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Free Downloads for Annotation, Close Reading, and Text-Dependent Questions

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Free Downloads for Annotation, Close Reading, and Text-Dependent Questions

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(Watanabe, 2013)

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Students need to be taught to read complex texts. One of the strategies for learning how is close reading. It slows the reader down to notice and ponder more. It also connects meaning and builds systems of thought.

Text complexity with close reading

Complex text requires a close reading. So what makes a text complex? There are three "ingredients" to text complexity:

It's important to understand text complexity to build students' literacy skills. As they become more skilled, they will read more complex text on their own.

Introduction to close reading

Here's an overview of close reading:

What does close reading look like in the classroom?

Here are some examples of close reading at different grade levels and content areas (or components of it such as annotation):

What are the steps for doing a close read?

Close reading may look different at different ages and content areas. From the research I've done, all close reading has these components:

Close reading is a strategy for reading complex text, something that would be at the student's frustration level. However, for primary grades, there are instances where the teacher reads aloud.

It is good to do with short passages.

The text is read and reread several times.

Students learn to annotate their thoughts as part of the process.

I've created the Close Read poster based on the training I received at the Arizona Department of Education, which is largely based on the work of Fisher, Frey, and Lapp. I follow all of these steps to introduce the process.
However, the amount of scaffolding and support needed will be based on the level of text complexity in relation to their independent/frustration reading level. Some scaffolds will (and should) be removed as time goes on, such as step six with the teacher reading and modeling annotation.

Annotation

Annotation is an important part of close reading. Again, it will look different at the different grade levels.

Annotating with iPads

For annotating with iPads, the students could take a photo of the text, then annotate using various apps.

Educreations is a favorite because you can add pages and annotate on the pages with the tools. Educreations is an iPad app that can also be accessed from your browser. Once saved on the iPad, it will also save to the account created. Since Educreations is like an interactive whiteboard, it requires a narration to record and save.

Noteability is another app that is easy to use. Unlike Educreations, it does not require a narration, but that is an option. It also can be saved to DropBox easily. (Note: It also works well with My Big Campus). Here's a brief tutorial on how to use it:

Annotating on a desktop computer

If the text is on the Internet, it would be easy to annotate in Diigo, or take a screen shot then annotate in Paint (or Pages, if you are working on a Mac) as well as Google Docs/Apps.

Text-dependent questions

There's not a set guide for creating text-dependent questions; however, I like to use Bloom's Revised Taxonomy with Webb's Depth of Knowledge or this poster as my guide:

What can they do/create as evidence of learning? The culminating activity should capitalize on the key ideas, essential questions, or their understanding. It should include:

mastery of one or more of the standards;

writing;

and, is structured as independent practice (for a formative assessment).

As a formative assessment, the teacher needs to know how it will inform her/his instruction. Here are the steps to think through:

Will it be graded? If so, a rubric needs to be created and shared with the students. If not, prepare a place to record anecdotal notes or a checklist of mastery.

How will instruction change based on the information you've learned about student understanding? What scaffolds can you put in place to help, if needed. What extended learning can you provide (such as a blog post sharing their products with a community outside the classroom)?

What specific feedback can you give the students to help them progress?

Final thoughts
Close reading won't take place all of the time, and it won't need all of the steps I've shared. It is a strategy that will look different for different texts based on the genre, purpose for the reading, the text complexity, and the student's ages.

While planning for close reading, consider your readers, your text, and how to support them with scaffolds. Scaffolds are meant to be taken away, therefore, the steps of a close read will change over time.

In Close Read Complex Text, and Annotate with Tech--Part 2, I will expand on annotating with iPads, and in Close Read Complex Text, and Annotate with Tech--Part 3, I expand with annotating with Diigo.

If you have a great app or way to annotate with technology, please share. I'm interested in learning from you.

What does close reading look like in your class?

What tips or resources can you share about creating text-dependent questions?

What other questions about close reading do you still have?

How else does this post connect with you?

