This document describes a close reading activity where students analyze a passage from H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds. The instructor introduces the activity and its learning goals of identifying main ideas, making inferences, and analyzing word choice and structure. Students are instructed to do an initial read of two paragraphs to get the gist and underline key ideas. The activity is meant to get students to engage closely with text according to Common Core standards.

1. Close Reading Experience 1
Close Reading Experience 1
Program Transcript
NATALIE MALM: Are you familiar with HG Wells' novel War
of the Worlds?
MALE STUDENT 1: Yes, I am.

2. NATALIE MALM: What do you remember of it?
FEMALE STUDENT: Sci-fi.
MALE STUDENT 1: It's sci-fi. I remember that it caused a
panic. It was read on
the radio. I think, it was a Halloween special.
NATALIE MALM: That's right. That's right.
MALE STUDENT 2: There was an alien invasion. At least, that
was the context of
it.
NATALIE MALM: Right. Well, today we're going to talk a
little bit more about that.
We're going to take a passage from the original novel and do a
close-reading
activity. The Common Core State Standards stress the
importance of students
reading closer, to gain deeper appreciation and understanding
for what they
read. The learning goals for this activity will be informed by the
Common Core
State Standards.
One of those standards is "read closely to determine what the
text says explicitly
and to make logical inferences from it. Site specific textual
evidence when writing
or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text"
Our learning objectives today are "identify main idea and key
concepts of the text
to make logical inferences. Evaluate the development of central
ideas. Analyze

3. the author's word choice to determine how word choice shapes
meaning and
tone. Analyze structure of text, including sentences paragraphs,
larger portions,
and how they relate to each other."
For your first reading, you'll read to get the gist of the text. You
should be able to
use your background knowledge with the text as you read. Read
for flow, to get
the key ideas and details.
The section you're about to read is near the end of the book.
Martians have
invaded Earth, destroying everything in their path. The narrator
has traveled to
several cities, moving his wife from harm's way, going back to
watch the army try
and fail to stop the Martians, and eventually hiding in an
abandoned house in
London. In this chapter, he comes out of the house and finds out
the Martians
are dead.
©2014 Laureate Education, Inc. 1

4. Close Reading Experience 1
As you do this first read, please use a colored pen to underline
the key ideas and
details. Read paragraphs 22 and 23 of Chapter Eight, "Dead
London," silently to
yourself. As you read, consider the following questions. What
are the key ideas in
the passage? And what examples support the main ideas? Please
begin reading.
Close Reading Experience 1
Additional Content Attribution
Music:
Creative Support Services
Los Angeles, CA
Dimension Sound Effects Library
Newnan, GA
Narrator Tracks Music Library
Stevens Point, WI
Signature Music, Inc
Chesterton, IN

5. Studio Cutz Music Library
Carrollton, TX
©2014 Laureate Education, Inc. 2
Parkinson’s Disease
There are many new treatment options and breakthroughs for
treating Parkinson’s disease.
Find an article on the Internet that describes one, and
summarize the findings.
Do not quote directly from the article. Your response must be in
your own words, and you must include the URL in your
response.
Objective: Describe the peripheral, central, and autonomic
nervous systems.
Assignment: Preparing Text-Dependent Questions
Help you to prepare:
· You, as a literacy teacher, play a critical role in bringing
learners and texts together in meaningful ways. How you engage
students with text by asking questions and facilitating literacy
discussions contributes to the effectiveness of your literacy
instruction and the motivational level of your students.
· Review the media: A Close Reading Activity” (Laureate
Education, 2014b) about the text-dependent questions.
· Select an informational text or a new text of your choosing for
grades 4-6.
Assignment Instruction Below:
Write 300 words: Using APA style and references.
1. A description of the text from grades 4-6 that you will use for
this week’s assignment.

6. 2. Explain why you selected this text, and provide your learning
goals along with one or more CCSS or other standards this
Close Reading Activity will support.
3. Include a set of text-dependent questions, and explain why
you think these are appropriate questions to ask based on the
goals of the reading.
References for this assignment:
Ness, M. (2013). Moving students’ questions out of the parking
lot. The Reading Teacher. 67(5), 369-373
Dalton, B. (2013). Engaging children in close reading:
Multimodal commentaries and illustration remix. The Reading
Teacher, 66(8), 642–649.
Retrieved from Walden Library databases.
to close reading.
Burke, B. (n.d.). A close look at close reading: Scaffolding
students with complex texts. Retrieved May 15, 2016,
from http://nieonline.com/tbtimes/downloads/CCSS_reading.pdf
Use the following websites to review text-dependent question
information:
International Literacy Association (ILA) and National Council
of Teachers of English (NCTE). (2014b). ReadWriteThink:
Depend on text! How to create text-dependent questions.
Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-
development/strategy-guides/depend-text-create-text-
31024.html?tab=2#strategy-practice
Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2012c). English
language arts standards: Standard 10: Range, quality, &
complexity: Measuring text complexity: Three factors.

7. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-
Literacy/standard-10-range-quality-complexity/measuring-text-
complexity-three-factors
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2014b). Close reading
experience 2 [Multimedia file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.