ABSTRACT
Close reading is purposeful re-readings and analysis of short pieces of complex text. With a clear instructional purpose set for the close reading of a passage, each reading, or reading cycle, centers on a question or task that moves the student closer and closer to the instructional target. Each reading cycle and its accompanying question or task, then, must be intentional and progressive in its movement toward the ultimate purpose—so the individual reading cycles operate as discrete objectives while simultaneously advancing student thinking and understanding toward a predetermined goal.