Special thanks to Gina Fraher for the opportunity to close read with her students, and Jodi Walker for inspiring me to give this a try.

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Close Read Complex Text, and Annotate with Tech--Part 1

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Students need to be taught how to read complex texts. One of the strategies for learning how is close reading . It slows the reader down t...

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(TerraAmericanArt, 2016)

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American Art at the Core of Learning: "Reading a Painting"

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(McCluer North Algebra Videos, 2016)

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(Jan Rogenski, TOSA, 2013)

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Common Core Literacy Close Reading Strategies with Informational Text

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(SanBdoCitySchools, 2014)

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Close Reading of Informational Science Text

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(L, 2015)

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When we think of close reading, we imagine students wrangling a set of colored highlighters, books stuffed with sticky notes, and text margins filled with hand-scrawled observations and questions. While these methods are essential for close reading, they can be a hassle to manage. Surely technology can offer us an easier way!

If we focus on the methods and purposes for close reading, we can more easily see how digital tools might streamline -- or even enhance -- the close reading process. When we're doing a close read, we're not just focusing on the main idea but diving deeper into the text and peeling back the layers to develop a greater understanding. Keep in mind, this doesn't come naturally to students, but requires explicit instruction and modeling from the teacher. Here are five strategies for teaching close reading, along with ways to incorporate digital tools into the process:

Model close reading.

Before you can expect students to close read independently, you have to model it for the class. Demonstrate annotating, making notes in the margins, and explain the thought process (think-aloud) that goes along with close reading.

Use Educreations to record yourself modeling the process and share it with students and families. Nearpod can also be used to model close reading. The teacher can first model for the students and then provide students opportunities for guided practice. For secondary students, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has close reading apps for grades 6, 7, 8, 9-10, and 11-12. These apps provide guided practice with modeled screencasts and interactive practice.

Annotate with a purpose.

Students need to be taught to annotate text with a purpose -- we don't want them highlighting the whole page. Students need to understand why they are reading the passage -- whether it's to focus on the author's purpose or to gather text evidence to support argument. Make sure you discuss the specific annotation marks students should use. You may have them highlight in different colors for the multiple reads of the document, circle powerful words or phrases, or even put question marks by things they don't understand. It's important to teach and model annotating before you expect students to do it themselves.

Google Docs and the extension Read & Write for Google are great if you are working out of Google Drive. DocHub also works great with Google Docs by locking the text like a PDF file for students to annotate. DocHub also allows you to annotate PDF files.

Write in the margins.

Students should not only highlight and mark the text, but should also write in the margins. This is another strategy that needs explicit instruction and modeling. Students can take notes about what the author is saying, text connections they make, and questions they have.

The comment feature in Google Docs makes writing in the margins quite simple. Actively Learn is another great tool for close reading. This protected ereader contains a variety of annotation tools, including a large margin for students to write in and even share with their peers and teacher.

Collaborate and listen.

To develop a deeper understanding, students shouldn't just read texts, but also discuss them. Be sure to outline the scaffolds, supports, and expectations for an effective collaborative conversation.

The comment feature in Google Docs is one way students can discuss the text on a shared document. Also, on Actively Learn, students or teachers can initiate conversations in the margins of the text.

Encourage close reading across the curriculum.

Close reading isn't something that should be exclusively done in a reading classroom; it should be done across the curriculum. Newsela is an online collection of current events and nonfiction articles with guiding questions and text students can annotate. Teachers can create their own online classroom and track student progress. Students can also adjust the reading level for the article.

As you prepare for this upcoming school year, what strategies and tools will you use with your students to help them with close reading?

Photo " My Toolkit for Reading" by Kevin Wen. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

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5 Strategies for Teaching Close Reading with Tech | Common Sense Education

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When we think of close reading, we imagine students wrangling a set of colored highlighters, books stuffed with sticky notes, and text margins filled with hand-scrawled observations and questions. While these methods are essential for close reading, they can be a hassle to manage. Surely technology can offer us an easier way!

