Putting Fetchy to Work: Close Reading
The following Fetchy tools, and successive workflow, are instant ways Fetchy can support your Close Reading endeavors.
Suggested Tools:
- Generate An Article, Passage, or Short Story
- Draw Conclusions From a Piece of Writing
- Generate Comprehension Questions
- Generate Writing Prompts
- Create a Framework for Writing
Making the Outcome Worth the Effort
Integrating close reading into traditional learning is simple with student-led learning. The natural curiosity of engaged learners provides the perfect foundation for close reading. And, close reading provides the perfect foundation for text to merge with content.
What is Close Reading?
Close reading bridges the gap between the known and the unknown. It’s the ability to read, understand, and appreciate the world we live in. Close reading allows learners to access written text at any time and in any place.
Close reading self-differentiates and is sustainable. As a result, close reading is an authentic way for learners to learn and for teachers to teach.
Authentic, Integrated, and Differentiated
Student-led close reading keeps instruction focused and simple.
When students are in charge of the close reading process everyone benefits threefold. The learning process becomes
- authentic,
- integrated,
- and differentiated.
In the world of education, that's a beautiful thing.
In its essence, student-led close reading allows students to learn and teachers to support them. And that’s a formula that works.
Tips for Implementing Student-Led Close Reading
One of our favorite student-led approaches to instruction is Deconstructed Close Reading. By breaking close reading into separate components, instruction becomes differentiated, simple, and sustainable.
The Process:
- Begin a student-led learning cycle by generating an article or passage aligned with your curriculum. (Generate An Article, Passage, or Short Story) Hint: Combining Science, Math, or Social Studies content into Close Reading instruction is a great way to engage students and integrate concepts.
- Next, encourage students to make inferences related to your generated content. Provide examples for students who are struggling to make inferences. (Draw Conclusions From a Piece of Writing)
- The third step of Deconstructed Close Reading relates to formulating factual, inferential, and analytical questions/responses aligned with the generated piece of text. Although students can create their own questions and answers, sharing some pre-conceived examples may be helpful. (Generate Comprehension Questions)
- Finally, wrap up your close reading cycle with a perfectly aligned writing prompt that encourages the application of all previously completed close reading work. (Generate Writing Prompts) Hint: If you would like to provide a writing scaffold for students who need more help, use the tool Create a Framework for Writing.
Benefits
There are countless benefits to close reading. Here are just a few reasons to incorporate close reading into your daily instruction:
- Close reading works with learners of all levels and abilities.
- Close reading encourages analytical thinking with a focus on providing evidence.
- Close reading is full of both general and specific, knowledge and vocabulary.
- Close reading allows for different perspectives and opinions.
Try It and Let Us Know How it Works
With student-led close reading and Fetchy tools, you can set the stage for in-depth learning. At Fetchy, we call that educator empowerment.
We’re confident that if you try student-led Deconstructed Close Reading, you’ll be glad you did.
And don’t forget to utilize our close reading-inspired suite of tools. Educators seeking the best of the best is what good teaching is all about!
