words than their high-socioeconomic counterparts. Vocabulary level is directly related to a student’s ability to read, as most reading instruction begins by teaching students to decode words on a page (Kamil & Hiebert, 2005). Thus, the vocabulary gap becomes a reading gap. Keith E. Stanovich’s (1986) study described the prolonged effects of reading gaps. Poor readers do not make the same progress as strong readers across reading instruction in school, so the reading gap expands. By having them practice close reading as one aspect of a robust reading instruction program, teachers give students the tools to help close these gaps.
In the practice of close reading, students must interact with textual structures at the sentence and paragraph levels. This action develops an understanding of and the ability to analyze syntax, which has been shown to be one of the most challenging analytical elements for students (Nelson, Perfetti, Liben, & Liben, 2012). A strong understanding of syntax has been shown to promote student reading comprehension (Goff, Pratt, & Ong, 2005).
Close reading also requires students to return often to the same text with increasingly closer looks at the elements of the passage. These repeated readings improve fluency, which has been shown to have a direct connection to student reading comprehension (Paige, 2011). Further, the National Reading Panel’s (2000) meta-analysis demonstrated the direct connection between repeated readings of the same text and increases in both reading fluency and comprehension.
Instructional Shifts
Instructional shifts in English language arts and mathematics have been identified as implementation of Common Core State Standards and the associated revisions of non-CCSS state standards proceed. In English language arts, these key instructional shifts include (Common Core State Standards Initiative, n.d.):
1. Regular practice with complex texts and their academic language
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational
3. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction
The instructional strategy of close reading is one very powerful method of achieving all these instructional shifts. It provides the additional benefits of increasing vocabulary acquisition, reading fluency, and reading comprehension (Student Achievement Partners, 2016). A 2006 study of the ACT test indicated that students’ abilities to work with, comprehend, and analyze complex texts is a strong indicator of college readiness. Useful in most situations, the close reading process has the advantage of being a strong method for practicing analysis, whether by a single student (such as in a testing situation) or, more ideally, in a group situation (such as a class discussion; ACT, 2006). Given that information, close reading is a strategy every teacher should consider using on a regular basis, since the ACT study indicated that only 51 percent of all students who took the ACT in 2005 (and significantly lower proportions of disadvantaged socioeconomic and ethnic groups) demonstrated college readiness in reading (ACT, 2006).
Following is an effective process for teaching close reading, recommended as a way to support these instructional shifts. The following chapters provide more detail on the process.
A Process for Close Reading
Teachers who have used close reading in their classrooms likely will have tried many different methods. The Introduction to Great Books (Great Books Foundation, 1990) program informs the process of close reading this book describes. The Great Books Foundation designed, developed, and published this program to provide a framework for students to encounter and enter challenging texts. The following recommended process bears resemblance to their approach, though the discussion process looks considerably different. It is effective for close reading for most students in most classrooms, and students can adapt it for testing situations. The process is effective regardless of the kind of close reading text or content area. As a reminder, the steps in their basic form are as follows.
1. Prereading: Answering a question and accessing background knowledge on the close reading passage
2. Reading twice and annotating: Reading through the selection twice while annotating potential evidence
3. Generating questions: Using annotations to generate questions about the text that are useful in a general discussion or as prompts for the next reading
4. Reading analytically: Reading the text analytically a third time, focusing on the questions identified in step 3
5. Discussing as a class or analyzing individually: Finalizing the class discussion or individual analysis of the information gathered from step 4
6. Processing: Drawing conclusions
Each of the following chapters presents suggestions and teaching strategies for sharing the steps in the process with students and encouraging them to develop and deepen their abilities.
Summary
Close reading is a process of deep investigation into a text and the authorial choices therein. Although formalist ideas provide the method of analysis this book describes, the process is compatible with any number of critical lenses. This allows students to support their responses to a text with the solid evidence of literary devices. In subsequent chapters, we explore a six-step close reading process useful in all content areas. Students who master this process will not only find success in classwork and standardized tests but also develop the critical-thinking abilities essential for the rest of their lives.
Chapter 2
PREREADING
Close reading has the potential of guiding students through analytical thinking, but the very nature of the strategy requires substantial teacher preparation. As a first step in the close reading process, students must answer a question and access background knowledge as preparation for a more in-depth reading. If a teacher asks her students to read deeply, she must have done it herself first. This is not to suggest that a teacher should read the text to establish one correct meaning, but it does mean instructors must be deeply familiar with the text to adequately guide students in close reading, including in the initial step of answering questions and accessing background knowledge. Teachers should carefully select the right text (and the right portion of that text) to meet students’ needs and abilities. Once the teacher is prepared for close reading, the students must be as well. They must be familiar with the close reading process before they begin it. The teacher must also design a prereading activity that aligns with the merits of the selected text. Then, the class can begin an effective close reading session. In the sections that follow, we consider the details of text selection, teacher preparation, student introduction to close reading, and prereading activities.
Text Selection
Choosing the correct text is an important consideration before bringing one into the classroom for close reading. This selection is more complex than it may appear at first because, while curricula are well-stocked with potential texts, not all of them are candidates for close reading. Indeed, some texts may not reveal much in close reading, while the complexity of others may frustrate beginning close readers.
There are a few technical factors that are important to consider when choosing a text.
• Student and teacher interest
• Level of complexity
• Type of text
• Passage length and purpose
Student and Teacher Interest
It is not
