Falling In Love With Close Reading by Chris Lehman

Lessons for Analyzing Texts—and Life

A practical guide for teachers that reframes close reading as an engaging, student-centered habit of mind. It offers a clear, repeatable process—finding patterns in word choice, structure, and ideas; analyzing their effects; and building evidence-based interpretations—applied to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, media, and digital texts. With mini-lessons, annotated examples, and tools for conferences and small groups, it shows how to integrate standards without reducing reading to test prep, helping students grow independence, curiosity, and joy while tackling complex texts.