Example of a Close Reading Lesson Plan

3 Tips For Education Shut Reading

by Dan Henderson, Author of That's Special: A Survival Guide To Teaching

Here are some all-time practices for shut reading. Below I've included three strategies to support your close reading lesson, and below these tips, I take shared a story almost a close reading lesson in which a student had an interesting interpretation.

iii Tips For Getting Started In Shut Reading

1. Emphasize to your students to read the passage multiple times

Equally simple equally this sounds, information technology tin can exist difficult to have a student read the text 2, three, or more than times. At first, students tin view this intense investigation into the text as punishment. Have the students read the passage silently during the get-go read, the second fourth dimension accept students read the text aloud pausing after each paragraph to paraphrase the paragraph with unproblematic notes, and the third time take the student pause down and ascertain key vocabulary so they can inference the writer's betoken of view. Brand certain the passage is only 1-2 pages long at most.

ii. Promote comprehension through vocabulary

In one case you get to the vocabulary portion, have students define vocabulary they believe that are linked to the understanding of the article and highlight vocabulary they are having problems comprehending pregnant. Have a class discussion on the vocabulary meanings.

Time permitting, have students create a sentence with the vocabulary word, and if time, draw a picture depicting the vocabulary word. Later on, go dorsum to ask the students how the author uses the vocabulary words to support the author's signal of view and the students' predictions.

iii. Use Text-dependent questions and graphic organizers

I am a proponent of graphic organizers to coincide with my text-dependent questions. Close reading questions demand to direct the educatee back into the article to find the answer. What is hard is having students cite the article and non their ain opinions. By using a graphic organizer y'all are asking a student to tap into those executive functioning skills and look at the author'southward indicate of view with text-directed questions.

The close reading lesson is really a guidebook to text comprehension. Close reading can also await at syntax, tone, and a myriad of other topics. If you are overwhelmed and need a basic guide to kickoff a shut reading lesson, follow these three shut reading steps to get started.

(For a more in-depth look at close reading, check out this commodity close reading  by Grant Wiggins.)

A Story About Close Reading From My Classroom

(This is a long read.)

Close reading seems to be equally popular as the Starbucks drive-through or the hot doughnut sign in the Krispy Creme window. When I returned from summer break, a beau colleague was concerned that I had no plans to teach close reading lessons. I barely had heard the term. How close do the children'southward eyes need to be to the book to focus, would a cyclopes take an advantage, and would eye exams be required with the same level of debate as school vaccinations? What is shut reading I pondered?

Primarily, I had taught intervention groups or special education students. Close reading was in my opinion, the full general instruction instructor's task. My principal enthusiastically announced that all staff would go to a shut reading PD during the beginning of the schoolhouse yr. On a whim of our supreme leaders initiative and no regard for what was successful last twelvemonth, nosotros collectively drank the close reading Kool-Aid and hoped for the all-time. I attended the preparation and found re-reading the text plus text-dependent questions is a major component. My trainer described close reading as a literal definition of the text. My student Jill would accept a literal definition of a text on slavery a bit to fervently.

Jill was an energetic girl of 10. Opinionated and extroverted as well equally lacking some social cues, Jill had landed in detention multiple times this year with a tendency to groovy her opinions to the point of defiance. If you accept taken the Myer's Bridge test on personality types, y'all are enlightened that there are multiple personality types. If Jill took this exam, she would near probable accept scored a "J" for judgment. I was tasked with teaching shut reading during my RTI (Response to Intervention) groups. Jill was an RTI pupil along with existence one of my special teaching students. Jill already started off the close reading lesson on slavery with a series of questions and was not willing to respond my questions.

We begin reading the passage the get-go time. The passage was about the invention of the cotton fiber gin and how it really increased the need for slaves in America. The theme was that the cotton gin and several other inventions that were originally intended to decrease the need for slaves led to more slavery. One key in close reading is the vocabulary and the phrase westward expansion was used at the end of the commodity. These vocabulary terms endeavor to point out the theme of the story, but instead, Jill'southward response was just her ain reasoning.

Halfway through the article, I see Jill's energetic mitt get up in the air. "Why didn't the slaves just run away? Why was the but matter slaves exercise was pick cotton?" I had barely had a chance to begin the lesson and Jill was already casting her assay. The other five children silently waited for the teacher to come with an answer.

I cleared my pharynx and signaled Jill to listen by asking, "Jill we need to find the author's purpose, what the author had to say, and what the story is trying to tell u.s. using the structure and vocabulary of the story. We need to read the story all over once again to discover what the writer'southward point of view is." I accept a deep sign hoping that I take explained close reading adequately to my group.

Instead my response from Jill was "Nosotros have to re-read the story twice! Come on Mr. Henderson, really."

