And Strategic Actions: Reader Moves

Close Reading

6-8

Disciplinary Literacy

History/Social Studies

Handouts

Cognitive, Metacognitive Behaviors,

and Strategic Actions: Reader Moves

Doug Buehl, author of Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines, describes reader moves as actions we take as readers when engaging with a text. Readers are cognitive when their moves represent self-directed and intentional thinking that becomes a habit of mind for accomplished readers before, during, and after they read.

Metacognitive strategies deal with readers being conscious of their thinking while reading. Cris Tovani states in her book, I Read It But I Don’t Get It, that a reader has an inner voice in his or herhead while reading. One voice is reciting the text while the other is having a conversation with it. This inner voice stops to ask questions, to clarify, and to connect while reading. Adrienne Gear, author of Reading Power and Nonfiction Reading Power, calls these voices, talking and thinking voices. The talking voice reads the words on the page that someone else wrote. The thinking voice is making sense of the reading. Adrienne states when reading silently the thinking voice needs to be really loud! It might sound something like this, “This doesn’t make sense,” “Wait what did that mean?” “I don’t agree with that.” Text, especially complex text, will not be comprehended well or at all without that thinking voice.

Teacher modeling around complex texts is an excellent way to promote student awareness. Regular class debriefing sessions about how students used their thinking voice while reading is just as important as discussing what they are thinking. Metacognitive reflection will instill and enable students to become self-directed readers when facing complex text.

Strategic actions are internalized ways of responding to the demands of working a text. The end goal for the reader is to be the director of these actions in order to support comprehension and learning. One of the most effective ways for teachers to support students to think through text (“reader moves”) is to model their thought processes aloud while reading text, then debrief the process. Another name for this process is a think-aloud.

Example of a Think-Aloud

Kenya Sadler, of Foundations School in Chicago, uses a think-aloud to introduce students to the biography collection, Black Stars of the Harlem Renaissance.

Kenya reads aloud from the book’s introduction and shares her thoughts as she goes.

… The real estate speculators envisioned a new suburb of downtown Manhattan. They built beautiful town houses and apartment buildings abroad tree-lined avenues. Then the real estate market declined, and rather than pay huge mortgages on empty buildings, the speculators rented to Blacks for the first time.

Think-aloud: “Wow. So if the real estate market hadn’t declined, then there may not have been a Harlem Renaissance, because they wouldn’t have rented to Blacks. Okay, I need to make a note to myself about that, because that’s something important.”

…The Black population of New York grew fast, fueled by the large northern migration of Southerners. It could no longer be contained in the scattered Black enclaves downtown. Blacks were desperate for living space and willing to pay the high rent prices of Harlem.

Think-aloud: “ But where would they get the money? Hm. If the market is declining, then that means that people don’t have as much money. How is it that Blacks were able to afford to pay the high rent prices of Harlem? I also made a connection here. This reminds me of Bronzeville, the area in Chicago from 26th Street up to, like, 43rd Street, where you have the huge boulevards, King Drive Boulevard, with all of these mansions. And back in the 20s and 30s they were all owned by whites. And then somewhere in the 50s and 60s they started to turn them into apartment buildings for Blacks. So they went from the white mansions to the Black apartment buildings, and one house would end up holding maybe four families. And now they’re actually being converted back to the mansions.”

…Before long, Harlem became the largest residential center for Blacks in the United States.

Think-aloud: “ That’s a really big statement. There are a lot of Blacks in Chicago now. So there weren’t that many at that time? Hm.”

Kenya has modeled a number of important reader moves: 1) noticing important ideas; 2) asking questions; 3) making connections with her prior knowledge; and 4) taking notes, which she had been previously teaching her students to do.

