Close Reading of Informational Sources: Assessment-Driven Instruction in Grades 3-8

by Sunday Cummins

This widely used teacher resource and course text--now significantly revised with 75% new content--provides a flexible approach to fostering high-level understanding of a wide variety of informational sources in grades 3–8. Through the lens of a new three-phase lesson plan, the author explains how to teach students to think critically about sources, monitor for meaning, identify main ideas, explain key details, and make sense of unfamiliar vocabulary. Now in a convenient large-size format, the second edition is packed with practical features, including a detailed study guide and links to recommended online videos. The companion website allows readers to download and print a reproducible lesson planning template and quick-reference tools, as well as additional resources referenced in the book. Prior edition title: Close Reading of Informational Texts.
 
New to This Edition
*Substantially revised and updated to reflect the ongoing development of the author's approach; lessons now comprise three clearly defined phases. 
*Expanded to cover close "reading” of video, audio, and infographics, as well as traditional texts.
*Chapters on new topics: selecting sources and teaching the use of context clues to learn new vocabulary.
*Additional practical features: sidebars with clear explanations of comprehension strategies, sample lessons, examples of students’ written responses, suggestions for assessment, tips for follow-up instruction, companion website, and more.

Genres: Education, Professional Development, School

258 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2012

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. It did a great job of breaking down what Close Reading is. Each strategy was explained in depth and text ideas were given. The author has a great blog worthy of following. I finished this book energized and anxious to teach nonfiction at a much higher level than I had ever done before. This is a must own book. Very teacher friendly.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough great things about this book on Close Reading! I have attended several trainings at my district on close reading, and I've read articles, books, etc. on the topic as well. Sunday Cummins does the best job of explaining step-by-step how to teach students to read closely.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As set forth in the foreword by the great Camille Blachowicz, Cummins’s innovation is to begin students’ engagement with close reading through synthesis. As I reflect on my own practice, I think about how synthesis has so often been saved for last. Cummins argues that all reading, rereading, annotating, purposeful talk, and writing should be done in service of synthesis and that “instructional moments are part of a larger long-term conversation with our students about the multiple ways in which authors structure or build their texts to convey their central ideas”; shouldn’t kids know why before they even begin? Can you imagine the possibilities for writing? Cummins grounds purposeful and strategic practice in research in a way that will lead readers to closely read independently, flexibly, and automatically. A must read!

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because one of my favorite professors wrote it and it did not disappoint. I was hearing a lot of back and forth about what "close reading" really meant, but Cummins is able to explicitly outline what it means for students and teachers and takes away the scariness of something new. Further, she goes into detail with lesson structures, ideas, and talk that help you, as an educator, to visualize what it looks like to teach these concepts. I really felt like I could walk into my classroom and implement this work in a coherent way after reading this book.

I highly recommend this for anyone teaching close reading. Even though it's for grades 3-8, in my experience as a high school English teacher, I can definitely see how this instruction can directly apply to those arenas as well. It will remain a valuable resource on my shelf.

[Laura Giessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, practical source for teaching skills needed for close reading. Some of the best parts of the book for me were tables that gave suggestions for conferring on these various skills and rubrics to gauge student progress in each area: Synthesis (Tables 3.1 and 3.2), Using Text Features (Tables 4.2 and 4.3), Previewing and Predicting to Set a Purpose (Tables 5.2 and 5.3), Self-Monitoring (Tables 6.1 and 6.2), Determining Importance (Tables 7.1 and 7.2). Other great usable ideas were a framed photo analogy for synthesis; THIEVES mnemonic for previewing; coding and sentence frames for self-monitoring; pasta analogy and foldables for determining importance (for sequencing, comparison, cause-effect/problem-solution); and an I-Chart for determining importance across texts (research). A bit wordy and detailed, but this could be helpful when trying to implement.

[Paula Boyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This professional resource book gives teachers clear and specific instructions about how to teach close reading of informational sources. I am looking forward to using some of Dr. Cummins' ideas and resources to teach middle schoolers how to navigate nonfiction sources, how to determine importance in what they are reading, and how to find supportive details. The three phase lesson plan outline in this book, Meet the Source, Meet the Strategies, Meet the Response is a great way to introduce students to the concepts presented in the book. The inquiry chart and lessons on synthesizing information found in multiple sources is particularly helpful. I will be selecting some of the suggestions for use in my own classroom this fall.

[Christy Valyou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on close reading. It's grounded on best practices and really connects how to use the gradual release of responsibility to scaffold students' understandings. I love that this book is grounded in best practice and in no way misinterprets the CCSS's emphasis on "reading within the four corners of the text". There are many books out there about close reading but I found this one and Notice and Note to be the most useful resources.

[Rochelle Eiseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though it has taken me a while to finish this book, I really have learned so much from it. I can't wait to try some of the strategies described in this book with my students while reading informational text. I am hoping to get them more excited about reading science and history!

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I have already taught many of the lessons. It is a must read!

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying it out next week!