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Close Reading Modeled by History Teacher

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Close Reading Modeled by History Teacher

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(Fisher & Frey, 2020)

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Close reading is a form of dialogic teaching that provides students access to complex texts. It's a means to ensure that students engage in deep discussions about a reading.

Over the past 10 years or so, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on close reading, and we've seen increasing evidence about what works to ensure that students read and understand complex texts (Paul, 2018). But we worry that close reading is no longer "hot" and may not be used as often as it was earlier in the past decade-although it remains a great instructional tool to deepen students' understanding of texts. We've been told by several district leaders that teachers' use of close reading has declined. In our own presentations, we ask teachers how often they engage students in close reading; there is a noticeable decrease from five years ago. Allow us to revisit close reading-which we hope makes a comeback.

Interrogating and Discussing Texts

Close readings work best with short texts that don't give up their meanings easily. These texts need to be interrogated, discussed, and evaluated. Close readings are typically conducted with the whole class, although students often interact with smaller groups as they discuss their thinking. Such discussions with peers are crucial, as they deepen students' understanding of a text. It's important that teachers don't tell students what to think during a close-reading lesson. Instead, the questions teachers and students ask about the text and the peer discussions are the scaffolds used to deepen students' understanding.

Read, Read, Repeat

Traditionally, close readings have required that students annotate as they read and reread the text. While we previously recommended a system of annotation using many marks, we've revised our recommendations for teaching students to annotate, based on our own experiences and observations of over 350 close-reading lessons. We now suggest teachers focus on three foundational annotations:

Underline key ideas. In doing so, students identify important information they can use in their discussions and their writing. Teachers can circulate as students read to assess their understanding of key information just by glancing at their underlining.

Circle words and phrases that are confusing or unclear. This forces students to monitor their understanding and allows the teacher to identify gaps in vocabulary knowledge.

Create margin notes. This allows students to summarize, synthesize, and question as they read.

These three types of annotations keep students engaged as they read and reread. Notice we've said "read and reread." Repeated reading is a critical aspect of close-reading lessons, although most students don't like to do it. Wise teachers focus on changing the tasks associated with reading a passage to spark authentic reasons to reread. The first task might be a straightforward direction to read once for the "flow;" a second task might be to read and annotate. Other tasks include pressing for evidence ("Show us where you found that") and inviting students to ask questions that arise for them about the text.

Watch a Close Reading Lesson Unfold

The key to close reading remains the discussions students have with peers. The whole point is to interact with others to come to terms with what the text says and what you think about it. These conversations are facilitated with text-dependent questions that require students to provide evidence from the text.

In the video accompanying this column, Javier Vaca, a U.S. history teacher at Health Sciences High and Middle College in San Diego, engages his students in a close reading of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1933 Inaugural Speech. As you'll notice in the video, the order of the questions during a close-reading lesson is critical (Fisher et al., 2015). Students aren't likely to be able to answer inferential questions at the outset of reading a complex text. Thus, teachers often start with literal level questions-perhaps "right there" questions whose answers can be found in a specific line of the text (Raphael &amp; Au, 2005). The number of literal questions a teacher asks depends on students' responses; if students' annotations and early responses to a text suggest initial levels of comprehension, the lesson can progress quickly to structural questions, which focus on internal decisions the writer has made, such as choice of genre, organizational structure, role of the narrator, the choice of words and what they mean, and so on. If students' early responses suggest they aren't ready to progress beyond initial levels, the focus remains here a bit longer, as students consider key details and general understandings.

As students discuss structural questions, they come to understand that writing is an intentional process. Writers can take actions to impact the reader. Students get a glimpse inside the mind of the writer as they discuss craft. Thus, they move deeper into the text-and their writing often improves.

Once it's clear that students understand the text at the literal and structural levels, the questions move to inferential questions. These encourage students to discuss the deeper themes and intentions of the text and how this text compares with others. Inferential questions often have many right answers or ways to get there. Using reasoning to support claims with evidence is paramount. Typically, the teacher only needs to pose a few inference questions because at this point, discussions become extended and students begin to use evidence from the text to support their conclusions.

