Closer Reading, Grades 3-6

Better Prep, Smarter Lessons, Deeper Comprehension
Nancy N. Boyles - Southern Connecticut State University, USA
Corwin Literacy
Closer Reading, Grades 3-6
March 2014 | 224 pages | Corwin
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ISBN: 9781483304403
Available from January 0001
Paperback
ISBN: 9781483304458
Available from January 0001

Description

Close Reading. Not in a very long while has a term been freighted with so much responsibility to pull every student out of a reading tailspin and into a great future of college and career readiness. Finally, here’s a book that tunes out all of the hubbub and gets down to the business of showing how exactly to “get close reading right.”

What makes Closer Reading such a have-to-have resource? Nancy Boyles knows full well that we’ll never realize the promise of close reading unless we figure out where it fits in with existing literacy practices. So she magnifies all the planning that goes into powerful close reading lessons, while providing a wide-angle lens to answer our biggest questions—top among them how close reading relates to text complexity and strategic reading comprehension.

Chapter by chapter, Nancy delivers astoundingly practical ideas on how to import close reading into daily planning, including how to:

  • Connect close reading with other instructional practices (whole class, read alouds, guided reading, conferring)
  • Select rich texts and plan for initial close reading lessons
  • Deliver initial and follow-up close reading lessons
  • Engage students in peer practice after close reading
  • Coordinate comprehension strategies and close reading
  • Use close reading to deepen students’ independent reading

Close—closer—closest. Yes, if we want our students to intimately understand a text's ideas, we'll need to make some shifts in our instruction. Fortunately, we now have Closer Reading to lean on as we go into higher gear.



A former classroom teacher and professor of reading, Nancy Boyles is a literacy consultant, who provides workshops, model lessons, and curriculum support to districts and organizations nationally, regionally, and locally. Over the course of her career she has received numerous awards , including New England Reading Association’s Outstanding Literacy Leader Award and Connecticut Reading Association’s Celebrate Literacy Award for exemplary service.

 “Closer Reading, Grades 3-6, will become a treasured friend and guide, as you will value every tip, model lesson, and complex book recommendation. It is a must-have book for your professional library and for professional learning communities!”
—LAURA ROBB, Author of Unlocking Complex Texts

Contents

Foreword by Laura Robb

Foreword by Laura Robb

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

Introduction

  • Chapter 1. Closer Reading: Closer Than What?
  • Chapter 2. Choosing a Complex Text for Close Reading
  • Chapter 3. Getting in the Mindset of Close Reading
  • Chapter 4. Supporting Readers Before Close Reading
  • Chapter 5. Supporting Readers During Close Reading
  • Chapter 6. Supporting Readers After Close Reading
  • Chapter 7. Moving Students Toward Independence in Close Reading
  • Chapter 8. Digging Deeper in Close Reading Through Rereading, Small-Group Instruction, and Independent Reading
  • Chapter 9. Close Reading for the Common Core--and More

Appendices

  • Appendix I. Templates for Designing Close Reading Lessons
  • Preparing for Close Reading
  • Planning for Close Reading
  • Appendix II. Sample Lesson Plan for Shared Reading: "She Was THAT Kind of Lady"
  • Text Selection and Preparation for Close Reading
  • Lesson Planner for Close Reading
  • Appendix III. Templates for After Reading
  • Template 1: Most Important Words
  • Template 2: Theme Chart
  • Template 3: Gist Statement and Brief Summary
  • Template 4: Noticing Text Structure and Genre
  • Template 5: Evidence From First Close Reading of a Text
  • Template 6: Paraphrase It!
  • Template 7: Words That Show Tone
  • Template 8: Looking Into Illustrations
  • Template 9: Viewing a Video
  • Template 10: Reading a Photograph
  • Template 11: Evaluating an Argument
  • Template 12: Reading and Evaluating a Primary Source
  • Template 13: Reading Like a Scientist
  • Template 14: Reading Like a Historian
  • Appendix IV. Websites for Short Texts
  • Appendix V. Bibliography of Picture Books for Close Reading

Works Cited

Works Cited

Index

Index

Resources

Description

Close Reading. Not in a very long while has a term been freighted with so much responsibility to pull every student out of a reading tailspin and into a great future of college and career readiness. Finally, here’s a book that tunes out all of the hubbub and gets down to the business of showing how exactly to “get close reading right.”

