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READING RECONSIDERE

DA Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy

byDOUG LEMOV COLLEEN DRIGGS ERICA WOOLWAY

SELECTED RESOURCES AND CHAPTER SUMMARIES BYBIRMINGHAM EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP

READING PARTNERS BOOK CLUBCatherine Anderson Greet Primary SchoolEmma Arnott Greet Teaching School AllianceKate Holder Greet Primary SchoolDan Howell Greet Primary School

Anita Lawrence Nelson Mandela SchoolTracy Ruddle Birmingham Education PartnershipSimon Watts Conway Primary School

Chapter 1: Text Selection

This chapter is all about the importance of text selection in building up children’s knowledge – that what pupils read shapes how and how well they learn to read. The chapter goes on to give arguments for and against set reading lists, and discusses the flaws of text levelling systems. It emphasises that what children read is among the most important considerations a school can address, and suggests that schools or groups of schools might want to develop their own ‘canon’ of texts that all pupils read during their time there.

The 5 Plagues (challenges) of Reading and how to address them:

1. Archaic text – share pre-complex texts that introduce a degree of archaic diction and syntax. e.g. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Wind in the Willows, The Velveteen Rabbit, A Bear Called Paddington, Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse, The Secret Garden, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.

2. Non-linear time sequence – expose children to books such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and A Christmas Carol.

3. Complexity of narrator – suitable texts include And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by J. Stevens; The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by J. Scieszka; The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by E. Trivizas.

4. Complexity of story (plot, symbols, interwoven plots e.g. A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin is a good text for children from 8 years old.

5. Resistant text – this refers to texts which are difficult to understand, texts that deliberately resist comprehension. Sharing lots of poetry with children “can be an outstanding tool for preparing students for resistant prose,” e.g. Lewis Carroll’s ‘Jabberwocky’.Books children read and study in school are a finite, scarce and valuable resource. We need to consider the totality of the texts as part of a broader education.

There is much power in shared texts and discussion – can discuss interpretations and challenge thinking. Knowledge Development (p.50). What happens in our brains when we read does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life - the same neurological regions are stimulated.

“One of the strongest drivers of reading ability is prior knowledge.” And one of the ways that pupils gain knowledge is by reading deeply and widely.

Ref: Reading Reconsidered: A Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy Instruction; D. Lemov, C. Driggs, E. Woolway. 2016 of 22

Chapter 2: Close Reading

Close Reading

Close reading is one of the four key ideas that make up what Lemov et al term ‘the core of the core’. It is the most difficult to define clearly, but it creates the ability to read the most demanding texts, interpret them independently and understand what they mean. It avoids 'gist' reading and allows students to read text that is challenging.

It is methodical. It breaks down the text to understand how and why specific words are used. It requires layered reading (re-reading over and over again), text dependent questions, and ends with mastery expressed through writing.

Three Approaches to Layered Reading

The contiguous read is the reading of a text with the fewest possible interruptions to experience the text as a whole. It can be the ideal way to introduce and conclude a text after analysis, to see the piece as a whole.

The line by line read is when pauses for discussion and analysis are frequent, and paraphrasing can be used to establish understanding.

The leap frog read follows an image, phrase or idea through a passage, so 'leaping' over some parts of the passage to find references.

It is important to recognise that the three approaches can be combined.

Text Dependent Questions (TDQs)

TDQs require a firm knowledge of the text. They can be used to establish meaning, and to analyse meaning. They can be word or phrase level, sentence or line level, paragraph or stanza level. A referent question asks what a word (often a pronoun) refers to. A denotation question asks about the meaning of a specific word or phrase. Other examples of TDQs are:

Connotation, which asks about the implied meaning of words based on their associations. Figurative/literal, in which figurative meaning is clarified and compared to the literal interpretation

of the same piece. Allusion, which analyses an indirect reference to another text.

‘Toggling’ is the shift back and forth between establishing meaning and reading to analyse it. The final part of a close reading lesson requires written processing, especially after the first read.

Close reading must have a clear focus which clarifies what you are reading for. It is important to identify a line of inquiry, i.e. a consistent area of focus. It is more specific than a learning objective.

Close reading is an effective strategy as it teaches skills and habits that help to build up the problem-solving skills that are essential to autonomous reading.

