Close Reading: What's It All About?

Hey everyone! I wrote this post back in July as part of a 5-part mini-series and recently shared it on my collaborative blog, The Primary Pack. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from readers, so I thought I would repost it all together for you. Enjoy!

Close reading is the big hype these days with Common Core (or "Florida Standards" in my state!) and the push to expose ALL students to complex texts. I've recently done a lot of research on it for my Master's, so I decided to share it with you and hopefully answer some questions that are floating through your minds!

5 Essential Topics

1. What is close reading?

2. Background Knowledge

3. Complex Texts & Text Dependent Questions

4. Repeated Readings

5. Annotation

Close reading: “an instructional routine in which students critically examine a text, especially through repeated readings” (Fisher & Frey, 2012a). 

Close reading was used in high school and college in the past, BUT the implementation of Common Core has pushed teachers to use close reading in elementary school. So, there must be some modifications made in elementary schools. The teacher must build students toward independent reading. As teachers help students dig through reading passages, they are helping students to build habits of great readers. 

I think this quote explains it perfectly: “The teacher’s goal in the use of Close Reading is to gradually release responsibility to students – moving from an environment where the teacher models for students the strategies to one where students employ the strategies on their own to when they read independently” (Brown & Kappes, 2012). 

First graders work on annotating and finding
main idea during repeated reading.

Close reading gives kids the opportunity to take NEW information from the text and add it to their background knowledge and experiences. When they do this, they increase their schema (what they already know).

Close reading can be used with different genres, various formats, literature, and informational text. BUT, {This is a biggie!} it is only appropriate with some texts. Close reading does not work with everything. It should not be used with long chapter books or even some multiple page passages. It is not an appropriate strategy for everything and anything. You have to be thoughtful and purposeful when you choose a passage. AND, {This is a second biggie!} it should go along with other instructional practices throughout the school day. This is simple. Just don't make it the only thing you do. Yes, there's a huge push for it in schools. Yes, it is great for students in certain environments. I love how Brown and Kappes (2012) explain it, "Close Reading of text is one important strategy for fostering independence and analytic skills."

Remember: It is only one strategy. It is not the only strategy to use in the classroom. There are many others that are successful in the classroom. Choose a strategy that fits your students, your topic, and your teaching style.

This is perhaps the biggest debate in close reading. Period.

Here's why in simple terms:

Teachers have sometimes given students SO much background knowledge, that they were able to answer questions about the text before even reading it! {I mean, really, that sounds just plain crazy!} What is the point in reading if they kids already know the answers? It is boring for kids. It is a waste of time for teachers.

...in walks Common Core...

I have heard so many times that Common Core says a big fat "NO!" to background knowledge. This is not true by any means. But I do know where the idea stems from. Educators were afraid that TOO much background knowledge was given before reading. So they started encouraging teachers to pull back.

However, background knowledge has been proven to have an impact on student comprehension. Many researchers believe that you do not have to instruct kids on the topic before reading because it can be very easily done during reading. I agree with this. I would rather jump into reading and tackle questions as they come rather than spoon-feeding the kids before they have a chance to think!

During close reading (or any type of reading), it is important to:

-set a purpose for reading

-give definitions of unknown words that are essential to understanding the text

-not tell students what to expect from the reading

-allow students to interact with the text

-address clarification as needed throughout

Think about this:

“For the purposes of Close Reading, it is essential to distinguish between the background knowledge that is required to understand the text and the knowledge sought to be gained from reading the text” (Brown & Kappes, 2012). 

Remember: Some students may only have to ADD information from the text to their schema (what they already know) so that they understand. On the other hand, some students will lack background knowledge and are less likely to accurately understand.

You know your students. You know what they have absolutely no clue about. You also know what they are familiar with. Use that to your advantage and help those who need it!

Brief, high-quality, & complex text.

Reading lessons should match this description if you are implementing close reading. In my research, it was recommended that passages should be anywhere from 3 paragraphs to 2 pages.

Why shorter passages?

-Teachers can teach specific skills.

-Teachers can focus on specific ideas in the text.

-Students can practice really digging into the text. 

-Students of ALL reading levels can closely read demanding texts.

-Young students have time to gradually build up to independent reading because they are not overwhelmed. 

Time Consuming!

Close reading can take a very long time. So...teachers should choose smaller passages in order to be able to get through everything. When students are reading on their own, they can enjoy longer passages. For close reading, keep it short!

Modifications

Modifications must be made when using close reading in the elementary grades. Common Core calls for ALL students, regardless of reading level, to interact with complex texts. But how can kindergarteners and young firsties do this, you ask??? Answer: Modify!

