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Close Reading (in Five Words) by Richard Ciriello
The Common Core Standards (CCSS) are coming! Just in case you might not have already heard, forty-five of the fifty United States have adopted and are currently in the process of implementing a set of common learning standards for English language arts and mathematics. These learning standards are in fact a set of “cross disciplinary literacy expectations” that have been designed to help prepare American students with the skills and knowledge they will need for success not only in college but also in the careers they will pursue in a competitive 21st century global economy. One of the key requirements of the new CCSS is that all students be able to read and comprehend “texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school.”
That’s why Close Reading is getting quite a lot of buzz in education circles lately. You won’t find Close Reading mentioned specifically in the CCSS, but you will see things like “Students cite specific evidence when offering an oral or written interpretation of a text.” And “(Students) determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.” In other words, the CCSS require students to support their observations about a text by explicit reference to that text- to word choice, to sentence structure, to the author’s point of view, to the text’s structure and its purpose. In order to do this, students will have to really understand what they read. And to do that, students will have to read carefully and… well, closely. Close Reading may be the next BIG THING for educational publishers. But, will it be a defining moment in the history of teaching reading?
My guess is no- at least not for teachers who are already familiar with what constitutes good teaching. As with many publisher-inspired educational revolutions, Close Reading appears to codify into a “strategy” something that good teachers have always done in their classrooms: when students make observations or comment on what they read, a thoughtful teacher will ask: “How do you know that?” Elegant in its simplicity and its brevity, this five word question forces the reader to stop and think. It’s a deceptively simple question that asks the reader to justify his or her reaction to a text and, in doing so, forces the reader into a closer relationship to the text. This is a first step toward the kind of close reading of a text that the new CCSS expect all American students to do.
Of course, good teachers also know that asking “How do you know that?” really is just the first step. Good teachers have always used a variety of materials, tools and strategies to push students both to think and to express their thoughts and opinions about what they read at increasingly sophisticated levels. And, many of these time-honored tools and strategies that foster close, careful reading are reflected in the literature on Close Reading.
Be on the lookout for Close Reading. For new teachers, the new CCSS and the focus on Close Reading strategies can help you to define what constitutes effective teaching for deep understanding of a complex text. For experienced teachers, the coming wave of Close Reading literature may help you refine your intuition and understanding of what effective teachers have always done (and no doubt will continue to do) to help students think deeply about what they read. In either case, remember that Close Reading is about creating a close relationship between a reader and a text, and it starts with five simple words: “How do you know that?” Whether you’re defining or refining your ideas about reading, thinking, and understanding, keep that in mind, you’ll be…well, fine.
The Common Core State Standards can be viewed at http://www.corestandards.org/
Look for a continuation of this topic in the next Dialogue!
Richard Ciriello has been teaching high school ESL for 10 years on Manhattan's Lower East Side. He recently became a Literacy Coach in the program where he teaches.
To contact Richard about this article, please send an email to dialogue@nystesol.org
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