I have come across some interesting links this weekend on the topic of “close reading.”  As students are required to use more complex text in their work, this topic seems important.   

This is as clear a definition as I expect to find:

 Douglas Fisher

Close Reading and the CCSS: Part 1

“Close reading is a careful and purposeful re-reading of a text.”

http://www.schooltube.com/video/2586a181320549d687f4/

Close Reading is linked to the demand for more complex texts in the classroom.  If you are going to read challenging texts, then the teacher must coach the students on how to approach them.

 

Dr. Timothy Shanahan on Complex Texts. and the Implications in the Classroom

Teachers will have to “shift stance away from ‘can I find an easiest text’ to ‘what kind of supports and scaffolds could I use that will allow kids to handle the really hard text.’  So now they will have to read text closely themselves to figure out what’s challenging about it and think of what kinds of supports or scaffolds that would allow a youngster to [read the text.]  

 http://www.schooltube.com/video/c06b25c976d22dadf36e/

So, what could this really look like in a classroom?  Notice that in these sample lessons one text is worked with over two to three days, including homework.

Readings with sample lessons –  Some models of close reading lessons.

http://www.achievethecore.org/steal-these-tools/close-reading-exemplars