CoPassage

The thinking behind
the questions.

Keep reading support connected to class. Help students think for themselves.

Six principles guide how we design facilitation guides and student worksheets. Each one keeps the classroom text, the student, and the educator at the heart of the lesson.

In development. Built by educators.

Keep reading support connected to class.

Instructional coherence

Classroom lessons, intervention, and tutoring should support the same grade-level learning. CoPassage starts with the text students are reading in class. Intervention and tutoring sessions help students better understand that same text.

One passage across two settings The same classroom passage connects classroom learning and the intervention session. The settings are separate; the text stays the same. ClassroomIntervention Same passage
In practice

One way a team might use CoPassage: A classroom teacher uses CoPassage to create and review support materials connected to the classroom text. The teacher shares the materials with an interventionist, who uses them to lead small group reading sessions. Students work on the same text they’re reading in class to deepen their understanding of the content.

Start with the words on the page.

Text-centered instruction

Every question and prompt leads back to the classroom passage. Students explore what a phrase means, who or what a word refers to, or which detail supports an answer.

Find the answer in the passage The original paragraph from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Uncle Henry never laughed. He worked hard from morning till night and did not know what joy was. He was gray also, from his long beard to his rough boots, and he looked stern and solemn, and rarely spoke. The question asks what “gray” tells us about Uncle Henry’s life, with an arrow pointing to the description. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Uncle Henry never laughed. He worked hard from morning till night and did not know what joy was. He was gray also, from his long beard to his rough boots, and he looked stern and solemn, and rarely spoke. What does “gray” tell us about Uncle Henry’s life?
In practice

Students read the description of Uncle Henry as “gray” alongside the detail that he “did not know what joy was.” They use those words to explain what “gray” suggests about his life.

Illustrative example · adapted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Ask questions that build understanding.

Purposeful question sequencing

Each question prepares students for the next. The facilitation guide includes questions, follow-ups, and prompts for when a student gets stuck. The adult guides students through questions and follow-up prompts. Students work out what the passage means and explain their thinking.

Questions build on one another Three example questions follow a connected path: What does gray mean? Which details show this? How does it shape the tone? Each question builds toward understanding supported by the passage. What does “gray” mean? Which details show this? How does it shape the tone?
In practice

Ask what “gray” means about Dorothy’s life. Then ask which details support that meaning and how the repeated word shapes the tone. If a student gets stuck, return to the description of Uncle Henry.

Illustrative example · adapted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Make the connections visible.

Cohesive tie mapping

Some words refer to a person, thing, or idea in another part of the text. Students circle those words and draw arrows to show the connection. An arrow may point back to an earlier sentence or ahead to what comes next. Students trace these connections before exploring what the passage means.

A small connection.
A clearer meaning.

Dorothy caught Toto at last, and started to follow her aunt. When she was half way across the room there came a great shriek of wind, and the house shook so hard . . .

“Who does she refer to?
Draw an arrow to show the connection.”

Make the thinking visible. The student circles “she” and draws an arrow to “Dorothy.” You can see the connection and ask them to explain it.

Illustrative annotation · excerpt from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Guide students toward independence.

Gradual release

Sessions move from guided support to independence. Students build toward working on their own. They’re never asked to write independently before they’ve had a chance to fully understand the text alongside their peers.

Reading, discussion, and written response Reading and guided discussion build understanding before students write independently. The educator adapts support to the students’ needs. ReadDiscussWrite
In practice

The group discusses how the author uses “gray” to describe life in Kansas. Then the teacher prompts each student to independently write about the word’s meaning and effect on tone, using details from the passage. The teacher provides feedback-in-the-moment to support individual students.

Save time preparing lessons.

AI for educators

Struggling readers don’t need feedback from a chatbot. They need high-quality instruction, grounded in real relationships with their teachers. CoPassage helps with the planning work, so educators can focus on the students in front of them.

An educator and three students discuss a shared passage around a table. One student points to the text as the others listen.
In practice

Prepare for your after-school tutoring session. Use CoPassage to generate a facilitation guide and student worksheet that explores a key passage from the novel students are studying in class.

Help shape what comes next.

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