Close Reading 101

In this article in Reading Today, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey (San Diego State University) say that close reading is “a form of guided instruction in which the teacher questions, prompts, and cues the learner. It’s part of the gradual release of responsibility, not a comprehensive instructional effort.” 

The first step is choosing a text that is complex, challenging, and worthy of scrutiny. “We’re not suggesting that first graders read War and Peace,” say Fisher and Frey, “but rather that the selected text requires repeated readings and deep discussions to ensure understanding.” English teacher Marisol Thayre puts it this way: “You don’t need to closely read Seventeen magazine.”

A key skill for students to develop is annotation – underlining key ideas, circling words and phrases that are confusing, and writing questions or reactions in the margins. Annotation helps students develop a deep understanding of the text and marshal evidence for three types of activity:

• Text-dependent questions – These “invite students back into the text as they look for evidence or consider something new,” say Fisher and Frey. Questions elicit understanding of key details, vocabulary, text structure, author’s purpose, and comparing two texts. 
• Discussion with classmates – This is an opportunity for students to express themselves clearly, make claims and back them up, see the text through the eyes of their peers, and build on each others’ ideas. 
• Follow-up tasks – These can include writing prompts or Socratic seminars and should draw on key information in the text and insights from peers, not merely students’ personal experience. 

“What’s the Secret to Successful Close Reading? Strategic Preparation and Follow Up” by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey in Reading Today, October/November 2013 (Vol. 31, #2, p. 16-17), www.reading.org; the authors are at dfisher@reading.org and nfrey@mail.sdsu.edu.

From the Marshall Memo #511