Reading Strategies Book: Goal 12 Reflection

Welcome back, readers! First let me say that I am very sorry that this post is a day late! I explained in my last post (read it here) that it was a crazy week for me with my husband having shoulder surgery- but it was also an adorable week because my kids started preschool yesterday. So between taking a half day to get them to school and then getting back to my own job after a few days off- it all just got away from me. But hey, considering we are on goal 12 or 13- I am pretty impressed that I stayed on track this long! So even though these pictures are not reading strategy related, they are incredibly cute and I feel the proud-mommy need to share them with you all. 

This first one is of both of my kids- Brayden, who is 4 and Olive, who is 2.5. They really don't totally like each other this much- but they can at least turn it on for pictures!

Here's Olive. She's our little ham. The world needs to watch out for her; she's fearless and determined while being adorable silly at the same time. This is her first ever day of school- and it's safe to say she was very excited! No tears at all!

Here's Brayden. He's our shy, tender-hearted little boy- who, when his sister isn't making him crazy, is pretty much the sweetest, nicest boy you'll ever meet. This is his first day of Pre-K and his second year of school. He went last year as a 3 year old- but didn't go to 2's like his little sister.

As you can see, both share a deep love and admiration for Paw Patrol!

Now that you've met the reason why I am a day late on this reflection- let's get right to it! Today we are here discussing the next Goal in Jennifer Serravallo's The Reading Strategies Book which is Goal 12: Supporting Students' Conversations: Speaking, Listening, and Deepening Comprehension.  As Serravallo puts it, "When kids talk well about books, the conversations can be invigorating, engaging, and enlightening. When they don't go well, kids get bored and off task and time is wasted. What kids most often need is instruction into how to talk well, period, and also how to talk well about books." (Page 324). I love that this quote really explains that kids do talk. They talk a lot, actually. We just need to focus on giving them the right strategies to talk about books in the right ways. If you think about it, 50% of our job is already done. The kids already talk. Now just spend 50% more time making sure it's about the right stuff and it will be 100% awesome!

Here's another long quote- but again, this really explains perfectly what's happening here. Serravallo says, "There are two sides to the productive conversation coin. First, students need to have a hearty repertoire of conversational skills. Second, they need good stuff to talk about, meaning that their comprehension of the text and the depth of their thinking can impact the conversation." (Page 324). This. Is. Perfect. Just reread it and think about it. We have to teach them how to talk properly (hence the upcoming strategies), but we also have to give them meaningful things to talk about. We, as the teachers, are not without responsibility in this task.  

As you can see, this week's focus strategies for Goal 12 are 12.2: Listen and Respond, 12.10: Sentence Starter Sticks, and 12.20: Power Questions. Remember that there are so many more strategies in the text- for readers of all levels and for skills of all types. Be sure to check them all out because your needs and likes might be different than mine! 

I listed both pictures right away for this strategy because I think the visual does a fantastic job of explaining what is happening with this strategy. As much as this goal focuses on getting students talking, we must also be sure they are listening (now and always!). This strategy really helps student be good listeners to their peers and then construct their responses. I also like that this strategy comes with the nice little symbols for each prompt. This way I could nod to students as I am walking around the room and this would act as a reminder queue for them to be sure they are doing the same with their partner.

Next up is 12.10: Sentence Starter Sticks. I have to admit, I love manipulatives. I don't use them as much as I'd probably like to because I kind of have a rule about not making the learning about the manipulative rather about the learning- but there are absolute times when they are needed. Let's say you somehow have those kids who really don't talk (having taught middle school I don't think this is really possible) but if you do, these sticks would definitely come in handy! Just bring the cup over to the students and have them select a stick and start talking. This is great, too, because you control where the conversation begins- which is a very powerful tool.

I also chose this because I used to use a strategy where I taped little visual cues for reading on the end of sticks to help my struggling readers. I would tape an ear on the stick and hold up that particular stick if I wanted the student to ask themselves if it sounded right. Or I'd tape a magnifying glass and hold it up if I wanted the student to look for clues in the sentence to try and figure out the word. I loved those sticks and students did too. Eventually I didn't need to hold up the stick, they would say, "Oh, what does it sound like?" and eventually they would just internalize the strategy altogether. Mission accomplished!

