Close Reading and Test-Taking Mrs. Judy Araujo, M.Ed., CAGS

Close reading and test-taking go hand in hand. Close reading has become a popular approach in teaching comprehension of complex texts. With close reading, all students can answer text-based related questions, not just students with prior background knowledge.

Students tackle complex texts through repeated reading, annotation, answering questions, and analyzing when close reading.

Close reading is not only essential for test-taking; close reading is a life skill!

How to “Close Read” a Complex Text

Teachers, choose your complex texts on my nonfiction passages page.

Here is a great resource – FYI for Kids – and use these corresponding lessons for each article: Comprehension Response Sheets by Pat Cunningham. There are also generic comprehension guides: Comprehension Guides. FYI for Kids is GREAT, because you can pick your complexity level from 1 to 5 and the content you want! LOOK:

Google “Close Reading videos” to see close reading in action!

Get the above placemat FREE here:

CLOSE Read Placemat by Beryl Bailey | Teachers Pay Teachers

Close Reading ~ “One of the most talked-about shifts in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is the need to engage students in ‘close reading’ of complex texts. Essentially close reading means reading to uncover layers of meaning that lead to deep comprehension. To do this, you often need to read a text several times to analyze it and gain a deeper understanding of the text” (quote from the UNE course).

An excellent description of close reading can be found on the Scholastic site. It states:

“The first time you dig your shovel in (read), you scrape the surface off the ground. The second time you dig in (reread the text), you get a little more dirt (meaning). And every time you dig in (read) after that, your hole gets bigger and bigger until it’s just right and you get the full meaning” (quote from the UNE Assessment course).

Create a table that looks like this:

Task ~ Pre-Reading	Look at the headings Look at how the article is laid out What do you think you are going to get out of this article? What preconceptions do you have? What background information do you bring to this reading?
First Reading ~ Key Ideas and Details	Here is where you scrape the surface of the text. What are some of the key ideas and details of this text? What are some essential parts? Can you summarize the findings? What is the big picture?
Second Reading ~ Craft and Structure	Now reread this and dig deeper. How is this argument developed? What are some of the organizational features of this article? What are some text features that support your meaning-making of this article? Why do you think the author made certain decisions about how he crafted this article? How do these choices communicate what the author wants you to know?
Third Reading ~ Integration of Knowledge and Ideas	What do you know now that you did not know before because of this article? How does this new information relate/connect/conflict with your background knowledge and perceptions of this topic?

When close reading, especially when taking a test, read each test selection 3x.

TELL STUDENTS: When answering multiple-choice questions ~ match keywords in the question or answer choices to the actual words in the text. Locate and label! Never assume you have the correct answer. Some answer choices are true to the story but do not answer the question! Get in the habit of numbering in the story where you found your answer.

Test-taking ~ open response writing

Use the following color system to formulate your response. This includes your opening and closing sentences, transition words, quotes/evidence, and inferences/supporting statements. This can be very boring and formulaic, but it is a good start for beginning writers.

TIP: The multiple-choice questions and answers can help students answer the open responses! Reuse/rephrase those when writing!

Open response formula

Turn the question into your opening sentence.

First, p. ___ says, copy a sentence from the story and “put in quotes.” Explain the quote. This is inferring! Maybe write: This shows that______. It is important because _________.

Next, p. __ says, copy a sentence from the story and “put in quotes.” Explain the quote. This is inferring! Maybe write: This shows that______. It is important because _________.

Finally, p. __ says, copy a sentence from the story and “put in quotes.” Explain the quote. This is inferring! Maybe write: This shows that______. It is important because _________.

Turn the question into a clincher sentence.

TELL STUDENTS:

Visualize the above-colored formula to plan your open response.

Pay attention to what the question is asking! Do not just summarize the text. Include direct quotes from the text and your interpretation and words. This is inferring! You can even refer to paragraph or page numbers. “p. 6 says that…”

Fill the whole space, giving more than enough information!

Write neatly, watching spelling and sentence structure. If the writing is sloppy and sparse, test correctors assume it is a poor piece and grade from there!

Sample open response

Here is a sample open response using the color system from MA DOE MCAS 2013 Grade 4 selection, “You Rock!” The question is, “What can rock climbers learn from practicing in indoor gyms?”

Rock climbers can learn a lot from practicing in indoor gyms. First, p. 5 says, “Rock climbing gives you courage and self-confidence.” This shows that in indoor gyms, you can learn courage and self-confidence. Rock climbing is dangerous. You need the safety of practicing in an indoor gym before doing it in the real world. Second, p. 6 says, “The fake rocks at an indoor gym have crevices where fingers and toes can grasp and fit. Colored tape and dots show various routes.” It is important to try different challenges in the gym because you can practice seeing if you can handle more challenging routes in the real world. In the real world, not all rocks have crevices for toes and fingers. You also won’t have someone next to you telling you what to do either, so it is good to practice in a gym. Finally, p. 10 talks about the need to trust your belayer. Rock climbing is a partner activity, and you need to learn to trust the people you are with when you climb for real. Practicing in an indoor gym is beneficial for building climbing skills.

Test Terms to Learn for MCAS Test

MCAS Study Guide ~ The MCAS often has questions about the terms on this attachment.

For More Information on Close Reading and Test-Taking

Designing Close Reading Questions

Complex Texts

Teachers should be sure to teach using complex texts. Texts are complex based on quantitative measures (Lexile level), and qualitative measures:

MEANING ~ layers of meaning, theme, purpose
STRUCTURE ~ text features, genre organization
LANGUAGE ~ vocabulary, sentence length, style, figurative language, dialects
KNOWLEDGE ~ content and disciplinary knowledge, prior knowledge

and reader and task ~ what does the teacher need to do to help students access it?

Complex Text Rubric

Look for online videos about grappling with complex texts!

Edited on 04/28/2023

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