Giving Kids Early Success

The process outlined here provides students an opportunity to experience success from the outset of the lesson. We believe success is motivating. When students encounter complex texts and have no strategy to make meaning of the reading, they're likely to give up, to tell themselves that they're failures, that they cannot read, that any effort is fruitless. When teachers provide students early wins, students are more likely to struggle through the meaning making and critical thinking required to comprehend a challenging text.

Let's not forget about the power of close reading to deepen the discussions students have about complex texts!

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Show & Tell: A Video Column / Take a Closer Look at Close Reading

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Use the power of close reading to deepen student discussions about texts.

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(Cleaver, 2018)

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Good news. The research shows that teaching students how to close read helps them become better readers. The trick is how to spice it up so that students are applying close reading skills without getting bored. Here are 10 ways to innovate your lessons.

1. Go beyond PIE

At some point during reading, students should be thinking about what the author did and why. Once students have learned the basics (Persuade, Inform, Entertain), expand their thinking about author's purpose by thinking through how the text makes the reader feel and what the author did to create that response.

2. Talk about sign posts.

If you're not familiar with the book Notice and Note by Kylene Beers and Bob Probst, it encourages readers to take notice of key "sign posts" throughout the text. This display brings that concept to life in a classroom.

3. Try close reading song lyrics.

The principles behind close reading can be applied to media, songs and videos too. Check out this fun lesson from Read, Write, Think.

4. Keep track of what you've learned.

In this blog post, teacher Jessica Tobin explains how she breaks the process of close reading into a four-day lesson, with students keeping track of their progress along the way.

5. Model close reading using this excellent snapguide.

This snapguide is a great resource for teachers and students alike.

6. Try close reading images.

Use cartoons or images to introduce the process, or challenge students to think about how close reading and the thinking that goes into it can be applied another way. Here's a lesson plan to get you started.

7. Use an Article of the Week with older students.

Part of the reason students struggle with reading is because they lack prior knowledge and background. They can decode the words, but the words remain meaningless without a foundation of knowledge. To help build his students' prior knowledge, teacher Kelly Gallagher assigns his students an Article of the Week every Monday morning.

8. Have groups of students work together.

Teaching in Room 6 shares an idea for making close reading even more collaborative with text-based opinion posters. Get students up and moving around by posting a text to close read on a whiteboard or table for them to work on.

9. Increase the text complexity.

If you want to bring your close reading lessons to the next level, challenge students by increasing the ideas that are presented in the text they read. Here's a fourth grade example.

10. Do an author study.

Author studies, like this example from Teaching in Room 6, are a great way to see themes and analyze how a writer approaches language.
What are your favorite ways to teach close reading? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Plus, what is close reading, anyway?

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10 Super-Innovative Teacher Ideas for Close Reading

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Creative ways that teachers are adapting close reading for their students and their subjects. Lesson plans for grades K-12.

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Annotation strategies that support close reading

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Annotation strategies that support close reading

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(Lynch, n.d.)

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The benefits of annotation include:

Keeping track of key ideas and questions

Helping formulate thoughts and questions for deeper understanding

Fostering analyzing and interpreting texts

Encouraging the reader to make inferences and draw conclusions about the text

Allowing the reader to easily refer back to the text without rereading the text in its entirety

Annotating With a Purpose

Students are taught to read with a purpose, and they should also be taught to annotate with a purpose. Teaching students to annotate with a purpose will help them focus on what is most important about the text.

When teaching annotation I instruct students to use the following symbols:

Write a ? next to anything that is confusing, such as unfamiliar words or unclear information.

Put an ! next to surprising or important information or information that helps you make a connection.

Printable Annotation Examples and Activities

Model for Annotating a Text, Grades 2-5

Download my Model for Annotating a Text which uses the poem The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt. My students have enjoyed using this poem as an introduction to the close reading of poetry and the skill of annotating.

