3rd And 4 Grade Reading Curriculum 2010 2011 3... · 3rd and 4th Grade Reading Curriculum 2010 –...
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Revised Summer 2010 Brown County Schools 3 rd and 4 th Grade Reading Curriculum 2010 – 2011
Transcript of 3rd And 4 Grade Reading Curriculum 2010 2011 3... · 3rd and 4th Grade Reading Curriculum 2010 –...
Revised Summer 2010
Brown County Schools
3rd and 4th Grade
Reading Curriculum
2010 – 2011
Revised Summer 2010
Brown County Schools Reading and Writing Curriculum Calendars
Third and Fourth Grade 2010 – 2011 Month Writing Workshop Reading Workshop August/September Launching Writing Workshop Launching Reading Workshop
September
Personal Narrative
Edge of the Seat (personal
narrative with strong emotion, tension)
Memoir
Punctuation Study (last 2 weeks)
Remembering All We Know
About Tricky Word and
Comprehension Strategies
October
Character Study
October/November
Personal Essay
November/December Literary Essay
Reading about Social Issues:
Talking and Writing About Texts (with partners or book clubs)
January/February Prompt Writing (review of strategies)
Reading and Responding on a
Test
March/April Informational Non-Fiction All-About Books
Feature articles
Travel brochures
Editorials
Non-Fiction Reading Skills and
Strategies
May
Fiction Choice:
Action Adventure
Mystery
Fairy Tale
Realistic Fiction
Fiction Book Club Choice:
Action Adventure Book
Clubs
Mystery Book Clubs
Fairy Tale Book Clubs
Realistic Fiction Book
Clubs
*Teachers may choose how to teach skills and strategies for Letter Writing and Poetry throughout the year.
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August-September—Launching Reading Workshop:
Establishing Routines, Reading Logs, Essential Skills Overview of Unit:
The goal for this unit is to establish a reading environment in which readers know what is
expected of them. Students need to build a relationship with reading as well as understand all of
the expectations for the workshop. They need to know the importance of reading, know the
workshop routines (how-to keep track of their reading using the book logs, how-to choose just-
right books, how to work with a partner, etc.), and know how to use reading strategies.
A child needs to be reading just right books 2 hours a day, 7 days a week to maintain even just one
year‘s reading growth. It‘s good to share this fact with students and stress the importance of
daily reading. All students should be reading for longer stretches of time each day. They should
be making time for reading and they should begin, continue through, and complete books at a good
pace. Being explicit about the importance of reading and students understanding the why of what
you are teaching will hopefully lead to students following through with expectations.
To start the year, place the students at the levels which they were reading at the end of last
year. They should start the year by reading books that are easy for them. If a student has not
been assessed yet you can put a bin of random, easy, high interest books for the student. You can
move among children, assessing them as they read. When an upper grade student is progressing
well, he is apt to move along three levels a year (although once readers are reading Level R or
beyond, they often progress more slowly, maybe just one level a year). 3rd & 4th graders who read
beyond Level R should enrich their reading life by enjoying books in different genres or authors at
that level instead of reading X,Y, Z books. The content in X,Y,Z books may be too advanced
socially for 3rd or 4th graders.
At the beginning of the year, teachers need to spend time stressing the importance of stamina by
encouraging kids to read for longer stretches of time – at home and at school. In the beginning of
the school year, teachers demonstrate reading skills and think aloud in the read aloud to model
those skills.
Each day readers will do some writing either on post-its, charts, or in a reading notebook. This
writing will be brought to partner conversations after modeling with read alouds. This writing
work and partner conversations are absolutely essential elements of a reading workshop.
For there to be adequate reading time each day, it‘s important to establish routines right from
the start. Start your reading workshop routine during the first days of school. Decide your
expectations and teach them during the first weeks of school. Be sure that all students
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understand your expectations and that all students are meeting them. If you don‘t establish clear
routines in the beginning, you will struggle with your workshop for the rest of the year.
*Reading instruction should:
o match the individual reader
o teach toward independence
o explicitly teach strategies to access skills
o value time for reading
o value volume of reading
o value variety of reading experience
o follow predictable structures and routines
*Conferring w/Readers by Serravallo/Goldberg
Alignment with Indiana Academic Standards:
Standards and indicators addressed during each unit will differ depending on mini-lessons and
content taught. The units of study have been planned to meet every language arts standard by
the end of the school year. The Indiana Academic Standards for Language Arts have been
included at the end of this document. Teachers may consider printing out these standards and at
the start of each new unit highlighting standards taught throughout the unit. Reading and Writing
standards are included as students will be reading AND writing during all workshop work as they
write about what they‘ve read during Reader‘s Workshop, and read drafts/published writing during
Writer‘s Workshop. For both third and fourth grade, Standard 7 regarding Listening and
Speaking strategies will most likely be taught using conversation strategies during partner work
and book clubs, book talks, and could also be demonstrated/taught during publishing
celebrations/presentations of work.
READ ALOUDS TO BEGIN THE YEAR: The Bee Tree by Polacco Richard Wright and the Library Card by Miller
Edward and the Pirates by McPhail Read for Me Mama by Rahaman
I Hate to Read by Marshall The Girl Who Hated Books by Pawagi
A Story for Bear by Haseley Wednesday Surprise by Bunting
The Way to Start a Day by Baylor
Wolf! by Bloom
Lily‘s Purple Plastic Purse by Henkes
The Best Place to Read by Bertram
Humphrey‘s Corner by Hunter
Me on the Map by Sweeny
My Map Book by Fanelli
A Quiet Place by Wood
Library Dragon by Deedy
Library Lil by Williams
More Than Anything Else by Bradby
YOUR CLASSROOM LIBRARY:
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o Group your books in bins by the genre, series, author, topic, award winners, our
favorites, read alouds, and/or level.
o Clearly label your bins.
o Your books should span the levels of your students only (put away those higher level
books until your students reach those levels). (Grade Level Maximums – 3rd Grade
Q/R, 4th Grade T)
o Have special bins that change throughout the year depending on the unit of study for
Social Studies and Science.
o Establish a shopping day. Put it on a chart. Have partners shop together.
o Limit the number of books a student can check out at one time, but make sure the
number is enough for a week.
o Develop a checkout system.
o Ask yourself…
-Is my library in an inviting place?
-Can my readers easily find what they‘re looking for?
-Does my library reflect the work we are doing in our classroom?
-Does my library reflect the range of interests and abilities of my students?
RUNNING RECORDS:
Use multiple approaches to get information about your students as readers. Students are more
than just reading levels. They have histories with books and attitudes about reading. Think about
skills the reader needs. Come up with a few strategies for each skill by thinking ―What do I do?‖
When assessing a child to find their reading level, you must take into consideration accuracy,
fluency, and strong comprehension. We want students to read at 96% accuracy and higher, as well
as reading fluently at that level. If a child is reading word by word, choppy, and very slow, we
would not consider that level to be a child‘s independent reading level. Also, we want to make sure
the child can answer literal questions as well as inferential questions. If he/she is unable to infer
at that level, that would not be his/her independent level.
o To assess quickly, use information from last year‘s teacher.
o To assess quickly, give students at higher reading levels book chapters, and ask them to
write retellings. Choose a few books at each level. If possible choose texts that are less
familiar to the kids. Have them read the first chapter. When finished with the chapter
have them write a retelling without looking back at the chapter. If a child is struggling
with the retelling, ask him to retell it orally. (This is an assessment of comprehension not
writing ability.) If a student is still struggling give them copies of easier texts to try. Be
positive even when a student is struggling.
o Use running records to made sure what students‘ levels are and to develop skills to work
with the students during their conferences. Does he self-correct? Is he fluent?
o Use the TC leveled stories and teacher forms. Have a student copy and a teacher copy of
the benchmark text. Record the miscues/errors as the student reads aloud 100 words from
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a chapter. Use the shorthand symbols to record your observations about the child‘s reading
behavior. Jot down notes about the student‘s fluency and intonation.
o The student continues reading the section – aloud or silently. When finished he retells the
story and you ask him questions. Ask both literal and inferential questions.
o Try an easier level if the student didn‘t read fluently with 97% accuracy, or if he was unable
to answer comprehension questions.
o Try a harder level if the student shows no areas of challenge and can answer the higher-
level comprehension questions.
o Give a reading survey to find out what they like to read, their reading history, and their
attitudes about reading. Some questions might include:
o What kind of books do you like to read?
o Who is your favorite author?
o What kind of books does your family read to you at home?
o Do you like to read stories?
o Do you like to read books where you learn cool facts?
o What do you feel when you hear ―It‘s time to read!‖ in school‖
o What do you read at home?
Teaching Points:
GETTING TO KNOW OURSELVES AS READERS:
o Readers make lists of books they love, that they‘ve heard read aloud or have read on
their own, and use this information to study themselves as readers. They read the list
of books that they love and ask themselves, ―So what does this list of favorite books
reveal about me as a reader? What do I feel passionate about as a reader?‖
o Readers sketch a picture of one time when they were reading or one book which really
mattered to them (when they felt lost in a book or the characters became so real they
felt like friends). They can then write or talk with a partner about this: ―What was it
about that one reading time that made reading work for me?‖ and ―How can we be sure
that reading is just as magical in the year ahead?‖
o Readers share stories telling how reading is used in their lives. They may tell about
learning a video game, a recipe, directions, etc.
o Readers notice what good readers do. Create 2 lists with the kids – a list defining what
reading is, the other describes the characteristics of a proficient reader or criteria for
the type of readers we want to be. When do you read? Where do you read? Why do
you read?
o Make a list of strategies they learned and used as they were reading such as a chart
title Successful Readers… Add to & revise all year.
o Investigate media images depicting readers. Make a chart. Create your own image of a
reader. Everyone draws a picture (or take a picture) of self reading.
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o Students bring in a favorite book. Have book talks to share favorite books.
BUILDING STAMINA:
o Readers build their reading stamina by reading a little bit more each day. They do this by
setting time goals. I read 10 pages (minutes) at school. I‘ll try to read 15 tomorrow.
o Readers build their stamina by staying focused on their books. When they start to lose
their focus, they can reread a section of their book or they can rest their eyes for a
moment before continuing.
o Readers can build their stamina by setting goals for their reading each day and at home.
One way readers can set a goal is by placing a post-it in their book as a visual goal for where
they are trying to read during that time.
o Before we read, we can look over the chapters and plan our progress through a book. ―If I
read _________________chapters a day, I‘ll be done by ________________,
INDEPENDENT READING TIME
Get to know the levels of the students in your class. Take a few books at each level and study
them, asking yourself, ―What skills does this level demand?‖ Plan strategy lessons to teach
students in that level.
o Readers know how to shop for books. Model shopping for books.
o Book shopping time is NOT during independent reading time. It is during another
part of the day.
o Students choose a week‘s worth of home and school reading. The number depends on
their reading level. Lower level students will need more books.
o Readers choose just-right books at their levels. Make a chart ―What Makes a Book
Just Right‖ such as:
The topic is interesting.
You can read almost all of the words. Teach them the 3-finger rule.
You can visualize what‘s happening.
You can read the words smoothly.
It is a genre that you enjoy.
You don‘t want to put it down.
You can relate to the characters.
You understand what is happening.
There are less than 5 words I don‘t know on a page.
You‘re read other books in the series.
You make connections to the text.
It doesn‘t feel like work when you are reading.
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o Using 3 different sized shirts, students vote on which of the 3 pieces of clothing was
―just right‖ for a student. The relate shopping for clothes to shopping for books.
o If a book is not leveled, read a page. If you missed more than 3 words then that book
may not be just-right for you.
o Retell what you just read. Can you do it in sequence? Do you understand it?
o Readers choose a good spot to read – choosing spots where they can focus on their
books.
READING LOGS
o Readers keep track of what they‘ve read in school and at home by completely filling out a
reading log each day. This helps readers know how many books they‘ve read and what
types of books they like. Reading logs also help teachers know important information
about their students as readers. Children should be reading the same book at home and
school - carrying the book between places.
o CAUTION: Kids won‘t fill out the reading longs on their own without time for it built in
and you checking it frequently.
o Readers always have their reading logs out on the table during Independent Reading.
They also begin Independent Reading time by entering the starting page number and any
other necessary information before they begin to read.
o Readers know when to abandon a book by noticing when it feels like a chore to read. Put
an ―A‖ on the reading log when abandoning a book.
o Analyze their book logs for what to teach. Look at a student‘s log for patterns that
relate to volume, stamina, rate, and consistency. Make a teaching decision based on what
would help the reader improve in one of these areas.
*Note:
How does the student‘s reading rate at home vary from his rate at school?
How long is the student reading in school and at home?
How long was this student in one reading level before moving to the next?
Does the student tend to read one book at a time or juggle several books or abandon
books?
What genre is the student reading?
Does the student ever reread?
* Conferring with Readers by Serravallo & Goldberg
READERS’ WORKSHOP PROCEDURES:
o Readers know the routines and expectations for readers‘ workshop. Make a chart of the
workshop rules.
o Readers bring their tools to the meeting area each day for Reading Workshop. They bring
their independent reading books, bookmark, post-its, reading notebook, book log, and a
pencil – usually in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Make a chart of workshop materials to bring.
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o Have a place where students can exchange dull pencils for sharp and a pile of extra post-its.
o We want to have more time to read our wonderful books so… gather quickly on the rug… no
talking during mini-lessons…go to reading spot quickly.
o Be proactive. Teach a mini-lesson about their roles during independent reading time. They
only read books they‘ve chosen from the library, reread when finished, and jot down their
thinking.
o What is your routine for using kids wanting a bathroom break, sharpening pencils, etc.
during workshop time?
o Teach them strategies for staying focused on their reading such as rereading, jotting post-
its at the end of each chapter to quickly retell, or find a quieter spot to read. With the
kids make a chart of ways to stay focused.
READING PARTNERS:
o Readers have partners who read the same kinds of just-right books. Partners often read
the same books or swap books, so that they can talk more deeply about books and what
they‘re reading. Partners shop together.
o Partners know the procedures to have good partner talk.
o They know how to sit facing each other. Talk about ways you should sit when sharing. Have
students model sitting with a partner. Practice getting in & out of talk positions quickly.
o During the first week partners talk about what they‘re reading, how much, and how long.
o Partners know how to ask questions to keep the conversation alive. Make a chart of
conversation starters such as: Why did...? What‘s this part about? How is this (detail) like
this (detail)? What would happen if…? Who is …? What does this section detail…? Do you
think that…? I don‘t understand this section. Make a bookmark for each child or a chart
with the conversation starters.
o Partners know how to be a good listener. Students discuss what makes a good listener.
What can you do to show that you are listening? Could you retell what your partner just
told you? Chart their suggestions.
o Partners can talk about their mental pictures. What do the places in the book look like?
o Partners can sketch the character, the character‘s home, the house. Talk with your partner
about the reasons for this image.
o Partners can listen to each other retell, asking questions to clarify and dig deeper into the
story. They can ask questions about the main characters: ―What is Mr. Putter like?‖ They
can ask questions about the reasons why events happened: ―Why did he agree to keep the
dog?‖ They can ask questions to encourage prediction: ―What do you think will happen
next? Why do you think that?‖
o Partners need to ask questions to clarify or dig deeper about the main character or the
plot. Why did the even happen? Why did the character do that? What do you think will
happen next? What would you have done?
o Discuss with your partner how the character talks, what they would like or not like, how
they treat others.
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USING POST-ITS
o In the beginning of the year, after modeling thinking aloud with the read aloud, the teacher
models writing about reading using charts, post-its, and her readers‘ notebook.
o Students can write questions, comments, reactions, and retellings on post-its and leave them
in their books until they meet with the teacher, a partner, or a book club.
o When finished with a book, the student should transfer the post-its to his readers‘
notebook for safekeeping.
o Partners can use post-its to mark places where they have strong reactions to the text, then
talk about what happened in that section and why they reacted so strongly.
o Partners can support each other by using a post-it to mark a confusing word and working
together to figure out the word.
o Partners should use post-its to mark spots for discussion – a funny part, scary part, a
confusing part, a funny word, a favorite passage, some dialogue to share.
o Post-it when you learn something new about the character or when a new event happens.
o Notice when a character does something. Stop-and-jot why you think the character did
that. What will he do next?
ESSENTIAL READING SKILLS:
o Readers can envision what is happening in the text by making a movie in their mind.
Students should draw on their own experiences to add more to the text than what is given.
They do this by asking, ―Has this ever happened to me? What did it look like?‖
o Good readers are able to determine the important ideas in a book/chapter. Do this work in
read aloud to support the work in Reading Workshop. Teacher demonstrates how to stop-
and-jot. They read a bit, stop and ask, ―What was important in this part? What do I think
the writer wanted me to really notice?‖ and jot it on a Post-it. After practicing with read
aloud several times, stop-and-jot with your independent books to share with your partner
o Good readers predict what will happen next. They read a bit, stop, and say, ―based on what
just happened, I think _____________________ will happen next.‖
Good readers identify with the characters. They put themselves in the
characters shoes. Teachers model how to talk and think about the characters.
o Kids speak in the voices of the characters. Pretend you are _________. What are you
thinking? What would you do? What would you say?
o Kids turn-and-talk about the characters. Listen as if you were the character. Show me on
your face how he/she is feeling now. Use your body to show me what‘s happening to him.
o Good readers care enough about the characters in a book to be happy or angry. ―I can‘t
believe…,‖ or I‘m angry that…‖. Talk back to what characters do.
o Good readers connect to a character by thinking about a time when they acted or felt
similar in a similar situation. Children can pause in the midst of reading to recall what
happened to them.
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o Good readers self-monitor their reading comprehension. They say, ―Wait a minute. This
isn‘t right‖. Teach them to pay attention to when their understanding falters, recognizing
that they need to reread, to adjust their reading rate, and to work extra hard to maintain
focus on the text.
o Good readers retell what happened showing how this new development fits with the
unfolding story. This retelling should include the characters‘ traits and motivations, the
main events of the plot told in sequence, the big problem and how that problem is eventually
resolved. Students should be able to synthesize new developments in the story.
o Struggling retellers should pause after reading each chapter, turn back to the start, skim,
and retell what happened in a page-by-page progression. They can sketch the story‘s
sequence.
o Good readers understand what they read by synthesizing. Readers realize how sections of a
story go together. Partners can talk about why the character does what he does.
o Good readers have strategies that help them tackle challenging words. Readers use the
strategies for decoding tricky words, unfamiliar words, and monitoring meaning. Look at the
picture. Look at the beginning sound/the ending sound. Look for a smaller word in the big
word. Look for chunks. Look at the rest of the sentence.
o Retell the read aloud together making sure story elements are included. Retell your
independent reading book with your partner.
WRITING ABOUT READING
o By writing about their reading, students will hold onto and grow their thinking. This writing
is a way to clarify their thoughts and a way to be accountable for what they‘ve been taught.
o Have a class reading notebook, where students take turns responding to the read aloud. To
start the year the teacher could write the first few responses. Each day a different
student responds to that day‘s read aloud and shares it the next day before continuing the
book.
o Use the reading notebook as a place to write longer about a post-it idea. It‘s a place to
write longer about the author‘s meaning, theories about the characters, connections they‘ve
made.
o These entries may be used as starting points for literary essays, clarity their thinking, or
just to play around with ideas. It can be a place where the reader sets goals and reflect on
their own reading identity.
o Important post-its can be put in the notebook. Be sure to write a heading, title of the book,
author, pages, and date.
o This notebook writing should be a brief part of reading time. Most of their workshop time
should be spent reading.
Students need to held accountable for their reading. You can’t just say or write
anything about a text.
o Retell what happened in the story so far.
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o Predict what will happen next and why that will happen.
o Write about the setting. Describe the setting. How do you think the setting is affecting
the characters? Why?
o What is the problem? How do you think the character will solve the problem?
o Tell about a minor character. How does this character help tell the story?
o Write about some of the words or phrases that you liked or think are important. Why do
you think they‘re important?
o If I was the character, I would…
o How has the character changed since the beginning of the story? Why has he/she
changed?
o This part reminds me of ________________________. Tell about it.
o I can‘t believe what just happened! Why would…do that? I think maybe it‘s because…
o The character seems __________. Why is he feeling that way?
o He is the hero. What qualities do you notice about him that makes him a hero?
o He‘s a bully…nice…smart…scared… Give some examples for the book that show how he is a
bully.
o This part is really confusing. What makes it confusing?
o What is the lesson from this book?
CONFERRING WITH READERS:
Be sure to meet with every student each week. Keep records for each child on his strengths,
weaknesses, teaching point, etc. There should be only one teaching point per conference. You may
need to spend more than one conference time on a certain skill. Make sure your teaching point has
a strategy. Name the skill and the strategy for doing it.
o During the first week of school the teacher should be observing the reader, listening to him
read - noticing and recording what skills the student needs to improve. Notice how many
pages the student is reading. At what pace does he progress through books?
Does he abandon most books? Is he reading at home? What genres does he gravitate
toward? Learn about their reading behaviors and processes.
o Go around the room giving encouragement and a compliment. Set a positive tone where
students know their strengths are recognized. Give compliments that reinforce procedures
and strategies. Use a student or a whole group as a model for doing the right thing during
readers‘ workshop.
o Begin conferences by asking students to show you what they‘ve been jotting about their
reading and talk to you about some of their ideas.
o Teach students their role in a conference in a whole class mini-lesson. Explain that they are
expected to tell what‘s happening in their book and their processes. They tell a brief
summary and strategies they‘ve tried. They tell what they‘re struggling with and what ideas
they‘re having. Students need to show evidence on ways they‘ve used strategies that you
have been teaching.
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o As the teacher you need to plan where you will confer, your schedule, and checklist forms
you will use. Many teachers prefer to go to the student for the conference. When the
teacher moves around it helps with discipline, observations, and you can have impromptu
conferences with a small group of kids. It helps to have a schedule so you are sure to meet
with every student each week. A form to fill out for each child with strategies, needs,
compliment, teaching point helps you remember what you have discussed with each child and
can be used as one assessment tool.
o Look through your notes to find weaknesses that could be used as a mini-lesson or teaching
point in a conference. Make sure your teaching point has a strategy.
ASSESSING READERS
Plan a record keeping system. Plan to have records that track individual progress across time, as
well as whole-class at-a-glance records. You also need to keep track of students‘ reading levels
and the dates that you see them in conferences.
Use your student assessments to look for patterns, to develop theories, and to craft long-term
goals for individuals.
o Conference notes
o Reader‘s notebook responses
o Post-its for partner talk/ read aloud
o Running Records
o Weekly rubric with rules for Readers‘ Workshop
CELEBRATING READING
Keep kids excited about reading by:
o Scheduling frequent & early author celebrations,
o Scheduling a reading marathon
o Hundred books day
o Thousands books day
o Lunch book discussions
o A library study trip
o Favorite words, sentences, characters
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September
Remembering All We Know About Tricky Word and Comprehension Strategies
Overview of Unit-
This unit reminds students (and teaches some students) of all the tricky word strategies they‘ve
learned since kindergarten. Even though they are 3rd and 4th graders, they will still use all of those
strategies as they navigate through longer texts. This unit also reviews comprehension strategies
learned in the previous years: monitoring for meaning, envisioning, predicting, etc.
It‘s important to remind students to keep doing all of the good things they‘ve learned since
starting school. These things should not be forgotten, but rather built upon.
Using Pictures/Illustrations
• Good readers use the pictures to help figure out tricky words
• Readers can think about what would make sense in the tricky part, then look at the pictures.
They can think, ―What in the picture fits with what would make sense for this tricky word?‖
Then, check and make sure the guess from the picture looks right in the text, matches the
word in the text.
Searching for and using visual/graphophonic information
o Readers can figure out a tricky word by
o looking at the picture for a clue and asking themselves what might make sense.
o looking at the first few letters, making those sounds. Then they look at the
picture and ask themselves what would make sense that starts with __?
o looking for familiar word-parts, such as blends and digraphs (sp, fr, th, ch etc)
or spelling patterns (ack, ick)
o looking for compound words. They look to see if there are two words within one
larger word.
o reading through a word, part by part, from left to right. They do this by
breaking the word up into syllables. Look at the vowel and a couple letters after
it. Then they blend the parts together and ask themselves does this make
sense?
For example ill-us-tra-tion or im-por-tant
o looking for familiar endings such as ly, ed, or ing. Once you know the familiar
ending you can cover it up, read the word, and put the ending back on.
o playing with the sounds in your mouth. You can try both vowels sounds; short or
long; and see what makes sense.
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o putting your finger on the tricky word, reading on and then going back to see
what would make sense.
o Readers figure out the meaning of tricky words.
o We pause when we come to a new word and consider what the word or phrase
means. We think, ―Have I seen or heard this word before? If so, how was
used?‖
o We re-read the section before the tricky word, and then we read ahead. Then
we ask ourselves, ―Now that I know a little more information, what does that
word mean?‖
o We look at the picture and think, ―Is there anything in the picture that would be
a clue to the meaning of this word?‖
o We collect unfamiliar words and replace them with synonyms. We do this by
putting in a word we know that makes sense with the rest of the sentence.
The class could make an unfamiliar word chart on which kids collect new
words and tell their meanings.
o Readers can help their partner with tricky words by
o offering helpful prompts rather than simply calling out the word in question.
They can do this by suggesting to try the word part by part (syllables), trying
different vowel sounds (short or long), etc. (refer to tricky word chart)
o suggesting they pause and think what the word might mean, go back and re-read
and ask what would make sense, or replacing it with a synonym. (refer to tricky
meaning chart)
• Good readers figure out tricky words by using the beginning sound of the word and
thinking what would make sense.
• Good readers figure out tricky words by using the beginning and ending sounds of the
words and thinking what would make sense.
• Good readers figure out tricky words by looking through words (beginning sounds,
medial, and ending) and thinking what would make sense.
• Readers read through a word, part by part, from left to right. They do this by
looking for chunks they know in the word.
• Readers say the first sound plus the next two sounds all together and think, ―What
would make sense that starts with these sounds?‖
• Good readers figure out tricky words by thinking about the context of the word in the
sentence. Ask yourself, ―What else is in the text that could help me figure out what
word this is?‖
• Readers know lots of words by heart and use them to read well. Readers practice
reading high frequency words by looking at a word and reading it ―in a snap.‖ They
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preview the page and notice all of the words they know in an instant. Then, they start
reading. When they get to those words, they read them in a snap.
