University of St. Joseph’s and Bloomfield Public Schools Partnership Project
Ellen J. Stoltz, Ph.D.
Chief Academic Officer
Jennifer Hornyak, M.S.
Elementary Teacher
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PURPOSE: Model strategies to increase reading
comprehension for successful close reading for ALL
students
PROCESS: Co-teaching, modeling Effective Teaching
Strategies (Peery, A. 2011), sorting, viewing, handson guided and independent practice
PAY-OFF: You will learn strategies to use purposefully
with YOUR students!
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Setting the Scene for Learning
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I believe that students learn to read in grades
Pre-K-2 and read to learn in grades 3college.
Yes
No
Not Certain
When I read closely, I understand 100% of
what I read.
Yes
No
Not Certain
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Activate Prior Knowledge, Personalize Learning
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I enjoy discussing a favorite book with friends
and learn from their thinking.
Yes
No
Not Certain
I know how and when to implement specific
comprehension strategies to personalize
instruction for ALL students.
Yes
No
Not Certain

Activate Prior Knowledge, Personalize Learning
 “Strategies
are a means to
deepen the reading experience
and give students a language
to discuss the process of
constructing meaning.”
~Keene, E. & Zimmerman, S. (2007).
Mosaic of Thought
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Present Big Idea
We want Pre-K-Grade 12 students to comprehend in
literal, critical, and evaluative ways
to master State Standards
measured
by summative assessments
THEN…
How do we teach close reading to ALL students to
ensure deep understanding?
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Purpose for Learning and Expected Outcomes
Strategy
Instruction Can
Be Personalized
Strategy
Instruction can
be Diagnosed
Thinking About
Text Begins at an
Early Age
Conversation
Increases Meaning
and Associations
Reading
Comprehension
is COMPLEX
 Use Non-Linguistic Representations for Visual Learners

Good Teachers teach Close Reading
strategies to improve students' overall
comprehension
What is Close Reading?
 Close Reading is rereading with different
lenses
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Close Reading will be required for ALL
students
Teachers will need to expand their repertoire
of deep reading comprehension strategies
Assessment results will place students in a
wider range of skill and knowledge

Connect objective
 Short
texts
 Chunk text
 Re-read
 Underline and circle important
words – with a purpose!
 Use stickies or the margin to
write what the author is saying
(the gist)
Lightning Bolt!!!
Semantic Feature
Analysis or Degrees of
Reading Power (DRP)
 Key Words
 Signal Words
 Similarities
 Differences
 Pronoun Referents
Metacognitive Strategies
PROCESS of READING to
Understand Author’s Message
PRODUCT of READING to Read
Closely
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Visualizing
Predicting
Making Connections
Summarizing
Questioning
Clarifying
Teach Key
Words/Phrases-
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Read/skim to
look for Main Idea
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Reread to Connect
 Teach
Signal
 Teach
Patterns
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Ideas
Determine Author's
Message
Close Reading Steps
Words
How I teach this
Key Words are important in helping determine
the main idea.
 This first read is for the purpose of getting the
general idea or “gist" of the text/passage.
 It will help the student activate prior knowledge
on the topic - making comprehension easier
 If the child has no prior knowledge, this first read
will help create a mindset or schema of the topic.
TO DO: Children list key words while they read to
help them find the main idea.
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But, Thomas Jefferson was more
than a leader and lawmaker. He
designed his Virginia home, called
Monticello. He invented a lap desk and a
plow. He played violin while his wife
Martha played the harpsichord. He also
grew beautiful flowers, herbs, and
vegetables in huge gardens at
Monticello. Jefferson owned many
slaves, yet he thought slavery was cruel.
He wanted to write something against
the practice of slavery in the Declaration
of Independence but was out-voted.
As an educator, Thomas Jefferson
founded the University of Virginia. He
also designed some of the loveliest
buildings. Jefferson’s picture is on the
nickel. When you turn it over, you will
see Monticello.
Read through
Find Key Words
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But, Thomas Jefferson was more
than a leader and lawmaker. He
designed his Virginia home, called
Monticello. He invented a lap desk
and a plow. He played violin while his
wife Martha played the harpsichord.
He also grew beautiful flowers,
herbs, and vegetables in huge
gardens at Monticello. Jefferson
owned many slaves, yet he thought
slavery was cruel. He wanted to write
something against the practice of
slavery in the Declaration of
Independence but was out-voted.
As an educator, Thomas Jefferson
founded the University of Virginia. He
also designed some of its loveliest
buildings. Jefferson’s picture is on
the nickel. When you turn it over, you
will see Monticello.
Key words found
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Signal Words help the reader link ideas
together.
They tell them something is coming
They are a "signal" to look for something
important in the reading.
Signal Words give clues to Author’s Craft
There are four types of signal words:
sequence, cause, continuing, change
main
1,2,3
idea.
1. Lila chased AJ. AJ chased Lila.
 Lila chased AJ, then AJ chased Lila.
 AJ chased Lila after Lila chased AJ.
2. Maggie gave Emily a pencil. Emily was
happy.
 Emily was happy because Maggie gave her a
pencil.
3. Maggie, Lauren, Wiley and Donald are
holding hands with each other.
4. There is no school on April 29th, however
teachers need to be there.
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But, Thomas Jefferson was more
than a leader and lawmaker. He
designed his Virginia home, called
Monticello. He invented a lap desk
and a plow. He played violin while his
wife Martha played the harpsichord.
He also grew beautiful flowers,
herbs, and vegetables in huge
gardens at Monticello. Jefferson
owned many slaves, yet he thought
slavery was cruel. He wanted to write
something against the practice of
slavery in the Declaration of
Independence but was out-voted.
As an educator, Thomas Jefferson
founded the University of Virginia. He
also designed some of the loveliest
buildings. Jefferson’s picture is on
the nickel. When you turn it over, you
will see Monticello.
Read through
Find Signal Words
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
But, Thomas Jefferson was more than
a leader and lawmaker. He designed
his Virginia home, called Monticello.
He invented a lap desk and a plow.
He played violin while his wife Martha
played the harpsichord. He also grew
beautiful flowers, herbs, and
vegetables in huge gardens at
Monticello. Jefferson owned many
slaves, yet he thought slavery was
cruel. He wanted to write something
against the practice of slavery in the
Declaration of Independence but was
out-voted.
As an educator, Thomas Jefferson
founded the University of Virginia. He
also designed some of the loveliest
buildings. Jefferson’s picture is on
the nickel. When you turn it over, you
will see Monticello.
Signal Words found
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Diagnose areas of concern
Example: Student does not understand
author’s use of signal words, i.e. then,
however, consequently; Student does not
understand how sentences or ideas connect
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Instruct deeply at the semantic level
Example: Teach categories of signal words
that connote author’s meaning: sequence,
cause, continuing, change
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SEQUENCE 1,2,3
FIRST
LAST
CONTINUING
DURING
PROCESS of READING to
Understand Author’s Message
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CAUSE
IF, THEN, AS SOON AS
CHANGE
DESPITE
PROCESS of READING to
Understand Author’s Message
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Let’s try this activity…
Signal Word Sort
http://www.bloomfieldschools.org/uplo
aded/downloads/Instructional_Leadershi
p/DRP_Key_Reading_Strategies_FINAL_3
-5-12.pdf
This is our goal
 What does the author want me to
understand from this passage?
 Look for important words and their
patterns –categorize words to help
determine author’s intent, craft, and
word choice
 What are these important words
telling me?
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
But, Thomas Jefferson was more than
a leader and lawmaker. He designed
his Virginia home, called Monticello.
He invented a lap desk and a plow.
He played violin while his wife Martha
played the harpsichord. He also grew
beautiful flowers, herbs, and
vegetables in huge gardens at
Monticello. Jefferson owned many
slaves, yet he thought slavery was
cruel. He wanted to write something
against the practice of slavery in the
Declaration of Independence but was
out-voted.
As an educator, Thomas Jefferson
founded the University of Virginia. He
also designed some of the loveliest
buildings. Jefferson’s picture is on
the nickel. When you turn it over, you
will see Monticello.
Do you see patterns?


