Close reading is an instructional tool that activitely engages students in reading and responding to complex text. It is important for K-1 teachers to use the gradual release of responsibility model when utilizing this structure. The same text is read for specific purposes three times. K-1 teachers will model the purpose and goals of each reading through interactive read alouds. Text selection is critical. Due to the scaffolded nature of close reading, a grade-level appropriate, complex text is needed in order to promote deep thinking and stretch students as readers. Close reading will focus not only on the vocabulary and ideas in the text, but may also include discussion surrounding text structures, text features and illustrations. Effective readers use appropriate strategies to construct meaning through a close reading. This process will support students' critical thinking skills and will allow them to actively and skillfully engage in interpretation, analysis, evaluation and sythesis of information in a text. When students are active listeners, they will be able to make meaning from what they hear through questioning, reflecting, responding and evaluating.

First read vocabulary: (first 4 poems pairs)

challenge - inviting someone to engage in a contest, fight or competition; an act or statement of defiance

unfair - unkind, inconsiderate, unreasonable

waltz - a dance performed by a couple

typical - having the distinctive qualities of a type of person or thing

hacking - cut with rough or heavy blows

briars - a shrub with prickly stems

fairy tale - a children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands

snippy - curt or sharp, especially in a condescending way

manage - to be in charge of

locks - a piece of a person's hair that coils or hangs together

pale - light in color, having little color

dangling - hang or swing loosely

Second and third reading vocabulary:

hood - a covering for the head and neck with an opening for the face; or a neighborhood

mustn't - contraction meaning 'must not'

dawdle - to waste time, be slow

 

The students will use appropriate strategies to construct meaning with scaffolding and support from the teacher and other students.

The students will actively engage in the learning process as evidenced through participation and active involvement.

The students will utilize critical thinking skills with scaffolding and support, such as interpretation, analysis, evaulation and synthesis throughout the close reading lesson.

The students will actively listen and respond to a text in order to demonstrate understanding of what they hear.  Students will ask questions, reflect, respond and evaluate appropriately.

Students will expand their vocabularies and use this new learning to express ideas and information, with scaffolding and support.

The structure of this lesson includes three readings of the same text.  The lesson could be broken down into three separate mini-lessons (approximately 10 minutes each) or completed as one full lesson in a 30 minute time frame.  The written response and formative assessment would be in addition to the 30 minute close reading lesson time frame. 

Mirror, Mirror:  A Book of Reversible Verse (use of an Elmo machine to project the text in large format would be advantageous)

a copy of the selected passage from Mirror, Mirror:  A Book of Reversible Verse used during the second and third readings

word collector or some type of graphic organizer or chart for interesting vocabulary words

a large chart of the In the Hood poem from the Mirror, Mirror:  A Book of Reversible Verse for the second and third readings

pencils, highlighters, crayons and/or markers as desired

excerpt from In the Hood poems in Mirror, Mirror - A Book of Reversible Verse.docx

W:	In each session of this close reading exercise, teachers will focus students on the purpose of this specific reading.  Teachers will scaffold these texts as necessary given the young age of the readers.  Teachers will model the expected behaviors throughout the learning process.
H:	The use of the text, In the Hood, will engage and motivate learners.  Students will be actively engaged for a specific purpose in each of the three readings.  Students will demonstrate understanding and engagement through hand signals, turn and talk, etc.
E:	This lesson is built on the gradual release of responsibility.  Teachers will scaffold and support student learning as necessary.  Students will engage in the learning process in various ways - turn and talk, hand signals, pictorial repesentation, talking to the text, verbal expression of ideas/response.
R:	The practice of reflection, revisiting, revising and rethinking are integral to the close reading process as students reread the same passage of text three times for different purposes.  The overarching goal of this structure is the integration of knowledge and ideas.
E:	Students will engage in turn and talk practices to to share ideas and understanding.  Students will use hand signals to indicate an interesting vocabulary word.  Students will pictorally demonstrate the perspective of one of the characters.
T:	The teacher will read aloud the first and second reading of the text.  The teacher will engage students in a choral reading the third time the text is read.  The pictorial representation allows for differentiation.  The teacher will support the students in the kid-writing process as needed.
O:	The structure of the close reading process is organized by purpose and sophistication of skills.  The first reading focuses on key ideas and details. The second reading focuses on craft and structure of the text and how that supports understanding. The third reading requires the integration of key ideas and knowledge which promotes synthesis and evaluation.

