Social Studies Middle School Guide

CLOSE READING ROUTINE Effect Size 0.75

Close reading is an instructional routine in which students critically examine a complex text, through repeated readings, annotations, collaborative conversations and text dependent questions. Close reading invites students to examine the key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge and ideas. These close readings of complex text must also include consideration of the author’s purpose, how ideas connect to other texts, and how readers synthesize and consolidate information to formulate opinions. The primary objective of a close reading is to afford students with the opportunity to assimilate new textual information with their existing background knowledge and

Critical Actions for Educators *Select the purpose for the close read (i.e.

standard/ concept)

*Choose an

appropriate SHORT Complex Text

*Write text

prior experiences to expand their schema. The challenge is in not becoming so focused on background knowledge and prior experiences, but that we spend time pressing for textual evidence. A second purpose of a close reading is to build the necessary habits of readers when they engage with a

dependent questions *Provide purpose for annotation *Provide purpose for repeated readings *Plan for structured classroom discussion by creating space, writing sentence

complex piece of text. These include building stamina and persistence when confronted by a reading that isn’t easily consumed. In addition, students need to build the habit of considering their own background knowledge when there isn’t someone prompting them to do so. A third purpose is to take new knowledge and apply it to a performance task that might include a written prompt, a rich classroom discussion (i.e, socratic seminar, philosophical chair, debate) or an action (i.e. creating a brochure to encourage others to reduce plastic waste in the oceans).

frames, and word banks.

Key Features of a Close Reading Routine Include

Short Complex Passages of Text Limited Front loading Repeated Readings Text-Dependent Questions

Annotations Structured Classroom Discussion Extension Performance Task