The Model for Annotating a Text download includes an instructional tip sheet and annotation examples for students. You can make individual copies for your students to keep handy, or enlarge the annotation example to a poster size and hang it in the classroom!
Here's how to use the Model for Annotating a Text:
Explain to students that the annotations of skillful readers identify what they don't understand and point out major facts or ideas they want to remember and use in their discussions and writing. Annotation also encourages readers to make inferences and to draw conclusions about the text, as well as to make interpretations on a deeper level.

Next, review the symbols students should use when annotating a text. Caution students that over-annotating will be confusing rather than helpful.

Then read the poem The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt and pause to model how to annotate with your students.

Once your students have learned the correct way to annotate a text, have them practice annotating with a purpose! With the Annotating Practice Kit, students will practice their annotation skills while reading the following articles:

In Conclusion

Teaching your students how to annotate with a purpose will help them keep track of key ideas, and will help them formulate thoughts and questions they have while reading. It also encourages the reader to make inferences and draw conclusions about the text, as well as, make interpretations on a deeper level. Annotating allows the reader to easily refer back to the text without rereading the text in its entirety.

My downloads today will be important resources for your students as they begin to annotate texts.

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Annotating Text Strategies That Will Enhance Close Reading [Printable Resources]

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Here are annotating text strategies & annotation examples for students. Plus, download free resources for teachers and students!

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(Close Reading Strategies: A Step-by-Step Teaching Guide, 2023)

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

On the other 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 reading and working with the text when we use close reading strategies.

What is close reading?

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

After a close reading, students should understand what the text says and understand ideas embedded in the text, like a cultural perspective or religious opinion. They'll also have an idea of what the text means to them, and what their opinion about it is based on more than just an offhand feeling. In class, close reading may take multiple class periods to complete and should have a goal at the end-a discussion or essay or some way for students to share what they've learned.

Read more: What is close reading anyway?

Here is our step-by-step guide with strategies for teaching close reading:

1. Choose the perfect passage

Image: Jennifer Findley

As you're planning texts for a lesson or unit, start with what you want students to get out of what they're reading. So, if you're studying 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 evolves. The point: There has to be something to find in text so that students aren't grasping at straws.

Read more: How To Choose the Perfect Passage for Close Reading

Tip: Texts should be at or just above students' grade and reading level, but they don't have to be dense with text. Here's how to use picture books in close reading lessons.

2. Prepare students by teaching annotation

Source: The English Classroom

Close reading will require some prep work. Students have to know how to annotate effectively, pulling out and making notes on the most important parts, i.e., not highlighting everything. Spend some time at the start of the year or unit teaching students how to identify and mark the most important parts of a text (new or key words, main ideas, pivotal plot points).

3. Students read the text for literal comprehension

First, have students read the entire text. The text should take less than one class period to read through once, so a chapter or article or even a few paragraphs could be enough. The first time students read, they're reading for a general understanding and the main idea. They can think through:

What is this story about?

What information does this article contain?

What is literally happening?

What is the message or purpose?

4. Check in

After the first reading, check in with students to make sure they have a clear, literal understanding of the text. If they don't, clear up misconceptions. If they do, move on to the second reading.

5. Chunk text in preparation for read 2

Image: iTeach. iCoach. iBlog.

Before the second reading, have students separate the text into paragraphs or chunks. Number each chunk. This way, when students review the text, they can easily refer back to paragraph 1 or chunk 2 and all be on the same page.

6. Work with text-dependent questions

Image: Instructional Coach

Now that students have a clear understanding of what the text is about, introduce the text-dependent questions that students will be working with in their close reading. Text-dependent questions are those that can only be answered using the text. For example, a question like "Why did Jeremiah eat a bullfrog?" rather than "Why is it not a good idea to eat a bullfrog?"

Questions that you work with should also range in their complexity. If the passage is more complex in terms of structure, content, or vocabulary, the questions may be less complex. But if a passage is easier for students to work with, the questions can be more advanced.

