Deep Reading to Deeper Writing Using Informed Annotating + to Improve Student Writing Jeanette Barry

Deep Reading

to Deeper Writing

Using Informed Annotating + to Improve

Student WritingJeanette Barry

Classroom Challenge:

How can I help to develop my students into more independent readers, thinkers, and writers?

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Answer:

Teach them to be more critical readers first!



Why do we need to teach students how to read critically?



Because we want “their experience to be much more than simply liking the story, or understanding the characters, or being intrigued by the resolution . . . I want my students to move beyond the text and consider its implications to them as human beings who live in the world today.”

Kelly Gallagher, Deeper Reading, pages 19-20



And because. . .

“Reading is a process of constructing meaning or composing a text, exactly like writing. The reading of any difficult text will entail drafting and revision (largely in the reader’s head) and will frequently begin with what amounts to a zero draft. Just as writing may be defined as rewriting, so is any reading worth doing essentially a process of rereading.”

Robert Scholes, as quoted in Blau’s Literature Workshop, page 53

2 elements to work on in this Demo:

Strategies for deeper reading -- used as a stepping stone for

Strategies for finding major ideas within literature

Reading Strategy

Help Students Decipher Words

30-15-10 List

(See handout)QuickTime™ and a

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Reading Strategy

Give reader a focus to prepare for a reading.

My German teacher

Quick, 5-minute write -- no worries, just write!





Share For 2 minutes, turn to your neighbor and

share your memory of a favorite teacher.



Read Now that you are focused, quietly read to

yourself the story entitled “Love” by William Maxwell

When you are finished with the reading, flip the story over, so I’ll know when everyone is finished.



Remember Write down on the back of your story any

ideas of foreshadowing that you remember regarding Miss Brown’s death.

How many did you have? Discuss with your neighbor for 1 minute.



Re-read & Annotate Go back to the story, read it for a second

time, and write down any evidence of foreshadowing that you find.

You have 10 minutes; go!QuickTime™ and a


Discuss as a Group: How many did you find???

Images of death

Images of flowers

Sign on side of road

Why is the re-reading and annotating important?

First time reading is like a rough draft -- you’re just trying to get the facts straight.

Second reading with a purpose allows you the freedom of looking for other aspects of the writing.

Why is the discussion/sharing important?

Edgar Dale states in his book Audio-Visual Methods in Teaching (p. 43) that we remember

10% of what we read 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 50% of what we both see and hear 70% of what we talk about with others!!!

Teaching Metaphors: A Strategy toward Deeper Reading

& Writing

We’ll use the idea of metaphors to help students begin to think outside of a literal reading.

Some good metaphors, just for fun! “The past is a pebble in my shoe.”

Edgar Allan Poe

“I’m a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.”

Mother Teresa





And a couple more . . .





Reading Strategy

Using metaphors to deepen comprehension

Kelly Gallagher, Deeper Reading, p. 22-23

Intangible Tangible- -- -- -- -

Make your own metaphor/simile. Complete the following sentence by

selecting one intangible item and one tangible item, and then explore the relationship between these two items as follows:

(Intangible item) is like a (tangible item) because ______________.

Share. Turn to your neighbor and share your new

metaphor/simile.



Stretch. Now, extend your metaphors by completing

the following:

(Intangible item) is like a (tangible item) because __________, _________________, and _________________.

Share again. Turn to your neighbor, and share your new

extended metaphor/simile.



Apply . . . Now complete the following sentence,

using your new metaphor strategy.

The boys’ love for Miss Brown is like (a) __________ because _______________________.

Reading Strategy

Teaching Students to Infer

Many students only see literature literally, and they must be taught to think beyond what is written.



If I tell you . . . “I can’t believe I have been sitting here

among all these sick people for over an hour waiting for them to call my name. Why do they over-schedule so many people? I hope I am called next; I don’t know how much longer I can tolerate this sore throat” (Gallagher 81).

Where do you suppose the narrator is?

How would you know that?

Share. Now write an example of your own, where

you do not give the actual place, but you give hints that might help your reader. 1 minute

Share with a neighbor when you are finished writing. 2 minutes



Now, read the following:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men,

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.



Surprise!

Humpty Dumpty is not really about an egg. What do you think it might really be about?



3 Leading Theories: King Richard III, who fell from his horse in the

Battle of Bosworth Field & was butchered on the spot.

Charles I of England, who was booted by the Puritan majority in Parliament. The King’s Army could not restore his power, and he was executed

The name of a powerful cannon during the English Civil War. Mounted on top of a church; when church tower was hit by enemy fire and knocked off, cannon went tumbling to ground & could not be repaired.

What if our inferences are wrong?

