Three Times a Charm!

Close
Reading with Annotations
Fifth Grade Reading

In fifth grade, students are expected to analyze complex texts on a deeper level. Teach your students to use
close reading strategies, like rereading and annotation symbols, to dive deeper into fictional texts.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to use the close reading strategy to understand a text more deeply.

Materials and preparation Key terms

Class set of Response to Literature annotation symbols

Class set of Close Reading Checklist close reading
One copy of Close Reading Annotations, first
page only
Class set of The Story of the Amulet (optional)
Document projector
A printed or digital image, like Norman
Rockwell's At the Vet's

Attachments

Response to Literature (PDF)

Close Reading Checklist (PDF)
Close Reading Annotations (PDF)
The Story of the Amulet (PDF)

Introduction (5 minutes)

Show students an unfamiliar image for 10 seconds, like Norman Rockwell's At the Vet's. Then hide the
image and ask students to tell you about what they saw. Call on several students to share and urge them
to share as many details as they can recall. Prompt them with additional questions, like "How many dogs
were in the waiting room?"
Show the same image again, but for a longer period of time (about one minute). Hide the image and
again call on students to share what they saw.
Ask students to reflect on the experience of recalling details with the following questions:
"What did you notice the first time you looked at the image?"
"How did it feel to look at it again a second time?"
"What would happen if you looked at it again?"
Explain that this exercise was much like reading. When we read a text one time, we get a big picture, but
we don't notice all the details. When we read something more than one time, we begin to notice more
about the text.
Tell students that today they will practicing a skill called close reading, which is a strategy that allows
readers to develop a deep understanding of a text by rereading, making notes, and analyzing details and
patterns.
Explain that they will be reading a text three times, with a specific focus each time they read. In addition,
they will be making notes as they read using annotation symbols which will help them mark important
words and ideas they want to remember.

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EL

Beginning

Provide sentence frames to encourage student participation in the class discussion (e.g., "When I looked
at the image, I noticed...").

Intermediate

Offer student-friendly definitions for unfamiliar terms like "analyze" and "annotation."

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling (10 minutes)

Display the abbreviated annotation guide at the top of the Close Reading Annotations worksheet. Review
each annotation mark and meaning.
Read "The History of Chocolate" aloud and pause to make annotation marks as you read.
After reading and marking up the text, explain why you made the marks you did. Explain that making
annotations is personal, and will be different for each reader. Remind students that they should not
overuse symbols, however, as it can become overwhelming. For example, they should not mark every
sentence with a star. They should pick only the most important ideas to mark.
EL

Beginning

Limit the number of annotation marks you introduce to three.

Pre-teach challenging vocabulary that students will see in the text.

Intermediate

Have students make flashcards for each of the annotation symbols that are introduced. Each card should
include the symbol on one side, and a student-friendly definition and example on the other side.

Guided Practice (15 minutes)

Hand out the Close Reading Checklist worksheet and read through it as students follow along. Remind
students of the lesson's opening activity and reiterate that it is important to read a challenging text more
than once.
Explain that during the first read, students should be focused on just understanding the big picture. Then,
on the second read they can make notes and pay attention to details. Finally, on the third read, they will
be able to think more deeply in order to analyze the meaning of the text.
Hand out the Response to Literature worksheet and have students make a prediction about the story
based on the title, "The Land of the Blue Flower." Call on a few students to share their predictions.
Read the story aloud as students follow along. Tell students that this was the first read. Have them talk
with a partner about the main idea of the story (i.e., the big picture).
Instruct students to read through the text a second time with their partner and use annotations to mark
up the text as they read. Keep the annotation guide displayed for student reference.
Tell students to read the text a third time on their own. Then, have them work with their partner to
answer the questions on the checklist worksheet.
After students have answered the questions, have each pair of students combine with another pair to
form small groups of four. Give the small groups two minutes to discuss their answers to the questions
and compare their annotations. Then call on several students to share their answers with the class.
EL

Beginning

Teach a mini-lesson on predictions prior to the lesson.

Provide a simpler fiction text that aligns with students' reading level in place of "The Land of the Blue
Flower."
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Intermediate

Strategically pair students so that they are reading and discussing the story with someone who speaks
the same home language (L1) if possible.

Independent working time (15 minutes)

Provide a short text, like "The Story of the Amulet," or have students work with a chapter in a book of
their choice. (Note: if students are reading a book, demonstrate how they can make annotations using
sticky notes.)
Instruct students to go independently through the close reading process again using the checklist and
annotations.
Circulate and offer support as needed.
EL

Beginning

Allow students to listen to an ebook or a recorded story as their first read.