(Harvey Daniels, Subjects Matter, p.103)

THINK-ALOUD

DESCRIPTION:

A think-aloud consists of reading a short passage aloud and stopping often to explain the mental process occurring while reading. It should be used whenever a new thinking/reading strategy or genre is taught. It is good for students to see the teacher model this and practice in pairs/groups to help them internalize the process. Besides thinking aloud the teacher/students should show thinking by marking text (writing on Post-Its, in the margin, coding text, highlighting, underlining, etc.). Thinking aloud and marking of text go hand in hand to support effective instruction.

DIRECTIONS:

• Preparation:
• Copy a short piece of text for marking on in front of students
• Make a copy of the marked text for each student.
• (Optional) As scaffold for students, place dots to designate where you will think aloud.
• Modeling/Debriefing:
• Tell students to listen to your thinking and notice your marking on text.
• Read text aloud stopping to think-aloud. Explain why you are stopping (make connections, ask questions, make comments, reread to understand better, paraphrase, decide what is important, notice text features, pictures, or decide to slow down your reading, etc.).
• Explain why/how stopping and thinking supports understanding.
• Record stated thoughts out to the side of text, on Post-its, or underline, highlight, code text, etc.
• Think-aloud and markings should be brief.
• Student Practice: (over time)
• Practice several times with students as whole group using different texts.
• Have students stop at various places.
• (Optional) As a scaffold for students, mark text with dots designating where students are to stop and think.
• In the beginning students may need some prompting or thinking stems. This will be mechanical at first.
• Practice same activity in pairs.
• Practice individually with/without help of dots, stopping no more than three or four times.
• Have students show thinking by marking text.
• Short text should be used for practice.

Teacher Talk Example:

“Reading and thinking go hand and hand. If you take time to actually think about what you are reading while you read, you’ll understand and remember it better. That’s why I’m going to read something aloud and show you what I’m thinking while I’m reading. You have a copy of what I’m reading. Follow along as I read. I have placed dots at various places in the text. I will stop when I get to each dot and think aloud as well as mark the text either by underlining, highlighting, writing out to the side or on Post-its. My thinking aloud represents what is going on inside my head as I’m reading. Whenever I stop, listen carefully as well as note how I mark the text. ”

(Cont. H.O. #3 – extra resource)

• Shows his or her own thinking while reading a portion of the text

• Includes in the think-aloud both the end result (e.g., question, inference) and the process of arriving at it

• Keeps in mind the background knowledge, vocabulary, interests, strengths, and needs of the students

• Uses clear language that is conversational and authentic

• Shows how the focus strategy helps to understand the text

• Emphasizes the focus strategy but models other strategies as they are needed for actually thinking through text

• Selects text points for modeling that are purposeful and contributes to making sense of what’s important in the text

• Leaves tracks of thinking visibly (using Post-Its, writing in margins, highlighting, underlining, etc.)

• Keeps students engaged through turn and talk

• Paces the think-aloud so that it is quick and to the point but sufficient for students to see the strategy in action

• Marks text enough to make the point but doesn’t get bogged down

Quick Write Stems

From Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines, (2011) Doug Buehl p. 124-125

• History Stem: One thing a person should know about the Reconstruction Era is… because…

• Physical Science Stem: A key term about plate tectonics is… because…

• Geometry Stem: If I explained congruent so a person could really understand it, I would say…

• English Language Arts Stem: Something that is ironic can be recognized by…

• Art Stem: One thing particularly important about Impressionist painting is… because…

• Music Stem: Something confusing about counting in 6/8 time is…

• Health Stem: Something I should share with others about high-sugar foods is… because…

• Technology Stem: If I described the steps to follow, I would say, in order…

Tips

• When asked, “How much do I need to write?” The answer is always, “Write to fill the time.”
• Use timers if needed. Online stopwatch can be projected from
• A crucial dynamic of Quick Writes is student sharing. This reinforces their learning and allows them to receive additional reminders.
• Can be done in journals, sticky notes, or on index cards.

From Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines, (2011) Doug Buehl p. 124-125

See also Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, Doug Buehl

See also Write Beside Them by Penny Kittle

See also Content-Area Writing by Harvey Daniels, Steven Zemelman, and Nancy Steineke

Close Reading

(From the Publisher’s Criteria)

Reading strategies support comprehension of specific texts and the focus on building knowledge and insight. Close reading and gathering knowledge from specific texts must be at the heart of classroom activities and not be consigned to the margins when completing assignments. Reading strategies must take their rightful place in service of reading comprehension, and building skills should not replace building knowledge and insight from specific texts. Discussion of specific reading techniques should occur when and if they illuminate specific aspects of a text. Students need to build an infrastructure of skills, habits, knowledge, dispositions, and experience that enables them to approach new challenging texts with confidence and stamina. As much as possible, this training should be embedded in the activity of reading the text rather than being taught as a separate body of material. Additionally, care should be taken that introducing broad themes and questions in advance of reading does not prompt overly general conversations rather than focusing reading on the specific ideas and details, drawing evidence from the text, and gleaning meaning and knowledge from it. (From Publisher’s Criteria document p.9)

Informational texts in science, history, and technical subjects may or may not exhibit literary craft, but they should be worth reading as valuable sources of information to gain important knowledge. It is essential that the scientific and historical texts chosen for careful study be focused on such significant topics that they are worth the instructional time for students to examine them deliberately to develop a full understanding. To encourage close reading, many of these texts should be short enough to enable thorough examination on a regular basis. Students should also be required to assimilate larger volumes of content-area text to demonstrate college and career readiness. Discussion of extended or longer texts should span the entire text while also creating a series of questions that demonstrate how careful attention to specific passages within the text provides opportunities for close reading. Focusing on extended texts will enable students to develop the stamina and persistence they need to read and extract knowledge and insight from larger volumes of material. Not only do students need to be able to read closely, but they also need to be able to read larger volumes of text when necessary for research or other purposes. P.14

...the large majority of the Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects require that aligned curricula include high-quality questions and tasks that are text dependent. Such questions should encourage students to “read like a detective” by prompting relevant and central inquiries into the meaning of the source material that can be answered only through close attention to the text. P.15

Close Reading Strategy

The following is taken from “Strategy: Close Readng.” Performance Pyramid. Partners in Learning, University of Miami, Ohio, 2011. Web. 25 Jan 2012 adolescent-education/Reading-Intervention-Strategies/Close-Reading.html.>

Some important components to close reading:

• Understanding your purpose in reading

• Understanding the author’s purpose in writing

• Seeing ideas in a text as being interconnected

Students must ask questions and search for answers in the text; they must connect new ideas and old ideas and find themselves challenged when these collide.

Close reading means reading reflectively:

The reflective mind seeks meaning, monitors what is being said from paragraph to paragraph, draws a clear distinction between the thinking of an author and its own thinking.

Reading reflectively allows the reader to think about reading while they are reading. A good reader will not just take what they see at face value. Deep readers delve into their reading. Some good questions for those attempting to deep read are:

-Can I summarize what I think the meaning of this text is?

-Can I relate my life to this text?

-Can I create images or metaphors to explain the text?

-What questions do I still have about the text?

-Can I connect this to other ideas I have or things I have read?

The most important part of close reading is really engaging with the text. Do not just accept what the text claims. Ask questions and require answers, compare the text to your past experiences. Annotate the text and find interconnecting points and arguments.

Privileges and Prerogatives Granted by Their

Catholic Majesties to Christopher Columbus : 1492

FERDINAND and ELIZABETH, by the Grace of God, King and Queen of Castile, of Leon, of Arragon, of Sicily, of Granada, of Toledo, of Valencia, of Galicia, of Majorca, of Minorca, of Sevil, of Sardinia, of Jaen, of Algarve, of Algezira, of Gibraltar, of the Canary Islands, Count and Countess of Barcelona, Lord and Lady of Biscay and Molina, Duke and Duchess of Athens and Neopatria. Count and Countess of Rousillion and Cerdaigne, Marquess and Marchioness of Oristan and Gociano, &c.