They Could Not Take It


Think that referent and other word- and phrase-level questions that “merely establish meaning” are simplistic? Take this small test, using a sixth-grade Common Core sample passage from New York. It was shared with teachers to help them understand what sorts of passages and tasks their students would need to be able to read and complete. We’ve bolded and numbered thirteen pronouns. Read the passage and number a sheet of paper 1-13, identifying for each what the pronoun refers to.

The Greeks besieged the city of Troy for nearly ten years. They (1) could not take it (2) because the walls were so high and strong – some said that they (3) had been built by the hands of the gods – but they (4) kept the Trojans inside. This (5) had not always been so. There had been a time when the Trojans had gone out and fought with their (6) enemies on the plain, sometimes they (7) had beaten them (8) in battle, and once they (9) had very nearly burnt their (10) ships. But this (11) was all changed. They (12) had lost some of the bravest of their chiefs , such as Hector, the best of the sons of Priam and Paris the great archer and many great princes, who had come from the countries round about to help them (13).

Trickier than you thought? Consider, then, how hard it would be for pupils, especially pupils already confused by the fact, say, the word “Trojans” refers to people from Troy (now there’s a good referent question), and that the phrase “they could not take it” doesn’t mean, as it does in modern parlance, “they couldn’t put up with it anymore,” but rather “they could not capture it via military action.” You’d definitely want to focus a denotation question on that phrase. Anyway, here’s our best shot at an answer key:

1. The Greeks2. The city of Troy3. The walls around Troy4. The walls around Troy (or possibly the Greeks?)5. The state of besiegement wherein the Trojans were trapped inside their own walls6. The Trojans’7. The Trojans8. Their historical enemies (various, unnamed)9. The Trojans10. Their historical enemies, but in this case hinting at an action against specific enemies, probably

the Achaeans11. The state of existence wherein the Trojans were brave warriors who went out on conquests12. The Trojans13. The Trojans

Notice answers 5 and 11. A full and fairly complex sentence is required to describe what the pronouns are referring to. As we hope is now clear, without skill and practice at tracking pronoun references, children wouldn’t have a chance reading this passage.

Chapter 3: Reading Non-fiction and the Challenge of Background Knowledge

Chapter 3 begins with the paradox that comprehension of non-fiction often demands a strong base of prior knowledge, but reading non-fiction is also one of the primary ways such a base of knowledge is built.


The chapter seeks to address the issues that pupils need to read more non-fiction than they do currently if they are to be prepared for the next stage in their education, and that pupils may avoid non-fiction as it is generally less engaging.

As teachers we need to be careful not to just turn to narrative non-fiction – as the skills needed to read this are not dissimilar to reading fiction – but should also teach pupils how to read ‘non-narrative non-fiction’ (NNNF).

In reading, the more you know, the more you learn. A broader and deeper knowledge of a subject before you start reading allows you to decide what’s important and what’s worth prioritising in a text, and also helps you to fill in the gaps in understanding. Background knowledge helps readers to make more accurate inferences – the jumps are smaller.

In fact – E.D. Hirsch Jr in The Knowledge Deficit argues that the ability to make inferences is not actually a formal skill – i.e. that the ability to make inferences in one setting won’t necessarily increase the likelihood of your making successful inferences elsewhere (so repetition is of limited value). The writers of this book, however, think that making inference requires experience (and therefore knowledge) of what sorts of things are often missing from a text – and so practising skills is useful, alongside building background knowledge.

Absorption Rate

Refers to how quickly pupils assimilate new knowledge as they read. If pupils are simply taught non-fiction reading as a unit – and so read, say, 3 different non-

chronological reports on 3 different days, then their absorption rate is likely to be low. The texts need context and children need a reason to absorb the information.

The way that NNNF texts could be used is as embedded texts within a unit based around a primary (fiction) text.

Embedded Texts 1: Inside the bull’s-eye

When texts are closely paired it maximises synergy – e.g., reading a novel set in WW2, then reading some NNNF about the conditions that soldiers lived in. In this example, children would be more attentive to both the emotions of the soldiers (as they understand more about what they are going through) and the factual information (as they care about the soldier characters in the novel). Pupils connect the dots. The absorption rate goes up.