“That doesn’t mean you stop inferring; it suggests that inferring correctly takes a lot of practice. The more you infer, the better you get at it” (Gallagher 82).



Yertle the Turtle

byDr. Seuss

Read aloud while class listens.



A bit of context . . . Seuss rejected the idea that children's

stories should only be about modeling good behavior and even called himself "subversive as hell.”

The book was written in 1958.

Guess What?

Yertle the Turtle is not really about a turtle

Discuss & share.QuickTime™ and a


Metaphors & Inferences -- now what?

Strategies for a first reading (headed toward writing!)



1st Reading of a Piece of Literature

Reading something the first time is “like getting used to the cool water in a swimming pool before beginning a rigorous workout” (Gallagher 53).



And Sheridan Blau says, “As much as you might want to abbreviate

the process, you can’t get to your second reading except by way of your first. And if in your first reading you feel completely lost (a familiar feeling to all experienced readers), well then, that’s what it takes to get to the second reading, in which you begin to find your bearings” (Blau 197-198).





Kelly Gallagher, in his Deeper Reading, says . . .

“When my students read a difficult work for the first time, this is the ‘down’ reading draft. My hope is that they get the basics down -- familiarizing themselves with the characters, recognizing significant plot points, getting used to the language and structure of the novel” (53).

Let’s Be Honest . . . How many of our students will read an

assigned novel twice just so that they might really understand it?

Answer: 3 out of 284 (-ish)

So . . . QuickTime™ and a decompressor


Reading StrategyAnnotating with Sticky Notes

For this purpose, I have found sticky notes work really well.

As part of their reading assignments, students expect that they will write on sticky notes to record new characters, settings, or events -- I require one note per 2 pages of reading.









Reading StrategyInformed Annotating

(when students are ready to move beyond simply summarizing)

Make a laminated bookmark with the following ideas: Make predictions: anticipate what will happen next, supporting

with specific references to the text Recognize literary devices: note techniques used by author Make connections: from either real life or other books, films,

poems, and stories Challenge the text: challenge the author or the characters &

their choicesKelly Gallagher, Deeper Reading, page 101.



Reading StrategyShare

At the end of a chapter, have students trade their books and look for evidence of each of these elements. You might use the following symbols for each of the elements:

Element SymbolPrediction PLiterary Terms LTConnections CJudgments JChallenges CHSummary S

Kelly Gallagher, Deeper Reading, page 101



Reading StrategyTrading Annotations:

“When students trade [books to analyze annotations], they get a double dose of deeper reading reinforcement” (Gallagher 101).

Have students mark P, LT, C, J, Ch, or S on each of their partner’s annotations to help readers discover how deep their annotations really are.

Kelly Gallagher, Deeper Reading, page 101

Avoid the “S” Eventually, students should move further

and further away from summarizing in their annotations.

I grade the completion of annotations with a homework grade, and after a week or so, I also grade the complexity of their annotations.





Common Teacher Problem:

Keeping track of annotations





No Worries!!! Sheridan Blau has a solution!!!



Mid-book Annotating Audit(Sheridan D. Blau)

Section 1: Description of Annotations Section 2: Analysis of Annotations Section 3: Reflection of Annotations Section 4: Sample Annotation Entries




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Annotating AuditSection 1: Description of Annotations

What is the average length of your notes? How many are long or short or in between? How many chapters have you covered? Generally, what does your collection of

annotations look like?



Annotating AuditSection 2: Analysis of Annotations

What do you usually write down on your annotations?

What elements of the chapter do you tend to comment on?

How have your annotations changed since the beginning (if they have) regarding length, topic, language, etc.)

What might account for differences in the content, language, etc.?



Annotating AuditSection 3: Reflection on Annotations

Do you find any worthwhile ideas in your notes? What value do you place on your collection or on

some of your notes? Have you found any reason for taking these

notes other than the teacher assigned them? If you were the teacher, would you ask your

students to do this? Why or why not?



Annotating AuditSection 4: Sample Annotations

Choose six sticky notes that you feel are representative of the content of your annotations.

What do the sample entries you have included show your reader about your log?

Will you change anything about the notes you take in the next reading chapter? Explain.





Because many of our students are not as motivated today as they one day will be . . .

I check annotations once or twice a week, quickly but thoroughly.



Best news yet . . . This audit also works perfectly with log

books or journals that students keep during the reading of a novel!

Sheridan D. Blau, The Literature Workshop, pages 164-167.



Alternatives to Annotating:

Journaling/Logging - follow the same type of assignment as the annotations, but have students write journal-style in a notebook or in a folder.

Heather Lattimer, in her Thinking Through Genre, offers a different sort of journaling:

To Get the kids focused:

Discuss: 1) Tobias Wolff’s “Introduction to Raymond Carver’s ‘Cathedral’”; 2) model the review: Jell-O; 3) chips: crunchiness, messiness, aftertaste, flavor, spiciness, etc.

