science
Storms
thunderstorms
tornadoes
snowstorms
hurricanes
Additional Strategies
 Vocabulary
 Get moving (Barrow, 2014)
 Chunking
 Clunks & clues organizer (ReadWriteThink.org)
 Student/teacher conference
 Conference form for reread and close read (Robb, 2009)
Practice
 From Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting
 How would you use close reading to guide students to
understanding how the man in the yellow suit and the
constable got along during their ride in chapter 16?
 FYI – the typical response is, “Good.”
 What if the students were to role play this?
References

Barrow, M. (2014). Evan math requires learning academic language. Phi Delta Kappan, 95
(6), 35-38.

Boyles, N. (2013). Closing in on close reading. Educational Leadership, 70 (4), 36-41.

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2012). Close reading in elementary schools. The Reading Teacher, 66
(3), 179-188.

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2013). Rigorous reading. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. (2014). Structure of the
model content frameworks for ELA/literacy. Retrieved June 8, 2014, from
http://www.parcconline.org/mcf/english-language-artsliteracy/structure-model-contentframeworks-elaliteracy

Patsalides, L. (2012). Think aloud: The new read aloud. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/middle-school-science-lessons/4014chrysanthemum-lesson-plan/?cid=parsely_rec#

Porter-O’Donnell, C. (2004). Beyond the yellow highlighter: Teaching annotation skills to
improve reading comprehension. English Journal, 93 (5), 82-89.

Robb, L. (2009). Assessments for differentiating reading instruction. New York: Scholastic, Inc.