Embedded Texts 2: Outside the bull’s-eye

Additional non-fiction texts can be used to help pupils to better understand the world generally. The example given is of pairing the novel ‘The Outsiders’ with an article explaining the social structures/hierarchies of groups of bull elephants (the novel ‘Holes’ would also fit this pairing) – and posing the question ‘how are the social structures of the Greasers similar to those of the bull elephants?’By embedding such NNNF texts regularly in the scheme of teaching a novel we are showing the children that a book does not live in isolation, and we are also modelling, and building a habit of, intellectual curiosity.

Keys to Planning for Embedding Non-fiction

Choose your spot in the scheme of work. Create synergy – use interlocking questions to enhance synergies between texts. Adapt, combine, amend articles – to make them more accessible and applicable to younger children.


Use Fiction to Build Background Knowledge

There needs to be a coherent, sequential, knowledge-rich curriculum delivered every year from EYFS upwards.

E.g. – a book about a frog should be more than just practising reading skills – each time pupils read, taking away knowledge should also be an important (& planned) goal.

Resources from accompanying DVD:

Embedding Nonfiction: Quality-Control ChecklistBefore reading a nonfiction text with your students, it’s always important to ask yourself, How do I know the nonfiction I’ve selected is good? Is it a worthy time investment? Here are some questions to ask yourself when you evaluate a piece of nonfiction for embedding. Or, better yet, ask a colleague to use these questions to evaluate the nonfiction text you’re planning to embed. Doing so can be a useful strategy for starting a deeper conversation about the text before you teach it.Ref: Reading Reconsidered: A Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy Instruction; D. Lemov, C. Driggs, E. Woolway. 2016 of 22

Questions to help evaluate a piece of nonfiction

How will this text advance and deepen students’ understanding of the primary text? What specific themes or topics will it address?

Why is this text among the most useful and important things to add to students’ understanding of the primary text? (In other words, why not choose something else?)

What content are you seeking to add to the student’s overall, long-term knowledge base? Why is this content especially most useful and important to add to students’ knowledge base?

Questions to help evaluate the effectiveness of how you’ll use the nonfiction to complement the primary text

Have you explicitly linked the embedded text to the primary text using connecting questions?

Have you asked text-dependent questions from at least three levels (word or phrase level; sentence level; paragraph level; passage level)?

Examples of Embedding

Here are some examples of embedded nonfiction texts that teachers have paired with their primary fiction texts.

Novel Embedding ExamplesPaddington at the Palace by

Article on Buckingham Palace

Article describing the Guard at Buckingham Palace/changing of the Guard


Michael Bond Description of Big Ben

Short biography of Queen Elizabeth

Description of marmalade and how it’s made

Map of British railway stations

Article on child refugees

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr

Article on Hiroshima, Japan

Introduction to World War II

Article on the bombing of Pearl Harbor

President Roosevelt’s speech to Congress to declare war on Japan

Description of the atomic bomb, with an excerpt from President Truman’s speech about his decision to drop the bomb

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Article on the Mexican Revolution, used to establish historical time period and sentiment that leads to Papa’s death at the beginning of the novel

Article on behavior of vultures, used to analyse figurative language used to characterise Tio Luis and Tio Marco

Article on women in the Mexican Revolution, used to familiarise students with the concepts of gender roles, powerlessness of widows, and work opportunities for immigrant women in the United States

Encyclopedia entry or article on the phoenix, used to strengthen analysis of Esperanza’s characterisation of herself as a phoenix

Article on Mexican emigration to the United States, used to set up the immigrant experience in Southern California and living conditions

Article on Mexican repatriation, used to set up text conflict and Marta’s motivation

Encyclopedia entry or article on migrant labour

Nonfiction article by John Steinbeck describing his research for The Grapes of Wrath, used as a comparative description of immigrant agricultural worker life

Summary of a book about a Mexican American immigrant family involved in Cesar Chavez’s rights fight in 1960s, used to discuss the farm workers’ movement

Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank or Night by Elie Wiesel

Fast facts about World War II, used to build context

Examples of World War II propaganda, used to build context for understanding characters’ unique positions on the war

Excerpt on pogroms (mentioned in the diary, not explained), used to develop understanding of bias toward Jews during the time

Biography of Elie Wiesel, or other important Holocaust authors.