Last up is 12.20: Power Questions. As Serravallo explains, "Power questions are often ones that begin with why and how and won't have a simple yes-or-no answer. Think about what you wonder- about the book or about another person's ideas- and consider sharing your question, not just a statement." (Page 347). I like to think of power questions with the following "mom" scenario. If I just ask my kids, "How was school today?" they can get off easy with a one word answer. But if I make it a power question, maybe something like "Tell me something that made you think at school today." and poof, I'll get a much more magical answer.

I also like how in the visual it breaks down types of questioners- so students can remember that they don't always need to be a "detective" and sometimes they can be a "judge" and this will help differentiate their thoughts and responses. 

That's all for Goal 12! Be sure to check back on Tuesday 9/15 for the final goal reflection from Jennifer Serravallo's The Reading Strategies Book which is Goal 13: Improving Writing About Reading. 

As always, thanks for reading and be sure to add your thoughts/comments/questions in the space below! 

Reading Strategies Book: Goal 11 Reflection

Welcome back, everyone! Today's blog post is going to focus on Goal 11: Improving Comprehension in Fiction and Nonfiction: Understanding Vocabulary and Figurative Language. I'm posting a day later than usual because yesterday was Labor Day, and to be honest, I spent most of the day cleaning/getting the house ready because my husband had shoulder surgery this morning to repair a labral tear.  Instead of being at an institute day today at school, I'm at home taking care of him and making sure he follows the rules! He's a teacher too so it's definitely safe to say that we both miss our classrooms but it's important to take care of yourself first.  I'll be home with him today and tomorrow and head back to work Thursday afternoon after we drop our two kids off at their first day of preschool! So wow, it's definitely an exciting/busy/crazy time- but I didn't want to miss a reflection from this awesome book by Jennifer Serravallo. Without further delay, let's get on to the reflection!

Like I said above, we are focusing on Goal 11: Improving Comprehension in Fiction and Nonfiction: Understanding Vocabulary and Figurative Language. I have always loved teaching figurative language- it represents the idea that language can change and have multiple meanings and I love that about learning. Teaching figurative language, for me, is such a complicated and fun thing to do. I love watching as a student's mind wraps around the concept of an idiom and the slow steps they take toward understanding. It's definitely rewarding but equally difficult. For that reason, this "chapter" of The Reading Strategies Book is so necessary! These strategies will definitely go to good use in my lessons!

When discussing vocabulary, another point that Serravallo makes is, " Vocabulary knowledge helps students access background knowledge, express ideas, communicate effectively, and learn about new concepts." (Page 296). For students who have a limited vocabulary and background knowledge, for reasons such as poverty or other limitations, learning is much more complicated for them. I teach these students. They don't have the background knowledge to fall back on. They don't have the luxury to know if a word "sounds right" or "looks right" because they most likely have never encountered it before. This is an aspect of teaching that teachers must always take into account. Your classroom of students will walk into your room with individual experiences and you must consider that all when you begin to teach. 

As you can see, my three focus strategies this week are- 11.4: Categorize Context with Connectors, 11.7: Picture It, and 11.18: Help from Cognates. You're probably tired of me saying this, but seriously this goal was so difficult to pick my top three. I loved all these strategies. All of them are so helpful to students of all levels and they are easy to implement. Considering this goal is such a common struggle for students- the fact that so many easy to implement strategies exist- this is a game-changer for education. 

First up- 11.4: Categorize Context with Connectors. I love this strategy because it isn't about the big, obvious details. It focuses on the small, easy to miss details that are so helpful. They may be easy to miss, but when you pay attention to these details, it makes comprehension so much easier. 

While the above visual looks a bit cluttered (I'd advise using a much simpler one for younger students), but it points out the important information. Perhaps a list of "common connector words" hanging up on a classroom wall would also be helpful to accompany this list. Then, once those words are taught, the above visual will be incredibly helpful.

Next up, 11.7: Picture It! It makes the most sense to skip right to the "picture" to help explain. (I crack myself up sometimes!)

