Close Reading

Close reading became a "buzz" word with the shift to the Common Core State Standards. Although there is great debate over this change in education, the importance of closely analyzing a text is absolute. One of the most difficult pieces of the literacy puzzle is teaching students to actually THINK when they are reading. I know, mind blowing concept, but from a teacher's point of view this seemingly obvious expectation tends to evade us. Try as we might, the mind of a child is something we can influence, but cannot control.

To address this, we front-load a lot of information by attacking vocabulary, taking picture walks, reviewing K-W-L charts, etc to provide the background that students will need when they tackle a new text. However, all of this still leaves the independent thinking that we need to cultivate. If we are prepping students, in every situation, with every word definition and piece of background knowledge that they may need, are we robbing them of the development of the exact skills we are desperate to achieve? This is a question that I had to ask myself several years ago when I was overhauling my approach to content area literacy (different topic for a different day!).

Close reading addresses this same topic and is really a great opportunity to get students in front of challenging material. We can help students develop the habits that they will need to successfully navigate through any text. Spending time on the creation of skills that we absolutely know will be essential to future learning is both purposeful and important. There are countless ways that people are using close reading in their classrooms, but after trying many approaches I wanted to share what has worked for me!

1. Begin close reading immediately at the beginning of the year! Students are in the process of learning new routines and expectations so adding this to the list works very well.
2. Choose (from the many options in the Pinterest world) or develop a routine that your students will follow throughout the year. You will undoubtedly make adjustments depending on the activity, but having a set routine that you generally follow really helps students to look at reading in a different way.
3. To introduce the activity, choose a passage that will challenge students, but will not be too overwhelming. Consider the length and make sure that it is manageable.
4. Begin your lesson by talking with students about the importance of reading something more than once. Ask them how often they have read something and realized that they didn't completely understand the text. Then, ask them what they did about it! This is a light bulb moment because if they are honest, most of them will say...nothing! Discuss the purpose for reading and go from there.
5. Introduce the concept of close reading- repeated reads with a new purpose to help the reader better understand the text.
6. Create an anchor chart together as you introduce each step. Do not move on to the next read until students have a clear understanding of the previous step. You may spend several weeks on a step before moving on to the next read. Too much at once just causes more confusion and negatively impacts the quality of student work.
7. The process that I like the best is below and worked perfectly for fifth grade. For younger students I have removed the fourth step and focused on main idea and context clues. These are very IMPORTANT and CHALLENGING concepts so it takes time and practice for students to  really master the routine.
   
8. A couple of quick notes- 
1. 1st read- students will be able to answer basic questions about a story and pull a few facts from a nonfiction text after they complete the first read. They realize quickly that they can't remember much beyond that and it's a great way to show them why it's important to read again.
2. 2nd read- I would suggest highlighting words that you would like students to define if you are below fourth grade. Third graders, for instance, aren't self aware and struggle with determining what they do and don't know. This makes finding words on their own very challenging and we want them focused on using context clues, not highlighting words. We need to pick our battles!
3. 3rd read- For students below fifth grade, consider placing a star on the text when you want students to stop and determine the main idea. Sometimes it is appropriate to find the main idea of each paragraph and other times certain paragraphs share the same main idea. At the fifth grade level students can begin to determine this on their own, but younger grades struggle because the skill itself is still new.
4. 4th read- Consider having students use a different color highlighter for the challenging words and important details.
9. Find a place to fit close reading into your everyday routine. I really like to start my day with a close read using Scholastic's- Morning Jumpstarts: Reading. The short passage on side B is perfect because they (not all) are short, yet challenging. Of course, we use close reading in other places, but having an opportunity to practice each day independently is very helpful.
10. Find time to provide feedback and model for students regularly as they work towards mastering this routine. Each text will provide a new set of challenges so this will be an ongoing process.

Some close reading routines ask students to do a lot at one time and I have found that the quality of their thinking then suffers. Keeping it simple regarding the steps students follow allows our conversation and practice to be very focused and meaningful. For example, when students are completing their second read they are focused on recognizing and defining unfamiliar words. This is a very difficult skill, particularly for students who struggle, however, despite the difficulty of the task it is still very focused and students know exactly what they are expected to do.

 

Other than the independent thinking and accountability that this process encourages, we are also working on specific skills that can have an incredible impact on overall understanding. I have been amazed at the changes that I have seen in my students, particularly those reading below grade level. They become more independent, more critical, and less dependent on me to guide them through a text. It is also surprising how quickly (if kept consistent) this process becomes second nature and changes the way students approach reading.

Remember, I started this with fifth graders, and needless to say they weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of reading something once; let alone multiple times, but keep moving past the initial groans, and you will be pleasantly surprised with the results! This new habit of approaching text with careful thought and attention will filter into everything you do!