What is Close Reading?

What the heck is this "Close Reading" thing, anyway?

Close reading is an instructional routine in which students critically examine a text.  It encourages readers to examine the deep structures of the text.

When I introduce this instructional routine to my students, I compare it to what healthcare professionals do when they are learning more about a patient.  They hear what the patient has to say, make a list of the important details, then they order "tests" to see what is going on inside their body.

I start the conversation by asking students this question, "Do you know of anyone who has fallen and gotten hurt?"  After a few students share responses, I share about a time I fell off my bike.  It resulted in a trip to the E.R. and an x-ray. 

Close reading is basically like giving your book an x-ray!

1^st Read – Key Ideas & Details

• The 1^st read should be without the teacher building background knowledge.  Students will integrate their background knowledge as they read.

• Set the purpose for reading and have students read text as independently as possible.  Depending on the text complexity and the readers, the first read may be done independently, as a read aloud, paired reading, or shared reading.

• Following the first read, have students turn & talk to assess what they have learned from the text.  As you listen to the students share, you can determine the focus of the first read.

• Facilitate a small group discussion that focuses on the key ideas and details in the text, making sure that readers know the main idea, story elements, and key details that the author includes.

2^nd Read – Craft & Structure

• For the 2^ndread, choose a portion of the text that is “close read-worthy.”

• Use a text-dependent question to focus or set a purpose for the close rereading.  

• Have students reread a section that includes complex elements or ideas that they should explore to gain a deeper understanding of the text.  

• After rereading, students discuss the text in a small group or turn and talk with a partner.  

• Facilitate a small group discussion that focuses on the author’s craft and organizational patterns.  This may include vocabulary choices, text structure or text features that the author included.

• Ask groups to share their thinking to assess understanding.

3^rd Read – Integration of Knowledge & Ideas

• The 3^rd close read should go even deeper, requiring students to synthesize and analyze information from several texts or media.

• Students are encouraged to record their ideas on sticky notes, graphic organizers or a thinking sheet.

• After the 3^rd read, students turn & talk 

• Facilitate a small group discussion about text evidence.

• To assess understanding, have students journal a response to a text dependent question.

Sign up for my newsletter and you can download this free close reading guide.  I printed it on card stock and keep it right next to my small group table.  It is especially helpful when I have a volunteer in my classroom that I would like to work with a student!  

Head on over to my TpT store to find some free close reading passages!

Close Reading Guide

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