I've said it a million times but I'll say it again. When you need help, try to picture it. Some call it making a movie in your mind, some call it visualizing, others just say picture it (like the strategy name). Whatever you call it, just make sure students are utilizing this strategy. The only time I would advise using this strategy is when students don't have a huge repertoire of background knowledge to pull upon- because if you tell them to picture it and the picture they bring up is blank or wrong, this won't help. However, visualizing will still help them- you will just need to scaffold for them to ensure they are bringing up the right picture.

Last up is 11.18: Help from Cognates. I teach in a school where 45% of our students are LEP (Limited English Proficient) so as you can imagine, this is a strategy that our teachers fall back on regularly. Sometimes we get confused when teaching students and think we have exhausted all teaching options. Well, if a student speaks a different language, try using their own native language to help. I especially like this strategy because it gives students a chance to feel confident and proud that they are really navigating their own learning and aiding their comprehension.

As you can see, the strategy is pretty simple. Follow the steps, keep a handy dandy chart, and let the students take care of the rest!

That's all for today- be sure to stop back here on Thursday for Goal 12: Supporting Students' Conversations: Speaking, Listening, and Deepening Comprehension. We are almost to the end- only 13 goals in total so if you've been following along this long- be sure not to miss out on the final stretch! If you haven't been following along, just click any of the links of the right of the page to bring you back to my full blog and you can review my reflections on goals 1-10. 

As always, thanks for reading and have a great week! Leave any questions or comments below- I love to hear from you!

Reading Strategies Book: Goal 10 Reflection

Today is the perfect day for me to be reflecting on Goal 10: Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction- Getting the Most from Text Features because this applies directly to one of my RTI Groups that I just started meeting with. We are reading a nonfiction book from the FnP LLI Gold Kit and these students (5th graders) just started reading the text without paying any attention to any of the text features! I was shocked! So yes, this is the perfect time to study up on some nonfiction text feature strategies!

If you are new to my blog today, welcome! The #ReadingStrategiesCrew started a social media book study (a downright awesome idea) of the book The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo. A must-own if you teach reading or even come in contact with supporting reading in a classroom or intervention setting. Which is pretty much everyone in a school! You're coming in at my reflection on Goal 10, which means there are 9 previous posts that you can check out if you'd like. The topics range everywhere from supporting emergent readers to fluency and from comprehension of fiction to nonfiction. 

Like I said, the goal for this week is Getting the Most from Text Features in Nonfiction texts. I feel like students sometimes think that unless it is written in classic text format, they get a freebie and don't have to read it. That kind of confuses me because you would think they would like the pictures and charts and graphs- but they don't! Or maybe it's not that they don't like it, they just see it as something to skip over and get done with the page faster. If this really is the case- they need to go back to Goal 2 and focus on some Reading Engagement!

This is definitely an important goal, but as Serravallo puts it, "It's true- text features are a really large part of reading, navigating, and understanding nonfiction text. They help to support the main information in the text, add to it, and/or help us navigate it." (Page 270). They aren't just there for decoration- we need to use them to deepen our understanding of the text. It's my theory that sometimes students just think understanding that graph or chart might be too difficult and that is why they skip it. We need to change that mentality. If we can convince students that reading the chart or graph will actually help them and not confuse them more, I think we would have a whole lot more people paying attention to the text features.  Serravallo explains this well when she says, " We need to help them understand the purpose and function of the features, and then move beyond simply naming them. We should teach children how to explain what information the features provide." (Page 271). I love this. I don't want to settle for just knowing that my student can identify a chart. I want them to identify it, read it, learn it, and explain it to me. That's also why I love that this goal wasn't called "noticing" or "seeing" text features because it's not just about knowing they are there- it's about using them and learning from them. 

As you can see, my three focus strategies for this week are10.6: Labels Teach, 10.11: Glossary Warm-Up, and 10.12: Don't Skip It! I know I say this often, but really, this week was tough to select only three. I just love how Serravallo devoted a whole goal to this and all of the strategies are awesome for accomplishing the goal of getting more out of text features.

