Glen Stewart Primary’s “Beyond Sounding Out” Glen Stewart Primary’s Grade 3 Family Night

Open a Book… By Jane Baskwill Open a book And you will find People and places of every kind Open a book And you can be Anything that you want to be: Open a book And you can share Wondrous worlds you find in there Open a book And I will too You read to me And I'll read to you.

The Dodlings The dodlings were tiljing ruft. When the ruft was polting, the dodlings grented hust then yotted pudge. The preeden dodlings only titjed muft so that the ruft was krettile. At the end of cupa the dodlings nuted sos then ported crist. This was done to hopple set. The preeden dodlings were always hirty and lopy unlike the dodlings who were foly and just.

When children read… •Different layers of comprehension •Interacting with the text • Making connections •Bringing prior knowledge and experiences •Asking questions

Reading Comprehension Strategy Instruction: 3 Levels of Understanding 1. Literal (within the text) 2. Interpretive/Inferential (Beyond the text) 3. Evaluative (About the text)

An example…

Level 1: Literal Understanding (Within the Text ) •Retell •Visualize •Summarize •Solve unknown vocabulary •Locate information

Comprehension Question Examples Within the Text Key Understandings: What was Nora’s problem in the story? What happened? What else happened? How did Nora solve her problem? Tell 3-4 important events from the story, such as: -Nora had to move to a new school; -She doesn’t like leaving her school. -None of the kids talked to her at her new school -Her mom told her to do something herself -She made one new friend

Level 2: Interpretive/Inferential (Beyond the Text) •Making connections •Predicting •”Reading between the lines” •Gaining information from pictures, charts, etc. The children are using the information in the text but also personal knowledge, connections and experiences to make meaning.

Beyond the Text Key Understandings Why was Nora so unhappy about moving to a new place? How was Nora like the kids she complained about at her new school? How did Nora change in the story? What did she learn? -Nora was very unhappy about moving because her friends were important to her. -She acted like the other kids when she wouldn’t talk to the other new girl. -She learned that she had to make friends if she wanted to be included.

Level 3: Critical/Evaluative (About the Text) •Is this true or opinion? •What is your opinion about? •What did you like least/best? Why? Children use both literal and interpretive understandings to encourage more complex thinking.

About the Text Key Understandings What makes the title The New Girl a good one for this story? What did the author mean when she said Mom was always coming up with sayings that sounded like “bumper stickers”? Find the part of the story where the author showed that Nora learned something. -The title is good because Nora was a new girl in her school. Her friend is also a new girl and the story shows how she treated her. -The author meant that Mom was always teaching her things with short little pieces of advice. -You knew Nora had learned a lesson when she smiled at the new girl.

How Can Parents Help? •We want students using the 3 levels of comprehension and understanding with all types of reading. •Engage in conversation about what you are reading, watching on television or viewing on the internet or world. •Use the “Recipe for Reading”!

Recipe For Reading! Literal Response: •Find the part that gives more information on____. •What happened in the story? What was the problem and how did they solve it? •Tell about the important parts of the story. Use your own words. •Who was in the story? Where did it take place? •What did the author tell you about _____ (topic)?   Inferential/Interpretive: •What can you tell me about ______ (name of character)? How do you know that? •How do you think he/she is feeling? How can you tell? •What made this happen? Why did this happen next? •Tell me what ______ (word from book) means. How do you know? •What does this label tell us about the picture? •How would you describe ____ (character) to someone who has not read the book? •What is the same or different about________ (ie: type of cloud) •What does this expression mean? •How are you and the main character the same? •Different? Would you have solved the problems the same way? •How does this map help you when you read this page? Evaluative/Critical: •What advice would you give this character? •Why did you choose to read this book? •What words did the author use to help you picture_______ (character/event)? •Is this information true or false, in your opinion? •When the author writes an information book, why do you think she/.he often uses headings? •How do you know these are instructions? •How can you find important information on this page? •Do you agree with the author? Why or why not? •Do you like the way the story ends? Why or why not?

Final Thoughts… •Read to your child daily! •Use the “Recipe for Reading” for discussion, but keep it natural. It shouldn’t be an interrogation! •Take the time to talk to your child about everything and anything. •Visit the library. •Give your child “just right” books as gifts - ones they can read themselves. •Read and reread favorite books together. •Let your child see you reading and writing. •All that we learn through our reading will improve our writing •No child or adult is too old to be read to!