Biographical info on Dr. Mengele, used to develop understanding of Nazis

Article titled “Life in Hiding,” used to highlight the dangers to Jews in hiding, specifically other Jews willing to turn in hiding Jews to the SS in exchange for their own safety

Excerpt from the Jewish Virtual Library on concentration camp tattoos, used to introduce the concept of dehumanisation in Night

Description of a present-day visit to Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam


To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Speech excerpt by FDR in reference to “we have nothing to fear but fear itself” to give context on the Great Depression

Excerpt from Blackstone’s Commentaries (for example, “Why is it surprising that Calpurnia taught Zeebo using this book?”)

Article on caste system

Article about causes of racism (students had to examine the root cause of racism in Maycomb)

Article about hierarchies in the animal kingdom (for example, pecking order)

Article on the Great Depression

Excerpt from memoir about life in a small Southern town by an African American author

Chapter 4: Writing for Reading

This chapter is all about the relationship between reading and writing, specifically how encouraging writing can help us build top-level readers. It introduces the idea of changing how we traditionally position the writing element of comprehension work – at the end. It gives some tips to enable the children to write brilliant short pieces of writing and finally explains how we can give the children more stamina in their writing. The chapter includes lots of great examples to back up each idea.

4.1 Reading Class Cycles

The usual process when teaching is to follow the Read-Discuss-Write Cycle but this can cause a CFU (Check for Understanding) gap. In order to close this gap we can try a number of different methods.

Read-Discuss-Read – Read a passage, discuss it and then read it again with heightened understanding.

Read-Write-Read Read-Write-DiscussRef: Reading Reconsidered: A Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy Instruction; D. Lemov, C. Driggs, E. Woolway. 2016 of 22

We can also extend the writing time so it is not squeezed in at the end, or front end the writing or use one of several different tools to include more writing.

Tools for including more writing when a teacher/whole class reads a text: Stop and Jots – Pause the reading and the children write a brief response to a question from a

teacher. Open Response – These are more detailed responses to a question with the help of a skeleton

answer. Revise – Children then edit their answers based on a discussion about the question.

4.2 Revising Examples – Not just editing for the sake of editing but giving the children specific pointers in order to improve their writing.

Give children the time to edit their work! Ask children to make specific grammatical changes to their sentence. Show call – show model answers to the children and share their best answers using a visualiser.

4.3 Art of a Sentence – This is the idea of using sentence strips to write one brilliant sentence and bring back some of the creativity in writing that has nothing to do with grammar.

Using: Sentence Starters – Provide the children with specific words or phrases to start their sentences. Nondenominational Prompts – Children summarise a key part of the text. Sentence Parameters – Give children a specific goal for their sentence such as including a specific

word or phrase.

4.4 Building Stamina – Trying to avoid the, ‘I’m done!’ or ‘Can’t do it!’ mentality.

Wire to Wire – Gradually increasing continuous writing using timers. Priming the Gap – Brainstorm ideas first before asking the children to write anything. Pace Car – Give children exam-like prompts telling them where they should be in their writing. Valorising Writing – Praise children for certain specific parts in their writing.

Chapter 5: Approaches to Reading: Reading More, Reading Better

This chapter is about how to improve the reading that is taking place within a classroom environment. Quality reading requires quantity reading but also students who read well and read widely. The chapter looks at two challenges: students who don’t read enough (in and out of school) and the fact that we read less in class than we think we do.

Accountable Independent Reading (AIR)To bring AIR into classrooms you need to encode success in reading independently, then increase the difficulty and length.

Limit the amount of text Read in short intervals to start with. Use smaller texts but that are more difficult. Build stamina over time. Gather data on pupils through questioning and observation.Find a focal point Tell children what you are going to ask before you begin reading, so that they are focused on what

to look for.Set time limits


Start off with 2 minutes to read (the incentive is not to rush but to read well) then follow up with discussions to check understanding.

Over time let students read for longer with less scaffolding.Assign interactive reading tasks This allows the teacher to assess understanding when students are reading independently, e.g. read

to the bottom and write the word ‘conflict’ where we learn what conflict is.Confirm and scaffold comprehension Manage this through written and oral checks. Vary checks according to ability.

