Session

#9

USING SYSTEMSTO CHOOSE BOOKS

All readers need

S T A

C K S

of books to choose fromBut HOW do we choose them?

We use SYSTEMS1) Buzzing about books with classmates

2) Teacher Introductions

3) Post-It Ratings on inside covers

Can you think of a few other ways to helpeach other choose stacks of books?

With your partner:

Invent 2-3 systems we could use to help us all

get books that truly matter.

Our Systems Inventions

Remember, when we run into a problem getting our own stack of books, we can work with each other to:

Make systems to solve our problems

Teacher NoteMid workshop-Readers Give Books a Chance

Teacher's Advice:

Let's get reading

Session #10

BEATING THOSEHARD WORDS

Don't avoid a challenge.

It could cost you!

When good readers come across a difficult word,

they are not ants that get sidetracked,

or look for the easiest path!

Be a

MONSTER TRUCKClimb over that hard word and read on!

Never take a detour from the trail of the story.

Arachibutyrophobia

How to attack those hard words?

We already know we can:

*Look at the letters to figure it out*Look it up in a dictionary*Look for root words within the word

But great readers are dying to find out what happens next

Great readers read FORWARD and not backward

Let's try it together with a read aloud

Here is an excerpt from the book Esperanza Rising

"Where's Papa?" she cried

Miguel hung his head. Alfonso didn't say a word but the tears running down his round cheeks confirmed the worst.

Mama fainted.

Abuelita and Hortensia ran to her side.

Esperanza felt her heart drop. A noise came from her mouth and slowly, her first breath of grief grew into a tormented cry. She fell to her knees and sank into a dark hole of despair and disbelief.

Esperanza felt her heart drop. A noise came from her mouth and slowly, her first breath of grief grew into a tormented cry. She fell to her knees and sank into a dark hole of despair and disbelief.

Think:What's the mood of this scene? Happy or sad?Now what word could you substitute for the tricky word?

Pair:Read the sentence with your synonym in place of the hard word to your partners.

Share:Let's list all of those great synonyms.

Teacher's Advice:

When you come to a word that you don't know

Substitute a word and

read on

Teacher Note:Mid-Workshop teaching pointReaders guess at an unfamiliar word and carry it forward, letting their understanding grow.

Let's get reading

Session #11

READING IN THE COMPANY OF

PARTNERS

Going to the movies is a fun experience

But is it fun when you go all by yourself?

A Reading Friendship

By doing so we can support another reader's efforts

to become an outstanding reader

Having a reading companion(s) makes all the difference in the world

Reading friendships start with people

getting to know each other-as readers

We pay attention to each other'sreading histories, reading interests,

and reading hopes

Great things we can do during a conversation

Listen well by REALLY listening-keeping eye contact-respond with body language

Ask follow-up questions-"Can you tell me more about....?"-"Why do you feel that way?"

Let's try it out

Let's Get To Know Our Reading Companions

Discussion Questions

1) Are there times you read more or less? Why at these specific times?

2) What does a "perfect" book tend to be like for you?

3) What should I know about the books in your life?

4) What are your goals for yourself as a reader? What are you doing to meet those goals?

5) What have been the big moments in your reading life? What have been the big turning point moments?

6) Who has helped you as a reader? What did that person do that was helpful?

Teacher's Advice:

It's a good idea to mark some spots that you might want to talk aboutlater with your Reading Companion(s)

Mid-Workshop teaching pointRemind students to mark spots they want to share later. Read differently because you have a companion to talk to afterwards.

Let's get reading

Session #12

THINKING OVER STORIES WITH

PARTNERS

A lot of things in life,like movies,

are better whenwe enjoy them

with another personBut why?

A lot of the fun part comes AFTER

reading time is over, when you get to talk

about what you've read

By the end of today:*You'll understand why these reading relationships are helpful

*You'll start swapping books with each other

*You'll talk about books like you talk about your weekend

Let's try out some of these Reading Partnerships

1) Get into your Reading Groups.

2) One person will be speaking, everyone else will be researching what people tend to do when we talk about stuff we've done.

3) After my signal, the speaker will then begin talking about something he or she did once that was cool, or weird, or different.

4) After a while, I will ask the speaker to then begin talking about what he or she has read.

5) Researchers will be listening and thinking, "When people talk about books, is it a lot like when people talk about life? Should it be?"

Researchers, what did you notice?

Teacher's Advice:

Readers tend to read more deeplywhen we are expecting to have

opportunities for book conversations

Mid-Workshop teaching pointFocus matters when talking about reading. Help partners choose one person to share (someone that is "bursting" with ideas)

Let's get reading

When sharing your reading, it is not that different from when you share a story from your life.