Students in primary grades have a higher ability to comprehend while listening. So, it may be important for teachers to expose students by reading aloud to them and promoting independent reading. If you teach K or 1, you may even try a close read in which you read aloud to students. This modification will help kids to move from listening to reading independently in the upper grades.

Text-Dependent Questions

Common Core is focused on text evidence. So, teachers should form text-dependent questions for students. In other words, the questions MUST require students to use the text. 

In close reading, students are asked to go back to the text to find something that confirms their opinion or answer. Focusing on these questions causes students to reflect on the text rather than just quickly getting the gist of the passage (Brown & Kappes, 2012). 

Questions should be about and include:

-General understanding of the text

-Key details

-Vocabulary

-Text structure

-Author's purpose

-Inferring

-Opinons

-Intertextual connections

A struggling third grader came to understand new
vocabulary by interacting closely with the text.

Using many types of questions helps students to develop diverse discussions about the text. Think about it. If you keep asking the same key detail questions, kids will only talk about key details. But, if you ask questions that have them recall, talk about text features, infer from the images, form opinions, and make connections to their lives, they will have A WHOLE LOT to talk about!

Think about this: "Students who learn to ask themselves such questions are reading with the discerning eye of a careful reader. We can also teach students to read carefully with the eye of a writer, which means helping them analyze craft" (Boyles, 2012).

Goal:

Have students participate in active discussions to share their background knowledge and ultimately apply what they have learned. Eventually, students should begin to ask themselves the same questions while reading independently.

Repeated reading is a BIG part of the close reading process. Each time students interact with the text, they come to a deeper understanding of it. Each time, they have more background knowledge than before. Each time, their conversations deepen.

Struggling Readers or English Language Learners

Struggling readers and English Language Learners (ELLs) may need extra time when reading. Each has his/her various challenges. However, close reading is great for struggling readers and/or ELLs because of this repeated reading. It gives kids time and many different opportunities to process information and make connections. 

Who is reading?

The text is being read over and over. But who should read the text each time? Many times, the reader changes. It is usually suggested that the students tackle the text independently through silent reading the very first time. However, modifications must be made for younger students. This may mean that a teacher reads aloud as shared reading for the very first time. 

Types of Repeated Reading

-Individual

-Groups

-Teacher

-Partner

Repeated readings of this passage helped this
first grader to be able to write about Meerkats.

Remember that the type and number of repeated readings depends on the specific passage and students in the classroom. You do not need to use all of those listed above. Choose what works for you and your kids.

Annotation is sometimes known as "Reading with a pencil". In simple terms, that's all it is. Students use a pencil while they read to note specific things. Annotation is extremely important when analyzing a text.

Types of Annotation

-Underlining

-Circling

-Noting unknown words

-Noting challenging sections

-Writing margin notes

-Writing on bookmarks

-Writing on sticky notes

annotations for unknown vocabulary

annotations on sticky notes during a novel study

In high schools and colleges, students always annotate in text when participating in close reading. Elementary students have very little experience with this. {Most elementary teachers may have very little experience teaching it!}

So, how do you annotate in an elementary classroom? 

Can you guess? MODIFY! 

Ways to Modify Annotation

-Use wiki sticks to underline

-Use colored pencils or highlighters to show unknown words

-Number paragraphs or draw lines to separate paragraphs

-Use only a limited number of annotations

Highlighters make annotations instant fun!

Why Start So Young?

1. It is so important to teach students to do this at a young age. Start in primary! Use some of the modifications above to help you explain "reading with a pencil" to the little ones. As you model a few types, students will begin to use them in the close reading process. I recommend choosing just a few to focus on so that students become comfortable using them and understand why they are using them.

2. THEY CAN DO IT! Believe in them. They are capable of GREAT things!

This is an example of what I would say to students in my classroom last year (high achieving first grade) once we were comfortable with our annotations. I stuck to just 3. Keep in mind that we went over these one at a time earlier in the year.

1. Number the paragraphs to the left of each paragraph.

2. Circle any unknown or tricky words.

3. While answering questions, go back to the text and highlight the evidence. Make sure you have the question number next to your evidence and the paragraph number next to your answer. 

I have linked some of my close reading resources here. Check them out if you are interested in implementing close reading in your classroom. Or grab a FREEBIE here. Each pack comes with a weekly layout, CCSS alignment, passages, vocabulary activities, reading responses, visualizing & questioning handouts, graphic organizers, and writing prompts. Click the preview link under the images to see more before you buy!

