January 20th, 2015

Close Reading

Peters Township High School

CLOSE Reading WorkshopNovember, 2014

▪ Implementing Common Core Standards▪ College and Career Readiness▪ International / Global Work Readiness▪ etc.

Website: http://www.c2ready.org/

Essential Questions for Today

• What is close reading?

• Why is close reading important?

• What strategies are used with close reading?

• What are my resources?

How will we prepare students to…

“Read like a detective and write like a conscientious investigative reporter.”

– Dr. David Coleman

“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…

Focus Areas for Close Reading

• Text Complexity• Vocabulary• Informational Text• Text Dependent Questioning

Attributes of Close Reading Lessons

1. Selection of brief, high quality complex text2. Individual reading of the text (when possible)3. Group reading aloud4. Text-based questions and discussions that focus on discrete elements of the text5. Discussion among students6. Writing about the text

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).

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

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.

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

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”

First…

• Number each paragraph.• Read the article silently.

• 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…

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.

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.

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 details8. 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

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.

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 markers4. 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.

AP Statistics Exam 2014Free 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?

(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 ...

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.

Alternatives to Traditional Annotations

❏ KWL charts

❏ Double Entry Journals

❏ Bookmark notes

❏ Venn diagrams

Lexile LevelsWhat 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

Typical Lexile Measures by Grade:

www.lexile.com

What resources are available?

All resources, links, and tutorials are included in the PTHS Best Practices Class on Blackboard