reading
Identify text worthy of a close reading
When preparing a close-reading experience, the first step is to select an appropriate text. Such a text should be complex, comprehensive, and considerate.
Complex in meaning
Complex texts are not defined solely by their reading level. (In fact, a complex text could fall below a students’ Lexile level.) What earns it the “complexity” label is text which cannot be completely and deeply comprehended within a single, simple read. There is more to the author’s message than what can be gleaned with a surface reading. (See the rubric criteria below.)
Text worthy of a close reading has rich layers of meaning. Through an intentional sequence of text-dependent questions, students return to the text, diving in, inferring answers, and discussing their deep insights.
Comprehensive in skills
After delivering explicit instruction on 2-4 new comprehension skills using familiar texts, plan a close-reading experience. Carefully select a text that has the necessary qualities, characteristics, and ingredients to practice the recently-learned comprehension skills.
Considerate in length
Additionally, be considerate of the quantity of text you expect students to closely read. The intensity, focus, and rereading required cannot be maintained for dozens of pages or a 200-page novel.
Rather, select a portion or excerpt of a longer text (or utilize a short text to begin with). A general rule of thumb for a one-sitting close-reading experience is 4-8 paragraphs. [NOTE: A complex picture book may sprawl across 24 pages, but when typed, it typically falls within the same range.]
Some teachers utilize longer texts when the close-reading experience will span across several days. Although this is an option, plan for some close readings to begin and end in one sitting. In fact, this is the scenario students face on standardized reading assessments. They have to execute the close-reading framework for multiple passages to be read in a single testing session.
Measure a text’s complexity
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