First up, 10.6: Labels Teach! What I like most about this strategy is that it asks more of students than just labeling. It wants them to apply facts to the labels to gain more knowledge. Check out the visual and that will make more sense:

Notice what is happening here. Say we have a book with a Kangaroo and we see the two labels of Joey and Pouch. We can identify those as labels. But that's not getting the most out of that text feature. So this takes it one step further. Ask the students to use those two labels to make a sentence. The sentence, as you can see, is in fact simple, however it really solidifies the meaning. When we add words to pictures it deepens our understanding and when we add facts to labels, it helps us learn and remember the important information. Side note: this would be great as well for those students who love to add and add and add non-essential information. If it wasn't a label, you can't use it in your fact. Boom! Clarifying ideas, summarizing, synthesizing, and using text features all in one!

Next up is 10.11: Glossary Warm Up! I chose this strategy because I actually wanted to use it in my group today. Here's why: Yesterday in my 5th grade group we were reading a book with a glossary. I prompted the students to explain what the glossary was there for. I did in fact get correct answers, but just surface answers like, "to look up words you don't know" or "to check a definition". Those are correct answers- but I'm not getting that "more" out of students that I am looking for. Glossary's can be really effective to help students' understanding of a text, and I think Serravallo puts it best: when talking about how to use them, she says, "When you come to a word that you remember from the glossary, try to learn its meaning in more detail by getting information from the text." (Page 284). See what I'm saying- we need to get more! Don't just see the word and define it. See the word as an important word (Hello! That's why it's in the glossary!) and then use BOTH the glossary and the text to learn the meaning in more detail. There's that deepen comprehension thing again. I just love how it keeps popping up everywhere!

The visual explains perfectly the concept talked about above. It makes sure that students know to "get ready" with the glossary, start reading, and then, like it says, build your information about the words. That in turn will build your comprehension of the text and poof! you're a reader!

Last up is 10.12: Don't Skip It! I touched on this in the opening paragraph- about how I think students see text features as a freebie- and the terrible implications that can have. We must train students to understand that they cannot skip the text features. They are vital to their understanding of the text and  even more, they are there to help them! I think the visual says it perfectly, so check it out below:

First of all, the ____ in the title is perfect. Eye-catching and definitely something that will draw attention to this anchor chart. It also shows a variety of text features and how to notice them on a page- and my most favorite part is the bottom- where it declares "I read it all!!". This is perfect to hang up as an anchor chart and refer to it every time a student skips a heading or breezes past a picture or chart. We have to train them to read and notice everything- it's simply essential to their growth as a reader.

That's all for today but check back on Tuesday 9/8 for the next post about Goal 11: Improving Comprehension in Fiction and Nonfiction-Understanding Vocabulary and Figurative Language. If you've noticed that I usually post on Monday and Wednesday and am wondering why am waiting until Tuesday next week- it's because Monday is Labor Day and I hope that everyone has a safe and restful holiday!

Thanks for reading!

Reading Strategies Book: Goal 9 Reflection

Welcome back! If you're on the same schedule as I am, you just finished your first week of school- and so I'm sending you a big, virtual high-five for making it through what I consider to be one of the most exhausting weeks of the school year! If you're more than one week in- you're probably really tired and if you haven't started yet, I'm sure you're in the pre-school year hustle and bustle.  What I'm trying to say is that, no matter what point you are at, you're probably exhausted from giving everything you have to make this school year amazing for your students. I'm really thankful that even though you're super busy and have so much on your plate that you're finding the time to check in to my blog and catch my latest Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo reflection. Today we are already on Goal 9- but if you missed any of the previous posts, check out my full blog here and use the navigator on the right to get to all the previous posts.

As you can see, this week we are continuing with Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction- but this goal focuses on Determining Key Details. I think this goal is spot on- devoting an entire goal to determining the key details in a nonfiction text might seem like a lot until you've actually tried to teach it. This can be so tricky for students- and more challenging- it's tricky at all levels. Because the quantity and quality of said important details changes as the student's level increases, this is like an always changing rule for them to learn. It's tough- but with the strategies in this chapter, it can definitely be made easier for students. 

As Serravallo explains in the opening, "Determining key details is the different between taking a highlighter to every single word in a textbook, and highlighting just those facts that align to your purpose for reading, or that align to what the author is trying to say." (Page 247). I feel like so much is being said here. First- who doesn't know a kid that, when given a highlighter, turns the whole page yellow with what they swear are all important facts?! I know so many of those kids- from elementary to middle school- the desire to paint a page highlighter is never far from a student's mind. Second- when thinking of this as "only highlight the facts that align to the purpose" this brings up two issues. One- and most importantly- you must have the purpose outlined for the students as to what they are looking for and two- the student must know the purpose. That was a short sentence with a whole lot of punch in it. Making sure students know the purpose for learning is an immense battle sometimes but the more clear with are with our outcomes and expectations the better students will be able to accomplish them. 

