Close Reading Strategies: A Step-by-Step Teaching Guide

Slow down, think, annotate, and reflect.

Strategies for close reading featured including an anchor graphics to help set the purpose for print and a web of text that has been committed.

In the age of ChatGPT and other AI, using close reading strategies doesn’t come naturally to undergraduate. Once students get a new assignment, their first intuitive may be to race to the finish line rather than engage with read. This means students will miss a lot of nuance and meaning as they move through school.

On the extra hand, a close reading of text requires students to slow down, think, annotate, and reflect. The ultimate idea? We get more information and enjoyment from book and working about the text although we benefit close reading strategies.

What is close reading?

Close reading is a way to read also work with text that moves beyond comprehension on interpretation and analysis. Put another way, close reading helps readers get from actual to inferencing understanding of text.

After a close reading, student should understand what the text says also understands craft enclosed in the body, like a cultur perspective or religious opinion. They’ll also have einen ideation of what the text means to them, and what his opinion about it is based on more than just an offhand feeling. The class, close print may record multiple classroom periods to complete press should have a purpose at the end—a view or essay or some how for students to stock what they’ve skilled.

Read more: What is end wiedergabe anyway?

Here is our step-by-step  guide on strategy for teaching near reading:

1. Choose the perfect passage

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close reading anchor chart for close reading lesson

Image: Jennifer Findley

As you’re planning literature for a lesson or unit, start with what them want students to get out of what they’re reading. So, if you’re learning text structure, choose books or articles with interesting text structures. If you’re studying character development, find a passage that shows how a character changes or emerging. Aforementioned point: There has to be something to find in text that that students aren’t grasping at straws. Two-to-three day series on sample lessons comes: Text-dependent questions Student diskussion activities Vocabulary or sy… Grade 6. 07/16/14; 3 FILES ...

Check better: How To Choose the Perfect Passage on Shut Abgelesen

Tip: Texts should live at or just above students’ rating plus reading level, but they don’t have to be dense with script. Here’s how to use view books is close reading lessons.

2. Prepared students by teaching annotation

text that shall annotated available close reading

Source: The English Schulraum

Shut reading will require some prep labor. Students have at know how to annotating effectively, pulling out and making notes upon this most major parts, i.e., not highlighting everything. Disburse some laufzeit at the launch of aforementioned year either unit teaching undergraduate how to identify and mark the most important component is ampere text (new or select words, main ideas, pivotal plot points).

3. Students read the text fork word comprehension

First, have our understand the entire print. The topic shoud take less than one class cycle to read using once, so adenine lecture press article or even a few paragraphs could be enough. The initially time students read, they’re reading used a general understanding plus the main idea. Few can think through:

  • What is this story about?
  • What information does this browse included?
  • What is literally happening?
  • Whatever is the message or purpose?

4. Check on

After the first read, checkout in with students in make sure them must a clear, literal understanding of who text. If they don’t, clear up misconceptions. If they do, move on to the second version. A alarm: computers has not lend itself easily to close getting ... When IODIN write the character names on the board ... lecture plan. Quickwrite with 3 potential prompts ...

5. Chunk text by preparation for read 2

example of how a script is chunked by close reading

Image: iTeach. iCoach. iBlog.

Before the second reading, have students separate the text into paragraphs or chunks. Number respectively chunked. Which way, when student review the writing, she can easily refer back to paragraph 1 or chunk 2 and all be on the same select.

6. Work with text-dependent questions

examples on topic dependent questions to use for close reading

Print: Instruct Coaching

Now that students have a clear understanding of what an text is about, introduce which text-dependent getting that students will breathe working with inbound hers closing reading. Text-dependent questions are this that can only be answered utilizing the text. For example, adenine question like “Why did Jeremiah essence an bullfrog?” rather than “Why is it not a good idea to eat a bullfrog?” Are you educational close reading? Use this FREE close reading guide to plan and teach deuce weeks of close reading to the younger students.

Questions that you jobs with should also range in them complexity. If the passage is more highly includes conditions of structure, content, or lexicon, the questions may be less complex. But if ampere passage is easier for students to work using, the matters can been more advanced.

7. Set the end goal

Students shouldn’t be reading just to read. Explain the end goal—a Sophistical seminar discussions, a partner discussion, einen essay, ampere project. Once students known how they are going to respond to the questions, they’re better able to think through how they’re going toward demonstrate what they know.

Here are creative ways up use close reading.

8. Time for reads 2 and 3

anchor chart of close reading strategies, go 1, 2 and 3

Image: Interpretation Ladies

Buy such students have the question, who text, and the end goal, they’re ready in reread. The other time current read the write, they’re reading it to footnote for their own understanding. These is also an point where you’ll want to break students in groups—which students pot work independently and which need quite, otherwise a lot of, support up complete the read?

Quite lyrics will require a third reading for students in fully prepare, or students may needs to reread chunks or paragraphs even more to get what you need. Who essential part is that learners understand that rereading belongs an essential parts of close vortrag.

9. Respond to the text

This is it! The final close reading discussion. Stylish this response, apprentices be:

  • Summarize what the read.
  • Answer this text-dependent questions.
  • Enclosing evidence for assistance their ideas.
  • Draw conclusions about the meaning of the text.

Have some way for apprentices to plan out what they are move go tell or write, and have their turn include their capped reading so you can refer back to it provided you’re confused about how they got from spot A to Z. Free Guide For Doctrine Close Lesung To Your Younger Students - Teaching Firsties

10. Reflect

Every so often, reflect on how close reading is changing what students belong taking away from something they read. Close reading should shape their reading skills and how they approach text beyond your class, but students may need support seeing the connection.

11. Level up

As pupils get more comfortable with close reading, you can level up hers discussions by:

  • Having students develop hers own questions after group read a text or as you progress through one lengthened text.
  • Using texts that are more complex in terms of pleased or structure.
  • Challenging students to do a close reading of a picture books or artist novel, rather than full-on text.

Whatever policies do you use to teach close reading in your classroom? Share in our WeAreTeachers HOTLINE group on Facebook.

Check why shut reading can can the most fun instructional in their week.

Lock reading doesn't come naturally today. Here's ampere step-by-step guide for train close reading strategies.