Here are some suggestions to help you track your reading for ALL of your classes. You can do this work on post it notes, or in your notebook. Remember, don’t be a fake reader! Thinking about your thinking as you read is what is going to make you a better reader (and writer!)
Metacognition: Thinking about my thinking.
As I read…..I have to think. I also have to write down my thoughts to help me track my understanding and help me develop my theories about characters, and how elements like setting, plot, and conflicts may affect them.
Some things that may help me are:
- Summarize: Determine the big ideas (My reading was mostly about…..)
- Question: Ask questions as I read (I think…..I wonder….)
- Visualize: Create a movie or images in your mind (In my mind, I visualize)
- Infer: Use clues and evidence to make sense of my reading (This probably means)
- Connect: Use what I know to help me understand (This reminds me)
- Context Clues: Use the words around an unfamiliar word to help figure out the meaning, or look up the word to learn more about it)
- Predict: Use clues to decide what may happen next (I predict……)
Other thought prompts that will allow you to use text evidence as clues. BE A DETECTIVE:
-I think this because…..
-Because it says ________, I think _______
-Because I know _________and it says _______, I think ________
-I can tell ___________because _________
– I think
-I Wonder
– I notice
-I am picturing
-I am realizing
NOTICE AND NOTE (SIGN POSTS)
When you take a journey through a book, OR NON-FICTION, don’t forget to STOP and Notice and Note*
Contrasts & Contradictions: When a character does/says something that is the opposite of what he/she usually does. Ask yourself: “Why is the character doing that?” What does this make me wonder about?
Aha Moments: When a character suddenly figures out something. Ask yourself: “How might this change things?”
Tough Questions: When a character asks themselves a difficult question. Ask yourself: “What does thisquestion make me wonder?”
Words of the Wiser: When a character takes the main character aside and gives them serious advice. Ask yourself: “What is the lesson?”
Again and Again: When you notice a word, phrase, object, or situation mentioned over and over again. Ask yourself: “Why does this keep happening?”
Memory Moment: When the author interrupts the action to tell a memory. Ask yourself: “Why is this memory important?”
*Use a post it note to mark these moments in the book you are reading. Be sure to write which one it is and your thoughts about it.
Guess what? You can use SIGN POSTS when you read NON-FICTION TOO! Use these sign post as you read non-fiction, articles, textbooks etc….Be sure to answer the anchor questions too on your log OR post it notes!
Sign-Posts and Anchor Questions for Non-Fiction
As you read non-fiction…keep asking yourself:
WHAT surprised me?
WHAT does the author think I already know?
WHAT changed, challenged, or confirmed what I already know?
Also, ask yourself….what content questions do I have about this topic?
Non-fiction ANCHOR QUESTIONS:
AHA: HOW does this change things for me? The world around me?
CC: How does this information contradict (go against) what I already know about this topic, or what I have learned in the past?
TQ: What do I need to learn more about? What questions do I have about this topic
WOW: What advice are you learning as a reader?
AA: Why are certain words, phrases, numbers, statistics etc. being repeated again and again?
MM: Why does the author include information from the past (past studies, experiments, theories etc) Why does the author choose to look back in time?
*Quoted Words: When the author chooses to quote someone…..STOP and ask:
WHY was this person quoted, and what did the quote add?
*Word Gaps: When the author uses a word or phrase that you don’t know….STOP and ask:
DOES this look like a word that’s only used for this topic? WOULD I know this word in another place? DO I see any clues that might help me figure it out?