Another awesome point that Serravallo makes is when she says, "Evaluate the quantity of details the student can provide as well as the quality- the student will ideally provide multiple details, from across many sections/portions of the text, that strongly relate to the main idea/topic." (Page 248). This goes along with what I said above, just a little bit deeper. Make sure you are not just checking for how much they noted- but if those notes are valuable and critical to their understanding of they text. If not, you might need to teach them to slim down. 

First up is 9.2: Reading with a Sense of "Wow" and I picked this one because I love the notion that we are always approaching text with the anticipation of learning and being "wow'ed" by something. I think sometimes kids forget that we aren't just giving them nonfiction text to torture them- but really because they can learn- and love to learn- something from it! 

Plus, look at that adorable visual! Isn't it so appropriate that the kid is opening his brain up to new facts and knowledge! Yes, I admit, that I only really love this because I am a cheesy teacher. However, the more we buy in and the students see us buying in- the more they will participate. If we really, truly act the message of "you can learn so much from this" to students, they will want to learn. You just have to make it exciting and important to them.

Next up, 9.13: Important Versus Interesting. I'm going to jump right to the visual on this- frankly because I wish I had this hanging in my classroom for the last 8 years and am making one to hang up right now (that's how much I love it!).

Oh wow can I remember the millions of times that I have had to remind kids that just because they like the fact doesn't mean it's important to the text. I love the smaller left visual- do I file this in Important or Cool? That is genius! Now, we can make sure students know that we appreciate them finding things they like and relate to in a text- but just not all of it is important to our "school" understanding of the text. Plus, you can use the visual on the right side to organize your post it notes. If you have a kid who loves to use post-its (even for not vital information), let them go crazy with their post it notes but when they are done, give them this two column chart and have them organize their notes. Then they can visually see which are just "cool" and which are important to their understanding. I will definitely be using this strategy this year!

Last up is 9.17: Following Procedures and I picked this one because I like the simplicity of it and think that if you understand how to follow a recipe or procedure that you will be much better off in life in general because you understand how to follow directions. Being able to follow something step-by-step and then have an end product is an awesome checks-and-balances system for students who have trouble focusing on the tiny details. 

Let's say you have a student who is struggling to focus on the small facts of a story and only seeing the end result or big picture- when in fact you need them to determine the key details. Try using a recipe and explain that if you just focus on the end result, let's say cookies, you might forget about all the things that went in to making those cookies. You might not know about the milk or the eggs or the flour. Come to think of it, I actually don't think I've ever made cookies from scratch...so maybe I should follow my own advice here! But seriously, recipes and procedures are great ways to slow down student thinking and get them to focus on all the important parts- because without those parts, you won't have edible cookies. Err...I mean...quality understanding of the text!

That's all for today! Check back Wednesday for the last of the Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction series which focuses on Getting the Most from text Features.

As always, thanks for reading and be sure to write me below with any questions or comments that you might have!

Reading Strategies Book: Goal 8 Reflection

Welcome back! If you've been following since the beginning, we are past the half-way point of The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo. Today I will be reflecting upon Goal 8: Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction- Determining Main Topic(s) and Idea(s). If you are interested in reading my reflection on any of the previous 7 goals, you can check those out by following the links below.

• Goal 1: Supporting Pre-Emergent and Emergent Readers
• Goal 2: Teaching Reading Engagement: Focus, Stamina, and Building a Reading Life
• Goal 3: Supporting Print Work: Increasing Accuracy and Integrating Sources of Information
• Goal 4: Teaching Fluency: Reading with Phrasing, Intonation, and Automaticity
• Goal 5: Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Understanding Plot and Setting
• Goal 6: Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Thinking About Characters
• Goal 7: Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Understanding Themes and Ideas

As you can see, I just finished up the span of the book focused solely on comprehension of fiction and I was very excited to move on to nonfiction comprehension. As a student, I didn't totally love nonfiction. I never wanted to read it in place of an exciting story or courageous tale that would take me away from everyday life. But now, as an adult, I lean more towards nonfiction (mostly about teaching reading, let's be honest!) and lots of historical fiction that has it's roots in nonfiction. Don't get me wrong- I still love the occasional fiction novel- but let's just say I am making up for lost time with nonfiction right now! 

