Close Reading Book Study Chapter 3

Happy Sunday, all! It was our first week back with the kids and I am exhausted! But I have a SUPER sweet class so I am looking forward to this year! It is our third week with Falling in Love with Close Reading, and I like it more each week! Back to the book :)

This chapter was awesome! It is titled "A Way With Words", a quote from this chapter definitely hit home with me, "looking at word choice allows us to get to the heart of what people are saying and thinking" (p.33). There is a direct correlation with the common core standards that requires students to interpret the words and phrases as they are used in the text. What better way is there to address this standards than through close reading? To begin doing this the author offers the same steps as before, the repetition of using the same steps allows the students to become independent within the realm of close reading. While they do follow the same steps (looking through the lens, find patterns, develop a new understanding of the text) the specifics located within those steps have changed. A few examples would be choosing specific words to gather that evoke strong emotions, images, a clear idea. I think the idea of reading closely to examine word choice is something that I have never heard of, but I think students would really enjoy it. One of the best things about this book is that the authors provide specific examples that teachers can follow withing the classroom. The show different situation that students can teachers are able to examine and consider when thinking about implementing this type of close reading within this book. Please check out the links of others that are participating within this blog study!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole

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An InLinkz Link-up

Falling In Love with Close Reading Chapter 2

Hello!! And welcome back to Week 2 of our group read of Falling In Love with Close Reading!! I have fallen in love with this book and I know you will! Please excuse the late post, back to school week so we have had been busy. We had open house on Friday and I came home and just slept!

As I read this book, in particular this chapter, I realized that I have been doing close reading SO wrong! The authors believe that when close reading we have to pick a purpose, this chapter focused a lot on Text Evidence. When asking students to complete a close read while looking at Text Evidence there are several steps that should be done. The first step is to read through the lenses (p.12). When you are reading through the lenses there are specific details to look at: what the characters say, think, and do, relationships, setting descriptions, and time period. After picking a particular lens, you should use that to find and establish patterns. Decide which details fit together and how they do. And finally use the patterns to develop a new understanding of the text. They demonstrate this through showing how to find text evidence in everyday things among us. This was done by using a SONG! This is something I know my 4th graders would LOVE.

The authors also delve into the topic of non-fiction and how we can use text evidence for non-ficiton, they still provide the exaaples of the lens, but this time it looks at something different with each lens.

If you have not considered purchasing this book, it is worth it! I have enjoyed it and plan to implement the lessons as soon as school starts back..... TOMORROW!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole

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An InLinkz Link-up

Close Read Book Study: Chapter 1

Wow! It has been a while since I have written anything! It was a rougher year for me than I care to admit. Between having “that" class, grad school, and my regular life I had to take a break on something! So hopefully, I’m back! I am hoping to build up the blog and my TPT store.  One of the ways I am getting more involved with the active online community of wonderful teachers is through participating in the book study on Falling in Love with Close Reading!

Each week there are 13 participants that will post our thoughts, feelings, etc. about this book. This is being led by Diana at Sassy, Savvy, Simple Teaching! So yay to her for a wonderful idea! During this book study we were given some answers to contemplate the answers to! But can I first start by saying that when I started reading this book, I LOVED it! It really takes a closer look at Close Reading and explains some things that I may have been missing in my reading block in regards to reading instruction involving close reading. Each week we are asked to look at questions pertaining to those questions.

Question 1: What is close reading? I LOVED how this book answered this question. Close reading is a powerful, in-depth study of a particular selection of text. Close reading allows for the readers to really understand the selection. I loved the comparison the authors made of close study when speaking of monks and how they would study religious texts. They would pore over pieces of text over and over. Close reading, when given a purpose, helps the readers to understand and maybe fall in love with a piece of text.

Question 2: What is powerful close reading? Powerful close reading happens when students not only understand their purpose of the reading, but the purpose of close reading (in my opinion). This allows students to realize there is a reason for the process of close reads. Close reads should help to “improve the joy” of reading. I totally agree to this! In order for this to happen students must be taught the process of close reading, they must develop an understanding for the different processes that accompany a close reading. In order for close reading to be powerful, it must be a part of your literacy instruction. The authors quote Donalyn Miller during this piece, letting readers know that the toolbox of literacy instruction must be varied! If only close reading is being done the joy of this process will go away.

