Closed Reading

          I know many of you have heard or used Closed Reading as a tool in your arsenal, but I am going to ask you to look at Closed Reading again.  There are many different ways to teach reading and we all have our favorites. How often do we give our students background information on an article or text, because we thing it is important? How often do we ask questions that could have been answered without reading the text? Think about what would happen if you did not give students the background information we felt they needed. What would happen? Would they not be able to answer the questions at the end of the text?
      What is closed reading? Closed Reading is when students read a high level text on their own, annotating while they read; during this time the teacher monitors. When the students are finished reading the teacher then reads the whole article or a particularly difficult section to the students annotating as she/he goes. (Modeling the strategy after the students have attempted it.)
       Recently I was able to sit in a training to teach elementary teachers this strategy. I was very curious as to how this would work at the elementary level, how open my teachers would be about this strategy, and what concerns the teachers would have about it.
       I was just as excited as the teachers I was sitting with! While we read an article explaining the theory of Closed Reading, what Closed Reading is and giving examples of Closed Reading in practice, teachers wanted to try it immediately. When you are told the purpose of Closed Reading is for students to gain the skills to be able to comprehend at a deeper level on their own, it is easy to get excited. Being able to read example of closed reading in an elementary setting made it easier for the teachers to "buy into" the strategy.
      The conversation I heard was teachers talking about why they were teaching "cold  readings" the way they did. One teacher was really questioning why she gave the background information. (Her conclusion was that it was to make her feel like everyone had a little knowledge about the content. Was I asking questions that required background knowledge? If so, why?  and  How was that helping them become independent learners?) I was proud to sit with these teachers who were excited to learn something new that will teach their students to be more independent.
     The only concern I heard was teachers were curious as to where to find their articles and text. I was able to direct them to a few resources that they have at their disposal- our librarian, Gale virtual library, and their ELA district coordinator.

      Closed Reading is not a new concept, but it is always good to look at current practices and see how others execute the practices.

Resources pertaining to this post ( There are many out there, these are just a few that I read.):

Boyles, Nancy. "Closing in on Close Reading." Educational Leadership. 70.4 (2012): 36-41. Web. 30 Dec. 2013. <http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec12/vol70/num04/Closing-in-on-Close-Reading.asp&xgt;.

Fisher, Douglas. "Close Reading in Elementary School." Reading Teacher. Novemeber 2012: n. page. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.

Shanahan, Timothy. "What is Close Reading?." Shanahan on Literacy. N.p., 06 18 2012. Web. 30 Dec. 2013. <http://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/2012/06/what-is-close-reading.html>.