A good chunk of our work during the last few weeks has centered around things readers can notice and think about when reading fiction. These are like signposts that guide readers toward the thinking required for full and deep comprehension. One signpost is referred to as contrasts & contradictions. This is when a character does or says something that seems to be unexpected for people in general or for that character specifically. When a reader notices this, he/she should stop and think about why the character did that. Another signpost is referred to as tough questions. These are usually written right into the text, either as dialog or the character's inner thoughts. Stopping to think, "What does this make me wonder about?" can help a reader recognize the character's inner conflict.

Students did some reflective thinking, about their vacation reading and about their work in Trimester 2.

We continue to use TFK magazine to learn about the world and to practice reading nonfiction. Most recently we practiced thinking about text structure. There are several common ways authors organize their ideas: description/list, sequence or chronological order, compare/contrast, problem/solution, and cause/effect. Recognizing the way an article is structured helps a reader understand what the author thinks is important and wants one to know.

Students recently did a new bookmark analysis, which helps them notice patterns in their reading habits and make new plans for growth and change.

Students did a "Think and Write" in response to this quote by Henry Ford: "One of the greatest discoveries a person makes, one of their great surprises, is to find they can do what they were afraid they couldn't do."

After a class discussion, students made bar graphs that showed their perceived level of skill or proficiency with different activities in their lives, reading among them. We then watched a video about Patriots player, Malcolm Mitchell. We heard about his journey as a reader and why he is more proud of his reading accomplishments than his football accomplishments. The last thing students did was add words to their bar graphs to capture how they are going to improve in areas of lower skill or proficiency.

It was a really fun and helpful activity! Feel free to watch the video for yourself!

Our work has centered around reading challenging texts, sharing our questions and confusions, then writing in response to the text. We read two texts about humans traveling to Mars, then we read about the use of meditation instead of punishment in some schools. The writing gave us practice with making a strong and clear claim, then supporting that claim with ideas and evidence from the text(s). We read a mentor text (from the Boston Globe) so we would have a vision of writing that makes and supports a strong claim.

After looking back at all the writing done on these two topics so far, students were asked to choose one to take to completion. This choice was made by thinking about which topic one felt more passionate about, which topic one felt inspired to communicate some truth about.

In drafting, students were encouraged to make a strong, clear claim and to write with a voice of authority, avoiding language like "seems" and "I think." Students will be encouraged to refer back to the mentor text, trying to include things like common expressions, cultural references, subtle humor, an image or two, and good quotes.

We started with some basics - getting to know each other, learning about effort grades, starting a list of books read, and making index cards to share books.

One big idea of our program is that the work we do as readers is invisible, and if we are going to help each other grow, we have to make that work visible. We do this by either sharing our thinking aloud or by marking our thinking on a text. We practiced both approaches.

At the start of each class, students will tell what books they are reading and what pages they have reached. This is intended to establish an expectation that kids are reading on a regular basis and a sense of pride in doing so.

We will periodically do something called a book pass. Students pass around books, taking a few minutes to explore each one. This exposes them to different genres and styles, and helps them broaden their reading horizons.

Students will often have time for what we call IR+. This is independent reading with an added expectation. At this point, that expectation is a reflective log, where readers make observations about their reading while they read. This helps them be more thoughtful and self-aware.

While students read, I will often have conferences with them, listening in on their reading and thinking. This helps me know how to best support their growth, so it is important for students to be open and honest.

Students read a book about the connection between origami and science. They worked hard to take notes about the similarities and then write a paragraph telling about them, with evidence from the text. They also wrote about one example of how origami advanced one idea in science, medicine, or engineering.

Students who finished before others had a chance to read some TFK magazines. Some needed reminders about how reading magazines is a way to practice reading skills and learn about important events in the world - not just an opportunity to look at pictures.

We then started a book of short stories, Baseball in April, by Gary Soto. As students read the first story, they took notes to capture their thinking about characters, setting, the ending, and the author's message. Once everyone finished reading (and we had 2 snow days!), they each wrote in response to one idea, then discussed their ideas together as a group. This was a great exchange of ideas!

Students continue to share their "meaningful thoughts" at the beginning of class. For many, this routine has become automatic, and they know that readers are also thinkers. Some students are working on extending their thoughts outward, from characters or events in the book to larger, more universal ideas or themes.

We did some work on fluency which involved recognizing a word's parts and reading them quickly and accurately.

We read another book, called King Arthur: Real Person or Strictly Legend?. We talked about how the structure of a text can be related to the author's message. In this case, the author presents information about the stories told about King Arthur as well as evidence about the real Arthur, helping us to think about how and why legends grow from real people and events. Students read and discussed this book in partnerships. This arrangement requires students to be accountable in their reading and their thinking.

We did some more work on fluency, this time practicing using punctuation marks (periods, commas, and dashes) to guide both expression and comprehension.

During IR+ days, students updated their reading list, reflected on current goals and/or explored new books.

Students continue to share their "meaningful thoughts" at the beginning of class. For many, this routine has become automatic, and they know that readers are also thinkers. Some students are working on extending their thoughts outward, from characters or events in the book to larger, more universal ideas or themes.

We also read a biography called Mama Miti: The Roots of Peace. While reading, students noticed the decisions that the author told us about, and thought about why those decisions were made. That helped them recognize the larger message of the book and of Mama Miti's life. We did a Readers' Theater, which allowed students to practice using their voices to reflect understanding of the text.

During IR+ days, students updated their reading list, reflected on current goals, explored new books, and did some quiet reading while focusing on one particular way of thinking.

Students have been working on noticing the questions they have while reading, and then making an effort to find answers to those questions. They know three specific strategies: Figure out what is probably true by putting yourself in the scene and using your background knowledge; reread; or read ahead. Questions Fix-Up Strategies This work is similar to what we did with unfamiliar words. Unfamiliar Words Fix-Up Strategies

Students reviewed what they know about being good readers of magazines. We also added something new to our list of magazine reading skills and strategies. If the purpose of reading a magazine article is to learn and remember new information, then one has to distinguish between important ideas and interesting details, holding onto and focusing on the former.

During IR+ days, students updated their reading list, reflected on current goals, explored new books, and did some quiet reading while focusing on one particular way of thinking.

Students have been working on noticing the questions they have while reading, and then making an effort to find answers to those questions. They know three specific strategies: Figure out what is probably true by putting yourself in the scene and using your background knowledge; reread; or read ahead. Questions Fix-Up Strategies This work is similar to what we did with unfamiliar words. Unfamiliar Words Fix-Up Strategies

Students reviewed what they know about being good readers of magazines. We also added something new to our list of magazine reading skills and strategies. If the purpose of reading a magazine article is to learn and remember new information, then one has to distinguish between important ideas and interesting details, holding onto and focusing on the former.

During IR+ days, students updated their reading list, reflected on current goals, explored new books, and did some quiet reading while focusing on one particular way of thinking.

We read and discussed a special article in TFK, called "The Year in Pictures." By looking back at moments of joy, triumph, hope, and tragedy, we were able to characterize the year of 2016.

Students read a book about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This was a 2-sided book that presented 2 different arguments. We had some interesting debates and students all wrote about the author he agreed with most.

Our next book was The Power of Red. This book gave information about the history of the color red - why it was so popular, and how it came to be associated with wealth and power. Students also did some writing in response to this text.

In addition, we have been working on sharing meaningful thoughts about our books and/or our reading habits. These thoughts are ones that could, through further discussion, lead us all to deeper thinking and understanding about books, authors, characters, ourselves, and the world. We've been practicing listening with intent - with the intention of really understanding what is being said.