Close Reading Passages For Middle School - Close Reading Guide and Strategies

Close Reading For Middle School Students Featuring Excerpts from Stories from Classic Literature. These NO PREP close reading activities are great for practicing close reading and annotation skills. Everything needed to get your students started with Close Reading is included – detailed step by step instructions, annotation guide, reading passages, and graphic organizers. Very little teacher prep is needed – simply print and teach!

Story excerpts include:

•Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
•The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
•The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

This unit is for you if:

⭐You are looking for a classic literature themed reading unit for Middle School students.

⭐You are searching for ways to empower your students to become independent readers, learners, and thinkers.

⭐You are searching for ways to engage struggling middle school readers with common core reading strategies.

⭐You want your students to remain focused while reading, and to become actively involved in the text.

Close Reading is a highly effective Common Core strategy that helps students better understand text; it asks them to dig deeper into what they have been reading, and to back up their thinking with text evidence. This engaging package of resources takes students through the Close Reading process step by step, providing gradual release of responsibility and time for independent practice. Story elements are focused on throughout the activities.

This creative and engaging package includes the following:

⭐Close Reading – What it it?: A two page document explaining the Close Reading process, with tips on how to set it up for use in your classroom.

⭐Text Annotation – A Step By Step Guide to Increase Reading Comprehension: Multiple pages of information that teach students how to effectively annotate text.

⭐Close Reading – Step By Step Guide: Detailed explanation of the Close Reading process, teaching students exactly what they need to do during a first, second, and third reading of a text.

⭐Close Reading – Partner Discussion Tips: A detailed list of tips to enable effective partner discussion during the Close Reading process.

⭐Close Reading – Answer Stems: A detailed list of answer stems, to improve student reading responses and encourage students to provide text evidence to back up their ideas.

⭐Close Reading – Things to Look Out For: A list of things for students to look out for while reading, to aid in the Close Reading process.

⭐Close Reading – Texts and Resources: Excerpts from three stories from classic literature are included, for students to use to practice their text annotation and Close Reading skills. These story excerpts include “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, and “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe. Detailed graphic organizers with targeted comprehension questions for students to complete after their first, second, and third reading are also included.

⭐Digital EASEL Activities: A digital EASEL version of the excerpts and questions have been included. Teacher pages have been removed and text boxes have been added, making it easy for students to complete right away. The annotation activity does not work in an online format, so it has been removed from the digital version of the activity.

What others are saying about Close Reading Resources by Creative Classroom Core:

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"This was my first time using close reading and I love it! I will definitely do more of it! The resources was wonderful with all the helpful introductory pages and the readings were great too!"

-Mary S

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"Resource useful to teach students how to annotate texts during close reading to improve reading comprehension."

-eLLEs Talk

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"The assets were brilliant with all the accommodating starting pages and the readings were incredible as well!"

-Tracey L

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"This is a great way to introduce Close Reading. I used it with my 7th graders this year in September, and again in Feb/Mar while we were preparing for State Testing!"

-Miss Lape's Middles

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