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What is Close Reading?

One of the widespread anticipatory reactions to the Common Core State Standards is a new emphasis in guidance to practitioners on “close reading” (Brown & Kappes, 2012). Close reading is an approach to teaching comprehension that insists students extract meaning from text by examining carefully how language is used in the passage itself. It stems from the observation that many students emerging from the K-12 world are not ready to engage with complex text of the kind they must work with in college. Its ultimate goal is to help students strengthen their ability to learn from complex text independently, and thus to enhance college and career readiness.  A characteristic of the implementation of close reading in classrooms is a prohibition on questions that draw on resources outside the text and a focus on support for claims from the text itself. It is argued by some that close reading will level the playing field by eliminating differences in comprehension associated with background knowledge. 
(Catherine Snow, 2013)

Close Reading Article by Catherine Snow

Close Reading Resources