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Fall in Love With Close Reading - Kate Roberts & Chris Lehman (podcast about book)

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Fall in Love With Close Reading - Kate Roberts & Chris Lehman (podcast about book)

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Christopher Lehman & Kate Roberts joins Justin Baeder to discuss their book, Falling In Love with Close Reading.

Interview Notes, Resources, & Links

About Christopher Lehman & Kate Roberts

Christopher Lehman is an international speaker, education consultant and New York Times bestselling author. He is also the Founding Director of The Educator Collaborative, a think tank and educational consulting organization working to innovate the ways educators learn together. Kate Roberts is a staff developer for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. She began teaching eighth grade at MS 51 in Brooklyn, NY after receiving her MA at Teachers College, Columbia University, and currently travels the country working with teachers, coaches, administrators and students to support the teaching of literacy.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

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Christopher Lehman & Kate Roberts-Falling In Love with Close Reading - The Principal Center

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Christopher Lehman & Kate Roberts joins Justin Baeder to discuss their book, Falling In Love with Close Reading. Interview Notes, Resources, & Links Falling In Love with Close Reading. About Christopher Lehman & Kate Roberts Christopher Lehman is an international speaker, education consultant and New York Times bestselling author.

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Asking students to read a text a second or third time can be a daunting task. Many of your struggling readers probably did not want to read the text the first time, let alone read it multiple times. Selecting the right texts to use for close reading with elementary students can be a challenge! In this post, I will share how I used Disney songs to engage students in close reading of complex texts while enjoying popular songs. Plus, I've turned my lesson into a printable download.

Close reading is when a reader analyzes the details of a text to make interpretations and develop a deep understanding of the text. It is looking closely at how an author's ideas unfold through a text by examining the plot, vocabulary, syntax, story patterns and/or point of view through multiple re-readings of a piece of literature.

I've written multiple posts about close reading. If you're new, I would encourage you to check out previous articles to learn more about the close reading strategies I use based on the approach outlined by Diane Lapp, Barbara Moss, Maria Grant and Kelly Johnson, who "literally" wrote the book on close reading (Turning the Page on Complex Texts: Differentiated Scaffolds for Close Reading Instruction).

Using Disney Songs to Get Elementary Students to Read Closely

In order to get students to want to reread a text you need a high interest text.

Every year I teach a before school reading classes. This year I was focusing on close reading. Not only was I asking students to come work with me before school, but I was asking them to do the most dreaded reading task in a child's mind, to read a text multiple times. It was important to me that the kids wanted to come to work with me before school, and it was also important to me that they were interested in what we were doing. After pouring through lots of short texts it hit me...use songs from Disney movies. They loved it!

Close reading of song lyrics is a purposeful and meaningful way to build background knowledge and strengthen your students' ability to analyze a text. With this lesson plan, elementary students will practice close reading of complex texts while enjoying popular Disney songs!

Starting the lesson...

I began with modeling close reading of The Lion King's "Circle of Life" by Elton John and Tim Rice. This is important!

First, I projected on the white board the lyrics to "Circle of Life". I also gave everyone a copy of the lyrics we would be reading multiple times.

Next, I played the song for my students. This immediately made my students perk up. Now that they were engaged, I went over the purpose for each read and the text-dependent questions for each read.

Together, we read the lyrics for The Lion King's "Circle of Life", each time for a different purpose. Then as a class, we answered the text-dependent questions to gain a deeper meaning.

Determine what the text is about.

Text-dependent questions for First Read

1. What is the song about?

2. What are the key ideas or major points in the song?

Instructional Note: Model breaking a stanza down line-by-line to determine what the text is about.

In the circle of life (a circle is infinite; as something dies it gives to another)

It's the wheel of fortune (you do not know what fate holds)

It's the leap of faith (you move forward without knowing what your future holds)

It's the band of hope (optimism for what is to come)

Till we find our place (where you belong)

On the path unwinding (life is unfolding & always changing)

In the circle, the circle of life (a circle is infinite; as something dies it gives to another)

Focus on the language used by the author and the structure of the text.

Text-dependent questions for the Second Read

1. What is the mood of the song?

2. What is the author describing?

3. What words or phrases are repeated? How does the repetition add to the text's meaning?

Instructional Note: Some words to describe the mood of the song would be: reflective, hopeful, serious.

