“When readers jot notes while reading, leaving tracks of their thinking, they are able to clarify confusion, record their questions, answer questions, notice the craft, and so forth.”
(Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 56)
Over twenty years ago, my third-grade students taught me the power of “leaving tracks of their thinking” to not only record their thoughts but enhance their discussions and deepen comprehension.
We had been sharing our inferences during read-alouds. As students would share, I would record their thinking on a two-column paper chart: inferences in one column and clues or facts from the text in the other column.
This was followed with individual reading time where students were expected to make inferences in their texts to share orally at a later time.
“I Need Bigger Sticky Notes”
One afternoon I noticed one of my students, a very quiet child, writing ferociously on sticky notes; I popped over to take a look.She had taken a 3 inch by 3 inch sticky note, copied my chart headings and was trying to fit all of her inferences and matching clues from the text on this tiny note. She had many.
I will never forget her frustrated look as I scooted beside to read her thoughts. “Mrs. D., I need bigger sticky notes and lots of them! I made lots of inferences in George’s Marvelous Medicine and I want to share at share time.”
This was from a child who had never spoken during large-group share. Watching me record our thinking had helped her see that she could do the same.
This was from a child who had never spoken during large-group share. Watching me record our thinking had helped her see that she could do the same. I had not thought of asking the children to complete these thinking tools, but, as often happens with teaching, this child led the way by utilizing this tool in order to keep track of her thoughts—and the tool gave her the courage to share them.
I would soon learn from Debbie Miller in Reading with Meaning (2002) that students as young as first grade could keep track of their thoughts in many ways in writing, but this was early in the era of reading comprehension strategy instruction.
After sharing what this youngster had done during reading time, my class erupted in a sea of sticky notes.
Whatever note-taking method I modeled during whole group, many students chose to emulate it during independent reading, tracking their own thinking while reading their texts.
I quickly learned to have them put these thoughts into a reading journal or go broke on sticky notes! More important than the fact that these students chose to write about their reading was how these written ponderings led to deeper reading and better discussions.
The Power of Thinking Tools in Being a Reader
Although there is much to be excited about in Collaborative Classroom’s new Being a Reader™ program for grades 3–5, this is one of my favorite aspects. I love how Collaborative Classroom has incorporated the Science of Reading research with the comprehension strategy research that was launched in 1997 in the groundbreaking work Mosaic of Thought (1997) into one cohesive program.
I also appreciate how we refer to these note-taking strategies as “thinking tools” as that is exactly what they are: tools to enhance thinking.
These tools are first introduced during Being a Reader’s read-alouds, modeled by the teacher first and then followed by guided instruction using Student Response Books. This process eventually leads to asking students to use the thinking tools during independent reading time with their self-chosen texts.
The students share their thoughts in both partner and group discussions which leads to grand conversations, leading to even deeper and deeper levels of comprehension as students rethink and synthesize their original thoughts based on others’ thinking.
These students are building a toolbox they’ll use for the rest of their lives whenever they are reading and thinking about text.
These students are building a toolbox they’ll use for the rest of their lives whenever they are reading and thinking about text. The Being a Reader Teacher’s Manual sums it up simply: “The students continue to develop the ability to think independently about texts and use ‘thinking tools’ to record their thinking and help them discuss texts.”
Thinking tools in Being a Reader 3–5 include:
- stop and jot
- stop and ask questions
- double-entry journals
- character webs
- character maps
Double-entry journals start simply, with entries such as “Important Event” progressing to more complicated ones asking for “Main Ideas” and “Character Traits.”
If you are lucky enough to be implementing our new Being a Reader 3–5 program, follow the lessons and watch as your students’ thinking goes deeper and deeper as the year progresses.
References
Dahl, R. 1981. George’s Marvelous Medicine. United Kingdom. Puffin Books.
Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. 2007. Strategies That Work. Portland, ME. Stenhouse.
Keene, E. & Zimmerman, S. 1997. Mosaic of Thought. Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann.
Miller, D. 2002. Reading with Meaning. Portland, ME. Stenhouse.
Related:
Learn more about Being a Reader.
Read another recent blog by Kathy King-Dickman, The Joy of Watching My Granddaughters Move Through Ehri’s Word Reading Phases.