InferringThe Heartbeat of Comprehension, K-6

Pat Johnson and Katie Keier IRA Conference Orlando

May, 2011

patjohnson222@gmail.comkatieannkeier@gmail.com

Catching Readers Before They Fall: Supporting Readers Who

Struggle, Johnson & KeierOne Child at a Time: Making the Most of Your Time with

Struggling Readers, K-6, Pat Johnsonwww.stenhouse.com

In this session we will make two assumptions:

• that we are all on the same wavelength when understanding reading process

• that we all understand effective teaching as explicit modeling and gradual release of responsibility

Adapted from Schulman, Guided Reading in Grades 3-6

Pinnell & Fountas, Guiding Readers & Writers, 3-6

Johnson, One Child at a Time

ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS

Word Level Text Level

End Goal: Readers self-initiate strategies and behaviors

Explicit Modeling and Gradual Release of Responsibility

1 2 3 4

I do I do You do You do

You watch You help I help I watch

Wilhelm, Baker, Dube

Strategic Reading

Dorn & Soffos

Shaping Literate Minds

Modeling

Coaching

Scaffolding

Fading

Pat Johnson

One Child at a Time

Modeling

Scaffolding

Prompting

Backing Off

Reinforcing

Regie Routman

Reading Essentials

Demonstration

Shared Demonstration

Guided Practice

Independent Practice

Fountas & Pinnell

Guiding Readers & Writers, 3-6

Show

Support

Prompt

Reinforce

Observe

Questions for this session:

• What is inferring?• Do students have to be able to define the

term? Or say when they are using this strategy?

• How do we teach students to infer?

Poetry: Mother to Son Well, son, I'll tell you:Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.It's had tacks in it,And splinters,And boards torn up,And places with no carpet on the floor—Bare.But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on,And reachin' landin's,And turnin' corners,And sometimes goin' in the darkWhere there ain't been no light.So, boy, don't you turn back.Don't you set down on the steps.'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.Don't you fall now—For I'se still goin', honey,I'se still climbin',And life for me ain't been no crystal stair

Langston Hughes

Readers who infer “go beyond the literal meaning of a text to derive what is not there but is implied.”

Fountas & Pinnell, 2001, p. 317

When readers infer they “round out and fill in what the author has written, giving the piece a personal texture and making it whole from their own perspectives.”

Owocki, 2003, p. 46

“Inferring is thinking in your head to help you understand, when the story doesn’t let you in on it.”

Colin, first graderMiller, 2002, p. 117

Inferring

Session activity:

• Work with 1-2 partners• Brainstorm a list of when readers might use inferring• Share out as a whole group

What kind of things might readers have to infer when they read?

What kind of things might readers have to infer when they read?

Setting, problem, narrator Predictions Character’s personality Feelings or thoughts of the characters Theme Subtle humor Figurative language, sarcasm, irony The author’s meaning, message, or point of view A poem’s meaning, metaphors Meanings of unknown vocabulary words

Students need to learn to infer at:

• The word level

• The text or story level

• Beyond the text level

Inferring, reading between the lines, is something students already know how to do:

The children put on their jackets, mittens, and scarves, and headed out to play in the snow.

“Clean your room this instant or else!” Jesse’s mom told her firmly and then slammed the door.

Adapted from Schulman, Guided Reading in Grades 3-6

Pinnell & Fountas, Guiding Readers & Writers, 3-6

Johnson, One Child at a Time

Can we teach one strategy at a time?

Keene & Zimmerman say, “turn up the volume”

Dorn & Soffos say, “spotlight”

Fountas & Pinnell warn, “heavy- handed”

Remember the goal is to integrate the use of all the strategies.

The difference between spotlighting and heavy-handed teaching depends on:

How you introduce the strategy.

Whether or not you give time and opportunity for students to see/feel the strategy working for them.

Spotlighting

• Begin with a desire to make meaning of a particular text

• Explain how the strategy helps you make meaning as you model

• Do together; discuss how it helps them (or not)

• Students take over and self-initiate

Heavy-handed Teaching

• Name and define the strategy

• Teach the strategy for strategy sake

• Students practice the strategy at the request of the teacher

• No gradual release to independence

“Meaning doesn’t arrive because we have highlighted text or used sticky notes or written the right words on a comprehension worksheet. Meaning arrives because we purposefully engaged in thinking while we read.”

Tovani, 2004, p. 9Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?

Forget-Me-Not by Ralph Fletcher

I left one floweron Grandma’s coffin:

a forget-me-notas if I could.

With just one coin, I t u m b

l e

outfrom a round glass worldthrough a silverspout

When Riddles Come Rumbling: Poems to Ponder By Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Books where children need to infer meanings of words:

• The Toy Brother by William Steig• Nocturne by Jane Yolen• Hello, Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher• Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare by Patricia Polacco• Non-fiction texts with bold print vocabulary

Predicting at the text level:

• Z was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg• My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza• Stephanie’s Ponytail by Robert Munsch

Books with surprise endings:

• Probuditi! by Chris Van Allsburg• Any Chris Van Allsburg book• Wolf’s Coming by Joe Kulka• Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Character’s personality:

• Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes• Brave Irene by William Steig• Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant• Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Tell a partner about a character’s personality in a book you recently read.

Subtle Humor:

• Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin• I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff• The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor

Author’s perspective:

• When Wild Animals Become Pets • School Uniforms• Fast Food Restaurants• Magazine articles

Character’s perspective:

• Great Joy! by Kate DiCamillo• Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne• Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman• Zoo by Anthony Browne

Phrases, metaphors, figurative language:

• Turtle reference in Because of Winn Dixie• The Quiet Book, by Deborah Underwood• A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutt Aston• An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Hutt Aston• Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater

Change in the character:

• The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau and Gail DeMarcher• “Spaghetti” from Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant• Love that Dog by Sharon Creech• The Giver by Lois Lowry• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Books where readers dig deeper to find a theme:

• Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg• The Araboolies of Liberty Street by Sam Swope and Barry Root• “Slower than the Rest” from Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant• Crow Boy by Taro Yashima• Wringer by Jerry Spinelli

Can you think of a picture book with a theme?

“There is some demand for inference in every level of text, and we can intentionally foster growth of this kind of strategic action in our teaching.”

Fountas & Pinnell 2006, p. 56

Fountas & Pinnell Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, p. 353

“The goal is not naming a strategy, but applying it to the reading of text.”

“Keep the language grounded in good texts so that students understand that their goal is to understand and notice more rather than to ‘do’ a strategy.”

Fountas & Pinnell Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, p. 353

Closure/Think about:

• Start early• Set the tone; value original inferential thought• Use books for interactive read alouds that

lend themselves to inferring• Nudge its use; sometimes merely saying

“hmmm”• Use the books you already have• Look for non-fiction opportunities too

Each participant will give his/her last word:

• Mention one thing that you are walking away with from today’s session or something you want to think more about

OR• Tell about one thing that you plan to try out in

your classroom.

patjohnson222@gmail.comkatieannkeier@gmail.com

www.catchingreaders.com