Following Characters Into Meaning

Transcription

1 The Reader s Workshop Following Characters Into Meaning Grades 3-5

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3 Items Included In This Unit Read Aloud Suggestions Parent Letter 20 Minilessons Partnership Planning Sheets Anchor Charts Student Web Charts Bookmarks The content in this packet is adapted from Book 2, of Units of Study for Teaching Reading Grades 3-5 by Lucy Calkins. Notes: You will find the Teaching Point in each lesson will be in the Connection Section and will be bolded. Depending on if you have introduced partnerships you will need to introduce these particular partnerships how you see fit. There is a blank spot in each template for those adjustments.

4 Read Alouds That Fit Well With This Unit Chrysanthemum Kevin Henkes Chester s Way Every Living Thing The Yellow Star Tiger Rising Because of Winn Dixie Matilda The Other Side Kevin Henkes Cynthia Rylant Carmen Agra-Deedy Kate DiCamillo Kate DiCamillo Roland Dahl Jacqueline Woodson

5 Turn and Talk Strategies and Groups To Use Throughout the Year September-June Students turn to a partner sitting next to them to discuss a question or concept. Think, Pair, Share September-June Students think individually about a question before discussing their thoughts with a partner. Pairs then report their thinking to another pair or to the class. Think, Pair, Write September-June As in Think, Pair, Share, the students think individually before discussing their thoughts with a partner. The students then write what they are thinking. They might share their writing with another pair or with the class. Buddy Reading September-June Students read familiar texts with a partner. Students may share a book or use their own copies. Buddies take turns reading aloud, listening, and questioning. The listening student follows along and provides support when necessary. Students are encouraged to read fluently, with phrasing and expression. In fourth grade, buddy reading is used selectively with at-risk students.

6 Materials Used Throughout the Workshop Just Right Books (Leveled Texts appropriately marked) Book Boxes Books I Want To Read List Books teachers read aloud Reading Logs Anchor Charts Anecdotal Records Sticky notes Reading notebooks Books read log

7 USING POST-ITS THROUGH THE YEAR In the beginning of the year, after modeling thinking aloud with the read aloud, the teacher models writing about reading using charts, post-its, and her readers notebook. Students can write questions, comments, reactions, and retellings on post-its and leave them in their books until they meet with the teacher, a partner, or a book club. When finished with a book, the student should transfer the post-its to his reader s notebook for safekeeping. Partners can use post-its to mark places where they have strong reactions to the text, then talk about what happened in that section and why they reacted so strongly. Partners can support each other by using a post-it to mark a confusing word and working together to figure out the word. Partners should use post-its to mark spots for discussion a funny part, scary part, a confusing part, a funny word, a favorite passage, some dialogue to share. Post-it when you learn something new about the character or when a new event happens. Notice when a character does something. Stop-and-jot why you think the character did that. What will he do next?

8 CONFERRING WITH READERS Be sure to meet with every student each week. Keep records for each child on his strengths, weaknesses, teaching point, etc. There should be only one teaching point per conference. You may need to spend more than one conference time on a certain skill. Make sure your teaching point has a strategy. Name the skill and the strategy for doing it. During the first week of school the teacher should be observing the reader, listening to him read - noticing and recording what skills the student needs to improve. Notice how many pages the student is reading. At what pace does he progress through books? Does he abandon most books? Is he reading at home? What genres does he gravitate toward? Learn about their reading behaviors and processes. Go around the room giving encouragement and a compliment. Set a positive tone where students know their strengths are recognized. Give compliments that reinforce procedures and strategies. Use a student or a whole group as a model for doing the right thing during readers workshop. Begin conferences by asking students to show you what they ve been jotting about their reading and talk to you about some of their ideas. Teach students their role in a conference in a whole class mini-lesson. Explain that they are expected to tell what s happening in their book and their processes. They tell a brief summary and strategies they ve tried. They tell what they re struggling with and what ideas they re having. Students need to show evidence on ways they ve used strategies that you have been teaching. As the teacher you need to plan where you will confer, your schedule, and checklist forms you will use. Many teachers prefer to go to the student for the conference. When the teacher moves around it helps with discipline, observations, and you can have impromptu conferences with a small group of kids. It helps to have a schedule so you are sure to meet with every student each week. A form to fill out for each child with strategies, needs, compliment, teaching point helps you remember what you have discussed with each child and can be used as one assessment tool.

