Close Reading Strategies

Here are five features of close reading instruction that make students want and love to read.

Text Selection

Passages don’t have to dense and dry to be worth a close read. Choosing novel excerpts, articles, poems, even images or movie clips that address big ideas, even if they’re from modern sources, accomplish the same instructional objectives as reading Twain or Bronte. A bonus, using contemporary YA material means your students will likely have loads of background knowledge to apply to a cold read. 

Engaging Questions

Is our destiny malleable or fixed? Should government make decisions for us? Why do we need love? When questions invite students into discussions that have engaged humans for centuries, they captivate student interest and prompt rousing discussion.

Students Take ControlOne of the tenants of close reading, the purposeful rereading of text, allows students to take ownership. The more students read, the more they can take a leadership role in the discussion. As students read and reread, look for opportunities to step back and let students take the reigns. 

Collaboration

Far from silent reading or quiet work time, close reading lessons should be peppered with lively discussion and Aha! moments. Collaborative discussion allows students to put text evidence into practice and to share and refine their ideas. Provide time for students to work together during readings, before writing, and in discussion to make close reading a shared experience. 

Debate and Argument

Students—middle schoolers especially—love to debate. Draw the connection between crafting strong, logical arguments and winning debates and you’ll have them hooked. 

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Love and Logic Approach to Classroom Management

Classroom Management is often a struggle for Teachers-Teaching-On-Call. Most classroom management workshops, books, and ideas focus on "developing a rapport over time" with students. TTOCs don't have time for that (or at least they don't have time to develop meaningful rapport, especially if it is a one day gig) but there are some things TTOCs can use to assist with classroom management.

Obviously choices is a big one, problem solving, choosing your battles, being respectful and being respected.... but I recently saw some cool strategies from Jim Fay's Book http://www.loveandlogic.com/

I discovered this information at The Sub Hub and wondered how some of these ideas could be used for TTOCs:

As a sub, one of the hardest parts of the job is classroom management. No matter who the student is, each one acts at least a little differently when a sub is in the room. The district I work for encourages the Love and Logic^® approach, a system that is all about using empathy and empowering students to take responsibility and solve their own problems

The Sub Hub Website had some great ideas, some I mentioned above, but one that I really liked was wording "rules" as if they are for you, the teacher, not them.

For example:

1.  I listen to one person at a time
2. I listen to students who raise their hands
3. I teach when there are no disruptions.

Another part I liked was how to deal with students who argue. I encountered this recently in my contract class and instead of engage in a power struggle I let the student know we could continue the discussion/debate after school, but not during class time. I really like this idea for next time:

Neutralizing Arguing. Anyone who has tried to argue and reason with an angry student knows how useless it is, so use the techniques of staying calm, “going brain dead,” using (and continuing to use) a one-liner like “I respect you too much to argue” or “I know it feels that way,” and if the arguing continues, responding with “I argue at 12:00 or 3:00 each day. Which would be best for you?”

I really love hearing new strategies to try in different classrooms. I wonder what strategies you have used that worked or that didn't work? Why? Why not?

You can read more about this idea on the website: http://www.loveandlogic.com/