As Serravallo was discussing why this goal is important, she said two things that really stood out to me and were helpful to my understanding of this goal. First, quite simply, she explained that, "Learning how to understand what a section of a text or whole text is mostly about is critical to comprehension." (Page 218). I love this because I think it is such a great starting point for comprehending nonfiction. Students need to get the 'gist' or as she puts it, what the text is mostly about. If we cannot start there, the comprehension that follows is going to struggle. 

The next snippet from the text is one of my favorites from the entire book so far. I think it speaks volumes. Serravallo says, " The work of the reader becomes more challenging when the topic is not aligned to a student's prior knowledge. Students at any grade level often need support in the form of strategies." (Page 219). Hello, purpose for this book! Nice to see you there! This is so smart and sometimes overlooked. When approaching a nonfiction text with a class, it's incredibly unlikely that all students will come at the topic with the same background knowledge- therefore it is undeniable that your class of students will need strategies to overcome these differences and assist in overall comprehension. It's just good practice. See, I told you that quote was great!

As you can see, the three strategies I chose to focus on are 8.6: Survey the Text, 8.19: Consider Structure, and 8.22: Tricks of Persuasion. Each of these strategies have nice, clear guidelines for helping students comprehend nonfiction text and as usual, it was tough to pick just three- so it's safest to just go buy the book and check them all out for yourselves!

First up is 8.6: Survey the Text. I love this strategy because it is pointing out the obvious. As Serravallo explains, "Survey the text by glancing at the big things that jump out at you visually- heading(s), title(s), and visual(s)." (Page 227). This is important because so many times students just open up a book and start reading- missing so much information! If they would just take a moment to 'survey the text' they would find out so much!

Also helpful with this strategy is the visual- my favorite part being the fact that the text is in black and the 'pop-out' information is in color- a huge HEY to students to check them out! When teaching, I explain to kids that if the published paid all that money to put that fancy chart or visual on the page- you better look at it! Sometimes that sinks in a bit more with them- especially the older kids!

Next up is 8.19: Consider Structure. I'm not going to lie- the fact that this strategy takes up two pages did play a factor in my selecting it for reflection. I mean, really, in a book of all one page strategies- if Serravallo thought this one to be so important to give it TWO pages- it must be good! Let's jump right to the visual for the reflection on this one.

I feel sometimes like we throw a million graphic organizers at kids. So many that it's impossible for them to know which one to use and when. I think it would help if we pared down the list of available graphic organizers and focused on just a few and *most importantly* how to use those few properly. The four shown above in the visual would be a great place to start with this plan. 

Last up is 8.22: Tricks of Persuasion.  I love that Serravallo states, "Nonfiction isn't always just straight-up facts. Sometimes, the author is trying to convince you of an idea as well." (Page 244). I think this is an important point to make to students who simply think they should take in nonfiction without a discerning eye. Check out the visual:

This is so great- not only for creating well informed consumers of knowledge- but also well informed members of society. The tricks posed on this poster are helpful for many different aspects of life- and you know me, I just LOVE when reading applications so seamlessly transfer over to life! We really can learn so much from books! 

That's it for today's reflection. Be sure to check back on Monday, August 31 for my reflection on Goal 9: Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction: Determining Key Details. 

As always, thanks for reading. Be sure to comment below so we can become PLN buddies or I can answer any questions you might have! See you Monday!

Reading Strategies Book: Goal 7 Reflection

Thanks for stopping by to check in on my reflections of Jennifer Serravallo's The Reading Strategies Book! Currently, I am on Goal 7: Supporting Comprehension in Fiction- Understanding Themes and Ideas- but you can find all the previous goals in my blog here. Just use the navigation bar on the right side to look back at past posts.