9 RUNNING RECORDS Use multiple approaches to get information about your students as readers. Students are more than just reading levels. They have histories with books and attitudes about reading. Think about skills the reader needs. Come up with a few strategies for each skill by thinking What do I do? When assessing a child to find their reading level, you must take into consideration accuracy, fluency, and strong comprehension. We want students to read at 96% accuracy and higher, as well as reading fluently at that level. If a child is reading word by word, choppy, and very slow, we would not consider that level to be a child s independent reading level. Also, we want to make sure the child can answer literal questions as well as inferential questions. If he/she is unable to infer at that level, that would not be his/her independent level. To assess quickly, use information from last year s teacher. To assess quickly, give students at higher reading levels book chapters, and ask them to write retellings. Choose a few books at each level. If possible choose texts that are less familiar to the kids. Have them read the first chapter. When finished with the chapter, have them write a retelling without looking back at the chapter. If a child is struggling with the retelling, ask him to retell it orally. (This is an assessment of comprehension not writing ability.) If a student is still struggling give them copies of easier texts to try. Be positive even when a student is struggling. Use running records to make sure what students levels are and to develop skills to work with the students during their conferences. Does he self-correct? Is he fluent? Use the TC leveled stories and teacher forms. Have a student copy and a teacher copy of the benchmark text. Record the miscues/errors as the student reads aloud 100 words from a chapter. Use the shorthand symbols to record your observations about the child s reading behavior. Jot down notes about the student s fluency and intonation. The student continues reading the section aloud or silently. When finished he retells the story and you ask him questions. Ask both literal and inferential questions. Try an easier level if the student didn t read fluently with 97% accuracy, or if he was unable to answer comprehension questions. Try a harder level if the student shows no areas of challenge and can answer the higher level comprehension questions. Give a reading survey to find out what they like to read, their reading history, and their attitudes about reading. Some questions might include: o What kind of books do you like to read? o Who is your favorite author? o What kind of books does your family read to you at home? o Do you like to read stories? o Do you like to read books where you learn cool facts? o What do you feel when you hear It s time to read! in school o What do you read at home?

10 Reading Partner Ideas/Expectations For Year Readers have partners who read the same kinds of just-right books. Partners often read the same books or swap books, so that they can talk more deeply about books and what they re reading. Partners shop together. Partners know the procedures to have good partner talk. They know how to sit facing each other. Talk about ways you should sit when sharing. Have students model sitting with a partner. Practice getting in & out of talk positions quickly. During the first week partners talk about what they re reading, how much, and how long. Partners know how to ask questions to keep the conversation alive. Make a chart of conversation starters such as: Why did...? What s this part about? How is this (detail) like this (detail)? What would happen if? Who is? What does this section detail? Do you think that? I don t understand this section. Make a bookmark for each child or a chart with the conversation starters. Partners know how to be a good listener. Students discuss what makes a good listener. What can you do to show that you are listening? Could you retell what your partner just told you? Chart their suggestions. Partners can talk about their mental pictures. What do the places in the book look like? Partners can sketch the character, the character s home, the house. Talk with your partner about the reasons for this image. Partners can listen to each other retell, asking questions to clarify and dig deeper into the story. They can ask questions about the main characters: What is Mr. Putter like? They can ask questions about the reasons why events happened: Why did he agree to keep the dog? They can ask questions to encourage prediction: What do you think will happen next? Why do you think that? Partners need to ask questions to clarify or dig deeper about the main character or the plot. Why did the even happen? Why did the character do that? What do you think will happen next? What would you have done? Discuss with your partner how the character talks, what they would like or not like, how they treat others.

11 Expectations During The Reading Workshop During The Mini Lesson I will come quickly and quietly to the workshop corner seated next to my partner. I will demonstrate good listening skills throughout the lesson and also when I share with my partner. I will not talk with my friends unless told to do so. I will raise my hand if I would like to contribute to the conversation or ask a question. During Independent Reading Time I will read my book quietly and with my mind turned on. I will use the strategies and skills we have focused on in the mini lesson. I will log my reading time and pages read. I will write journal entries thoughtfully and completely. I will stop and jot about important information. I will pay attention to wild, wondrous words I read and add them to my list. During Individual Conference Time or Small Group Work I will listen and respond to the teacher or group members in a whisper voice if I am in the group. I will not interrupt individual conferences or small group work with questions or concerns. I will always focus on becoming a stronger reader!!

12 Reading Log Name Select a book to read. Record the title, author, and letter code on your reading log. When you have completed it, highlight the Title. If you have abandoned it, write an (A), next to the book. Note whether the book was easy (E), just right (JR), or challenging (C) for you. (E)Easy Number Title Author Letter Code Genre Code Just Right (JR) Challenge of Pages I read today Time I read today (C)

13 Dear Parents, Now that we understand ourselves as readers, we are going to dig deeper and get to know our characters with our second unit, Following Characters into Meaning. We will put ourselves into their shoes, so we can connect with their struggles, emotions, experiences and relationships with other characters. We will continue to lose ourselves in our books and discuss our ideas with our classmates. As active readers we will: make educated predictions using support from the text empathize with the character to understand them on a deeper level comprehend different characters struggles and motivations Feel free to ask us the following questions: How are your characters developing and changing throughout the story? Can you empathize with your character? If so, how? Are you working on increasing your reading stamina? If so, how? We are excited to share and discuss our books with you! Thank you in advance for supporting our reading lives this year!