• Readers tackle tricky words by moving across a word and working with word parts:
o Look at the first few letters and think of words they already know that have
parts (or blends) like that.
o Take apart a compound word and read one part at a time.
o Look at the vowel and the next couple of letters
o Look for endings such as s, es, ing, ed
o Play with words, trying both vowel sounds-short or long-and seeing which one
makes sense.
o They break it up into syllables. They look for where two consonants are side by
side. Then they figure out each part of the word.
o com-plete
Searching for and using syntactic information
• Good readers make sure their reading makes sense by noticing when something doesn’t
sound right and fixing it
Searching for and using semantic sources of information
• Good readers figure out tricky words by thinking about the story and what’s going on in
the picture. They ask themselves….‖What would make sense here?‖
• Readers ―try out‖ a word and then ask themselves, ―Does this make sense?‖
• Readers read on and then, after getting to the end of the sentence or passage, come
back and ask, ―What would make sense?‖
• Readers think about what is happening in the story and ask, ―What kind of word would
make sense and sound right here?‖
• Skipping these words, reading on to the end of the sentence and then going back to
see what makes sense
Self-correcting
• Good readers reread after they’ve made a mistake and read it the right way so the
text sounds smooth and makes sense.
Growing flexible with strategies
• Good readers figure out difficult words by trying another strategy when first one
doesn’t work
• Readers can fix tricky words or parts by asking themselves several questions:
o Does that make sense?
o Does that look right?
o Does that sound right?
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o Can the picture help?
o What do I know that can help me here?
• Readers figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words by using context, prior knowledge,
synonyms and all they know about the story so far and asking question such as:
o What does this word mean?
o What does it look like?
o What is its purpose in the sentence?
o What does this word remind me of?
o Is there another word that would work and seem to mean the same thing?
Vocabulary/figuring out the meaning of unknown words
• They look at the picture and ask themselves ―Is this word in the picture‖
Pour the spaghetti in the strainer. ―Oh look he is pouring the
spaghetti in a bowl with holes in it….that must be a strainer‖
• They figure out unfamiliar words/new vocabulary. They read past the unfamiliar
word/new vocabulary; paying attention to any clues the author may have included to
help with understanding the meaning of the unfamiliar word/new vocabulary. They
might ask, ―Did the author leave any clues to help me know what this word means?‖
• They figure out the meaning of new vocabulary words. They notice if the word has
upper case letters, which might suggest the new word is a name of a person, place or
thing. If there is a capital letter, they can break the word into parts to sound out
the name.
• They determine the meaning of unknown words. They use their knowledge of root
words to search for parts of the word they know well (nation, national, nationality),
then use the context of the sentence to really figure the word out.
• They analyze the meaning of complex words. They use common roots (meter=measure)
and word parts (therm=heat) to break apart words and figure out what they means.
When readers are trying to figure out words this way they might say something like,
―I’ve seen that part of the word in a different word. I’ve seen ―therm‖ in the word
thermometer, and now I see it in thermal. Maybe it has something to do with
temperature…‖
• They tackle bigger and longer words by considering different ways the vowels might
sound. They try to pronounce the word in different ways by experimenting with vowels
until the sounds correct.
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• They figure out unfamiliar words by using their knowledge of prefixes and suffixes to
determine the meaning of words. They say things like, ―I know for the word preview, pre- means before, so preview must mean to view before.‖
• Good readers figure out unfamiliar words as they read. They substitute a synonym for
the word based on clues the author includes in the text. They do this by covering up
the unknown word and saying, ―What’s another word that could go here?‖ They choose
a word and plug it into the sentence to see if it makes sense
• Readers figure out unfamiliar words/new vocabulary by reading past the unfamiliar
word/new vocabulary, paying attention to any clues the author may have included to
help with understanding the meaning of the unfamiliar word/new vocabulary.
Fluency- Reading fluency is the ability to read accurately, quickly, effortlessly, and with appropriate expression and meaning. Reading fluency is an important topic when it comes to discussing developing sound readers. This is because fluency allows readers to focus on content, which is the aim of reading instruction. A reader can pay attention to the subtleties of the story when he/she does not have to expend all effort on decoding, thereby increasing overall reading comprehension. In the absence of fluency, readers may find the task to be tedious and difficult. This may lead to not only apathy, but a pattern of reading that does not allow students to find purpose in reading.
(Rasinkski, 2003)
• Readers can read smoothly by going back and rereading tricky parts.
• Readers can read smoothly by practicing making their reading sound like they are
talking.
• Readers can read smoothly by going back and rereading tricky parts.
• Readers can read smoothly by practicing making their reading sound like they are
talking.
• Readers can read smoothly by sticking some words together into phrases.
• Readers can read smoothly by using the punctuation as a clue to how the text sounds:
o Period—tells us to take a quick break and keep on going.
o Question mark—tells us to make our reading sound like a question
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o Exclamation point—tells us to make our voices sound exciting.
• Readers can read smoothly by thinking about what’s going on in the story and making
their voice match the mood of the story.
• Good readers make their reading sound better by reading books they have read before
and they know well.
• Good readers practice their smooth, fluent reading by reading books that are a little
easier than their ―just right‖ books.
• Good readers make their reading sound smooth and fluent by re-reading the parts of
the book where they have worked hard on tricky parts.
• Good readers make their reading sound smooth and fluent by looking ahead at the
words on the page and checking to see what the ending punctuation mark is. Then they
can make their voice match.
• Good readers make their reading sound smooth and fluent by pausing at each comma
• Good readers make their reading sound smooth and fluent by pausing at each end mark
• Readers read the talking parts smoothly and fluently by reading the words carefully
and making their voice match. (whispered, shouted)
• Good readers make their reading sound smooth and fluent by reading with the voice of
the character, and having different voices for each different character.
• Good readers make their reading sound smooth and fluent by paying attention to how
their story is going and what is happening to the characters. If it is a scary part then
read with a scared voice and if it is an exciting part read with an excited voice. Make
your voice match what is going on in the story.
• Good readers read in chunks and phrases to make their reading sound smooth and
fluent. They do this by reading the words and thinking about which words would sound
stuck together when you read and which words would sound like there is a break
between them.
• Readers read dialogue fluently by:
o noticing the dialogue tags. They change their voice according to how the
character said it. (whispered, shouted)
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o reading in the voice of the character, and having different voices for different
characters.
o reflecting the tone of the scene. i.e. scary or exciting voice.
Comprehension
Activate Prior Knowledge-proficient readers spontaneously and purposefully recall their relevant prior knowledge (schema) before during and after they read and learn (text-to-self connections). They use their schema to make sense of new information as they read and to store that new information with related information in memory. Mosaic of Thought, Keene & Zimmerman Page 100
Readers use information from the cover to help them get ready to read their books.
Readers read the title out loud, look at the cover illustration, and think, ―What might
this book be about?‖
Readers take notice of the author and think about whether they know any other books
by the author.
Readers can read the blurb on the back cover to get information about what might be
inside the books
Determine Importance-there are at least three levels at which proficient readers make decisions about what is most important in any text: the whole-text or idea level, the sentence level, and the word level. After we read, we make rational judgments about what was most important, but even as we read, we make continual decisions about what sentences or phrases are most essential in a paragraph and even which words are most important in any given sentence. These decisions are influenced by our back-ground knowledge, our purpose for reading, what we find aesthetically pleasing in the piece, the degree to which an author focuses on an idea or repeats information, and the text features (bold print, italics, etc.) Mosaic of Thought, Keene & Zimmerman Page 210
They determine the important parts of what they read by reading a chunk and
asking, ―What did I just learn?‖ They jot what they’ve learned down on a Post-it.
They figure out what is important by noticing repeated words, objects or patterns.
When they find these repetitions they ask themselves, ―Why is this word coming up
so often?‖
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Readers figure out what a text is mostly about by looking to see what part the
author spent the most time talking about. They ask, ―Why did the author spend
SO much time talking about this?‖
Readers determine the main idea of a section or chunk by retelling what the section
was about in one short statement. We do this by reading a section, covering it up
and then saying, ―This part teaches me...‖ Then, we can give details to support
that main idea by saying, ―It teaches me .... by giving me examples or evidence
such as .....‖
Readers begin to determine the main idea of a passage by reading the first
sentence in a paragraph and asking, ―What is this saying?‖ Then, we read on,
sentence by sentence, asking, ―How does this fit with what’s been said so far?‖
Readers determine the main idea by identifying the ―Who‖ and the ―What‖ of the
paragraph or section and their relationship. We do this by asking, ―Who is this
about and What is happening to ______?‖ (or say, When who , they
what .‖) This helps readers identify the subject and central action.
Readers can find the main idea or topic sentence by looking for the sentence that
seems to ―pop out‖, summarizing the whole section. This sentence may be the first
or last sentence.
Readers can determine the overarching idea of a piece by noticing as they read
from one paragraph (or section) to another whether the paragraphs/sections
continue to build on one main idea.
Readers can determine the overarching idea of a piece by asking ourselves when
they’ve finished reading, ―What is this whole text mostly about?‖ Then, readers
can jot down their thoughts on a post-it in a boxes and bullets format, jotting the
overarching main idea and specific supporting details.
Good readers are able to determine the important ideas in a book/chapter. They
read a bit, stop and ask, ―What was important in this part? What do I think the
writer wanted me to really notice?‖
They determine the main idea of non-fiction paragraphs. Readers find the topic
sentence that tells what the paragraph is all about, and decide how the rest of the
details support the topic sentence.
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They figure out what the main idea of a paragraph is by reading the topic sentence
because they know that the paragraph will continue with supporting details. They
read the paragraph and ask, ―Which sentence tells what the entire paragraph was
all about?‖
Readers find clues to important information in the text by looking carefully for
signal words the author has included (for example, for instance, in fact, in conclusion, most important, but, therefore, on the other hand, such as). Then, we
carefully read the information that comes after the clue words, knowing that it is
important.
Readers find important information relating to the article by carefully reading the
graphics that are included, such as diagrams, cutaways, cross sections, overlays,
distribution maps, word bubbles, tables, charts and framed text. After reading
the graphics, we can ask,
o ―What did I learn from that?‖
o ―Why was that information important to this article?‖
o ―What new information did this graphic add to the article?‖
o ―How does this diagram/picture/chart/map fit with the main ideas I’m
learning?‖
Readers discover where to find specific information on their topic by using the index
in the back of their book. They determine what they want to find out saying
something like, ―I wonder what type of predator the penguin has?‖ Then looking up
the word predator in the index to find the answer to their question.
Readers notice that nonfiction writing often includes clue words that signal an
important part of the text. They look for these words (for example, for instance, in fact, in conclusion, most important, but, therefore, on the other hand, such as) and pay close attention to what comes next.
Readers notice that nonfiction writing often includes graphics that give important
information. Readers look closely at these graphics (diagrams, cutaways, cross sections, overlays, distribution maps, word bubbles, tables, charts and framed text) and ask themselves, ―Why is it so important for this graphic to be here?‖
Readers work to determine the main idea of a passage. They take the sentences
they’ve read and say what they learned in one short statement, not a question.
They might start by saying something like, ―The big idea here is that…‖
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Readers determine the main idea in chunks/sections of text by using the
subheadings or section headings. At the end of each chunk/section, they cover the
text and say (or write on a Post-it) ―This part teaches me…‖ Then: ―It teaches me
by giving examples or evidence such as…‖
Readers pay close attention to the main idea of a passage. They read the first
sentence in a paragraph and ask themselves, ―What is this saying?‖ Then, they read
on, sentence by sentence, asking, ―How does this fit with what’s been said so far?‖
They determine the main idea by identifying the ―Who‖ and the ―What‖ of the
paragraph or section. They ask, ―Who is this about?‖ and, ―What is happening to
______?‖ This helps readers identify the subject and central action.
They figure out the overarching idea of a selection by thinking of what the boxes
and bullets would be for the page/section/chapter. They quickly jot the main idea
and supporting details.
They determine the main idea in a chunk/section of text. They look for the ―pop
out sentence‖ as they read, asking themselves, ―Where is one sentence that seems
to summarize the content of the paragraph?‖
They determine the main idea by noticing as they read from one paragraph to
another whether the two paragraphs continue to build on one main idea or if the
next paragraph turns a bend, laying out yet another idea. Readers need to say,
―This new paragraph builds on the last,‖ OR, ―This new paragraph is about a
different sub-topic.‖
They consider what they’ve learned from their reading. Readers think about the
―meat‖ of what they learned by jotting on a Post-it key words they need to
remember from the text. (Readers can look back to these post-its after a break
from the text.)
They understand the main idea of the text by reading the section heading. If the
section heading is a question, such as, ―What was a wagon train?‖ the reader looks
for the answer.
They understand the main idea of the text by turning section headings into
questions. If the section heading of a book on penguins is ―Fishing Champions‖
readers turn the heading into a question and read looking for the answer, such as,
―What makes penguins fishing champions?‖ Then they read to answer the question.
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They determine if the information is fact or opinion. They ask, ―Does the author
state a true fact that can be proven?‖ or, ―Is the author telling how he feels or
thinks about something?‖
They determine the causes and effects of relationships in the text. They ask
specific questions about the text. For example, Snowshoe rabbits change color from brown to white in the winter. ―Why did the rabbit change color?‖ (effect)
They answer the question, ―Because it is winter‖ (cause).
Readers can read texts that are difficult for us by skimming texts, looking for
important information. We can do this by reading the headings and subtitles and
asking, ―What do I need to try to find out in this section?‖ Then, we can skim
quickly through the section, paying close attention to the first and last sentences,
underlining any important information.
Visualization-Images originate in our senses and our emotional fabric. And they are altered each time we read or reflect on a text, extending and animating what we read. Text comes alive through the creation of sensory images. Those images take on a three-dimensional quality in our minds and connect to us personally, often permanently, with the text. Mosaic of Thought, Keene & Zimmerman Page 176
Readers envision what is going on in their books by
o making a movie in their minds that include the characters, the actions, the
setting, and the sounds of the scene.
o slowing down their reading and imagining what they see, hear, smell, taste or
feel.
o thinking what is happening between the pictures by asking themselves, ―Who isn’t
in the picture, and what might they be doing?‖
o referring to any illustrations, the chapter titles, the cover picture, and other
resources to jump start their mental pictures of the story.
Readers can envision what is happening in the text by making a movie in their mind.
Students should draw on their own experiences to add more to the text than what is
given. They do this by asking, ―Has this ever happened to me? What did it look
like?‖
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Readers visualize what they have already read/learned about their topic BEFORE
reading new information. They review what they have learned already with a partner,
sharing out loud and picturing these things.
Readers think about what they have learned about their topic. They re-read parts to
make a picture in their minds.
Readers put themselves in the settings of the text to better understand new
information. They read something new, shut the book, and imagine themselves in the
context of the information, saying something like, ―If I were in the jungle, I might
see…‖ or, ―If I were in a factory making these shoes, I would feel…‖
Readers imagine what it would be like to be close-up, and in-person with the topic.
They use all their senses to attempt to figure out what it would be like to experience
the topic themselves. They say things like, ―If I were in the water where a dolphin
lives, I would feel… I would smell… I would see…‖
Inferring-"It can be a conclusion drawn after considering what is read in relation to one's beliefs, knowledge, and experience. Inference can be a critical analysis of a text: a mental or expressed argument with an author, an active skepticism about what is stated in the text, or recognition of propaganda. Inference is, in some situations, synonymous with learning and remembering… Predictions are inferences. We base a prediction on what has been stated in the text, but we add to it an informed guess about what is to come." Mosaic of Thought, Keene & Zimmerman Page 153
Readers predict as they read by
o using what they know from the story to think what might happen next.
o thinking about the kind of story they are reading such as a silly, sad, or
scary story). Then they think how might these affect the rest of the
story?
Readers can predict the problem by
o noticing events in a story that reoccur. Then they think what might the
problem be?
Sometimes readers change their predictions as they read by noticing when the
story is different than what they expected. Readers say to themselves, ―I
thought…..was going to happen, but not I think…because…‖
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Good readers predict what will happen next. They read a bit, stop, and say,
―based on what just happened, I think _____________________ will happen
next.‖
They grow their thinking about a text by asking questions as they read and
keeping track of those questions. They read a bit, then stop and ask
themselves, ―Do I have any questions? Does this make me wonder anything?‖
Then, they jot these questions on a Post-it to hold on to them. *We hope that
kids automatically ask questions as they read! We can definitely teach them to
do this intentionally.
They push their thinking as they read. They look at what the information is
telling them but not saying (inferring) and say things like, ―The thought I have
about this is…‖ or, ―This makes me think…‖ or, ―If that is true, I bet that
_______ is true.‖
Readers can infer ideas about the text by looking at what the information is
telling them but not saying explicitly. We can do this by reading a sentence and
responding, ―This makes me think that...‖
Readers react and talk back to the text by
o noticing when they get a feeling as they read such as, that was a funny
part. Then they can add a post-it to that part and share it with their
partner.
o saying what the book makes you think such as ―Wow that is interesting.‖
o paying attention to when they are confused with cues such as, wait a
minute or what did that mean
o questioning things that happen or things that their characters do. They
might say ―Why did that happen? or How did they do that?‖
Readers make connections by
o reading a little and then remembering when something like that happened
to you or someone you know
o noticing when the book remind them of another book they’ve read or heard
read-aloud.
Readers grow their thinking about a text by asking questions as they read and
keeping track of those questions by reading a bit, stopping and asking
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themselves, ―Do I have any questions? Does this make me wonder anything?‖
Then, we jot these questions on a Post-it to hold on to them.
They search for clues that may help them find answers to their questions. They
come up with keywords that go along with their topics and look for them as they
read. If they come across a keyword they stop and ask, ―Does anything here
answer my question?‖
Readers grow their thinking about a text to learn more than what the text
directly says. They jot questions on Post-its and then read on to answer them.
They re-read their question Post-its often to see if they have answers.
Readers grow their thinking on a text. They go back into the text they’ve
already read skimming, scanning, underlining, and circling key words to add
information to what they already know.
Readers ask questions and try to answer those questions before reading on.
They remember what they already know about the topic, or what they’ve already
read in the text about the topic. They can then infer an answer based on what
they know or what they’ve read. They can say, ―Why do elf owls live inside
holes in a cactus?‖ Then, they can try to answer by saying, ―I think they live
inside holes because…‖
Readers answer their questions about a text by reading on to see if the answer
is explicitly stated in the text. If the answer is not stated, we can infer the
answer by thinking about everything we have read about the topic and asking,
―Based on what I’ve read and what I know, what could a possible answer be?‖
Retell/Synthesize-the creation of a text's meaning by a reader, combining what the text says and what the reader knows. It uses some or all of the reading strategies: activating schema, asking questions, making judgments about importance, visualizing, and metacognition. Synthesis takes place during and after reading. It is the process of creating a mental plan-a blueprint-for what we’re reading, experiencing, or learning-and then continually revising the plan as we recall or encounter new information. Mosaic of Thought, Keene & Zimmerman Page 229
o Readers retell the story so they make sure they understand what is going on by
o Stopping and retelling the important parts of the story across their fingers.
o Stopping and retelling the important parts of the story using order words such as
first, then, next, last, or after that, and finally.
o Touching each page and retelling the BIG thing that happened on that page.
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o Readers make sure they understand their book. They retell what they have learned to
a partner. If they’re unable to do this well, they re-read, and try again!
o Readers can grow our thinking about a text by summarizing what we’ve read so far,
then asking ourselves a question and answering it. We might say, ―I’ve read that...I
wonder...I think...‖
o They always try to put what they have read into their own words. They say things
like, ―What the author is saying is that…‖ or, ―What this means is…‖
o Readers always try to put what they have read into their own words. They close the
book and say, ―I just read that …‖ or, ―What I just learned was…‖
o They think about how new information fits with what they already know. Readers read
a part and ask, ―How does this fit with what I have already read?‖
o They grow ideas about their topic, reading new information that is different from what
they already know. They say something, such as, ―I learned that…and it makes me
wonder/think/want to know more about…‖
o They add too what they already know about their topic. They read a chunk of new
text and say something such as, ―I didn’t realize that…‖ or, ―I didn’t know that… I
thought that…‖
o They evaluate new information that they read. They think about what they already
know about the topic and ask, ―What did I learn that is new?‖ and, ―How is this
different from what I already know?‖
o Good readers retell what happened showing how this new development fits with the
unfolding story. This retelling should include the characters’ traits and motivations,
the main events of the plot told in sequence, the big problem and how that problem is
eventually resolved. Students should be able to synthesize new developments in the
story.
o Readers can get better at retelling by pausing after reading each chapter, turn back
to the start, skim, and retell what happened in a page-by-page progression.
o Readers can get better at retelling by sketching the story’s sequence.
o Good readers understand what they read by synthesizing. Readers realize how
sections of a story go together. Partners can talk about why the character does what
he does.
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o Readers can summarize a text as we read by jotting notes in the margins with
information we’ve learned in that section. We can do this by asking, ―What was this
section all about? What did I just learn in this section? What important information
did I just read?‖
o Readers can find the bigger ideas of a text by looking at the main ideas of the
sections and asking, ―How does this all fit together?‖ and ―What could I name this
huge section or this huge main idea?‖
Monitor for Meaning-for proficient readers, monitoring for meaning if a natural and often subconscious process. Proficient readers listen to their inner voices as they read, make ongoing corrections and adjustments, and are aware of how meaning evolves. Our goal is to make this process similarly subconscious and natural for ALL students, so that they monitor and revise their thinking in a wide variety of texts long before high school or college-which is where some of us were before we caught on. In many ways, monitoring is the umbrella under which the other comprehension strategies fall. Mosaic of Thought, Keene & Zimmerman Page 49
o Readers notice when they hit a hard word. They do not just pretend they didn’t see
it and mumble past it. They stop and try to figure it out.
o They make sure the word they tried not only makes sense but also looks right (matches
the letters).
o They make sure they understand the story by checking to see if they can retell it.
Retell across your fingers saying cue words such as first, then,
next, after that, and finally.
Touch each page and retell the big thing that is happening.
o They use a ―stop and think‖ post-it. When you begin reading put a post-it a few
pages ahead and when you come to that post-it you should stop and think about what
you have just read.
o Readers make sure their reading makes sense by being a ―wide-awake‖ reader. When a
word doesn’t make sense, the wide-awake reader might say, ―Huh? That doesn’t sound
right.‖
o A wide awake reader recognizes when their reading across sentences and from page to
page does not make sense. They recognize this by
o Not being able to follow the story
o Having trouble retelling what they have read
o Having trouble envisioning what they are reading.
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o Readers check their reading by using Post-its to mark tricky words or places that are
confusing.
o They notice when some parts are harder to understand then others. They reread
these hard parts out loud, and then tell themselves or a partner what they’ve read.
o They monitor for sense as they read. They stop every few pages to retell to
themselves what they have read. If they are able to retell easily, they read on. If
not, they know to reread so they understand before going on.
o Good readers self-monitor their reading comprehension. They say, ―Wait a minute.
This isn’t right‖. They can adjust their reading rate to make it make more sense
o Readers read a text in chunks, making sure they understand each chunk before moving
on to the next. They read a chunk of text and think about that chunk before moving
on. They stop and ask themselves, ―What did I just read? If they don’t understand
what they just read, they reread before moving on.
o Readers can figure out unfamiliar words by substituting a synonym for the unfamiliar
word. As we read on, we need to monitor our substitution, thinking, ―Is this making
sense?‖, and ―Do I need to change what I thought that word might be
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October and November Character Study
In kindergarten through 2nd grade, character units focus on identifying characters, getting
to know characters, and character friendships. We want this unit to feel different for our
3rd and 4th grade students. We don’t want them to feel like they’ve already done everything
there is to do with characters. It is our job to let them know that this is new work (even if
some of it is a repeat). Highlight that this is more advanced character work and that they
are going to be focusing on the internal and external journeys that characters in their books
take. Make it feel new and exciting!
This unit also teaches students how to follow characters through series books. Third and 4th
grade years are often times considered the ―series years‖. During this character unit, we
want to make sure we teach students how to follow characters through a series.
There is something comforting for students about reading through a series of books. As they
move from book to book, they can become more confident because they’re already familiar
with the characters and often times the setting.
GOALS
Synthesis Students will use what they know about their characters to discover when and why their
characters‘ behavior changes Students will read with wide awake minds to become aware of turning points and use that
information to understand how these turning point affect their characters‘ journey Students will look at texts holistically to extract meaning from the outcome of our
characters‘ journey Students will look at texts holistically in order to figure out the ―big idea‖
Personal Response Students will make connections and/or disconnections between their characters‘ behavior
and their own experiences
Students will evaluate their characters‘ behavior by using their own behavior as a baseline
Students will linger over their reading and then turn to their lives to see how it relates
(Calkins, 2001)
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Teaching Points:
Series Work –
Readers get hooked on a series.
Readers get hooked on a series because they love the characters. They think about what
kind of characters they like to read about or watch in the movies and find books that
have the same type of characters in them. They can look at the front cover, read the
blurb on the back, and ask, ―Are these the kinds of characters I typically like to read
about?‖
Readers get hooked on a series because they love the kind of story the series tells
(adventure, mystery, scary, love, etc.). They think about the stories they typically like to
read or movies they like to watch and find books that have the same kind of story. They
can look at the cover, read the blurb on the back, and ask, ―Is this the kind of story I
typically like to read about?‖
Readers figure out how to approach their series.
Readers use all the information available on series book covers to see if that helps them
decide which book to read first and next and next and next. They look to see if there
are numbers that indicate the order in which they are to be read. If not, they choose
the book that seems most appealing.
Partners decide if they want to read the same title at the same time (if possible) or if
they want to each read a different title and then talk about the books. They make a
decision and then set a goal for reading.
Readers try to figure out if their books are ―to be continued‖ from one book to the next,
or if each book is its own separate story.
Readers figure out what‘s important in a book and keep that in mind as they read (determining
importance and accumulating the text across pages and chapters).
Readers can retell what happened in a part of the book or within a chapter and then say,
―The important part of this is…‖. They do this by retelling a part, then thinking, ―What
really sticks out to me? What seems to be the big thing the writer wants us to
remember?‖ Then, they say, ―The important part of this is….‖
Readers choose a part of their text that seems important. They think about a part that
sticks in their mind. Maybe it‘s a part that has a lot of action or description about a
character or the setting. They retell this part, then say, ―This is important because…‖
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Readers can review the events in the chapter and think about what are the important
parts to keep in mind and hold onto. They think about all the parts that really stuck out
in their mind and jot those down. They can make a page in their notebook with the
chapter number at top and jot down all the important parts.
Readers can jot the ideas and events they think are important on sticky notes.
As readers meet new characters in their texts, they try to name the relationship the
new character has to the main characters, and they determine whether this is a
character to hold in their minds or whether he or she is a fleeting character, one who
just seems to pass through the story.
Readers use what they know from the first book in the series to help them understand the next
book. Readers make connections between books in a series.
