23 Close Reading Anchor Charts That Will Help Your Students Dig Deep

Take a closer look.

close reading anchor charts

Close reading means reading a text multiple times and using strategies to understand the text’s deeper meaning. To help you teach close reading, here is a round up of some of our favorite close reading anchor charts. 

Start with a definition. 

Introduce the steps of close reading to your students with this anchor chart.  

SOURCE: Two Little Birds

This chart lays out the process nicely. 

 SOURCE: Ms. Houser

Close reading is reading a text multiple times. 

These anchor charts explain how and why students read the text multiple times. 

Close Reading Anchor Charts

 SOURCE: Elementary Nest

 SOURCE: Tara’s Fourth Grade Frolics

This chart gives students questions to think about as they read. 

 SOURCE: Wise Guys

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Read with purpose.

Questions reader should be asking themselves as they read. 

 SOURCE: Fern Smith’s Classroom Ideas

Take notes as you read. 

Annotate, or in other words take notes, to show your thinking. There are many methods for annotating—from using basic marks and highlighting to writing in the margins and using sticky notes. Write down any vocabulary words that are new to you. 

 SOURCE: The Teacher Studio

Use simple annotation marks. 

SOURCE: A New Day of Learning

Use sticky notes. 

close reading anchor charts

 SOURCE: Mrs. Quimby Reads

Think marks are one strategy for taking notes. 

Close Reading Anchor Charts

SOURCE: Life in Fifth Grade

Annotating symbols that students can write on copies of the text or on sticky notes. 

 SOURCE: Pinterest

Another version. 

 SOURCE: Pinterest

And yet another. 

 SOURCE: Pinterest

This chart shows why it is important to take notes. 

SOURCE: Pinterest

This anchor chart points when it is important to stop and take notes.   

 

SOURCE: Pinterest

Summarize to answer questions. 

When students read a longer text, it’s helpful to break it into sections, writing a summary sentence for each section. 

SOURCE: Upper Elementary Snapshots

This anchor chart shows how to pick out basic ideas in a text. 

SOURCE: ELA in the Middle

Search for evidence. 

As students take notes, they are gathering evidence from the text to answer questions. 

SOURCE: ELA in the Middle

This anchor chart gives students sentence starters to find evidence in a text. 

 SOURCE: Usazconvention

This chart shows key words to use when stating evidence. 

 SOURCE: How To Do It

Talk about what you’ve read.

An important part of the close reading process is talking about what you’ve read. This anchor chart gives students language to talk with a partner.  

 

 SOURCE: Teach-a-Roo

This anchor chart gives students language to share their point of view. 

 SOURCE: Julie Ballew

More conversation starters. 

 SOURCE: Life in 4B

 What are your go-to close reading anchor charts? Come share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Also, check out our favorite nonfiction and reading comprehension anchor charts. 

23 Close Reading Anchor Charts That Will Help Your Students Dig Deep