14 Finished Book Reflection Name Title: Author: Level: Number of Pages: Genre: (Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Traditional Literature, Science Fiction, Poetry) How do you know what the genre is? Who are the main characters in your story and how are they related to each other? Write 3-4 sentences summarizing the main events of your story. What is the setting of your story? List at least one piece of evidence (quote or paraphrase) from the book that supports how you know what the setting is. Don t forget to include the page number(s) you found your evidence on.

15 Describe your main character s personality. List at least two pieces of evidence (quote or paraphrase) from the book that support how you described your main characters personality. Don t forget to include the page number(s) you found your evidence on. 1.) 2.) Describe how your main characters changes or what they learn by the end of the book.. Describe what you think the author s theme/message/lesson is. What would you say if you were recommending this book to a friend?

16 Our Goals For Reading 1. Read Passionately 2. Read Long 3. Read Smart 4. Read Strong

17 My Reading Goals Name: Date Goal Achieved

18 Books I Want To Read Name of Book Author Genre

19 End of Book Post-It Note Collection and Reflection Name: Date: Title: Author: Level: Genre: Put your post-its below. Put a small piece of tape on each one to make sure that they don t fall off. Choose one of your post-its to reflect on. (See the directions on the back.)

20 Choose one of the post-its that you put on the front of the worksheet to answer the following questions. Draw a star next to the post-it that you chose. Give a brief summary of what was happening in the part of the book where you wrote this post-it. (Do not summarize your entire book!) Explain what you were thinking when you wrote this post-it.

21 Session 1: Making Movies in Our Minds as We Read Materials: *Your own writing of a time in your life when words on a page brought a person to life for you * Have chapter 1 of The Tiger Rising read by this lesson (3 pgs long) * The Tiger Rising Anchor Charts: *Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters *Ways You and Another Reader Can Talk About Your Books Connection Tell children about a time when words on a page brought a distant person to life for you. My idea: When we read, we make a movie in our minds and we become one of the characters. Reread an intense but brief section of The Tiger Rising, and as you read, pause often to visualize, describing what you see and enacting it. (See LC p.5 for sample: Start at beginning of chapter 1 and read through he stood and stared on p.2) Active Engagement Continue reading (through Rob had not cried since, not once. ), this time pausing often to prompt children to walk in the shoes of the character, seeing what he or she is seeing, thinking what he or she is thinking. (See p.7-8.) At the end, have students stop and jot: What s the picture in your mind? Sketch what you are picturing, or use words. Link Partnerships Whenever you are reading, make sure you are seeing the movie of the story in your mind and picturing yourself inside the scenes. (Chart: Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters) No partnerships today just introduce partnerships again (see example anchor chart attached)

22 Share Review chart: Ways You and Another Reader Can Talk About Your Books and point out the idea that readers can read a favorite part and act it out. Explain previously in Then have students try it.

23 Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters We make a movie in our minds, drawing on the text to envision (or become) the character. We use our own experiences to help us walk in the character s shoes, inferring what the character is thinking, feeling, experiencing. We revise our mental movies as we read on, getting new details from the text. We notice when we feel connected to a character and use that feeling to deepen our understanding of the character. We read with our minds on fire and capture thoughts that lead us into grand conversations. We pay attention to the actions of our characters and see those actions as choices. We think about instances when the character seems to act out of character and think, How might these instances lead me to revise my initial ideas about the character? Or Might the character be changing? We notice the objects that a character holds close and think, What might the character s relationship with this object suggest about the character? We pay attention to the way other characters treat, speak to, and view the main character.

24 The Reading Workshop

25 Ways You and Another Reader Can Talk About Your Books Tell the big things that happened to the main character so far, either by reaching back and starting at the beginning, perhaps saying Previously in, or by starting with now and tucking in past events. Share a passage you flagged because it is especially well written, intense, funny, and so on. Then perform the passage, talking about how best to interpret it. Act out a scene that feels important (preferably one with a lot of dialogue) and then talk about the new ideas you came up with about the characters or the story as a result. Share your predictions. Help your partner to predict what will happen in the next chapter, not just in the whole book, and to draw on specifics he or she knows from having read the book. Predict not just what will happen but how it will happen.

