Let's Talk about Close Reads

If you are a teacher you've surely heard the term "close read" by now. It's often said in kind of a hushed tone like it's a magical (but secret) concept. :) In my district, there are a ton of misconceptions about the idea of a close read and there tends to be a good deal of apprehension about implementing one.

So, what is a close read and why do one?

 I'm not claiming to be an expert, but from my research and experience, here's my two cents!

 

A close read is the repeated reading of one text in order to reach a deeper understanding.

 

A lot of teachers might say, "I've been doing that for years. We read one story over a week's time and take a test on Friday." However, there is more to a close read than just the fact that the kids will read it more than once.

 

I believe the important piece that makes a close read different is the analysis. Each time the students read the text, they read it in a different way with a different purpose. Here are some examples of different reads with different purposes:
* Read 1- Read this text and find all of the words the author uses to make the town seem like a friendly place.
* Read 2 -Read the text and look for descriptions of character A's personality. Use what he/she thinks, does, and says to help you identify character traits.
* Read 3 -Read paragraph three and think about why the author included this event in the story.
* Read 4 -Re-read the first and last paragraph of the story and list ways that the main character has changed. Then list the events that caused the change to happen.

Rather than just asking kids to find information in text or to infer from text, we're asking them to do those things by analyzing the text. We're constantly asking them to "prove it." Some reading practices in the past may have only required the students to fully engage in the text during the first reading. The subsequent activities may or may not have caused them to re-engage. The close read is intended to repeatedly cause active reading.

Rather than asking kids to find text features, we're asking them to explain why those features were placed in the text. We're asking them to think like the author and analyze as a reader. The idea is that students will become more thoughtful and skilled readers.

My first year of using close reads actually caused a lot of frustration for me and my students! The students were pretty used to being able to answer questions about a text without really having to dive into it. When I asked them questions requiring them to read the text and think about it and maybe read it again, they were not thrilled with the idea. However, by the end of the year, it got better. I'm sure we'll continue to see that trend if everyone jumps on the close read train, and hopefully that train will lead to a generation of more thoughtful readers.



Creating anticipation & motivation

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at my house! I LOVE getting ready for Christmas. Yesterday, we returned from visiting family for Thanksgiving, and I spent three hours or so wrapping presents. Today, my entire family woke up and started on decorating the house. We worked all day long and we're not quite done yet! So, this evening my husband and I are exhausted, and I start to wonder, is it all worth it?

 

 

A few weeks from now, we will be doing all this work again without the excitement. We'll have to take down all that we've put up. Those presents that I spent hours wrapping will be opened quickly, the paper discarded. So, why put forth all of the effort? 

 

 

For me, the feelings that all of these preparations create are worth all of the time, energy, and money that we put into it. I love seeing the sparkle in my children's eyes when they see all of the presents stacked with care. I love the cozy feeling in my house when it's filled with trees, lights, and ribbons. I love the anticipation of the holiday and the memories of it later. Without all of the preparation, the holiday would lose its sparkle. Not to say that Christmas is all about decorations, but this post is :). We have plenty of reminders of the reason we celebrate Christmas all over our house as well.

 

So, as a teacher, I begin thinking about all of the time consuming things that are a part of a teacher's life. I know there are things that I do in my classroom that are just as time consuming as preparing for Christmas, and in the middle of it all, I wonder if it's worth all of the work. Then I talk to one of my former students years later, and they tell me one of their memories from my classroom. And I know, it was worth every minute.

 

I just recently posted a guide to student motivation on Teachers pay Teachers. It's a free little presentation that I hope might have an idea or two that could help other teachers to create anticipation and motivation in their classrooms.

 

Check it out:

 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guide-to-Creating-Student-Motivation-978810



Thanks,
Krystal