Question 3: What are we currently doing in our close read instruction? Currently I teach 4^th grade, we are at the beginning of close reading. In my classroom I have developed a routine within close reading and I am interested to see if anything that resembles my routine will make its way in the book.

I hope you join us for the rest of the summer for this wonderful book study!

Click on the links below for our giveaway and to read the other entries in this book study!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole

An InLinkz Link-up

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Mentor Text Linky With Collaboration Cuties

I am so excited about this linky!

I am talking about one of my favorite mentor texts: Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco! It is such a great read, it talks about a sensitive subject and sheds light on it in a new direction. This book features the Civil War. It is about a young African American boy (Pink) who helps an injured young soldier (Say). They are both seperated from their units, and Pink takes Say home to see his mom, Moe Moe Bay. I read this book, and I started crying in the middle of it (as did ALL of my boys!) There is such a great way to make a wonderful, deep connection with this!

During this discussion we also incorporated many literacy skills with this unit. We discussed cause and effect primarily, but we also incorporated some character analysis, inference, summarizing. I loved this unit so much I created my own unit for teachers pay teachers. Click the link below to check it out!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pink-and-Say-Unit-1130423

If you haven't read this book before, you should! It is truly wonderful!

Patricia Polacco tells this story for a very particular reason, and you have to read it to find out!

I hope you are able to read it and love it like I do!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole <3

Giveaway!

As a newbie to TPT, I didn't realize everything that went into creating products and editing and making them look nice! Now that I've started, they don't pop out as quick as I thought they would! So please bear with me as I continue plugging along. I have some awesome projects planned and I can't wait to see what you think! a Rafflecopter giveaway Above is my rafflecopter giveaway! Please join!! Let your friends know! This rafflecopter is for a free copy of my Annotating the Text pack (which is 5 bucks on teachers pay teachers!) All I ask is that the winner rates it on Facebook! Let me know what y'all think! Bye Y'all, Nicole <3

Giveaway

As a newbie to TPT, I didn't realize everything that went into creating products and editing and making them look nice! Now that I've started, they don't pop out as quick as I thought they would! So please bear with me as I continue plugging along. I have some awesome projects planned and I can't wait to see what you think! 

<a id="rc-a2c1310" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a2c1310/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>

Above is my rafflecopter giveaway! Please join!! Let your friends know! This rafflecopter is for a free copy of my Annotating the Text pack (which is 5 bucks on teachers pay teachers!)

All I ask is that the winner rates it on Facebook!

Let me know what y'all think!

Bye Y'all,

Nicole <3

Annotating The Text

When my county implemented the common core, one of the first things that they discussed were close reads and annotating the texts (with a little text dependent questions on the side!) I had no idea what they meant so I was TOTALLY unsure of what they wanted from me and from my students. When I began, my close reads were haphazard. Not only were my close reads haphazard, so were my students annotations. Through several hours of research, I finally semi-understood close reading! However, annotating the text was driving me crazy! My students often lost their sticky notes, or misplaced them, they were falling out of books and off desks! We are limited a certain amount of copies, so copying whole selections were tough. Since we implemented so many new items (on top of being on a brand new grade level), re-typing them was not going to happen!

One day after school a co-worker and I were complaining discussing :) how annotating was working in our room. That's when our annotating the text sheet was born! I eventually developed two others (nonfiction and poetry) and have been using them ever since!

They are wonderful tools to track student thinking, clarifying what they understand, and understanding what they still need help on! I will have students work on these independently. with partners, as a group, etc. They can be implemented in so many different ways. They are free in my store, if this is something you like, please comment! I have included the link below.

Annotating the Text-- Freebie

I am currently creating an Annotating the Text pack, based on all Common Core State Standards. Each standard has its own sheet, each question pertains to that particular standard. I am hoping it will be in my store by Friday! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday! 

Bye Y'all, 

Nicole