We begin our year with a Strategies Unit. During this unit, students learn to reading strategies to keep their brains "active" during reading. The following strategies are emphasized:
Text-to-Text (It reminds me of another book I've read)
Text-to-Self (It reminds me of something I've experienced)
Text-to-World (It reminds me of something that I have heard about)
Forming pictures in your head as you read - "mind movies"
Wondering about the story before reading, during reading, and after reading
Being able to ask thick questions, instead of thin questions (questions that make your brain think because the answer is not easily found in the story)
After reading Snow White, students wrote thick questions that they would like to ask the characters. Then we held a "Fairytale Talk Show" in which students asked their questions to Snow White, the Prince, the Witch, and a dwarf who joined us in the "hot seats."
Using pictures and text to draw conclusions and form ideas about the story
What is the author's message? What is the theme of this story? What does the author want me to learn from this story?
Using prior knowledge and information gathered from reading to create a new idea or form your own opinion.
Students learn to apply these skills using various picture books. Once this skills are learned, students will be expected to apply them in their own reading throughout our genre studies during the school year.
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