But, Thomas Jefferson was more than
a leader and lawmaker. He designed
his Virginia home, called Monticello.
He invented a lap desk and a plow.
He played violin while his wife Martha
played the harpsichord. He also grew
beautiful flowers, herbs, and
vegetables in huge gardens at
Monticello. Jefferson owned many
slaves, yet he thought slavery was
cruel. He wanted to write something
against the practice of slavery in the
Declaration of Independence but was
out-voted.
As an educator, Thomas Jefferson
founded the University of Virginia. He
also designed some of the loveliest
buildings. Jefferson’s picture is on
the nickel. When you turn it over, you
will see Monticello.
What is the Author’s Message?
As good teachers we must ask
ourselves this…
 In order to teach it and model it, we
need to make sure we do it.
 Keep in mind in your classroom - you
might not teach all strategies in one
sitting 
The solar system is made up of the Sun, the 8
planets and their 137 known moons, asteroids, comets,
dust, and gas. The planets, asteroids, and comets travel
around the Sun, the center of our solar system.
Most bodies in the solar system travel around the
Sun along nearly circular paths or orbits, and all the
planets travel about the sun in the anticlockwise
direction. (when viewed from above)
Solar system formation began billions of years ago,
when gases and dust began to come together to form the
Sun, planets, and other bodies of the solar system.
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finding patterns in Author’s Word Choice –what does the Author
obviously want me to know/learn from this
The solar system is made up of the Sun, the 8 planets
and their 137 known moons, asteroids, comets, dust, and
gas. The planets, asteroids, and comets travel around the
Sun, the center of our solar system.
Most bodies in the solar system travel around the
Sun along nearly circular paths or orbits, and all the
planets travel about the sun in the anticlockwise
direction. (when viewed from above)
Solar system formation began billions of years ago,
when gases and dust began to come together to form the
Sun, planets, and other bodies of the solar system.
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Turn and talk
Think of a read aloud or a piece of text article
– something that you do in your classroom –
that you can enhance by teaching Close
reading with it
Make it meaningful –teach strategies using
text the children can connect to their learning
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Build Class Stamina Graph
Use Stickies
Share your own reading (model all the strategies in your
own reading)
Commit to a Daily Read Aloud
Remarkable Word List
Fabulous Phrase List
Class Read a thon
Set Reading Goal
Write about reading EVERYDAY
Partner share
Sketch and label
Act it out
Book Clubs – kids hold kids accountable


I believe that students learn to read in grades
Pre-K-2 and read to learn in grades 3college.
Yes
No
Not Certain
When I read closely, I understand 100% of
what I read.
Yes
No
Not Certain

Activating Prior Knowledge and Personalization of Learning


I enjoy discussing a favorite book with friends
and learn from their thinking.
Yes
No
Not Certain
I know how and when to implement specific
comprehension strategies to personalize
instruction for ALL students.
Yes
No
Not Certain

Activating Prior Knowledge and Personalization of Learning
1. As a result of participating in this workshop, I
now know
that__________________________________________
______________________________________________
.
2. As a result of participating in this workshop, I
will be able to
__________________________________________
_____________________________________________.
◦ Checking for Understanding and Meaningful Feedback