Close Reading on the Eleventh Day of Christmas...

Yay!  I am so excited to share my newest product with you today, and guess what?!  It's going to be my featured sale item of the day, so you can my new Close Reading: Reading Like Detectives packet for 20% off, if you're interested! :)

I have been trying to figure out how I wanted to implement and facilitate close reading with my kiddos... for a month... non-stop.  No joke!  This project has taken me FOREVER!  Mostly because I really wanted to make it manageable and avoid printing off outrageous amounts of cardstock and paper for once.  I have been putting my printer through the wringer this summer since I'm trying to work on dual grade levels now, so I am trying to find ways to utilize my SMARTboard and project more things onto it instead of printing everything out! 

So, here's how I decided to approach it.  I made posters that align with the Common Core Standards during each of the three repeated readings.  They gradually become more complex, so I included the Depth and Complexity icons to use with my students since I want the icons to become part of the mental filing and retrieval process for my students.  I plan on projecting a text-dependent question on the SMARTboard for each stage of the close reading.  (I created a pdf file, so I am going to jot the page numbers into my plans, and just type them into the file to pull them up quickly as I progress through the lesson.  I did include a few editable pages in PowerPoint though, so if you wanted to customize the questions or font, you can certainly do that!)  Anyway, the bulk of this pack consists of text-dependent question slides that can be displayed on a screen or printed out (if you would rather display them that way.)  I plan only printing what I want to use with small groups whenever I feel like it would be good to have in front of them as they chat.

Otherwise, I am going to use the "Close Reading Journal" I created to have them copy the question or task from the board into their books and reflect upon it during each stage of the process.  :)  Of course, the kids will be reading with a pencil, so they will be marking their texts up with lots of different codes and notes.  (I have created a few codes and sheets to use with my kiddos when I want them to respond in a standard way, but I also want to allow them to have the freedom to create a system that works for them too.  I definitely have my own system for close reading, and because you connect on such a personal level when you read closely, I think it's appropriate to allow them to create their some of their own codes as well, so I have included a template for that too.)  As you can see, I just sort of doodle and jot all over articles.  It's not always perfect or neat or consistent, but it always takes me to another level and allows me to comprehend the text more fully!  That is absolutely what I want for my students, and that is why I have decided to keep this process as simple as possible.

I have mentioned this many times before:  I crave simplicity in the classroom.  I seriously try not to make anything too complex, because the more simple it is, the more likely I am to implement it routinely and effectively.  I am really happy with this little project, and I can't wait to use it every single week of this school year!  :)   And now... it's time to work on my next project! Ha!  Have a great day, friends!