Tough Questions – When the character asks themselves a tough question, think about what the tough questions makes you wonder. Memory Moment – When the action is interrupted and the author tells you about a memory, ask yourself why the memory might be important. Words of the Wiser – When an older or wiser character gives the main character advice, ask yourself what the lesson might be or how it will affect the character’s life.Īha! Moment – When a character suddenly figures something out or understands something, ask yourself how that moment might change things.Īgain and Again – When something is repeated in a book, ask yourself why the author thought it was important enough to repeat. Here is the “Cliff’s Notes” version of the signposts:Ĭontrasts and Contradictions – When the character does something different from what you would expect, ask yourself why the character is doing that. You could demonstrate some of this during class read-alouds or use it with more advanced reading groups. The strategy was designed for 4th-7th grade students but I think even younger students could benefit from exposure. Probst.Ĭlick the picture to download a free copy of the chart. Shes’s reading the book Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading, by Kylene Beers and Robert E. My interest was piqued when I came across a blog post about the “6 Signposts” by Becca over at Simply 2nd Resources. However, this doesn’t get them to the meatier themes in what they read. You can point kids toward noticing features of fiction stories or plot structure and this is a start. In math there are steps and models, phonics has rules, but with comprehension it’s just so “mooshy-gooshy.”įor years I’ve been trying to put my finger on exactly how to get kids to figure out what is important in a text, or what to pay attention to and remember. It’s a challenge to dissect and put into words things that your brain does effortlessly as you read.Ĭome to think of it, I suppose this is the task of elementary teachers all day long, but I think it’s especially tricky when it comes to reading comprehension. This makes it difficult to help students who are not natural comprehenders. I just naturally have done those things for a long time because I expect text to make sense. I don’t remember being taught to ask myself questions as I read, to identify the plot elements, or to reread when something didn’t make sense. This also means you are probably a natural “comprehender” when it comes to things that you read. If you’re a teacher that means you’ve been successful enough in school to get a college degree. A reading comprehension strategy for elementary students
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