I did get to a girlfriend's birthday party at a resort pool, rented a kayak with a friend, took my daughter and her friend to the beach, met with my book club, and sent my high schooler to camp in the local mountains. So fun is being had, but I want to do so much more!
I have been doing some mental planning, TPT browsing, and filling my internet shopping carts with things I need/want to start the year. Of course I also did my book study reading. Let's review the chapters for this week!
Goal 6-Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Thinking About Characters
Jennifer Serravallo notes that readers can be caught up by characters in a story, in fact, they can often seem like our friends. Authors create characters and give us details to create a "picture" of that character through how the character looks, their background, their personality/characteristics/moods, how they respond to events in the story, and how they change over time. Understanding those characters can help us "think differently or about or better understand people in our own lives." (p. 162)
As children's reading ability develops, the complexity of a character also develops and children are able to describe the character in more detail. Serravallo gives several great strategies to support character comprehension in this chapter. Some of those I particularly like are:
6.6 Back Up Ideas About Characters with Evidence
Since it is so important that third grade students be able to find and write about textual evidence, I think this strategy is very relevant. Students write a theory on a sticky note then reread to find the text evidence that supports their theory. I absolutely love the student sample on this page! it also requires the student to put their idea into a written theory.
6.12 Empathize to Understand
I think this strategy has relevance in more than just reading comprehension. Some children find it very hard to empathize with others, but have a whole different point of view when they are involved! Teaching them about empathy through reading and recognizing how other characters react to each other can help students develop their own sense of character as well as comprehension!
6.22 Consider Character in Context
This one can be tricky! I love that this strategy can be used with biography and historical fiction! I can also see using it with students who aren't yet the suggested levels. The tricky part is that sometimes students just don't know the time in which a story is set. In this, we may need to guide them more. Paying attention to the language, the setting, and the styles (often portrayed in pictures if there are any) can help a child understand how a character is developing in a text. It can also give them valuable insight to the time period the story is set in.
Goal 7-Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Understanding Themes and Ideas
Harvey and Goudvis (2000) define theme as "the underlying ideas, morals, or lessons that give a story its texture, depth, and meaning." I have always struggled with teaching these as it seems so open to interpretation. I am glad to read more about it and see many ideas that I can use to teach my students. But Jennifer Sarravallo says on p. 191 that "when children are taught to think with more depth about the reading, that's when reading really begins to matter." So teaching theme is more important than I had realized. However, this is a goal appropriate for students that can already understand plot, setting, and character. I found several strategies that will greatly help me teach students to recognize and articulate the themes they read about in books.
7.2 The Difference between Plot and Theme
OK, maybe I need this lesson too! Seravallo describes plot as what happens in the story as opposed to theme which are the ideas of the story. By having students note the important events, they can then use those to formulate the theme. Thinking and examining those events will give a bigger picture. I like the question, "What is your idea about what is happening?"
7.10 Actions, Outcomes, Response
I feel like, as a reader, I get so caught up in the story that I don't necessarily put all the pieces together. I notice that sometimes in my book club. Other women make points about things I have completely missed! This strategy has students map out actions of one character and the response of another character to determine the lesson that character learns. Again, I like the physical map that the students create to determine that lesson. I think it would be great in their response journals so they can refer back to it in other readings.
7.14 Find Clues About Theme in the Blurb
Often, reading the blurb on the back cover can give great insight into a book. Side note: it drives me crazy when the back of the book is covered with comments, usually praise, from other authors. That is nice and all and I get wanting to publish those for all to see, but I want to know what the book is about! Is it something I want to read??? In a blurb it is possible to find the theme of the story whether before reading or by rereading after you've completed the book. I also like the idea of photocopying the blurb so students can markup their findings in the text. It would be interesting to see what they pick up on before reading then revisit it after reading to see if they notice more.
Next week we jump into nonfiction comprehension; understanding main topics and ideas and determining key details. Since I see myself using these strategies in small group reading and I'd like to use more non-fiction in my group work, I am really looking forward to reading these chapters! Have a great week!
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