Think about how we write our true stories

*We don't rush through them*We think about all we could tell about

*We ZOOM in on the what especially matters *We share the details

Ways You and Another Reader Can Talk About Your Books

1) Share passages that especially drew you in -made you feel strong emotions -parts that had you on the edge of your seat

2) Share parts in which you could vividly picture what was happening

3) Share parts where your mental movie got blurry or you thought "huh?"

4) Share a tricky word, discussing what it might mean by replacing it with synonyms

Session #13

RETELLING STORIES BY

STARTING AT THE BEGINNING

Just as it is natural for people to story-tell their experiences, so, too, it is natural to story-tell books we read.

Just think about how we have told stories since the beginning of time

The Value In Retelling A Story

It's not only a way to catch someone else up on a story, we also retell to catch ourselves up

and remind ourselves of what's already happened and to see how the unfolding story fits together.

We retell to catch up

-and keep up-

with the story

Teacher's Advice:

One way to retell a story is to start at the very beginning and then take big steps across the whole of the story, only telling the most important parts.

Let's try it together

1) Look back at the book you are currently reading

2) With your Reading Companion decide on Partner 1 and Partner 2

3) Partner 1 will retell the book thus far. Figure out the parts, the big events, you'll include.

4) Partner 2, your job is to make sure your partner does his or her job or retelling BIG STEPS.(if you realize your partner is taking teeny, tiny steps telling every little detail, whisper to them; "Take big steps, not baby steps")

5) When Partner 1 is finished retelling, then it's Partner 2's turn to retell

Mid-Workshop teaching pointReaders prepare for conversations with our Reading Companions by constantly thinking about what they will share.

Book! Book! Book!

B M E

Let's get reading

Session #14

RETELLING STORIES BY STARTING WITH NOW

AND BACKING UPPAGE 211-223

Think of a retelling that has mattered to you lately

-Retellings about reading -Retellings about life

Share one of those very quickly with a person sitting next to you

We have many different reasons and audiences for telling stories that

we have practiced over the past several days

-Reading Workshop-Writing Workshop-On the playground

-With our friends-With our family

Yesterday we learned to retell from the beginning. Today we will learn to retell by starting with what you have

just read.

Today's retelling is a "SYNTHESIS RETELLING"

What does Synthesis mean?What is a Synthesis Retelling?

1) Start by retelling the section you just finished reading

2) Whenever your retelling gets to a part that has meaning from earlier in the story, you reference that earlier bit, almost like using parentheses, to bring in the relevant background

3) As you proceed through the retelling you have to synthesize, or fit together, all of the parts that you have read that are pertinent.

Well that sounds hard to do!

So how do we do a Synthesis Retelling?

Let me show you how it's done!

Listen for these steps:1) Tell about current part2) Refer to earlier parts3) Explain how the parts connect

Teacher's Advice:

Retelling ins't just for others!

When you are feeling confused, overwhelmed with all that is happening, the story is moving too fast you can't

keep up, or you are just bursting with all of the excitement that is happening in your reading,

PAUSE TO RETELL THE BOOK TO YOURSELF!Mid-Workshop teaching point"Readers Make Space (time) for thinking about our books. Using post-it notes as stop signs to force ourselves to stop, think, and retell the important details

Let's get reading

Session #15

LEARNING TO LISTEN INTENSELY

PAGE 226-243

Readers benefit from talking

with a person who REALLY listens

Becoming a powerful listener is not automatic

We grow ourselves into listening with-patience-intelligence-open-heartedness

When we really listen it creates an energy that

opens us up to ourselves and to each other and makes us all wiser

You will Take a book out into the hallway and read a short bit

when you return you will talk to me about your thoughts from the reading

I need a volunteer!

EVERYONE ELSE

Research the ways that I listen so intently that our volunteer

ends up saying more, thinking more

Did you notice?

Listening Well Means....*Being still when someone speaks

*Allowing the person time to talk

*Nodding or gesturing to show we understand

*Encouraging the person to grow their ideas

*Asking questions when we need clarification

*Saying back what the person says to help them figure out where to go next

*Inviting the person to say more, take more time, or collect their thoughts

Teacher's Advice:

Be the kind of intense listener that will help others to say and think stuff they never even knew was on their minds.

Mid-Workshop teaching pointTake time to admire the ways others are listening around us. Think, "Is that a kind of listening I could try? Could I try it not only with my partner, but with my book?

Let's get reading

Session #16

CELEBRATIONPAGE 246-252

One way to hold

onto memories is to

make something

new out of them

What are some ways we can hold onto the memories of the books we have been reading?

Our Ideas For Ways To Hold Onto Our Memories

Time To Get

Creative