Instructional Strategy

Britannica Education logo in blue square

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Close Reading

Grade:

3-5, 6-8, 9-12, UNIV

Type:

Read Actively
/ Develop Language (MLL)
20-30

Minutes

When:

During reading

Materials:

Preselected text, whiteboard or display, writing utensil or highlighter
Chat bubble with list icon in green on white background

Description

Glowing lightbulb above open book, orange circle on blue background.
© beast01— iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
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.
Curved arrows forming square in orange on white background

Procedure

1
Select a text passage that encourages critical thinking and analysis.
2
Tell students they will participate in a close reading of the passage to deepen understanding, enhance critical thinking, and thoroughly analyze the text.
3
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.
4
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
5
Invite the students to read and reread the remainder of the text independently while continuing to make annotations directly on the text.
6
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.
7
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.
Expanding arrows icon in white on purple background

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.

Multilingual Learning Support

Beginning Proficiency: For the initial close reading process, implement a structured annotation system that pairs simple visual symbols with key reading elements (main idea, supporting details, questions) alongside native language translations. This scaffolded approach allows students to engage with the critical aspects of close reading while developing their language skills, particularly as they work through multiple readings of the text. For example, students might use a star symbol paired with “main idea/idea principal” during their first read, supporting their ability to identify central concepts regardless of current English proficiency.
Intermediate Proficiency: During the annotation and rereading process, provide targeted academic sentence frames that bridge informal and academic language, helping students express their analytical thinking about the text. These frames should support students in discussing key ideas, making connections, and asking questions during partner and group discussions, allowing them to focus on developing their critical analysis skills while continuing to build academic language proficiency. For instance, frames might progress from “This text is about…” to “The author’s main argument suggests…”.
Advanced Proficiency: Support students in developing independent analysis skills by teaching them to identify and evaluate authors’ craft and text structure across languages, encouraging them to leverage their bilingual abilities during the close reading process. This approach allows students to make sophisticated cross-linguistic connections while annotating and discussing texts, deepening their analytical skills while continuing to develop academic language in both languages. Students at this level should be able to independently apply close reading strategies while serving as peer supports for less proficient learners.
Overlapping documents icon in light blue on white background

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.
© Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.