Close reading is a thoughtful, critical analysis of a text that focuses on significant details or patterns in order to develop a deep, precise understanding of the text's form, craft, meanings, etc.. I was drawn to this topic a few years ago while teaching 3rd graders in a rural town in east central Illinois. We were educating ourselves about PARCC and how to adequately prepare our students for the changes that were coming their way. Close reading was one of the popular techniques often recommended to us by our professional development leaders. Since then I have moved on to teach 2nd grade at a different rural school and haven’t really given it another thought, until recently. My colleagues and I were searching for ways to encourage students to take time and be careful readers when introduced to a new text. We had been putting much time and effort into getting them to reread passages and cite information from the passage in their written answers with little success. In one of our conversations I remembered using close reading as a technique that formed habits just like the ones that we were trying to instil in our 2nd graders. So we did some research to figure out whether this was the technique that was right for us. The following information is a snapshot of what we uncovered.

I would like to start with this quote from Tim Shanahan, the Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chi­cago where he was Founding Di­rector of the UIC Center for Literacy. He said:

"Anyone with doubts about how close reading ties into the Common Core standards should take a look at the organization of the reading standards: Standards 1, 2, and 3 emphasize identifying a text’s key ideas or details (what the text says); standards 4, 5, and 6 focus on craft and structure (how the text works); and standards 7, 8, and 9 highlight the “integration of knowledge and meaning” (how the text measures up and compares to other texts). Close reading is unique because it has those three interpretive goals." (Shanahan)

Let’s think about what reading is. When we read, we translate words into meanings. The author has taken his ideas and experiences and translated them into words for you, the reader. Our job as readers is to take those words and translate them again, this time using our own experiences and ideas to help us determine meaning. Our goal is to understand the author’s original meaning using our own schema and the text that we are reading. What researchers have come to find is that few people are naturally skilled at this type of translation. There are not many who can adequately identify the meaning that the author was intending to pass on. Instead, they often interject their own meaning, not taking into consideration of what the author’s original meaning was.

Horace Mann

As Horace Mann, an American educational reformer and Whig politician dedicated to promoting public education, put it in 1838:

"I have devoted especial pains to learn, with some degree of numerical accuracy, how far the reading, in our schools, is an exercise of the mind in thinking and feeling and how far it is a barren action of the organs of speech upon the atmosphere...The result is that more than 11/12ths of all the children in the reading classes do not understand the meanings of the words they read; and that the ideas and feelings intended by the author to be conveyed to and excited in, the reader’s mind, still rest in the author’s intention, never having yet reached the place of their destination." (Second Report to the Massachusetts Board of Education, 1838)

What you read should help determine how you read. For example, when a student is reading a textbook, it requires a different mind-set then when reading a graphic novel, such as Diary of a WImpy Kid. Knowing this, we should recognize that there are different tools that readers need to read a variety of texts. When a student is using close reading they are reading with an emphasis on understanding your reading, the author’s purpose for writing, connecting ideas within the text to other parts of the text and looking for systems of meaning. Here's a quick video introducing the concept of Close reading and some of its components.

The following graphic shows some of the basic ideas included in the idea of close reading.

Taken from the article "A Close Look at Close Reading"

Selecting a Text

It is important to know that not all texts are worthy of close reading. Let’s use Diary of a Wimpy Kid as an example again. Many students enjoy reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, but these novels offer simple story lines and vocabulary that are easily understandable. When you are done reading them, they don’t leave you pondering deep ideas. Ideally, the correct text will leave the reader wanting to explore further. It should leave them with thought-provoking questions and the desire to investigate further. There would be no issue with revisiting the text multiple times because each time it is read, additional information is gained. Timothy Shanahan is a Professor at the University of Illinois at Chi­cago where he was the Founding Di­rector of the UIC Center for Literacy. Previously, he was director of reading for Chicago Public Schools. He is the author/editor of more than 200 publications on literacy education. His research emphasizes the connections between reading and writing, literacy in the disciplines, and improvement of reading achievement. According to Professor Shanahan, because close reading is meant to be a multi-day commitment to a text; you want students to read a text that offers rich enough vocabulary, ideas, and information to read, examine, and discuss over those days without feeling like you’re beating a dead horse. He also stated that “Because challenging texts do not give up their meanings easily, it is essential that readers re-read such texts,” while noting that “not all texts are worth close reading.” (Shannahan, 2017)

In her publication, A Close Look at Close Reading, Beth Burke, NBCT, outlines 3 components that teachers should use to determine the complexity of a text.