Readers keep in mind what they learned about the characters in the first book when
they encounter the same characters again in the next books. They can stop when they
start reading and a character appears and say across their fingers all they already know
about that character.
Readers keep in mind what they learned about the characters in the first book when
they encounter the same characters again in the next book to make predictions about
how characters may act and the issues they may face. They can stop when they start
reading and a character appears and say across their fingers all they already know about
that character and how they act and the issues they faced in the previous book/s. They
can then make predictions about what might happen in this book.
Readers notice when characters change across books in a series because they‘ve gotten
to know the characters really well. As they are reading, they stop and think, ―How is this
character acting right now? Is this typical? Is it the same or different from the other
books?‖
Readers can find the problem and solution in the book, then look across texts to see if
the author has particular issues he or she tends to write about in the series. They can
use this information to predict what the next book might be about.
Character Journey Work –
Readers respond to the text in order to relate to our characters and become invested in their
journeys
Good readers pay close attention to the reactions we have as we read about the journeys our
characters take. We do this in order to better relate to them and form predictions about how
their journeys will unfold.
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Good readers deeply invest ourselves into the journey and befriend our main character. We do
this by paying close attention to the details of our character. Specifically, we pay close attention
to the authors‘ descriptions about our characters. We can do this by recording details about our
characters on post-its in our books.
Good readers deeply invest ourselves in our new book by considering the relationship our main
characters have with secondary characters. We can do this by talking long with our book clubs
about how these relationships affect our main characters‘ journey.
We are all motivated by different wants and needs. Good readers investigate the wants or needs
that motivate our main characters to go on their journeys. We can do this by using post-its to
mark places in our books where we see possible sources of motivation.
Readers pay close attention to the character‘s wants and needs as the story progresses…the
wants and needs that motivate our character to go on his journey. These wants and needs may
change as the story progresses. Good readers pay attention to the changing wants and needs that
motivate our characters. We do this so we can learn how our character is changing as a person.
Readers respond to our characters‘ actions and behaviors to form deeper understandings of their
journeys and the text as a whole:
Good readers respond to our characters‘ behavior by asking the question, ―Why is my character
behaving this way?‖ Then, we can talk long with the members in our book clubs about our
characters‘ behavior.
Readers keep track of behavior patterns if they notice that the characters repeatedly behave in a
certain way, but are not quite sure why they are behaving this way.
Sometimes, our characters behave in a way that does not quite fit with what we already know
about them. Good readers ask ourselves, ―How does my character‘s behavior fit with what I
already know about him/her?‖ Clubs can use charts or post-its to track our characters‘ actions.
Sometimes, our characters‘ behavior and thoughts do not always match. Good readers often
compare our characters‘ behaviors to their thoughts so we can get a fuller sense of who our
characters truly are. Readers can use conversational prompts to talk long about how our
characters‘ behaviors and thoughts differ.
Readers respond when our characters behave in a way that is different than how we would behave
in a particular situation. We can talk long with our book clubs about how we might react in
situations that our characters are faced with.
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Readers critically consider the major changes and turning points in our characters‘ journeys to
better synthesize across the text:
Readers look to figure out what type of journeys our characters are embarking on: a man‘s journey
home or a stranger comes to town. We do this by paying attention to the elements of the story.
Readers determine what is important in books by looking for changes our characters go through.
We do this so we know what is worth thinking and talking about in our books.
Readers investigate the changes characters go through throughout their personal journeys. One
way we can do this is by investigating and talking about these changes with our book clubs using
conversational prompts.
Readers consider the emotions our characters feel during major changes or turning points
throughout their journeys. We do this to understand how our characters may be growing and
changing. Readers can use a character sketch to track these emotions at major turning points.
Readers respond to our characters‘ emotions during major turning points along their journeys. We
do this by asking ourselves, ―What from my life relates to this? How are my experiences the same
or different from my main characters‘ experiences?‖ Readers can use conversational prompts to
talk long about this with our book clubs.
Readers reflect back on the changes our characters go through. We do this to form an
understanding of the lessons or characters have learned. We strategically discuss these changes
with our book clubs.
Readers examine our characters‘ journeys and respond by reflecting on the journeys we have
embarked on in our own lives:
When we come to the end of our characters‘ journeys, good readers go back and further explore
the relationships our characters have formed throughout their journeys. We can ask ourselves,
―What was the purpose for these relationships and what did our characters learn from them?‖
We can talk long with our book clubs about these relationships.
Readers make connections between how a main character is similar to characters in other stories
we have read. We can do this by revisiting our post-its to track where we think our characters‘
actions compare to other characters we have read about.
Sometimes, readers do not relate to our characters or the journeys they embark on. When this
happens, one thing readers can do is think about something similar we or someone we know has
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experienced. Readers can do this by thinking about the major lessons from the book and writing
short connections in our reading notebooks about how this journey connects to our lives.
Readers look for hidden meanings in the stories and we ask ourselves, ―What is the author really
trying to tell us about our character‘s journey?‖ This helps us form deeper connections with the
text.
Readers think deeply about the endings of our characters‘ journeys. We do this to form opinions
about why the journeys ended the way they did. We ask ourselves, ―Why did the story end this
way? How does this fit with what I already know about my character?‖
Additional resources:
Strategy Lesson
(Work with a group of students who are not demonstrating that they know how to use the descriptions of the main character to further their understanding of who the character is as a person. Help them make that link between how the author describes a character (his/her physical traits or his/her internal thoughts) and what the descriptions make them think about the character. Use a chart with them, like the one below, to help them plot the descriptions and match their reactions to them):
Strategy Lesson
(Work with a group of students who do not seem to be demonstrating an understanding of how to think about how the relationships with secondary characters enhance their character‘s journey. You can assess their understanding by conferring with students during the workshop and listening to their comments during the turn and talks. Help the students who are having difficulty making connections between secondary characters first talk about what secondary characters are and then map out who the secondary characters are in their books. Use a chart, like the one below, to help the students map out the connections the main character has to secondary characters):
Descriptions about my character: “That description makes me think that
____”:
a) Physical traits (what my character looks like)
b) Actions (what my character does)
c) Dialogue (what my character says)
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Strategy Lesson
(For students who are having difficulty tracking their characters‘ thoughts and behavior, I would pull a small group together and conduct a strategy lesson. The lesson would suggest utilizing the strategy of creating a chart to help the students visually depict their characters‘ thoughts and behaviors. This may help students understand that there are disconnects or connections between a character‘s thoughts and actions. An example of what the chart might look like is as follows:
How My Character Is
Acting/Behaves
What My Character
Really Thinks
How These Thoughts
and Actions Are
Similar or Different
Page:
Page:
Page:
Strategy Lesson (While conferring with students you may notice that they are getting lost in the text. Some
students might verbalize confusion telling you that so many different things are going on , that
they are having a hard time understanding their book. This students needs to slow down, think and
reflect back on the pages---they need to monitor for sense.)
Main
character
Secondary
Secondary
Secondary
Secondary
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*As seen at professional development workshop at PS 199: Reading and Writing Project.
Questions Prompsts You read_____________
(word, phrase, sentence)
Does that make sense?
Can you retell what you just read?
What just happened?
Did that match your prediction?
What happened in the text (story)?
What happened to the character?
How do you know?
Read that again and think, what would
make sense and look right.
Go back and reread a small part. Stop
and tell yourself what you just read.
Go back to the _______(title, pictures,
chp. title chp. before) That can help you
remember (understand) what you are
reading.
Reread forward thinking about what just
happened. Read forward and check your
prediction…revise if you need to.
Go back to the part that helps you know
that.
(or if reading too fast without attending
to punctuation and with little
comprehension) Slow down and pay
attention to punctuation. This will help
you think about what you’re reading.
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THE RAFT
By Jim LaMarche
―There‘s nobody to play with,‖ I complained. ―She doesn‘t even have a TV.‖
Dad grinned. ―Well, she‘s not your normal kind of grandma, I guess,‖ he said. ―Calls herself
a river rat.‖ He chuckled. ―But I promise, she‘ll find plenty for you to do. And you know I can‘t
take you with me this summer, Nicky. There‘ll be no kids there, and I‘ll be spending all my time at
the plant.‖
I felt tears starting again, but I blinked hard and looked out the window.
That afternoon, I stood in Grandma‘s yard and watched my dad drive away. Dust rose up
behind our car as it disappeared into the pines.
―Well, we can‘t stand here all summer,‖ said Grandma. ―C‘ mon, Nicky, it‘s time for supper.‖
―Honey or maple syrup on your cornbread?‖ Grandma asked.
―I don‘t like cornbread,‖ I mumbled, poking my finger into the syrup pitcher when she wasn‘t
looking.
―If you‘re going to do that, you‘d better wash up first,‖ she said. She had eyes in the back
of her head. ―Bathroom‘s through there.‖
I pushed the doorway curtain aside and walked into what would have been a living room in
anyone else‘s house. Books were scattered everywhere-on the tables, on the chairs, even on the
floor. Three of the walls were cluttered with sketches and stuffed fish and charts of the river.
Several fishing poles hung from the fourth with a tackle box, a snorkel, and a mask on the floor
beneath them, It looked like a river rat‘s workroom, all right, except that in the middle of
everything was a half-finished carving of a bear.
―Been carving that old fellow for years,‖ Grandma called from the kitchen. ―The real one
hangs out at the dump. Now come get your supper, before I feed it to him.‖
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Dad was right-Grandma found plenty for me to do. In the morning, I stacked firewood, then
helped her clean out the rain futters and change the spark plugs on her truck. The afternoon was
almost over when she handed me a cane pole, a bobber, and some red worms.
―Fish fry tonight!‖ she said, showing me how to bait the hook. ―That river‘s full of fat
bluegills. Drop your line near the lily pads and you‘ll find ‗em.‖
Down at the dock, I looked things over. The lily pads were to close to shore. There couldn‘t
be fish there. I walked to the end of the dock and threw my line out as far as I could. Then I sat
down to wait. And wait. My bobber never moved.
―There‘s no fish in this stupid river,‖ I said out loud, disgusted.
We had hamburgers for supper.
―Give it another try,‖ said Grandma the next evening. ―I‘ll bet you catch something.‖
Don‘t count on it, I thought, as I headed back to the dock. I threw my line in the water.
Then I stretched out on the dock so wait. I must have fallen asleep, because I was awakened by
loud chirping and chattering. I sat up and looked around. A flock of birds was moving toward me
along the river, hovering over something floating on the water. I drifted downstream, closer and
closer, until finally it bumped up against the dock.
Though it was covered with leaves and branches, now I could tell that it was a raft. What
was it doing floating down the river all by itself, I wondered. I reached down and pushed some of
the leaves aside. Beneath them was a drawing of a rabbit. It looked like those ancient cave
paintings I‘d seen in books-just outlines, but wild and fast and free.
I cleaned away more leaves and it was like finding presents under the Christmas tree. A
bear, a fox, a raccoon-all with the wild look of the rabbit. Who had drawn them, I wondered.
Where had the raft come from?
I ran up to the cottage. Grandma was on the porch, reading.
―Do you have some rope I can use?‖ I asked.
―In the shed, hon,‖ she said. ―Help yourself.‖ She didn‘t ask me what I needed it for, and I
decided not to tell her yet.
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I pushed the raft into the reeds along the river‘s edge, then tied it to the dock so it
wouldn‘t drift away. All the while, birds flew over my head, every now and then swooping down to
the raft as if it were a friend. A crane waded through the reeds to it. A turtle swam up from the
bottom of the river.
The moon had risen yellow over the river by the time I went up to the cottage to go to bed.
I was already down at the dock the next morning when Grandma appeared with a life jacket
and a long pole. SHe didn‘t seen surprised by the raft at all, or by the animal pictures all over it.
―How did you know…?‖ I started.
―Let‘s go, ― Grandma interrupted, tossing me the life jacket and stepping onto the raft. She
pushed the pole hard into the river bottom and we moved smoothly into the current.
―You‘re turn,‖ she said after a few minutes. SHe showed me how to hold the pole and push,
and I poled us to the middle of the river. Even there, the water wasn‘t over my head.
We poled the raft up the river, then let it slowly drift back down. The birds kept us
company the whole time, soaring, swooping, singing. Some even landed on the raft and rode with us
for a while. Hitchhikers, Grandma called them.
After that, I had little time for anything but the raft. I raced through whatever chores
there were, then ran down to the dock, wondering what animals I‘d see that day.
It wasn‘t just birds that the raft attracted. One morning three raccoons followed me along
the shore. Another time a turtle climbed on board and spent the morning sunning itself. And one
afternoon I saw a family of foxes slip through the trees along the river.
When the weather turned too hot and sticky to sleep indoors, Grandma helped me put up a
small tent on the raft. I lay on top of the cool sheets and read comic books by flashlight until I
fell asleep. One night, a noise woke me up. There in the moonlight stood a huge buck. He looked
right at me, then lowered his head to drink, as if I wasn‘t there at all.
I found Grandma the next morning working on her bear carving.
―Do you have some extra paper I could draw on?‖ I asked her.
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She brought out a big sketchpad and a pouch filled with thick pencils and crayons. ―I‘ve
been saving these just for you,‖ she said. ―Better take these, too.‖ She held out the snorkel and
mask. ―Never know when they might come in handy on the raft.‖
The sun was hot that afternnon, so I poled into the shade of a willow, then waited to see
what animals the raft would bring. It wasn‘t long before a great blue heron whooshes down with a
crayfish in its bill.
I grabbed a pencil and began to sketch. I felt invisible as the bird calmly ate its lunch right
in front of me. Then it preened its feathers, looked back up the river, and flew off.
That night I showed mhy drawing to Grandma.
―Not bad,‖ she said. ―Not bad at all!‖ And she tacked it on the wall on top of one of her own
sketches.
One day I poled upriver farther than I‘d ever been. Near a clump of tall cattails, I startled
an otter family. They dove underwater, but, as with the other animals, the raft seemed to calm
them down. Soon they were playing all around me.
Grandma had been right about the mask and snorkel coming in handy. I slipped them on,
then hung my head over the raft and watched the otters play- chasing fish, chasing each other,
sometimes just chasing their own tails. I kept very still, but they didn‘t seem to mind me
watching. They played keep away with a small stone, then tug-of-war with a piece of rope. It was
like they were showing off for me. They even let me feed them right out of my hand.
Some mornings, Grandma would make a bagful of sandwhiches and a thermos of icy
lemonade. Then we‘d put on our bathing suits, grab some towels, a lawn chair, and an inner tube,
and pole upriver to her favorite swimming spot. ―I‘ve come swimming here since I was girl,‖ she
told me as we tied the raft to an old dock. ―The Marshalls used to liver here-all ten of them.
What a herd of wild animals we were!‖
While Grandma watched from the inner tube, I practiced my flying cannonballs. Then we‘d
eat out lunch, and she‘d tell me stories about growing up on the river. My favorite was of the time
she‘d found a small black pearl inside a river calm. ―I still have it,‖ she said.
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Somehow, on the river, it seemed like summer would never end. But of course it did.
On my last day, I got up extra early and crept down to the dock. The air was cool and a low
pearly fog hung over the river. I untied the raft and quietly drifted downstream.
Ahead of me, through the fog, I saw two deer moving across the river, a doe and her fawn.
When they reached the shore, the doe leaped easily up the steep bank, then turned to wait for
her baby. But the fawn was in trouble. It kept slipping down the muddy bank. The doe returned
to the water to help, but the more the fawn struggled, the deeper it got stuck in the mud.
I pushed off the river bottom and drove the raft hard onto the muddy bank, startling the
doe. Then I dropped into the water. I was ankle-deep in mud.
―You‘re okay,‖ I whispered to the fawn, praying that the raft would calm it. ―I won‘t hurt
you.‖
Gradually the fawn stopped struggling, as if it understood that I was there to help. I put
my arms around it and pulled. It barely moved. I pulled again, then again. Slowly the fawn eased
out of the mud, and finally it was free. Carefully I carried the fawn up the bank to its mother.
Then, quietly, I returned to the raft. From there, I watched the doe nuzzle and clean her
baby, and I knew what I had to do. I pulled the stub of crayon from my pocket, and drew the
fawn, in all its wildness, onto the old gray boards of the raft. When I had finished, I knew it was
just right.
After supper, I showed Grandma my drawing of the fawn and told her my story.
―It‘s perfect,‖ she said, ―but we need to do one more thing.‖ She hurried up to the cottage.
When she came back, she had tubes of oil paint and two brushed.
Grandma helped me trace my drawing with the oil paint, which soaked deep into the wood.
―That‘ll keep it,‖ she said. ―Now you‘ll always be part of the river.‖
―Just like you, Grandma,‖ I told her. ―A river rat.‖ Grandma laughed. ―Just like me,‖ she
agreed.
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November and December:
Reading about Social Issues: Talking and Writing About Texts (with partners or book clubs)
Overview of Unit:
*The initial book order placed contains 11 sets of 4 books for social issue book clubs. This should
allow each student to read at least 2 books in their book club, while they keep another book going
for independent reading. The remaining books for fourth-grade social issues are individual copies.
These individual copies are included for the following reasons:
Use as a read-aloud. Most specifically, Maniac Magee (W), Sounder (T), & Bridge to Terebithia(T). It is best not to let students, at this time of the year, read anything much
beyond an ―R‖ on their own. While many children can decode and do have comprehension
skills at higher levels, it is best to allow these kids to read a book in which they will not
stumble in any way so as to work on deeper comprehension strategies
Match them up with copies you already have in your classroom library and/or with your
teaching partner so as to have additional sets of partner books and/or book clubs.
Find out which books work best for you in teaching social issues and include additional copies
in future book orders.
These can also be a student‘s independent book to have when not in a book club.
*You will need to make sure the students understand how book clubs work. They will need to set a
goal with a post-it so no one reads ahead. This is when they will have their independent book with
them so if they finish early, they will not be just sitting there.
Immersion/Read-Aloud:
A day or two before the study begins, the teacher starts a new whole class read aloud text that
has a clear and high interest ‗Social Issue‘ inside of it for students to discuss. We recommend
starting with a picture book like The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson, Tight Times by Barbara
Shook Hazen, or The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills and then moving to some shorter chapter books
such as Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business or Marvin Redpost: Why Pick on Me? You
might argue that these books are better suited to younger readers and it is certainly fine to
select more complex ones; we only suggest the early chapter books but their brevity means that in
short order, kids will be talking between texts. Because this unit of study is designed to encourage
kids to see how one social issue plays out across several texts, it is important that the teacher
reads aloud 3-5 texts across this unit. As previously stated, each teacher should have Maniac
Magee (W), Sounder (T), & Bridge to Terebithia(T) to use for additional read-alouds. These
definitely take more time, but are very well worth it!! The unit spotlights talking about and
between texts and so the teacher will want to facilitate her students in turn-and-talk partnership
conversations in response to the read aloud, as well as whole class conversations about those
books.
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This unit is a good time to emphasize the importance of accountable talk during interactive read-
aloud and whole class conversations. You may want to emphasize conversational prompts such as
these…
Accountable Talk Prompts for Social Issues
―I think this isn‘t fair because…‖
―Why do you think that?‖
―I want to add on to what…‖
―Another example of the same thing is…‖
―I see what you‘re saying…‖
―What you are saying is making me change my first ideas because now I am realizing…‖
―But couldn‘t you read this differently and say…‖
―I agree…‖
―I disagree…‖
At the beginning of the study, the teacher will probably want to help her students think about
social issues that lie inside texts (for example, in The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson, we can
pay attention to the divisions between groups, or in Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business
we can pay attention to Junie B.‘s tendency to bully. We can also help students see how there are
often multiple issues inside one text (In The Other Side we can explore other issues like peer
pressure and people having power over other people). As the study progresses, the teacher could
help her students see how they can connect what they are learning about the social issues in the
books to what really happens in the world.
Some Issues that Clubs May Study:
o Bullying
o Fitting In/Being New
o Not having friends/Trouble with friends
o Growing Up
o Homelessness
o Poverty
o Divorce
o Family Issues
o Racism/Discrimination
o Peer Pressure
o Animal Rights
o Loss
o Recycling/Environmental Issues
o Building Community
o Illiteracy
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Helpful Book Club Tips
o Book Clubs usually consist of 4 to 6 students. Often these students are two sets of
partners combined into a Club.
o Book Club members all read at about the same level and have many of the same interests in
books. Club members should be able to choose the text they will read, so it is important
that they have similar reading interests.
o Book Club members set goals and do not read past those goals. If they reach the goal
before everyone else, they can stop and read in one of their other books.
Tips for scheduling Book Clubs into Reading Workshop
o Start out with a teaching point for independent reading time in book club books
o Interrupt before moving into book clubs and give a teaching point directly related to
working in their book clubs.
o Give some time for reading in just right books and
Talk in Book Clubs
o Beginning Talk:
o -Does anyone have anything that connects to what we‘ve been talking about?
o -Lay out confusion
o -Does anyone have a thought to share?
o -So, how should we begin?
o -Someone just throws out an idea
o -Start with a question
o -Start with part of the text
o -Start with a post-it or other writing work done during reading
More talk:
o -ask the speaker to say more, to elaborate
o -say ―What?‖ when someone says something confusing
o -summarize the conversation so far to clarify the topic at hand
o -give examples to back up a theory, learning to say ―For example‖ and to ask others for
examples
Teaching Points (For independent reading in book club book):
*This is a menu of sorts, and is not meant to be an exhausted list of teaching points. Teaching points should be chosen based on the specific needs of your students.
Readers Learn How to Study an Issue in a Text
o Readers predict possible social issues that their character might face.
o They can look at the characters on the front cover: What does this character look
like? Do you know people that look like this? What kind of issues might this
character face?
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o They can pay close attention to the character descriptions the author gives us right
from the start: What has the author told me about this character? Where does the
character live, what is the family like? What sort of issues might this character face
in this book?
o They can ask themselves, ―Based on the information the author has given me, inside
and outside characteristics, what social issues might my character face in this book?‖
o
o Readers think deeply about struggles or challenges their character face.
o They can read or re-read parts where something important is happening to the main
character and:
Ask themselves, ―Is this fair?‖
They put a post-it in this part to discuss it later with their group.
They want to challenge their thinking by seeing things that might seem unfair
and finding possible solutions in their group discussions.
o Readers realize that there are 2 sides to every issue; they want to explore how these
characters might feel on both sides of the issue.
o They can put themselves in a character‘s shoes,
Thinking about how that character feels, and how they would feel if they were
in the same situation
o Then they can switch and think about another character‘s perspective.
What might this character feel? I would I feel if I were in this situation?
o They can keep track of this with a t-chart in their notebook. This can be done any
way: Character A‘s feelings/Character B‘s feelings; Character‘s feelings/How I would
feel; etc…
Readers Study Their Character to Learn More About Their Issue
o Readers begin to get to know their character more.
o They can create a T-chart of their internal and external characteristics. What are
they like on the outside, but how do they feel on the inside?
o They can think about the group they belong to. Where are they from? What do they love to do? Do they have older or younger siblings? Do these things make them a
part of a certain group? What do you know about the people in these groups?
o Readers become more connected to their characters and understand their actions better
o They can focus on what motivates them...what their characters want or need and how
this makes them act.
They can do this by choosing a character and saying, "___________________
wants/needs _____________________ and this is making him/her
_______________________________________."
o They can put themselves into their characters' shoes and think about what they
might have done if they were their characters.
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They do this by choosing a character and an important action their character
did and saying, "If I were _____________, I would have ______________."
o Readers learn more about their character‘s problems and motivations by seeing how the
setting and/or situation lead to their problems.
o They can write down their character‘s setting on one side of a T-chart. On the other
side they can answer:
How does the setting/environment contribute to the character‘s problems?
How might their problems be different if they lived in a different place?‖ If
the characters lived in Hawaii versus inner-city New York, would his/her
problems be different?
Readers Make Connections
o Readers think about the social issue in their book and compare it to issues from other books.
o They can ask themselves:
―Is it the same?‖
―Is it different?‖
―Are there patterns?‖
―This situation reminds me ―of…………….in another book.‖
o Readers think about the social issue in their book and compare it to issues from their own lives.
o They can ask themselves:
―Is there a situation in my own life that is similar to the one in the text?‖
―How do I act when I face the issues like this?‖
―Would I act in the same way, or differently, from my character?‖
o Readers think about the author and his/her own point of view of the book‘s social issue.
o They do this by reading the author‘s blurb on the book and asking themselves, ―How
might the author‘s life have influenced his/her writing?
o Would a different author write the same story differently?‖
Teaching Points (For book clubs): Setting Goals to stick with
o Book clubs can meet before reading in their books and decide on a place to stop.
o They‘ll think about what might be too much, and what isn‘t enough.
o Readers want to stop at good stopping places.
Getting Conversation Started
o Book clubs can start conversations on their own.
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o Everyone can read through their post-its, choose one of their strongest, and then put
that post it front of them in their book club circle. One person will read their post-it
and each member will take turns responding and discussing the post-it.
o When everyone is done responding move to the next person‘s post-it and do the same
thing.
o Have a new person each day be the ―conversation initiator.‖ They can begin
conversations and keep talk going when there is dead time. They can start
conversations with a question.
―Does anyone have anything that confused them?‖
―Does anyone have a thought to share?‖
―Does anyone have a question about something they read?‖
―Would anyone like to read a part of the text that made you think?‖
―Does anyone have a post-it note they would like to share?‖
Keeping Talk Going
o Book Club members see that everyone is involved in conversation.
o They look at, and listen to whoever is speaking.
o If they get confused about what someone is saying:
―I‘m sorry, could you say that another way?‖
―So, what you are saying is…‖
―Why do you think that?‖
―Can you say more?‖
o If they didn‘t hear something:
―I‘m sorry, could you repeat that a little louder?‖
o If they want to say something that they think about what someone else is saying:
―I have something I would like to add-on to what you said.‖
―Another example of that same thing is…‖
o If what someone is saying reminds them of something in their own life, or reading:
―You know, this reminds me of…‖
o If there is a group member who is shy or not sharing:
―___________, What do you think about___________.‖
―___________, is there anything you would like to add?‖
o If they change their mind about a thought:
―What you‘re saying is making me change my mind because I first thought….
And, now I think….
Going Past our Reading……..
*The following is just a suggestion from Teacher‘s College. Please read over it and make your own
personal decisions based on available class time as well as other daily factors
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In the last week or so of the unit, we can teach children that often readers decide to do
something about the issue they‘ve been reading about. The last part of this unit could go in many
directions, depending on how much time you would like to spend on it, the resources you have
available, and the goals you have in doing this project. The project could be short and to the point
(posters, fliers, letter writing), or more involved (skits, videos, presentations). It‘s up to you to
decide what you‘re goals are for this part of the unit. The following are some ideas for teaching
the last part of this unit:
Introduce the Project
To introduce the project, you might give students an example of something you‘ve read a lot about
and decided to take action (For example, you read a lot about homelessness and you decided to
volunteer at a shelter, you read a lot about how important recycling is and so now you make sure to
recycle). Tell students that one way readers take action is by teaching others about their issue, by
telling the story of their issue to the world. Give students time to formulate a theory about their
issue and discuss ideas for how they could tell the story of their issue to the world.
