How to Teach Close Reading

Many parents are asking how they can prepare their children for Common Cores State Standards (CCSS). Within the standards there is a strong emphasis on reading comprehension skills. Close Reading is a strategy that parents can practice with their children to improve their reading comprehension skills.

Close Reading refers to detailed reading. Similar to detectives, children learn to pay close attention to clues in the text to examine the information or message shared by the author. By reading a text more than once, children are able to access increased levels of meaning.

Steps

1. Practice close reading with your child. Begin by choosing an appropriate text. The text should consist of the following features:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • A short text (1 to 3 paragraphs) or one section of a longer text
   
   
   • Preferably a non-fiction text
   
   
   • The appropriate reading level for your child so that he/she will be able to read the text independently and with proficiency
   
   
   • Follows a text structure known to your child. Understanding how texts are structured will help your child organize information and gain understanding of what is being read. Common structures include: description, cause and effect, problem and solution, and compare and contrast.
   
   
   
   


2. Determine the comprehension skill that will be practiced/taught.
   
   
   
   • As children become competent readers, they must make sense of what they are reading.
   
   
   • Comprehension skills range in complexity. The skills include: recalling, understanding, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating the information read. The skill of recalling information, listing the ingredients needed to complete a recipe, is considerably easier than the skill of evaluating - judging or defending information based on evidence.
   
   
   • The skill chosen for close reading will depend on the reading level of your child and the information being read.
   
   
   • In our example the comprehension skill to be practiced/taught is the analysis of a problem- solution structure using the following text.
     
     
     
     • Thomas and Jaydon were both second grade students at Sunshine Elementary School. Thomas thought it was a great school with great friends. So he wondered why Jaydon always looked so sad. Then he remembered what it felt like last year when he was the new kid at school. Since he didn't want Jaydon to feel that way, he asked Jaydon to sit with him and his friends at lunch. He also invited Jaydon to play basketball with them at lunch recess. As a result, Jaydon no longer felt sad. He smiled and laughed a lot and was happy to be a student at Sunshine Elementary School.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   


3. Develop a text dependent question to be asked for each reading. The choice of text dependent questions is essential. The right questions will focus your child on the specifics needed to identify the critical details and information needed to understand the text and successfully practice the expected skill.
   
   
   
   • Each question needs to align to the comprehension skill being practiced/taught.
   
   
   • Each question needs to build on the previous question to support your child in attaining the expected skill.
   
   
   • During each read, your child will be expected to make annotations –circling, underlining, highlighting, and/or note-taking to assist in his/her understanding of the text and to provide evidence from the text to answer the question.
   
   
   • For our example the following questions would be asked to guide your child in analyzing the above text.
     
     
     
     • First Read - What is the problem?
       
       
       
       • Annotation - Circle the words/phrases that provide evidence to answer this question
       
       
       
       
     
     
     • Second Read - What events occurred in the story?
       
       
       
       • Annotation - Underline the words/phrases that provide evidence to answer this question
       
       
       
       
     
     
     • Third Read - How do the events solve the problem?
       
       
       
       • Annotation - Highlight the words/phrases that provide evidence to answer this question
       
       
       
       
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   


4. Complete the first reading - Ask, "What is the problem?"
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Using the evidence circled, an appropriate answer would be: As the new student, Jaydon felt sad because he was lonely and didn't have any friends.
   
   
   
   


5. Complete the second reading. Ask, "What events occurred in the story?"
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Using the evidence underlined, an appropriate answer would be: Thomas knew what it felt like not to have friends so he asked Jaydon to sit with him and his friends at lunch and to join their basketball game at lunch recess.
   
   
   
   


6. Complete the third reading. Ask, "How do the events solve the problem?"
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Using the evidence highlighted, an appropriate answer would be: Due to the events that Thomas did - inviting Jaydon to join them at lunch and lunch recess Jaydon had the opportunity to make new friends - as a result he no longer felt lonely.
   
   
   
   


7. When choosing to do a close reading with a library book or a textbook, your child will not be able to make annotations–circling, underlining, or highlighting in the text. A fun option is to have your child use highlighting tape. Highlighting tape comes in many fun colors. Choose a different color tape for each annotation. When the readings are completed, the tape can easily be removed without damage to the book.
   
   
   
   

Warnings

• Close reading is a directed strategy and should be used selectively, not with all books. Children also need many opportunities to read for enjoyment on their independent level.

Related wikiHows

• How to Recognize a Common Core Standards Classroom

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