I hope that this mini-series gave you ideas to bring back to your classroom! Please feel free to email me with any questions at creativitytothecore@gmail.com.

If you would like to read more about close reading, please see the references below. I promise you, they are not boring. :)

Fonts by KG Fonts & Hello Literacy. Backgrounds & Borders from Teaching in a Small Town. Clipart by Melonheadz.

Thank you! Wishing you many great close reading successes in the classroom! Happy Teaching!

Co-teaching Reading in 3rd Grade

It's been about a month since I began the leap from first to third grade, and I am loving it! Last year, I taught high achieving first graders who were almost (if not, just as high) as my third graders. So thankfully....the leap wasn't too difficult. :)

My friend and now co-teacher last year
in my first grade classroom.

Co-teaching with one of my best friends and another energetic, hilarious, engaging teacher has been an amazing experience. We are each other's physical, mental, and emotional help each day...which in the teacher world can be a wonderful thing! Today, I wanted to share a few of the things we have been doing...

Schedule
In our county, 18 is the maximum amount of students allowed in each classroom. Both third grade classes that I work in have about 25 students. Therefore, the school had to hire an extra teacher (me!) to work in both classrooms and provide support. I am teaching only reading. I begin each day with one teacher, and begin after lunch with the other.  The three of us have synced our schedules. This way, I am teaching the same lessons when I am in both classrooms. It is SO nice for the three of us to plan together and bounce ideas off of each other! Here's the layout we have. Grab an editable one here!

Because there are two of us teaching at all times, we try to maximize our time and meet with our students. We teach completely in small group during both reading and math blocks (although I am not with co-teaching with them during math). Each class has been broken up into 6 groups of 4-6 students. There are two groups of six students (groups 1-2 above) who are below grade level in each class. There are three groups of four to five students (groups 4-6 above) who are on-level or above-level. We each keep our groups for two days. Then, we swap groups for the last two days. This gives students the ability to hear the same concept in two different ways.

We basically split the entire room in half when we are teaching. This helps to keep the noise level down and also keeps students from getting confused. This picture was taken from my small group area. If you look across the room, you will see the other teacher's "side". She has the lower groups and is working with a small group while the other group is working at the red pocket chart on the far side of the room. When she is ready to switch, she will simply have those two groups trade spots. My "side" of the room is to the left of this image. We have a table of computers for one group and then a reading area on the floor for the other. My students go through two centers and my small group on this side of the room.

Minilessons

Almost every day, we give a minilesson on a new topic or an important topic that needs review. Both teachers discuss with the students and plan together for these lessons. Here I am leading a minilesson on comparing and contrasting using the book Apples and Oranges: Going Bananas with Pairs. The kids were obsessed with this book! It comes HIGHLY recommended for all grade levels!

Small Group

The main teacher is always "Small Groups 1" and "Centers 1" on our plans above. Each week she begins the week with her lowest performing students and lays a foundation. She ends with her highest students. I am considered "Small Groups 2" and "Centers 2". Each week I start with the highest performing students and end with the lowest performing students. Two small groups are running at the same time. However, we are at opposite sides of the room, so it is not too distracting. :)

During my first two small groups of the week (on- and above-level students), we are reading the novel, Stuart Little. Here are some of our supplies. You can grab them here. My readers are working SO hard on accountable talk and discussion. Some groups are getting really comfortable with it! One little boy even said, "Hey, you can't talk so much! You're suppose to be invisible!"

By the time the kids come and go, our table is a {big ole} mess! 

 Our on-level students still struggle with writing complete sentences and explaining their thoughts. We do LOTS of writing to try to fix this. Here is a prediction that one of my students made before reading chapter 3. It is not a perfect sentence, but she was working oh so hard!

Right now we are only 33 days away from our BIG state assessment that determines promotion of third graders, so our below level groups have been practicing comprehension strategies every.single.day. Yes, we know they need to do practice passages, but they also need to have fun! I introduced these sentence strips from The Teacher Talk as a way to extend our thinking after reading a test prep passage. These are the students who normally struuuuggggle with writing. However, these fun flippy prompts helped them to write quite a bit! I was one proud teacher!

When our below level groups are not doing test prep, test prep, test prep, we have lots of fun! We make inferences and find evidence in the passages. We read stories and determine character traits. We practice past skills with task card games in small group. Basically, the three of us remediate again and again until our little ones catch on!

