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©Nancy Boyles 2014
TEACHING CLOSE READING WITH TEXT SETS:
BUILDING COMPLEXITY, COHERENCE,
AND CRITICAL THINKING
Developed and presented by:
Dr. Nancy Boyles Professor Emerita
Southern Connecticut State University [email protected]
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©Nancy Boyles 2014
BUILDING A RATIONALE AND ESTABLISHING GOALS
THE VALUE OF TEXT SETS
Sets of texts have a clear and meaningful relationship to each other. The tested concepts arise from significant points of comparison or
integration of ideas, not from superficial or obscure connections. Also text sets align with the CCSS requirements for paired or
multiple texts at each grade level and are not paired without specific, standards-based justification. For tasks that simulate research,
one text is clearly appropriate to serve as an “anchor” text, providing foundational knowledge and leading naturally to additional
reading and exploration. –PARCC
DEFINING CLOSE READING
Close, analytic reading stresses examining meaning thoroughly and methodically, encouraging students to read and reread
deliberately. Directing student attention on the text itself empowers students to understand the central ideas and key supporting details.
It also enables students to reflect on the meanings of individual words and sentences; the order in which sentences unfold; and the
development of ideas over the course of the text, which ultimately leads students to arrive at an understanding of the text as a whole.
~PARCC Framework
ALIGNING PICTURE BOOKS WITH CLOSE READING
Is there reason to read thoroughly and methodically to determine meaning?
Would rereading increase understanding?
Can we focus students’ thinking on the text itself?
Can students retrieve central ideas and key supporting details?
Can students reflect on the meaning of individual words and sentences?
Can they examine the development of ideas over the course of the text?
Can they ultimately view the big ideas in the text as a whole?
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ALIGNING CLOSE READING, TEXT SETS, AND PICTURE BOOKS—FOR THE COMMON CORE AND MORE:
Building Complexity, Coherence, and Critical Thinking
A text set supports complexity by providing opportunities for students to synthesize and integrate information from multiple
sources
A text set supports coherence through text-to-text connections that will help students see how textual information fits together
(and is also critical to students’ success on performance tasks for Common Core assessments)
A text set supports critical thinking by pushing students’ thinking to deeper levels, and supporting “action” goals beyond the
Common Core: relevance, respect, responsibility
DESIGNING TEXT SETS
TEXT STUDY COMPONENTS AND ORDER OF DEVELOPMENT
Determine your focus/inquiry question
Decide on your 4 Anchor texts
Identify your featured standard
Sequence your texts
Know the qualitative complexities of your texts
Create your close reading lessons (one for each text and suggested follow-up lessons)
Design your assessments (plural)
TURN THESE INTO INQUIRY QUESTIONS
Theme: Achieving your dreams
Topic: Moon travel
Genre: Tall tales
Author study: Dr. Seuss
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CHOOSING YOUR INQUIRY QUESTION
Make sure your question is broad enough to encompass all of your anchor texts
Your question should directly connect to the task at the end of the unit
Make sure your question is kid-friendly—and sounds INTERESTING
Remember, this will NOT be your only focus (close readers understand many dimensions of a text)
SELECTING AND SEQUENCING TEXTS
These are your anchor texts—one per week
Need to be grade appropriate
Think about the number of weeks you want for your unit
Sequence texts by difficulty—and what makes sense logically
Mix information/ literature and other text formats
IDENTIFYING YOUR FEATURED STANDARDS
If it’s your “featured standard” you should have lots of text dependent questions related to this standard
You should be ASSESSING your featured standards at the end of the unit
Don’t choose RI or RL 1 or 10
Don’t identify a whole “laundry list” of standards
Likely “main” standards for Reading for first close reading: 2, 3, 6
Supporting standards: R 4, 5
Reading Standards 7, 8, 9 Integration of knowledge and ideas) will most likely be featured in follow-up lessons
Also include a Writing standard: 1, 2, 3—but other writing standards, too
Don’t forget Listening & Speaking standards
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IDENTIFYING QUALITATIVE TEXT COMPLEXITIES
Knowledge demands (prior knowledge)
How much background information will students bring?
Meaning
Complex or multiple themes; Quantity of information, extent of inferences needed?
Language
New words; figurative language; long sentences?
Structure
Problem/solution; sequence; main idea/details—anything else tends to be difficult;
Multiple narrators?
