Last week I had the opportunity to model a close reading lesson in our fifth grade classroom. The classroom teacher asked me to do this so her student teacher would be able to incorporate close reading instruction into the ELA block. The fifth grade teacher asked me to use the passage "I Will Fight No More Forever" which she found in 24 Nonfiction Passages for Test Prep: Grades 4-5. Below you will see my lesson plan, a PDF of my slides, as well as a video excerpt of my lesson.

Note: I used my Swivl for this lesson and forgot to turn on the auto tilt! I promise there are 20 fifth graders in the classroom, unfortunately you just can't see them! 

During my presentation at the International Literacy Association's annual conference, I shared a playlist of songs I have used for close reading lessons. Attendees asked if I had a list of the songs I have used, and I promised I would post them on my website once i returned from the conference.

Below are the song titles I have used in close reading lessons with grades 3-5: 

                                                            Songs used for Close Reading Lessons
"The Circle of Life" by Elton John
"Let it Go" by Idina Menzel
"Firework" by Katy Perry
"Roar" by Katy Perry
"Brave" by Sara Bareilles
"Be" by Usher
"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield
"Bare Necessities" from Jungle Book

Today I had the opportunity to model a close reading lesson in a fifth grade classroom. The ELA unit the class is currently working through surrounds poetry and figurative language, so I chose to use the poem "My Grandmother Had One Good Coat" for the close read. Overall, I was pleased with the reading stamina of the class, the connections they made, and the evidence cited to defend their opinion regarding the author's purpose. I look forward to modeling additional close reading lessons in fifth grade, and at other grade levels this year. 

Lesson Quick Facts: 
Learning Target: I can use the main ideas and key details to make inferences and determine the main message of the text. 

Read 1: What the text says
         Highlight key words that help you determine what time of year it is. 
Read 2: How the text works
         What was the author's purpose for writing the poem? 
Read 3: What the text means
         Make connections to other texts, events in your life, tv shows/movies you've seen

Successes: 

• Evidence cited to support their opinion regarding the author's purpose
• Connections students made

Things to try next time: 

• Productive Group Work Strategy "Numbered Heads Together" when discussing the author's purpose. 
• I'm interested in trying digital annotation, and using a poem could be the perfect way to start. 

Text Used: