Instructional Strategy

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Close Reading

Grade:

3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Type:

Read Actively

/ Summarize & Synthesize

20-30

Minutes

When:

During reading

Materials:

Preselected text, whiteboard or display, writing utensil or highlighter

Description

The Close Reading strategy involves critically examining a text through repeated reading. This strategy facilitates deep comprehension and allows students to engage in active reading skills. By rereading the text multiple times, students can analyze and interpret complex ideas, identify key details, and understand the author’s purpose. The expected outcomes include improved critical thinking, enhanced understanding of the text, and the ability to draw inferences and make connections.

Procedure

Select a text passage that encourages critical thinking and analysis.

Tell students they will participate in a close reading of the passage to deepen understanding, enhance critical thinking, and thoroughly analyze the text.

Provide necessary background information and engage the class in a discussion to activate their thinking and prior knowledge. As students share, consider writing their responses on the board.

Read a short passage from the text (one or two paragraphs) aloud to your students, modeling how to annotate the text using a think-aloud. Emphasize that information students might annotate while reading and rereading includes

Key Ideas: Highlight the main arguments or themes

Details: Note important facts or examples

Vocabulary: Circle or define challenging words

Connections: Mark links to prior knowledge or other texts

Questions: Write down points of confusion

Reactions: Note personal reflections or opinions

Author’s Purpose: Highlight clues about the author’s intent

Literary Devices: Identify metaphors, similes, imagery, etc.

Text Structure: Annotate headings, subheadings, and transitions

Invite the students to read and reread the remainder of the text independently while continuing to make annotations directly on the text.

Ask students to turn and talk with a partner or in a small group to discuss their initial understanding of the text, sharing key ideas, details, and any questions or reactions they noted.

Conclude by facilitating a whole-class discussion where students share insights from their small-group discussions. Address any remaining questions and clarify points of confusion. Summarize the main ideas and important details of the text, reinforcing the critical thinking and analysis skills practiced. Finally, encourage students to reflect on how the close reading and annotation process enhanced their understanding and comprehension of the text.

Differentiation

Text Range: To meet the needs of all learners, choose a range of texts aligned with the same topic but with varying levels of complexity. Use less complex texts to support students who need more scaffolding and progressively more complex texts to challenge advanced learners. This approach encourages all students to engage with the material at an appropriate level, promoting growth in critical thinking and analytical skills.

Variations

Introduce a creative response activity: After the partner or small-group discussion, have students choose one of the following creative responses to deepen their engagement with the text:

Writing a Personal Reflection: Students write a personal reflection or journal entry connecting the text to their own experiences, thoughts, or feelings.

Creating a Visual Representation: Students create a drawing, diagram, or other visual representation of a key idea, theme, or scene from the text.

Developing a Dramatic Interpretation: Students work in pairs or small groups to create a short skit or dramatic reading based on a part of the text.

Designing a Concept Map: Students design a concept map that illustrates the relationships between key ideas, themes, and details in the text.

Instructional Strategy

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Close Reading

Description

Procedure

Differentiation

Variations

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