1. Chapter 4
1.1. Options for explicit instruction
1.1.1. utilize a variety of techniques
1.1.2. interactive read-aloud, text lift, lead a group discussion, talk through your thinking process, model, reread for deeper meaning, etc.
1.1.3. Do this in whole group, small group, and individual discussions.
1.2. Responding to reading
1.2.1. Purposeful talk: "conversations and discussions that further thinking" (p. 53)
1.2.1.1. Model a variety of discussion structures: turn and talk, paid reading, jigsaw discussion, book clubs and literature circles, study groups, small-group shares
1.2.1.2. A wide range of sharing gets students engaged. Teach them how to interact and LISTEN.
1.2.2. Writing while reading: make notes (in margins or sticky notes), develop a symbol system, ask yourself questions while reading and write them down!
1.2.2.1. Think sheets, response journals, notebooks, and other responses (artistic, dramatic, numerical, scientific, historical, economic, etc).
1.3. Aesthetic reading vs. efferent reading
1.3.1. Aesthetic: getting connected and forming a relationship with the text while reading. Good for fiction!
1.3.2. Efferent reading: reading with a purpose, to take away information or synthesize big ideas. Requires stopping and thinking, note taking, annotating. Good for non-fiction/informational texts.
2. Chapter 7
2.1. Connecting new to known
2.1.1. "Readers naturally make connections between books and their own lives" (p. 92)
2.1.2. "Move from close to home to more global issues or cultures and places further romped from most children's lives.
2.1.3. The purpose of connections is to enhance a readers understanding
2.2. Examples of strategy lessons:
2.2.1. Thinking aloud to introduce connection making
2.2.1.1. read a story most kids can relate to ("Slower Than the Rest" in Every Living Thing, a collection of stories by Cynthia Rylant)
2.2.1.2. design very simple codes to describe thinking
2.2.1.3. while reading: stop, think out loud, and code the text (take notes on a sticky note)
2.2.1.4. As students start to share connections, list them on a large chart which can then evolve into a list of topics for personal narrative pieces.
2.2.1.5. Two column form: What the story is about/what it reminds me of. This encourage students to summarize and respond with a connection.
2.2.2. Making connections between small poems and our lives
2.2.2.1. Purpose: illustrating and writing connections to our lives
2.2.2.2. Read through short poems (Sol a Sol by Lori Carlson)
2.2.2.3. Create a 'snippet' (a short free-verse poem) as a class.
2.2.2.4. Students can turn and talk about their own ideas for a snippet
2.2.2.5. Respond, connect, draw, and write about their own lives in a snippet
2.2.3. Distracting connections
2.2.3.1. Purpose: teaching readers to identify distracting connections and fix up meaning
2.2.3.2. Distracting connections cause our mind to wander from the text and disrupt the meaning
2.2.3.3. Model how it happens so kids can recognize when it happens to them. Come up with a connection, keep reading, then explain that you don't remember anything you just read!
2.2.3.4. Consciously refocus your thinking
2.3. Building background knowledge:
2.3.1. Genre: recognizing nonfiction, fiction, poetry, etc.
2.3.2. Format: recognizing picture books, novels, nonfiction, trade books, etc.
2.3.3. Form: distinguishing essays, editorials, manuals, feature articles, etc.
2.3.4. Author: learning certain authors carry similar themes, issues, and topics throughout their writing.
2.3.5. Text structure: recognize the difference between narrative and expository text and other structures.
2.3.6. Signal words: identify certain words to signal them about what's to come.
2.3.7. Writing style: notice the various writing styles of different authors. Appreciate and make connections between them.
2.3.8. Literary features: learn to search for themes, identify problems, and recognize settings when they read.
2.4. 'Important' connections
2.4.1. The most important connections are the ones that dive deeper than surface elements and add to the readers understanding of the text, rather than just letting them relate to the text.
2.4.2. A connection such as "there was a grandfather in the book, and I have a grandfather" will not be as helpful as relating the relationship the student has with their grandfather to the relationship of the character and their grandfather.
2.4.3. Common connections can be important to the reader personally, but not as important for understanding the text.
2.5. So will any connection do?
2.5.1. Watch for authentic connections that support understanding.
2.5.2. Kids can go overboard making connections to please the teacher.
2.5.3. Students need to stop and ask themselves how the connection helps them to better understand
2.5.3.1. This will require teacher and peer modeling, and plenty of time to begin to refine their connections to more meaningful ones.
2.6. Assessing what we've taught
2.6.1. Background knowledge
2.6.1.1. "Students make connections to their own lives to further their understanding of events, characters, problems, and ideas in realistic fiction" (p. 105)
2.6.1.2. "Students make connections to stories, short pieces, or poems. They demonstrate these connections through responses including their personal narratives, poems, and illustrations" (p. 105)
2.6.1.3. "Students record 'what we think we know' about a topic, add to their learning, and share it on sticky notes and two-column forms as they read informational text" (p. 105)
2.6.2. Differentiation
2.6.2.1. "Reading picture books with clear illustrations that complement the vocabulary and language of the text builds kids' background knowledge and scaffolds their understanding as they learn about new topics" (p. 105)
3. Chapter 3
3.1. Explicit instruction
3.1.1. Nearly impossible to be too explicit!
3.2. Gradual release
3.2.1. Teacher modeling, guided practice, collaborative practice, independent practice, and apllication
3.3. Teach kids to use strategies purposefully
3.3.1. "Readers weave a variety of strategies together to make sense of text" "(p. 34)
3.4. Sequence of teaching?
3.4.1. Teaching kids to monitor comprehension comes first!
3.4.2. There is no one set sequence of teaching strategies
3.4.3. Consider what your students need to learn, what they are reading, and which strategies will be best for their learning at the moment.
3.5. Building a literate community
3.5.1. Passion and curiosity
3.5.2. Environment that encourages collaborative learning and thinking
3.5.3. Time for reading and writing
3.5.4. Explicit instruction
3.5.5. Using appropriate, respectful language with students
3.5.6. Authentic response
3.5.7. Differentiation
3.5.8. Varied and diverse texts
3.5.9. Room arrangement
3.5.10. Accessible resources for all students
3.6. Assessments show us:
3.6.1. How our students have been learning and progressing
3.6.2. How effective instruction has been
3.6.3. How to make future instruction more effective based on feedback and results
3.7. Ways to see understanding:
3.7.1. Listen, read students work, confer with students, listen in on their conversations, observe behavior and expressions, chart responses, keep records of conferences and conversations, and record their comments and questions