Don’t forget to let pupils read in silence – repetition of instructions runs the risk of disrupting their comprehension.

Control the GameThis section is advice on how to successfully manage pupils reading aloud and making sure everyone is focused.

All others must be reading along and ready to take over at any point (unpredictability encourages attentiveness).

Match readers to passages e.g. plan who is reading which section before, so more confident readers read more difficult passages.

Make transitions between readers quickly to avoid disruption. Teacher also reads a section to model. Spot checking (when a teacher is reading, leave out a word for the class to read aloud to ensure

everyone is following along).

Teachers Reading AloudAll classrooms, with pupils of any age, benefit from being read to. It exposes students to texts above their ability, models fluency and helps instil a love of reading.

Read complex texts (this breathes life into texts that pupils are unable to read independently). It models fluent reading, so they have a model of what expressive reading sounds like. Teacher is able to emphasise words and add emotion.

A love of reading Getting students to love to read can be as simple as choosing a text they are passionate about. If a teacher shows love for the text, it is likely students will too. Becoming passionate about books is vital for older students who haven’t experienced success in

school.Chapter 6: Vocabulary Instruction: Breadth and Depth

This chapter addresses the point that successful reading relies on a reader’s capacity to understand a large number of words, as well as the subtleties and nuances of those words – the depth of pupils’ knowledge of words matter as much as the number of words they know. Pupils develop breadth through implicit vocabulary instruction and depth through explicit vocabulary instruction.Explicit – the direct teaching of words via discrete lessons. Systematic mastery of lists of critical words.Implicit – takes place whilst reading a text, as uncommon words arise. Encourages reading more widely.

Explicit vs ImplicitBoth necessary, and both insufficient by themselves. The book states that teachers can do both better. The chapter goes on to give detailed instructions on how to do both.

Explicit vocabulary instruction to take place daily. Step 1 – word selection. There are 3 tiers of words. 1 is basic and 3 is technical so words that fall within tier 2 are most appropriate for vocabulary instruction. There are bullet points on p.258 re: types of words to consider for direct instruction. Step 2 – an accurate and student friendly definition. Vocabulary instruction should begin with an accurate definition and then focus on application. Make it stick – model in a sentence, visual aid, act it out.Ref: Reading Reconsidered: A Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy Instruction; D. Lemov, C. Driggs, E. Woolway. 2016 of 22

Step 3 – parameters of use – giving guidance on how to use new words taught. Common use. Word partners e.g. words that often accompany the new word taught. Forms and prefixes. Similar to/different from.

Step 4 – active practice (most important part).Master meaning & master usage3 keys to active practice: Say the word. Push for precision – to ensure more than just surface level learning. Make it right – consistently correct inaccurate parts of speech or tense.

Have a set ‘roll out sequence’ e.g. sequence and script for each lesson (p.268).Predictability makes it more efficient.

Implicit Vocabulary InstructionMark up the section of text you’re planning to read and circle words you anticipate to be challenging. Then prioritise the words. (p.271).

Approaches for the less important words… Selectively neglect – briefly categorise and move on. Pronounce words. Drop in a definition – margin note, call & response (p.276), picture (good for nouns).

All of the above approaches need to be efficient and snappy so you can return to the text as quickly as possible.For the 3 or 4 most important words… Define and practice – short sequences of applications. Prepare a script – see next page for an

example.

Maintenance and extension (p.281)Strategies to ensure children retain words taught. Spiralling back – revisiting words will lead to real mastery. Word play (p.282) pose questions that force students to think about the relationship between words. Vocabulary upgrades. Connect to texts – ask students to apply new vocabulary to text being studied. Word wall – keeps vocabulary instruction alive for maintenance and instruction. Supports students to

upgrade their vocabulary choices.

Sample Vocabulary Rollout ScriptA note to school leaders: We recommend using a script such as the one here (or one of your own creation) and modeling this rollout live with your teachers as though they were your students. Seeing the vocabulary rollout in action and experiencing it as though they are your students will help teachers understand how to apply this in their own classroom. We also recommend that teachers draft their own rollouts, practice the rollouts with their peers, get feedback on their practice, and then practice again incorporating the feedback. Practicing these techniques is the best way to ensure that teachers bring them effectively into the classroom.