Possible Final Projects:
Art: Posters, Flyers, Brochures, Displays
Media: Commercials, Newsletters, Creating a Class Newspaper, Press Release
Internet: Website (go to Scholastic.com), Pen Pals, Research Presentation
Oral Presentations: Panel Discussion, Role-Playing Interviews, Debates, Speeches
Action: Students volunteer at a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen, students create
a school food drive, write letters to politicians or newspapers, create a whole school assembly
presentation, volunteer at a hospital, hospice or retirement home.
Develop a rubric for what will be expected in the final project.
Using a blank rubric with various criteria, decide as a class what will be acceptable as far as
format, presentation/participation, and content of the final project. Emphasize that the goal is to
effectively tell the story of their issue to the world (or as many people as they can).
Children work on their final projects (could be more than one session, or take place outside/in
addition to Reading Workshop)
Children present their final projects (could be more than one session, or take place outside/in
addition to Reading Workshop)
Readers reflect on how their thinking has changed by reading, studying and talking together.
Children reflect by discussing what they‘ve learned from their reading with their clubs and assess
each other‘s and their own project using the rubric they developed earlier. Another option would
be to mix up the groups and have them discuss what they‘ve learned with another group.
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January/February
Reading and Responding on a Test
Unit Overview
In this unit you will be preparing your students for the various reading tasks presented on the
ISTEP. You will be teaching your students how to read, talk about and answer questions about
short texts. You will also be teaching your students strategies for responding to multiple choice
and short-response questions, how to support their answers with evidence from the text,
strategies for working with unfamiliar words and the literary language they will encounter on the
ISTEP. This unit is broken down by genre, with each genre sharing some similar strategies that
readers always use when reading and some genre-specific strategies. The genres include: realistic
fiction, non-fiction, narrative non-fiction and poetry. This unit is meant to be a menu of strategies
for you to pick from to teach your students leading up to ISTEP. Included with each genre is a
list of the most important strategies they will need to learn so they can read and analyze that
type of text before taking ISTEP. Most of these strategies you will have taught in Reading
Workshop and are simply review. It will be up to you to choose which are most needed to best
prepare your students for testing.
Teacher work to prepare for the unit
Assemble a packet containing 3 years of texts from past ISTEP tests. Gather texts from two
earlier grade levels as well as your grade level. Make a packet for each genre that your students
are likely to encounter on that years ISTEP. Put the texts in order of difficulty (easiest texts
first). Look at the types of reading included on the last 2 years‘ ISTEP to make sure you have
included all of the genres your students are like to encounter.
If you need more short texts, you can take short stories and articles from magazines (Highlights, Cricket, Cobblestone, Sports Illustrated for Kids, etc...) and make short test-like questions to go
along with it. You will want to do this for stories at several different levels (M-N level, P-Q level,
etc...) You might consider ordering the questions the same for each text (main idea, vocabulary in
context, mood of story, genre question, etc...) so that you can quickly see which types of questions
they are struggling with at different levels.
Testing Language and Word Walls
You can help your students become more familiar with the testing language by using the vocabulary
they will encounter on ISTEP during your read-alouds and minilessons and on your accompanying
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charts. It would also be beneficial to make word walls that contain the vocabulary they might
encounter on ISTEP. Ideas for these word walls include, but are definitely not limited to: word
walls of words that describe characters, sorted into categories (words that describe happy, sad,
scared, etc...; words that mean mostly the same thing: frustrated, upset, enraged) and word walls
for Social Studies and Science units.
Sequence of Instruction You will use this same sequence as you move through each genre, starting at the beginning again as you begin each new genre. You can scaffold your instruction for each reading genre using the following sequence. Your work
will help your students learn to be alert as they read and know what to expect from a text based
on how texts of different genres tend to go. Start with short, easy texts, increasing the level of
text difficulty each day, ending with texts at the level of the ISTEP for your grade level.
1. Read aloud a short text. At the beginning, middle and towards the end of the text, you will
prompt the students for predictable things to be noticing and thinking about. After your prompt,
students will turn and talk with their partners about what they heard.
2. Continue the prompted read-alouds across one or two (or more) more days, increasing the level
of text difficulty each time. Before reading, now have students review in partners what they
know about this type of text and what they need to pay attention to. You can go from having them
turn and talk to stop and jot, then they can also begin answering multiple choice questions
(independently or with partners) about the text when you are done with the read-aloud. See section on teaching how to answer multiple choice questions.
3. Teach them to read the text silently in partnerships with partner talk throughout the text,
answering multiple choice questions after the reading. Now that they have their own copy of the
text, you must teach them to mark the parts of the text that support their thinking and refer to
the text when discussing their thoughts/answers with partners.
4. Finally, they will read the text and answer the questions independently. You should use this
time to pull small groups and/or do individual coaching.
TEACHING HOW TO ANSWER MULTIPLE CHIOCE QUESTIONS
We must teach our students how to answer multiple choice questions, not assume they already
know. Children are frequently thrown off by the multiple answer choices, especially the
―distracter‖ answer choices that are mentioned in the text but are not the best answer. They
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must learn to look back in the text to find the right answer, always constructing a text-based
answer. For each genre, students should use the following strategies of predicting the answer,
marking the text, writing the answer, and matching their predicted answer to the correct answer
choice. Eventually, they should be able to do this automatically in their head.
Scaffold of Instruction for Answering Multiple Choice Questions You will use this same sequence as you move through each genre, starting at the beginning again as you begin each new genre.
1. First, offer only the questions. Have students read the question, predict what the answer
might be, look back into the text to find the answer, and then write a short answer using evidence
from the text.
* When students look back into the text to find the answer, they should mark the
portion of the text that gives the answer (underline, circle, star, put a number that
corresponds with the question number, etc...)
2. Now, provide the answers to go with the questions. Teach your students to read the question
while covering the answer choices. After reading the question, they will again go back to the text
to find the answer. Then, they will finally look at the answer choices and choose the answer that
most closely matches their text-based prediction.
- Readers answer questions about our stories/articles, etc... by reading a question and predicting
the answer.
- We can do this by reading only the question, not the answers, and looking back in the
text to find the answer. When we find the part of the text that answers the question, we can
circle or underline that part of the text (and possibly write a number in the margin indicating
which question is answered by that section of the text).
-We can do this by reading only the question, not the answers, and predicting what we
think the answer will be. Then, we can find and choose the answer choice that matches our
answer the closest.
- We can do this by reading only the question, not the answers, and writing our answer
instead of choosing a multiple choice answer.
Strategies for taking tests
You can use these same teaching points for each genre, or teach them during your first genre and keep them posted on a chart throughout the entire test prep reading unit, referring to the chart and re-teaching when necessary.
- Readers make sure we understand the questions we‘re reading by asking, ―What does this
question mean? What is it asking me to do?‖
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- Readers make sure they have the right answer by finding information from the text that
supports our answer. First, we can think back over the text and retell it to ourselves. If we still
can‘t think of the answer, we should look back in the text, asking- ―Was that in the beginning,
middle, or end?‖, ―Where in the text should I look for that information?‖
- Students make sure we have enough time to read and answer all of the questions by monitoring
the time we have left. We do this by thinking:
―How much time do I have left?‖
―How much more do I have to read?‖
―How many more questions do I have left to answer?‖
―How much do I have to read/How many questions do I need to answer each minute to get done?‖
- Students can narrow down the answer choices by eliminating choices that couldn‘t be correct.
We can eliminate answer choices by asking, ―Which of these does not make sense? Then, we can
cross out the choices that don‘t make sense and look back into the text to find the correct
information, matching our predicted answer with the closest answer choice.
- Students can make sure our short response answer matches the question being asked by turning
the question into the first part of our answer. We do this by taking off the words that make it a
question (Who, What, When, etc...) and re-wording the rest of the question into a sentence
format.
- Test-takers make sure to answer every question. We answer questions we‘re unsure of by first
eliminating answers that don‘t make sense. Then, we look at the remaining answers and ask,
―Which choice do I think makes the most sense?‖ Then, we should mark the question we were
unsure of so we can return to it if we have more time.
- Test-takers use our time wisely by using any remaining time to return to questions we were
unsure of. We go back and carefully read the questions again and look back into the text, re-
reading to find information that answers the question.
- When taking a test, readers can help ourselves know what to pay close attention to during our
reading by reading the questions first. We can do this by quickly reading only the questions (not
the answer choices), and keeping those questions in mind as we read. When we come across the
answer to one of the questions as we‘re reading, we can mark that section of the text with the
question number it relates to.
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Dealing with Difficulty in Texts Word of caution: this section of teaching points can be beneficial for helping students learn to push on through difficult sections of the ISTEP, but it can also be frustrating and demoralizing to do this work. Save these teaching points for the end of your work in each genre, and don‘t dwell for long on these issues. These teaching points might be better to use in small group or individual conferences as needed.
- Readers can push through a text that difficult for them by skimming along the pages. When
readers skim instead of read each word carefully, they run their eyes (and sometimes their
finger) along the lines of text, reading a few words of a sentence before determining if it seems
like very important information. If it seems very important, readers stop skimming and read the
sentence carefully. If the sentence seems more un-important, readers skip the rest of the
sentence and continue skimming other sentences.
- Readers can read the questions before reading difficult texts to help them decide which parts
of the text to read. They do this by reading the questions and looking back through the text
asking, ―Which part of the text will I most likely find the answer?‖ Then, we can only carefully
read the parts we need to in order to find an answer.
- When readers become frustrated with a difficult text, they remind themselves that they need
to push on and continue through the text and not give up. To push themselves through the text,
they can set small goals of what chunk to read next, making sure to stay alert for the important
things to look for in this type of text.
- Readers can help themselves not get too frustrated with a difficult text by reading on past an
unfamiliar word. We can do this by underlining the unfamiliar word, asking ourselves, ―Based on
what I just read, what do I think that word might mean?‖ If we‘re still not sure of the meaning,
we can skip the word and continue with our reading. If there is a question relating to the
unfamiliar word and we must know what it means, we can then envision what‘s happening in that
part of the story and use our mental picture to help find a synonym for the unknown word. We do
this by reading a passage, stopping and thinking, ―What am I picturing is happening now in the
story? Based on what I‘m envisioning, what do I think that word might mean?‖
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FICTION Overview With fiction work, your read-aloud prompts and teaching points will tend to focus on activating
background knowledge, the characters‘ traits, the challenges the main character faces, how
he/she resolves these problems, how the character changes, lessons the text teaches and the
main idea of a text.
You will want to gather a packet of short fiction pieces at varying levels. At the beginning of your
packet, you will want texts that are at a much easier level, with the difficulty increasing
throughout the packet until you reach texts at the ISTEP level your students will be tested at.
The texts at the beginning of the packet may not need questions to accompany them; you could use
those texts to help your students become familiar with the genre and what to look for as they
read fiction.
Read-Alouds During your read-alouds, you will want to provide your students to opportunity to activate
background knowledge, and determine: the characters‘ traits, the challenges the main character
faces, how he/she resolves these problems, how the character changes, lessons the text teaches
and the main idea of a text. You‘ll also want to show them how to asses the text before reading;
make plans for their reading, how to move across the pages (including any pictures) and how to
learn new words from context clues.
You can demonstrate on a chart how to synthesize and retell the text as main ideas and supporting
information in a boxes and bullets format. They can stop and jot after each section, determining
the main idea of that section. They can also stop and jot inferences as they listen: ―I notice...‖
and ―This makes me think...‖
Partner work Make sure your students have a chance to meet in partnerships every to day to talk about what
they‘ve learned about their characters and the storyline in their reading that day (Today I
learned...). Having the opportunity to synthesize their learning and verbalize their theories about
the character with supporting information will help create accountability and further their
comprehension. When partners meet, they can use their post-its to help organize their discussion.
They should often refer back to the text to support the ideas they are presenting.
- When partners discuss our answers about stories, we use evidence from the text to support our
answer choice. We can do this by showing our partner the section of the text where we found and
underlined the answer.
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Activating Schema, Building Background Knowledge - Before reading a fiction story, readers get our minds ready for reading by asking, ―What do I
need to be looking for as I read this story? What do I know about how fictional stories tend to
go?‖ Then, with these thoughts in mind, we will begin reading.
- Readers get our minds ready to read by previewing the text. We do this by looking at the title
and pictures of the text, skimming across the pages and asking, ―What type of text is this? How
is this text set up? What is this text about?‖ Then, with these thoughts in mind, we will begin
reading.
Character Traits - Readers grow ideas about the characters in our stories by paying special attention to the way a
character talks. We do this by re-reading the character‘s words out loud, paying special attention
to the words the character chooses, their tone of voice, and the expression the character would
have used in the story. Then we can ask, ―What does this tell me about my character?‖, writing
our thoughts on a post-it note.
- Readers can understand our characters better by comparing them to someone similar that we
know (friends, family, teachers, etc...). We can think hard, asking, ―Who does this remind me of?‖
Then, we can use that knowledge to predict what our character might do in the story, thinking,
what would the person I know do next? Would my character do the same thing?
- Readers can infer the character traits of a character by paying special attention to the way a
character talks, paying special attention to the words the character chooses, their tone of voice,
and the expression the character would have used in the story. Then we can ask, ―Based on what I
just read, what kind of person is this character?‖, or ―What kind of person would do that?‖
We try not to describe our character in one word, like ―She‘s nice‖, or ―She‘s quiet.‖
Instead, we try to push ourselves to have more specific and detailed ideas about our
character, asking, ‖What else can I say about my character?‖, and ―What do I really mean by
that?‖ and using more words to express our ideas.
- Readers can understand our characters better by noticing and inferring details about our
characters‘ internal and external character traits. We can do this by noticing the clothing,
mannerisms, and gestures of our character and asking, ―What does this tell me about my
character?‖, and ―What does this make me think my character worries about and hopes or wishes
for?‖
- Readers support our ideas with evidence from the text by saying, ―When my character did ..., it
made me think ... ―, or ―I think ... because ... ―.
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- Readers learn more about our characters by paying close attention to their actions towards
others. When we discover our characters interacting with other characters, we can ask, ―Why did
they treat each other that way?‖, and ―Why did they just do that?‖
- Readers read tentatively, knowing that our initial thoughts about our characters might be wrong
or have changed. We periodically stop and ask, ―Does what I‘m reading confirm or change my
thoughts about my character?‖ ―How does this new information change what I think?‖
Character‘s Problems
- Readers of fiction read closely, looking for the problems the characters face. We do this by
reading a little bit, stopping and asking, ―What problems are these characters facing?‖ Then we
can ask, ―In what way could this problem affect my character?‖ We can keep track of our thinking
by writing the problems our characters face in the margin of the story.
- Fiction readers read closely, looking for how our characters solve their problems. We can do
this by looking back at our notes on what problems the characters faced and asking, ―How did my
characters solve these problems?‖, or, ―What did he/she do to solve their problems?‖ We can
then underline the section of the story that shows where the characters resolved their problems.
- Fiction readers read closely, looking for how our characters change throughout the story. We
can do this by stopping occasionally to ask, ―How is my character acting differently from before?‖
―What is different about my character‘s actions, thoughts and emotions at this point in the
story?‖ We can then say, ―At first my character was ..., but now my character ....‖
- Readers can infer the wishes and desires of our characters by looking at what they work hard at
and spend their time on. We can use those observations to infer by saying, ―This makes me think...
―, and ―This shows that what my character really wants is ....‖
Lessons and Main Ideas in Fiction
- Good fiction readers read alertly, looking for the lesson the text teaches. We stop throughout
and at the end of the story to ask ourselves, ―What was the author‘s purpose for writing this
text? What lesson did the author want to teach me? What did the author want me to feel?‖
- Good fiction readers read alertly, looking for the big or main idea of the text. We stop
throughout and at the end of the story to ask ourselves, ―What was the main idea of this text?
What was it mostly about? What was the author‘s purpose for writing this text?‖
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- Readers can find the main ideas in a story by noticing when things happen over and over again.
Then we can ask, ―Why does this keep happening?‖, ―Why does my character keep doing this sort
of thing?‖, and ―Why is this so important to the story?‖
- Readers can infer the lesson from a story by looking at what a character has achieved in the
story. We can ask, ―What has my character achieved?‖, ―What did my character learn from this
achievement?‖, and, ―What does this teach me?‖
Sequence of events Readers can follow the sequence events in a story by making a timeline of the important events.
We can do this by pausing after we‘ve read the story to retell the important events that
happened, using time order words such as first, next, then and finally.
Vocabulary - Readers can figure out the general meaning of an unfamiliar word by envisioning what‘s
happening in that part of the story and using our mental pictures to help find a synonym for the
unfamiliar word. They do this by reading a passage, stopping and thinking, ―What am I picturing is
happening now in the story? Based on what I‘m envisioning, what do I think that word might
mean?‖
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NON-FICTION Overview With non-fiction reading, your work will focus on teaching your students how to activate their
background knowledge about the subject and preview the text, determine the main idea of the
text, monitor their comprehension, and synthesize what they‘ve learned.
You will want to gather a packet of short non-fiction pieces at varying levels. Magazine articles
tend to be short enough, but make sure that you find some articles for the beginning of the
packet that are at a much easier reading level. Keep in mind that children read non-fiction a few
levels lower than they read fiction (if a child is reading level M in fiction, you can expect that they
would read K in non-fiction). The difficulty of the texts should increase throughout the packet
until you reach texts at the ISTEP level your students will be tested at. The texts at the
beginning of the packet may not need questions to accompany them; you could use those texts to
help your students become familiar with the genre and what to look for as they read non-fiction.
Read-Alouds During your read-alouds, you will want to provide your students the opportunity to activate prior
knowledge, determine the important and main ideas, synthesize, monitor their comprehension,
make inferences, and make connections. You‘ll also want to show them how to asses the text
before reading; make plans for their reading, how to move across the pages (including diagrams
and pictures) and how to learn new words from context clues. You can demonstrate on a chart how
to synthesize and retell the text as main ideas and supporting information in a boxes and bullets
format. They can stop and jot after each section, determining the main idea of that section.
They can also stop and jot inferences as they listen: ―I notice...‖ and ―This makes me think...‖
Partner work Make sure your students have a chance to meet in partnerships every to day to talk about what
they‘ve learned in their reading that day (Today I learned...). Having the opportunity to synthesize
their learning and teach their partners new information will help create accountability and further
their comprehension. When partners meet, they can use the diagrams and charts in the text to
help explain the big ideas in the text. They should often refer back to the text to support the
ideas they are presenting.
Getting ready to read- Activating Background Knowledge and Previewing the Text
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- Before reading a non-fiction piece, readers get our minds ready for reading by asking, ―What do
I need to be looking for as I read this piece? What do I know about how nonfiction writing tends
to go?‖ Then, with these thoughts in mind, we will begin reading.
- Readers make a plan for how we will read a non-fiction text by looking across the pages and
deciding in what order we should be reading the sections and when we should refer to and read
the charts, diagrams and pictures.
- Readers get their minds ready to read by previewing the text. We do this by looking at the
title and pictures of the text, reading the introduction, subtitles and section headings, skimming
across the pages and asking, ―What type of text is this? How is this text set up? What is this
text about? What is this author going to be talking about?‖ Then, with these thoughts in mind,
we will begin reading.
- Readers can read texts that are difficult for us by skimming texts, looking for important
information. We can do this by reading the headings and subtitles and asking, ―What do I need to
try to find out in this section?‖ Then, we can skim quickly through the section, paying close
attention to the first and last sentences, underlining any important information.
- Before reading a section, readers can determine what information we should be looking for by
reading the section heading. If the section heading is a question, we should read to find the
answer to that question. If the section heading is a statement, we should turn the heading into a
question and read on to find the answer.
Main Idea and Important Information - Readers find clues to important information in the text by looking carefully for signal words the
author has included (for example, for instance, in fact, in conclusion, most important, but, therefore, on the other hand, such as). Then, we carefully read the information that comes after
the clue words, knowing that it is important.
- Readers find important information relating to the article by carefully reading the graphics that
are included, such as diagrams, cutaways, cross sections, overlays, distribution maps, word
bubbles, tables, charts and framed text. After reading the graphics, we can ask,
―What did I learn from that?‖
―Why was that information important to this article?‖
―What new information did this graphic add to the article?‖
―How does this diagram/picture/chart/map fit with the main ideas I‘m learning?‖
- Readers determine the main idea of a section or chunk by retelling what the section was about in
one short statement. We do this by reading a section, covering it up and then saying, ―This part
teaches me...‖
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Then, we can give details to support that main idea by saying, ―It teaches me .... by giving
me examples or evidence such as .....‖
- Readers begin to determine the main idea of a passage by reading the first sentence in a
paragraph and asking, ―What is this saying?‖ Then, we read on, sentence by sentence, asking, ―How
does this fit with what‘s been said so far?‖
- Readers determine the main idea by identifying the ―Who‖ and the ―What‖ of the paragraph or
section and their relationship. We do this by asking, ―Who is this about and What is happening to
______?‖ (or say, When who , they what .‖) This helps readers identify the
subject and central action.
- Readers can find the main idea or topic sentence by looking for the sentence that seems to ―pop
out‖, summarizing the whole section. This sentence may be the first or last sentence.
- Readers can determine the overarching idea of a piece by noticing as they read from one
paragraph (or section) to another whether the paragraphs/sections continue to build on one main
idea.
- Readers can determine the overarching idea of a piece by asking ourselves when they‘ve finished
reading, ―What is this whole text mostly about?‖ Then, readers can jot down their thoughts on a
post-it in a boxes and bullets format, jotting the overarching main idea and specific supporting
details.
Monitoring Comprehension
- Readers read a text in manageable chunks, making sure we understand each chunk before moving
on to the next. We do this by reading read a chunk, stopping and asking ourselves, ―What did I
just read? What did I learn?‖ If we don‘t understand what we just read, we reread before moving
on.
After retelling what we just read, readers add their own thinking (I can‘t believe
that...That‘s so interesting that...)
- Readers can figure out unfamiliar words by substituting a synonym for the unfamiliar word. We
can do this by rereading the sentence (and relating sentences), asking, ―Based on what I‘m learning
right now, what do I think that word might be?‖ As we read on, we need to monitor our
substitution, thinking, ―Is this making sense?‖, and ―Do I need to change what I thought that word
might be?‖
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- Readers figure out unfamiliar words/new vocabulary by reading past the unfamiliar word/new
vocabulary, paying attention to any clues the author may have included to help with understanding
the meaning of the unfamiliar word/new vocabulary.
Synthesizing - Readers can summarize a text as we read by jotting notes in the margins with information we‘ve
learned in that section. We can do this by asking, ―What was this section all about? What did I
just learn in this section? What important information did I just read?‖
- Readers can find the bigger ideas of a text by looking at the main ideas of the sections and
asking, ―How does this all fit together?‖ and ―What could I name this huge section or this huge
main idea?‖
- Readers can grow our thinking about a text by summarizing what we‘ve read so far, then asking
ourselves a question and answering it. We might say, ―I‘ve read that...I wonder...I think...‖
Misc - Readers can infer ideas about the text by looking at what the information is telling them but not
saying explicitly. We can do this by reading a sentence and responding, ―This makes me think
that...‖
- Readers answer their questions about a text by reading on to see if the answer is explicitly
stated in the text. If the answer is not stated, we can infer the answer by thinking about
everything we have read about the topic and asking, ―Based on what I‘ve read and what I know,
what could a possible answer be?‖
- Readers grow their thinking about a text by asking questions as they read and keeping track of
those questions by reading a bit, stopping and asking themselves, ―Do I have any questions? Does
this make me wonder anything?‖ Then, we jot these questions on a Post-it to hold on to them.
- Readers search for clues that may help them find the answer to their questions by looking for
keywords that go along with their topic.
If time permits, and your students could benefit from the following teaching, you might also want to address: differentiating between fact and opinion and knowing where they would expect to find
this genre of writing
NARRATIVE NON-FICTION
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Overview Depending on the grade level you teach, your students are likely to encounter different forms of
narrative non-fiction on the ISTEP. You will want to look at past ISTEP tests to determine which
forms of narrative non-fiction you will want to focus on and gather samples of this writing in
various levels of difficulty for your reading packet. The different forms of narrative non-fiction
can include: biographies, memoirs, success stories, fables, allegories and folktales. These forms
of narrative non-fiction often focus on important people in sports, history, scientific figures or
animal characters.
Most narrative non-fiction is written in a story format which tells a story about people (or
animals) and their achievements. Unlike fiction, students will read narrative-nonfiction expecting
to learn something new about the subject the character is involved in (science, sports, etc...).
Much of your work in this unit will be reminding your students what they know about reading
fiction stories, such as focusing on the characters and the obstacles and challenges they face,
while also gathering information that they are learning from the story.
You will want to gather a packet of short narrative non-fiction pieces at varying levels. These can
include magazine articles, newspaper articles, and short stories. Once again, make sure that you
find some pieces for the beginning of the packet that are at a much easier reading level. The
difficulty of the texts should increase throughout the packet until you reach texts at the ISTEP
level your students will be tested at. The texts at the beginning of the packet may not need
questions to accompany them; you could use those texts to help your students become familiar
with the genre and what to look for as they read fiction.
Read-alouds During your read-alouds you will have them listen for the story structure, pay attention to the
character and be listening expecting the text to teach them something. They can stop and jot
after parts of the story that teach them something, to synthesize what the story has taught so
far, to infer theories about the character, and to keep track of the challenges and achievements
of the main character. You‘ll also want to show them how to asses the text before reading, make
plans for their reading, how to move across the pages (including diagrams and pictures) and how to
learn new words from context clues.
Story Elements
- Before reading a narrative non-fiction piece, readers get our minds ready for reading by asking,
―What do I need to be looking for as I read this piece? What do I know about how fictional
stories and informational pieces tend to go?‖ Then, with these thoughts in mind, readers will begin
reading.
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- Readers get our minds ready to read by previewing the text. We do this by looking at the title
and pictures of the text, skimming across the pages and asking, ―What type of text is this? How
is this text set up? What is this text about?‖ Then, with these thoughts in mind, we will begin
reading.
- Readers of narrative non-fiction read closely, looking for the problems the main character
faces. We do this by reading a little bit, stopping and asking, ―What problems is this character
facing?‖, ―What struggles is this character having?‖, ―What obstacles did this character have to
overcome to succeed?‖ We can keep track of our thinking by writing the problems our characters
face in the margin of the story.
