Teaching Close Reading and Text Analysis K-12
Trainer: Engy Hammam
Duration: 18 Hours
Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Define close reading and explain its importance in literacy development across grade levels.
2. Identify the components of close reading: annotation, questioning, vocabulary, syntax, structure, and meaning.
3. Analyze how text complexity affects student comprehension and select appropriate texts for close reading.
4. Design and implement close reading lessons using various genres and text types.
5. Guide students in analyzing textual evidence to support interpretations, arguments, and evaluations.
6. Differentiate close reading strategies across grade levels (elementary, middle, and high school).
7. Integrate text-dependent questions and scaffold higher-order thinking.
8. Utilize formative assessments and rubrics to evaluate student responses to close reading tasks.
Outline
Module 1: Foundations of Close Reading
• What is Close Reading?
• Historical and theoretical foundations
• Close reading vs. general reading comprehension
• The Common Core and close reading expectations (if applicable)
Activities:
• Group discussion on current reading practices
• Compare and contrast examples of close reading vs. skimming
Module 2: Anatomy of a Text – Complexity and Structure
• Understanding text complexity: qualitative, quantitative, and reader-task factors
• Selecting appropriate texts by grade level
• Narrative, expository, poetic, and informational text structures
Activities:
• Analyze and score a sample text for complexity
• Group work: sorting texts by difficulty and purpose
Module 3: The Close Reading Process – Step by Step
• First read: literal understanding and vocabulary
• Second read: structure, syntax, and author’s craft
• Third read: interpretation and analysis
• The role of annotation and marginalia
Activities:
• Practice annotating a short text using a close reading guide
• Model lesson: “Three Reads” protocol
Module 4: Text-Dependent Questions and Student Inquiry
• What makes a question “text-dependent”?
• Levels of questioning: literal, inferential, and evaluative
• Aligning questions with learning standards
• Promoting accountable talk and discussion
Activities:
• Develop TDQs for a shared text
• Peer review of question sets
Module 5: Teaching Literary and Informational Texts
• Strategies for close reading fiction, poetry, drama
• Approaches for analyzing informational and argumentative texts
• Identifying author’s purpose, bias, and rhetorical devices
Activities:
• Jigsaw activity: apply close reading strategies to different genres
• Analyze student writing samples in response to texts
Module 6: Scaffolding Close Reading for Diverse Learners
• Differentiation by readiness, interest, and learning profile
• ELL and SPED accommodations in text analysis
• Gradual Release of Responsibility (I Do – We Do – You Do)
Activities:
• Redesign a close reading lesson for multiple ability levels
• Analyze accommodations in sample classroom scenarios
Module 7: Assessment and Feedback in Text Analysis
• Designing formative and summative assessments for close reading
• Rubrics and checklists for evaluating analysis
• Providing actionable feedback
• Student self-assessment and reflection
Activities:
• Develop an assessment tool based on a sample text
• Practice giving feedback on mock student responses
Module 8: Planning and Implementing a Close Reading Unit
• Backward design: setting goals and choosing texts
• Integrating close reading into existing units
• Cross-curricular opportunities for text analysis
• Using technology tools (digital annotation, collaborative analysis)
Activities:
• Create a week-long close reading plan
• Share and critique lesson/unit designs