As I sit down to write today's reflection- it just happens to be the first day of school! I must say, this is one of my favorite days of the year! I just love when the school is full of kids and seeing all the smiling grown-ups outside, as well, beaming with pride. Hearing the hallways full of noise and excitement is just plain awesome. Anyone who tells you otherwise is missing the joy of education. 

Today's goal is the final installment in the "Supporting Comprehension in Fiction" series of goals and it focuses on Understanding Themes and Ideas. When talking about why this goal is important, Serravallo explains, "It takes imagination, inference, determining importance, and ability to synthesize all that happens in a story to try to understand the ideas that are hiding." (Page 190). Obviously, based on the massive amount of information packed into that one sentence, it is clear that this goal is not one to be overlooked. I also like that Serravallo points out that, when dealing with themes, there is some wiggle room of interpretation. She explains, "I think that interpretation needs to be rooted in the details of the text, but that it's really also about the interaction the reader has with the text. This means that two different readers reading the same story may interpret theme differently, because the prior knowledge and experiences that each of them has is unique." (Page 191). I think, as teachers, we all know that each of our students' are different on the surface and even a little bit deeper. But sometimes, I know me for sure, we forget to remember that every inch of them is different. Their thoughts, feelings, prior knowledge, experiences, and so on. This makes for very different and individual learners and we need to realize that when teaching. It could make a world of difference for how these kids show us that they are learning. 

And one last point that Serravallo makes when determining when to use this goal with a student- she says, "I would choose this goal for a student once the student has demonstrated an ability to understand plot and setting, character, and vocabulary with relative consistency and when the student is ready to do more deep, critical thinking about his or her stories." (Page 192). I think that AND and everything that follows it is SO important to considering when thinking of giving a student this goal. They have to be ready for both facets of learning- not just the first. Many students have a consistent understanding of plot and setting, character, and vocabulary- but the ready for critical and deep thinking part is not always there. Make sure the students are prepared and ready before setting them forth on this goal.

First up is 7.7: Mistakes Can Lead to Life Lessons- and I chose this one mostly for the visual of the anchor chart- so let's look at that right away.

As you can see- it is a nice clean visual to use with students to organize their thoughts. I like when we make things simple for students when the ideas are more complex. The first column is nice an easy to fill out- and even the middle column is not too difficult. This allows them to save their deep thinking energy for the final column and really focus on what lesson the character might be learning. 

Next up is 7.16: Stories Teach Us About Life Issues and I chose this one because simply I like the fact that Serravallo reminds us that books = life. There is a real correlation and the more we read the better humans we will become. 

Students come to us with a lot more than a backpack and a (sometimes reluctant) smile. They have a whole life that we don't know yet and for some kids, reading can be a great place to get lost and find themselves. Good, bad, or otherwise- we get a room full of students who will be looking to find themselves. Books can really help with that. I know it did for me. 

Last up is 7.18: Character Change Can Reveal Lessons. I chose this strategy because sometimes students get lost thinking about characters. They think that as long as they learned who the character was in the beginning (their traits, etc.), that they can stop figuring out the character and start figuring out the story. If that happens, they miss a huge chunk of understanding! The character will change and that will tell us so much!

This visual is great because of the "So..." at the bottom. Usually students just focus on the beginning, sometimes they focus on the end, but rarely do they bring their thinking all the way to the so....and this is where we find the lessons! We just need to train students to dig deeper with their thoughts and make this path of thinking second nature.

That's all for today- tune in on Wednesday for Goal 8: Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction: Determining Main Topic(s) and Idea(s) and I, for one, cannot wait to dive into the world of nonfiction reading strategies!

As a side note, if you aren't following me on Twitter- now is a great time to do so! Just follow @MrsKRichey and you'll be kept up to date with my new blog posts and many other helpful teaching reading/tech/paperless tips! 

Thanks for reading! 

Reading Strategies Book: Goal 6 Reflection

Another Wednesday, another reflection on Jennifer Serravallo's amazing The Reading Strategies Book! Today I will be focusing on Goal 6: Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Thinking About Characters. If that sounds familiar to you, it's because this is the second of three goals that have to do with supporting comprehension in fiction. If you missed the first post (or any previous posts) follow these handy links to get you to them now!

