Rigorous Reading: 5 Access Points for Comprehending Complex Texts

by Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher

What it really means to "read closely"

Call it close reading, call it deep reading, call it analytic reading―call it what you like. The point is, it’s a level of understanding that students of any age can achieve with the right kind of instruction. In Rigorous Reading , Nancy Frey and Doug Fisher articulate an instructional plan so clearly, and so squarely built on research, that teachers, schools, and districts need look no further:

Genres: Education, Teaching, School, Professional Development, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2013

About the author

Nancy Frey, Ph.D., is an educator and Professor of Literacy in the Department of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University.
Shehas taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and is a teacher-leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College.

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Reviews

[Nicholas Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good text for teachers who want to think about structuring their classroom around reading. Has great ideas for multiple levels of school and includes a variety of good classroom practices for all teachers.

[Garret Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for learning new instructional ans assessment strategies for better student literacy growth and achievement.

[Sam Mosqueda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good place to start for deeper reading strategies.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid overview of teaching precepts. The text touches upon many important topics within the subject of reading in the classroom. One of the most important aspects of the text is how the Common Core ideas are mixed into the classroom. There are a number of good writing prompts and methods for framing quotes, but I wish there were more. Focus within the work is upon modeling and connecting with students. While there are actionable plans to assist reading lessons, it does not account for a substantial amount of the material.

The videos which accompany the text were, many times, more important than the words on the page. There are a lot of good classroom ideas presented within the corresponding videos. Presentation of techniques would fall flat in black and white, while the videos would display many ideas worthy of borrowing and manipulating.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very well organized. It gave clear descriptions and examples of "close reading" and "complex texts". The authors delve into five different access points for teaching reading. While I did not follow the links via the QR codes in the margins, they do lead to videos of teachers applying the instructional practices described. This resource would make for a great course for teachers, as it also includes modules with links to slides for each of the five access points. Applicable to all K-12 teachers.

[Vicky Chehade · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading Falling in Love with Close Reading, I expected this book to be a more advanced version of Falling in Love... However, I was mistaken. All this book did was analyze the standards and connect it to the importance of reading. I saw the authors of this book at NCTE 2013 and loved their session, but this book seemed to fall flat. It lacked activities and methods to foster close reading. The title was also misleading: Rigorous and Complex being in the title led me to believe that this would be more focused on upper level instruction, but it was the opposite.

[Shannon Adams plechas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas, but I wish the grade levels were separated into different books. This might be a good resource for a district reading specialist, but it was not anything new for existing ELA teachers.

[Kristen Fort · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the ideas in this book are ones I am going to try with my English classes... though this book offers strategies for other curriculum areas such as history and science.

[Becky Soledad · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was fine but I wish I had picked it up almost ten years ago.

[Analese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Work reading!

[Leslie Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Information in this book was a great help when I taught teacher literacy workshops and classes for the USOE.

[Margaret Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beautiful of any great book - whether literary or nonfiction - is that a reader can have new takeaways every time they read it. I read this for the third time as part of a book study, and I still pulled out new nuggets. This time, pieces that resonated included the think-aloud template, the importance of the task in collaborative conversations, and the qualities that constitute effective feedback that creates long-term change in self-regulation. Highly recommend this book!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

While most of this book is pretty dry and details literacy research that I've read elsewhere, there is a stellar chart that discusses the different aspects of text complexity. I plan on using it with my students when they write their next Reading Ladders. My AP-bound students are already referencing it when they think about what will stretch them as readers.

[Lindsey Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say I gained lots of new insight, but Fisher and Frey are right on target with all they say about reading. This is a good text for novice teachers trying to get their feet wet with reading instruction or understand the demands of the Common Core.

[Kim Cataldo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well organized and a good read but there are better for close-reading.

[Karrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some new ideas, a lot of old ideas, and some ideas I vehemently disagreed with. Would be better for content area literacy vs. a LA classroom.

[Dr. Stephanie Douglass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very transferable material to take back to the classroom. Loved the realism of each access point and the application for the classroom.

[Jen H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Succinct and basically on point, but better suited for novice teachers.

[Jamie Johnson Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of real reading instructional strategies.

[Yasmina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for an online book study for work. I was pleasantly surprised by how much information was relevant and useful. I will be using some of these strategies in my classroom.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many ideas to think about and use. Plus letting others know about this book.

[Fayth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needs more options for teaching reading to younger readers!