Noticing when we stray from inner conversation

I talked about the times when I am reading a book and then realize I have reached the bottom of the page and had no idea/memory of what I just read. I asked the students if they have ever done this and they were hesitant to admit...as if a trick question and would get in trouble. I explained it happens to the best of readers. They all were nodding their heads! I asked what are some ideas of why meaning would break down while we're reading. I wrote their ideas up on the chart paper: bored, can't understand the words, tired...and then I added some more they may not have thought of, using the book's ideas. Then I drew another column next to it and had them brainstorm what we should do when this happens. Many of them said focus harder or get a new book. So, I had to steer them into some more probable things they could do...especially when they are home reading: get up, go to the bathroom, drink something, even picking the right time of day to read a book (not waiting til real late at night when they are too tired to focus or reading on the bus). Then they added more of their ideas. All of this really went back to when I taught Good Fit Books, and I was impressed that many of their answers repeated what I had taught them in that lesson. Yay!

Monitoring comprehension

When our class reads challenging informational text for the first time we use a strategy that helps us track our thinking throughout the text. We were reading an informational piece about the skeletal system. We started each passage by circling the title. Next we numbered the first paragraph with a box and a 1 where the paragraph began. After we read the 1st paragraph, we went back to the paragraph and highlighted vocabulary that was new to us. Then we looked at the context clues to decide the meaning of the word. Finally, after each paragraph we wrote a brief statement about what the paragraph was about. It was easier to generate and answer questions about the skeletal system using this process of breaking the text down into paragraphs and sentences.

Read Write Think

During read aloud time I shared what I was thinking about as I read. I asked my students if they ever had times when they started thinking about something other than what they were reading. I passed out a short article and had students write in the margins questions or comments they had while they were reading. I then had them share with a partner and have a conversation about their notes.

The Inner Conversation reflection

The week leading up to our state fair field trip, we talked about main idea and supporting details during reading. This proved to be an excellent opportunity to use the monitoring comprehension strategy, the inner conversation, from the book "Strategies That Work."

Last Friday, our reading article was on the topic of crazy fair food. The students performed a rally robin with their shoulder partner and brainstormed different fair foods that they had eaten or heard of. After engaging the students in the topic, I handed out our article. After reading the first section of the article to the students, I asked them what they heard so far in the article that might give them a clue as to the article's main idea. From the ideas that sprung from the conversation, I modeled making connections in my own life to what we read in the article and modeled thinking aloud.

For the rest of the article, I had the students silent read and highlight parts of the article that they thought would support the article's main idea. Additionally, the students wrote any questions or confusing parts in the margins of their paper. I instructed that it is helpful to write down your thoughts when you read something to help understand it better and to go back and clarify things later on.

Sneetches? Say What?

Using the book "Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss, I hoped to enjoy a rich conversation about bullying as my students monitored their inner conversations and remembered a time when they didn't quite fit in.

I gave each student a post-it note for them to write down their thoughts as I read the book aloud. After finishing the book, the students were able to post their notes on a posterboard (without names) so that we could discuss them. There wasn't much inner conversation going on as I had "?" and "wondered when you were going to be done" on more than one post-it. I am not a boring reader, so I was unsure how to take these notes. There were a few kids who related to a situation at recess or a time when they felt left out.

Each student was then given a playing card with a face value of a 2-4, 9-10, or Queen, King, Ace. The students did not look at the value of their individual card but held it up for everyone else to see. They then moved about the room, without talking, and treated one another in a way that represented the card they were holding. At the end of 2 minutes, students then went and stood next to a poster that showed the value of the card they "believed" they were holding. We continued our discussion on how we treat others and how one who is bullied feels.

In the future, I would wait a little later in the year to do this activity. I think some of my students were embarrassed to write their true inner conversation about "Sneetches" (even though they didn't put their names down) because they wanted to appear tough.

Read, Write, and Talk.

Utilizing this inner conversation with my students allows them to record their thoughts on information they are reading. I have found using this strategy within science was quite meaningful. Students were assigned to read Kids Discover Bones within pairs. As they read they were to record interesting facts, questions, and thinking within their spiral. After they finished reading/recording they were then assigned to a larger group to share in a 'round robin' format. From the sharing students were involved in discussion with one another of facts, questions, and exploration of information presented in the science reading.

Following the Inner Conversation

I continually do this throughout my read alouds and the novel studies. I have been reading the first few pages in a chapter of City of Ember, when we get to a place that interest me, or shows foreshadowing, or an "aha" moment, I stop and tell them that I am going to say aloud what is going on inside my head. I discussed that it is important for your brain to have a conversation while you read. I explain that all good readers do it. It helps monitor comprehension, and voice my opinions. Sometimes I make a noise that means "lightbulb" when we get to a part that's particularly important to making a connection or interesting. I see the kids, all of a sudden, nod their heads, like they got it too...having that inner conversation. Many of my students admitted they did that but never thought about why they did. We discussed what if we're not having that inner conversation and the students brainstormed reasons why...lack of focus, not understanding the text because it was too high a level of reading, not interested in the topic, stress outside of school. We did not do sticky notes on this lesson, but we used shoulder partners from time to time, stopping them (training) them to make a connection.