Do You Want Students That Get Excited About Reading Comprehension?

Have you ever pulled out a passage with comprehension questions and heard groans from the class? I have so many times which is why I had to try something new and engaging. I started looking into close reading a few years ago and have never heard another groan.

What is Close Reading?

Close reading is thoughtful, critical analysis of a text. It focuses on significant details or patterns in order to develop a deep, precise understanding of the text's form, craft, meaning, etc. It is a key requirement of the Common Core Standards and directs the reader's attention to the text itself. 

What All Does Close Reading Include?

Close reading involves short passages and excerpts and allows the reader to dive right into the text with limited pre-reading activities. It focuses on the text itself  and requires rereading deliberately. Students will take the time to notice things that are confusing and will be given the opportunity to discuss the text with others through options such as think-pair share or turn and talk. This will give students the ability to accurately respond to text-dependent questions.

What Are Text Dependent Questions?

Text dependent questions can only be answered with evidence from the text. They can be literal (checking for understanding), but must also involve analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Text dependent questions will focus on a word, sentence, or paragraph, larger ideas, themes, or events as well as on difficult portions of text in order to enhance reading proficiency.

Why Do Kids Love It?

Close reading allows students to read text that is over their heads. It offers them the safety net of peers during think-pair-share and turn and talk to discuss it together, causing much learning to take place. I display a "text talker" poster to give students sentence starters when they are with their partners.  

Another reason I have found that my students love close reading is the annotating portion. They love to use their different color pens or color pencils and mark all over the text with their thoughts and feelings about what they read. This is another time I will display a poster with several symbol options they can use to mark up their text. 

Allowing students to read and learn from what is challenging and unfamiliar, opens up so many possibilities for them.

How Can You Use This in Your Class?

I would love for you to try this out with your class. If you click HERE or on the pictures you can access a free passage with text dependent questions to try out. I'd love to know how it goes for your students so make sure to come back and comment or leave pictures!

Teaching Online?

If you enjoy the freebie check out the full version that offers a Google Slides option for online learners. 

Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The Cure For Your Lesson Planning Blues

What if there was just one thing standing between you and a fun school year filled with students happy about learning?

I know it seems hard to believe but hear me out…

Interesting lessons that are fun for you and students don’t just happen from a teacher’s manual on most occasions.

(Wouldn’t that be nice!)

You have to decide what you’re teaching, choose what needs differentiated, gather all the supplies, run the copies or send the emails, and then prepare everything.  Not to mention lining it up with all your standards.

And the domino that starts it all is knowing what you’re going to teach.

In other words, the path to instruction begins with a plan.

Today, you can get your hands on ready-made lesson plans for just the way you teach—complete with handouts and directions—for a ridiculously low price. Click on any of the pictures throughout this post to preview all of the products you can get!

It’s called the CF Collective Lesson Plan Mania Bundle - and it’s available only for a short time! - and here’s how it works:

It’s a complete planning solution made up of hundreds of pages of lesson plans and resources specific to either reading or math.

Each bundle contains games, puzzles, mini-books, assessments, and ready-made lessons plans (and even slideshows!). 

No matter how you plan, there are multiple resources that are perfect for you and there are two buying options:

Option 1: Choose ONE bundle that is targeted close to your grade level and subject:  Grades K-2 or Grades 3-5 in either reading or math. I'm also offering a BONUS FILE with each bundle that you purchase.

This option is for K-2 Math teachers:

If you purchase the K-2 Math bundle you will get this greater than less than differentiated file that focuses on tens and ones, hundreds, tens and ones, or thousands, hundreds, tens and ones to make differentiating a breeze!

This bundle is for K-2 Reading teachers:

If you purchase this bundle you will receive Pirate Parts of Speech to get your K-2 students excited about learning about the parts of speech pirate style.....there's even a treasure hunt!

This bundle is for 3-5 Math Teachers:

If you buy this bundle you will get a 3 pack of multiplications games as a bonus!

This bundle is for the 3-5 Reading Teachers:

Purchasing this bundle will get you a pack of genre posters as a bonus:

Option 2: For an AMAZING deal, get the ENTIRE package of ALL FOUR Bundles with over 4,000 pages of made-for-you lesson plans, so you’ve got total control no matter how your grade level and curriculum needs change from year to year for grades K-5.

If you purchase this bundle you will get my mastering math facts packet as a bonus!

Bonus products are not shown on the product page but will automatically be sent to you when you purchase.

You really can have school fun and learning at the same time in your classroom, starting today.

Make those lessons fun by picking up your copies of the CF Collective Lesson Plan Mania Bundles right HERE

P.S. This is a limited time offering, and it’s only on sale for a short time, just until Sunday, November 22nd (before it disappears forever). Get it here before you forget!