- Narrative non-fiction readers read closely, looking for how our characters solve their problems
and overcome their challenges. We can do this by looking back at our notes on what problems the
character faced, asking, ―How did my character solve these problems?‖, ―What did my character
do to overcome the obstacles in his/her way?‖, and ―How did my character draw on his/her
resources to meet his/her challenges?‖ We can then underline the section of the story that
shows where the characters resolved their problems and overcame obstacles.
- Readers of narrative non-fiction develop theories about their character by paying attention to
the important events in the characters‘ lives and how they respond to those events. We can do
this by asking, ―Based on what my character decided to do and how he/she responded to that
event, what character traits do I think he/she possesses?‖
- Readers determine the effects that secondary characters have on the main character by
questioning whether or not the secondary character played a role in the main character in the
main character solving his/her conflict. We can do this by asking ourselves what kind of
relationship the main and secondary characters have with each other, how the main character
changed because of the secondary character, and how the secondary character helped or hindered
the main character during their conflict.
Non-Fiction Elements - Before reading a narrative non-fiction piece, readers get our minds ready for reading by
activating our background knowledge about the subject. We do this by thinking, ―What do I
already know about this topic that will help me read this piece?‖, and ―What do I already know
about this character that will help me read this piece?‖
- Before reading a narrative non-fiction piece, readers get our minds ready for reading by
reminding ourselves that this piece will teach us something new about the subject. We can ask
ourselves, ―What do I think I will learn about this subject and character?‖ and keep that thought
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in mind as we read. When we come across information about the character or subject, we should
underline it or write the information on a post-it.
- Readers of narrative non-fiction keep track of the information in our stories and articles by
retelling chunks in our own words, including both the story and what the story is teaching. We can
do this by reading a chapter, section or chunk and saying, ―So far what‘s happened is this...and
what I‘ve learned is...‖
- Readers of narrative non-fiction can keep track of the information we‘re learning about the
character and subject by making a time-line in our notebook. We can do this by writing any
important events from the character‘s childhood and early beginnings in his/her field. We should
also include any times the character faced obstacles and overcame challenges to help us keep
track of how the character became so accomplished.
- Readers of narrative non-fiction read closely, noticing both the information and the ideas the
piece is teaching us, asking, ―What am I learning about this character and his or her challenges‖,
―What am I learning about this subject or topic?‖, and ―Why is this person famous?‖. We can keep
track of these noticings on post-its and after we finish our reading, we can sort the post-its ,
asking, ―Does this information relate to the character, the subject or topic, or why this person is
famous?‖
Big Lesson Learned - Readers can determine the important lesson or big idea of our piece by inferring what we can
learn from the character. We can do this by looking at the important events in the character‘s
lives, where they faced challenges, overcame obstacles and made discoveries. Then, we can retell
the text by saying, ―This text (or part of the text) is mostly about....and the big new thing it
teaches me is that...‖
- Readers can determine the important lesson of our piece by thinking about the important
achievements of the character. We can do this by asking, ―Why is this person famous?‖, ―What
did he or she achieve?‖, ―Why do those achievements matter?‖, ―Why were those achievements so
important?‖ and writing out thinking on post-its, in the margins or in our notebooks.
- Readers can determine the important lesson of our piece by thinking about how all of the parts
of the text fit together. We can do this by stopping at the end of the text and asking, ―What was
this story mainly about?‖, and ―What did lesson did the author want to teach through this story?‖
- We can then reflect on what we‘ve learned by asking, ―What do I know now that I
didn‘t know before reading this story?‖ and/or ―How is my thinking different after reading
this text?‖
- Readers can determine the important lesson of our piece by thinking about
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the big idea that was taught in the story. Then we can ask, ―How did this story demonstrate that
idea?‖
If time permits, and your students could benefit from the following teaching, you might also want to address:
the setting of the story and its importance
infer characters‘ point of view or perspective
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POETRY
Overview While getting your students ready to study poetry for ISTEP, the main focus will be on:
understanding the big meaning of a poem
what a poem demonstrates or teaches
recognizing, naming and considering the effect of figurative language and other
poetic devices
understanding the structure of a poem and its significance
You will want to gather a packet of poems containing various structures and forms of figurative
language. Also include poems that require your students to infer the subject and big meaning of
the poem and infer the symbolism of a part or line.
Big Meaning of Poetry
- Before reading a poem, readers get our minds ready for reading by asking, ―What do I need to
be looking for as I read this poem? What do I know about how poems are written?‖ Then, with
these thoughts in mind, we will begin reading.
- Readers can determine the subject of a poem by reading the title, looking at any illustrations,
and reading the poem, asking, ―What is this poem mainly about?‖, ―Who or what is this poem
describing?‖
- Readers think about the title of a poem and hold the title in our mind as we read down the page.
We continue to ask ourselves, ―What does the title seem to mean now?‖
- Readers can understand poems better by using our own words to describe/retell the poem. We
can do this by rereading small sections of a poem until we can say in our own words what each
section is about. We can ask, ―What is this about? What is happening here? What is the idea in
this section?‖ Readers may jot our thoughts in the margins or on post-its to keep track of our
thinking.
- When reading poetry, readers think across the sections of text and about the possible
connections by asking ourselves, ―How does this part fit in with what I read before? If it doesn‘t
fit in, how can I fill in with my thinking so that there is a connection between the parts?‖
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- When reading poetry in partnerships or groups, readers begin to interpret poetry by asking
ourselves, ―What is the tone or emotion of the poem?‖, ―Which images are particularly
important?‖, ―Which repeating lines, phrases or words are worth thinking more about?‖, and
―Which words or phrases are confusing and need more investigation?‖
- Readers read and re-read the final lines of a poem to try to understand how these lines make
sense with every part of the text. Readers ask ourselves, ―Does the ending of this poem offer
new insight into the rest of the poem?‖
- Readers use imagery to better understand a poem by making a picture in our minds with the
poet‘s words. We can do this by reading a section of a poem, stopping and asking (with eyes closed
if necessary), ―What am I picturing right now?‖, ―What have I seen before that this makes me
think about?‖
Structure and Format of Poetry Readers look at the poem and how it appears on the page and determine how it affects the
meaning of the poem.
- Readers notice the structure of the text by looking at how the poem appears on the page and
asking, ―What stands out in this poem?‖, and ―What does the poet want the reader to see?‖
- Readers of poetry can determine how form influences the meaning by looking at the length of a
poem and the style and size of the font. Then we can ask, ―Why is it important that the poem is
this long?‖, and ―How is the meaning influenced by this font?‖
- Readers notice the shape of a poem and ask ourselves how the shape influences our
interpretation of the poem: ―What does this shape make me think about?‖ ―How does this shape
affect the meaning of this poem?‖
- Readers notice the white space or blank space around the poem and ask ourselves, ―How does
this space affect our interpretation of the poem?‖, ―If there is a lot of white space around the
poem, perhaps it suggest a setting of emptiness or silence. If the words are crowded onto the
poem, the poem might suggest a setting of chaos or noise.‖
- Line breaks create a visual and rhythmic pause; they also place emphasis on the last word in a line
of poetry. Readers begin to notice how line breaks are used in poetry and ask ourselves, ―Why is
that word being emphasized?‖, ―Does this word influence the meaning of the poem?‖, ―Does this
word change my thinking in any way?‖
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Poetic Devices Readers look for, find, and discuss examples of poetic devices.
In groups or with a partner, readers find and discuss examples of poetic devices by asking, ―What
techniques is the poet using and how do these techniques affect the meaning of the poem?‖
Teacher note: Some poetic devices to notice, discuss, and specifically teach, depending on the needs of your students and the devices they are more likely to encounter on ISTEP:
Metaphor
Simile
Personification
Rhyme
Rhythm
Repetition
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Voices
Capitalization/punctuation
- Stanza breaks are like the chapters, section markers, or paragraph breaks of poems. Readers
read these breaks as signals of a change and ask ourselves, ―Has there been a shift in an idea?‖,
―Is there a new voice speaking?‖, ―Has time passed?‖, ―Is there a new image?‖
- Readers of poetry determine if the form/rhyme scheme reinforces the meaning of the text by
asking ourselves, ―Why are these words the words that are being repeated?‖, ―What do these
words have to do with the story, ideas, or images of this poem?‖
- Readers try to stretch their talk about one poem for as long as possible by thinking about and
discussing ideas like: This makes me wonder if… Part of me agrees with this, but another part of me thinks that… This text seems to want me to think…but other texts want me to think…
This unit was adapted from the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project and many outstanding teachers at Brown County School Corporation.
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March and April: Nonfiction Reading Skills and Strategies
Overview of Unit:
In this unit children will read expository non-fiction texts, narrative non-fiction, and they will
keep up independent reading of chapter books, including fiction, biographies, or true stories.
Remember that if a child is reading M books in fiction, you should expect that child to be reading
K books in nonfiction. If a child has considerable prior knowledge of the subject matter, they can
typically read their fiction reading level. It is important that students continue reading narrative
texts (fiction, biographies, true stories, etc.) to keep up their stamina and reading rate. Children
learn to be stronger nonfiction readers when they read deeply in one subject area; they begin by
reading easier books on a topic and then gradually build expertise that lets them tackle harder
texts successfully.
Most of your teaching during this unit will tend to fall into one of these broad categories or
bends in the road:
1. Strategies to activate background knowledge
2. Strategies to overview text
3. Strategies for questioning
4. Strategies to determine important ideas
5. Strategies to monitor and repair comprehension
6. Strategies to find meanings of tricky words
7. Strategies to draw inferences
8. Strategies to synthesize information
9. Strategies to visualize
Skills and Strategies/Teaching Points:
Bend 1: Readers use strategies to activate background knowledge.
They think about what they might already know about a topic and remind themselves of all
they know before they read. They look at the front cover, read the title, and ask
themselves, ―What all do I already know about this topic?‖
They decide if they are an ―expert reader‖ or a ―discovery reader‖ on a topic. They look at
the front cover, read the title, think about all they know, and ask themselves, ―Do I know a
lot about this topic, or not?‖ This helps them know how to read the text (paying attention to
new vocabulary, reading with a partner, really paying attention to when meaning might slip).
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Bend 2: Readers use strategies for over viewing the text.
They figure out what a text is all about before reading. They look at the title, the cover,
the table of contents, and the introduction and ask, ―What is the author going to teach me
about this topic?‖
They get their minds ready for reading. They take a long book walk before reading noticing
all the helpful features of the text (pictures, captions, titles, text, diagrams, Table of
Contents, Index, and Glossary).
Before reading a non-fiction piece, readers get our minds ready for reading by asking,
―What do I need to be looking for as I read this piece? What do I know about how
nonfiction writing tends to go?‖ Then, with these thoughts in mind, we will begin
reading
Readers activate their background knowledge by thinking about what they might
already know about a topic and remind themselves of all they know before they read.
They look at the front cover, read the title, and ask themselves, ―What all do I
already know about this topic?‖
Readers decide if they are an ―expert reader‖ or a ―discovery reader‖ on a topic.
They look at the front cover, read the title, think about all they know, and ask
themselves, ―Do I know a lot about this topic, or not?‖ This helps them know how to
read the text (paying attention to new vocabulary, reading with a partner, really
paying attention to when meaning might slip).
Readers figure out what a text is all about before reading. They look at the title,
the cover, the table of contents, and the introduction and ask, ―What is the author
going to teach me about this topic?‖
Readers get their minds ready for reading. They take a long book walk before reading
noticing all the helpful features of the text (pictures, captions, titles, text, diagrams,
Table of Contents, Index, and Glossary).
Readers determine how much text in a book is devoted to the topic they want to read
about. Readers use text organizers (index, preface, table of contents, a glossary and appendix) to decide where/how much information they’ll find on their topic.
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Readers make a plan for how we will read a non-fiction text by looking across the
pages and deciding in what order we should be reading the sections and when we should
refer to and read the charts, diagrams and pictures.
Before reading a section, readers can determine what information we should be looking
for by reading the section heading. If the section heading is a question, we should
read to find the answer to that question. If the section heading is a statement, we
should turn the heading into a question and read on to find the answer.
They determine how much text in a book is devoted to the topic they want to read about.
Readers use text organizers (index, preface, table of contents, a glossary and appendix) to
decide where/how much information they‘ll find on their topic.
They determine the main idea of non-fiction paragraphs. Readers find the topic sentence
that tells what the paragraph is all about, and decide how the rest of the details support
the topic sentence.
They figure out what the main idea of a paragraph is by reading the topic sentence because
they know that the paragraph will continue with supporting details. They read the
paragraph and ask, ―Which sentence tells what the entire paragraph was all about?‖
They discover where to find specific information on their topic by using the index in the
back of their book. They determine what they want to find out saying something like, ―I
wonder what type of predator the penguin has?‖ Then looking up the word predator in the
index to find the answer to their question.
Bend 3: Readers use strategies to question themselves and the text as they read. They grow their thinking about a text by asking questions as they read and keeping track of
those questions. They read a bit, then stop and ask themselves, ―Do I have any questions?
Does this make me wonder anything?‖ Then, they jot these questions on a Post-it to hold on
to them.
*We hope that kids automatically ask questions as they read! We can definitely teach them
to do this intentionally.
They search for clues that may help them find answers to their questions. They come up
with keywords that go along with their topics and look for them as they read. If they come
across a keyword they stop and ask, ―Does anything here answer my question?‖
They search for new text about their topics. They use the index to find out if their
questions can be answered somewhere else in the text.
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Bend 4: Readers use strategies to determine important ideas in the text.
They determine the important parts of what they read by reading a chunk and asking,
―What did I just learn?‖ They jot what they‘ve learned down on a Post-it.
They figure out what is important by noticing repeated words, objects or patterns.
When they find these repetitions they ask themselves, ―Why is this word coming up so
often?‖
Readers figure out what a text is mostly about by looking to see what part the author
spent the most time talking about. They ask, ―Why did the author spend SO much time
talking about this?‖
They notice that nonfiction writing often includes clue words that signal an important
part of the text. They look for these words (for example, for instance, in fact, in conclusion, most important, but, therefore, on the other hand, such as) and pay close
attention to what comes next.
They notice that nonfiction writing often includes graphics that give important
information. Readers look closely at these graphics (diagrams, cutaways, cross sections, overlays, distribution maps, word bubbles, tables, charts and framed text) and ask
themselves, ―Why is it so important for this graphic to be here?‖
They work to determine the main idea of a passage. They take the sentences they‘ve
read and say what they learned in one short statement, not a question. They might start
by saying something like, ―The big idea here is that…‖
They determine the main idea in chunks/sections of text by using the subheadings or
section headings. At the end of each chunk/section, they cover the text and say (or
write on a Post-it) ―This part teaches me…‖ Then: ―It teaches me by giving examples or
evidence such as…‖
They pay close attention to the main idea of a passage. They read the first sentence in
a paragraph and ask themselves, ―What is this saying?‖ Then, they read on, sentence by
sentence, asking, ―How does this fit with what‘s been said so far?‖
They determine the main idea by identifying the ―Who‖ and the ―What‖ of the paragraph
or section. They ask, ―Who is this about?‖ and, ―What is happening to ______?‖ This
helps readers identify the subject and central action.
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They figure out the overarching idea of a selection by thinking of what the boxes and
bullets would be for the page/section/chapter. They quickly jot the main idea and
supporting details.
They determine the main idea in a chunk/section of text. They look for the ―pop out
sentence‖ as they read, asking themselves, ―Where is one sentence that seems to
summarize the content of the paragraph?‖
They determine the main idea by noticing as they read from one paragraph to another
whether the two paragraphs continue to build on one main idea or if the next paragraph
turns a bend, laying out yet another idea. Readers need to say, ―This new paragraph
builds on the last,‖ OR, ―This new paragraph is about a different sub-topic.‖
They consider what they‘ve learned from their reading. Readers think about the ―meat‖
of what they learned by jotting on a Post-it key words they need to remember from the
text. (Readers can look back to these post-its after a break from the text.)
They understand the main idea of the text by reading the section heading. If the
section heading is a question, such as, ―What was a wagon train?‖ the reader looks for
the answer.
They understand the main idea of the text by turning section headings into questions. If
the section heading of a book on penguins is ―Fishing Champions‖ readers turn the
heading into a question and read looking for the answer, such as, ―What makes penguins
fishing champions?‖ Then they read to answer the question.
They determine if the information is fact or opinion. They ask, ―Does the author state a
true fact that can be proven?‖ or, ―Is the author telling how he feels or thinks about
something?‖
They determine the causes and effects of relationships in the text. They ask specific
questions about the text. For example, Snowshoe rabbits change color from brown to white in the winter. ―Why did the rabbit change color?‖ (effect) They answer the
question, ―Because it is winter‖ (cause).
Bend 5: Readers use strategies for monitoring and repairing comprehension.
They read a text in manageable chunks, making sure they understand each chunk before
moving on to the next. They read a chunk of text and think about that chunk before moving
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on. They stop and ask themselves, ―What did I just read? What did I learn?‖ If they don‘t
understand what they just read, they reread before moving on.
They notice when some parts are harder to understand then others. They reread these
hard parts out loud, and then tell themselves or a partner what they‘ve read.
They monitor for sense as they read. They stop every few pages to retell to themselves
what they have read. If they are able to retell easily, they read on. If not, they know to
reread so they understand before going on.
They interpret their texts by saying to themselves or writing in their notebooks, ―What
struck me in this text is that…‖ or, ―This really means…‖ or ―What I think the author is
trying to tell me is…‖
Readers interpret text as they go. They read a chunk, stop and say ―I‘m thinking this part
is about…‖
Bend 6: Readers use strategies to find meanings of tricky words.
They figure out unfamiliar words as they read. They substitute a synonym for the word
based on clues the author includes in the text. They do this by covering up the unknown
word and saying, ―What‘s another word that could go here?‖ They choose a word and plug it
into the sentence to see if it makes sense.
They figure out unfamiliar words/new vocabulary. They read past the unfamiliar word/new
vocabulary, paying attention to any clues the author may have included to help with
understanding the meaning of the unfamiliar word/new vocabulary. They might ask, ―Did the
author leave any clues to help me know what this word means?‖
They figure out the meaning of new vocabulary words. They notice if the word has upper
case letters, which might suggest the new word is a name of a person, place or thing. If
there is a capital letter, they can break the word into parts to sound out the name.
They determine the meaning of unknown words. They use their knowledge of root words to
search for parts of the word they know well (nation, national, nationality), then use the
context of the sentence to really figure the word out.
They analyze the meaning of complex words. They use common roots (meter=measure) and
word parts (therm=heat) to break apart words and figure out what they means. When
readers are trying to figure out words this way they might say something like, ―I‘ve seen
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that part of the word in a different word. I‘ve seen ―therm‖ in the word thermometer, and
now I see it in thermal. Maybe it has something to do with temperature…‖
They tackle bigger and longer words by considering different ways the vowels might sound.
They try to pronounce the word in different ways by experimenting with vowels until the
sounds correct.
They figure out unfamiliar words by using their knowledge of prefixes and suffixes to
determine the meaning of words. They say things like, ―I know for the word preview, pre- means before, so preview must mean to view before.‖
Bend 7: Readers use strategies to draw inferences about their reading.
They grow their thinking about a text to learn more than what the text directly says. They
jot questions on Post-its and then read on to answer them. They re-read their question
Post-its often to see if they have answers.
*You may have them put a big question mark at the top of their question Post-its, so it‘s
easier for them to find them for rereading.
They grow their thinking on a text. They go back into the text they‘ve already read
skimming, scanning, underlining, and circling key words to add information to what they
already know.
They ask questions and try to answer those questions before reading on. They remember
what they already know about the topic, or what they‘ve already read in the text about the
topic. They can then infer an answer based on what they know or what they‘ve read. They
can say, ―Why do elf owls live inside holes in a cactus?‖ Then, they can try to answer by
saying, ―I think they live inside holes because…‖
They push their thinking as they read. They look at what the information is telling them but
not saying (inferring) and say things like, ―The thought I have about this is…‖ or, ―This
makes me think…‖ or, ―If that is true, I bet that _______ is true.‖
Bend 8: Readers use strategies to synthesize information.
They grow their thinking about a text. They comment on/react to the text as they read.
They read a bit and let themselves react to the text by saying things like, ―That‘s
weird…That‘s cool….That‘s interesting….‖
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They always try to put what they have read into their own words. They say things like,
―What the author is saying is that…‖ or, ―What this means is…‖
Readers always try to put what they have read into their own words. They close the book
and say, ―I just read that …‖ or, ―What I just learned was…‖
Readers extend their thinking about their topic. They read a chunk of text and add what
they know, along with what they just learned, saying something, such as, ―I learned whales
were mammals. I didn‘t know they were mammals because I thought they were fish.‖ OR
―Whales are mammals. That means they are like people and dogs and horses. They have live
babies and have warm blood because that‘s what I know about mammals.‖
They grow ideas about their topic, reading new information that is different from what
they already know. They say something, such as, ―I learned that…and it makes me
wonder/think/want to know more about…‖
They add too what they already know about their topic. They read a chunk of new text and
say something such as, ―I didn‘t realize that…‖ or, ―I didn‘t know that… I thought that…‖
They determine what the text may be about. Readers read the chapter heading or section
heading and say, ―This may be about…‖ or, ―I think that this chapter is going to tell me…‖
They think about how new information fits with what they already know. Readers read a
part and ask, ―How does this fit with what I have already read?‖
Readers make sure they understand their book. They retell what they have learned to a
partner. If they‘re unable to do this well, they re-read, and try again!
They make sense of the text and know that some texts are a mixture of non-narrative and
narrative structure. These texts may present an idea, supported by facts, and then may tell
a story that relates to or illustrates the idea. Some texts like this begin with a story, a
letter, a diary entry or a mini biography, and then move into expository text. Readers make
sense of all of this by asking, ―What is this story/letter/diary entry teaching me?‖ AND
―How does it fit with what I have been learning?‖
They sort out the interesting and important ideas as they read. They create a T-chart in
their notebooks labeled ―What‘s Interesting‖ and ―What‘s Important‖ and asking ―What is
interesting in this section?‖ and ―What is important in this section?‖ to add their thoughts
to the chart.
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They compare and contrast two different passages about the same subject. They create
Venn Diagrams in their notebooks showing the similarities and differences of the two texts
and asking, ―How are these passages alike?‖ and, ―How are the passages different?‖
They evaluate new information that they read. They think about what they already know
about the topic and ask, ―What did I learn that is new?‖ and, ―How is this different from
what I already know?‖
Bend 9: Readers use strategies to visualize the text.
They use text features to make sense of the text. Readers ask themselves, ―How does this
diagram/picture/chart/map fit with the main ideas I‘m learning?‖
Readers use pictures to make sense of the text and to gather information and grow ideas
They look across pictures and ask themselves, ―What are these pictures teaching me? How
are they the same? How are they different? What new information do they add to the
text?‖
Readers visualize what they have already read/learned about their topic BEFORE reading
new information. They review what they have learned already with a partner, sharing out
loud and picturing these learnings.
Readers think about what they have learned about their topic. They re-reading parts to
make a picture in their minds.
Readers put themselves in the settings of the text to better understand new information.
They read something new, shut the book, and imagine themselves in the context of the
information, saying something like, ―If I were in the jungle, I might see…‖ or, ―If I were in a
factory making these shoes, I would feel…‖
Readers imagine what it would be like to be close-up, and in-person with the topic. They use
all their senses to attempt to figure out what it would be like to experience the topic
themselves. They say things like, ―If I were in the water where a dolphin lives, I would
feel… I would smell… I would see…‖
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May
Choices: Action Adventure, Mystery, Fairy Tale, or Realistic Fiction
Choice 1:
Action Adventure
Overview of Unit
This unit is designed to help readers understand different higher level thinking strategies that
can be used to boost comprehension and think more deeply about texts. The unit reviews the
common comprehension strategies. Students should see and understand that the strategies they
use in this unit can be used in any kind of fiction reading. Students should continue to call on all
strategies worked on to this point. All work done in the unit should develop higher level thinking,
seeing students making inferences on characters, and developing their own unique interpretations
of texts.
Teaching Points
Theme Readers find the big idea of the story.
o They can switch gears in their minds to search for messages that may be bigger than
the story‘s events.
o They ask questions such as
―What is this story really about?‖
―What is the moral of the story?‖
―What is the story‘s theme?‖
Close readers find the most important details of the story.
o They look for things that the author seems to repeat over and over.
o They identify repeated words, patterns, or objects.
o They might ask, ―What did I notice repeated in the text?‖
Vocabulary Work
Readers learn new words.
o They will identify unknown words and then read it in the sentence or paragraph in
which it is found.
Read the section out loud, then use all the information you do know to make a
summary of the section.
By doing this, readers can hopefully replace the unknown word with a synonym
that they know.
They can ask, ―What‘s being said?‖ or ―What‘s going on?‖
Readers are able to support their idea of what a new word means. by
o They think about what they believe the word means.
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o Then say, ―I believe this word is the same as __________ because the text says…‖
o
Readers make sure they understand a new word as best as possible.
o Readers realize it is likely that there is more than one right meaning for every
unfamiliar word.
o They think about what they believe the word means,
o Then ask, ―Can I think of any other possibly meanings for this word?‖
o
Readers keep track of their thinking about a new word.
o They can create a ―4-Square‖ Post-it to record their thoughts.
o They divide a Post-it into four square sections.
o The reader puts the following in the sections:
(1) the word,
(2) ―What is going on in the text?‖
(3) ―The text makes me think it means…‖ and,
(4) ―Another possible meaning…‖
Readers continuously learn new words.
o They can keep track of fun, interesting words as they pop out in their reading.
o They mark interesting words with Post-its.
o Readers keep Post-its and lists in their notebooks so they can use these new words in
their speech and writing.
Prediction Readers make predictions by using their knowledge of relationships plus clues from the
story.
o They might answer questions like:
―How will this particular character react? How do I know that?‖ Or,
―Based on what I know about the character, what do I think he or she is going
to do?‖
Readers stop often to reevaluate their thinking and, sometimes, change their predictions.
o They will read a little, stop, and think to check their prediction.
o Did it change?
o They may say something like:
―I thought _________ was going to happen, but now I think something
different because…‖ Or,
―Reading this part makes me think that _________ is about to happen…‖
***(CHART IDEA: Prompts to Help Readers Make Good Predictions)
Inference Readers of action books think beyond the words on the page and read between the lines
trying to get the inside scoop on what the author is trying to say.
