This document provides information about a close reading workshop focusing on implementing close reading strategies. It discusses what close reading is, why it is important, and strategies used. Examples of close reading activities are described, such as annotating a text through underlining, circling, and bracketing. The document also discusses how close reading aligns with Common Core standards through skills like citing textual evidence, determining word meanings, and analyzing text-dependent questions. Resources for close reading strategies and implementing them in the classroom are provided.

1. January 20th, 2015
Close Reading
Peters Township High School

2. CLOSE Reading Workshop
November, 2014
▪ Implementing Common Core Standards
▪ College and Career Readiness
▪ International / Global Work Readiness
▪ etc.
Website: http://www.c2ready.org/

3. Essential Questions for Today
• What is close reading?
• Why is close reading important?
• What strategies are used with close
reading?
• What are my resources?

4. How will we prepare students to…
“Read like a detective and write like a
conscientious investigative reporter.”
– Dr. David Coleman

5. “Close reading of a text involves an investigation of a
short piece of text, with multiple readings done over
multiple instructional lessons. Through text-based
questions and discussion, students are guided to deeply
analyze and appreciate various aspects of the text, such as
key vocabulary and how its meaning is shaped by
context; attention to form, tone, imagery and/or
rhetorical devices; the significance of word choice and
syntax; and the discovery of different levels of meaning as
passages are read multiple times”
(Pearson & Gallagher, 1983 as cited in Brown & Kappes, 2012).
The LONG version…

6. Focus Areas for Close Reading
• Text Complexity
• Vocabulary
• Informational Text
• Text Dependent Questioning

7. Attributes of Close Reading
Lessons
1. Selection of brief, high quality complex text
2. Individual reading of the text (when possible)
3. Group reading aloud
4. Text-based questions and discussions that focus on
discrete elements of the text
5. Discussion among students
6. Writing about the text

8. Teacher’s Goal in the Use of Close Reading
“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 when they read independently”
(Pearson & Gallagher, 1983 as cited in Brown & Kappes, 2012).

9. Shifts in the Common Core
ELA/Literacy
• Increase Reading of Informational Text
• Text Complexity
• Academic Vocabulary
• Text-based Answers
• Writing from Sources
• Literacy Instruction in all Content Areas

10. Applying the Anchor Standards
● Read closely to determine what the text
says explicitly and make logical inferences.
● Cite specific textual evidence when
writing or speaking to support conclusions
drawn from the text.
● Read and comprehend complex literary
and informational texts independently and
proficiently.

11. Shifts in the Common Core
Mathematics
• Focus strongly where the Standards focus
• Coherence: think across grades and link to
major topics within grades
• Rigor: In major topics pursue …
–Conceptual Understanding
–Procedural skill and fluency
–Application

12. Let’s give it a try!
Distribute your articles please.
• Math – “Math + Museum = Fun”
• SS - “A Race to Get Water”
• English - “Vietnam: Fighting Overseas and at Home”
• Science - “New Science from Space”
• Music - “The Gift of Music”
• Art - “Lego Art”

13. First…
• Number each paragraph.
• Read the article silently.

14. • Reread and write a paraphrase of a section of
the text: Paragraphs 1 & 2. You may decide to
have students paraphrase all paragraphs in
your lesson.
• Within your group, discuss your paraphrases.
What is similar between you? What is
different? Argue for your paraphrase if
necessary.
Next…

15. Who will read paragraph 3 out loud for the
group?
This time, complete the following:
• Underline impressionable lines or words.
• Circle vocabulary that may need clarification.
• Bracket lines that you may have questions
about.
Again, you may have the students complete these
steps for the entire text.

16. Once you’ve done this, make notes in the margins
explaining your markings:
● What is impressionable about the underlined lines
or words?
● What are the definitions of the circled vocabulary,
based on context clues? Or, look them up.
● What questions do you have about the bracketed
sections?
Within your group, share your observations.

17. A CCSS Routine for Close Reading
1. Read a text – cold, without set-up.
2. Re-Read in chunks.
3. Paraphrase in writing.
4. Discuss in own language, aloud, safely.
5. Read aloud for accessibility.
6. Identify hard words. Learn word meanings working with a
partner.
7. Re-read several times, using specific prompts which require
looking for very specific details
8. Re-read for specific vocabulary.
9. Compare / Contrast vocabulary meanings in writing, and through
sharing with a partner.
10. Write an essay requiring the student to take a viewpoint and
argue the case. Common Core Institute

18. NOTE:
All of these steps can be modified, added to, etc. for
the purpose of your article and assignment.
The goal is to have the students take a closer look,
and to have them read multiple times and engage in
discussion.

19. Another Close
Reading Activity
1. Students in a small group
simultaneously annotate a
complex text after a silent
read.
2. No talking (at first)
3. Different colored markers
4. Groups engage in
discussion afterwards.
5. Teacher monitors
annotations and facilitates
discussion as needed.
6. Can rotate, having multiple
groups add annotations
7. Debrief as an entire class.

20. AP Statistics Exam 2014
Free Response #3
Schools in a certain state receive funding based on the number of
students who attend the school to determine the number of
students who attend a school, one school day is selected at
random and the number of students in attendance that day is
counted and used for funding purposes. The daily number of
absences at High School A in the state is approximately normally
distributed with mean of 120 students and standard deviation of
10.5 students.
(a) If more than 140 students are absent on the day the attendance
count is taken for funding purposes, the school will lose some of
its state funding in the subsequent year. Approximately what is
the probability that High School A will lose some state funding?

21. (b) The principals’ association in the state suggests that instead of choosing
one day at random, the state should choose 3 days at random. With the
suggested plan, High School A would lose some of its state funding in the
subsequent year if the mean number of students absent for the 3 days is greater
than 140. Would High School A be more likely, less likely, or equally likely to
lose funding using the suggested plan compared to the plan described in part
(a)? Justify your choice.
(c) A typical school week consists of the days Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, and Friday. The principal at High School A believes that the number
of absences tends to be greater on Mondays and Fridays, and there is concern
that the school will lose state funding if the attendance count occurs on a
Monday or Friday. If one school day is chosen at random from each of 3
typical school weeks, what is the probability that none of the 3 days chosen is
a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday?
Continued ...

22. Making Annotations Routine
❏ Bracket impressionable passages.
❏ Underline impressionable lines.
❏ Circle impressionable words.
❏ Write brief reflections, justifying your choices for what
you have bracketed, underlined, and circled.
❏ Define at least ____ terms. Circle words and write
definitions.
❏ Write brief reflections, making connections.

23. Alternatives to Traditional Annotations
❏ KWL charts
❏ Double Entry Journals
❏ Bookmark notes
❏ Venn diagrams

24. Lexile Levels
What are they?
● Lexile units are based on word frequency and sentence length. Word
frequency is calculated based on words in Lexile databank (almost one
billion).
● Lexiles range from 0 (beginning reading) to 2000 (highly technical
texts). *
How are they measured?
● Students receive individual lexile scores through testing.
● More useful for our purposes today is a lexile range per grade level
For more information regarding lexile levels, visit: www.lexile.com
*Lexile.com via PDESAS

25. Typical Lexile Measures by Grade:
www.lexile.com

26. What resources are available?
All resources, links, and tutorials are included in
the PTHS Best Practices Class on Blackboard