Are you tired of confusing close reading systems that don’t actually help your students closely read?
I get it. Close reading can be difficult.
Students are often confused about what they’re supposed to do, so they hand the paper back with random highlighting to make it look like they at least tried to do something. You spend more time trying to explain the system than actually closely reading. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Close reading can be simple.
I can show you how.
My students used to turn in papers that looked like this.
Random highlighting, no annotation, no rhyme, and no reason.
No matter how many times I tried to send the paper back and ask them to fix it, they didn’t seem to understand.
That’s when I knew I needed to try something different.
Something clear.
Something simple.
I’m ready to help you beat the annotation overwhelm.
Enter: Simplifying Close Reading
This workshop will give you EVERYTHING you need to implement a simple, yet effective close reading process you can use all year long.
Imagine: You hand your students the day’s text and they already know what to do with it! There is no complaining or confusion because you’ve set up a tried-and-true system that works.
This process works with any text, so after a few uses, your students will inherently know what to do when they pick up a new assignment. Even better, you’ll know they’re actually getting something out of it!
No more haphazard highlighting here!
What Are We Learning?
Workshop Sections
- Why Close Reading Matters – Reasons and research to support this important practice.
- Selecting Appropriate Passages – Find the best text to support your students.
- The Mechanics of Close Reading – The how of mastering the process.
- Creating Strong Text-Dependent Questions – Take the guesswork out of creating meaningful questions.
- Writing Tasks that Work – Create writing prompts that encourage critical thinking.
- Differentiation – Make this process work for your specific kids in a snap.
Planning Materials
- Text Selection Tool: A guided framework to help you pick the perfect texts.
- Text-Dependent Question Stem List: Get my master list of standards-aligned question stems you can copy/paste into your own assignments.
- Writing Task Cheat Sheet: Pick and choose the writing tasks that you like best using my complete list.
- Close Reading Planning Checklist: Make sure your close reading assignment is student-ready with this handy checklist.
- Close Reading Resource Template: Drag and drop Canva template to help you create your own close reading resources.
- Instructional Posters: Printable posters for visual reminders in your classroom.
- Bookmarks: Students can reference the steps any time with these printable bookmarks.
BONUS #1
Close Reading Mini-Lesson – Teach your students the ins and outs of the process with this done-for-you mini-lesson!
BONUS #2
“Are Ghosts Real?” Close Reading Resource – Perfect for practicing those new skills!
About Samantha
Samantha is a 15-year veteran educator who loves to chat about all things literacy. If she doesn’t have a book in her hand, you can probably find her chasing her 4-year-old around the playground with a large iced coffee. You can find more about her on her blog, Samantha in Secondary.