This resource is part of a series produced by the Center for Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI) to assist teachers and those who support teachers to plan teaching and learning from College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) for all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, academically at-risk students, students living in extreme poverty, and gifted/talented students. The series of resources addresses key shifts in learning and teaching represented in the CCRS. This resource uses the Common Core State Standards (CCSS; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010) as an example of CCRS. The processes described in this resource are applicable to all States' CCRS, including the CCSS. The content of this resource is drawn from leading theory and research about learning and formative assessment and from an examination of the CCSS. This resource guides teachers in the process of instructional planning for close reading with students, and is organized as a series of steps that teachers can follow as they prepare for close reading. These steps include: (1) gaining an understanding of close reading; (2) selecting appropriate texts to use with students; (3) priming text: reading the selected text multiple times to (a) annotate text to gain increased understanding of the text, and (b) extract and record relevant information from the text; (4) developing text-dependent questions to stimulate student thinking and discussion of the text; and (5) using evidence gathered from the close reading process to inform instructional next steps (formative assessment). A section on background reading is included.