What makes Closer Reading such a have-to-have resource? Nancy Boyles knows full well that we’ll never realize the promise of close reading unless we figure out where it fits in with existing literacy practices. So she magnifies all the planning that goes into powerful close reading lessons, while providing a wide-angle lens to answer our biggest questions—top among them how close reading relates to text complexity and strategic reading comprehension.

Chapter by chapter, Nancy delivers astoundingly practical ideas on how to import close reading into daily planning, including how to:

  • Connect close reading with other instructional practices (whole class, read alouds, guided reading, conferring)
  • Select rich texts and plan for initial close reading lessons
  • Deliver initial and follow-up close reading lessons
  • Engage students in peer practice after close reading
  • Coordinate comprehension strategies and close reading
  • Use close reading to deepen students’ independent reading

Close—closer—closest. Yes, if we want our students to intimately understand a text's ideas, we'll need to make some shifts in our instruction. Fortunately, we now have Closer Reading to lean on as we go into higher gear.



A former classroom teacher and professor of reading, Nancy Boyles is a literacy consultant, who provides workshops, model lessons, and curriculum support to districts and organizations nationally, regionally, and locally. Over the course of her career she has received numerous awards , including New England Reading Association’s Outstanding Literacy Leader Award and Connecticut Reading Association’s Celebrate Literacy Award for exemplary service.

 “Closer Reading, Grades 3-6, will become a treasured friend and guide, as you will value every tip, model lesson, and complex book recommendation. It is a must-have book for your professional library and for professional learning communities!”
—LAURA ROBB, Author of Unlocking Complex Texts

Contents

Foreword by Laura Robb

Foreword by Laura Robb

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

Introduction

  • Chapter 1. Closer Reading: Closer Than What?
  • Chapter 2. Choosing a Complex Text for Close Reading
  • Chapter 3. Getting in the Mindset of Close Reading
  • Chapter 4. Supporting Readers Before Close Reading
  • Chapter 5. Supporting Readers During Close Reading
  • Chapter 6. Supporting Readers After Close Reading
  • Chapter 7. Moving Students Toward Independence in Close Reading
  • Chapter 8. Digging Deeper in Close Reading Through Rereading, Small-Group Instruction, and Independent Reading
  • Chapter 9. Close Reading for the Common Core--and More

Appendices

  • Appendix I. Templates for Designing Close Reading Lessons
  • Preparing for Close Reading
  • Planning for Close Reading
  • Appendix II. Sample Lesson Plan for Shared Reading: "She Was THAT Kind of Lady"
  • Text Selection and Preparation for Close Reading
  • Lesson Planner for Close Reading
  • Appendix III. Templates for After Reading
  • Template 1: Most Important Words
  • Template 2: Theme Chart
  • Template 3: Gist Statement and Brief Summary
  • Template 4: Noticing Text Structure and Genre
  • Template 5: Evidence From First Close Reading of a Text
  • Template 6: Paraphrase It!
  • Template 7: Words That Show Tone
  • Template 8: Looking Into Illustrations
  • Template 9: Viewing a Video
  • Template 10: Reading a Photograph
  • Template 11: Evaluating an Argument
  • Template 12: Reading and Evaluating a Primary Source
  • Template 13: Reading Like a Scientist
  • Template 14: Reading Like a Historian
  • Appendix IV. Websites for Short Texts
  • Appendix V. Bibliography of Picture Books for Close Reading

Works Cited

Works Cited

Index

Index

Resources

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Closer Reading, Grades 3-6

Better Prep, Smarter Lessons, Deeper Comprehension

Nancy N. Boyles
Cancel Print

March 2014 | 224 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781483304458 $37.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781483304403 $35.00

Close Reading. Not in a very long while has a term been freighted with so much responsibility to pull every student out of a reading tailspin and into a great future of college and career readiness. Finally, here’s a book that tunes out all of the hubbub and gets down to the business of showing how exactly to “get close reading right.”

What makes Closer Reading such a have-to-have resource? Nancy Boyles knows full well that we’ll never realize the promise of close reading unless we figure out where it fits in with existing literacy practices. So she magnifies all the planning that goes into powerful close reading lessons, while providing a wide-angle lens to answer our biggest questions—top among them how close reading relates to text complexity and strategic reading comprehension.