Looking for meaning by making inferences. Think about whether or not the text answers these questions.

Text-dependent questions for the Third Read

1. What larger point or message does the lyrics add up to?

2. What is the intended theme of the Disney song?

Instructional Note: One theme in the Circle of Life is the concept of "belonging." Throughout the song, the line, "Till we find our place" is repeated again and again.
Continuing the lesson...

Now that students knew what was expected of them, I had them analyze the lyrics of other Disney songs. This ended up being such a success with my elementary students I decided to make this close reading lesson into a free download.

Minimize your work and download my comprehensive lesson plan! The Disney Songs Close Reading Kit includes a lesson outline, instructions, worksheets for each song, and a bonus compare and contrast activity. The Disney Songs Close Reading Kit includes activities for the following texts:

Colors of the Wind by Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken

Try Everything by Sia

Download this lesson plan now!

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Disney Songs Close Reading Lesson for Grades 1-8

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Close reading of song lyrics is a purposeful and meaningful way to build background knowledge and strengthen your students' ability to analyze a text. With this lesson plan, elementary students will practice close reading of complex texts while enjoying popular Disney songs! [FREE Download]

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Use Popular Music to Improve Reading and Inspire Writing | Scholastic

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Music can be the tool that ignites a spark in your reluctant readers or inspires a budding writer. Learn ways to incorporate well-known songs into your reading and writin

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I have had amazing opportunities helping teachers figure out close reading procedures to implement in their classrooms. The students have loved this lesson using the lyrics of the Disney song Let it Go!

Last year I wrote a post titled Close Reading: Am I Getting Close. Over the course of the year I have refined my thinking - mostly due to the continued, ongoing study of close reading. Most recently, the book Falling in Love with Close Reading by Christopher Lehman and Kate Roberts pushed me to shift my thinking. My earlier post was more about the teacher's planning - especially in the area of developing text dependent questions. Lehman and Robert have helped me put my focus on the students. Their book describes developing close reading rituals with a focus on guiding students to gain a deeper understanding of text after reading it multiple times, rather than their surface level understanding after their first read. Rather than multitudes of text dependent questions, their rituals can be free-standing. The goal is to develop independent readers who know which text they need to read closely to gain a deeper understanding. The close reading ritual includes:

Lehman and Roberts started their book with an example of using song lyrics. This is a form of text that speaks to students. Often they can sing every word, but may not have thought through the lyrics closely to develop an understanding of the author's/song writer's purpose and intended message. (For additional information see the study guide to the book Falling in Love with Close Reading)

Most of my work in the area of close reading has been at the elementary level. At times it has been a little difficult to find song lyrics that are appropriate for use in the classroom. Recently I have turned to Disney songs. For the remainder of this post I am going to describe my process for developing a lesson using the Academy Award winning song, from the movie Frozen.
Finding Songs - Audio
YouTube is a great, cost-effective place to find songs. For this lesson I chose to have students only listen to the song, rather than viewing the scene. I did this by finding the song on YouTube, but did not project the images. Student only listened to the song. For this lesson I used the song posted by the Walt Disney Animation Studio.

I purposely did not even tell the students which song they were going to listen to. I simply stated my purpose:
Text is all around us. Songs are one form of text. We typically listen to songs without seeing the actual text. Often we have ideas about popular songs, not just from the songs themselves but also because of what we may be experiencing in our lives at that time. If we lose someone special, every song seems sad. Sometimes that is just what you need. Today I want to show you how listening and looking carefully at a song's lyrics can lead us to see things we may have missed before. (adapted from Falling in Love with Close Reading) Finding Lyrics
As I kid I remember writing down the lyrics of songs by playing them over and over, stopping and starting the 45 or LP numerous times. As cassettes, and later CDs, came out I was thrilled that many included the lyrics! Now, a simple google search can yield the lyrics in seconds! Just google "Let it Go lyrics" and you will find numerous sites. I simply copied the lyrics and pasted them into a Word document. Boy, have times changed!
Developing Lesson
In order to develop a close reading lesson teachers need to have a strong understanding of the text. I have found this takes time. It takes REALLY reading the text closely, multiple times. Duh! If we need to do this - all the more reason to facilitate this process with our students!

