Common Core: Close Reading

Timothy Shanahan

Skinny jeans…chunky watches…celebrity chefs.… There are few things hotter right now than close reading.
Ever since the Common Core State Standards burst onto the scene, close reading has been a matter of great curiosity. And no wonder! It’s different from other reading approaches that schools have promoted in the past, so classroom routines meant to mint in-depth readers are pretty different, too.
So what exactly is close reading? How is it different from other reading instruction? And, most important, how can you make close readers out of your students? Let’s take a close look.