DESIGNING ASSESSMENTS
This is SO IMPORTANT. . . .take the time to plan carefully
There are two possible types of assessments—and you really should have BOTH kinds represented:
o Content assessments—which address students’ understanding of the content students have learned in a particular text
study
o Standard and domain assessments—which provide students with “cold reads” (materials they have not read before) and
ask them to apply the same kind of thinking with which they have engaged throughout the text study
Neither of these can be considered “performance tasks” since a PT is a collection of questions
These ARE “full writes”—comparable to CCSS full writes
Try to specify the audience: “Give a speech to your classmates,” “Write a letter to your principal,” etc.
Try to make the task authentic: a letter, a speech, a newspaper article, etc.—not a REPORT
Try to indicate specific criteria: bullet points you want students to address (SBAC/PARCC will do this)
Be sure to specify that you need text evidence from multiple sources
When appropriate, students should cite the actual source “(In xxxxxx book, it said. . . .”)
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EXAMPLE OF A CONTENT ASSESSMENT: Many people know that Lincoln was president and that he freed the slaves, but now you know so much more! Who was Lincoln—beyond these
basic facts? Write a speech that you could give to children about your age that includes details about Abraham Lincoln that are both important and
interesting. Be sure to include information about:
His childhood
How he got involved in politics and got to Washington
His adult life as a husband and father
His worries and accomplishments as a president
His death Use details from the texts we read in class to explain each of the bullet points above. Your teacher may tell you how many details to include in
each section.
EXAMPLE OF A STANDARD AND DOMAIN ASSESSMENT: Read and view the following sources about Marian Anderson, a very famous singer:
“As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you
otherwise might.” (quote by Marian Anderson)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF9Quk0QhSE (Singing at the Lincoln memorial: 1 minute video clip)
http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=m_anderson (brief biography about Marian Anderson) Write a speech you could deliver to your classmates: How did the quote (above) from Marian Anderson apply to her life as a child and as an adult?
Who tried to keep her down? Did she soar? Use evidence from the video and biography to support your thinking.
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LEARNING TO STUDY ABOUT. . . .
BIG IDEA
&
INQUIRY QUESTION
ANCHOR TEXTS
(in order of use)
Studying a Person
Person: Abraham
Lincoln
Who was Abraham
Lincoln? (Grades 2-5) (Study of a person’s life)
Honest Abe Edith Kunhardt
Looking at Lincoln
Maira Kalman
Abe’s Honest Words
Doreen Rappaport
Abraham Lincoln
Comes Home
Robert Burleigh
Studying a Topic
Topic: The moon (grades
2-5)
How do you see the
moon?
Faces of the Moon
Bob Crelin
If You Decide to Go to
the Moon
Faith McNulty
Thirteen Moons on
Turtle’s Back
Joseph Bruchac
The Man in the Moon
(The Guardians of
Childhood)
William Joyce
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STUDYING A MOMENT IN HISTORY
Historical period:
Underground Railroad
(grades 3-5)
The Underground
Railroad: What choices
would you make?
Unspoken
Henry Cole
Minty: A Story of
Young Harriet Tubman
Alan Schroeder
Night Boat to Freedom
Margot Theis Raven The Underground
Railroad: An
Interactive History
Adventure (Capstone)
STUDYING A CURRENT ISSUE OR PROBLEM
Issue: Hunger and
homelessness (grades 3-6)
How can you take a stand
against hunger and
homelessness?
The Little Match Girl
Hans Christian
Andersen
December
Eve Bunting
The Can Man
Laura Williams
Lives Turned Upside
Down (excerpts)
Jim Hubbard
Issue: Global
responsibility (grades 4-
6)
Are you a responsible
citizen of the world?
If the World were a
Village David Smith
14 Cows for America Carmen Agra Deedy
A Life Like Mine DK/Unicef Publication
Knowing and Doing
What’s Right: The
Positive Assets Series Pamela Espeland
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STUDYING A GENRE
Fairytales
Which Cinderella tale is
the most believable—in
2014? (grades 2-5)
Cinders: A Chicken
Cinderella
Jan Brett
Cinder-Elly
Frances Minters
Cinder Edna
Ellen Jackson
Seriously, Cinderella is
SO Annoying
Capstone
STUDYING AN AUTHOR
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Where in the world does
Cynthia Rylant get her
ideas? (grades 1-4)
The Relatives Came When I was Young in
the Mountains
Scarecrow
In November
Author: Nicola Davies
(grades 2-5)
How does Nicola Davies
create layers of meaning?
One Tiny Turtle Bat Loves the Night
Big Blue Whale
Author: Robert Burleigh
How does Robert
Burleigh make nonfiction
so interesting?
(grades 4-7)
Home Run: The Story of
Babe Ruth Flight
One Giant Leap
If You Spent a Day
with Thoreau at
Walden Pond
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STUDYING A CONCEPT
Concept: Leadership
(grades 3-5)
What makes a leader?