7. Set the end goal

Students shouldn't be reading just to read. Explain the end goal-a Socratic seminar discussion, a partner discussion, an essay, a project. Once students know how they are going to respond to the questions, they're better able to think through how they're going to show what they know.

Here are creative ways to use close reading.

8. Time for reads 2 and 3

Image: Reading Ladies

Now that students have the question, the text, and the end goal, they're ready to reread. The second time students read the text, they're reading it to annotate for their own understanding. This is also the point where you'll want to break students into groups-which students can work independently and which need some, or a lot of, support to complete the read?

Some texts will require a third reading for students to fully prepare, or students may need to reread chunks or paragraphs even more to get what they need. The important part is that students understand that rereading is an important part of close reading.

9. Respond to the text

This is it! The final close reading discussion. In this response, students will:

Summarize what they read.

Answer the text-dependent questions.

Include evidence to support their ideas.

Draw conclusions about the meaning of the text.

Have some way for students to plan out what they are going to say or write, and have them turn in their annotated reading so you can refer back to it if you're confused about how they got from point A to Z.

10. Reflect

Every so often, reflect on how close reading is changing what students are taking away from what 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 students get more comfortable with close reading, you can level up their discussions by:

Having students develop their own questions after they read a text or as you progress through a longer text.

Using texts that are more complex in terms of content or structure.

Challenging students to do a close reading of a picture book or graphic novel, rather than full-on text.

What strategies do you use to teach close reading in your classroom? Share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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

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Close reading doesn't come naturally today. Here's a step-by-step guide to teach close reading strategies.

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(TeachLikeThis, 2014)

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How to do a Close Reading - TeachLikeThis

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(Cherry-Paul & Johansen, 2015)

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Five Ways to Approach Close Reading as a Detective

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Five Ways to Approach Close Reading as a Detective

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(Lockridge, 2022)

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In this fast-paced age, it's hard for students to take time to do anything. Reading material closely is often far down on the list of student-preferred activities. When modern technology provides search results that "seem" to have the answers your students need, they think...what is the purpose of close reading?

Close reading means to read a text closely, paying special attention to one or more facets of the literature. For example, you might ask students to focus on specific patterns, figurative language, character traits, craft, symbolism, or meanings. Close reading develops students' critical thinking muscles and teaches them to notice as they read and use metacognition to think about their own thinking.

As a teacher, you may know all the great reasons to use close reading in your classroom, but perhaps you're struggling to find ways to meaningfully incorporate it into your curriculum. In this post, we'll discuss six effective ways to use close reading in the classroom.

Close reading is basically what great readers, scientists, thinkers, and researchers do every single day; however, it used to be the ONLY way to gain knowledge. Scholars had to read closely across texts and articles as well as within them, because there was no information superhighway to pop out answers. Students today sometimes make the mistake of thinking the almighty Internet has every answer. Sometimes, it will have answers, but not the ones you're truly looking for in relation to the question that was asked. Teaching close reading is a helpful skill for students to use as they carefully look across multiple sources to find in-depth, thorough answers for questions.

S TRATEGY: PRE-SELECTED AUTHENTIC SOURCES

Pose a question to your students or give them an Informative Writing Prompt. It could be related to a current social studies or science standard. Provide authentic sources such as articles, textbooks, informational text, and picture books where students can find the answer. Students must read closely to identify the evidence that answers your question in at least two of your pre-selected sources. They should not be allowed to search the Internet for the answer. Your students will likely complain about this task, yet they will feel quite accomplished when you explain that this is how scientists, scholars, and leaders use close reading. Remind them that their information is coming from authentic sources, which leaves nothing to chance. This could be used as a stand-alone activity or along with an Informative Writing Unit.

2. PRE-READING/INTRODUCTORY

What does it mean to close read as a pre-reading activity? Close reading is a strategy and activity that will definitely be used during reading; however, it can be used as a pre-reading activity as well.
Examples:

1. If you're about to begin a unit on figurative language, give students a basic definition of the types of figurative language. Have them read a short passage, looking closely for examples of figurative language.

