When "Say Something" Isn't Enough

Spring break did not last nearly long enough. Its only Tuesday, so why do I feel like I never left?

I took the break quite literally--I did no schoolwork, no blogging, no professional reading, no nothing. Of course I took everything home with me; I always do. This year, I even went so far as to unload it from my car and sat it next to my kitchen table. And that is where it was Monday morning when I loaded it all back up. I really should just learn not to bother taking things home.

I've hit the ground running as a coach since my return. I gave my law ed. teacher some spring break homework. We are going to teach his class An Hour to Kill, a true-crime story based on a murder in Conway, SC. Now working our way out of the textbook is enough to rock his world right off its base. So I am wracking my brain for reading strategies that are easily implemented and assessed to pair with the novel, and that is easier said than done. I don't want to throw him totally under the bus because I know he can feel it bearing down on him. (Can't we all at this point?)

I've pulled out an old standby that I've used with students and teachers alike--"Say Something". This strategy can be found in When Kids Can't Read What Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers (an awesome reading strategies handbook for any content area). The strategy forces students to bring their cognition to the forefront by making them do one of five things--predict, connect, comment, clarify, or question. I have a great organizer for students and have even used sentence starters to help them with the strategy. What I've noticed, though, is that they seem to get stuck on the comment section. Its like its the easiest one to do and that is almost where they hang out--in their comfort zone. So as I've prepared for my law education teacher, I've revamped the categories.

Many of the strategies are the same, just worded a little differently. I want to push students to think in different directions and I want to offer direct, on-point questions to help them get there. Here are my changes:

Where do you think the author is going with this? (I want students to really examine what they are reading and imagine why the author is giving us such information and what he/she will do with it.)

What are you confused about? What do you still want to know? (I want students to realize that questions come in many types--they can indicate confusion as well as curiosity.)

What can you assume or infer about the characters and/or action? (I had the novel in mind when I created this question. As students learn more about the accused, I want them to develop their own beliefs.)

Make a comment about something you've read.

How can you relate to the characters or the action of the story?

Tomorrow I'll be trying out my new thinking prompts. This activity is best done when modeled repeatedly. Its also best done while reading aloud, either in groups or as a whole class. Beers recommends students working in partners to read to one another and then write each others' thoughts on the organizer. Once students have internalized the expectations, they will be able to notate on the text itself.