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Signposts for Close Reading Instruction and Critical Authentic Reading

Karen Walcher
University of St. Thomas
EDUC 6326

Running head: SIGNPOSTS FOR CLOSE READING INSTRUCTION AND CRITICAL

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The implementation of Common Core standards has caused states to raise the rigor of
literacy instruction in the upper elementary classroom. The rigor in literacy instruction has also
extended into non Common Core states such as Texas. Serafini states that the concept of Close
reading permeates the Common Core and suggests a particular way of reading and responding to
text (2013). To meet this challenge, school district and administrators are preparing their
teachers to meet this new particular way of reading. In order to support a readers
comprehension abilities and their development of argument and supporting evidence, teachers
need to help students set purposes for reading, promote connections to previously read texts,
activate background knowledge, review key ideas and details, create text-dependent questions,
talk about what has been read, and spend time analyzing the various visual and textual elements
of a text in more depth (2013). The Common Core State Standards Fisher and Frey state that this
has generated some debate as various stakeholders discuss the merits of this approach (2012).
Beer and Probsts Notice and Note Strategies for Close Reading are a straightforward approach
to teaching close reading which in turn will raise rigor and critical thinking in the classroom.
These signposts help readers attend to the structures and literary elements in the complex texts
they will be asked to read (2013).
Close reading of text is one way of applying critical thinking into the literacy classroom.
It demands that students analyze the text in front of them. This close analysis of the text in front
of them will create more proficient readers. Serafini explains that through a more deliberate type
of active reading that is purposeful and objective driven, readers will become more proficient in
their reading abilities (2014). He goes on to explain that through the interpretation of words and
phrases, the analysis of the structures of text, and understanding the authors reasoning and the
use of evidence readers are to deepen their comprehension of text. This forces readers to move

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away from background knowledge to apply critical thinking skills and develop a logical response
to their reading (2014). The evidence for practicing close reading in the classroom is significant.
Neuman and Roskos assert that rereading improves meta-comprehension accuracy, a critical
strategy when reading to learn complex material (2014).
Implementing close reading in literacy instruction has caused a rapid change in
instruction in a relatively short period of time. For some teachers, this term might take them
back to their own reading classes in high school and college, for others the term close reading
may be entirely new, and recent discussion on this particular type of reading might leave them
confused and worried about how this may affect their teaching (2013). My own experience
demonstrates that these signposts are straightforward in their implementation, and the teacher
training is simple enough to administer so that many teachers can partake in the professional
development to get started using the signposts. Teachers teach students to notice 6 signposts as
they read a fiction novel. The signposts are as follows (1) contrast and contradictions, (2) aha
moments, (3) tough questions, (4) words of the wiser, (5) again and again, and (6) memory
moment. Once each signpost is noticed, students reflect upon and answer the anchor question
that is provided with each signpost. During the development of the Notice and Note Signpost
Strategies Beers and Probst noticed the more students used the signposts, the more they were
using the comprehension processes: visualizing, predicting, summarizing, clarifying,
questioning, inferring, and making predictions (2013).
Some might argue that close reading in classrooms could have negative effects on reading
enjoyment. An example of this argument is given by Collette Bennett, an educator for 21 years,
when she states in her commentary that the power of a good story is to capture imagination, and
to develop readers empathy or to provide a moment of escapism will be burdened with rote

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questioning. This practice cannot contribute positively to students picking up a text and enjoying
a story if they have never let a story speak for itself (2013). The concern with this argument is
that as educators we are being called to give students the tools so that they may have a deeper
understanding of text that is beyond the plot. In their book Beers and Probst cite literary author
Louise Rosenblatt as she explains that if our goal in reading is to simply carry away information,
then we should read with an efferent stance. But if our goal is to enter deeply into text, to see
ourselves and decide if we agree or disagree with the text, to find out more about ourselves and
others and the world around us, then we need a more aesthetic stance (2013). As educators, we
can teach our students to read with an efferent stance and an aesthetic stance, depending on our
purpose. With enough practice they can read and enjoy reading their narrative while being
taught to stop and notice at vital points in the story to ask questions that promote deeper
meaning.
Close reading is a method that promotes critical thinking and engagement with text. It
creates dialogue between the text and the reader. Students are being prompted to meet this
challenge and educators need to be prepared to guide students. Notice and Note Signposts are
clear, rigorous, and are transferrable between texts. Signposts allow students to become less
dependent on teachers asking questions, and allow them to notice when to stop and ask questions
so that let them reflect on the text, while continuing to enjoy the narrative of the story. It is
helping to meet the demands that are being required of a reader today. The implication for
teachers are a straightforward set of strategies that make teaching and learning close reading a
rigorous, reflective, and enjoyable experience for all stakeholders.

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References

Beers, K., & Probst, R. E. (2013). Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.

Bennett, C. (2013, February 12). Warning! Close Reading Questions Pose More Problems Than
They Appear. In SmartBlog on Education. Retrieved from
http://smartblogs.com/education/2013/02/12/warning-close-reading-questions-pose-moreproblems-than-they-appear/
Dalton, B. (2013). Engaging Children in Close Reading. The Reading Teacher, 66(8), 642-649.
Roskos, K., & Neuman, S. B. (2014). Best Practices in Reading. The Reading Teacher, 67(7),
507-511.
Serafini, F. (2013). Close Reading and Children's Literature. The Reading Teacher, 67(4), 299301.