Step 1: Select Word: Gullible

Step 2: Provide Accurate and Student-Friendly DefinitionSay: Today’s word is gullible. Everyone, say gullible. When you are gullible, it means that you are easily tricked and that you should probably know better. Jot that down in your notes.


Model use: So let me give you an example: On a warm, sunny day in the middle of May, my gullible sister believed me when I told her that I had just seen the weather forecast and that it was going to snow that afternoon.Ask: Why is this something that a gullible person would believe?Ask: When I informed my sister of this weather prediction, she gullibly said, “Oh really? I had better get my boots out of the attic.” How would a person who is not gullible have reacted?Use a visual (you may opt to move this step to follow “Supply other forms”): In this picture, the fortune teller is taking advantage of the man’s gullibility. In one sentence in your notes [or taking hands/in discussion], explain why this man may be described as gullible. Be sure to use the word gullible, gullibility, or gullibly in your sentence.Act it out (optional): Show me what your face might look like if you were gullible and I told you that you had just won an outrageous fortune in the lottery. Show me what your face would look like if you were not gullible and I told you that; say, “I am not that gullible.”

Step 3: Describe Parameters of UseSupply other forms: Gullible has several forms. Its adjective form is gullible, and it is often used to describe a person who is easily tricked. You might say that “the gullible man believed everything that the fortune teller said” or that “the man is very gullible because he believed everything she said.” To use it as an adverb, you would use gullibly, as in “He gullibly believed everything the woman told him about his future.” And if you want to use it to as a noun, you might use a possessive pronoun—for example, “His gullibility led him to believe everything she said.”Give example: Because of my sister’s gullibility, my father is very cautious about the friends that she hangs out with.Ask: Why would my father be cautious about my gullible sister’s friends?Offer similar to/different from comparison: Gullible is similar to trusting because both describe people who easily believe the words or actions of others. BUT trusting describes someone who is likely to trust, have confidence in, or rely on others (believe in the “goodness” of people); gullible suggests that the person believes others without thinking about whether their words or actions make sense—the person accepts information that is not logical.Ask: One of these words has a more negative connotation: gullible or trusting. Which one?

Step 4: Engage in Active PracticeAsk: Is a two-year-old child who believes in the Easter Bunny trusting or gullible? Why?Ask: Think of another example of someone who is trusting but not gullible. Turn and Talk with a partner.Ask: In your notes, jot down some of the consequences of being gullible. When people act gullibly, how might they feel afterwards? Why? Explain using this sentence starter: “After acting gullibly, one might feel . . .”Ask: (pick one or two of these; italicised words are review) Which character in our novel could be described as gullible? Why? Give one example of his or

her gullibility. What is something that a gullible person might be persuaded to do or believe? Is an oblivious person more or less likely to be gullible than others? Why? How might someone intimidate a gullible person? Is it difficult or easy to boast to a gullible person? Why?


Chapter 7: Reading Systems

This chapter is all about establishing strong systems of active reading and discussion that make the habits of good readers automatic, building habits of mind. It introduces us to two systems the writers see as vital for building habits of lifelong readers: Interactive Reading and Habits of Discussion, then goes through how to introduce and roll them out across the year groups.

Interactive Reading (IR) – a reader engages with the text by underlining, marking up key points and summarising ideas in the margin. Pupils are taught the system, but as they become more autonomous and internalise that system, they are marking up different things in the text. Not just for English lessons, this is a system that can and should be used in all lessons, to help pupils to break down and make sense of complex texts, as well as making it easier to cite evidence to support their views. Plus, it enables teachers to quickly check pupils’ understanding of the text, and adapt teaching as required.

Phases of implementation: Rollout – takes time; IR requires strategic investment early on. Start with an intentional explanation

and introduction to the system – pupils are more likely to invest in IR if they understand why it matters for them. Use a pencil NOT a highlighter!

Modelling – model your expectations and thought processes; be explicit about avoiding the tendency to overdo underlining! The goal is autonomy, but it isn’t achieved overnight.


Prompting – reminding pupils to use the system, not telling them what to write. Early on, likely to be very teacher-led; becomes more informal as pupils progress.