CLOSE READING LESSON:  Mirror, Mirror:  A Book of Reversible Verse by Marilyn Singer

First Read - Recall of Key Ideas and Details (What does the text say?)

Share the title and author of the text. Explain the structure of this text.  The poems are written in reverse and thus meaning changes in each.  Read aloud the first pair of poems which explains the structure of the book.

Ask students to listen carefuly as the teacher reads aloud the next four poem pairs.  Remind student that the purpose of this reading is to grasp the key ideas and details of each poem pair as a basis for 'digging deeper' in subsequent readings.

After reading each pair of poems, discussion should center on the recall of important information and events including who-what-where-when-why. Engage students in the turn and talk procedure to promote active engagement when answering these follow-up questions.

Specific follow-up questions for discussions based on the 1st close reading:

1 - Who is the narrator of the first poem?  The second poem?  How do you know...what evidence from the text helps you determine the narrator?

• Cinderella's Double Life - Cinderella is the narrator of both poems (one occurs before the ball, one during the ball)
• the title is a possible form of text evidence for her double life
• The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince - first poem is narrated by Sleeping Beauty.  The second poem's narrator is the prince.
• 'I have to be sleeping' is the text evidence in first poem.
• 'I have to be the prince at work' is the text evidence in the second poem.
• Rapunzel's Locks - the narrator is not identified in either poem
• In the Hood - Little Red Riding Hood is the narrator of the first poem.  The Big Bad Wolf is the narrator of the second poem.
• 'In my hood and But a girl' would be the text evidence in the first poem.
• But a girl!  What a treat - could be the text evidence in the second poem. (in my 'hood - could be text evidence referring to 'neighborhood')

 

2 - Can we summarize the important information from the poems? (setting, beginning, middle, end)

 

*(The first reading is complete.  Teachers can choose to immediately continue if working through this process as a whole.  Or, they may break this lesson into as many as three seperate mini-lessons based on each reading.)

 

Second Read - Strategic Thinking about Craft and Structure (How does the text work?)

The purpose of this 2nd reading is to support students' understanding of key vocabulary, text organization and to consider the author's choices in writing and text including:  intent, purpose, and/or message.

The teacher will reread the In the Hood pair of poems from Mirror Mirror:  A Book of Reversible Verse, in order to further examine this text. Teachers should model the work of this reading as needed, keeping in mind that our goal is to build toward independence with this level of examination.

The teacher should prepare a large chart of the two poems side by side.  Students may also be given a copy of the poems as found in the Materials section of this lesson.  This will promote active engagement of all learners during the second and third readings.

Remind students that the purpose of this secodn reading is to grasp the  the craft and structure of the text as a basis for digging deeper. Students should be asked to provide evidence from the text to support their thinking throughout this experience. 

Prior to this second reading, remind students of the importance of word choice in conveying meaning.  Ask them to listen for unusual, unfamiliar and/or powerful words as the text is reread.  This will support and deepen understanding.  Utilize a signal for students to show that they have heard an interesting word during the reread.  This will promote active engagement of all learners.  Signals could include raising a hand, thumbs up, etc.  The teacher can circle the 'interesting words' on the chart as they are found.  Students can do the same on their individual copy of the text.

Possible vocabulary for In the Hood from Mirror, Mirror:  A Book of Reversible Verse: hood, mustn't, dawdle, 'hood

In addition to a vocabulary focus, this second reading should also include a focus on one of the following:  author/illustator's choices, character and story structure, or text organization.  For In the Hood, focus on character and story structure, specifically keying in on the signpost of contrast and contradictions.' (The signposts concept is taken from the text on close reading entitled, Notice and Note, by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst)

During the second reading, teachers want students to notice the characters' interactions and examine the interaction(s) within the context of the story events/structure.  When focusing on the signpost of 'contrast and contradictions, the teacher will ask the students to compare and contrast the actions, decisions and point of view of the two main characters.  Use the turn and talk strategy once again for students to discuss the characters' interactions within the story structure.

