Teaching close reading in your classroom is hard enough, but teaching your students how to use close read symbols correctly and effectively seems next to impossible. I mean, c’mon, they’re six years old and probably have never taken notes on anything before.
And don’t get me started on the fact that they’re just starting to read, and now you want them to annotate? It sounds like something we can skip, right?In this blog series, I’m showing you ALL the strategies for close reading that you can use in your elementary classroom that isn’t one size fits all. You’ll know how to teach the steps for close reading without it going right over your kiddo’s heads.
And we’ll begin with close read symbols. AKA annotation marks.
Teaching Close Read Symbols Is Tricky
You want your students to connect to their text to gain deeper meaning, but the last time you tried to annotate, it was a disaster. Like, it tanked. If your experience is anything like the first time I tried to teach my students to use close read symbols, I bet you’re ready to skip it altogether.
I had scribbles all over our reading passages. And flowers. I didn’t teach them to use flowers to annotate. I had more than one student complain that they didn’t get it and I felt like a colossal failure.
Teaching Annotation Is Easy If You Take A Step Back
Watch, learn, subscribe to the entire series
Close Reading Series
Have you struggled teaching close reading with your beginning readers? Close reading strategies are not one-size-fits-all, and if you teach lower elementary students, it’s hard to adjust the steps for close reading so your younger kiddos understand the close reading concepts.
In this video, you’ll learn how to actually use close read symbols, or close reading annotation marks. There are three tips to help your students understand what close read symbols are and how they should be used. These tips will prevent random squiggles and doodles all over your close read passages. (Which is what happened in my classroom before I figured out how to teach close reading annotation marks.)
Do you spend your entire planning time trying to find the right close reading passages? Plus, if you’re teaching close reading each week, you’ll need plenty of passages for close reading available to copy for your students. So you’re probably overwhelmed with the amount of time it takes to find all the passages you’ll need.
After you watch this video, you’ll know what levels your close reading passages should be and how long you’d like them. And honestly, that’s the hardest part of teaching close reading. Once you have your “just right” passages for close reading, you’ll be able to continue your close reading lesson.
Teaching close reading to beginning readers takes some adjustment. You’re not able to use the same strategies for close reading that older students use. Close reading strategies are not one-size-fits-all, so knowing how to teach a close reading lesson to elementary students is important. You might be tempted to skip teaching close reading altogether, but you’ll be missing out on the benefits that close reading gives to your young readers.
When you put the strategies for close reading from the free guide into practice, you’ll have the confidence to teach close reading. You’ll know that your students are capable of following the steps for close reading. You’ll also spend less time planning a close reading lesson with the easy tips outlined in the lesson. Wouldn’t it be nice to have your reading plans all ready to go so you can go home on time?
Teaching close reading to beginning readers is hard. You probably only know close reading strategies that fit with older students. But your kiddos are young readers, and close reading is not one-size-fits-all. When I first started teaching close reading a million years ago, I did such a poor job that most of the time I just skipped it entirely.
After you watch this video, you’ll learn what NOT to do when you are teaching close reading. This will stop you from having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad close reading experience. It will also help you realize that you’re not a terrible teacher (teacher guilt is REAL, my friend) and will lead you to see that you are phenomenal at teaching your students to read.
What do you do if you can’t find close reading passages for your beginning readers? Take what you are already teaching and write your own close reading text. Teaching close reading is hard enough when you’re trying to adapt the strategies for close reading to elementary students. So instead of wasting your time searching for close reading texts, write your own.
After you watch this video, you will learn:
– Why you should write your own close reading passages.
– How to take what you’re already teaching and write close read text on that topic.
– Which vocabulary words or phrases should you include in your passage for close reading.
– How to write both fiction and nonfiction close read text without taking twice the time.
– How long should your close reading passages be?
– What your published close read text should look like.
– What an effective writing process looks like.
– How to organize your close read text when you’re done creating.
This sounds daunting, but it’s so worth it to write your own passages for close reading. You can add your student’s names into the text to give them ownership. You can take the topic that you don’t have a lot of time to cover and touch on it during a close reading lesson. Because who has time to cover a topic the way you want to anymore!
Vocabulary development is vital for beginning readers. One of the best ways that I found time to teach my students new and unfamiliar vocabulary words and phrases was during a close reading lesson.
Because who has time to do it all? Teach vocabulary and everything else in your lesson plan book? Not only that, we’re learning that vocabulary should not be taught in a vacuum. Instead, best practices say that vocabulary should be taught in context for the most understanding.
This video gives you five great ideas to make vocabulary instruction work for your students during a close reading lesson. You’ll learn how to lead your students in a discussion about their new vocabulary words that is more than just memorization. The new words will be meaningful to them. Do you know your students who don’t memorize things well? This is going to give them a whole new approach to learning and retaining the meaning of new words.
You’ve taught a good close reading lesson and you’ve read your close reading passages… now what? Looking at reading comprehension skills based on your close read text is going to help your students look deeper into the meaning of the close reading passage, instead of just the surface level.
