Close Reading with Paired Texts Secondary: Engaging Lessons to Improve Comprehension

Engage students in complex literary strategies as they dive into exploring rich pairs of fiction and nonfiction texts. Written by Lori Oczkus and Timothy Rasinski, this resource brings together two key strategies from the Common Core State Standards: close reading of paired texts. It provides teachers with the opportunity to use close reading strategies, reciprocal teaching, paired fiction/nonfiction texts, text sets, text-dependent questions, and hands-on activities. It includes 12 units across 4 content areas: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Key differentiation strategies used in today's classrooms are provided including open-ended tasks and activities strong for multiple intelligences, and each unit includes text-dependent assessment for each text type. Aligned to McREL and Common Core State Standards, this resource prepares students for college and career.