The Common Core Standards emphasize that in order for students to be college and career ready, they must be able to deeply comprehend and analyze texts. Close reading and text-dependent questions provide a way for teachers to help meet these requirements. This handy guide includes an introduction to close reading, a guide to choosing appropriate texts, steps in the learning process, tips for scaffolding and a close reading planning template with a sample text. Also includes tips for creating and responding to text-dependent questions, as well as text-dependent question stems tied to specific CCSS standards.