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o They will think about their predictions and how the book has gone so far and then
ask:
o ―What might the author be trying to show me without actually putting it in words on
the page?‖
Readers get a bigger picture of what the author is trying to say.
o They pause at key sections and say:
―So what I think is really going on is…‖ Or,
―What I‘m thinking here is that…‖ And then,
―Here‘s why…‖
Readers develop a deeper understanding of a text by making connections beyond the setting
of the story.
o They ask questions like:
―What does this story say about the world?‖
―What is the story underneath the story?‖ And,
―Why was this story written?‖
Readers show responsibility for developing their own understanding of a text by always
wondering what the author is really trying to tell them.
o They always have a pen and post-its on hand and stop to jot a few times during
independent reading to answer a question they may have.
o ―What does the author want me to realize here?‖
o Readers talk with their partners about their answers.
Action loving readers get to know the characters in their books.
o They will pay attention to what the character says and thinks verses what he or she
does.
o They will notice when a character says something and then does something else and
write it on a post-it.
o Then they might ask themselves:
―Do these match? If not, what does that tell me about this character?‖
Readers learn about their characters by figuring out their motivations.
o They will pay close attention to what he or she does and then ask:
―What does might happen to this character as a result of his/her actions?‖
Retelling/Summarizing Good readers are able to retell.
o They can take notes as they go, and review them often to hold onto the important
details.
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o They can take one of the first post-its they wrote, and then ask: ―How does this post-it (from the beginning) fit with what I am reading now (in
the middle or end)?‖ ―What has happened since I wrote this post-it note?‖
Action Adventure book readers hold onto the important parts of a book.
o First they ask themselves: ―Does this seem important, or is it just cool?‖
They jot only important details on Post-its and leave them in their books.
They do not write down small details that do not have big meaning to the story.
Readers emphasize the important parts of their reading, spotlighting the big parts.
o They will pay special attention to parts that seems important to the whole story.
o They might jot them, in order, in their reading notebook.
o Then, when they are retelling, they will focus on those parts.
Partner-talk Readers think deeply about the text and talk with their partners about underlying messages
in the story‘s key sections. o They might find important passages and answer these questions as they talk:
‖What‘s really going on here?‖ and, ―What does the author want us to realize in this section?‖
Readers notice and comment on new words that they find in texts. o They can keep track of them with their partner. o They will mark interesting words as they read,
Then discuss how they were used and what they mean with their partner.
Envisionment Action Adventure readers envision the setting of their story.
o They use the current setting clues and the setting clues given earlier in the book.
o They add what they know is happening in the book to make a picture in their mind.
o They can imagine they are in the story and answer this question:
What do I see?
They might quickly jot a sketch of what they see on a post-it.
Good readers of action books need to envision a character‘s body language and facial
expressions.
o They can think about how the character feels.
o Then ask: ―What does that feeling look like on a face?‖
o ―How do people stand, or what do people do when they feel this way?‖
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o They can jot these feelings down on a Post-it.
Readers of action and adventure envision to form pictures in their minds.
o They think about where the character is and what is happening to them.
o Then they think about what smells, tastes, sights, and feelings is my character
experiencing.
Synthesis/Interpretation
Readers come up with their own idea of what the story is telling them.
o They stop and think after they finish a portion of reading then ask themselves
questions about what they‘ve read.
―What is really important about this story?‖
―What is the point of this story for me?‖
―What is this story, all together, trying to tell me?‖
Readers make decisions about the impact a story might have on themselves and others who
read it (audience).
o First they ask questions like:
―Does it matter if people read this story or not?
―Why should or shouldn‘t they?‖
―How could the story or message this book gives help me or someone else?‖
Readers think about the way a story is put together and what makes it exciting.
o They can notice specific things about the way the author writes (repeated actions or
phrases, long/short paragraphs, boring passages/exciting passages).
o Then answering the questions,
―What might this author want me to be thinking?‖
―What might this author want me to be feeling?‖
―What might the author want me to be realizing?‖
―What am I supposed to get from this?‖
Readers think about the deeper message in a text by doing more when then get to the end
of the story (instead of slamming the book shut and putting it away!).
They might return to places they loved, hated, or questioned.
They may go to places they found difficult or to places which made them angry.
o They reread these sections and discuss/write about them in light of how they were
important to the book.
Readers linger at the end of a text and think about what the whole book is saying.
o They ask questions like:
―What single section best captured the author‘s meaning?‖
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―How is the message of this book similar to (and different from) the message
of another book?‖
Readers linger at the end of an exciting book to think about why the author ended it the
way he/she did.
o They do this by thinking:
―When did I first suspect this might be the ending?‖
―Why—out of all possible endings—might the author have chosen this one?‖
Readers decide how the narrator‘s point of view might affect the book.
o They decide if the narrator is inside or outside of the story.
If the narrator is inside the story, ask
―How big of a part of the story is the narrator?‖
―Could the narrator‘s perspective affect the way the story is being told?‖
Empathy/Making Connections Readers make connections to experiences in their own lives and see if they have
experienced, read, or seen anything similar to what is in the story.
o They may ask themselves these questions:
―What does this remind me of?‖
―Have I ever….?‖
How does this help me to understand the story better?
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Choice 2:
Mysteries
Overview of Unit:
From the TC Curriculum Calendar 2008-2009: This is a wonderful, straightforward unit, and the
reason the unit works so well is that it is totally natural for readers of mysteries to be engaged in
one gigantic enterprise. That is, it is totally natural for readers of mysteries to try to solve the
mystery before the crime solver does. This one sentence is easy to say—but actually accomplishing
this goal is as complex as all of reading. To do this, mystery readers need, above all, to be attentive and constructive readers. Mystery readers need to be close readers and need also to be the opposite—that is, we need to be readers who can pull back to think about the details we are accumulating and make something of them—a hunch, a suspicion, a prediction.
One great thing about this unit is that the books themselves provide a through-line for the unit, a
trajectory for readers to follow, a rallying cry which can create the momentum in the unit. There
are other advantages. First, in this unit more than in many others, there are lots of books for
readers at diverse (and early) levels. Granted, we are not aware of mysteries that are easier than
Nate the Great and Cam Jansen, but there certainly are lots of mysteries for readers at levels M,
N, and O….as well as lots of mysteries that you and I love to read.
Then, too, (if you wish to do so) there are lots of television shows that can be used as touchstone
texts. You may want to bring in an episode of a mystery show you that your kids like and then use
that episode as a touchstone, referencing it often in mini-lessons. Most of the skills that you will
want to teach readers in this unit are skills that can be illustrated with reference to any episode
of a mystery series. Similarly, you may want to purchase the old-fashioned game of Clue and to use
that as a touchstone. You can teach readers that just as they needed to keep track of all the
possible suspects when playing Clue, so too, readers of mysteries do this as well. We have little
lists going in our mind, and when we learn new facts, we look back on those lists, sometimes
eliminating one suspect or another. You will also find that there are real-life mysteries in any
classroom. Where did the hamster go? Where did I leave my glasses? You can use even just the
tiniest of mysteries to convey that readers of mysteries first determine what the mystery is, and
then we all become detectives, gathering clues and speculating what those clues might suggest.
You will certainly not want to delay conveying to children that this is the central work of the unit,
and helping them all get on about this larger enterprise. As they look around them for these
potential everyday mysteries, have their writer‘s notebooks out and ready so they can jot down
potential story lines.
Over the course of the unit, you will revisit this concept to provide more detailed help, but don‘t
postpone inviting kids into the central work of the unit.
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Skills and Strategies/Teaching Points:
Most of your teaching during this unit will tend to fall into one of these broad categories or bends
in the road:
10. Strategies to prepare for mystery reading
11. Strategies to examine characters
12. Strategies for predicting
13. Strategies for accumulating the text
14. Strategies for synthesizing the text
15. Strategies for drawing inferences
16. Strategies for reading closely
Strategies are also listed to encourage conversation among reading partners or book clubs. These
strategies may be used according to your own Reading Workshop set-up and what works. For
instance, your workshop may be set up to have a mini-lesson followed by independent reading, with
an interruption before students meet with book clubs or partners to continue work. This
interruption may be the best time for you to provide students with one of these conversation
strategies to encourage collaboration of thought and ideas. Each teacher will need to decide the
best time to provide students with these strategies to strengthen conversation about texts.
Bend 1: Readers use strategies to get their minds ready to read mystery books.
Readers can begin thinking about mysteries as a genre by considering real-life mysteries.
They think of everyday mysteries in their own lives such as, ―Where did I place my glasses?‖
or ―Who ate my cookie?‖ Readers think about these everyday mysteries and ask, ―What
does this tell me I already know about mysteries?‖
Readers think about mysteries by considering what they know about solving them. They
think about mysteries they have seen on television or read in books and ask, ―What do I do
when I watch mysteries on TV?‖ or, ―What do the detectives on those TV shows do to solve
mysteries?‖
Mystery readers have jobs to do when they‘re reading – to identify the crime solver, to
identify the client (if there is one), and to learn what the big mystery is that they and the
crime-solver are trying to solve. They read, paying attention to finding these answers, and
jotting on a Post-it whey they figure out the crime solver, the client, and the mystery.
Mystery readers get their minds ready for reading a new mystery by doing a quick book
walk before reading. They read the title, the blurb on the back, and ask, ―What do I think
the mystery will be in this book?‖
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Bend 2: Mystery readers use strategies to carefully examine characters in the book.
Mystery readers get to know their characters by making a list of all the characters the
book is introducing. They list out all the characters in a typical mystery: detective, suspect,
criminal, red herring, etc. As they read, they list the names of the characters beside their
roles in the text. (Nate the Great-Detective, Michael-Suspect, John-Red Herring, etc.)
Mystery readers keep track of their characters and their relationships with one another.
They make character maps in their notebooks to list out all of their main characters,
drawing lines between them, and writing the relationship on the line.
Mystery readers keep track of their characters by revisiting their character maps often
and adding details. They write each character‘s role next to or below their name (Tom-
detective, Sue-detective‘s sidekick…)
Mystery readers get to know a character by thinking about everything they know about that
character. They ask themselves, ―What kind of person is this?‖ and then make sketches of
the character in their notebook. This sketch may be labeled with details and specific
character traits as the reader learns more about the character. (Traits could be internal
or external.)
Readers pay close attention to characters to decide if they are suspect or not. When you
pay close enough attention, you notice if the character is ever acting suspicious. Readers
jot down anytime a character is sweating, their eyes are darting, they are quickly
disappearing, etc. Readers pay attention to these notes and ask, ―What does all of this
make me think?‖
Mystery readers are always trying to solve the mystery before the book tells them what
happened. They pay close attention to characters, especially when they ask questions.
Readers stop when a question has been asked, and ask themselves the same question. They
jot down their own answer on a Post-it, and keep their note to check back later.
Bend 3: Mystery readers use strategies to predict what will happen next, or how the mystery will come together.
Mystery readers make predictions about ―who-dun-it‖ by thinking about and keeping track
of their suspects. They keep a T-Chart in their notebooks, labeled ―Possible suspects‖ and
―Support.‖ They add/cross out as they read on and learn more.
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Mystery readers make predictions and read closely to look at all of the details. They ―pull
back‖ from what they are reading and say, ―From all of this, I have a hunch that…‖
Mystery readers make good predictions about ―Who-dun-it.‖ They entertain more than one
prediction, making two predictions at the end of each chapter. Readers might say
something like, ―My best hunch tells me that…‖ and then, ―But maybe...‖
Readers make predictions about ―Who-dun-it‖ by considering suspects and their possible
alibis. They make a ―T-Chart‖ in their notebooks listing ―Suspects‖ and ―Alibis.‖ This list
can be added to and changed as new information is discovered.
Mystery readers make predictions about ―who-dun-it‖ by thinking about their clues. They
revisit and revise their clue lists often and ask, ―What does all this tell me about the
mystery?‖
Mystery readers try to solve the mystery by predicting what they think will happen next.
They read a section, stop, and ask, ―Based on what I just read, what do I think will happen
next?‖
Bend 4: Mystery readers use strategies to continuously think about everything they’ve learned from their reading, and how it all fits together.
Mystery readers hold onto what is happening in their mystery by tracking where the crime-
solver goes, why he or she goes there and what happens there. They keep track with Post-
its or use a T-Chart in their Reader‘s Notebooks. They can label the chart with ―Where
_______ goes…‖ on one side, and, ―What happened?‖ on the other.
Mystery readers keep track of details as the story progresses. They always think about
clues and possible suspects. Readers keep lists of clues and lists of suspects and revise
those lists as they go along.
Mystery readers keep track of clues and have thoughts about these clues as they read.
They make a T-chart in their Reader‘s Notebook, placing clues on one side and ―This makes
me think…‖ on the other side. This chart is updated as readers continue to learn more as
they go.
Mystery readers always pay attention to the big things that happen in the story. They
notice when a new character is introduced, or when the characters go to a new place.
Readers might ask, ―Is this something big in this story? How might this help me solve my
mystery?‖ and could put post-its on the pages where the ―big things‖ happen.
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Readers find the important ―big‖ parts in a story by paying attention to the details that
move the story along. They read a little, then stop to ask, ―Is this a detail that moves the
story along?‖
Bend 5: Mystery readers use strategies to be sure they’re really understanding what they read, and are able to stop and think deeply about important parts.
Mystery readers find important parts or clues in their story. They pay attention to when
something keeps showing up over and over (a person or thing continually reappears). They
notice who or what keeps showing up, and mark each page that he/it appears. They try to
answer on a post-it, ―What is this person doing?‖ or ―Why is this object reappearing?‖
Mystery readers find clues in their books by paying close attention to what the crime-solver
is doing. They think about what he/she does, sees, thinks and says when he or she visits the
crime scene (because this is a place where the crime-solver spots lots of clues).
Mystery readers think through important scenes of a mystery by putting themselves in the
characters‘ shoes and acting the scene out with a partner. They choose a scene that seems
important, and act it out just as it happened in the book. After they‘re finished they ask,
―What did I learn about the mystery from walking in the characters‘ shoes?‖
Mystery readers decide if a detail is important or not important to a story by thinking
about the difference between normal talk and ‗mystery talk.‘ They re-read parts with
dialogue which might be important asking, ―Is this just normal everyday kid talk or would
this only happen in a mystery?‖
Mystery readers try to solve the mystery by paying special attention to the reports given
by people from the scene-of-the-crime. (Often in a mystery, the crime solver interviews
people who were at the scene of the crime.) They pay close attention to interviews/reports
and see if there are any new clues given.
Bend 6: Readers use strategies to draw inferences as they read. They think beyond the text to determine meaning that’s not clearly written.
Mystery readers read suspiciously by considering everyone a suspect. They read a section,
thinking of the characters in that section, and ask, ―Why would ______ want to commit this
crime?‖ and, ―What would _______ gain from committing this crime?‖
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Readers pay close attention to the details of a mystery by thinking deeply about the clues.
They keep a ―T-Chart‖ in their notebooks listing ―Clues‖ and ―What They Tell Me.‖ This list
should be revisited and revised often.
Mystery readers think deeply about what they read, considering the reasons for a suspect‘s
actions. They use knowledge of the suspect‘s traits, motivations, and feelings. They ask
themselves, ―With all I know about _______________, why would he do this?‖
Readers try to solve mysteries and pay attention to when the detective is questioning,
interviewing, interrogating someone. They pay attention to the suspect‘s actions and words
during the questioning. They may ask themselves questions like, ―Is the suspect acting
nervous?‖ or, ―What is this making you think?‖
Bend 7: Mystery readers read the text closely to notice as many details as possible. Mystery readers remind themselves of all that has happened in their books to get their
minds ready for reading. They reread all of their post-it notes before they start reading
again.
Mystery readers try to figure out what the mystery is right away by reading closely and
asking, ―What is out of place?‖ or ―Is something missing?‖ or ―What‘s different?‖ Or ―Ah
ha! Here‘s the mystery…‖ They keep track of their thinking, putting a post-it where they
find out the mystery.
Mystery readers understand the story better by paying attention to the movement of time.
They notice time clue words like – later that day, 20 minutes later, 2 days later, etc.
Mystery readers pay attention to what makes mysteries special by knowing that there are
certain places where they‘ll need to slow down their reading and maybe even re-read. They
notice when: something gets repeated, something answers a question, the character reacts
strongly, or something seems out of place.
Mystery book club members/partners use strategies to improve conversation, and learn more about the text with the help of others.
Mystery readers learn more about their mystery by talking with their partners about how
their mystery is the same or different than the class read aloud mystery. They think about
how that might help them solve their mystery. They might ask, ―What parts are the same?‖
Revised Summer 2010
―What parts are different?‖ ―Which characters are similar?‖ ―How might the solution be
the same?‖
Mystery readers begin partner conversation by re-reading aloud the scene of the crime and
thinking about it together. They talk about what the solver does, sees, thinks and says…and
then see if they get any clues about the mystery.
Mystery readers prepare for partner time by finding the part/s where the crime-solver
goes to the scene of the crime. They locate the parts in the text and put Post-its on the
pages, jotting down their ideas of why the parts are important to the mystery.
Mystery readers prepare to talk about their mystery with their partner by thinking about
new things they have learned during their reading. They look back at their lists of clues and
suspects and make any additions or changes that they need to after reading today.
Mystery readers talk long with their partners by talking about the detective in their book.
They tell their partners who the detective is and then everything they know about him/her:
what he/she looks like, what he/she acts like, who his/her friends are, likes and dislikes,
times he/she felt a strong emotion, etc.
Mystery readers talk long with their partners by talking about each suspect and saying why
they think he/she could have committed the crime. They refer back to Post-its and specific
places in the book that supports the thinking.
Mystery readers prepare to talk with a partner by looking back at all the work they‘ve done
in their mystery. They reread their Post-its, remembering what they read, thinking about
who the crime-solver is, who the client is, and what the mystery is. They want to talk about
all of these things when they meet with their partners.
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Bookmarks which might be used to help students decide whether to jot on a Post-it, or write in their notebooks. This
could be used as a teaching point during a mini-lesson, with the teaching point being, ―Mystery readers know they have
different ways to keep track of all of the information they come across as they read. They decide whether to jot on
a post-it or write in their notebooks by thinking about whether or not they need to get to a certain part fast, or if
they really have a lot to write down or keep track of.‖ This could also be used during a mid-workshop interruption.
MMyysstteerryy RReeaaddiinngg!!
When do I Post-it?
Whenever I need to get to a
certain part fast!
Crime scenes
Important conversations
Important interrogations
New clues!
Parts when you have an
idea on a suspect.
Parts when you come up
with new suspects!
When do I write in my notebook?
Whenever I need to keep track of
lots of information, especially
information that needs revised
often.
Lists of possible suspects
Character pages
Lists of clues
Anytime you just want to
write about what you’ve
read!
MMyysstteerryy RReeaaddiinngg!!
When do I Post-it?
Whenever I need to get to a
certain part fast!
Crime scenes
Important conversations
Important interrogations
New clues!
Parts when you have an
idea on a suspect.
Parts when you come up
with new suspects!
When do I write in my notebook?
Whenever I need to keep track of
lots of information, especially
information that needs revised
often.
Lists of possible suspects
Character pages
Lists of clues
Anytime you just want to
write about what you’ve
read!
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Choice 3:
Fairy Tales
Overview of Unit:
o Readers can notice fairy tale language by looking at fairy tales and asking themselves what
common language do I hear used over and over or what kind of language sounds new and
different? (This could be done as a stop and jot during a read-aloud or done when they are
looking at books using post-its) (make a chart)
o Readers identify the specific elements of a fairy tale by making lists in their reader‘s
notebooks things that they notice about fairy tales that don‘t normally occur in other
fictional stories
o Readers identify that fairy tales, such as Cinderella, reflect different regions or cultures
by looking at the pictures and using their experiences to determine what region or what
culture the fairy tale represents.
o Readers identify that fairy tales, such as Cinderella, reflect different regions or cultures
by noticing the language usage (sayings and expressions) and writing on a Post-it Note what
the saying or expression means in our culture/region.
Synthesis/Interpretation
Readers come up with their own idea of what the story is telling them by asking themselves
questions about what they‘ve read.
o They give themselves time to think after they‘ve finished reading.
o They recall what they‘ve read and ask questions like:
―What is really important about this story?‖
―What is the point of this story for me?‖ Or,
―What is this story, all together, trying to tell me?‖
Readers make decisions about the impact a story might have on themselves and others who
read it (audience).
o They think about how its underlying message might change or effect readers.
―How would I change myself if I took this story seriously?‖ Or,
―Does it matter if people read this story or not? Why should or shouldn‘t
they?‖
Readers come up with their own idea of what the story is telling them by talking back to the
text.
o They trust their own voices then think and replace the author‘s words with their own.
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o Instead of simply retelling what happened in the story, readers speak freely about
what the text is saying to them.
Readers think about the way a story is put together
o They may consider why the author wrote it the way he/she did.
o They can notice specific things about the way the author writes (repeated actions or
phrases, long/short paragraphs, boring passages/exciting passages), and then
answering the questions, ―What might this author want me to be thinking or feeling or
realizing? What am I supposed to get from this?‖
Readers linger at the end of a text by thinking about what the whole book is saying.
o They do this by ask,
―What single section best captured the author‘s meaning?‖
Or by thinking, ―How is the message of this book similar to (and different
from) the message of another book?‖
Readers think back on a book they‘ve finished by considering how the elements of the story
each contribute to the message of the book.
o They may think about how the ending affects the message, as well as the beginning.
o If the beginning or the end was different, how would the message (story) be
different?
Readers linger at the end of a text by thinking about why the author ended it the way
he/she did.
o They think, ―When did I first suspect this might be the ending?‖ and,
o ―Why—out of all possible endings—might the author have chosen this one?‖
Readers linger at the end of a text by comparing it to other books they‘ve read.
o They lay some of the other books they know well next to the one they‘ve finished.
o In their notebooks, readers make a chart to say how the books are similar and
different.
Readers linger at the end of a text by thinking about how reading it may (or may not) affect
their own lives.
o They answer the question, ―How might I live differently because of this book?‖
Readers compare and contrast adaptations to tales
o They look at the adapted tale and ask themselves what is different or the same in
this tale to the original tale and then writing it on a post-it.
Readers identify figurative language, such as similes, in fairy tales.
o They looking for the as and/or like in a description and ask ―What two things is the
author trying to compare?‖
Readers compare and contrast tales from different cultures
They trace the adventures of one character type, such as Cinderella, and ask ―Why would
the author write about Cinderella in the Appalachian Mountains?‖ and telling why they think
there are similar tales in different cultures, ―I think the author used Cinderella in this
region to explain/tell/…‖.
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Readers read fairy tales with fluency by practicing a reader‘s theater fairy tale story in
small groups then sharing that presentation with their classmates.
Inference
Readers think beyond the words on the page.
o They do this by asking, ―What is being said here without being written down?‖
Readers get a bigger picture of what the author is trying to say
o They think beyond the words on the page.
o Pause at key sections and say, ―So what I think is really going on is…‖ Or, ―What I‘m
thinking here is that…‖ And then, ―Here‘s why…‖
Readers develop a deeper understanding of a text by making connections beyond the setting of
the story.
o They might think about what the story ―says‖ without really saying.
o They ask questions like,
―What does this story say about the world?‖
―What is the story underneath the story?‖
And, ―Why was this story written?‖
Readers show responsibility for developing their own understanding of a text
o They always wonder what the author is really trying to tell them. They do this by having
a pen and post-its on hand and stopping and jotting a few times during independent
reading to answer the question, ―What does the author want me to realize here?‖
o Readers talk with their partners about their answers.
Prediction
Good readers make predictions by using their knowledge of how stories go.
o They will think, ―Based on what I know about stories, what do I think will happen
next?‖
Readers make predictions by using their knowledge of relationships plus clues from the
story.
o They can ask and answer questions like, ―How will the character react? How do I
know?‖ Or, ―Based on what I know about the character, what do I think he or she is
going to do?‖
Readers change their predictions as they go by stopping often to reevaluate their thinking.
o They read a little, stopping, and thinking again to check their prediction.
o Did they change their ideas? They may say something like, ―I thought _________
was going to happen, but now I think something different because…‖ Or, ―Reading this
part makes me think that _________ is about to happen…‖
o (CHART IDEA: Prompts to Help Readers Make Good Predictions)
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Vocabulary Work
Readers learn new words by identifying unknown words and then reading it in the sentence or
paragraph in which it is found, then summarizing what they read.
o They read the section out loud, then use all the information they do know to develop a
summary of the section. By doing this, readers can hopefully replace the unknown word
with a synonym that they know.
o They can ask, ―What‘s being said?‖ or ―What‘s going on?‖
Readers are able to support their idea of what a new word means by giving reasoning for their
idea.
o They think about what they believe the word means, and then saying, ―I believe this word
is the same as __________ because the text says…‖
Readers make sure they understand a new word as best as possible by considering further
possibilities.
o Readers realize it is likely that there is more than one right meaning for every unfamiliar
word.
They think about what they believe the word means, then ask, ―Can I think of any
other possible meanings for this word?‖
Readers keep track of their thinking on a new word by creating a ―4-Square‖ Post-it to record
their thoughts.
o They divide a Post-it into four square sections. The reader puts the following in the
sections:
(1) the word,
(2) ―What is going on in the text?‖
(3) ―The text makes me think it means…‖ and,
(4) ―Another possible meaning…‖
Readers continuously learn new words by keeping track of fun, interesting words as they pop
out in their reading.
o They mark interesting words with Post-its and then develop a good understanding of
their meanings (through context clues, dictionary…).
o Readers keep Post-its and lists in their notebooks so they can use these new words in
their speech and writing.
(CHART IDEA): Have students notice ―fairy tale‖ words and keep a ―fairy tale
word wall.‖
Retelling/Summarizing
Good readers are able to retell by paying especially close attention to the first chapter (or
section) and carrying what they learned with them throughout the book. They do this by taking
notes as they go, and reviewing them often to hold onto the important details. They retell
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using words like, ―What happens at the end of the first chapter fits with the rest of the book
because…‖ and, ―This story starts out…‖
Readers hold onto the important parts of a text by putting together important information and
disregarding details that seem unimportant. They do this by jotting only important details on
Post-its and leaving them in their books. They do not write down small details that do not have
big meaning to the story.
Readers realize the important parts of their reading by retelling to spotlight the important
things they read. They do this by paying special attention to the part that seems important to
the whole story. They might ask, ―What does the author want us to get here?‖ And then, ―Does
my retelling of the story reflect all of its important parts?‖
Readers make sure they understand as they read by quizzing themselves over small sections as
they go. They do this by reading a chunk of text, and covering it with a Post-it. Then, readers
ask themselves, ―What was this chunk all about?‖ Readers reread until they understand what
the chunk was about.