Chapter by chapter, Nancy delivers astoundingly practical ideas on how to import close reading into daily planning, including how to:

  • Connect close reading with other instructional practices (whole class, read alouds, guided reading, conferring)
  • Select rich texts and plan for initial close reading lessons
  • Deliver initial and follow-up close reading lessons
  • Engage students in peer practice after close reading
  • Coordinate comprehension strategies and close reading
  • Use close reading to deepen students’ independent reading

Close—closer—closest. Yes, if we want our students to intimately understand a text's ideas, we'll need to make some shifts in our instruction. Fortunately, we now have Closer Reading to lean on as we go into higher gear.



A former classroom teacher and professor of reading, Nancy Boyles is a literacy consultant, who provides workshops, model lessons, and curriculum support to districts and organizations nationally, regionally, and locally. Over the course of her career she has received numerous awards , including New England Reading Association’s Outstanding Literacy Leader Award and Connecticut Reading Association’s Celebrate Literacy Award for exemplary service.

 “Closer Reading, Grades 3-6, will become a treasured friend and guide, as you will value every tip, model lesson, and complex book recommendation. It is a must-have book for your professional library and for professional learning communities!”
—LAURA ROBB, Author of Unlocking Complex Texts


Table Of Contents:

  • Foreword by Laura Robb
  • Acknowledgments
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1. Closer Reading: Closer Than What?
  • Chapter 2. Choosing a Complex Text for Close Reading
  • Chapter 3. Getting in the Mindset of Close Reading
  • Chapter 4. Supporting Readers Before Close Reading
  • Chapter 5. Supporting Readers During Close Reading
  • Chapter 6. Supporting Readers After Close Reading
  • Chapter 7. Moving Students Toward Independence in Close Reading
  • Chapter 8. Digging Deeper in Close Reading Through Rereading, Small-Group Instruction, and Independent Reading
  • Chapter 9. Close Reading for the Common Core--and More
  • Appendices
  • Appendix I. Templates for Designing Close Reading Lessons
  • Preparing for Close Reading
  • Planning for Close Reading
  • Appendix II. Sample Lesson Plan for Shared Reading: "She Was THAT Kind of Lady"
  • Text Selection and Preparation for Close Reading
  • Lesson Planner for Close Reading
  • Appendix III. Templates for After Reading
  • Template 1: Most Important Words
  • Template 2: Theme Chart
  • Template 3: Gist Statement and Brief Summary
  • Template 4: Noticing Text Structure and Genre
  • Template 5: Evidence From First Close Reading of a Text
  • Template 6: Paraphrase It!
  • Template 7: Words That Show Tone
  • Template 8: Looking Into Illustrations
  • Template 9: Viewing a Video
  • Template 10: Reading a Photograph
  • Template 11: Evaluating an Argument
  • Template 12: Reading and Evaluating a Primary Source
  • Template 13: Reading Like a Scientist
  • Template 14: Reading Like a Historian
  • Appendix IV. Websites for Short Texts
  • Appendix V. Bibliography of Picture Books for Close Reading
  • Works Cited
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

Excellent Text, would recommend it when course content centers around close reading only. The course I am teaching needed more variety in terms of meeting the CCSS.
Mrs Kelly True, Grad/Continuing Ed/Professional Dev, Framingham State University
“It’s a comfort knowing that at last there’s a book about close reading that honors and respects the needs of teachers in the intermediate grades. You will read, dog ear pages, study the book with team members, and revisit and reread parts on your own. It is a must-have book for your professional library and for professional learning communities!”
Laura Robb, Author of Unlocking Complex Texts
“Nancy Boyles does a superb job of explaining close reading and when teachers should have students engage with it. Through the wealth of practical teaching ideas she offers herein, she reminds us that reading is purpose driven. . . . The result is that teachers and students alike understand when to read close and, as important, not so close!”
Michael F. Opitz, Coauthor of Good-bye Round Robin, Updated Edition
“This is the book you have been waiting for! With keen insight and explicit attention to detail, Nancy Boyles provides the resources you need, just when you need them. Closer Reading is a ‘must have’ for all literacy leaders, administrators, and teachers who want to see their students gain a deeper understanding of reading comprehension.”
Cathy Mastrianna, President,Connecticut Reading Association, Connecticut Reading Association
“Nancy Boyles’ Closer Reading, Grades 3-6, is my new ‘go-to’ book for sorting through the myths, mystique, uncertainties, and questions surrounding the close reading of complex text and, more importantly, the positioning of readers, writers, learners, and teachers as they navigate close reading within and beyond a standards-based curriculum.”
Jane Wellman-Little, President, New England Reading Association, New England Reading Association

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