After you watch this video, you’ll get an idea of how much time to spend reviewing your close reading passages and asking leading questions to help your students understand what is going on in their close read text.
You have taught a close reading lesson. Now what? It’s time to get creative. Take the topic from your close reading passages and do an interactive writing activity. Interactive writing differs from a writer’s workshop because your students will be doing the work on your chart with you as their guide.
If your students ever have trouble coming up with something to write about, this is a perfect solution. You’ll be taking a topic and showing your class how to write in different genres and styles. And this video shows you how.
Or, if your students have trouble with a particular writing skill, use interactive writing to help them practice that skill. You’ll be there to assist and help them, but they’ll be doing the writing themselves.
After your close reading lesson, take the topic from the close reading passage and find a reading strategy, a spelling skill, or even a math word problem and use that for your interactive writing.
It is the last day of your close reading lesson. Want to have some fun? Here are some great ideas to review your close reading passages that are hands-on and memorable. Your students will still be reviewing the topic of your close reading text, but they’ll also enjoy the close reading activities you’re providing.
This is also a good way to use your passages for close reading and review a topic that you didn’t get to throughout the week. Maybe you had a three-day weekend, so you only had four days to teach close reading. Use the last day to combine the topic of your close read text with a craft, an experiment, or a class project.
After you watch this video, you’ll see how to use the close reading passages to create a really fun review activity for close reading. Your kiddos will be learning and reviewing, but having a great time doing it.
Want to know how to build hype for next week’s close reading lesson? Watch this video!
What close reading tools do you have already in your classroom? When you’re teaching a close reading lesson, it’s hard enough to remember all the steps for close reading. And also try to find all the supplies you need in your cabinets. You probably don’t want to spend a lot of money on close reading supplies either. I mean, c’mon, you’re already so generous for your classroom. All of that, and who has the time to search for the right kind of close reading tools each time you begin teaching close reading?
After you watch this video, you’ll see which close reading tools you’ll want to use each time you teach close reading. You’ll learn how to keep your close reading supplies organized, and you’ll realize that a lot of these materials are probably already in your classroom.
Do you teach close reading? Part of your close reading strategies can be assigning your close reading passages to partners in your classroom. Especially with so much digital learning, your kiddos probably need some classroom management with their close reading activities. This will help your students learn to talk to each other and communicate about their passages for close reading.
After you watch this video, you’ll learn some important classroom management strategies like how to help your students find a partner, how to teach them to speak to each other, and how to help them listen to each other?
Have you ever had your students partner up only to see them off task the whole time? This video helps you see what you can do to keep your students focused on their close reading passages.
Or, have you watched partners struggle with what to say about their close read text? In this video, you’ll see some steps for close reading partner work that helps your students have conversations about what they’re learning.
Teaching close reading is hard, especially if you have beginning readers. It’s important to keep your students on task, but how? When you’re introducing a close reading text, how do you keep your students motivated?
After you watch this video, you’ll learn how to build hype for your passages for close reading. You’ll see how to keep your students motivated throughout their close reading lesson. And you’ll learn some classroom management strategies that you can use for any lesson you teach.
What Will You Learn About Teaching Close Read Symbols In This Article?
- Why it is important to annotate during close reading.
- Shifting your mindset because close read symbols are not one-size-fits-all.
- Three simple tips to make annotation manageable and effective.
Annotation Leads To Better Recall
When your students are using close read symbols to take notes on their reading passages, this leads to better recall of the text. How many times have you jotted something down and were able to remember it later. Now think about the times you didn’t write something down. Do you remember what you wrote?
You’re getting a glimpse into my head right now. I don’t remember anything unless I write it down. Our brains are wired to process things differently if we take our thoughts and write them out.
When we progress through this blog series, you’ll see how to spend several days on one close reading passage. When your kiddos learn to annotate their text, you’ll see that they will remember the words they find tricky and they’ll be able to recall important details.
Annotation And Text Engagement
Your goal for close reading is to have your students engage in the text. What does that mean exactly?
You want your students to do more than read the passage. Ideally, you’ll want them to focus on new vocabulary and discuss the structure of the text. You’ll want them to make connections and identify parts in the text that are confusing. This is when annotation comes in handy. You’ll teach your students to notate the important, interesting, or tricky parts in the text. This gives them ownership of their passages.
Annotation Teaches Responsibility
If you’ve given your students a reading passage and they *kinda sorta* follow along… (but not really) you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
When you give your students a task to do while you’re reading, you’ll find that they want to be responsible for their annotations. Add in the extra motivation that you’ll let them write all over their text and you’re golden! Especially if you’ve never let them write on their reading passages before, they’re going to be so excited to be big kids who take notes.
This leads to more engaged and responsible readers.
How Do You Teach Your Student To Use Close Read Symbols?
Teaching annotation is attainable for younger readers. But it begins with your mindset. Throw away anything that you thought you knew about the close reading that middle school students do, and let’s start thinking about what younger students need.
Less Is More
My son, Ethan came home with a close reading project when he was in the eighth grade. There were 16 annotation marks on his paper. SIXTEEN. Honestly, I don’t think I understood what all of them meant.