2. Before students begin a new unit in science, give them a short passage with some key scientific terms, ensuring that the text is not bolded. Have students try to activate prior knowledge about the subject by reading through the passage and highlighting words they think are most important to the topic.

3. Before you begin a novel or even a picture book about a specific person or concept, have students do a close reading of a summary of the book or the passage on the back of the book to identify the main characters and plot.

STRATEGY: SCRUTINIZE A SUMMARY

Prior to beginning a new novel or introducing a new topic in a content area, provide students with a short multi-paragraph summary about it. Give students a purpose for their reading, whether it is to identify key characters, the main idea and supporting details, or potential keywords. Provide them with a graphic organizer that will encompass their pre-reading and provide space for notes during reading. As they read, have students refer back to their initial close reading notes to see if predictions were correct or how terms were used, etc.

While compare and contrast is a type of nonfiction text structure, it is also used when examining elements in literature. Using close reading to compare and contrast informational and fiction pieces will build your students' analytical muscle. Use close reading to compare two pieces by the same author, two pieces on the same topic, two main characters in different books, or a myriad of other options.

STRATEGY:BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Choose a current topic from your science or social studies unit and find a fictional or literary text that centers around the same topic. For example, if you were studying the Black Plague, you could choose an excerpt from Fever, 1793. If you were studying ecosystems, you might choose to read The Great Kapok Tree or If I Ran the Rain Forest, or other short passages. Pairing fiction and nonfiction texts may seem daunting at first, but remember, you do not need to pair a whole textbook or novel for this exercise unless you want to. You can find short passages or take excerpts from books. Once you have your set, have students use close reading to analyze similarities and differences they uncover about the same topic when examined from a factual vs. fictional standpoint.

You may think that all literature groups involve close reading-that it should be a naturally occurring component; however, some students seem to read the required pages, answer whatever questions are necessary, and move on to the next task. Close reading for specific purposes within a literature circle can revitalize the standard novel study procedure and increase engagement by providing a new challenge.

STRATEGY: COLLABORATIVE CLOSE READING

Before students begin their reading for the day, tell them that they will be looking for something specific in their close reading. (A list of suggested elements is below, but you can choose anything that you feel is relevant for your students.) Not only will they be searching for this element while reading, they will be looking for one passage in the chapter or section that has prime examples of this element. Each student will select one passage from the reading and lead the other students in examining it collaboratively, sharing comments, and identifying examples. All students could end up choosing the same passage or they could choose different ones. Either way, all students should share insights and discuss examples of the elements they found in the passage.

Suggested elements to search for in collaborative close reading. Note: Some suggestions are aimed at developing readers and others are aimed for critical thinking.

Evidence of cultural influence in the plot, setting, or characters

Evidence of character bias toward a situation or person

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing realized

Dialogue tags and the impact on mood and tone

Descriptive adjectives

Figurative language and how it relates to the story

Changes in characters or perspective

Specific genre elements for mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, etc.

5. TEXT-DEPENDENT ANALYSIS

Text-dependent analysis questions have become a major component of assessment as educational leaders want students to do more than simply "recall and regurgitate" answers. TDA questions require students to provide evidence from the text as well as show inferential and interpretive skills when answering higher-order thinking questions. When students know they are going to be asked basic recall and factual questions only, they tend to read at the "surface" level. Knowing they will have to dig deep to be successful promotes close reading. If your students groan when they are confronted with TDA practice, it is likely because they fear they will not be able to successfully answer the question. Encourage students to use close reading with TDAs, really searching out information and evidence in the text while re-reading the passage. Explain that this is actually like a safety net for success, because they will not be trying to pull all the information out of their heads after one initial read. They can highlight the TEXT EVIDENCE.

