What Are You Reading?

What are you currently reading? Tell about the book you are currently reading and what keeps you reading it. Give specific details from the text!

Example:
I am reading When You Reach Me. The story takes place in New York City in the 1970's, which is interesting to me since that is when I was growing up! Miranda, the main character of the story is always reading A Wrinkle In Time, which is about a girl who was able to "tesser" or travel in time. I know this has something to do with Miranda's life, but I am not sure how yet. There are interesting characters in the story including a homeless man, a sandwich shop owner, and some of her friends. One friend is a "former friend" but he is continually being referenced in the book. I have a feeling that he is important, but again I am not sure yet. That is what keeps me reading. I'm interested in finding out how all of the story's pieces tie together!

Lift A Line

Readers often times go back to reread a section of text and really think about what they've read in order for the text to make sense.

Your Task: You are going to be "Lifting A Line." That's when you take a line from the book and really think about it. You may find a connection, make a prediction, infer the meaning, think about how things in the story are related, and etc.

Example:

Story: Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Author: Beverly Cleary

Line Lifted:  She tried not to think of the half-overheard conversations of her parents after the girls had gone to bed, grown-up talk that Ramona understood just enough to know her parents were concerned about their future.

My Understanding: I know that Ramona's father is working much less than he used to since he is going back to school. I think that this worries Ramona because the family has to be more careful with their money. I also think that Ramona believes that her parents are concerned about money too and that they talk about it after Ramona is in bed. They probably think that Ramona doesn't hear them, but she is trying to listen closely. I think that since Ramona is a kid, she should be more concerned with "kid issues" like helping around the house, going to school, and being friendly towards others. She should do this instead of worrying about grown-up problems that she can't do anything about.

 

What Do You Notice? What Do You Wonder?

It is important for us to understand what we read. One strategy we can use is thinking "I Notice" and "I Wonder." The things you notice help you gain meaning of what you are wondering. The things you wonder give you a purpose for reading on or give you a clue to go back and reread for meaning.

Read a book, or a section from the book. Respond to the next by writing what you notice and what you wonder.

Example:

Text: The Wednesday Wars

I notice that Holling Hoodhood, the main character is on a camping trip with his teacher, classmates, and principal. Even though miserable things are happening (lost silverware, downpour in the middle of the night, and pesky mosquitoes) it seems as tough Holling and his classmates and teacher are having a really good time. I also realize that the principal is miserable. She is staying holed up in her tents (the only tent) for most of the activities.

I wonder how Holling and the students are finding joy with all the miserable things that are happening on the trip. I'm wondering if the fun part isn't about the weather or ease of the trip, but is instead about being able to spend time together.

Show Not Tell

We have been working a lot with Show Not Tell. We learned that author's use "senses" to Show Not Tell.
Here's an example from Hoot, by Carl Haissen.
The hood was either black or dark blue, and Roy couldn't see a speck of light through the heavy fabric. Blindly he stumbled and swayed through the thicket but the barefoot boy kept him from falling. Roy knew they were out of the trees when the air got warmer and the ground beneath his feet got flat. He could smell the fertilized sod of the golf course.

These senses were used:
sight: black or dark blue, couldn't see a speck of light
touch: air got warmer, ground beneath his feet got flat
smell: smell the fertilized sod

Find an example of Show Not Tell in the text you are reading.
Include:

• Title and Author
• Passage From The Text
• Examples Of The Senses Used

Comprehension Strategies

We have practiced the following comprehension strategies in school:

• Making Predictions
• Making Connections
• Summarizing
• "Lifting A Line"
• Thinking "I Notice" and "I Wonder"
• "Leaning In"

Think about one of the strategies you have used this week while you were reading.

Your task:
Write down the title of the book you read.
Explain the strategy you used and how it helped you make meaning of the text.

Example:
Title: The Wednesday Wars
Strategy: Visualizing
I read a section of the text where the main character, Holling Hoodhood, was asked by his teacher to clean out the class pets' cage. The pets were rats. I could visualize the rats beady little eyes and large yellow teeth gnawing at the food Holling had for them. They looked almost evil. I could sense Holling not wanting to have to touch them or have them touch him. It was like a movie in my mind when Holling was trying to get the rats back into their regular cage from the smaller one he had while he cleaned. There was an opening between the cages and the rats escaped. I could hear them in the walls of the school and see he and the teacher jumping up onto the desks fearful of the rats. 
 

Show Not Tell

We have been noticing examples of "Show Not Tell" in the stories we are reading and have been practicing writing pieces using "Show Not Tell."

Find a strong example of "Show Not Tell" in the book you are reading. Record it on this blog.

Include:

Title

Author

Example of "Show"

What the "Show" is "Telling" You

Here's an example:
Title: Ramona The Pest
Author: Beverly Cleary
Show: Ramona wanted to be sure she did not lose her tooth, because she needed it for bait to catch the tooth fairy. She planned to pile a lot of clattery things like sauce pans and pie tins and old broken down toys beside her bed so the tooth fairy would wake her up.
Tell: Ramona wanted to see the tooth fairy. 

Visualizing

We learned about different ways to visualize this week. Sometimes we see "still pictures" as we read. Other times we are able to see the book like a "movie" and that helps us gain a deeper understanding of what we read. An even deeper level of understanding comes when we feel like we are in the story.

Share what you are reading. Tell how and what you are visualizing.