In March 2022, the Alma Schools Leadership Team chose Close Reading as one of the four instructional strategies to encourage teachers to utilize in the 2022-23 school year.
In this PD session, teachers can learn more about what Close Reading is, how to use it in any content area, and tips for getting the most benefit for students.
The goal of any close reading is the following:
- an ability to understand the general content of a text even when you don’t understand every word or concept in it
- an ability to spot techniques that writers use to get their ideas and feelings across and to explain how they work
- an ability to judge whether techniques the writer has used to succeeded or failed
- an ability to compare and contrast the successes and failures of different writers’ techniques
In this session, teachers will use text from their curriculum to create Close Reading plans, and a template for future Close Reading activities. While Close Reading works best with short, content specific, grade-level texts, it can also be used effectively with a single chapter or scene from longer passages.