Weslandia
Paul Fleischman Testing the Ice: A True
Story about Jackie
Robinson
Sharon Robinson
Night Flight: Amelia
Earhart Crosses the
Atlantic
Robert Burleigh
Nelson Mandela
Kadir Nelson
Concept: Home (grades
3-5)
What does HOME mean
to you?
Home Michael Rosen (ed)
Let’s Go Home Cynthia Rylant
Going Home Eve Bunting
On This Spot: An
Expedition Back in Time By Susan Goodman
Concept: The importance
of memories (grades 3-6)
How do you hold on to
your memories?
The Matchbox Diary Paul Fleishman
Cheyenne Again Eve Bunting
This is the Rope Jacqueline Woodson
America’s White Table Margot Theis Raven
Concept: Achieving your
dreams (grades 3-5)
How do dreams come
true?
More than Anything
Else
Marie Bradby
Happy Like Soccer Maribeth Boelts
The Quilt Maker’s Gift Jeff Brumbeau
John Henry Julius Lester
Concept: Achieving your
dreams (grades 4-6)
How do dreams come
true?
Mirette on the High Wire Emily McCully
Mercedes and the
Chocolate Pilot Margot Theis Raven
The Three Questions Jon Muth
Dream Susan Bosak
Concept: The role of
honesty (grades 2-4)
“Honesty is the best
policy:” Do you agree?
Zomo the Rabbit: A
Trickster Tale from West
Africa Gerald McDermott
The Empty Pot Demi
The Honest to Goodness
Truth Patricia McKissack
A Day’s Work Eve Bunting
Concept: Celebrating
diversity (grades K-2)
Why is diversity
important?
The Sandwich Swap Princess Rania of Jordan
The Crayon Box that
Talked Shane DeRolf
Two Mrs. Gibsons Toyomi Igus
All the Colors of the
Earth Sheila Hamanaka
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STUDYING A PERSON
Name of the person I/we studied: ____________________________________________________
1. Why might someone want to remember this person?
2. What did you learn about this person’s life as a child?
3. What did you learn about this person’s life as an adult?
4. How did the time and place (where and when) this person lived make a difference?
5. What was important to this person? How did s/he show this in her/his life?
6. What challenges did this person overcome that showed problem solving skills?
7. What interesting details did you uncover to make this person seem more “human?”
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STUDYING A CONCEPT
The concept I/we studied: ____________________________________________________
1. Why is this an important concept to understand?
2. Who might need to have an especially good understanding of this concept? Why?
3. Name ____ points you learned about this concept.
4. Name a character or person (real or fictitious) whose life showed that s/he did or did not
understand this concept. Explain your thinking.
5. Find and identify another book or media source that would relate to this concept in some
way. By quickly scanning the source, table of contents, etc. do you think this would add to
your understanding of this concept or contradict what you learned? Explain.
6. Name two concepts related to this concept. Explain the connection.
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CRITICAL THINKING RUBRIC
Name: ________________________________________ Date: ___________________
2
Exemplary
1
Satisfactory
0
Unsatisfactory
Problem /
question / issue
Clearly articulates the
essential problem,
question, or issue; sees
beneath the surface
Identifies the core
problem, question, or
issue, but perception
lacks depth
Does not recognize the
core problem, question,
or issue or only sees
superficial elements
Openness
Willingly examines
multiple points of view
with fair-mindedness
and empathy
Recognizes and listens
to opposing points of
view
Cannot get past her/his
own point of view when
examining an issue
Key concepts
Identifies all of the key
concepts and big ideas
Identified concepts are a
mix of key ideas and
smaller details
Unable to identify key
concepts or sees no
distinction between
main concepts and small
details
Elaboration
Provides full
elaboration of key
concepts with the most
useful details
Provides adequate
elaboration, but could
be more specific in
some cases
Elaboration is
inadequate; too general
Inferences Makes deep, relevant
inferences
Inferences are relevant
but lack depth of
thinking
Is not able to infer, or
inferences are irrelevant
Implications
Recognizes probable
from improbable
implications; predicts
consequences based on
solid inferential
thinking
Sees probable
implications, but
doesn’t elaborate on
predictions using solid
inferences
Does not recognize the
likely outcome of a
situation; predictions
are not based on
reasonable inferences
Critical thinking strengths: _______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Critical thinking needs: __________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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©Nancy Boyles 2014
Available from:
Corwin Literacy: http://www.corwin.com/topics/CQ0
Alran Books (if you’re in New England): https://alranbooks.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Closer-Reading-Grades-3-6-Comprehension/dp/1483304450
For professional development at your school (workshops, curriculum support, or classroom modeling):
