Are you in need of some low-prep activities to get your students through the holiday season? Check out my newest close reading passages! They are perfect for small group, guided reading, weekly homework, and thematic units. All you have to do is simply download and print! If you are not familiar with close reading you can read more about it in my Close Reading Mini Series. I’m excited to be a part of The Primary Gal‘s Unwrap a Gift Linky Party. There are so many engaging gifts for you from some of my favorite teachers. Keep reading for a closer look and be sure to unwrap your gift at the end of this post! I have two sets of holiday close reads: European traditions (7 passages) & Asian traditions (6 passages). Each passage is written at an appropriate text complexity level for 2-3rd grade according to the Common Core State Standards. However, it totally depends on your students. I often used similar close reads with my high first graders, and I have a friend who uses them with her struggling fourth graders. There are two different versions of most handouts within each set. Instant differentiation! Close reading is all about Continue Reading
Annotation is sometimes known as “Reading with a pencil”. In simple terms, that’s all it is. Students use a pencil while they read to note specific things. Annotation is extremely important when analyzing a text. Types of Annotation -Underlining -Circling -Noting unknown words -Noting challenging sections -Writing margin notes -Writing on bookmarks -Writing on sticky notes In high schools and colleges, students always annotate in text when participating in close reading. Elementary students have very little experience with this. )Most elementary teachers may have very little experience teaching it!) So, how do you annotate in an elementary classroom? Can you guess? MODIFY! Ways to Modify Annotation -Use wiki sticks to underline -Use colored pencils or highlighters to show unknown words -Number paragraphs or draw lines to separate paragraphs -Use only a limited number of annotations Why Start So Young? 1. It is so important to teach students to do this at a young age. Start in primary! Use some of the modifications above to help you explain “reading with a pencil” to the little ones. As you model a few types, students will begin to use them in the close reading process. I recommend choosing just a few to focus Continue Reading
Repeated reading is a BIG part of the close reading process. Each time students interact with the text, they come to a deeper understanding of it. Each time, they have more background knowledge than before. Each time, their conversations deepen. Struggling Readers or English Language Learners Struggling readers and English Language Learners (ELLs) may need extra time when reading. Each has his/her various challenges. However, close reading is great for struggling readers and/or ELLs because of this repeated reading. It gives kids time and many different opportunities to process information and make connections. Who is reading? The text is being read over and over. But who should read the text each time? Many times, the reader changes. It is usually suggested that the students tackle the text independently through silent reading the very first time. However, as mentioned before, modifications must be made for younger students. This may mean that a teacher reads aloud as shared reading for the very first time. Types of Repeated Reading -Individual -Groups -Teacher -Partner Remember that the type and number of repeated readings depends on the specific passage and students in the classroom. You do not need to use all of those listed above. Choose what Continue Reading
Brief, high-quality, & complex text Reading lessons should match this description if you are implementing close reading. In my research, it was recommended that passages should be anywhere from 3 paragraphs to 2 pages. Why shorter passages? -Teachers can teach specific skills. -Teachers can focus on specific ideas in the text. -Students can practice really digging into the text. -Students of ALL reading levels can closely read demanding texts. -Young students have time to gradually build up to independent reading because they are not overwhelmed. Time Consuming! Close reading can take a very long time. So…teachers should choose smaller passages in order to be able to get through everything. When students are reading on their own, they can enjoy longer passages. For close reading, keep it short! Modifications As we discussed, modifications must be made when using close reading in the elementary grades. Common Core calls for ALL students, regardless of reading level, to interact with complex texts. But how can kindergarteners and young firsties do this, you ask??? Answer: Modify! Students in primary grades have a higher ability to comprehend while listening. So, it may be important for teachers to expose students by reading aloud to them and promoting Continue Reading
This is perhaps the biggest debate in close reading. Period. Here’s why in simple terms: Teachers have sometimes given students SO much background knowledge, that they were able to answer questions about the text before even reading it! (I mean, really, that sounds just plain crazy!) What is the point in reading if they kids already know the answers? Boring to kids. Waste of time for teachers. …in walks Common Core… I have heard so many times that Common Core says a big fat “NO!” to background knowledge. This is not true by any means. But I do know where the idea stems from. Educators were afraid that TOO much background knowledge was given before reading. So they started encouraging teachers to pull back. However, background knowledge has been proven to have an impact on student comprehension. Many researchers believe that you do not have to instruct kids on the topic before reading because it can be very easily done during reading. I agree with this. I would rather jump into reading and tackle questions as they come rather than spoon-feeding the kids before they have a chance to think! It is important to: -Set a purpose for reading -Give definitions of unknown Continue Reading
Close reading is the big hype these days with Common Core and the push to expose ALL students to complex texts. One of my final Master’s research papers was focused on close reading, so I decided to share some of the big ideas with you. Hopefully, this will answer some common questions that are floating through teacher minds! These 5 topics are essential to close reading. 1. What is close reading? 2. Background Knowledge 3. Complex Texts & Text Dependent Questions 4. Repeated Readings 5. Annotation Articles and research are included throughout these posts. A citation page is included here in case you are interested in learning more. What’s close reading all about? Close reading: “an instructional routine in which students critically examine a text, especially through repeated readings” (Fisher & Frey, 2012a). Close reading was used in high school and college in the past, BUT the implementation of Common Core has pushed teachers to use close reading in elementary school. So, there must be some modifications made in elementary schools. The teacher must build students toward independent reading. As teachers help students dig through reading passages, they are helping students to build habits of great readers. I think this quote explains it perfectly: “The teacher’s goal Continue Reading