4.11 Forging Trails of Thought as We Read

CONNECTION After we hit pause to think, we look at the rest of the new text through the lens of our big ideas. We keep asking, “Is this idea still working?” and “Can I find more evidence to prove my big idea?”

TEACHING POINT Today I want to teach you that readers hold onto big ideas as they read, letting it shape the way they think about the rest of the text.

TEACHING One group of other fifth graders were reading The House of Sixty Fathers. They kept thinking about how the little boy, Tien Pao, has to be so responsible at such a young age and to the idea that hard times like war make children grow up before their time. But the book doesn’t come out and say “Tien Pao has to be responsible!” The club created this idea based on what they read. The group then gathered evidence for this idea and read on, coming up with new ideas.

TEACHING How do we read on, using the lens of their idea? Another group member then thought about how the character treats a pig in the story. He tries to control it and punishes it. He treats it like that because he is trying to act like a grown-up. If his parents were around, they would punish the pig.

TEACHING Let’s pretend that this group’s idea was our idea for “Bud, Not Buddy.” Hard times make children grow up before their time. Recall how Bud had to comfort the other foster kid, Jerry, at the beginning? He made Jerry’s foster home sound exciting and like a great deal so the little kid felt more hopeful and less scared. When we read that before, maybe we just thought that Bud was kind. Now, tell each other what comes to mind as you look instead through the lens of the idea that hard times makes children grow up before their time.

LINK Your big ideas can be put on a timeline too! On a post-it, write one big idea and turn it in to me within the next ten minutes. flies in meets airman finds pig war Tien Pao has to grow up like dad to pig

MIDWORKSHOP You turned in a big idea to me but these ideas can grow and change as you take your time to develop them. Push yourself to make a claim that is more than just one thought by saying your idea with words that help you see more than just one character or story through the lens. Can your big idea (or THEME) apply to many different books?

SHARE Work with your club to develop some themes for your book. Will you… Make a chart of ideas and evidence? Use post-it notes? Create a brainstorm web?