Close Reading in Elementary School

Many literacy experts believe close reading has the power to create strong, independent readers, but what does that really mean, and how does it work in the classroom? This book is your must-have guide to getting started! It provides step-by-step strategies and scaffolds for teaching close reading and improving students’ comprehension of complex texts. You will learn how to teach close reading based on text type, how to accelerate learning through increasingly challenging texts in both print and digital media, how to use close reading as a springboard for close talks and close writes, and how to support your students to move forward confidently with a repertoire of tools to employ as they navigate complex text in their daily lives.

Special Features:

• A clear explanation of what text complexity really means and how it varies by student
• An easy-to-use framework for creating a close reading lesson that builds student reading stamina
• Scaffolds to help students at all ability levels to do a close reading
• Close reading strategies for a variety of literary and informational genres
• Ideas for strengthening reading through targeting comprehension skills, including analyzing text structure and evaluating arguments
• Suggestions for helping students read with increasing levels of rigor
• Techniques for how to lessen student technology distractions and dig deeper into digital text
• Guidelines and procedures for close talks – purposeful, focused discussions about text
• Procedures for close writes that vary based on genre and student ability level
• Recommendations to ensure students have the close reading skills to be effective readers in and out of the classroom

In addition, each chapter includes study guide questions to help you apply the ideas in the book to your own classroom. With this practical book, you will have all the tools you need to make close reading a reality!

Diana Sisson and Betsy Sisson, Ed.D.s, are international literacy consultants focusing on professional development and school improvement. They also serve as adjunct professors in the fields of teacher preparation, curriculum and instruction, educational research in literacy, and literacy instruction.