Taken from "A Close Look at Close Reading"

Qualitative measures:

• Does this text offer ideas or information that further students understanding of the topic?
• Does the text follow familiar language conventions—sentence structures, word choices, etc.? What background knowledge do my students need to have to be successful with this text?

Quantitative measures:

• Is this text on an appropriate readability level for the students in my group? How can I scaffold my students to ensure their success with this text? *The primary leveling tool used by the Common Core is lexile. For more information or to find the lexile of a text, visit lexile.com.

Reader and Task Considerations

• How much prior knowledge do my students have about this topic? How interested are they? What will be difficult for my students in reading this passage?

Taken from the article "A Close Look at Close Reading"

Introducing Close reading to your students

Beth Burke’s article also highlights the 3 the steps that teachers can use to design a close reading lesson for their students.

Reading #1 – Look for Key Ideas and Details

The initial reading should be as independent as possible, with little background or preteaching. Here, students are looking for the main ideas and details of the text and story elements.

Reading #2 – Look at the Text Structure

On the second reading, focus your students on a smaller portion of the text that includes complex elements or ideas so they can read to gain a deeper understanding. They should focus on the author’s choices in structure, vocabulary, or patterns.

Reading #3 – Add Your Own Knowledge and Ideas

Upon the third reading, students should begin to focus on how the text applies to their own backgrounds and experiences, and what it means to them.

I have included a video giving an example of what a close reading might look like using Oh, the Place You Will Go, written by Dr. Suess.

The following aspects of close reading are designed to support the structure of the CCSS assessments. When practicing close reading strategies in your classroom keep them in mind.

Choose Short and Complex Texts

Close reading should be practiced on short passages of two or three paragraphs to about two pages, depending on the grade level. A passage could be a stand-alone piece or an excerpt pulled from a longer text. They should be complex passages that include challenging vocabulary and sentence structure.consider providing passages from all genres of literature, including folktales, myths, biographies, poetry, short stories, scenes from plays, and primary source materials.

Limited Background Knowledge

When practicing close reading exercises, avoid any prereading discussions on the passage. The goal is to have your students approach the piece with limited background. Frontloading takes away much of the work expected from your students.

Text Dependent Questions

As the name implies, questions should not be so general that they can be answered without ever reading the text. Students need to rely on the text for their answers, rather than general background knowledge. Students should approach each reading and repeated reading with a specific purpose or question in mind, which will cause them to read more deeply each time.

Annotation

This is often referred to as “reading with a pencil,” as students are encouraged to circle, underline, and write notes as they read through a passage. They can highlight words they are unsure of, identify patterns in the story, or call out points that back-up their ideas. Annotations can also be helpful when students need to develop written responses to questions.

Scaffolding

The goal of close reading is to get students to the point where they are able to read complex texts independently. Not all students will be able to achieve that immediately. One way to offer support to students is to use scaffolding instruction by way of the Gradual Release of Responsibility (affectionately known as “I do, We do, You do”). Pearson and Gallagher (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983) coined this term basing their model on the ideas of the Russian educational theorist Lev Vygotsky. This element is grounded in Vygotsky's concept of the "zone of proximal development". That is, the distance between what the children can do without assistance and what they can accomplish with the assistance of more capable peers. The zone of proximal development can be applied as an umbrella over the entire gradual release of responsibility model. Teachers may offer more challenging material to high-achieving students, and assist lower-achieving students in needs-based groups. Teachers support students as needed throughout all four steps finally allowing for the eventual independence of each student. Beth Burke offers a few teaching methods that can be used to scaffold close reading in the classroom.

Taken from the article "A Closer Look at Close Reading"

Here is another video showing what a complete lesson using close reading might look like in an elementary classroom.