My preferred method is to discuss the text with another person gaining multiple perspectives and insights. Yet, that isn't always possible. So, I have let Google be my friend. Since I haven't seen the movie Frozen yet, I googled aphrases like "what does the song Let it Go mean." I found multiple sites and interpretations to guide my lesson development. One blog in particular had two posts that were helpful. One was an analysis of the song and the other closely analyzed the facial expressions of the main character, Elza, as she sang the song. Both helped me gain a deeper understanding of the song.

For the example lesson below, I decided to have students look at character development and how the character's motivations, struggles and changes add to the theme of the story/song.
Lesson Plan Template
My thoughts on a template have changed over time. In my earlier post I included a set of moves and a template. The template I used for this lesson was much more simplified. I still find that I use the same " moves " described earlier, but the focus guiding students to deeply understand the text in a way that they can do on their own, rather than depended on teacher developed, text-dependent questions. Real, authentic reading does not include teacher's questions. Readers, students and adults alike, must make meaning of the text on their own. The close reading process, guided by teachers, should mirror authentic reading in order for students utilize close reading when the need to gain a deeper understanding of text independently.
A Focused Tie to Writing, Speaking and Listening
In order to implement the Common Core we need to focus on bundling standards. The close reading process is the perfect example of linking several reading standards together with writing, speaking and listening. Throughout a lesson, students' collaborative talk is essential. Hence, speaking and listening standards are addressed. We can build in the use of Accountable Talk (something I will write about in a future post). A culminating writing prompt can serve as one formative assessment to determine each students' grasp of the text.

You can access the lesson on the ClassFlow MarketPlace here. I've used it on several occasions and each time I make adjustments. My hope is that it will help push your own thinking in the use of close reading. I'd love to hear your ideas. How have you used close reading? What resources have helped you understand how to begin to implement close reading in your classroom.

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I have had amazing opportunities helping teachers figure out close reading procedures to implement in their classrooms. The students have loved this lesson using the lyrics of the Disney song Let it Go! Last year I wrote a post titled Close Reading: Am I Getting Close.

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Primary Mentor Texts for Common Core Literature Standards

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Primary Mentor Texts for Common Core Literature Standards

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My ELA packs for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade include 3 mini lessons, printables, passages, interactive notebook activities, task cards, and an assessment. Some of those activities require the use of a mentor text grade level book. I have had many, many requests for a suggested book list, so I wanted to create a blog post for my primary teachers to reference when using mentor texts for ELA! This is a list of 6 books for each literature standards, with affiliate links to Amazon.

Ask and Answer Questions (RL1.1, RL2.1, RL3.1)

Retelling and Recounting (RL1.2, RL2.2, RL3.2)
Key skills to hit- retelling/recounting, moral/lesson, folk tales, fables, myths
The Magic Hat by Mem Fox
A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon
The Ant and the Grasshopper by Luli Gray
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Aesop's Fables Collection
Young Zeus by G. Brian Karas (3rd Grade Only)
Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

Compare Two Stories by Different Authors (RL1.9, RL2.9)
Key skills to hit- comparing and contrasting character, setting, events (different author)
Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten by Trisha Shashkan and Little Red Riding Hood by Paragon Books
The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Schwartz and The Three Little Pigs by Patricia Seibert
The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone and The Little Red Elf by Barbara McGrath
Cinderella by Sarah L. Thompson and The Rough Faced Girl by Rafe Martin

Comparing Two Stories by the Same Author (RL3.9)
Key skills to hit- comparing and contrasting character, theme, plot (same author)
Jumaji and Zarthura by Chris Van Allsburg
Fish is Fish and Swimmy by Leo Lionni
The Hat and The Mitten by Jan Brett
Wemberly Worried and Chester's Way by Kevin Henkes

For full ELA units with mini lessons for these books and extra reading passages (and much more), check out these 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade RL and RI sets.

Join my email list and snag this full ELA product for free!

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Primary Mentor Texts for Common Core Literature Standards

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My ELA packs for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade include 3 mini lessons, printables, passages, interactive notebook activities, task cards, and an assessment. Some of those activities require the use of a mentor text grade level book.