Compare the actions of the two main characters by examining where they are going in each poem.  Both characters are heading to Grandma's house, yet for different purposes.  (their specific purposes will be analyzed deeper in the third reading)  Simply help students understand that the characters destination is the same.

Focus in on the words hood and 'hood.  Help students recognize how context clues can support their understanding.  Highlight the use of the apostrophe to indicate an abbreviation of the word 'neighborhood.'  Explain that words can have more than one meaning.

*(The second reading is complete.  Teachers can choose to immediately continue if working through this process as a whole.  Or, they may break this lesson into as many as three seperate mini-lessons based on each reading.)

 

Third Read - Extend Thinking to Integrate Knowledge and Ideas (What does it mean and why does it matter?)

The purpose of this third reading is to extend thinking in order to integrate knowledge and ideas.  This will promote synthesis and evaluation. The examination of vocabulary and the focus area of your second reading (author/illustrator's choices, character and story structure, text organization) will serve as the catalyst for this deeper level of analysis.  The second and third readings build on each other.

Remind students that the purpose of this reading is to integrate knowledge and ideas of the text in order to synthesize learning and evaluate what was read.  Students should be asked to provide evidence from the text to support their thinking.  Use 'accountable talk' to echo ideas, ask questions, agree, disagree, and add-on respectfully.

For this reading, utilize the printed passage of the text found in the materials section.  The printed passage includes the text of the poem pair of In the Hood. Each student should have a copy of this excerpt from their work during the second reading.  Ask students to chorally read this passage with the teacher.  It is appropriate for some students to simply listen and follow along in the printed passage. 

After the reading, return to the same focus area as utilized in the second reading (author/illustrator's choices, character and story structure, or text organization) to reinforce/extend student thinking.  In this close reading of  In the Hood, return to the character and story structure focus, specifically, the contrast of the two main characters. (Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf)

 

Ask students to 'talk to the text' or 'leave tracks of their thinking' by  underlining or highlighting, the contrasting words 'After all, Grandma's waiting' in each poem.  Scaffold and support this task by modeling the work on the large chart of the poem to serve as a guide for students.

Extend students' thinking and integration of knowledge by posing these questions: 

1 - What does each character mean when she/he says the line, 'After all, Grandma's waiting.' (Possible answers include:  Little Red thinks Grandma is waiting for her to come for a visit.  Big Bad Wolf thinks Grandma is waiting to be eaten.)

2 - Can you think of another text in which the characters are in contrast similar to Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf?  (Possible answers include:  The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza, The Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza) 

Lesson closure:  Extend and synthesize student learning through art and kid-writing.  Ask the students, to draw a picture to show the point of view presented in one of the two poems from In the Hood.  Their drawing will either depict the poem according to Little Red Riding Hood's point of view or the perspecitve of the Big Bad Wolf.  Brainstorm a few ideas together as a class to model this extended thinking.  Ask students to use the back of the printed passage to draw and kid-write their response. Share out their work in partners and/or whole class as time allows. Formative assessement of understanding would clearly depict the poem from one of the character's perspectives. 

Extend and synthesize student learning through art and kid-writing.  Ask the students, to draw a picture to show the point of view presented in one of the two poems from In the Hood.  Their drawing will either depict the poem according to Little Red Riding Hood's point of view or the perspecitve of the Big Bad Wolf.  Brainstorm a few ideas together as a class to model this extended thinking.  Ask students to use the back of the printed passage to draw and kid-write their response. Share out their work in partners and/or whole class as time allows. Formative assessement of understanding would clearly depict the poem from one of the character's perspectives. 

Diagram of a Listener.pdf

TurnandTalkProcedures.pdf

close reading, ELA, key ideas and details, craft and structure, integrate knowledge and ideas, text complexity, turn and talk, synthesis, evaluation, fiction, talk to the text, leaving tracks of thinking, reader response, vocabulary development, character and story structure, contrast and contradictions, signposts, accountable talk, compare and contrast, Common Core Standards, CCSS

Susan M. Groff, first grade teacher, Boyertown Area School District Sara E. Obarow, Reading Specialist, Boyertown Area School District

March 21, 2013