26 Partners Name s: Reading Partnership Planning Sheet Title of Chosen Book: Author: Genre: Meet the Book Meeting: Date: / / What do you think the book will be about? Have you read other books in the series or by the same author? Complete a Prediction Story Web Set-up First Discussion Meeting: Read to Page # First Discussion Meeting: Date: / / What is happening in the book so far? (Retell the story together) Share thick questions and discuss your answers. Discuss and record predictions about what will happen next in the story. Set-up Second Discussion Meeting: Read to Page # Second Discussion Meeting: Date: / / What is happening in the book so far? (Retell the story together) Share thick questions and discuss your answers. Discuss Talking Back to Books sticky notes. Discuss and record predictions about what will happen next in the story. Set-up next meeting: Page # Final Discussion Meeting: Date: / / What happened at the end? (Retell the ending together) Were you surprised by the way the story ended? Did you like the ending? Share lingering questions about the story. Prepare for your book talk.

27 Session 2: Living in the World of a Story Materials: *The Tiger Rising (will read beginning of Chp. 2 today) * A personal story about a time when you lived as if on autopilot and then someone helped you wake up and truly experience life * Have chapter 2 of The Tiger Rising read by Session 3 * Anchor Chart: Chart: Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters ( LC p.49; create as we go) Connection Story-tell a time when you lived on autopilot until someone helped you to wake up, to pay attention. My idea: Readers need to be the ones to notice if we are really engaged in what we are reading, and if we find ourselves drifting, we work to bring the story to life by envisioning our characters worlds. Remind children of a story in which the character crosses a threshold to an imagined world, and suggest that all readers must cross a threshold, entering the world of the story. (Example: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: the children find a wardrobe, go in, and go into another world.) We go from reading the words on the page to feeling as if we have entered another world. Active Engagement Read the beginning of chapter 2 through Rob sat there and took it. Now reread the same section and have Partner 1 be the bullies and Partner 2 be Rob and use body postures, facial expressions, and gestures to live the part as you read. Reread again, and then have students make a tiny play and improvise what the characters say. Link Whenever you read, try to read like we did today. Try to be the main character and make the stories come to life. (Chart: Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters) Partnerships

28 Share Have students set goals for themselves. (How many pages they should be reading at home and at school; What strategies to use/practice more.) Coach them to boost the level of what they are doing to build their reading muscles.

29 Session 3: Stirring Our Empathy Through Personal Response Materials: *The Tiger Rising * Have chapter 3 of The Tiger Rising read by Session 4 (help children envision Sistine as a shy girl wearing a fancy pink dress) * students will need pencil and journal at carpet Anchor Charts: *Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters (LC p.49; create as we go); *Acting Out an Important Scene (LC p.55); Connection Review the scene from yesterday s book and how we became Rob and felt what he felt when he was being bullied. Readers not only envision what s happening in the story, but also empathize with the characters. We might remember times in our lives when we lived through something similar and then bring our feelings and thoughts from those experiences to help us understand what we are reading. Sometimes readers don t make those connections. They keep their feelings and memories stuffed away just like Rob, but it is important that we try to make connections. Active Engagement 1. Listen as I reread the same scene we read yesterday and think of a memory of a time in your life when you were treated wrongly and felt like you couldn t cry out. (Reread.) 2. When has something similar happened to you? Stop and jot, recording your memories. 3. How does the memory of your own experience help you realize staff about what Rob was probably thinking or going through? (Thumbs up when you have an idea. Turn and talk.) Link Whenever you read, remember to make a movie in your mind, become the character, and use your own memories to help you walk in the character s shoes. (Add to Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters. ) Partnerships

30 Share Reenacting an important part of the text Chart: Acting Out an Important Scene Gather readers. Name the steps involved in reenacting an important part of the text and ask them to do it. Coach students as they try it. Celebrate the work of one group to cement the learning for all.

31 Acting Out an Important Scene Find a scene that matters, preferably one with lots of dialogue Give your partner a "previously in..." to catch them up on what has happened up until that point Open the book to the scene you will act out and leave it open between the two of you. Decide who will take which part. Act it out! Talk about the scene and how you are coming to understand the characters better. Act one more time, using all you've realized about the characters to add more gestures and intonation. Bring it to life!

