Enhancing Literacy Instruction with Close Reading.docx -...

Enhancing Literacy Instruction with Close Reading
Tuesdae Masse
Reading and Literacy Growth, Grades 4-6 (READ - 6727O - 5)
Instructor: Lillian Levine MS in Reading and Learning Disabilities
Walden University

Enhancing Literacy Instruction with Close Reading
Close Reading Activity Summary
Creating a close reading activity can be very difficult, follow step by step
guidelines can help ensure that the activity has a steady flow and is effective. Using such
guidelines, the activity created here is for grade level 4, the content area is English
Language Arts, comprehension and the activity focuses on Common Core State Standers
of Reading Information Text. Content areas are RI.5.1-2 which are identifying direct
meaning or inferences, and analyzing key ideas and details. Also working on RI.5.4
which is determining the meaning of important words and phrases that are relevant to
text. The objective is to develop a deeper understanding of the book through text
dependent questioning, explain how new information can lead to deeper connections,
independently determine how the deeper understanding of the text changed their view or
opinion of this topic prior to reading the book. Students will complete a reading, class
discussion and use technology to research specific questions prior to the activity to gain
their own opinions of the topic before we being.
Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People and War
Based on text complexity guidelines, this non-fiction books characteristics are
appropriate for a student who is at, above or lingering around a 4 th grade skill level. The
text is about how three zoon elephants survive after they were sentenced to death by the
Japanese army during WWII because they were more concerned about the animals being
accidently set lose to kill humans, so before that could happen they wanted to kill the
animals. The text is challenging yet it is not easily misunderstood, the help of text
dependent questions provides student the ability to analyze and understand evidence in

the book that helps them draw and make conclusion on their own. The vocabulary and
phrases used are appropriate of this grade level and the consistency of word and phrase
use helps to determine understanding. The text allows them to grow and think but not so
challenging that they can not hold comprehension. Over the course of this activity, they
are challenged a bit more so that by the end they show growth. Independently after
discussions, the students will be asked to reread portions of the text and write down
answers to more specific questions each time and note specific words or phrases such as
action words that stick out to them that show the attitude of the text and if changed would
change the understanding of the text.