Intermediate

Ensure that the independent text is at students' reading level.

Allow students to use dictionaries or bilingual resources when they encounter unfamiliar vocabulary in
the text.

Related books and/or media

IMAGE: At the Vet's by Norman Rockwell

Find interactive books for each child’s level.

Differentiation

Support:

Pre-teach challenging vocabulary that students will encounter in "The Land of the Blue Flower."
Strategically form partnerships during guided practice so that struggling readers are paired with fluent
readers.
Provide dictionaries for students to use as resources while they read.

Enrichment:

Have students write an analysis of the text after their third read.
Encourage students to use this strategy with complex nonfiction texts.
Introduce additional annotation symbols.

Assessment (5 minutes)

Engage students in a self-assessment exercise. Prompt them with several statements and have them
hold up a number of fingers to show their understanding (e.g., if they feel that they don't understand a
concept or agree with a statement at all, they should hold up one finger and if they have a strong
understanding or agreement, they should hold up five fingers).
"I can use annotations to make notes while I read."
"I focused on the big picture during my first read."
"I understood the text more deeply each time I reread."
"I would feel comfortable using this close reading strategy independently with other texts."
Note student responses to gauge understanding.

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Review and closing (5 minutes)

Lead a whole class discussion about the close reading strategy. Ask students to consider the following
questions:
"When would this strategy be useful? When would it not be useful?"
"How did annotations help you think about details? "
"What was challenging about this activity? What was surprising?"
"What types of texts require close reading?"
EL

Beginning

Provide sentence frames during the class discussion (e.g., "Annotations help me think about details
because...").

Intermediate

Allow students to talk with a partner before engaging in a whole class discussion.

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 Response to Literature
Name:_________________________________________ Date:__________________
An Excerpt from

The Land of the Blue Flower by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Read the story below. Then use the prompt to write a response.

The Land of the Blue Flower was not called by that name until the tall, strong, beautiful King
Amor came down from his castle on the mountain crag and began to reign.
Only once, when he was a boy of twelve, a strange and painful thing happened to him. From
his kingdom in the plains below there had been sent to him a beautiful young horse which had
been bred for him. Never had so magnificent an animal been born in the royal stable. When he
was brought into the courtyard the boy King's eyes shone with joy. He spent the greater part of the
morning in exercising and leaping him over barriers. The Ancient One in his tower chamber heard
his shouts of exultation and encouragement. At last the King went out to try him on the winding
mountain road.
When he returned he went at once to the tower chamber to the Ancient One, who, when he
raised his eyes from his great book, looked at him gravely. "Let us climb to the battlements," the
boy said. "We must talk together."
So they went, and when they stood looking out on the world below, the curving turquoise
sky above them, the eyes of the Ancient One were still more grave. "Tell me, young King."
"Something strange has happened," King Amor answered. "I have felt something I have not
felt before. I was riding my horse around the field on the plateau and he saw something which he
refused to pass. It was a young leopard watching us from a tree. My horse reared and snorted. He
would not listen to me, but backed and wheeled around. I tried in vain to persuade him, and sud-
denly, when I saw I could not make him obey me, this strange new feeling rushed through all my
body. I grew hot and knew my face was scarlet, my heart beat faster and my blood seemed to boil
in my veins. I shouted out harsh, ugly sounds—I forgot that all things are brothers—I lifted my
hand and clenched it and struck my horse again and again. I loved him no longer, I felt that he no
longer loved me. I am hot and wearied and heavy from it still. I feel no more joy. Was it pain I felt? I
have never felt pain and do not know. Was it pain?"
"It was a worse thing," answered the Ancient One. "It was anger. When a man is overcome
by anger he has a poisoned fever. He loses his strength, he loses his power over himself and over
others, he throws away time in which he might have gained the end he most desires. THERE IS NO
TIME FOR ANGER IN THE WORLD."

After reading, respond to this prompt on a separate piece of paper.

In the story, the Ancient One explains that anger is a poison that takes away a person’s
strength and power. Describe a time that you were poisoned by anger. Compare your own
experience to that of King Amor.
*Hint: Try using words like similarly, unlike, or comparatively and refer to specific examples in the
story.
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 Close Reading Checklist
Name: _______________________________ Date: ____________________

What is the purpose of this text?