32 Session 4: Letting the Text Revise Our Image of the Character Materials: *The Tiger Rising: Have chapter 3 read by this session (help children envision Sistine as a shy girl wearing a fancy pink dress) -DO NOT read through chapter 4 save it for session 5 to teach predicting Anchor Charts: *Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters (LC p.63; Smart create as we go) *Ways You and Another Reader Can Talk About Your Books (Smart) Connection Last time we learned how readers walk in the shoes of characters and feel what they feel. Today, and always, we ll continue to do this. Readers revise our mental movies when new details in the text lead us to change our minds. Remember in The Tiger Rising we made a movie in our minds when the new character, Sistine, got onto the bus. We pictured Sistine as a blond-haired, shy girl in a fancy pink party dress, nervously walking down the aisle of the bus. We have that picture of Sistine in our minds. As we read on, let s continue to imagine, filling in the details. (Read the beginning on Chapter 4 through off a spaceship from another planet. ) I am picturing a shy girl standing at the front of the room with everyone looking at her. I am filling in the details from what I know from my own life. But the important thing that I want you to notice is that sometimes when we bring in stuff from our own lives, we create pictures that when we read on, turn out to be wrong. (Continue reading through She looked around the room defiantly. Emphasize how our previous image was incorrect.) Active Engagement Link Tell your partner what words you used before to describe Sistine and what words you would use now. Whenever you read, envision what is happening in your story, and revise your mental movie based on

33 new details you read. (Add to Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters. ) Partnerships Share Readers-you will have time now to talk with your partners. You may decide how to focus your talk using some of the ideas on the charts. Decide what support you need as a reader. Use your time to strengthen your muscles as a reader. Take a moment to make a short mental list of the work you could do. Thumbs up if you have a few ideas. Call on a few children to share their ideas.

34 Session 5: Spinning All We Know Into Predictions Materials: *The Tiger Rising; *Read through Chapter 7 of The Tiger Rising by Session 6 *LC p.73: Sample story of a student who was able to use his/her own life to imagine a character s feelings; Sample story about watching a TV show and being able to predict what would happen Anchor Charts: Strategies Readers Use When We Predict (LC p.80/96) Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters (create as we go) Ways You and Another Reader Can Talk About Your Books (LC p.87 add to today) Connection Tell about a time in your life when, because you know a person well, you heard that the person was facing trouble and immediately did some envisioning and predicting how that person would probably respond. My idea: Readers use our empathy for our characters to help us make predictions based on what we imagine they might do, say, or feel. Tell the story of a reader who identified with the character in a book and predicted what would happen based on the text and what he imagined the character felt. (See LC p.73 or use my own example) Tell the story of one time when you watched TV and you were able to predict how the story would unfold. My idea: Active 1. Briefly review what was last read in The Tiger Rising. Continue reading where we left off through

35 Engagement Rob looked up just as Sistine sat down. 2. Have students stop and jot what they think Rob will do next. Have a few students share. 3. Continue reading, showing children that readers carry predictions with us, looking for confirmation or to be surprised. Readers lift the level of our predictions by drawing on knowledge of characters and ourselves. (Predicting Anchor Chart) Link Whenever you read, remember to become the character in your story and predict what the character will do next. (Add to Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters. ) Partnerships Share Ways You and Another Reader Can Talk About Your Books (LC p.87; add to it today); Encourage your partner to say more

36 Strategies Readers Use When We Predict Make a movie in our mind of what has yet to happen and tell it bit by bit. Think about what has already happened in the book and use our understanding of the characters to imagine the upcoming text. Draw on our personal knowledge of similar experiences to anticipate the upcoming text. Imagine not only what the character will do but how he or she will do it.

37 Session 6: Detailing Predictions to Bring Out Personalities Materials: *Have read through Chapter 7 of The Tiger Rising * The Tiger Rising (will read beginning of chapter 8 today) * Have through chapter 12 of The Tiger Rising read by Session 8 Anchor Charts: *Strategies Readers Use When We Predict (LC p.96) *Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters Connection Review what we ve learned so far ask students to use their charts to name three things they ve learned about prediction. To predict well, it helps to make a movie in your mind of how our stories might unfold. We can predict how things happen by remembering what we already know about our characters. Active Engagement 1. We re going to begin reading Chp. 8 of The Tiger Rising, and as we do let s identify with the characters so we imagine not only what will happen next, but also how it will unfold. (Read the first paragraph.) 2. I wonder how Rob s dad will respond to the note from the principal. Stop and jot your prediction in your notebook. (See LC p.92) (Remind students to explain how his dad will react what it will look like and to think about what they know about the dad s character and revise their predictions). 3. (Read through Rob nodded. ) Stop and jot your prediction. (Coach as they work.) 4. Share predictions with partner. Link Whenever you read, remember to picture not just what is happening but how it is happening, thinking about what you know about a character to anticipate what will happen next. (Add to Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters. ) *For the next few days jot your predictions on post-its or in your reader s notebook.

38 Here are strategies you can use to make your predictions even better: Strategies Readers Use When We Predict Partnerships Share Give an example of some good prediction work and ask children to select and discuss (in groups) an instance in which their own prediction work is good.

