Between Independence and Scaffolding

How To Do A Close Reading Lesson in Any Subject by Jennifer Serravallo
Cult of Pedagogy, January 19, 2025

Kids read all day long, or at least they should, yet reading achievement remains at an all-time low. In this insightful and highly relevant podcast, Jennifer Serravallo focuses on close reading, one of her seven research-backed lesson structures for explicitly teaching reading across subject areas. She emphasizes the importance of contextualizing reading practices and using close reading to help students make sense of complex texts with multiple layers of meaning. This podcast offers both practical insight into lesson ideas across elementary, middle, and high school and small, intentional adjustments teachers can make that lead to meaningful impact for learners of all ages. Serravallo goes beyond building background knowledge and calls on teachers to prioritize explicit instruction, guided practice, and meaningful feedback. She underscores the need to not only teach reading strategies, but also to embed prompts, procedures, and transferable skills across disciplines. Additionally, Serravallo highlights the importance of leveraging text features to support comprehension, especially when synthesizing information in informational texts. Her approach strikes a thoughtful balance between independence and scaffolding through partner talk, teacher prompting, and purposeful rereading, making learning both social and active. This podcast offers educators a space to reflect on their teaching practices with the goal of producing more intentional, student-centered learning.

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