Literacy Work Station
Book Talk (RL1, RI1, SL1)
This work center is designed to encourage students to participate in independent reading, to use effective reading strategies before, during, and after reading, and to collaborate in small group discussions with others by sharing their ideas.
Suggestions For Students:
Make note of strategies used before and during reading a selection.
Mark pages or sections of the selection while reading for reference.
Select a strategy card to begin discussion in small group.
Each member of the group should add to the discussion or give an opinion about what has been said before the group moves on to discuss another strategy.
Materials Provided:
Printouts of Nancy Boyles Strategies with questions for literature selections and informational texts to make cards
Reading Comprehension Strategies for Literature Selections from Nancy Boyles
Predicting
What might happen next? How will the story end? What is the author trying to tell me?
Connecting
What other books have I read that might relate to this story?
Picturing
How am I visualizing what the words describe?
Wondering
What questions pop into my mind, such as: What might happen next? How will the story end? Why did the author write this? What else do I want to know?
Noticing
What are the important clues? Is there something I don’t understand? Has the author done something crafty?
Figuring Out
How do all the clues fit together? What do I understand better? What conclusions can I draw?
Reading Comprehension Strategies for Informational Selections from Nancy Boyles
Predicting What will I probably learn from this text?
Connecting What do I already know about this topic? What did I read elsewhere about this topic?
Picturing What clues in the illustrations/diagrams can help me to understand this reading?
Wondering What questions will this text probably answer? What more do I want to know about this topic?
Noticing What clues do I notice in this text that can help me to understand it?
Figuring Out Do I have a plan for figuring out the big ideas and the supporting evidence?
Connecting / GuessingPicturing / Noticing
Wondering / Figuring Out
Predicting What will I probably learn from this text?
NF / Connecting What do I already know about this topic? What did I read elsewhere about this topic?
NF
Noticing What clues do I notice in this text that can help me to understand it?
NF / Picturing What clues in the illustrations/diagrams can help me to understand this reading?
NF
Figuring Out Do I have a plan for figuring out the big ideas and the supporting evidence?
NF / Wondering What questions will this text probably answer? What more do I want to know about this topic?
NF
Predicting
What might happen next? How will the story end? What is the author trying to tell me?
F / Connecting
What other books have I read that might relate to this story?
F
Noticing
What are the important clues? Is there something I don’t understand? Has the author done something crafty?
F / Picturing
How am I visualizing what the words describe?
F
Figuring Out
How do all the clues fit together? What do I understand better? What conclusions can I draw?
F / Wondering
What questions pop into my mind, such as: What might happen next? How will the story end? Why did the author write this? What else do I want to know?
F
Literacy Work Station
Close Reading of Character Traits (RL3)
In this work station students will read a piece of literature with the focus of identifying the character trait of both main characters and secondary characters. Students will use the character trait cards and extract evidence from the text to support the trait they have identified.
The literature selection can be from a read aloud used in the teacher’s modeled mini lesson, the students’ text from small group instruction, a piece from the listening center, an audio piece listened to on the computer, and/or any piece of literature. Ideally, we are striving for students to apply this strategy to their independent reading in which case the students will use their independent reading book to complete the activity. The scaffolding needed for each child needs to be determined by the classroom teacher as each child will need modification of the expected outcome depending on his/her reading level.
Please refer to the modeled Close Reading of Stray, Cynthia Rylant, and additional materials needed for this work station:
index cards, glue sticks,
Character Traits
calm / careful / careless
Cheerful / clever / cross / cruel
Curious / foolish / funny / gloomy
grumpy / honest / Mischievous / miserable
Patient / reckless / scared / selfish
thoughtful / wicked / wise / worried
From Nancy Boyles
Character Traits
Reliable / ungrateful / cautious / cowardly / dependable / fearless
Ferocious / gullible / humble / loyal / optimistic / pessimistic
argumentative / bold / envious / faithful / independent / insensitive
Irritable / modest / sensible / stern / sympathetic / supportive
Timid / unpredictable / unreliable / appreciative / carefree / demanding
Innocent / predictable / self-
assured / spiteful / tolerant / trustworthy
Assertive / haughty / indifferent / meek / menacing / noble
Surly / glum / ingenious / conceited / rambunctious / sullen
From Nancy Boyles
Stray
by Cynthia Rylant
Applying the Common Core Reading Standards to the Study of Literature
Practice the Reading Anchor Standards by sharing this story with your class.
Remind students that “you get out of Reading what you put into it” and that “details matter” when you are doing a “close read”. – Lucy Calkins
This story takes place in winter. A young girl named Doris lives with her mother and father. One day Doris finds a puppy and wants to keep it.
Story Discussion:
Read pages 42 and 43 aloud.
Stop and ask the listeners to discuss what they have heard so far with 2 or 3 other people:
What is this story coming to be about?
Weather in stories is not accidental. How does this author use the setting/weather to help tell her story?
Read pages 44 and 45 aloud.
How is the story progressing?
What have you learned about the characters so far?
Use the text to explain your thoughts.
Finish the story by reading pages 46 and 47 aloud.
What is your thinking about the story? What is the central idea?
How would you describe the characters? Did anyone surprise you? How?
Who thinks Doris was weak? Who disagrees and describes her as strong?
Form 2 lines based on your votes. Find a person in the opposite line and try to convince them of your viewpoint. Use evidence from the story to support your argument.
General Ideas for Discussions:
Interrupt the reading of text often to allow students to formulate their thoughts.
Ask frequently, “What is this story coming to be about?”
Allow time for sharing with a partner or small group.
Don’t wait until the story is over to summarize conclusions.
Let the central ideas develop during the reading.
Encourage students to form opinions/inferences and adjust them as the story proceeds.
Ask for text evidence. Why do you think that? What words in the text support your thinking?/ How does the author show that? What do you think of the characters? Why? Do the characters change as the story unfolds? How? Use evidence from the text to support your conclusions.
Lesson by Lucy Calkins