First Reading
What does it say?
 Read the title and make a
prediction about the text.
 After reading, think about what
the text is mostly about.
 Talk to a partner and share your
thoughts and ideas.
Second Reading
How does the text work?
 Highlight the title and/or headings.
 Underline the topic sentences.
 Circle powerful words and phrases.
 Draw a next to any important
ideas.
 Put a ? next to confusing parts.
Write your thoughts in the margin.
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
What is the main idea?
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
What evidence in the text supports
the main idea? Record specific
quotes.
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

Third Reading What are your thoughts?

What does it mean? ______________________________
______________________________
While reading, think about the ______________________________
following questions: ______________________________
 What is the purpose of the text?
 What is the main idea? How does this text connect to other
 What evidence supports the texts?
main idea? ______________________________
 What are your own thoughts and ______________________________
opinions? ______________________________
 How does this text connect to ______________________________
other texts?
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 Close Reading Annotations
Name: _______________________________ Date: ____________________
Annotations are thinking marks that you use to record your thoughts while you read.

Underline the topic sentences and main idea.

Circle powerful words and phrases.

Draw a star next to any important ideas.

Put a question mark next to confusing parts or anything you have a question about.

Box words you don’t know.

Mark interesting or surprising parts with an exclamation point.

Write your thoughts in the margin.

Use annotations to make thinking marks as you read the following passage.
The History of Chocolate
When you think of chocolate, you probably imagine your favorite
candy bar. But, when chocolate was first discovered over 4,000 years ago, it
was actually consumed as a bitter-tasting drink mixed with honey, vanilla,
and chili peppers. Chocolate is made from a bean called cacao, which is
grown on trees that are native to Central and South America. After the beans
are picked, they are allowed to ferment and dry for several weeks before
being made into chocolate.
In the 14th century, the Aztec and Mayan people living in Mexico and
Central America believed that chocolate had mystical properties. They used
chocolate at sacred ceremonies and reserved chocolate for rulers and priests.
In fact, chocolate was so desirable that cacao beans were used as currency.
For example, in 1545, one cacao bean could buy a large tomato and 100
the
cacao beans could be traded for a whole turkey. e is called
a c ur
This sp . Write yo
a r g in
m here!
notes
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 Close Reading Annotations
Annotation Guide

Before Reading

Preview the text by looking at it quickly to notice its title, struc-

ture, and things that stand out, like images and headings.

1 Number the paragraphs and circle the numbers so that you

can reference them later.

While Reading

Underline the topic sentences and main idea.

Circle powerful words and phrases.

Draw a star next to any important ideas.

Put a question mark next to confusing parts or anything you

have a question about.

Box words you don’t know.

Mark interesting or surprising parts with an exclamation point.

Draw a heart next to your favorite part(s) of the text.

C When you have a connection, mark it with a C.

E Put an E next to evidence that supports the main idea.

Write your thoughts in the margin.

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 Name: Date:

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

The Story of the Amulet

by E. Nesbit
There were once four children who spent their summer holidays in a white house, happily
situated between a sandpit and a chalkpit. One day they had the good fortune to find in the sandpit
a strange creature. Its eyes were on long horns like snail’s eyes, and it could move them in and out
like telescopes. It had ears like a bat’s ears, and its tubby body was shaped like a spider’s and covered
with thick soft fur−and it had hands and feet like a monkey’s. It told the children−whose names were
Cyril, Robert, Anthea, and Jane−that it was a Psammead or sand-fairy. (Psammead is pronounced
Sammy-ad.) It was old, old, old, and its birthday was almost at the beginning of everything. And it
had been buried in the sand for thousands of years. But it still kept its fairylikeness, and part of this
fairylikeness was its power to give people whatever they wished for. You know fairies have always
been able to do this. Cyril, Robert, Anthea, and Jane now found their wishes come true; but,
somehow, they never could think of just the right things to wish for, and their wishes sometimes
turned out very oddly indeed. In the end their unwise wishings landed them in what Robert called
‘a very tight place indeed,’ and the Psammead consented to help them out of it in return for their
promise never never to ask it to grant them any more wishes, and never to tell anyone about it,
because it did not want to be bothered to give wishes to anyone ever anymore. At the moment of
parting Jane said politely, “I wish we were going to see you again some day.” And the Psammead,
touched by this friendly thought, granted the wish.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

1. What is the author’s purpose? Circle one.

to persuade to inform to entertain

2. What evidence did you find in the text that revealed the author’s purpose?

3. If the Psammead agreed to grant you a wish, what would you wish for?

4. Explain what Robert meant when he said they had landed in “a very tight place.”

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