Centers

My side of the room has two centers: Computer & Text Evidence

The main teacher's side of the room has two centers: Skill Practice & Vocabulary/Reading

Our lowest two groups stay in small group for 30 minutes each and only go to one center per day.

Our higher three groups have 20 minutes of small group and go to two centers day day.

• Computer - We have a program called iReady that is used throughout the school. All students take individualized reading and math lessons on the program during this center.
• Vocabulary/Reading - My novel study groups read their novel, make annotations, and respond to their flippy prompts (blue flaps seen above). When we are not reading a novel, students complete vocabulary activities at this center. Our lower groups do not go to this center because vocabulary is taught explicitly to them in small group
• Skill Practice - This center changes depending on our skill. It is differentiated for the two sets of groups. Sometimes, there are even two separate activities for certain students. This center usually includes writing. Sometimes it has task cards. Overall, it is based on the standard that we are teaching that week.
• Text Evidence - This center is completed only by on and above level students. They are given books or passages and questions. We make sure that they are focusing on finding text evidence and responding in complete sentences with evidence based sentence starters. Paired text passages work very well with students in this center. 

This is a Skill Practice center focused on point of view. Students were researching an animal and then writing about the animal from the animal's point of view. 

That's a little look into our Reading Block! I hope you enjoyed it!

Wordless Wednesday - February 4 - Professional Development

Today linking up with my friend Christina from Miss DeCarbo for Wordless Wednesday! My week has been filled with meetings, sessions, and testing. It has been crazy. BUT on the positive side, I am so excited to say that my first ever Professional Development session is complete! I am so thankful for all of the teachers who provide me with my own "Virtual PD" daily. Blogs and teacher friends are a beautiful thing!

Have a great week!

Trade & Grade: Roll & Write Month Edition

Welcome to our Trade and Grade! This week I was able to use a wonderful product from my friend Cassie at Mrs. Thomas's Class. The kiddos LOVED it! Keep reading to hear all about it!

Roll & Write was a brilliant addition to my writing center this week. It gave students the ability to practice writing narratives, but also kept their attention because it was hands-on and involved many different crazy topics. In the picture above you can see my writing center table. It includes the activity (Roll & Write), a red box full of writing paper, a pencil box full of sharpened pencils, Expo markers and dice for the activity, and center directions. 

We are required to have standards based centers with directions and a learning goal or scale at every center during our reading and math blocks. Each time I plan a center, I simply type up a direction sheet, print it, and put it in a sheet protector or plastic frame. Students refer to it throughout the activity if they need help. During this Roll and Write center, the learning goal said: "I will be able to write a narrative story that includes characters, setting, a problem, and a solution."

I absolutely love this simple low prep center! When you are getting started, you will need the things seen above: paper (or a journal), Expo markers, dice, and printed sheets in sheet protectors (or laminated). Give students some dice, and they will do whatever work you have planned for them!

You could definitely print one page per child and have students color the boxes in with crayons, however, I know we are all teachers who are conscientious of the number of copies we make {or are allowed to make!}. Using sheet protectors and Expo markers helps to keep the copies down! I do not have a color copier at school, so I printed these on some winter-y colored paper to make them bright and inviting. They turned out beautifully in black and white!

Once students get to the center, the directions are quite simple. Just roll the die (We call them number cubes...more on that later...) to choose a character from the first column, then move to the second and do the same, and then move to the third. Once students have rolled three times, they will have the characters, setting, and problem of their narrative. The goal of the activity is for students to determine a solution to the problem and to include that in their writing. I explained this to my students before they began their narratives, so I am interested to grade them this week and see who was able to create their own solutions!

And....finally....They write! This student happened to roll all 6's and was SUPER excited to begin. I had my students write their stories on some simple lined paper, but you can also have them write in their journals or on lined loose leaf paper. It's a flexible center, so that's up to you!

I teach third graders who are on and below grade level. However, they really struggle with writing. Although not every story made sense in its entirety, I was SO beyond proud of their effort and excitement! I truly believe they were excited because of this creative activity. I don't think my students have ever been THIS excited to write! {Happy Teacher Moment}

Overall, here are my favorite aspects of this brilliant and kid friendly writing product:

Low Prep! - Just print it and stick it in a page protector. Seriously. So simple, people! I love when I can give my students fun activities that are easy to reproduce.

Printer Friendly - Each page uses only a small bit of colored ink. Therefore, they look great printed in black and white. Colored paper will make the monthly sheets pop!

Monthly Options - Each month has different options for characters, setting, and problem in the columns. Students will get experience writing about MANY topics. That means, my writing center is already planned for one week each month. My students can work on the monthly prompts that week and still get exposure to other writing activities during the rest of the month. I can also see this activity being great for homework also because it is easy to send home each month.

