Reading for Meaning- presented at SCCTE 2014

The South Carolina Council of Teachers of English held their yearly conference in Kiawah Island last month. I was fortunate to be able to attend (since it directly followed our first snow and ice accumulation). While there, I made a few friends, found the keynote speakers to be inspiring and informative, and participated in Poetry Alive (I got to slay the Jabberwocky).

During the session that I presented, I was able to connect with colleagues by discussing the many facets of close reading. I demonstrated a strategy useful for all age groups; the youngest to the oldest. The idea for this strategy came directly from chapter 1 of The Core Six Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence with the Common Core by Harvey Silver and others, sold by ASCD. I blogged about my interpretation of chapter 1 here. The idea of this strategy is to get students to make meaning, and I took it to the next step, by including writing.

THE STRATEGY:  Reading for Meaning

I showed participants how to focus student learning by providing a support/refute graphic organizer that allows for students to document pertinent information throughout a read aloud.  In the middle of the organizer, I identified the main idea of the text and had participants to document evidence to support and refute the main idea.

After a couple pages of the read aloud, participants formed groups.  During this time, the goal was for each group to identify the two most important pieces of evidence that supported, and the two most pertinent pieces of evidence that refuted the main idea.  They had to come to a consensus as a group, and read aloud their ideas while I typed and posted them on the board for all to see.

From the list on the board, participants then had the opportunity to discuss/debate which pieces of evidence should be removed from the list, narrowing it further.  We were able to strike a couple ideas off the list.

Then it was time for participants to write a short paragraph defending one piece of evidence that supported the main idea, and one short paragraph defending a piece of evidence that refuted the main idea.  After allowing some time to respond in writing, participants shared with their group.

CORRELATION TO COMMON CORE

How does this strategy fit with the common core? When I began my presentation, I spoke to participants about different theories in regards to close reading. Falling in Love with Close Reading by Christopher Lehman & Kate Roberts tells us that one word, one scene, one idea matters, and that close reading is an interaction between the reader and a text.  The authors tell us that educators must offer opportunities for students to think broadly and then have the chance to refine their thinking.  Notice & Note:  Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers & Robert E. Probst tells the reader that meaning is created through the reader's mind, and that close reading should include exploratory discussion among students.

I believe the strategy I presented provided participants with the opportunity to interact with an idea, think broadly, refine, and discuss.  This particular strategy integrated reading and writing, while enhancing main idea and supporting details, and finding pertinent evidence.  Participants also practiced speaking and listening throughout the lesson.  All of which supports common core.

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