39 Strategies Readers Use To Grow Ideas About Characters Notice the actions a person has made, seeing these as windows into that person. Notice actions that don t move the plot they re often there to reveal the character. Realize actions are choices a person makes and examine what those choices reveal. Notice patterns of actions especially and think, Why did the author have this character continually doing this? What might this mean? If the actions don t seem to reveal anything, push harder to find something that could be significant. Try saying, Maybe this suggests Or Perhaps it could be Come up with an idea and then try to think more about the idea. Say, This could be important because he (she) Have grand conversations with a friend or partner, sharing your idea with energy, giving examples from the text. Then hope your partner will challenge your idea. The goal of talking is for you to revise your ideas (and to help your partner do the same).

40 Session 7: Mining Details About Characters Materials: *a picture book that you will read aloud today that contains many details about a main character to help children connect with the character and make predictions about them * idea for a story about someone who was so intent on rushing that they missed the terrain * Have read through chapter 12 of The Tiger Rising by Session 8 Anchor Chart: Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters Connection Tell the story of someone who was so intent on rushing between one place and another that he never really saw the terrain he passed through. My idea: Readers pay attention to details in order to envision and predict well, and actually begin to care about the character they are reading about. 1. Quickly flip through the picture book, showing that you can get the main plotline, but not make a mental movie or predict or really get to know the character. 2. Look at the front cover and wonder about the character. Read the beginning, pointing out what we are learning about the character and make a prediction about what the character will do. 3. When you read, you should be picturing what is happening, trying to predict, and thinking about the character s feeling all at the same time. Active Engagement 1. As I read on, I want you to continue to listen in such a way that you are getting more and more connected to the character. Listen to all the little details about the character, and you ll notice that your envisioning, predicting, and thinking about him/her happen all at once. 2. Continue reading and then have students stop and jot everything they are thinking. Link Whenever you read, make sure to pay attention to details, allowing the little things about the way a

41 character dresses, talks, acts, or moves to help you know the character well enough that you can predict what this character might do in a situation. (Add to Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters) Partnerships Share Readers care about their characters. It s like they experience the same moments the characters do. And when we do that, we can grow new ideas about the story, the characters, and the world. Think about a character that you have cared a lot about or connected with and share that with your partner.

42 Part 2: Building Theories, Gathering Evidence

43 Session 8: Talking to Grow Theories About Characters Materials: *Have through chapter 12 of The Tiger Rising read * Read the following in The Tiger Rising: Through chp. 14 by Session 13, through chp. 21 by session 16, and through chp. 25 by Session 17. Anchor Chart: Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters Connection I ve noticed that you love to talk to each other before school, after school, at lunch, at recess, and whenever you have a chance, but often when I ask you to talk to me or to each other about the book you are reading, you seem to have little to say and you don t talk with enthusiasm. Readers not only read, identifying with the characters and feeling lost in the story line, but we also pull back to think and talk about the book and especially the characters. 1. We re not only going to get lost in our books, we re going to think and say smart things about what we ve just read and develop theories about our characters. 2. Tell the children a story about a time you were bursting to talk about your thoughts but had to bottle them up. Explain how this is like what we do during reading, saving up our responses to share later. Active Engagement *Have one partnership join up with another partnership so there are groups of four. 1. Listen with your eyes closed, focusing on what you learn about the characters in this passage. Think of things that you want to say after I am done reading. You can talk about the characters just like you talk about people in real life, by saying things like I can t believe he Why d he do that? I bet it s because Or maybe 2. Read an excerpt from chp. 12 The she (Sistine) saw his carvings You re an artist. 3. Open your eyes and share with your group. Link Whenever you read, try to have thoughts about your book as you read and record those thoughts on post-its so you don t forget them. We will use these thoughts you jotted down to have great partner

44 conversations. (Add to Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters ) Partnerships Share Aim for and rehearse for grand book conversations: Give students time to look through post-its and select an idea that might lead to a grand conversation. Then give students time to discuss.

45 Session 9: Developing Nuanced Theories About Characters Materials: *The Tiger Rising Anchor Charts: Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters, To Grow Ideas About Characters, Connection Tell a story about someone who is good at reading people. Then suggest that reading people in real life is like reading people in stories. My idea: Readers can develop complex theories about their characters by paying attention to how they act. 1. Let s return to a part of The Tiger Rising that we ve already read, where Willie May is introduced. We ll be making a movie in our minds as we always do, but this time, let s especially notice this character s actions, letting those actions help us see the sort of person she really is. 2. Read from the beginning of Chapter 10 through pigs at least give you some respect. 3. Point out that the book does not SAY that much about Willie May, but by paying close attention to what she DOES, we can learn what kind of person she is. (Reread she threw herself down pigs at least give you some respect. ) 4. Model figuring out what kind of person she is. (spitfire; loud; rough; she stands up for herself) Contrast her with Rob. Point out that you may need to revise your theory as you continue reading. 5. Review the strategies you used, showing the chart To Grow Ideas About a Character, I Active Continue reading and have students try these strategies.