STRATEGY: SELF-SELECT AND SHARED-SELECT TDA PRACTICE

Student choice is beneficial for motivation and engagement. Yet, as a teacher, you know that sometimes your students need targeted practice. TDAs are usually specific to the text your students are reading, but there are some TDA questions that lend themselves to many genres and passages with little or no tweaking. After reading a passage, have s tudents self-select two TDA questions from the list below, or one you create yourself. Assign students one TDA prompt that targets a skill they need to hone. You can create one yourself or use one of the suggested questions below. You can also assign different TDAs to different students, based on their needs. This strategy is great for student engagement as well as differentiation.
Suggested TDA Questions:
→ How does the main character treat other characters? What evidence does the author include?

→ How does the main character change throughout the story? What evidence does the author include?

→ What makes this story ________ (name a specific genre)?

→ How did ______event influence a character's actions?

→ How did the author enhance the writing using ___ (a specific literary device)?

→ What uncertainties were left in the story (cliffhangers, etc)? What evidence in the text allows you to make a prediction of how these events will be resolved?

→ Explain what (character) learns about themselves as a result of_______.

→ Analyze the ______ (theme, characteristics, central idea) in the arguments between two texts.

→ Why is the title appropriate for a specific story, or event in the story?

→ The author includes details about character's actions. What does the author want you to understand about the character?

→ How is (object or symbol) significant to the plot, events, or character's actions?

→ Describe a pattern that is starting to emerge between characters/actions/events.

→ What are the strengths and limitations of the character? How does that effect an outcome of an event in the story?

→ How does ___ (event) contribute to the passage?

→ Which sentence(s) describe(s) how central ideas are introduced?

→ Select a main strategy used throughout an article to develop a claim.

→ Why does an author choose to end a passage with ___ (event or a phrase)?

→ Which claim from the article is best supported by this _____(sentence, phrase, or quote)?

→ An author usually does some research to help him/her write the text. What evidence of research do you find in this text?

→ Can you tell if the story describes a particular culture? How do you know? Would the story be different if set in a different culture/setting?

→ What is the most important point in this ___ (paragraph, passage, page, piece)?

→ How do you know? What supporting details does the author include to help you learn about ___?

→ What does the author think about ___?

6. STANDARD-BASED PRACTICE

Are you worried about covering all reading standards? Use READING PASSAGES that are written specifically for each standard. You can use it during a lesson on that standard, as extra practice, or a review for the year. Either way, students will be zeroed in on a specific standard for close reading. If the questions include higher-order thinking and TDA, students will need to read the whole passage for understanding and for finding the correct answers.

STRATEGY:DETECTIVE STAN (for standards )

Provide STANDARD-BASED PASSAGES WITH COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS. Students will need to write and highlight on and around the passage. Either print the passages or use highlighting tools for digital learning. For each question, students should highlight and number the question where they found the answer. Then they should answer the question using the text evidence.

Tip: You can motivate your students by supplying mini magnifying glasses or making detective hats.

For more detective fun check out this mystery unit bundle.

I hope you found something you can use in your classroom. Throughout the year, there will be endless opportunities to utilize close reading. The six suggestions and strategies here are just the tip of the iceberg. Enjoy finding inventive and meaningful ways to incorporate close reading into your daily routine. You will happily see your students transform and become more engaged in their reading!

Keep Rockin',

DISCOVER RELATED RESOURCES:

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Six Ways to Use Close Reading in Your Classroom

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In this fast-paced age, it's hard for students to take time to do anything. Reading material closely is often far down on the list of student-preferred activities. When modern technology provides search results that "seem" to have the answers your students need, they think...what is the purpose of close reading?

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(Close Reading Protocol, 2015)

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Ensure students' reading comprehension by emphasizing a purposeful reading and rereading of a text.

English & Language Arts

History

Social Studies

Using the strategies from Facing History is almost like an awakening.

- Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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Ensure students' reading comprehension by emphasizing a purposeful reading and rereading of a text.

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4 Practical Ways to Incorporate Close Reading

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4 Practical Ways to Incorporate Close Reading

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4 printable resources for use in every content area: Need it or Trash it, Listening 3 Times, Paper Talk, Deep Reading T Chart

(Lambert, n.d.)