Reading+Responses

This is a collection of instructional strategies that you might want to use as part of your regular response to the weekly readings or to activities for leading the class. ** Anomalies – Have I Got Some Questions for You! **  As you read, jot down questions that you have on 3x5 cards. At discussion group time, collect all of the questions that members of your discussion group generated and give them to another group. You collect that group’s questions and within your discussion group talk about them. Near the end of the session, get together with other group to hear and share the various answers that have been generated. ** Found Poem ** A Found Poe mis created by selecting powerful phrases from an article and writing them in the form of a poem. After Reading, in pairs or small groups, go back to the text to select and copy 7 or 8 powerful //words or phrases// (not whole sentences or paragraphs) that you feel best reflect the meaning of the piece. Groups them read their Found Poems aloud to class. These poems serve as great illustrations of the many different ways of interpreting a text. ** Graphic Representation ** The graphic representation activity enables you to make sense of a particular subject in a new way. In collaborative groups, represent the important issues of an article by creating a large graphic (chart, poster, banner, etc.) to present to the class. In their design, you should try to integrate: ** Graffitti Board ** After Reading a chapter or books, draw or write down important points or responses. In your discussion group, put a big sheet of paper on the table. Each group member takes a corner of the paper and begins writing and drawing their thoughts about what was read in a graffitti-like fashion. The responses, ideas, comments, sketches, quotes, and connections are not organized in any way. The major focus is on brainstorming. ** I Am Poem ** To develop insights into a particular autor, researcher, or concept – write a reflective poem using the following form: **__ The I Am Poem __** || **__ I am __** A template can be found here: [] **Inquiry Chart (K-W-L Chart)** Use three columns of the Inquiry Chart to record (1) What you already //know (K)// about a topic, researcher, or issue; (2) What you //want (W)// to learn or find out about it; and (3) What you have //learned (L)// from reading or study. This metacognitive format activates prior knowledge //(schema)//, establishes a purpose for reading, and provides a summary of what you have learned. Complete Columns 1 and 2 before beginning the reading. After reading, use Column 3 to record confirmations of ideas in Column 1 and answers to questions in Column 2. New or unanswered questions lead to further inquiries. **Learning Log** You may find this log format useful when reading texts or watching videos //for// //content, concepts,// and //information.// New ideas from the text or video (quotations, notes, main points, predictions, problems needing solution, etc.) recorded in Column 1 are paired with the your responses to the material in Column 2. **Learning Log** **Information from the Text/Video** || **Note-Making** **Responses to the Text/Video** || //feelings, connections, reflections)// ||
 * Alternative Reader Response Strategies **
 * Words or quotes from the article
 * A meaningful use of color
 * Drawings or symbols
 * A thoughtful title
 * (Two special characteristics the person or thing has) ||
 * **__ I wonder __** || (something the person or thing could actually be curious about) ||
 * **__ I hear __** || (an imaginary or actual sound) ||
 * **__ I see __** || (an imaginary or actual sight) ||
 * **__ I want __** || (a desire) ||
 * **__ I am __** || (the first line of the poem is repeated) ||
 * **__ I pretend __** || (something the person or thing could actually pretend to do) ||
 * **__ I feel __** || (a feeling about the imaginary) ||
 * **__ I touch __** || (an imaginary touch) ||
 * **__ I worry __** || (something that could really bother the person or thing) ||
 * **__ I cry __** || (something that could make the person or thing sad) ||
 * **__ I am __** || (the first line of the poem is repeated) ||
 * **__ I understand __** || (something the person or thing knows to be true) ||
 * **__ I say __** || (something the person or thing believes in) ||
 * **__ I dream __** || (something the person or thing could actually dream about) ||
 * **__ I try __** || (something the person or thing could make an effort to do) ||
 * **__ I hope __** || (something the person or thing could hope for) ||
 * **__ I am __** || (the first line of the poem repeated) ||
 * **__ I hope __** || (something the person or thing could hope for) ||
 * **__ I am __** || (the first line of the poem repeated) ||
 * **K** || **W** || **L** ||
 * **Note-Taking**
 * //(Notes, quotes, facts, main points, key ideas, examples, details, etc.)// || //(Comments, questions, summaries//

One Observation, One Connection, One Surprise, One Question
For each article or chapter you read, jot down one observation, one connection, one surprise, and one question you have as a result of your reading. If you can't recall an observation, jot down two connections or two surprises or two questions. The key is to come to discussion group with at least four statements in hand. Discuss the reading by sharing the various observations, connections, surprises, and questions that members of your group bring to your discussion group. **Question Web** //(CLP)// After reading an article or chapter, make a list or cluster of whatever you wondered about or found confusing or puzzling. Rephrase each item as a question and select the one question that is most important to you. Place this question in the center of a large sheet of paper and around it create a web of many possible answers as well as new questions that emerge. Groups share their question webs with the class and discuss the most interesting questions and answers.

Quickwrite - Ink Shedding
After reading an article or chapter, set a time for 5 - 15 minutes. During that time write continuously about your thoughts related to what you have just read. If you run out of things to write, you can write "I don't know what to write" until you think of something else. Once the timer goes off, read back over your free write to highlight parts that you think capture key ideas. In discussion group, share your free write by passing your paper to another member of your group. They read what you have highlighted and "ink shed" their thoughts in the margins of your free write. After several turns of "ink shedding" pass the free write back to the author so that he or she can process what others had to say. Share final thoughts as time permits. //Variation:// Authors share quickwrite highlights in discussion group.

Quotable Quotes - Save the Last Word for Me!
As you read, watch for passages or quotes that catch your attention because they are interesting, powerful, confusing, or contradictory. Note the quote on the front of a 3x5 card. On the back of the card, write your response or why you found that particular quote noteworthy. In your discussion group, one person begins by sharing one of their quotes. The group then briefly discusses their response to this quote. When the discussion dies down, the person who chose the quote flips over the card and tells why he or she chose it. That person has the absolute last word and the group then moves on to another person and another quote. ** Readers’ Theatre ** In Readers’ Theatre a portion of an article or book chapter is turned into a script for oral presentation without changing any of the original words. It Works best if the text is duplicated so that each group member has a copy. Lines, paragraphs, passages, and dialog are divided up among the group members who highlight their parts with markers and read from the “script” with dramatic expression, just short of acting. If desired, you can add to the dramatic effort by using minimal props. **Storyboarding** A storyboard is a graphic depiction of the major events in an article or chapter. After reading a reading, decide which events were the most important to you and sketch 6 to 8 key scenes in sequence on a storyboard. These will be shared during group discussion. It’s interesting to note the different interpretations of the same piece.

Text to Self, Text to Text, Text to World Connections
As you read, use post-it notes to jot down other articles or experiences that the reading makes you think about. In your group, share the connections that you and other members of your group have made and talk about how the connections relate to what was being read. After discussion group is over, formally draft a written version of one of your stories or experiences.

Webbing What's On My Mind
After reading and jotting down initial responses to an article or chapter that has been read, brainstorm a web of issues, themes, and questions that you might discuss in class. Starting with individual webs, your discussion group decides which issue, theme, or question is the most interesting to begin the discussion. Discussion continues as other issues, themes, and questions are chosen. As you are talking, create a new web that maps your groups’ discussion. The group webs can be shared with the entire class.