Heather Lattimer, Thinking Through Genre, chapter 7

“Introduction to Raymond Carver’s ‘Cathedral’” by Tobias Wolff

A hot night, summer of 1982. I was lying on the couch with a story of Ray’s that had recently come out in the Atlantic. I’d had it around for several days but hadn’t yet read it because I tend to avoid stories by my contemporaries when I’m hard at work on something of my own, as I was then. Tolstoy, that’s the ticket. Hemingway. Flaubert. Someone monumental, someone impossible to imitate or envy. No complications. When you get to the end you think, Man, that Tolstoy sure could write! -- and to on about your business.

But a new story of Ray’s always exerted a tidal pull on me. I ws bound to succumb; it was just a matter of time, and the time had arrived. The story was “Cathedral.” I began it with the excitement you feel when granting yourself a deferred pleasure, but before long I began to feel this pleasure give way to discomfort and even resistance, for reasons I will describe later. I was fighting the story. But after a few pages it disarmed me and I surrendered to it, and as I read on I felt myself drawn up by it. I felt as if I were levitating there above the couch. I was weightless, filled with a sense of profound, inexplicable joy. Blessed, and conscious of it, I understood that I was in the presence of a masterpiece. . . .

Model the Review:Student Written Review

There are two loves in my life. One is my dog Sammie. The other is Sparkling Grape Jell-O. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it is, but I’ll try to describe what makes it so special.

The first time I tried Sparkling Grape Jell-O, I was sick with strep throat and had to stay home from school. My mom went to the store and brought back a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and two packets of Jell-O, one cherry, which is boring, and Sparkling Grape. Normally I hate Jell-O, but my mom made the Sparkling Grape with carbonated water. Several hours later, she put a bowl in front of me. Cautiously, I took a tiny spoonful and the amazing taste of Concord grapes with an explosion of bubbles went down my throat. From then on I was hooked. Now, I eat Sparkling Grape Jell-O as often as possible. I still haven’t gotten tired of that cool, tingly feeling every time I put a spoonful in my mouth.

I guarantee a great meal if you add Sparkling Grape Jell-O to your menu. It is refreshing, exciting, and delicious.

Review Assorted Chips Offer a variety of chips: potato chips, corn

chips, Doritos, and Pringles, etc. Have the students taste them and discuss

them. Have the students model the review and

write a chips review Then move toward literature and more

writing!

Finding Themes in Reading

Teaching students to find major ideas through the deep reading of literature



Transfer to WritingFind the Quote That Says Something Bigger

Put students in a group of 3 and have them search the chapter’s annotations for a line or two that says something beyond the literal.

Have one person write the quote on the board and read it aloud (Google doc); another person explain context of quote; another person explain the bigger idea that the quote triggers for them.

All students take notes.QuickTime™ and a


Students’ Samples Josh, Nate, Marcus-

chapter 22-It ain’t right. page 284. this shows that Jem is realizing what is right and what is wrong, meaning that he is maturing.

chapter 22- I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them. page 288. this means that some men aer luckier than others, and some people just have to man up and do the right thing.

chapter 23-You can scrub Walter Cunningham until he shines, you can put him in new shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem. Besides, there’s a drinking streak in that family a mile wide. page 224-its important because aunt alexandra is trying to teach scout how to act properly, but really that isnt a christian perspective, it is wrong to treat someone that way because of their history. In summary, every man is created equal.

Transfer to WritingWriting about a line

Select the line of the chapter that you find most important or interesting or puzzling in the context of the story.

Write down the line, discussing it and explaining its role in the chapter and the story and why you find it so important, interesting, or puzzling.

This is quickwriting: no attention to editing or elegance.

Sheridan D. Blau, The Literature Workshop, page 131QuickTime™ and a


Share Important Line

Share your important line with 2 others in your group

Read what you have written, rather than tell about what you have written

Make one person in charge of reporting out how similar or different your pieces were & what issues were raised



Report Out and Publish

Call on groups to discuss differences & similarities

Ask for sample pieces, read by any volunteer (hopefully, with practice students will volunteer good ideas within their groups)

Students might want to take notes here, in case there are some good paper topics



Something to think about . . .

“. . . Reading is more like writing than writing is. Consider how often we have seen our students in composition revise their papers and make them worse. But in reading, revision never fails to be productive in yielding additional insight or the recognition of new problems -- the confusion that represents an advance in understanding.”

Sheridan D. Blau, Literature Workshop, page 53



Read deeply to write deeply.

So . . .



Bibliography











Documents

Deep Reading to Deeper Writing Using Informed Annotating + to Improve Student Writing Jeanette Barry