When we are teaching close read symbols to our students, use fewer marks. At MOST, choose six, but even less is better. And on your list of annotation marks, make sure that they are things you’d like them to learn.
One of Ethan’s annotation symbols looked like a prescription symbol, “Rx”. I think it was to point out the reaction of the character to the theme of the text. Don’t worry, we’re not using this one. When I’m teaching close reading to my students, I would like them to identify the main idea and supporting details. So I’ll underline the main idea, and I’ll put a star next to the details. Do you see how simple that is?
I’d also like them to circle tricky words and identify a part that confuses them. Choose your goal for close reading and teach your students those symbols. Even if you only use 2-3 symbols, you’re doing a great job.
Don’t Use All Your Close Read Symbols At Once
Another mistake I made when I began teaching close reading was cramming all my annotation marks on every passage.
You do NOT need to use every close read symbol on every passage. 🙌
As you’re choosing your close reading passages, set a goal. What do you want your students to learn the most? If it is learning new vocabulary words and phrases, then use a circle to note tricky words. If you’d like them to discuss something surprising they learned, use an exclamation mark to note new information.
Our reading passages will be quite a bit shorter than Ethan’s 8th grade close reading assignment. Trying to stuff all the annotation marks into every passage is going to make using close read symbols less effective.
Introduce One At A Time
It’s your very first attempt at teaching close reading. You’ve given them the reading passage, you’ve displayed a poster with annotation marks.
Don’t do what I did.
We read the passage together and I just let them loose. “Okay, kids time to annotate!” I gave them no direction at all. It was ugly.
When you are introducing close reading marks to your students, choose ONE at a time. Don’t move on until they are using it correctly. The next week, add another mark. It’s up to you if you revisit previous annotation symbols, or you teach them all one at a time, and then go back.
Whatever you do, please don’t expect to teach them six different marks and have them take notes with them skillfully the first time. Can you imagine?
Shop Our Store For Close Reading Passages And Activities
Just one month - or the entire year - everything you need for close reading is available at LiteracyStations.com
Final Annotation Thoughts
I hope these tips will help you confidently use annotation marks with your first grade students. Remember to limit your close reading marks to a small number, teach one at a time, and don’t use them all in every passage.
Annotation is the first step to a successful close reading lesson. Once you take a step back and adapt your symbols to your students, you’ll find it’s actually pretty easy.
Here are some final thoughts about teaching your students close read symbols. It may be messy, and your student’s may not understand at first, but don’t give up. Don’t skip annotation. My students didn’t get nearly as much from their reading passages when I glossed over annotation. With practice, they became very good at it, and your students will too!
Good luck!
@teachingthefirsties Don’t make the same mistake I did! I showed my students their close reading poster AND that. was. it. They’re six year olds, and I forgot to teach them what each symbol means! Start off slow. Less is more. Make annotation work for your classroom.➡️ Follow me for close reading Tip #2!#closereading #closereadingisimportant #closereadingstrategies #closereadingnotes ♬ Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) - Edison Lighthouse
This FREE guide will teach you the close reading strategies that will make a close read lesson successful.
As an elementary teacher, it’s hard to adapt close reading successfully for younger readers. I didn’t have a manual when I began, but I wish I had an easier start. So I wanted to give teachers like you a head start when you’re teaching close reading to beginning readers.
With this free guide, you’ll know what to do to keep your kiddos engaged all week.
You will learn what supplies and materials you need for a successful close reading lesson. You’ll learn what to do on each day during your week of close reading. This was another struggle for me.
I read through the text passage with my students, NOW WHAT?
You’ll have vocabulary ideas to boost your students’ mastery of words and phrases, imagine how great it would be to have time for vocabulary instruction! I’ll show you how it works!
Comprehension is hard for younger readers. They learn to decode words and now they have to understand what everything together means too?
With how much we have to teach in a week, the idea of “Fun Fridays” went out the window years ago. At least it did for me. I didn’t have time to do the fun crafts and activities that first-graders love and frankly deserve to do! I always thought this was so sad, and I wanted to bring it back somehow. So I devoted the last day of close reading to a fun extension activity about the topic of our close reading passage. I’ll show you how to find time for a fun activity, where your students are still learning in the FREE guide for close reading!
I also added the best classroom management tips I used during our close reading week, so you can actually teach your students, rather than correcting unwanted behavior or trying to keep your kiddos attention.
And best of all? I’ve added two close reading passages WITH lesson plans to get you started.
When you download the FREE Guide For Teaching Close Reading To Younger Readers, you’ll learn:
- How to teach your students to annotate.
- Which supplies you need and which ones you don’t!
- What you need to know about the best reading passages for close reading.
- What to teach on each day of a close reading week.
- How to improve your student’s vocabulary with close reading.
- Techniques to improve your student’s reading comprehension skills.
- Extension activities that take the topic of your close reading passage further.
- Classroom management during close reading, including partner activities and effective transitions.
You’ll also get two close reading text passages with TWO WEEKS of lesson plans!
3 Responses