Autonomy – but there is still a need for teacher revisiting and reinforcement.

The chapter gives detail on the system – what to mark up, and how to mark up a text. It recommends that a teacher starts by marking up their own text before starting to read with the pupils, and gives suggestions on how to build a culture of IR, such as frequently reminding pupils, praising good IR habits and reinforcing through displays.

Habits of Discussion – preparing pupils to have rigorous discussions about texts, referring to previous comments and adding to, developing or productively disagreeing with them.

The goal of discussion is not merely to talk (‘winning’ the debate) – discussions are a means of unlocking deeper meaning about a text. Effective participants come to understand others’ ideas and use them to gain insights into their own thinking. It is about shared, collaborative enquiry.

The Habits of Discussion that the chapter focuses on pupils developing are: Listening to the arguments of others and showing they heard and understood them; Processing and evaluating new information; Deciding how new information compares to their understanding; Explaining their agreement, disagreement or changing viewpoint in a respectful way.

The writers emphasise that, as a starting point, it is important to establish steps and routines that will create the environment and set high expectations for effective discussion. These include listening skills such as eye contact, speaking skills such as using full sentences and appropriate vocabulary and socialising pupils to respond to each other. Once this groundwork has been set, the Habits of Discussion need to be explicitly taught, modelled and prompted by teachers and leaders throughout the school. The remainder of the chapter then gives some useful strategies and examples for doing this: sentence starters that can be provided to scaffold pupils’ talk and guidance on prompting (not steering) pupils effectively, both verbally and non-verbally.

Chapter 8: Towards Intellectual Autonomy

Intellectual Autonomy: “The ability to make meaning WITHOUT teacher guidance”

Some children have it naturally, however, most need to be taught and this occurs when they have had opportunities to internalise RIGOROUS TOOLS for executing such tasks. TOOLS: FRAMEWORKS which focus on the way the book converges or diverges from the conventions of its genre.

1. Children need to know that almost every type of genre has a set of conventions, a STORY FORM. Look at 3 typical examples and map their typical elements. Then choose a story which diverges from the genre in some way. The goal is for the children to say NOT “This is a fairy tale” but “This is a fairy tale with an unconventional protagonist who is no simple prince/princess”. Children enjoy searching for the “tricks”.

2. Imagery, figurative language and LITERARY DEVICES are what writers use to make their writing unique, to create meaning and emphasise ideas. Get children to identify and interpret basic devices. SIMILES, METAPHORS, ALLITERATION, HYPERBOLE etc. Ask “What kind of images do they use …WHY?” The goal is for children to be able to describe how the literary devices in one story are different from that in other stories.

3. Children need a KNOWLEDGE BASE. Children’s understanding is increased if they have additional information on FACTUAL topics within the text. Ask children to compare the facts communicated in a story to some other version (either a conflicting version or a version derived from non-fiction). The goal is for children to question whether the text is providing an accurate portrayal of the facts and if not why? Provide lots of opportunities for children to read non-fiction and apply it to the fiction they are reading.


4. AUTHOR’S INTENTION and POSITION. Start with asking children their response to protagonists in a book and then look for how the author intentionally tried to create those responses. So which character did they like/not like? In which particular part of the story did that start? What was the critical paragraph? Who did the author want you to feel sympathy with? Identify a key passage which shows this.

5. A CHARACTER BASED framework starts with character traits and motivation. Get children to identify how the character changes over time. Then go further...classify the characters. Are they stock characters conforming to typical roles, simple types who can be explained in 2 adjectives, or complex? This categorisation is important because understanding & describing the complexities of a character allows children to draw far more inference about the text. Are character’s actions consistent throughout?

6. Ask children to look at text as part of a larger body of literature rather than stand-alone - INTERTEXTUAL. Provide children with clear definitions of the theme – “the message conveyed in this text that applies to many others” – e.g. “True love always wins”. Compare how two books address the same theme and how they differ. You can also ask children to compare the depictions of the lives of key characters e.g. the Prince.

The chapter also highlights the importance of children having technical vocabulary and provides a list for talking about literature and poetry – see next page.


STEPS TO TEACHING THE FRAMEWORKRegardless of the framework technical vocabulary is always important.