Some scholars have verbalized their distaste for “close reading” as an aspect of the implementation of the Common Core Standards. CUNY English professor Aaron Barlow expressed a similar view in the Academe Blog. He states that Close reading is not considered a gateway skill and that incoming college students do not need it. He argues that students need to want to read before they can engage in the rather precise and difficult exercise of close reading. Barlow challenges the effectiveness of close reading in preparing students for college and career readiness. His belief is that “evidence-based reading”, which focuses more on citing evidence from the text, is a better way to teach students how to “read closely.” (Barlow, 2014)

On the other hand, here is what Penn State professor Sophia McClennen says at the start of her helpful resource with tips on close reading:

"Reading closely means developing a deep understanding and a precise interpretation of a literary passage that is based first and foremost on the words themselves. But a close reading does not stop there; rather, it embraces larger themes and ideas evoked and/or implied by the passage itself." (McClennan, 2001)

Here is how the Harvard Writing Center defines it:

“When you close read, you observe facts and details about the text. You may focus on a particular passage, or on the text as a whole. Your aim may be to notice all striking features of the text, including rhetorical features, structural elements, cultural references; or, your aim may be to notice only selected features of the text—for instance, oppositions and correspondences, or particular historical references. Either way, making these observations constitutes the first step in the process of close reading.” (Bernard, 2010)

One thing to note is that in all these college examples the focus is on close reading as a prelude to writing. Close reading is a means to an end in college, where the aim is a carefully-argued work of original thought about the text(s).

Another critique of this theory is the idea that focusing too heavily on one reading approach—particularly close reading—is an ‘eat your vegetables’ approach to teaching reading. In his book ‘I Got Schooled’ filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan draws an analogy between education reform and ideas in health care. He talks about how good health depends on implementing several changes in lifestyle rather than looking for the one right change (eating your vegetables). He urges implementing a variety of strategies rather than focusing on a single strategy. (Shyamalan, 2013)

Also, Close reading lessons are hard work for the teacher to structure and for the students as they unpack the text. Students may find close reading activities rewarding if they feel they have uncovered meaning in the target text or they may simply see such lessons as a plate of bland vegetables: good for you but not very satisfying. Another issue regarding the unpacking of a text is the sheer amount of time that is requried to do so successfully. Some teachers may feel like they do not have enough time to accomplish their curricular goals while spending so much time reading a single passage. 

Connecting the experiential to the conceptual

To recap, the goal of any close reading is to understand the general content of a text, even when you don’t understand every word or concept in it. We want students to have the ability to spot techniques that writers use to get their ideas and feelings across, to explain how they work and be able to judge whether techniques the writer has used succeed or fail. Overall, this technique seems to fit the need that I was expressing earlier in this piece. When strategically placed into our reading curriculum, I believe that this technique has the potential to be very effective. I am envisioning using this in a variety of ways, including poetry units, non-fiction mentor texts, and historical documents. One particularly intriguing thought was to use songs and song lyrics as a mode to practice Close reading. Since it is recommended to use unfamiliar text, it would be important to be intentional about which songs I choose. In order to implement the Common Core it is important to focus on bundling standards. Here is a link to a great website that offers a more detailed look at what this lesson would look like in the classroom. The close reading process is the perfect example of linking several reading standards together with writing, speaking and listening.

Barlow, Andy. (2014). Academe Blog (The blog of Academe magazine). Designed for Failure: The Common Core State Standards.

Bernard, Peter. (2010). The Barker Underground. Official Blog of the Harvard Writing Center. In Defense of Close Reading.

Burke, Beth. A Close Look at Closer Reading. Scaffolding Students with Complex Texts.

McClennen, Dr. Sophia A. (2001). Dr. McClennan's Guide to Close Reading. How to Do a Close Reading.

Pearson, P. D., & Gallagher, M. C. (1983). The instruction of reading comprehension. Contemporary Educational Psychology.

Shanahan, Timothy. (unknown). Scholastic Instructor Magazine. Common Core: Close Reading

Shanahan, Timothy. (2017). Shanahan on Literacy. What's the Difference Between Close Reading and Teaching Complex Text?

Shyamalan, M. N. (2013). I got schooled: the unlikely story of how a moonlighting movie maker learned the five keys to closing America's education gap. First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.