Do you Close Read?

I'm pretty sure I've never been apprehensive about any pedagogy. Being a new(er) teacher, I usually embrace new ideas. I'll try anything once!

This was far from the case with Close Reading. I attended a workshop last summer on NMSI and AP English. A good part of the workshop focused on close reading. It seemed cumbersome and confusing. If I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around it, what was going to happen to my eighth graders? YIKES!

Listen carefully - this does not get said often - I was so very wrong.

My kids loved it! My advanced students and my inclusion students were on a roll. They had so many ideas. Synapses were firing. Communication and collaboration were on happening without prompting! Education on steroids! If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it!

That is the best summary of close reading I have found. There are many different 'steps' or 'approaches' to close reading. The key is finding/creating steps that fit your students' understanding and standards. Below are our steps:

1. Read the passage silently.
2. Listen to the passage read aloud.
3. Circle details in the text that make an impact (on your understanding, your views, your imagination). Make a note next to the circle that tells why this stands out to you.
4. Underline words with connotative diction (positive or negative meaning to you). Place a plus (+) or minus (-) sign about the word to illustrate the meaning.
5. Block off imagery (words appealing to senses). Make a note next to the block on what imagery is brought to mind - what image appears in your mind? what emotion does it make you feel?
6. Highlight comparisons (similes, metaphors, personification). Make a note to explain what is being compared and what information is gained from the comparison. 
7. Put an asterisk next to word(s) that illustrate the point of view.

Writing these steps out remind me why I tried to hide from close reading. It can be a lot to take. It can have several large words that may require a bit of reteaching, but it is worth it! 

The typical student response to "read this piece of literature and tell me what you think" is to read it quickly and say it was "nice." Close reading removes the ability to do this. It requires the student to think deeply on several levels. The end result is a deeper understanding from analyzation and creating your own opinions. Many parts of close reading cannot be copied from a friend because your emotions and understanding is not the same as someone else's emotions and understanding. 

Yesterday my students close read "Masks" independently. Today we reviewed as a class. This is what they came up with:

In previous years, my students have read the poem and replied "she doesn't show people the real her, and she wants someone to try to see the real her." Well … this is a general summary, but you are missing SO MUCH when you only read the surface. 

This year my students came up with the theme that is written in black on the sheet. "Every person you meet is facing problems you can't see. Love and encouragement from you will help others feel better and overcome their problems." I'm so proud!

Through close reading they had a good ten minute conversation on the power that "love is stronger than strong walls" brings into the poem. Their ideas brought me to tears! They also noted that you can't say "he" or "she" because the author is unknown and the last stanza blatantly states that the poem is about everyone. 

Earlier I noted that it is hard to copy someone else's close read. This was definitely brought to light with the term "masks" in this poem. Some students thought of Mardi Gras masks (fun, playful, party). Others thought of Halloween masks (scary, hiding things, monsters). Another group thought of masks as covering something. Your history shapes what you bring to the conversation. 

If you close read or you try close reading, please comment below and let me know how it goes! 

Currently

A friend introduced my to Serial yesterday. I haven't stopped listening to it! If you haven't heard it yet, get a podcast app and start listening! 

I'm in my second (of four) semester of grad school. I'm working towards my MA in Gifted/Talented Education. It's always been my dream to teach Gifted, but grad school is a lot of work! Reading, analyzing, writing, preparing - oh my! Thankfully, I do enjoy the material. The program I'm completing is a hybrid program - both online and in the classroom. I travel five hours once or twice a month on a Saturday for a full day of classes. It works out great because I can still teach! 

I'm taking twenty-one eighth graders to Disney in ten days! We are completing two Disney YES (Youth Education Series) programs: Global Citizenship at Epcot and Disney Imagineering: Gravity at Hollywood Studios. I can't wait! Check back in about two weeks for a full report on this field trip. 

Newspaper & Yearbook Field Trip

I have a newspaper staff of nine students and a yearbook staff of twelve students. These kids are ah-mazing! I really can not brag enough on these students. Both staffs are student center and student led. The all have wonderful attitudes and motivation. They work extremely hard and produce amazing work!

My newspaper staff writes weekly articles about the school and community. Their work is published in a blog on the school website and submitted to local newspapers and news stations. They are publicly published each month! Each month they put together an interactive e-newsletter of the articles they have written. My newspaper editor (eighth grade student) keeps track of each staff member's progress and edits articles before they get to me. 

My yearbook staff runs without me. The editor (eighth grade student) was on the staff last year. Last year (as a seventh grader) she designed the theme, cover, colors, and fonts for this year's yearbook. She also sat with our yearbook rep and ordered the yearbooks. The staff splits up the one hundred full color yearbook, so everyone is responsible for specific pages. They have been rocking out deadlines this year! Meeting them weeks before they are due! I am so proud!

To reward all of their hard work, we recently took a field trip! We toured a local news station. My students were able to speak with reporters, photographers, and producers. They were given a tour of the station with many behind the scene looks. It was a blast! It was a wonderful way to put into perspective how what they do in the classroom is relevant in the real world. 

We finished our trip with a lunch at Steak and Shake. Everyone was happy!

My newspaper staff has the idea of creating video articles with written articles. They hope to display photos, interviews, and footage from events. I can't wait to see how these turn out this semester! 

Bad Blogger

     I can not believe half the school year is gone. The first half flew and kept me on my toes daily. On top of teaching eighth grade Language Arts, I teach and produce the school yearbook, I teach and produce the school newspaper, I am the school PR pro handling all website, news source, and social media, I am the STC (School Technology Coach) helping teachers with technology issues (we are a 1:1 school, so we have technology everywhere), I am the PTSO teacher rep, I am the Den Leader for my son's Cub Scout den, I am a 'soccer mom,' I work part time running the online end of my mom's business, and I am working on my MA in Gifted/Talented Education through a hybrid program that requires me to travel four hours away between one and two Saturdays each month plus a good chunk of online work. As you can tell, it's run-run-run! Thankfully, I enjoy every second of every thing I have the opportunity to do. 

      Blogging will be my New Years Resolution! Let's see how well this goes.