46 Engagement 1. Continue reading through else you ll end up like me. 2. Turn and talk about how Willie May s actions here tell us something about her. (Think about how she might have acted or spoken instead of how she acts and speaks here; Are there patterns you re starting to spot in how she operates?) 3. Let s skip ahead a bit, and you can add to or revise your theory. (Read Willie May opened her eyes You got to let the sadness rise on up. ) Then have students turn and talk. Link Whenever you read, pay attention to a character s actions so you can develop a theory about what kind of person that character is. (Add to Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters ). Be sure to mark passages that are good windows into your character as you read today. Partnerships Share Partners have a grand conversation about their characters, using passages they marked.

47 Session 10: Expecting Complications in Characters Materials: *The Tiger Rising * Anecdote about a time when someone acted out of character Anchor Charts: *When a Character Acts Out of Character, Think About, *Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters, Prompts to Grow Your Ideas Connection Remind students that we read people by thinking about their actions to find out what kind of person they are. We look for patterns that confirm or challenge our theory. Characters are complicated; they are not just one way. To grow complex ideas about characters, it helps to think deeply about times when a person seems to act out of character. Tell children about a time when someone you know acted of character, and instead of dismissing those actions as weird, you thought, Why might the person have done that? and developed more complex ideas about the person. My idea: Characters, like people in real life, are not just one way. Active Engagement 1. Very quickly review the kind of character we think Sistine is. (angry; gutsy; hates the town). Keep our theory about Sistine in mind and pay attention to time when Sistine acts out of character. (*Set students up to discuss in groups of 4). 2. Read from chapter 12 ( When he straightened laid it back on his bed. ) 3. Talk to your small group about what might have motivated Sistine who at first seemed to be angry about everything to act in this way that at first seems out of character. (Direct students to chart: When a character acts out of character, think about ).

48 Link Whenever you read, if your character acts out of character, push yourself to think, Why might my character be acting this way? (Add to Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters ). Partnerships Share Chart: Prompts to Grow Your Ideas; Have students use the prompts to have a grand conversation with their partner about their characters

49 When a Character Acts Out of Character, Think About... What might motivate your character to act this way? What might this show about the person that we might not know?

50 Readers express insights to texts by drawing an initial conclusion about the characters or story. Character/Story Initial Thinking Conclusions: New Understandings

51 Session 11: Attending to Objects that Reveal Characters Materials: *Mentor Text: Tiger Rising (Chapter 22) * idea to share about an object that is important to you * oversized post-its to model stopping & jotting about significant objects Anchor Chart: *Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters Connection Discuss an object that I own that has great significance for me. Talk about the letters and s that I have kept that Mr. Sheahan has written me. Ask students if they have objects that they keep close to them or keep to remind them about something special. Examples of others: Mitch s first gun that his father gave him. He had to earn that gun and prove that he was going to be safe and responsible for it to be given to him. Now he is looking forward to giving that gun to Aiden when he is ready to show that type of responsibility. One of my other friends has a couple letters from her grandmother in her nightstand drawer. Her grandmother is not a very affectionate person, but in her letters she always writer I wish I could give you a hug right now. She would not typically say this so my friend knows that it is a big deal that her grandmother would write this. Objects are tightly packed with significance for people in real life and for characters in books. (Ex: Harry Potter & his wand). Possessions are little clues to what is important to a person. Readers pay special attention to the objects that characters hold close to their hearts. These objects are often windows into the mind and heart of our characters. 1. Give an example using a student. (Ex: Child always has soccer ball sports are very important to him.)

52 2. Using the oversized post-its, model jotting and thinking about objects that are important to Rob & why: What objects does Rob keep close? What does that make me think about him? He has all the little figures that he whittled out of wood. When Sistine first sees the figures all laid out in the motel room, Rob seems to feel both nervous and proud. Then I ask, What does this make me think about Rob? It seems that these figures are so important to Rob because his mother taught him how to whittle before she died, and when he whittles, he remembers her without having to talk about her. The figures help Rob feel closer to his mother. Once I come up with an idea about what the objects might reveal about a character, I try to think more about that. Rob seems like a lonely character. He has a hard time talking about the things he wants and feels. So instead of saying how much he misses his mom, he does this thing that his mom taught him. Also, in a way, this village of figures keeps him company in the bare motel room that he shares with his father. Maybe they help him not think about how dark and quiet the world has become since his mom died. 3. Did you notice how I spend some time mulling over the significant of these whittled figures and what they reveal about Rob? Now, I have some theories about Rob that I could write more about. Did you notice that I didn t just ask a question, answer it, and move on like I was taking a test? This isn t a test, and there s no right answer. Active Engagement Link Prompt children to work so that one partner tells the other about an object he or she keeps close and the other helps the first discover the significance of that object. **Look for an example to share with the class. Also ask the class to think more about what Rob s objects reveal about him and use the Anchor Chart: Prompts to Grow your ideas. Use the prompts to talk about your thinking. Share a partner conversation that illustrates the point. Review big take away for today: Readers pay special attention to the objects that characters hold close to their hearts. These objects are often windows into the mind and heart of our characters. Have students break off to read independently until time for partnerships. They should make sure that they are prepared for their partnership conversation and have a sticky note with thinking and evidence jotted down on it.