For as much of you, Christopher Columbus, are going by our command, with some of our vessels and men, to discover and subdue some Islands and Continent in the ocean, and it is hoped that by God's assistance, some of the said Islands and Continent in the ocean will be discovered and conquered by your means and conduct, therefore it is but just and reasonable, that since you expose yourself to such danger to serve us, you should be rewarded for it. And we being willing to honour and favour You for the reasons aforesaid: Our will is, That you, Christopher Columbus, after discovering and conquering the said Islands and Continent in the said ocean, or any of them, shall be our Admiral of the said Islands and Continent you shall so discover and conquer; and that you be our Admiral, Vice-Roy, and Governour in them, and that for the future, you may call and stile yourself, D. Christopher Columbus, and that your sons and successors in the said employment, may call themselves Dons, Admirals, Vice-Roys, and Governours of them; and that you may exercise the office of Admiral, with the charge of Vice-Roy and Governour of the said Islands and Continent, which you and your Lieutenants shall conquer, and freely decide all causes, civil and criminal, appertaining to the said employment of Admiral, Vice-Roy, and Governour, as you shall think fit in justice, and as the Admirals of our kingdoms use to do; and that you have power to punish offenders; and you and your Lieutenants exercise the employments of Admiral, Vice-Roy, and Governour, in all things belonging to the said offices, or any of them; and that you enjoy the perquisites and salaries belonging to the said employments, and to each of them, in the same manner as the High Admiral of our kingdoms does. And by this our letter, or a copy of it signed by a Public Notary: We command Prince John, our most dearly beloved Son, the Infants, Dukes, Prelates, Marquesses, Great Masters and Military Orders, Priors. Commendaries, our Counsellors, Judges, and other Officers of Justice whatsoever, belonging Courts, and Chancery, and Constables of Castles, Strong Houses, and others; and all Corporations, Bayliffs, Governours, Judges, Commanders, Sea Officers; and the Aldermen, Common Council, Officers, and Good People of all Cities, Lands, and Places in our Kingdoms and Dominions, and in those you shall conquer and subdue, and the captains masters, mates, and other officers and sailors, our natural subjects now being, or that shall be for the time to come, and any of them that when you shall have discovered the said Islands and Continent in the ocean; and you, or any that shall have your commission, shall have taken the usual oath in such cases, that they for the future, look upon you as long as you live, and after you, your son and heir, and so from one heir to another forever, as our Admiral on our said Ocean, and as Vice-Roy and Governour of the said Islands and Continent, by you, Christopher Columbus, discovered and conquered; and that they treat you and your Lieutenants, by you appointed, for executing the employments of Admiral, Vice-Roy, and Governour, as such in all respects, and give you all the perquisites and other things belonging and appertaining to the said offices; and allow, and cause to be allowed you, all the honours, graces, concessions, prehaminences, prerogatives, immunities, and other things, or any of them which are due to you, by virtue of your commands of Admiral, Vice-Roy, and Governour, and to be observed completely, so that nothing be diminished; and that they make no objection to this, or any part of it, nor suffer it to be made; forasmuch as we from this time forward, by this our letter, bestow on you the employments of Admiral, Vice-Roy, and perpetual Governour forever; and we put you into possession of the said offices, and of every of them, and full power to use and exercise them, and to receive the perquisites and salaries belonging to them, or any of them, as was said above. Concerning all which things, if it be requisite, and you shall desire it, We command our Chancellour, Notaries, and other Officers, to pass, seal, and deliver to you, our Letter of Privilege, in such form and legal manner, as you shall require or stand in need of. And that none of them presume to do any thing to the contrary, upon pain of our displeasure, and forfeiture of 30 ducats for each offence. And we command him, who shall show them this our Letter, that he summon them to appear before us at our Court, where we shall then be, within fifteen days after such summons, under the said penalty. Under which same, we also command any Public Notary whatsoever, that he give to him that shows it him, a certificate under his seal, that we may know how our command is obeyed.