• Goal 1: Supporting Pre-Emergent and Emergent Readers
• Goal 2: Teaching Reading Engagement: Focus, Stamina, and Building a Reading Life
• Goal 3: Supporting Print Work: Increasing Accuracy and Integrating Sources of Information
• Goal 4: Teaching Fluency: Reading with Phrasing, Intonation, and Automaticity
• Goal 5: Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Understanding Plot and Setting

As most of you who are teachers who are reading this, you are, like me, just getting back into the swing of school or just about to start. For me, this book study has helped me shift my focus back onto school mode and really dig deep into the goals I want to accomplish with my students this year. It's helping me to really 'sharpen my saw' and get prepared for all the different types of students that come my way. I think that might be what I love the most about this book. Serravallo never once says "This is the best reading strategy to use!" and that's because there is no one perfect solution. You have to know the student, know the task, and then find the right fix to apply to the situation. Just like you wouldn't give a leg brace for a broken arm, you wouldn't give the same blanket strategy to every kid in your classroom. That's what makes this book so amazing- it has a strategy for everyone! 

Today's post revolves around Goal 6: Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Thinking About Characters and for my reflection I chose 6.9: Text Clue/Background Knowledge Addition, 6.13: Yes, But Why?, and 6.21: Piling Together Traits to Get Theories.  As Serravallo states in the introduction to this goal, "The challenge to readers' ability to understand characters is that unlike people, literary characters are constructed. Readers need to pay attention to details that the author includes to figure out who the character is." (Page 162). I love this point that she makes because I think sometimes, as humans, we just simply try and relate to the characters and get to know them. Well, characters aren't like us. They are constructed by an author. We can't apply the same rules of understanding them that we apply to understanding our friends. In some ways- it's easier to think about it this way. If all we have to do is follow a constructed pattern that the author sets out- that's amazing! I wish my 4 year old came with this constructed pattern so I'd know what he's thinking!!  Another key point Serravallo makes is that, "...you have to know about the text level to understand what to expect of a reader's response." (Page 164). What she's saying here is that a reader at level A is going to have a much less complex and constructed response on character than a reader at level X and we need to adjust our expectations accordingly. That's just a great tip to always remember.

First up is 6.9: Text Clue/Background Knowledge Addition. I chose this strategy because I love the idea that we should always be using our background knowledge- but in conjunction with the text clues. This is like I said above- we can think about what we know as people (our background knowledge) and apply it to the character....BUT we must follow the text clues in order to fully put the pieces together to make our character judgments. We can't rely on only one of those things (background knowledge or text clues), rather use them both to create the best theory possible.

Plus- look how awesome that visual is! I love the bottom where it has the "math-like" boxed equation. Sometimes just looking at something like that will help it click for a kid- so the equation, the short prompts, and the sentence prompts all in one is amazing!

Next up is 6.13: Yes, But Why? The reason I chose this one is simple, and I think Serravallo says it best when she says, "Understanding a motivation(s)- why it is that the character does what he or she does- helps you understand more about the kind of person he or she is." (Page 178). Like I said, it's simple, but oftentimes the simple things can be overlooked so I like this visual anchor chart to help remind the students.

I think that having this strategy up as an anchor chart will be really helpful to the students who simply read through things and hope it comes together to make sense. This will give them steps of what to do when it isn't always making perfect sense- plus the added bonus of extra synthesizing during the day never hurts anyone!

Last up is 6.21: Piling Together Traits to Get Theories. Since I chose this one mostly for the visual, I'll post that right away so you can see what I mean as a reference it.

I really like the vertical organization of this strategy. For me, it helps keep my thoughts moving along to where I want them to go and I think it will help students see that their thinking is not necessarily complete when they just give the character name and one trait. They can do more with the information and develop their theories as to what these traits really mean about the character. As Serravallo puts it perfectly, "Craft a theory about your character by compiling all the smaller ideas you have. Look across character's traits, wants, desires. Pile them up. State a bigger theory about who the character really is or what she or he really wants, not just in one spot but as a pattern across the text." (Page 186). I couldn't have said it better myself!

That's all for today! Check back on Monday 8/24 for the next reflectn (and last in the supporting comprehension fiction series) of The Reading Strategies Book which will be Goal 7: Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Understanding Themes and Ideas. Be sure to comment or share my post if you see something you like! Thanks for reading!