Grad Credits: 3 Term End Date: Aug 20, 2021
Selecting appropriate reading material for students is hard. For decades, teachers have known that quality Instruction requires a careful matching of reading materials to students. The goal of selecting materials that are neither too difficult nor too easy for students is a task that needs constant attention and adjustments on the part of the teacher. To ensure that students learn to read increasingly complex texts, teachers have to understand not only what makes a text hard but also fun and engaging. The introduction of the ELA State Standards has placed a spotlight on text complexity and the art of close reading. This course focuses on the quantitative and qualitative factors of identifying texts that are neither too difficult nor too easy for students but rather, helps them stretch and grow as readers. We also examine how close reading of complex texts scaffolds student understanding of what they are reading at deeper levels and allows them to develop the skills necessary to read informational text like a detective. By participating in this course, teachers will plan, implement, and critically reflect on instructional strategies essential for developing deeper levels of reading comprehension. This course has been divided into six modules: 1. What is Close Reading? 2. Matching Readers with Text 3. Helping Students Develop Close Reading Skills 4. Using Text-Based Evidence and Questioning 5. Deepening Student Understanding of Complex Text 6. Raising the Level of Rigor in Reading
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