Close ReadingErin Settle

Photo courtesy of Jose Camoes Silva

What is Close Reading? Close, analytic reading

Engaging directly with a complex text

Examining meaning thoroughly through reading and rereading

Understanding the central ideas and key supporting details

Arriving at an understanding of text as a whole

(PARCC, 2011)

Practices of Close Reading First Practice: Select

short, worthy passages

Second Practice: Student rereading

Third Practice: Limited Frontloading

Fourth Practice: Text-Dependent Questions

Fisher & Frey, (2013)Photo courtesy of FutUndBeidl

First Practice: Short, Worthy Passages

Three to nine paragraphs in length

Deeply understood by the teacher

Do not need to be stand-alone texts

Fisher & Frey, (2013)

Photo courtesy of Denise Krebs

Second Practice: Student Rereading

With a clear purpose

Independently, with peers and/or with teacher think alouds

Decreases the need for frontloading

Improves fluency and comprehension

Fisher & Frey, (2013)Photo courtesy of Paul Bailey

Third Practice: Limited Frontloading

Limited pre-teaching or frontloading

Inquiry through rereading results in the discovery of the author’s meaning

Too much limits students’ opportunities for inquiry

Fisher & Frey, (2013)Photo courtesy of Arotem

Fourth Practice: Text-Dependent Questions

Question types that are asked affect how readers react

Helps build foundational knowledge

Equips students to formulate meaningful connections and opinions

Scaffolds understanding from explicit to implicit

Requires preparation by the teacher for thorough text analysis

Fisher & Frey, (2013)

Text Dependent Questions Can only be answered

with evidence from text

Focus on word, sentence and paragraph

Focus on difficult portions of text

Must involve analysis, synthesis, and evaluation

Focus on themes or events

Fisher & Frey, (2013)

Photo courtesy of Tim O’Brien

Resources Frey, N., Fisher, D. (2013) Rigorous reading: 5 access points for comprehending

complex texts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. (2011). PARCC model content frameworks: English language arts/literacy grades 3–11. Retrieved from www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/PARCCMCFELALiteracyAugust2012_FINAL.pdf

(Photo by Denise Krebs) https://www.flickr.com/photos/56041749@N02/7876968098/in/photolist-d14wbN-7uhw9m-a7oQeu-2mGN7-dwMskF-7M18bX-9DhTnF-bLTMm8-aey6ow-5ZAtDY-85X9tx-aevhLX-orRSd-bcNabM-71UyfU-nHBMfu-EuT2-auzDGc-auzDGP-56z3oU-9u4j5T-8tnGwN-aiqbkt-eW1Qoq-7SeUw7-9rEKGr-9FKegf-aXEbSg-f2hb9x-76XUCA-bkS542-5RURDn-7GD9sN-djaFbz-e1HpQq-bJHFyi-6rNyo3-5ZAt8U-d2nHdU-7uqwD-a1pxmM-nCMviE-cRoJL3-aXEBQZ-aXEBeV-aXEAFP-aXEAfn-aXEznK-aXEyXB-aXEymZ-aXExTB

(Photo by Arotem) https://www.flickr.com/photos/27698646@N04/4806204752/in/photolist-8jH4eb-adwcMk-6ozJcT-5JNnEK-d3CdXm-hZyg6F-aSeEyH-xdF9b-ecXWbk-iDoy2h-pcgzp-eNamDx-kVKFpt-dEpG5A-5zo8kf-adgypB-dRpekF-dXDrCi-71UN8-aSewJa-6Uccv-fTfabp-iJ4kBq-bQGRtF-hLFDSN-dtVQXr-h1yMac-5MQro1-kh6fcT-6KgK16-3QLLZG-bQGRCK-2AjNpa-cGThCs-5rdWwY-ds1ib5-8q9dcZ-bMCTFF-81KR9D-7NXXqY-9Gkxm-cHP4pd-7GY4bm-ey5CVs-dWBfA6-9wQPmi-m73hZe-dYJWCE-6arVgu-76XUCA-ge8DVc