1. Start by teaching the framework itself: Link the KEY technical vocabulary to the framework. Teach increasingly sophisticated technical vocabulary.

2. Guided Practice with the teacher identifying the framework.3. Independent application of a teacher-identified framework.4. Independent application of a pupil identified framework.

A Classroom reference wall of words students useto talk about literature and poetry (p.341)

How do English scholars talk about literature?

How do English scholars talk about poetry?

PROTAGONIST STANZAANTAGONIST RHYME SCHEME

SETTING END RHYMEFORESHADOWING METRE

FLASHBACK IAMBIC PENTAMETERDENOTATION SONNET

CONNOTATION QUATRAINDICTION COUPLET

ABSTRACT DICTION OCTAVECONCRETE DICTION SESTET

COLLOQUIAL DICTION VOLTAFIGURATIVE LANGUAGE APOSTROPHE

METAPHOR SPEAKERSIMILIE LYRIC POEMSYMBOL CARPE DIEM

PERSONIFICATION PASTORAL/IDYLLIMAGERY CONCEIT

MOTIF ELEGYIRONY CONSONANCEMOOD ASSONANCE

ASYNDETON CACOPHONYPOLYSYNDETON EUPHONY

ALLUSION DISSONANCETHEME CAESURA

EPIGRAPH BLANK VERSETONE FREE VERSE

SUBJECTIVE TONE ODEOBJECTIVE TONE EPICPOINT OF VIEWFIRST PERSONTHIRD PERSONOMNISCIENT


Word of the day: Gullible

Example: On a warm sunny day in the middle of June, my gullible sister believed me when I told her that the weather forecast and that it was going to snow that afternoon

Predicted definition: _________________________________________________________________________

Actual Definition: You are easily tricked and you should probably know better.

Part of speech: Adjective: Gullible : Adverb gullibly : Possessive pronoun: gullibility

Similar to… Because…Trusting Both describe people who easily believe the words or actions of othersBut different because….

Trusting describes someone who has confidence in or believes in the goodness of othersGullible suggests that the person believes others without thinking if it makes sense- the person accepts information that is not logicalRead the passage below and underline the vocabulary word and then answer the questions

Why is this an effective caption for the above photograph? Use the word of the day

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THE FOX AND THE CROW

A Fox once saw a Crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its beak and settle on a branch of a tree.

"That's for me, as I am a Fox," said the fox and he walked up to the foot of the tree.

"Good day, Mistress Crow," he cried. "How well you are looking today: how glossy your feathers; how bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one song from you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds."

Gullibly, the Crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but the moment she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by Master Fox.

"That will do," said he. "That was all I wanted. In exchange for your cheese I will give you a piece of advice for the future: "Do not trust flatterers."

How did you think the crow felt afterwards?Start your answer “After acting gullibly, the crow might feel…”

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If you look really carefully you will see the word ‘gullible’ in the crystal ball.


Word of the day: Disposition

Example: Miss Jones has a naturally happy disposition. She is always smiling, energetic and in a positive mood

Predicted definition: _________________________________________________________________________

Actual Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________

Part of speech: ____________________________________________

Similar to… Because…Personality Both words describe the way a person comes across to othersBut different because….

Someone’s personality is a combination of all of their behaviours and emotions. Someone’s disposition is their general mood or their mood most of the time.

Read the passage below and underline the vocabulary word and then answer the questions

Why Breakfast is Important

Studies show that students who eat breakfast perform better on difficult tests in school. Maybe it works that way for adults too. In any case, missing breakfast is probably a bad idea.

Missing breakfast is a common strategy for people who are trying to lose weight, but it’s usually not a successful one. Your body (or maybe your brain) expects to be refuelled a few times a day, so when you miss meals you may feel so hungry that when lunch comes you over-eat or maybe choose foods that are not the healthiest choices. You are also more likely to develop a cranky disposition by lunchtime, if you have missed breakfast.

Actually eating breakfast may be a good idea for losing weight. People who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight and make good dietary choices for the rest of the day.

Write a caption for this photograph using the word of the day.

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Why might someone who misses breakfast develop a cranky disposition by lunchtime? Write a complete sentence that uses the word of the day.

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bep.education · web viewword play (p.282) pose questions that force students to think about the...

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