53 Partnerships Share After Independent reading time have students switch to their partnerships. Later in their partnerships they will discuss what objects/possessions they found the character in their book held tightly to and what that reveled about the character. Pull Students back together on the carpet and share some of the deep thinking that you heard during partnerships. Have students pick one idea they jotted down today about their character and discuss it with their partner. Readers pay special attention to the objects that characters hold close to their hearts. These objects are often windows into the mind and heart of our characters.

54 Partnership Names: Partnership Book: Author: Date: Objects That Reveal Characters Readers pay special attention to the objects that characters hold close to their hearts. These objects are often windows into the mind and heart of our characters. Place Sticky Note Here Place Sticky Note Here List any additional evidence used to discuss your idea: List any additional evidence used to discuss your idea: Teacher Comments to Partnership:

55 Name: Date: Character Analysis Chart Book and Author: Character s Name: Talk(says) Action(does) Thought(thinks)

56 Session 12: Seeing Characters Through the Eyes of Others Materials: *Have through chp. 14 read of The Tiger Rising by Session 14 * idea for an example: we create theories about characters/people based on how other people react to them * copies of excerpts from The Tiger Rising (optional) Anchor Chart: * Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters Connection When readers want to think deeply about a character, we can examine the ways that people around the character treat the character, looking especially for patterns of behavior. We not only notice how other characters treat and view the main character, but we also notice what others call the character, and the voice and body language people assume around that character. 1. Share an example from TV or life about how we create theories based on how other people react to someone. (Ex: Western cowboy riding up and everyone scurrying away nervously tough, hurts/kills people; Ex: thought someone was snobby but saw others excited to see them) 2. Demonstrate applying this thinking with The Tiger Rising. (Read from the beginning of Chp. 2 through into Rob s scalp. Active Engagement Link Give students copies of excerpts (or have them use their own/partnership books) and have them practice this thinking with a partner. Whenever you read, push yourself to grow ideas about your characters. Notice how other characters treat, speak to, and view him or her. (Add to Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters ). Partnerships Share Ask readers to name some ways they can prepare for their grand conversations. Suggest that when readers have an idea about a character that is based on one part of the book, it s smart to consider whether other parts of the book support your idea and how those parts fit together. Then give students time to prepare, and finally to discuss.

57 Session 13: Reaching for Exactly True Words Materials: *have through chp. 14 read in The Tiger Rising * Post-its (see LC for additional example post-its and charts to deepen this lesson) Anchor Charts: *To Make Sure I am Using Precise Words, I Can Ask Myself, *Strategies Readers Use to Grow Ideas About Characters Connection Celebrate that children are noticing the decisions that characters in books make, and the actions they take, and letting those decisions and actions act as clues about the characters. Readers reach for exact, precise words to convey something about a character. 1. I m going to reread from The Tiger Rising, and you ll see me notice Sistine s actions and decisions. As I do so, pay close attention to how I come up with words to describe the sort of person Sistine seems to be. (Reread from Chp. 14: What s he doing way out here It s our tiger to save. ) 2. *Model this with a post-it, underlining bossy and listing other ideas below it. I m thinking that Sistine is bossy. She seems to order Rob around a lot. The tiger isn t hers. It s not even her discovery. Yet she talks about what she and Rob should do with it as if the tiger belongs to her. This isn t the first time Sistine has been bossy. She s told Rob what to do several times. Wait my goal is to use precise words. Bossy isn t the most precise word I could use let s see controlling? feisty? I d say she s passionate. She s speaking up for what she believes in. She s fighting for that tiger. She wants to set it free. 3. Did you notice how from a general word I generated a list of other possible words, ones that are more precise descriptors of Sistine? As I think of a word, I consider it, thinking, Is this exactly true? Often it is difficult to sum a person up with just one word because characters are complicated. Sometimes it helps to compare a person to something, for example, Sistine is like a porcupine. She seems all prickly and feisty, but underneath she has a soft belly.