NORTH BILLERICA, Mass. — Curriculum Associates has added new Close Reading lessons for grades 3–5 to its award-winning i-Ready® Diagnostic & Instruction online program. This next generation of i-Ready lessons provides complex, authentic texts that help students build their close reading habits to meet the rigor of the Common Core for each targeted standard, as well as the broader set of anchor standards. The lessons are designed to deepen students’ reading comprehension and motivate them as they experience and grow accustomed to reading rigorous text independently.
Curriculum Associates’ author, Dr. D. Ray Reutzel, Ph.D., explains, “Close reading is an uber-strategy that helps students to independently comprehend increasingly challenging texts.” Close reading involves the use of evidence-based comprehension strategies planned around repeated readings of a text and embedded in teacher-guided discussions.
“Our new Close Reading lessons are the next generation of i-Ready instruction, providing interactive and engaging content that leads to students’ text comprehension,” said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates.
The Close Reading lessons provide additional instruction and practice on the standards and give students the opportunity to interact deeply with challenging, high-quality literary and informational texts, supported by familiar i-Ready characters. Handpicked by literacy experts, the new lessons offer complex and authentic texts from well-known, award-winning authors of literary texts, including Pam Muñoz Ryan, Sandra Markle, Joseph Bruchac, and others. The informational texts are drawn from reputable, real-world sources, including periodicals published specifically for students, such as Arts and Sciences for Kids (ASK) Magazine, Cobblestone Magazine, MUSE Magazine, and more.
As part of Curriculum Associates’ next generation lesson design, a unique, interactive user interface keeps students engaged as they learn to read rigorous texts independently, and complete short and extended writing responses. Close Reading lessons are presented to students as part of their personalized lesson plan and follow the existing reading comprehension lesson.
About i-Ready
Built for the Common Core, i-Ready combines a valid and reliable measure and personalized instruction in a single online product. The adaptive diagnostic for grades K–12 pinpoints student needs down to the sub-skill level and generates a combination of online instruction for grades K–8 and downloadable teacher-led lessons that are unique to each student’s diagnostic result, in addition to providing targeted skill instruction support through mobile apps. These individualized instructional plans are easy to understand, differentiate instruction, and support a blended learning solution.
i-Ready also provides Growth Monitoring which gives educators monthly opportunities to monitor student growth using several data points, making it possible to project end-of-year performance and growth for each student. Growth Monitoring provides a gauge on the effectiveness of instruction and keeps teachers moving forward on an instructional plan, to tweak lessons, or change course as needed.
To learn more about i-Ready and its new Close Reading lessons, visit www.i-ready.com/nextgeneration. To learn more about close reading, download The Habits of Close Reading whitepaper by Dr. Reutzel at http://www.curriculumassociates.com/ReadingWP.
About Curriculum Associates
Founded in 1969, privately owned Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company’s products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.