Engaging for Students - Like I said before, dice are magic. We are actually supposed to call them "Number Cubes" in my district because dice apparently refers to gambling. But people still go back to saying "Dice". Silly if you ask me! Anyway, kids love them, so why not use them to make writing more fun!?!

Automatic Differentiation - Each student is going to write differently. As long as they use their characters, setting, problem, and solution, they are completing the assignment. Therefore, my struggling writers will have exposure to including all four things in a short story, while the students who are excelling can write longer narratives with more details and structure. 

If you are thinking about trying this activity in your own classroom, I highly recommend it! My students were engaged the entire time and giggling about their crazy combinations! Roll & Write is the perfect addition to any writing center because it allows for choices, adds manipulatives to make writing more hands-on, and can truly change up your writing routine.

We cannot wait to finish our stories next week! As a teacher, I am interested to see how my students' writing improves as we continue to use these monthly Roll & Write activities over the next few months. I truly believe it will help the kids to become comfortable with writing narratives and including all of the necessary components in their writing.

If you are interested in grabbing this set for yourself, check it out here!

An InLinkz Link-up

What A Pair! {Using Paired Texts to Compare and Contrast}

I have be crazy busy with my new job back in the classroom {more to come on that soon}, but I wanted to share this fun set with you today! Last week, our skill was to compare and contrast two texts. In third grade, students are asked to compare and contrast the major points in two texts about the same topic. My two coworkers and I were searching for products to use, but we weren't finding anything that worked for us...

Fast forward to the weekend. I decided to create a passage to go along with the book Officer Buckle and Gloria. We wanted the students to be engaged in the topic {dogs}, so we used a fun fiction book that they would giggle at. :) In the past, I have read Officer Buckle and Gloria to kindergarteners and first graders, so I was slightly worried. I didn't know for sure if my third graders would think it was funny. OH was I wrong! They were laughing and asking to see the flipping dog picture again and again.

Reading two texts can be time consuming, but "Just Do It!".
With my on level groups, I read Officer Buckle and Gloria aloud and then students read the paired passage silently. With my below level groups, I read the book aloud, but the students read some of the passage and I read some of the passage. With my lower below level groups (many are already in RtI or receiving services), I read both texts aloud. In one of my classes, I read the book aloud whole group which saved a bit of time. Yes, it takes a long time, but there's no other way to expose them to two texts before discussing and responding.

Discussing the texts
After reading, we started discussing each text separately. I asked students to retell aloud using major details, and we talked a little bit about each character. I prepped students for the questions to come by showing them similarities and differences in the structure of the text: fiction/nonfiction, text features, real pictures/illustrations, paragraphs, etc. We also looked at similarities and differences between the characters/subject in both texts.

My school is big on accountable talk right now, so we made sure to answer questions in complete sentences with sentence starters. My friend Katie from Simply Creative in KY, has a great pack that helps remind us to use accountable talk. You can check it out here.

Responding to the Text
In order to hit two standards at once, I added response questions AND compare/contrast questions to the passage. My on level groups only did the compare and contrast questions with me, because they are able to answer text-dependent questions on their own. My below level groups were guided through everything. {A picture of both handouts is shown below.}

We compared and contrasted the text structure and the topic (dogs, worms, trees, apple pies, bumblebees) in each set of paired texts. Students then explained which book they enjoyed reading most and why.

It wasn't the easiest skill for my struggling readers, however, it did make them think. And think HARD! They were prepared for their practice assessment on Friday, and did very well. {Celebrate Small Moments!!!} Pretty soon, the service dog passage was turned into a whole pack!

Click here to grab yours or see a larger preview!

Here are the five passages included. 

These are the five books that I used to pair with the nonfiction passages. But, any fiction book on the same topic as the passage will work just fine! :) They are not included in this pack, so check out your local library or head over to Amazon. {Amazon Prime is my weakness!}

At the top of each passage in the pack, you will see a Paired Text Suggestion and a line for students to write the name of the paired book (see picture above). This helps students to see that they are focusing on TWO texts not just one.

There are also two response pages included with full answer keys. Some answers may be different if you choose a different children's book than the suggested one. Any fiction book on the same topic will do!

I hope you enjoyed this mini preview! If you are like me and focused on standards, standards, standards, then I hope this little pack helps to narrow down your planning for LAFS.RI.3.9 or CCSS.RI.3.9! Click here to see a larger preview!

Have a great week!