Teacher Tip Thursday: Analytical Reading Frames for All

Using Analytical Reading Frames in the classroom is a wonderful way to incorporate strategic/close reading strategies as well as complex analytical thinking into one action-packed lesson! I have recently used the frame with a 5th grade classroom using Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens as my mentor text. There can be a great deal of richness found within the pages of a picture book, so don't be afraid to shy away from them when asking students to delve deeper into thinking about a text's meaning at a deeper level.

Read the text Tops and Bottoms




Pass out a copy to each table group of the four questions to below to answer. The question that is closest to the student is the one they answer. You can have the students write in their question, or you can pre-print this sheet to use. I had the students answer the question on a post-it note. Only one questioned is answered by each student in the table group of 4. They then group up according to which question they answered, and share with their group what they came up with. The goal of the group sharing activity is for students to share what they came up with, and assist their group in filling out that particular section of the Analytical Reading Frame.

The questions that belong in each square of the cards are listed below, as are the corresponding CCSS and the GATE icon that you could use for differentiation.

Key Ideas and Details 3.1, 4.1, 5.1

Do the illustrations tell us how Bear feels about work? Use page numbers and explain what it shows. (Proof)

Key Ideas and Details 3.3, 4.3, 5.3

How did Hare's actions contribute to the sequence of events? (Motive)

Integrating Knowledge and Ideas 3.7, 4.7, 5.7

How do the illustrations contribute to the story? What impact does  it have on the reader with regard to the theme or lesson in the story? (Impact)

Key Ideas and Details 3.2, 4.2, 5.2 

What is the message or moral of this story? (Judgment) Summarize the story using a Somebody, Wanted, But, So statement.

Once these questions are answered, and students return to their home group (original table group) they then share their findings and help their group answer that section of the Analytical Reading Frame. Collaboration is a cornerstone of this activity! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! 

You can find a link to the Analytical Reading Frame here Google Doc for Analytical Reading Frame

Teacher Tip Thursday: Non-Fiction Text that Excites Readers!

For many years I struggled with non-fiction text on a personal level, and motivating my students to love it was a challenge. Why? Students were given a multitude of books to select from my fiction stack of recommendations, but when it came to non-fiction texts, my selection was abysmal and it was my fault. I never really broadened my own reading horizons and read non-fiction, so I don't know why I was surprised when my own students never grabbed a non-fiction copy off the shelf. In recent years, that has changed, and I read more non-fiction and I have tried to pass that love along to the classrooms I teach in. I wanted to share some great non-fiction titles so that you can read them yourself, and then pass that love on to your students! Go forth and read non-fiction, my fellow bibliophiles!

For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Great Depression comes the astonishing tale of nine working-class boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really meant. With rowers who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew was never expected to defeat the elite East Coast teams, yet they did, going on to shock the world by challenging the German boat rowing for Adolf Hitler. 
 
At the center of the tale is Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, whose personal quest captures the spirit of his generation—the generation that would prove in the coming years that the Nazis could not prevail over American determination and optimism.
 
This deeply emotional yet easily accessible young readers adaptation of the award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller features never-before-seen photographs, highly visual back matter, and an exclusive new introduction.

From Steve Sheinkin, the award-winning author of The Port Chicago 50 and Newbery Honor BookBomb comes a tense, narrative nonfiction account of what the Times deemed "the greatest story of the century": how whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg transformed from obscure government analyst into "the most dangerous man in America," and risked everything to expose a government conspiracy.

On June 13, 1971, the front page of the New York Times announced the existence of a 7,000-page collection of documents containing a secret history of the Vietnam War. Known as The Pentagon Papers, these files had been commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Chronicling every action the government had taken in the Vietnam War, including an attempt by Nixon to foil peace talks, these papers revealed a pattern of deception spanning over twenty years and four presidencies, and forever changed the relationship between American citizens and the politicians claiming to represent their interests. The investigation--and attempted government coverups--that followed will sound familiar to those who followed the scandal surrounding Edward Snowden.

A provocative and political book that interrogates the meanings of patriotism, freedom, and integrity,Most Dangerous further establishes Steve Sheinkin as a leader in children's nonfiction.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina's monstrous winds and surging water overwhelmed the protective levees around low-lying New Orleans, Louisiana. Eighty percent of the city flooded, in some places under twenty feet of water. Property damages across the Gulf Coast topped $100 billion. One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three people lost their lives. The riveting tale of this historic storm and the drowning of an American city is one of selflessness, heroism, and courage—and also of incompetence, racism, and criminality.

Don Brown’s kinetic art and as-it-happens narrative capture both the tragedy and triumph of one of the worst natural disasters in American history. A portion of the proceeds from this book has been donated to Habitat for Humanity New Orleans.

Teacher Tip Thursday-Flippity Love

Bring in the technology that engages students, and provides teachers with the tools that are FREE and easy to use! For many years as a teacher I used so many different tools to be able to engage students in lessons, and have them interact with one another. Some of these tools were much more successful than others. I used popsicle sticks, playing cards, spoons, color groups...you name it, I have probably used it in my classroom. As we shift from a more "traditional" way of teaching, and by this I mean from the teacher as the "sage on the stage" to the "guide by the side", we must also shift the way we ask students to have meaningful interactions with one another. We need to incorporate more technologically saavvy ways for educators to generate groups, pairs, and interactions in and among students in their classrooms.

Introducing Flippity.net Random Name Generator!

You can choose to select a single student 

Groups of students

Pairs, Groups of Four

The possibilities are endless here! This tool uses a template through Google Sheets to record student names, and then you create this class portal of names for students to interact with! I am absolutely loving it, and so are the teachers in my district. Please let me know if you have any questions about Flippity, or if you have different ways you have been using this tool.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Teacher Tip Thursday

The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt

I was fortunate enough to attend a training by Kylene Beers and Bob Probst that was centered around reading non-fiction, but much of what we covered during the training was relevant to teaching fiction as well. I am the type of teacher who needs to jump in right away and try something out, so I went in to a 5th grade classroom this morning, and did a reading lesson using The Spider and the Fly poem by Mary Howitt. Here is a compilation of the signpost I used, as well as some other strategies to aid students in gaining understanding of the text. The signpost we used was "Words of the Wiser" because much of what we read has an over-arching moral or message embedded in it. It was a wonderful lesson, and I welcome any questions. have a fabulous Thursday.

Sketch to Stretch 

parlour

Signpost "Words of the Wiser"

SWBS Statement

Please note that this SWBS was written by an EL who recently arrived here from China. I was amazed at what she did during this lesson, which is why I chose her work to feature here. 

Notice and Note by Kylene Beers & Robert E.Probst