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Watch the on demand archive presentation by clicking the link below. The resources for this presentation, including handouts, are listed below the presentation archive.

Summary

The Common Core State Standards have reemphasized the need for students to develop the skill of close reading that involves thoughtfully analyzing and evaluating literature and informational texts while reading.

What does close reading instruction look like in your classroom? How does it differ for primary and intermediate grade teachers? Should your instructional approach be different when your students are reading narrative or informational texts? How can you fit close reading instruction into your instructional schedule?

In this webinar, authors of the ASCD book A Close Look at Close Reading, Grades K-5, Diane Lapp, Barbara Moss, Maria Grant, and Kelly Johnson share how to teach close reading in ways that support readers methodically reading and rereading a text as they focus on its structure, language, and content to deeply comprehend its message.

They include lesson scenarios that emphasize how the practice of close reading supports the development of speaking, listening, and writing skills.They also share ideas regarding what to do (instructional next steps) when the complex text is too difficult for some students and a perfect match for others.
Recorded December 9, 2014
Community of Excellence: Teaching and Learning

Archived Presentation

Resources

About the Presenters

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Close Reading: Teaching the Comprehension Skills of Text Analysis and Evaluation

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Watch the on demand archive presentation by clicking the link below. The resources for this presentation, including handouts, are listed below the presentation archive. The Common Core State Standards have reemphasized the need for students to develop the skill of close reading that involves thoughtfully analyzing and evaluating literature and informational texts while reading.

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A Close Look at Close Reading - Webinar Handouts

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A Close Look at Close Reading - Webinar Handouts

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A Close Look at Close Reading - Beth Burke

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A Close Look at Close Reading - Beth Burke

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Article: Attack Story Problems with the Three Phases of Close Reading

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Article: Attack Story Problems with the Three Phases of Close Reading

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Attack Story Problems with the 3 Phases of Close Reading

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Technical-text reading requires more than simply comprehending. Math story problems fall into this category.

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Close Reading in Math for Upper Elementary

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Close Reading in Math for Upper Elementary

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| | Filed Under: Math, Word Problems

Close reading is all the rage in ELA classrooms, but it can definitely work in math, too. Students often struggle with word problems because they don't fully understand what the problem is telling them or asking them to do. By using close reading in math, you can help eliminate some of this struggle. Keep reading to read how I implement close reading with tricky word problems and grab the free printables to implement this in your classroom.

Close Reading in Math Steps

Here are the steps I use:

1st Read - Get the gist of what is happening so that you can retell it.
2nd Read - What is the problem asking you?
3rd Read - What operation matches the situation in the problem?
4th Read - After determining your answer, reread the problem to make sure that your answer makes sense.

I definitely don't require my students to do this for every word problem, just like we don't close read every text. Here is how I use close reading in math:

In the beginning of the year, I tell them which word problems to close read. I choose multi-step ones or ones that I know they will not have strong background knowledge of.

After a few months of successful close reading of problems I choose, most students are ready to self-select the problems they need to close read based on their initial read of the word problem.

Close Reading in Math Free Printables

The FREE download includes:

All steps on one page poster

Each step on a separate page (two versions: one with guiding questions and one without)

Bookmarks with all the steps

An interactive notebook template to have the students record the steps for each close read - use this if you want to edit the steps and have the students write it themselves in their math notebook.

Click here or on the image below to grab the free printables to implement close reading in your math instruction.
Each printable is available in color and black and white.

The word problems featured on this post are from my Word Problem of the Day resource. To grab some FREE Word Problem of the Day printables and to read more about this routine, click here.

What do you think about close reading in math? Is this something you use or will use in your classroom? Let me know in the comments!

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Close Reading in Math for Upper Elementary

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Filed Under: Math, Word Problems Close reading is all the rage in ELA classrooms, but it can definitely work in math, too. Students often struggle with word problems because they don't fully understand what the problem is telling them or asking them to do.

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Strategies for Discussing Author's Craft & Structure

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Strategies for Discussing Author's Craft & Structure

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Talking & Discussing Your Close Reading with a Partner

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Talking & Discussing Your Close Reading with a Partner

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Questions/Comments/Ideas about Close Reading (post in comment section below!)

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Questions/Comments/Ideas about Close Reading (post in comment section below!)