>> Close Reading Packs engage your students in structured,
self-directed, collaborative discussions of high interest,
grade appropriate, literary, and informational text
to help them meet common core state standards.
The Close Reading Packs feature cross-disciplinary content
that will help your students practice
close reading of text to get at meaning, collaborate,
and share ideas using evidence from texts they read,
think critically about text,
and answer essential questions
that lead to life-long learning.
Each Close Reading Pack is organized around a key question.
First, students read on their own one of four passages in a pack.
Student's must read carefully to analyze or evaluate
the text to answer the key question.
Student response sheets with graphic organizers
and text dependent questions support students
as they come up with the best answer to the key question.
After reading their individual passages,
students come together into groups to discuss what they read.
They must find evidence from all the passages
that support answering the key question.
Groups practice collaboration and teamwork using speaking
and listening skills important for 21st Century careers
and beyond to come to a consensus answer on the key question.
Finally, the teach facilitates a whole class discussion
and students read a connecting passage
as a culminating activity to apply what they've learned.
They discuss the connecting passages
evidence for supporting or changing their class
answer to the key question.
Teaching tips contain many lessons on valuable comprehension,
author's craft,
or critical thinking skills.
These skills sharpen students focus with note taking
and re-reading strategies to achieve a deeper understanding of the text.
The passages within each pack
are level to help differentiate instruction within groups.
Levels are represented by small dots.
Generally, the low-level passages are one grade level below
while the high passages can one grade level above.
Close Reading Packets are a terrific resource
to help you differentiate your reading instruction,
engage students in deep, lively discussions of text,
and meet critical, informational text, literature, speaking,
and listening standards key to achieving success
with common core
and 21st Century skills.