Readers look at the big picture of what they have read by thinking about how all of the
elements of the story come together. They do this by quickly telling the character‘s traits,
the main events of the plot, the problem, and how the problem is resolved (or how the
character changes… lesson he/she learns). They leave out small details, including only big,
important ideas that make the story.
Partner-talk
Readers think deeply about the text by talking with their partners about underlying
messages in the story‘s key sections. They do this by finding important passages and talking
in pairs to answer the questions, ―What‘s really going on here?‖ and, ―What does the author
want us to realize in this section?‖
Readers notice and comment on new words that they find in texts by keeping track of them
and sharing them with their partner. They do this by marking interesting words as they
read, and then coming back to them with their partner to talk about how the words are
used, and what they mean.
Readers talk with partners about their characters by really thinking about how they may be
feeling. They do this by putting themselves in their character‘s shoes and saying things like,
―How do you think he‘s feeling right now?‖ or ―I‘m worried about _________. Here‘s why.‖
Readers talk with partners to learn more about what their characters might be thinking by
imagining what those characters might say (even when there is no dialogue). They do this by
rereading a section between two characters out loud, and assigning roles to recite the
missing dialogue.
Readers talk with partners about characters‘ actions by thinking about why characters do
what they do. They do this by finding a scene when a character makes a choice and asking,
―Why did __________ decide to do this?‖ and then, ―What in the text makes me think
this?‖
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Envisionment
Good readers envision by using the current and previous setting clues from the story plus
their prior knowledge to make a picture in their minds. They do this by thinking about what
they have read to this point in the story and imagining they are in the story. What do they
see? Readers might quickly draw a picture in their reader‘s notebook, or sketch or describe
a scene on a Post-it.
Good readers envision a character in a scene by figuring our how a character feels, and then
asking, ―What does that feeling look like?‖ They do this by thinking about the character
and how his/her face and body language might look. They can jot these feelings down on a
Post-it.
Readers envision by forming pictures in their minds. They do this by thinking about certain
smells, tastes, sights, and feelings that emerge from the events and actions the characters
are experiencing.
Readers make connections to their characters by thinking about a time when they acted or
felt similar in a similar situation. They do this by stopping in the middle of their reading to
think about a time when they might have had a small-moment similar to the characters.
They can then ask, ―What does this teach me about the kind of person the character is?‖
Empathy
Readers try to understand how characters feel by trying to feel what the characters are
feeling. They do this by caring enough about characters in the book to be angered by what a
character has or hasn‘t done. They say things like, ―I can‘t believe…‖ or, ―I wish she‘d…‖ or,
―I‘m angry that…‖
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Choice 4:
Realistic Fiction
Overview of Unit
This unit and the Action Adventure unit are almost the same. In the Action Adventure unit, you
want to focus on the ―action‖ part (how the setting can give you clues to the looming adventure,
predicting the adventure and revising as you get new information) and in this unit, you can work
more on just understanding the basic story elements in fiction and how these can help you
understand the story better. This unit is designed to review all of the comprehension strategies
students have learned so far this year, but to add in the element of Book Clubs. The unit reviews
the common comprehension strategies. Students should see and understand that the strategies
they use in this unit can be used in any kind of fiction reading. Students should continue to call on
all strategies worked on to this point. All work done in the unit should develop higher level
thinking, seeing students making inferences on characters, and developing their own unique
interpretations of texts.
Helpful Book Club Tips
o Book Clubs usually consist of 4 to 6 students. Often these students are two sets of
partners combined into a Club.
o Book Club members all read at about the same level and have many of the same interests in
books. Club members should be able to choose the text they will read, so it is important
that they have similar reading interests.
o Book Club members set goals and do not read past those goals. If they reach the goal
before everyone else, they can stop and read in one of their other books.
Tips for scheduling Book Clubs into Reading Workshop
o Start out with a teaching point for independent reading time in book club books
o Interrupt before moving into book clubs and give a teaching point directly related to
working in their book clubs.
o Give some time for reading in just right books and
Talk in Book Clubs
o Beginning Talk:
o -Does anyone have anything that connects to what we‘ve been talking about?
o -Lay out confusion
o -Does anyone have a thought to share?
o -So, how should we begin?
o -Someone just throws out an idea
o -Start with a question
o -Start with part of the text
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o -Start with a post-it or other writing work done during reading
More talk:
o -ask the speaker to say more, to elaborate
o -say ―What?‖ when someone says something confusing
o -summarize the conversation so far to clarify the topic at hand
o -give examples to back up a theory, learning to say ―For example‖ and to ask others for
examples
Teaching Points
Theme Readers find the big idea of the story.
o They can switch gears in their minds to search for messages that may be bigger than
the story‘s events.
o They ask questions such as
―What is this story really about?‖
―What is the moral of the story?‖
―What is the story‘s theme?‖
Close readers find the most important details of the story.
o They look for things that the author seems to repeat over and over.
o They identify repeated words, patterns, or objects.
o They might ask, ―What did I notice repeated in the text?‖
Vocabulary Work
Readers learn new words.
o They will identify unknown words and then read it in the sentence or paragraph in
which it is found.
Read the section out loud, then use all the information you do know to make a
summary of the section.
By doing this, readers can hopefully replace the unknown word with a synonym
that they know.
They can ask, ―What‘s being said?‖ or ―What‘s going on?‖
Readers are able to support their idea of what a new word means. by
o They think about what they believe the word means.
o Then say, ―I believe this word is the same as __________ because the text says…‖
o
Readers make sure they understand a new word as best as possible.
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o Readers realize it is likely that there is more than one right meaning for every
unfamiliar word.
o They think about what they believe the word means,
o Then ask, ―Can I think of any other possibly meanings for this word?‖
o
Readers keep track of their thinking about a new word.
o They can create a ―4-Square‖ Post-it to record their thoughts.
o They divide a Post-it into four square sections.
o The reader puts the following in the sections:
(1) the word,
(2) ―What is going on in the text?‖
(3) ―The text makes me think it means…‖ and,
(4) ―Another possible meaning…‖
Readers continuously learn new words.
o They can keep track of fun, interesting words as they pop out in their reading.
o They mark interesting words with Post-its.
o Readers keep Post-its and lists in their notebooks so they can use these new words in
their speech and writing.
Prediction Readers make predictions by using their knowledge of relationships plus clues from the
story.
o They might answer questions like:
―How will this particular character react? How do I know that?‖ Or,
―Based on what I know about the character, what do I think he or she is going
to do?‖
Readers stop often to reevaluate their thinking and, sometimes, change their predictions.
o They will read a little, stop, and think to check their prediction.
o Did it change?
o They may say something like:
―I thought _________ was going to happen, but now I think something
different because…‖ Or,
―Reading this part makes me think that _________ is about to happen…‖
Inference Readers of realistic fiction books think beyond the words on the page and read between the
lines trying to get the inside scoop on what the author is trying to say.
o They will think about their predictions and how the book has gone so far and then
ask:
o ―What might the author be trying to show me without actually putting it in words on
the page?‖
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Readers get a bigger picture of what the author is trying to say.
o They pause at key sections and say:
―So what I think is really going on is…‖ Or,
―What I‘m thinking here is that…‖ And then,
―Here‘s why…‖
Readers develop a deeper understanding of a text by making connections beyond the setting
of the story.
o They ask questions like:
―What does this story say about the world?‖
―What is the story underneath the story?‖ And,
―Why was this story written?‖
Readers show responsibility for developing their own understanding of a text by always
wondering what the author is really trying to tell them.
o They always have a pen and post-its on hand and stop to jot a few times during
independent reading to answer a question they may have.
o ―What does the author want me to realize here?‖
o Readers talk with their partners about their answers.
Readers get to know the characters in their books.
o They will pay attention to what the character says and thinks verses what he or she
does.
o They will notice when a character says something and then does something else and
write it on a post-it.
o Then they might ask themselves:
―Do these match? If not, what does that tell me about this character?‖
Readers learn about their characters by figuring out their motivations.
o They will pay close attention to what he or she does and then ask:
―What does might happen to this character as a result of his/her actions?‖
Retelling/Summarizing Good readers are able to retell.
o They can take notes as they go, and review them often to hold onto the important
details. o They can take one of the first post-its they wrote, and then ask:
―How does this post-it (from the beginning) fit with what I am reading now (in
the middle or end)?‖ ―What has happened since I wrote this post-it note?‖
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Readers hold onto the important parts of a book.
o First they ask themselves: ―Does this seem important, or is it just cool?‖
They jot only important details on Post-its and leave them in their books.
They do not write down small details that do not have big meaning to the story.
Readers emphasize the important parts of their reading, spotlighting the big parts.
o They will pay special attention to parts that seems important to the whole story.
o They might jot them, in order, in their reading notebook.
o Then, when they are retelling, they will focus on those parts.
Partner-talk/Book Club-talk Readers think deeply about the text and talk with their partners about underlying messages
in the story‘s key sections. o They might find important passages and answer these questions as they talk:
‖What‘s really going on here?‖ and, ―What does the author want us to realize in this section?‖
Readers notice and comment on new words that they find in texts. o They can keep track of them with their partner. o They will mark interesting words as they read,
Then discuss how they were used and what they mean with their partner.
Envisionment Readers envision the setting of their story.
o They use the current setting clues and the setting clues given earlier in the book.
o They add what they know is happening in the book to make a picture in their mind.
o They can imagine they are in the story and answer this question:
What do I see?
They might quickly jot a sketch of what they see on a post-it.
Good readers need to envision a character‘s body language and facial expressions.
o They can think about how the character feels.
o Then ask: ―What does that feeling look like on a face?‖
o ―How do people stand, or what do people do when they feel this way?‖
o They can jot these feelings down on a Post-it.
Readers envision to form pictures in their minds.
o They think about where the character is and what is happening to them.
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o Then they think about what smells, tastes, sights, and feelings is my character
experiencing.
Synthesis/Interpretation
Readers come up with their own idea of what the story is telling them.
o They stop and think after they finish a portion of reading then ask themselves
questions about what they‘ve read.
―What is really important about this story?‖
―What is the point of this story for me?‖
―What is this story, all together, trying to tell me?‖
Readers make decisions about the impact a story might have on themselves and others who
read it (audience).
o First they ask questions like:
―Does it matter if people read this story or not?
―Why should or shouldn‘t they?‖
―How could the story or message this book gives help me or someone else?‖
Readers think about the way a story is put together and what makes it exciting.
o They can notice specific things about the way the author writes (repeated actions or
phrases, long/short paragraphs, boring passages/exciting passages).
o Then answering the questions,
―What might this author want me to be thinking?‖
―What might this author want me to be feeling?‖
―What might the author want me to be realizing?‖
―What am I supposed to get from this?‖
Readers think about the deeper message in a text by doing more when then get to the end
of the story (instead of slamming the book shut and putting it away!).
They might return to places they loved, hated, or questioned.
They may go to places they found difficult or to places which made them angry.
o They reread these sections and discuss/write about them in light of how they were
important to the book.
Readers linger at the end of a text and think about what the whole book is saying.
o They ask questions like:
―What single section best captured the author‘s meaning?‖
―How is the message of this book similar to (and different from) the message
of another book?‖
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Readers linger at the end of an exciting book to think about why the author ended it the
way he/she did.
o They do this by thinking:
―When did I first suspect this might be the ending?‖
―Why—out of all possible endings—might the author have chosen this one?‖
Readers decide how the narrator‘s point of view might affect the book.
o They decide if the narrator is inside or outside of the story.
If the narrator is inside the story, ask
―How big of a part of the story is the narrator?‖
―Could the narrator‘s perspective affect the way the story is being told?‖
Empathy/Making Connections Readers make connections to experiences in their own lives and see if they have
experienced, read, or seen anything similar to what is in the story.
o They may ask themselves these questions:
―What does this remind me of?‖
―Have I ever….?‖
How does this help me to understand the story better?
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Poetry
Extra Resource (teaching points could be used during Shared Reading)
Overview of Unit:
During this choice unit on poetry, students will engage themselves in the reading of poetry. It is
important during this unit that students keep up their independent just-right fiction reading.
Students have worked hard to develop stamina, and without continued reading it could be quickly
lost. Mini-lessons for this unit should be taught on poetry, but organization of the remainder of
the Reading Workshop time will differ classroom to classroom. Teachers may decide to provide
students a set amount of time to read from poetry books, before a teaching share and partner
work. Students could spend the remainder of the time reading from their book baggies, keeping
up their independent reading at night. Students should be taught to connect work between poetry
mini-lessons and fiction reading.
A schedule may look as follows:
Poetry Mini-lesson: 10-15 minutes
Independent Poetry Reading: 15-20 minutes
Teaching Share: 5-10 minutes
Partner Share: 5-10 minutes
Independent Fiction Reading: 20-30 minutes
Since this unit is not a TC developed unit, teachers could refer to professional texts such as
Awakening the Heart, books by Georgia Heard, and should also look to the Writing Curriculum and
develop related teaching points/strategies for Reading.
Skills and Strategies/Teaching Points:
Most of your teaching during this unit will tend to fall into one of these broad categories or bends
in the road:
Strategies to prepare for poetry reading
Strategies for envisioning
Strategies for recognizing the author‘s craft
Strategies for interpreting meaning
Strategies for reading fluently
Bend 1: Readers get their minds ready to read poetry, and know what types of poetry they enjoy most.
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Readers know that to be a good reader of any genre, they have to read lots and lots of it!
They surround themselves with the best writing in the genre (poetry) and read, read, read!
Readers mark poems which are especially meaningful to them, or poems that prove to be
favorites.
Readers know that everyone likes different things, and know it‘s important to enjoy what
you read! After reading lots of poetry, readers look back at their favorite poems to see if
they have anything in common. They re-read them and ask themselves, ―How are these
alike?‖ and, ―What does this tell me about the type of poems I enjoy most?‖ Then, readers
are able to seek these types of poems when they read! (Funny, rhyme, concrete, etc.)
Readers read lots of good poetry, and notice when authors do things with their poetry that
really stands out. When reading poems, readers keep track of specific parts of writing they
like by listing poems and authors in their Reader‘s Notebooks, and jotting down exactly what
impressed them about the poem.
Bend 2: Readers of poetry use strategies to make pictures in their minds as they read (envision). From the TC Curriculum Calendar 2008-2009: Children will learn to create ―mind pictures‖ by
placing an ordinary thing next to something it‘s never been compared to before, such as, ―Today
the sky looks soft and worn, like my old baby blanket.‖
Readers know poetry is different from other genres of writing, and that poets use lots of
different tricks to help readers visualize what the author was thinking when writing. Poets
sometimes place an ordinary thing, next to something its never been compared to before,
using similes. Readers think about similes and how they help them picture what‘s going on in
a poem by thinking of the two things being compared and saying, ―How are these two things
alike?‖ and, ―How does this comparison help me see and picture this poem the way the
author wanted me to see and picture it?‖
Readers try to picture things exactly as the poets intended so they understand the poem
better. They consider all their senses as they read the poem and try to make a picture in
their minds of what it might look, sound, smell, taste, feel like if they were in the poem.
They may say something like, ―If I was seeing this, I would see…‖ or, ―If I was there, I
would hear… see… smell…‖
Readers try to really picture places or objects that are described in poetry. They re-read
descriptive sections, and try to quickly sketch a picture of the place or object in their
notebooks so they are really thinking about what the author is trying to make them see.
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Bend 3: Readers of poetry use strategies to recognize writing tricks used by the authors of poetry.
Readers notice when poets use special tricks in their writing. One trick poets use is
alliteration, the repetition of beginning consonant sounds. (Randy racked his rusty brain for
an answer). Readers notice the beauty of this type of writing, and consider what why the
author used alliteration to make the writing sound better. They use a Post-it to mark
alliteration in poems when they find it.
Readers notice with poets use special tricks in their writing. A trick some poets use is
onomatopoeia, writing ‗sound‘ words just like they sound: ―BAM!‖ ―VVVRRRROOOOMMMM!‖
Readers think about the effect of using this type of writing, verses simply describing the
sound. (VVVVRRRRROOOOMMMM or the car revved up its engine). They mark
onomatopoeia when they find it, especially if they really like the way it‘s done.
Readers notice when poets use special tricks in their writing, and consider why the trick was
used. They look for things that aren‘t normal, such as animals or objects doing things as
humans would (personification: the horse laughed, the book cried at her from the shelf).
Readers ask themselves, ―Why did the author of this poem give this inhuman object/animal
a human ability?‖ They mark personification when they find it, so they can come back to it
as an example later.
Readers look for similarities between poems, especially between poems by the same author.
If they have an author they love, they look carefully at many of his/her poems to try to
find ―writing tricks‖ the author uses in more than one poem.
Poets know that by choosing the right words, their poetry can take on a certain tone. They
re-read their writing, looking for places to add ―tone‖ words which might make their poem
take on a stronger funny or sad or uplifting tone.
Readers of poetry know that some poems have certain ―tones‖ or feelings to them. They
read to decide what the tone of a poem is, searching for words which make the poem sound,
or feel a certain way. (blue, dark, rainy = sad, dreary tone. bright, sunny, = happy tone)
Poets know they have a world full of awesome, ―WOW words‖ they could add to their
writing. They make their writing better, going through and finding simple verbs which could
be changed into WOW words-words with more meaning/tone. They find a simple verb and
say, ―What‘s another verb that I could replace this one with that could actually say more?‖
(replacing ―walk‖ with ―tiptoe,‖ ―run‖ with ―galloped,‖ etc.)
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Readers know that poets choose words so that their writing is precisely the way they
planned. They look for words that really stand out, that are very specific, and decide why
the author chose to use the specific word. They might ask themselves something like, ―Why
did this author choose to say the boy ‗meandered‘ instead of just saying he ‗walked?‘‖
Bend 4: Readers of poetry use strategies to find meaning in the poems they read.
Readers respond to the reading of poetry by thinking deeply about poems that really inspire
them.
They find a poem that really makes them think and ask, ―What is this poem all about that
makes me think so much?‖ Then, they write all their thoughts in their Reader‘s Notebooks.
Readers respond to poems written about ordinary details/objects. They think about why
the author might have chosen to write about these ordinary things, asking themselves, ―How
did the author take something simple and publish writing about it?‖ and, ―What is the big
idea on this small, simple object?‖
Readers of poetry notice when poems might be about a big issue or idea. They look for big
issues that some poems might be all about, like love, dreams, or family. When they think a
poem might have a big issue, they stop and ask themselves, ―What is this poem all about?‖
and, ―Why was it important for the poet to write about this issue?‖
Readers of poetry think carefully about why the authors chose the words they did. They
choose tricky words, or words that really stand out, and ask, ―Why did the author use this
word here?‖ and, ―What other words might mean close to the same thing?‖
Readers of poetry think carefully about the words in a poem, because they know the authors
chose them carefully! They find important, stand out words and say (to themselves or their
partners), ―When I read this word, I think it means…‖ or, ―What I read this word, I feel…‖
and then they think even deeper by saying something like, ―I think the author wanted me to
feel this way because…‖
Readers of poetry understand that some authors wanted readers to feel a certain way when
reading their poems. They read poems with strong feeling carefully to determine what the
tone might be. They find ―tone‖ words and say, ―What do these words tell me about the
tone of this poem?‖ and, ―What did the author want me to feel when reading this?‖
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Bend 5: Readers of poetry use strategies to read poetry fluently, the way the author intended it to be read. From the TC Writing Curriculum 2008-2009: All through the unit, children will read poems out
loud so that they can learn how to savor the sounds of this genre. Help them talk and think about
the difference in sound and meaning between words like "fry" and "sizzle," "shine" and "sparkle,"
"cry" and "weep." Ideally, they‘ll hear how the right choice of words can make a poem funny or
wistful or sad. Teach children how the tone of a poem is crafted by the poet, and how word choice
plays a large part in creating that tone. This is a good time to chart degrees of verbs for students
to reference as they make word choices. For example, create a chart with children that lists
different words they can use instead of "walk" such as "trot," "tiptoe," and "strut." In this way
you are not only teaching word choice but also helping children learn new vocabulary…
Children may learn how to shape words on the page so that their texts not only sound but also look like poems. That is, they will learn that poets think about where to break a line so that the sound,
rhythm, and look of each line achieve the overall tone and meaning that the poet wishes to convey.
They will learn how poets use the ―white space‖ around the words to pause, take a breath, and
make something stand out from all the other words.
Teachers may consider pulling fluency teaching points from the above sections from the TC Writing Curriculum, asking students to consider the author‘s use of white space and word choice when reading poetry aloud.
Readers know that poets move words around on the page to create meaning. They know
poets add ―white space‖ where they want a reader to pause. Readers are sure to read
poetry just as the author intended it to sound by re-reading paying special attention to the
spacing used by the author. Readers ask, ―Was that a short space that deserves a short
pause? Or was it a bigger area of white space that deserves a longer, more thoughtful
pause?‖
Readers know that poets use words that stand out from all the others in their writing.
They read these words just as the authors intended them to be read by thinking about how
they stand out from the rest of the writing. They look at these words (which may be bold,
underlined, in a different font) and say, ―Why did the author make this word that way?‖
and, ―What does this tell me about how I should read this word out loud?‖
From the TC Writing Curriculum 2008-2009: Children benefit from lots of practice reading and
rereading their poems in ways that match the tone and follow a rhythm. So much of the meaning of
a poem is conveyed in the way it is read aloud. Partnerships can practice reading their poems aloud
and giving each other feedback to rehearse for the celebration.
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Memoir
Extra Resource (teaching points could be pulled and used during the memoir writing unit)
Week One: Immersion in the Memoir Genre
-Students read as many memoir picture books and excerpts from book-length memoirs as
possible.
-Teacher reads aloud from book-length memoirs, excerpts, and picture books.
-Students are simply collecting in their notebooks during this immersion time.
-The teacher is facilitating whole class discussions from reading aloud memoirs.
Questions to facilitate discussion into memoir texts:
What kind of person does the ―I‖ seem to be: competent, shy, aggressive, compliant?
Do you believe the stories and memories this author is telling you? What helps you
believe the author? What makes you doubt the author?
What kinds of evidence does the author give you to help you believe the memories?
What does this author use to help remember his or her life-objects, history, places,
photographs, childhood stories, interviews with family members?
How does the author organize time in this story? Does this memoir tell a
chronological story, or does it skip around in time?
Does the author write the memoir from different periods in his or her life?
Where does the story begin and end?
What does this author come to know about him or herself and about the world?
What can the person reading this story learn?
Can this memoir change the world?
-The lines between structured reading and writing times blur during a study like memoir. It
is beneficial to create memoir clubs that will take on reading projects. Some possible
memoir reading projects are:
As you read a memoir, prepare a mock interview of the author. What questions do you
want to ask this writer? What else do you wish you knew about this story?
Gather five autobiographical pieces of writing about a favorite subject of yours, such
as cats, sports, family, or ethnic stories. Notice the different ways each author has
structured his or her story. What has each author included and what has he or she
left out? Notice differences in terms of gender, race, class, or place.
Take an incident from a memoir and try writing it from the point of view of a
different person in the story. What does this say about the author‘s perspective?
List 5 people whose life story you have read. For each person, write something that
you learned from him or her about a place, time period, culture, race, or gender that
you didn‘t know before.
Read a short story. Think about whether it is a memoir or not. What makes it a
memoir or not a memoir?
Imagine the notebook entries that may have led to a memoir you have read.
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As you read different published memoirs, what parts or aspects do you find attract
you or hold your interest the most?
Sketch what a scene or place looked like from the narrator‘s perspective. Sketch the
narrator from a different character‘s perspective.
Act out a scene from a memoir. Write a reflection about what it felt like to be in
that scene. Begin the next day‘s discussion with evidence that might support the idea.
Whole class reading response ideas:
Hot Seat – choose some of your students to sit in chairs in front of the class and act
as if they are the characters from a memoir. Have the other students ask the memoir
characters questions. The memoir character students must respond in character.
Have students paint a mural in response to a class reading of a memoir (they can paint
whatever they felt or imagined during the reading).
Suggested memoir texts (not all are technically memoirs, but they are rich, evocative first-person
narratives that will be helpful for kids to think of memories from their lives and also give them
possibilities for structuring their memoirs):
Those Summers by Aliki
Momma, Where Are You From? By Marie Bradby
Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe
Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting
Hairs by Sandra Cisneros
Big Mama‘s by Donald Crews
Shortcut by Donald Crews
Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs by Tomie DePaola
Abuela by Arthur Dorros
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
My Mama Had a Dancing Heart by Libba Moore Gray
Tell Me a Story Mama by Angela Johnson
Saturdays and Teacakes by Lester Laminack (I have this one.)
Dogteam by Gary Paulsen
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco
Thank you, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
The Chalk Doll by Charlotte Pomerantz
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Grandfather‘s Journey by Allen Say
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past by Jacqueline Woodson
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The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Suggested memoir texts for grades 4 and up:
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie DePaola
Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid by Ralph Fletcher
Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz
Hey World, Here I Am! by Jean Little
Suggested memoir texts for grades 6 and up:
A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary
Little by Little by Jean Little
Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers
But I‘ll Be Back Again by Cynthia Rylant
Knots in My Yo-Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid by Jerry Spinelli
The Lost Garden by Laurence Yep
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Resources
Around the Reading Workshop in 180 Days by Serafini
The Art of Teaching Reading by Lucy Calkins
Revisiting the Readers‘ Workshop by Orehaovec
Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
The Art of Teaching Reading. Lucy McCormick Calkins.
Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction. Isabel L. Beck, Maragret G. McKeown,
Linda Kucan.
Teaching for Comprehension and Fluency: Thinking, Talking, and Writing About Reading, K-8. Irene
C. Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell
Third Grade Standards Reading Standard 1: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development
Students understand the basic features of words. They select letter patterns and know how to translate them into spoken language using phonics (an understanding of the different letters that make different sounds), syllables, word parts (un-, -ful), and context (the meaning of the text around a word). They apply this knowledge to achieve fluent (smooth and clear) oral and silent reading.
Decoding and Word Recognition
3.1.1 Know and use more difficult word families (-ight) when reading unfamiliar words.
3.1.2 Read words with several syllables.
3.1.3 Read aloud grade-level-appropriate literary and informational texts fluently and
accurately and with appropriate timing, change in voice, and expression.
Vocabulary and Concept Development
3.1.4 Determine the meanings of words using knowledge of synonyms (words with the same
meaning), antonyms (words with opposite meanings), homophones (words that sound the
same but have different meanings and spellings), and homographs (words that are spelled
the same but have different meanings).
Example: Understand that words, such as fair and fare, are said the same way but have
different meanings. Know the difference between two meanings of the word lead when
used in sentences, such as ―The pencil has lead in it‖ and ―I will lead the way.‖
3.1.5 Demonstrate knowledge of grade-level-appropriate words to speak specifically about
different issues.
