1. Close
Reading
January 21, 2013

2. Why We Need
Common Core:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY2mRM4i6tY

3. Why Do We Need Close
Reading in K-2?
We need to give students
the tools to build on the
foundational part of what
we do in K-2: “Teaching
Students to Read.”
Access to information in
the absence of critical
thought is a dangerous
recipe!

4. With No Training, Would
you get behind the wheel
of this race car?

5. Look Familiar?
Observing a student talking about a text is like watching
an untrained driver crossing three lanes to take the first
exit she sees, never to return to the freeway that leads to
her destination.

6. IF we do not give kids all
the tools they need, this
might happen:
http://www.aetv.com/duck-dynasty/video/bootleg-building-6916675715#6916675715

7. What is Close
Reading?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w9v6-zUg3Y&feature=em-share_video_user

8. What is Close Reading?
-Timothy Shanahan
[one of the authors of CCSS]
Great Books (challenging books) need to be
read and reread
Each reading should accomplish a separate
purpose
The first reading of a text should allow the
reader to determine what the text says.
The second reading should allow the reader to
determine how a text works.

9. The third reading should allow the reader
to evaluate the quality and value of the
text (and to connect the text to other
texts)
All focus on text meaning
Minimize background
preparation/explanation (and text
apparatus)
Students must do the reading and

10. The teacher’s role is to ask text-
dependent questions.
Multi-day commitment to texts
Purposeful rereading (not practice, but
separate journeys)
SHORT reads

11. Why does CCSS Want us
to do this?????
…one more thing!
School reading has become focused on rituals
rather than text-student negotiations, on general
reading skill RATHER than making sense of
particular texts.
Emphasis on prior knowledge and reader
response had placed the attention on the reader
instead of the text.
Teacher purpose setting had often replaced actual
reading.

12. Jigsaw Activity
Close Reading in Elementary Schools
Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
Instructions:
1. In school teams, number 1-4. (if 5 people, the 5th can
re-number as #1)
2. Divide into groups (look for charts).
3. Read your section of the article, discuss with your
group, and chart the most important ideas from the section.
4. Return to your school team.
5. Share with your team about the section you read.
6. As a school team, chart the three most important ideas
from the whole article.

13. That’s All Great, but what
does it actually look like in
a2 nd grade classroom?
http://cdn.americaachieves.org/resources/2_Reading_Liben_1_lesson.mp4

14. How do we plan for Close
Reading?
Select high quality text that is worth reading
and rereading
Teachers must read the text *BEFORE
HAND*
Necessary to determine WHY the text might
be difficult

15. Key Ideas and Details (RL/RI 1-3)
• What did the text say??
• Students should be able to determine what
texts say explicitly and be able to summarize
them (including central ideas/themes, how
ideas and characters develop and
interact), making logical inferences, and
citing textual evidence to support
conclusions.

16. Craft and Structure (RL/RI 4-6)
• How did the text say it?
• Students should be able to interpret the
meaning of words and phrases and the
structure of texts to determine how they
affect meaning or tone, and how points of
view and purpose shape content and style.

17. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (RL/I 7-9)
• What does the text mean? What is its value?
How does the text connect to other texts?
• Students should be able to synthesize and
compare information from print and digital
sources, and critically evaluate the reasoning
and rhetoric text.

18. Evaluate Texts and Plan a
Close Read:
1. Look at the books on your table.
2. Based on what we have read and talked
about, which book would be a good candidate
for a close read with students?
3. Using the Sample Text-Dependent Questions
chart in article, write text-dependent questions
with your book which your group has chosen.
4. Share with whole group.

19. “We want to teach our students to read like
detectives and write like reporters.”
-David Coleman, author CCSS