"Aye, why do nosotros take to re-read information technology once again." Another student begrudgingly echoed.

I guess from the student's perspective they assumed they were being punished or I had implied they were not intelligent enough to detect the answers the first fourth dimension. Patiently, I tried to explain close reading mechanics 101.

"Nosotros will ever read a shut reading article at least twice. Find these are short articles. I am not saying you lot did non assemble bully information the first time yous read the commodity. However, the purpose of reading the article at least twice is for you lot to notice the answers for my text dependent questions. I will put it this style, for the first lesson if you can't quote your answer from the article, then I don't desire your answer. I want the author'due south indicate of view, non yours Jill. I demand to know you comprehend other people'south point of views and the question I am asking." I run into the students slouch in their chairs realizing they merely heard the words, read the article twice.

I farther explained the lesson adjusting my posture and gaining eye contact from my students. "I have a graphic organizer for yous to use to define the vocabulary. I want you to write down either the vocabulary you don't know or vocabulary that supports the text dependent questions I am request."

I placed a graphic organizer in front of five students. The pupils brainstorm grinding atomic number 82 into the bleached white paper writing their names. The graphic organizer I supplied had spaces to bespeak the paragraph and line numbers to support their paraphrased piece of work. Then to the right another department where students tin write the vocabulary definitions. After I explained paraphrasing to the students for two minutes, I redirected slouching students to start their work.  I rushed this explanation considering I saw their attention was gone. However, Jill sat upright with her pencil ready to write the writer's signal of view…I hoped.

We began reading the article a second fourth dimension. The article was most the cotton gin and w expansion. The question was did the cotton gin increase or decrease slavery in the U.s.a.? The students were armed with highlighters and the graphic organizer. Jill took a deep breath and diligently re-reads while likewise paraphrasing in the graphic organizer. My students begin to realize the advancements in cotton gin applied science pb to more than slaves who needed to option cotton.

More than cotton could exist manufactured with the new technology of the cotton fiber gin. Thus, this led to an actually increase in slavery since more cotton wool could be produced at a quicker step. Cue light bulbs, choir of heavenly angels singing with this new enlightenment. Neurons have expanded in my pupils minds, and the teacher is happy. I did not get a chance to view Jill's work so I asked if she needed help and she replied "no."

"Pencil's down," I announced equally we prepared to discuss the paraphrased student piece of work.

"Great, Who can tell me the central message the author is trying to relay in each paragraph? Let'due south existence in paragraph one."

Jill enthusiastically raised her paw. I point to Jill.

"White people are mean." She says with confidence.

"What. What are you talking near?" I asked intently.

"White people kept on making more inventions that they said would crave less slaves, just they really needed more slaves. They were greedy. Then there was this westward expansion thing. They were to lazy to get on their family trip alone, so they brought the slaves with them to do the work and why didn't they leave them in Africa? Why did they take to make so much cotton?" I raised my mitt to politely silence Jill.  Although some of her opinions were justified she was not sticking to the assignment.

"Jill, Jill I am not going to say you are entirely wrong in you interpretation. However, I am going to say nosotros demand to look at the author's bespeak of view. Once again we are talking about the question, did the cotton gin increment or decrease slavery in the The states, that is it.Period. Perchance I should rephrase the question. How did the cotton gin and like advancements in engineering increment slavery? Quote your answer from the text."

Jill ponders my question, reads the text and writes down a revised argument on her graphic organizer.

"Got it." She says with confidence. "White people are hateful considering they used technology to make more cotton wool stuff and needed more slaves."

Shaking my head and thankful for the upcoming staff happy hour I do my best to patiently reply.

"Remember I said you had to quote vocabulary or portions of the text. Where did y'all observe the exact words white people are mean." I persist.

"Ok I didn't find it, just the white people were mean right? Isn't slavery wrong?" Jill asks.

"Slavery is wrong; it's just you are not answering the question I am asking. You are focused on your opinion on slavery." Jill looks at me blankly, and I realize I demand to go back and explain author's point of view. And then I realized I should practise some other close reading on making political correct statements in elementary school.

When didactics Jill, I left out a thorough definition of the writer'south point of view and examples of text dependent questions. I should of modeled some examples before letting my pupil undertake the assignment. I often tell stories of how my lessons become incorrect in an effort for teachers to not make similar mistakes.

If you enjoyed these pedagogy mishaps and want to read similar stories visit my blog athttp://danhendersonthatsspecial.blogspot.com. You can find out more about Dan's book at That'southward Special: A Survival Guide To Teaching or get on Dan's website on thatspecial.co

3 Tips For Teaching Close Reading; image attribution flickr user usdepartmentofeducation and prathambooks

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