Common Core Institute

Instructional Shifts in Literacy: Close Reading

Team Building Activity

What comes to mind when I say the words

_____________?

CCSS Literacy Key Terms

1. Anchor Standards

2. Strands and Clusters

3. College and Career Readiness

4. Depth of Knowledge

5. Literacy Shifts

Thinking Notes

Read pages 1-3 of the Common Core Primer. Use the above marks to annotate your thinking.

Close Reading Primer ShareAs a team, develop a definition and rationale for close reading.

Close Reading Video• After viewing the

video, discuss your impressions with your team.

• Discuss which attributes from the article were present in the video.

Common Core Primer Jigsaw

Read your section of the Common Core Primer. Use the above marks to annotate your thinking. Prepare to share your key findings.

Review

What comes to mind when I say Close Reading?

1984 Close Reading LessonLearning Objective: Analyze how author George Orwell uses descriptive details to reveal the setting and main character in the opening pages of the novel 1984. 

Guiding Question: What can we understand about Winston Smith and the society he lives in based on the descriptive details George Orwell includes in the first few pages of 1984?

Individual Reading of TextDirections: Read the text independently, annotating the text by circling unknown words, underlining key words or phrases that help you visualize the character or setting, and using double question marks to indicate places in the text you find confusing.

Checking for UnderstandingIn five sentences or less, what is your initial impression of Winston Smith and the society he lives in? (Please use the space at the top of the front page.)

Think AloudPlease follow along in the text during the rereading. Continue to notice the descriptive details that are revealing Winston's character and the society he lives in.

• What is the connotation of a society that has something called Hate Week?

• What do Winston's "varicose ulcer" and his need to rest on his way upstairs suggest about his character?

• What else seems significant in this paragraph?

Text-Dependent Questions

Inferences•

Second ReadingDirections: Read the remaining paragraphs aloud as a group (choose a reader). Continue to work through the remaining paragraphs, underlining at least one descriptive detail in each paragraph.

Discuss: What mood do the posters of Big Brother create? Why are the posters up everywhere?

Writing About the TextPrompt: Choose one word or phrase that you feel best describes the character of Winston Smith or the society he lives in. Write a paragraph explaining your rationale, using at least two descriptive details from the text to support your choice.

(Please use the space at the bottom of the text.)

Reflection Form – Close ReadingCommon Core Institute – Day 1

•How might your experience as a learner in this lesson inform your own teaching?

•What connections can you make to the Balanced Literacy Approaches or AVID strategies?

•What shifts in practice are essential for implementing Close Reading next year?