(Photo by Tim O’Brien) https://www.flickr.com/photos/42788859@N00/318947873/in/photolist-ubG6g-4Lo8JA-7AWfhY-2apZzF-jaLu9o-dRbrL7-8gmor5-5zEjFG-8juU4-iqUAkz-6ofs53-6WeVqv-gDQZRE-29aPRH-7Ww83p-6Y6rU3-hbjoQw-7UvEii-fPQzJz-8qUpxV-feCM3d-ey77Mi-8KbYzc-iVLZt-f7XbWk-4Vq9ZL-9rM31F-4SBHqN-5yDxB8-avSn5v-4VHDKq-61VtEa-cKnLom-e5BieK-5gswr1-51N2ws-b8UDf8-6HUVcA-HUa9e-9dXKU2-eRoVcV-g7twVH-6okjAW-axgj9B-b6WaSP-45DDG6-bpZtvb-uUA4G-5YhgUK-9oGwvq-7rPFiR

(Photo by FutUndBeidle) https://www.flickr.com/photos/61423903@N06/7357608430/in/photolist-cdaEDL-8mxGWu-7VGyhX-7HEE1E-5wFNhT-ddHQrQ-7UGkUb-kCR7a4-4VXYQ9-eaf7uz-8Zx9cL-cjjU4b-NqDEM-7HEE17-3EAQAc-hxUSMQ-7HAJ8X-vEoko-aAyJXX-bxiJES-61csUj-a5jELP-aABoL3-da3mvf-8SsmQT-aAyGep-3ekxZp-aAyGT4-9C55VB-aAyGMM-aABqx5-aAyJoT-aABtdY-aAyKdF-aABoSj-aABsZy-f2hKA8-4vPBHE-89fYsR-828keB-efXttD-618g3V-cbPDVq-8ZCM4a-bUx8Q2-9oVn34-7NMbhn-aVKLgg-7UbwgY-9LgHjr-fJCnN4

(Photo by Jose Camoes Silva) https://www.flickr.com/photos/61676142@N00/5512396037/in/photolist-9p7thZ-71aMtm-dRbzAx-dSufxm-4cktep-NRYVT-4BqZpy-avchTU-fkVM45-gxTrsS-gxSUJq-gxTsgK-94UwWJ-51jY7M-dAAvzh-85GvUt-4gzPma-98MLwM-4Leu6Z-42swF-fRxdF-8RbUdg-84zXTC-6qHiQD-6qHgPp-baFq2t-7FSd4H-5Aju9m-5JXLNs-cDxiMo-6qHhuT-6qHiaK-4M859h-4M84jC-An8Qh-6aKo5r-6XmyG5-eSibQ-8LGekE-a8cHYK-4gHE9n-aWkZdK-4VpHVf-gxSV4J-d3sGU-dNrK34-7QCa8o-gxTYzD-66ihKr-cAcgpb-7q9wMj

(Photo by Paul Bailey) https://www.flickr.com/photos/36877586@N02/5343717391/in/photolist-99cX1t-Yoovp-zzdCt-4DH9q5-7Ae2Ph-67g6JM-9Ltwwm-5hPFgg-6v6cag-9oGZZK-6sGS5W-8H9PZ8-5NZzVJ-aEBMN-4vjWBm-comqio-8LSH68-mBGj-4QAf8v-ntNE-7qTL28-4vHGbY-8AJ5aQ-5e7yGa-dphot9-7HRoG5-ahytco-5769a-9hB41z-dJw9ZQ-bqrryV-8RhXXY-4DmPF-ca5ZF-d2JGjo-icb8VU-jYnSw-7xroBA-NMC4A-2HyGUv-eBXiZp-9qQvsx-jzvm8Z-5rWWJt-8UUE5D-M5BU-mhVp2-4WH8Aq-5xEH4-bsu6Xt-8EfS5Q