- Find the sections of the text that will present the greatest difficulty and craft questions
that support students in mastering these sections. These could be sections with complex
grammatical structures, particularly densely packed sentences and clauses, and tricky
transitions or places that offer a variety of possible inferences. - Develop a culminating activity around the big idea or learning goals identified in #1. A good
task should reflect advancement on one or more of the standards, involve writing and/or
speaking, and be structured to be done by students independently or collaboratively (with
independent accountability). The culminating task can focus on big ideas and themes in one
or multiple texts.
Source
Adapted from
Student Achievement Partners. 2013. “Creating Questions for Close Analytic Reading Exemplars: A Brief Guide.”
Achieve the Core.
Teachers play an active role in guiding students’ efforts to comprehend, enjoy, and learn from
complex text. They teach, explain, and model a variety of strategies for students to utilize. For
example, before they read, students may:
- Think about what they already know about the topic
- Discuss the topic with others briefly
- Preview headings, subheadings, and bolded words
- View images and graphics and make inferences about the topic
As they read, they may: - Jot notes in the margin, as appropriate
- Modify their pace
- Pause to think periodically
- Pause to ask themselves whether they are understanding the text
- Partner read and pause to talk about sections of the text
- Think aloud with a partner
- Reread sections
- Sketch a graphic organizer about a section of the text
- Identify main ideas and the details that support them
- Identify important or unknown words
- Annotate the selection using sticky notes
- Divide the text into small sections and summarize
each section - Record thoughts in a double entry journal
After they read, they may: - Discuss their understandings with others, referring to excerpts in the text to explain their
interpretations - Quick write the gist of the selection
- Share their notes and annotations with others
- Reread the text and revisit images and graphics
- Explore the topic in greater depth reading or viewing other sources
Teachers play an active role
in guiding students’ efforts to
comprehend, enjoy, and learn
from complex text. They teach,
explain, and model a variety of
strategies for students to utilize.426 | Chapter 5 Grade 4