Demystifying Writing, Transforming Education - Educational Leadership. What is Close Reading? | Shanahan on Literacy. What is Close Reading? Subscribe to Blog Close reading Reading comprehension Common Core State Standards 18 June, 2012 39 Comments Re-posted on August 3, 2017. Up to this point, this blog entry is the one that has been read, cited, and distributed most often. First published on June 18, 2012. The Common Core State Standards are encouraging teachers to engage students in close reading.
Close reading requires a substantial emphasis on readers figuring out a high-quality text. However, close reading requires that one go further than this. Finally, with the information gleaned from the first two readings, a reader is ready to carry out a third reading—going even deeper. Thus, close reading is an intensive analysis of a text in order to come to terms with what it says, how it says it, and what it means. Should I give the students a preview of a text? Is it okay to set a purpose for student reading? Does close reading require that every text is re-read? Comments Anonymous Jul 01, 2017 09:07 PM Name*
Technofy Your Vocabulary Instruction – Shaelynn Farnsworth. I do love a challenge, and my friend and fellow Certified Google Innovator, Alicia Brooks offered the perfect one a few weeks ago. Alicia wanted ideas for blending sound vocabulary instruction with intentional technology. I gladly accepted the challenge, it was a way to blend my passions in literacy and technology. All learning is based in language! It is also a part of the Common Core State Standards, based off of the work of Isabel Beck. Word learning is not incremental – it is not like an on – off switch; instead, it is more like a dimmer switch, strengthening what we know. Understanding these two assumptions, educators recognize vocabulary instruction must be multifaceted. When determining how to teach vocabulary, I like to use the following neumonic developed by Blachowicz & Fisher.
Flood – Flood your classroom with words related to your concept or topic. Fast – Use fast instruction when an easy definition or analogy will build on knowledge the students already have. Instruction. Common Core Reading Resource: Smithsonian Tween Tribune. I’m always looking for great resources to support reading. While leading a training in Alaska this weekend, a participant mentioned The Smithsonian Tween (& Teen) Tribune. This free resource is a great place to grab informational and nonfiction texts written at various Lexile levels to support a wide range of reading abilities.
Create up to 9 classes! Teachers can easily differentiate instruction assigning articles written at a range Lexile levels to different groups of students within a single class. Sidenote: If you are wondering what the target Lexile range is for your students, check out the chart below, which is provided in Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Science, Science and Technical Studies. Once teachers create an account and set up their classes, they can assign articles and collect student data. Students can add comments to the articles they’ve been assigned. Background Knowledge: The Glue That Makes Learning Stick. Shanahan HER 2008.