3.1.6 Use sentence and word context to find the meaning of unknown words.
3.1.7 Use a dictionary to learn the meaning and pronunciation of unknown words.
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3.1.8 Use knowledge of prefixes (word parts added at the beginning of words such as un-, pre-
) and suffixes (word parts added at the end of words such as -er, -ful, -less) to
determine the meaning of words.
3.1.9 Identify more difficult multiple-meaning words (such as puzzle or fire).
Reading Standard 2: Comprehension and Analysis of Nonfiction and Informational Text
Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. The selections in the Indiana Reading List (www.doe.state.in.us/standards/readinglist.html) illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. At Grade 3, in addition to regular classroom reading, students read a variety of nonfiction, such as biographies, books in many subject areas, children‘s magazines and periodicals, and reference and technical materials.
Structural Features of Informational and Technical Materials
3.2.1 Use titles, tables of contents, chapter headings, a glossary, or an index to locate
information in text.
3.2.9 Identify text that uses sequence or other logical order (alphabetical, time, categorical).
Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Nonfiction and Informational Text
3.2.2 Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information
from the text.
Example: When reading informational materials about science topics or social science
subjects, compare what is read to background knowledge about the subject.
3.2.3 Show understanding by identifying answers in the text.
Example: After generating a question about information in a text, skim and scan the
remaining text to find the answer to the question.
3.2.4 Recall major points in the text and make and revise predictions about what is read.
Example: Listen and view Steve Jenkins‘ book Actual Size; discuss his examples
representing the physical dimensions of various animals and their habitats. Also discuss
the artistic methods Jenkins used to represent the animals.
3.2.5 Distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository (informational) text.
Example: Read an informational text, such as Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helen‘s by Patricia Lauber, and make a chart listing the main ideas from the text and
the details that support them.
3.2.6 Locate appropriate and significant information from the text, including problems and
solutions.
Example: Identify the problem faced by a character in a book, such as A Gift for Tia Rosa by Karen T. Taha, and explain how the character solved his or her problem. Identify
how problems can form the motivations for new discoveries or inventions by reading
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informational texts about famous inventors, scientists, or explorers, such as Thomas
Edison or Jonas Salk.
3.2.7 Follow simple multiple-step written instructions.
3.2.8 Distinguish between cause and effect and between fact and opinion in informational text.
Reading Standard 3: Comprehension and Analysis of Literary Text
Structural Features of Literature
3.3.1 Recognize different common genres (types) of literature, such as poetry, drama, fiction,
and nonfiction.
Example: Look at the same topic, such as cranes, and see how it is shown differently in
various forms of literature, such as the poem ―On the Run‖ by Douglas Florian, the play
The Crane Wife by Sumiko Yagawa, Anne Laurin‘s fictional book Perfect Crane, and the
nonfiction counting book Counting Cranes by Mary Beth Owens.
Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text
3.3.2 Comprehend basic plots of classic fairy tales, myths, folktales, legends, and fables from
around the world.
Example: Read and discuss the plots of the folktales from around the world that explain
why animals are the way they are, such as Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People‘s Ears retold
by Verna Aardema or How the Leopard Got Its Spots by Justine and Ron Fontes. Plot
each story onto a story map.
3.3.3 Determine what characters are like by what they say or do and by how the author or
illustrator portrays them.
Example: Discuss and write about the comical aspects of the motorcycle-riding mouse,
Ralph S. Mouse, the main character in Beverly Cleary‘s book by the same name.
3.3.4 Determine the theme or author‘s message in fiction and nonfiction text.
Example: Look at the admirable qualities in Abraham Lincoln as shown in both the
fictional story More Than Halfway There, by Janet Halliday Ervin, and the nonfiction
biography Abe Lincoln‘s Hat, by Martha Brenner.
3.3.5 Recognize that certain words and rhythmic patterns can be used in a selection to imitate
sounds.
Example: Discuss the different words that are used to imitate sounds. To explore these
words further, read a book on the topic, such as Cock-a-doodle doo!: What Does It Sound Like to You? by Marc Robinson, in which the author discusses the words that
various languages use for such sounds as a dog‘s bark, a train‘s whistle, and water
dripping.
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3.3.6 Identify the speaker or narrator in a selection.
Example: Read a book, such as Class Clown by Johanna Hurwitz or Dinner at Aunt Connie‘s House by Faith Ringgold, and identify who is telling the story. Share examples from the
story for how the reader can tell that it is told by that character.
3.3.7 Compare and contrast versions of the same stories from different cultures.
3.3.8 Identify the problem and solutions in a story.
Writing Standard 4: Processes and Features
Students find and discuss ideas for writing and keep a list of writing ideas. Students write clear sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Students progress through the stages of the writing process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing multiple drafts.
Organization and Focus
3.4.1 Find ideas for writing stories and descriptions in conversations with others; in books,
magazines, or school textbooks; or on the Internet.
3.4.2 Discuss ideas for writing, use diagrams and charts to develop ideas, and make a list or
notebook of ideas.
3.4.3 Create single paragraphs with topic sentences and simple supporting facts and details.
3.4.9 Organize related ideas together within a paragraph to maintain a consistent focus.
Research Process and Technology
3.4.4 Use various reference materials (such as a dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, encyclopedia, and
online resources).
3.4.5 Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing.
Evaluation and Revision
3.4.6 Review, evaluate, and revise writing for meaning and clarity.
3.4.7 Proofread one‘s own writing, as well as that of others, using an editing checklist or list of
rules.
3.4.8 Revise writing for others to read, improving the focus and progression of ideas.
Writing Standard 5: Applications (Different Types of Writing and Their Characteristics)
At Grade 3, students continue to write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences. Students write both informal and formal letters. Student writing demonstrates a command of Standard English and the drafting, research, and organizational
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strategies outlined in Standard 4 — Writing Processes and Features. Writing demonstrates an awareness of the audience (intended reader) and purpose for writing.
In addition to producing the different writing forms introduced in earlier grades, Grade 3 students use the writing strategies outlined in Standard 4 — Writing Processes and Features to:
3.5.1 Write narratives that:
provide a context within which an action takes place.
include details to develop the plot.
Example: Write a story based on an article in a magazine, such as Cricket or Stone Soup, about
what life was like 100 years ago.
3.5.2 Write descriptive pieces about people, places, things, or experiences that:
develop a unified main idea.
use details to support the main idea.
Example: Write a description for how to make a model boat. Include clear enough directions so
that a classmate can make the model. Write a description of a favorite place using clear
details so that the reader can picture the place and understand why it is a favorite
place.
3.5.3 Write personal, persuasive, and formal letters, thank-you notes, and invitations that:
show awareness of the knowledge and interests of the audience.
establish a purpose and context.
include the date, proper salutation, body, closing, and signature.
Example: Write a letter to a pen pal in another country describing your family, school, and town
and asking the pen pal questions about himself or herself. Write an invitation asking an
adult to come to speak in the classroom. Write a persuasive letter to your family asking
for your favorite foods on your birthday.
3.5.4 Use varied word choices to make writing interesting.
Example: Write stories using varied words, such as cried, yelled, or whispered instead of
said.
3.5.5 Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person.
Example: Write an article about the library at your school. Include a list of ways that
students use the library.
3.5.6 Write persuasive pieces that ask for an action or response.
Example: Write a persuasive letter to your family asking for your favorite foods on a
special occasion, such as your birthday or a holiday.
3.5.7 Write responses to literature that:
demonstrate an understanding of what is read.
support statements with evidence from the text.
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Example: Write a description of a favorite character in a book. Include examples from
the book to show why this character is such a favorite.
Research Application
3.5.8 Write or deliver a research report that has been developed using a systematic research
process (defines the topic, gathers information, determines credibility, reports findings)
and that:
uses a variety of sources (books, technology, pictures, charts, tables of contents,
diagrams) and documents sources (titles and authors).
organizes information by categorizing it into more than one category (such as living
and nonliving, hot and cold) or includes information gained through observation.
Example: After making observations and completing research at the library, write a
report that describes things found in nature and things that are found outside of nature.
Writing Standard 6: English Language Conventions
Students write using Standard English conventions appropriate to this grade level.
Handwriting
3.6.1 Write legibly in cursive, leaving space between letters in a word, words in a sentence, and
words and the edges of the paper.
Sentence Structure
3.6.2 Write correctly complete sentences of statement, command, question, or exclamation,
with final punctuation.
Declarative: This tastes very good.
Imperative: Please take your seats.
Interrogative: Are we there yet?
Exclamatory: It‘s a home run!
Grammar
3.6.3 Identify and use subjects and verbs that are in agreement (we are instead of we is).
3.6.4 Identify and use past (he danced), present (he dances), and future (he will dance) verb
tenses properly in writing.
3.6.5 Identify and correctly use pronouns (it, him, her), adjectives (brown eyes, two younger sisters), compound nouns (summertime, snowflakes), and articles (a, an, the) in writing.
Punctuation
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3.6.6 Use commas in dates (August 15, 2001), locations (Fort Wayne, Indiana), and addresses
(431 Coral Way, Miami, FL), and for items in a series (football, basketball, soccer, and
tennis).
Capitalization
3.6.7 Capitalize correctly geographical names, holidays, historical periods, and special events
(We always celebrate the Fourth of July by gathering at Mounds State Park in Anderson, Indiana.)
Spelling
3.6.8 Spell correctly one-syllable words that have blends (walk, play, blend), contractions
(isn‘t, can‘t), compounds, common spelling patterns (qu-; changing win to winning; changing
the ending of a word from -y to -ies to make a plural, such as cherry/cherries), and
common homophones (words that sound the same but have different spellings, such as
hair/hare).
3.6.9 Arrange words in alphabetical order.
Example: Given a list of words, such as apple, grapefruit, cherry, banana, pineapple, and
peach, put them into correct alphabetical order: apple, banana, cherry, grapefruit, peach,
and pineapple.
Listening and Speaking Standard 7: Skills, Strategies, and Applications
Students listen critically and respond appropriately to oral communication. They speak in a manner that guides the listener to understand important ideas by using proper phrasing, pitch, and modulation (raising and lowering voice). Students deliver brief oral presentations about familiar experiences or interests that are organized around a coherent thesis statement (a statement of topic). Students use the same Standard English conventions for oral speech that they use in their writing.
Comprehension
3.7.1 Retell, paraphrase, and explain what a speaker has said.
3.7.2 Connect and relate experiences and ideas to those of a speaker.
3.7.3 Answer questions completely and appropriately.
3.7.4 Identify the musical elements of literary language, such as rhymes, repeated sounds, and
instances of onomatopoeia (naming something by using a sound associated with it, such as
hiss or buzz).
3.7.15 Follow three- and four-step oral directions.
Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication
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3.7.5 Organize ideas chronologically (in the order that they happened) or around major points
of information.
3.7.6 Provide a beginning, a middle, and an end to oral presentations, including details that
develop a central idea.
3.7.7 Use clear and specific vocabulary to communicate ideas and establish the tone.
3.7.8 Clarify and enhance oral presentations through the use of appropriate props, including
objects, pictures, and charts.
3.7.9 Read prose and poetry aloud with fluency, rhythm, and timing, using appropriate changes
in the tone of voice to emphasize important passages of the text being read.
Analysis and Evaluation of Oral and Media Communications
3.7.10 Compare ideas and points of view expressed in broadcast and print media or on the
Internet.
3.7.11 Distinguish between the speaker‘s opinions and verifiable facts.
3.7.16 Evaluate different evidence (facts, statistics, quotes, testimonials) used to support
claims.
Speaking Applications
3.7.12 Make brief narrative presentations that:
provide a context for an event that is the subject of the presentation.
provide insight into why the selected event should be of interest to the audience.
include well-chosen details to develop characters, setting, and plot that has a
beginning, middle, and end.
3.7.13 Plan and present dramatic interpretations of experiences, stories, poems, or plays.
3.7.14 Make descriptive presentations that use concrete sensory details to set forth and
support unified impressions of people, places, things, or experiences.
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Fourth Grade Standards
Reading Standard 1: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development
Students understand the basic features of words. They see letter patterns and know how to translate them into spoken language by using phonics (an understanding of the different letters that make different sounds), syllables, word parts (un-, re-, -est, -ful), and context (the meaning of the text around a word). They apply this knowledge to achieve fluent (smooth and clear) oral and silent reading.
Decoding and Word Recognition
4.1.1 Read aloud grade-level-appropriate literary and informational texts with fluency and
accuracy and with appropriate timing, changes in voice, and expression.
Vocabulary and Concept Development
4.1.2 Apply knowledge of synonyms (words with the same meaning), antonyms (words with
opposite meanings), homographs (words that are spelled the same but have different
meanings), and idioms (expressions that cannot be understood just by knowing the
meanings of the words in the expression, such as couch potato) to determine the meaning
of words and phrases.
4.1.3 Use knowledge of root words (nation, national, nationality) to determine the meaning of
unknown words within a passage.
4.1.4 Use common roots (meter = measure) and word parts (therm = heat) derived from Greek
and Latin to analyze the meaning of complex words (thermometer).
4.1.5 Use a thesaurus to find related words and ideas.
4.1.6 Distinguish and interpret words with multiple meanings (quarters) by using context clues
(the meaning of the text around a word).
4.1.7 Use context to determine the meaning of unknown words.
Reading Standard 2: Comprehension and Analysis of Nonfiction and Informational Text
Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. The selections in the Indiana Reading List (www.doe.state.in.us/standards/readinglist.html) illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. At Grade 4, in addition to regular classroom reading, students read a variety of nonfiction, such as biographies, books in many different subject areas, magazines and periodicals, reference and technical materials, and online information.
Structural Features of Informational and Technical Materials
4.2.1 Use the organization of informational text to strengthen comprehension.
Example: Read informational texts that are organized by comparing and contrasting
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ideas, by discussing causes for and effects of events, or by sequential order and use this
organization to understand what is read. Use graphic organizers, such as webs, flow
charts, concept maps, or Venn diagrams to show the organization of the text.
4.2.8 Identify informational texts written in narrative form (sometimes with undeveloped
characters and minimal dialogue) using sequence or chronology.
Example: Read informational texts, such as a science experiment or a short historical
account, and identify the type of organization used to understand what is read
Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Nonfiction and Informational Text
4.2.2 Use appropriate strategies when reading for different purposes.
Example: Read and take notes on an informational text that will be used for a report.
Skim a text to locate specific information. Use graphic organizers to show the
relationship of ideas in the text.
4.2.3 Draw conclusions or make and confirm predictions about text by using prior knowledge
and ideas presented in the text itself, including illustrations, titles, topic sentences,
important words, foreshadowing clues (clues that indicate what might happen next), and
direct quotations.
Example: After reading an informational text, such as Camouflage: A Closer Look by
Joyce Powzyk, use information gained from the text to predict what an animal might do
to camouflage itself in different landscapes.
4.2.4 Evaluate new information and hypotheses (statements of theories or assumptions) by
testing them against known information and ideas.
Example: Compare what is already known and thought about ocean life to new information
encountered in reading, such as in the book Amazing Sea Creatures by Andrew Brown.
4.2.9 Recognize main ideas and supporting details presented in expository (informational
texts).
4.2.5 Compare and contrast information on the same topic after reading several passages or
articles.
Example: Read several informational texts about guide dogs, such as A Guide Dog Puppy Grows Up by Carolyn Arnold, Buddy: The First Seeing Eye Dog by Eva Moore, and Follow My Leader by James B. Garfield, and compare and contrast the information presented in
each.
4.2.6 Distinguish between cause and effect and between fact and opinion in informational text.
Example: In reading an article about how snowshoe rabbits change color, distinguish
facts (such as Snowshoe rabbits change color from brown to white in the winter) from
opinions (such as Snowshoe rabbits are very pretty animals because they can change colors).
4.2.7 Follow multiple-step instructions in a basic technical manual.
Example: Follow directions to learn how to use computer commands or play a video game.
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Reading Standard 3: Comprehension and Analysis of Literary Text
Students read and respond to a wide variety of significant works of children‘s literature. The selections in the Indiana Reading List (www.doe.state.in.us/standards/readinglist.html) illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. At Grade 4, students read a wide variety of fiction, such as classic and contemporary literature, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology, poetry, songs, plays, and other genres.
Structural Features of Literature
4.3.1 Describe the differences of various imaginative forms of literature, including fantasies,
fables, myths, legends, and other tales.
Example: After reading some of the Greek or Norse myths found in such books as Book of Greek Myths or Book of Norse Myths, both by Ingri and Edgar D‘Aulaire, discuss how
myths were sometimes used to explain physical phenomena like movement of the sun
across the sky or the sound of thunder.
Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text
4.3.2 Identify the main events of the plot, including their causes and the effects of each
event on future actions, and the major theme from the story action.
Example: Discuss the causes and effects of the main event of the plot in each story
within Rudyard Kipling‘s collection of animal tales, The Jungle Book.
4.3.3 Use knowledge of the situation, setting, and a character‘s traits, motivations, and
feelings to determine the causes for that character‘s actions.
Example: After reading The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare, tell how the
Native American character‘s actions are influenced by his being in a setting with which
he is very familiar and feels comfortable, as opposed to the reactions of another
character, Matt.
4.3.4 Compare and contrast tales from different cultures by tracing the adventures of one
character type. Tell why there are similar tales in different cultures.
Example: Read a book of trickster tales from other countries, such as The Barefoot Book of Trickster Tales retold by Richard Walker. Describe the similarities in these
tales in which a main character, often an animal, outwits other animals, humans, or forces
in nature. Then, tell how these tales are different from each other.
4.3.5 Define figurative language, such as similes, metaphors, hyperbole, or personification, and
identify its use in literary works.
Simile: a comparison that uses like or as
Metaphor: an implied comparison
Hyperbole: an exaggeration for effect
Personification: a description that represents a thing as a person
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Example: Identify a simile, such as Twinkle, twinkle little star... like a diamond in the sky. Identify
a metaphor, such as You were the wind beneath my wings. Identify an example of
hyperbole, such as Cleaner than clean, whiter than white. Identify an example of
personification, such as The North Wind told the girl that he would blow so hard it would be impossible to walk up the steep hill.
4.3.6 Determine the theme.
Example: Identify the theme in the classic novel, Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates by
Mary Mapes Dodge.
4.3.7 Identify the narrator in a selection and tell whether the narrator or speaker is involved
in the story.
Writing Standard 4: Processes and Features
Students write clear sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Students progress through the stages of the writing process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing multiple drafts.
Organization and Focus
4.4.1 Discuss ideas for writing. Find ideas for writing in conversations with others and in
books, magazines, newspapers, school textbooks, or on the Internet. Keep a list or
notebook of ideas.
4.4.2 Select a focus, an organizational structure, and a point of view based upon purpose,
audience, length, and format requirements for a piece of writing.
4.4.3 Write informational pieces with multiple paragraphs that:
provide an introductory paragraph.
establish and support a central idea with a topic sentence at or near the beginning of
the first paragraph.
include supporting paragraphs with simple facts, details, and explanations.
present important ideas or events in sequence or in chronological order.
provide details and transitions to link paragraphs.
conclude with a paragraph that summarizes the points.
use correct indention at the beginning of paragraphs.
4.4.4 Use logical organizational structures for providing information in writing, such as
chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and
answering a question.
Research Process and Technology
4.4.5 Quote or paraphrase information sources, citing them appropriately.
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4.4.6 Locate information in reference texts by using organizational features, such as prefaces
and appendixes.
4.4.7 Use multiple reference materials and online information (the Internet) as aids to writing.
4.4.8 Understand the organization of almanacs, newspapers, and periodicals and how to use
those print materials.
4.4.9 Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing, demonstrating basic keyboarding
skills and familiarity with common computer terminology.
Evaluation and Revision
4.4.10 Review, evaluate, and revise writing for meaning and clarity.
4.4.11 Proofread one‘s own writing, as well as that of others, using an editing checklist or set of
rules, with specific examples of corrections of frequent errors.
4.4.12 Revise writing by combining and moving sentences and paragraphs to improve the focus
and progression of ideas.
Writing Standard 5: Applications (Different Types of Writing and Their Characteristics)
At Grade 4, students are introduced to writing informational reports and responses to literature. Students continue to write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences. Student writing demonstrates a command of Standard English and the drafting, research, and organizational strategies outlined in Standard 4 — Writing Processes and Features. Writing demonstrates an awareness of the audience (intended reader) and purpose for writing.
In addition to producing the different writing forms introduced in earlier grades, such as letters, Grade 4 students use the writing strategies outlined in Standard 4 — Writing Processes and Features to:
4.5.1 Write narratives that:
include ideas, observations, or memories of an event or experience.
provide a context to allow the reader to imagine the world of the event or
experience.
use concrete sensory details.
Example: Prepare a narrative on how and why immigrants come to the United States. To make the
story more realistic, use information from an older person who may remember firsthand
the experience of coming to America.
4.5.2 Write responses to literature that:
demonstrate an understanding of a literary work.
support statements with evidence from the text.
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Example: Write a description of a favorite character in a book. Include examples from the book to
show why this character is such a favorite.
4.5.4 Write summaries that contain the main ideas of the reading selection and the most
significant details.
Example: Write a book review, including enough examples and details about the plot,
character, and setting of the book to describe it to a reader who is unfamiliar with it.
4.5.5 Use varied word choices to make writing interesting.
Example: Write stories using descriptive words in place of common words; for instance,
use enormous, gigantic, or giant for the word big.
4.5.6 Write for different purposes (information, persuasion, description) and to a specific
audience or person.
Example: Write a persuasive report for your class about your hobby or interest. Use
charts or pictures, when appropriate, to help motivate your audience to take up your
hobby or interest.
Research Application
4.5.3 Write or deliver a research report that has been developed using a systematic research
process (defines the topic, gathers information, determines credibility, reports findings)
and that:
includes information from a variety of sources (books, technology, multimedia) and
documents sources (titles and authors).
demonstrates that information that has been gathered has been summarized.
organizes information by categorizing it into multiple categories (such as solid, liquid,
and gas or reduce, reuse, and recycle) or includes information gained through
observation.
Example: After talking to local officials and conducting library or Internet research,
write a report about the history of the different people and immigrant groups who
settled in Indiana. Include information about where these groups came from, where they
first lived in the state, and what work they did.
Writing Standard 6: English Language Conventions
Students write using Standard English conventions appropriate to this grade level.
Handwriting
4.6.1 Write smoothly and legibly in cursive, forming letters and words that can be read by
others.
Sentence Structure
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4.6.2 Use simple sentences (Dr. Vincent Stone is my dentist.) and compound sentences (His
assistant cleans my teeth, and Dr. Stone checks for cavities.) in writing.
4.6.3 Create interesting sentences by using words that describe, explain, or provide additional
details and connections, such as verbs, adjectives, adverbs, appositives, participial
phrases, prepositional phrases, and conjunctions.
Verbs: We strolled by the river.
Adjectives: brown eyes, younger sisters
Adverbs: We walked slowly.
Appositives: noun phrases that function as adjectives, such as We played the Cougars, the team from Newport.
Participial phrases: verb phrases that function as adjectives, such as The man walking down the street saw the delivery truck.
Prepositional phrases: in the field, across the room, over the fence
Conjunctions: and, or, but
Grammar
4.6.4 Identify and use in writing regular (live/lived, shout/shouted) and irregular verbs
(swim/swam, ride/rode, hit/hit), adverbs (constantly, quickly), and prepositions (through,
beyond, between).
Punctuation
4.6.5 Use parentheses to explain something that is not considered of primary importance to
the sentence, commas in direct quotations (He said, ―I‘d be happy to go.‖), apostrophes
to show possession (Jim‘s shoes, the dog‘s food), and apostrophes in contractions (can‘t,
didn‘t, won‘t).
4.6.6 Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to identify titles of documents.
When writing by hand or by computer, use quotation marks to identify the titles of
articles, short stories, poems, or chapters of books.
When writing on a computer italicize the following, when writing by hand underline
them: the titles of books, names of newspapers and magazines, works of art, and
musical compositions.
Capitalization
4.6.7 Capitalize names of magazines, newspapers, works of art, musical compositions,
organizations, and the first word in quotations, when appropriate.
Spelling
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4.6.8 Spell correctly roots (bases of words, such as unnecessary, cowardly), inflections (words
like care/careful/caring), words with more than one acceptable spelling (like
advisor/adviser), suffixes and prefixes (-ly, -ness, mis-, un-), and syllables (word parts
each containing a vowel sound, such as sur•prise or e•col•o•gy).
Listening and Speaking Standard 7: Skills, Strategies, and Applications
Students listen critically and respond appropriately to oral communication. They speak in a manner that guides the listener to understand important ideas by using proper phrasing, pitch, and modulation (raising and lowering voice). Students deliver brief oral presentations about familiar experiences or interests that are organized around a coherent thesis statement (a statement of topic). Students use the same Standard English conventions for oral speech that they use in their writing.
Comprehension
4.7.1 Ask thoughtful questions and respond orally to relevant questions with appropriate
elaboration.
4.7.2 Summarize major ideas and supporting evidence presented in spoken presentations.
4.7.3 Identify how language usage (sayings and expressions) reflects regions and cultures.
4.7.4 Give precise directions and instructions.
4.7.15 Connect and relate experiences and ideas to those of a speaker.
Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication
4.7.5 Present effective introductions and conclusions that guide and inform the listener‘s
understanding of important ideas and details.
4.7.6 Use logical structures for conveying information, including cause and effect, similarity
and difference, and posing and answering a question.
4.7.7 Emphasize points in ways that help the listener or viewer follow important ideas and
concepts.
4.7.8 Use details, examples, anecdotes (stories of a specific event), or experiences to explain
or clarify information.
4.7.9 Engage the audience with appropriate words, facial expressions, and gestures.
Analysis and Evaluation of Oral and Media Communications
4.7.10 Evaluate the role of the media in focusing people‘s attention on events and in forming
their opinions on issues.
4.7.16 Distinguish between the speaker‘s opinions and verifiable facts.
Speaking Applications
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4.7.11 Make narrative presentations that:
relate ideas, observations, or memories about an event or experience.
provide a context that allows the listener to imagine the circumstances of the event
or experience.
provide insight into why the selected event or experience should be of interest to the
audience.
4.7.17 Make descriptive presentations that use concrete sensory details to set forth and
support unified impressions of people, places, things, or experiences.
4.7.12 Make informational presentations that:
focus on one main topic.
include facts and details that help listeners focus.
incorporate more than one source of information (including speakers, books,
newspapers, television broadcasts, radio reports, or Web sites).
4.7.13 Deliver oral summaries of articles and books that contain the main ideas of the event or
article and the most significant details.
