2. How will we teach students how to read at the level of
complexity required by the Common Core Anchor Standards?
3. College and Career Ready Anchor Standard for Reading
to be focused on for our purposes are:
#1 Read closely to determine what the text says
explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite
specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to
support conclusions drawn from the text.
See breakdown by grade level.
#10 Read and comprehend complex literary and
informational texts independently and proficiently.
See breakdown by grade level.
4. Watch the video of Doug
Fisher explaining “Reading
Like a Detective” about
text complexity.
Choose Chapter 1, thenVideo 1.1
5. Start with short passages (3 paragraphs to 3
pages)
Repeated reading – get students to read
multiple times by changing the purpose and
the questions.
Reading with a pencil
Text Dependent Questions
6. Much attention has been given to the process of close reading, which
relies on repeated readings of short passages of complex texts. A key
purpose of close reading is to encourage students to examine in detail
what the text has to say. The first assumption behind the practice of
close reading is that the text is worthy; not everything we read requires
this kind of inspection. However, understanding the text itself is
necessary for comprehension and is key to making the kind of analytic
and evaluative judgments that mark a competent reader. One question
we often hear is in regard to the use of close reading practices with
students who are not yet fully independent readers. It is helpful to keep
in mind that the intent of close reading is to foster critical thinking
skills to deepen comprehension. Therefore, the thinking skills needed
for close reading should begin in kindergarten.
Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas B. (2013-09-10). Rigorous Reading: 5 Access Points for Comprehending
Complex Texts (Corwin Literacy) (p. 13). SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.
7. Watch the video of Doug
Fisher explaining Close
Reading.
Choose Chapter 1, then
Video 1.3
9. 1. Purpose and Modeling
2. Close and Scaffolded Reading
Instruction
3. Collaborative Conversations
4. An Independent Reading Staircase
5. Demonstrating Understanding and
Assessing Performance
11. Purpose
State it:
“Today we’re goint to think about the specific
words that the author has chosen and
practice asking questions while we read. I’m
going to share some of my thinking with
you, especially about the author’s words and
the questions I have when I am reading. I’ll
give you a chance to try it with your reading
partner.”
12. Model
Conduct a Think Aloud
2. Lead a discussion about the Think Aloud
While students respond, record their ideas for the
whole class to see. For the purpose of this
particular lesson, “Today we’re goint to think about the specific
1.
words that the author has chosen and practice asking questions while we
read. I’m going to share some of my thinking with you, especially about the
author’s words and the questions I have when I am reading. I’ll give you a
chance to try it with your reading partner.”
could look like this:
the list generated
13. .”
the list generated could look like this:
Analyze word choices
Make predictions and confirmations
Ask questions
Make connections to the title
Visualize
Think about what we already know about a character
View the video of a how a teacher models for her
students. Choose Chapter 2, then Video 2.1
14. The idea is that the teacher explicitly or intentionally
models the strategies that readers can use as they read.
We want students to recognize that complex texts
require more from us as readers than those readings
that are a more comfortable fit. Novice readers make
the mistake of approaching all texts as equivalent,
when they are not. In too many cases, when the text is
challenging, they turn away and give up.
15. Modeling is not random, “whatever
comes to mind,” but rather
purposeful instruction focused on
specific identified aspects of text
complexity.
Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas B. (2013-09-10). Rigorous Reading: 5 Access
Points for Comprehending Complex Texts (Corwin Literacy) (p. 31).
SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.
19. Short, Worthy Passages
Because close readings can be time consuming, it is often best to select
shorter pieces of text for instruction. These selections, typically
between three and nine paragraphs in length, allow students to
practice the analytic skills required of sophisticated readers.
Longer, extended texts are also used to encourage students to practice
the skills that they have been taught during close readings. Close
reading instruction is not limited to stand-alone short texts such as
news articles, poems, or short stories. Close readings can be done with
short passages from longer texts, especially when a section is especially
challenging and is pivotal for understanding the larger message of the
text.
Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas B. (2013-09-10). Rigorous Reading: 5 Access Points for
Comprehending Complex Texts (Corwin Literacy) (p. 46). SAGE Publications. Kindle
Edition.
20. Students’ Rereading
As part of a close reading, students must read and reread the
selected text several times. This requires that students have
expanding purposes for each repeated reading. These
rereadings can be completed independently, with peers, with
teacher think-alouds, or any combination thereof.
During close readings, the purpose for each reading is made
clear, and often, those purposes are related to looking for
evidence in response to a specific question.
Importantly, rereading also reduces the need for extensive
frontloading.
Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas B. (2013-09-10). Rigorous Reading: 5 Access Points for
Comprehending Complex Texts (Corwin Literacy) (p. 47). SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.
21. Limited Frontloading
When students read a piece of text only one time, the teacher has
to do lot of work to ensure their understanding. In other
words, the teacher is doing the heavy lifting. When students
read and reread a text multiple times and talk about the text with
their peers, the teacher does not have to provide as much
instructional support. The rereading, discussions, and textdependent questions do some of this. During close readings, the
teacher does not provide much in the way of pre-teaching or
frontloading of content. The structure of the lesson itself is the
scaffolding that was once delivered through frontloading.
Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas B. (2013-09-10). Rigorous Reading: 5 Access Points for
Comprehending Complex Texts (Corwin Literacy) (p. 47). SAGE Publications.
Kindle Edition.
22. Text Dependent Questions
The types of questions students are asked influence
how they read a text. If students are asked only
recall and recitation questions, they learn to read
for that type of information. If they are asked
questions that require them to analyze,
synthesize, and evaluate, they learn to read more
closely and actively engage with the text.
Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas B. (2013-09-10). Rigorous Reading: 5 Access
Points for Comprehending Complex Texts (Corwin Literacy) (p. 50).
SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.
23. Text Dependent Questions
General Understanding
Key Details
Vocabulary and Text Structure
Author’s Purpose
Inferences
Opinions, Arguments, Intertextual Connections
Annotation
After-Reading Tasks
Samples & Video of Close Reading in the
Primary Grades . Choose Chapter 3, then
Video 3.5.
24. Text Dependent Questions
Thus far, the examples we have offered have involved older students, but
if you are a primary teacher, you may be thinking, “How could this ever
occur with my students?” K– 3 students have an especially wide gap
between the level of texts they can read on their own and those they
can read with some adult support. In other words, they can understand
narrative and informational texts that far outstrip their current reading
levels. It is for this reason that the list of text exemplars in Appendix B
on the Common Core State Standards document contains read-aloud
examples for the primary grades.
Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas B. (2013-09-10). Rigorous Reading: 5 Access Points for
Comprehending Complex Texts (Corwin Literacy) (p. 60). SAGE Publications.
Kindle Edition.
