6.7 Literary Nonfiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the varied structural patterns and features of literary nonfiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. 6.3 Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. 6.8 Sensory Language. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about how an author s sensory language creates imagery in literary text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Tools to Know Process Connected Knowledge and Skills 6.13 6.2(B) 6.1(A) Fig.19(A) Fig.19(B) Fig.19(C) use context (e.g., cause and effect or compare and contrast organizational text structures) to determine or clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or multiple meaning words adjust fluency when reading aloud grade-level text based on the reading purpose and the nature of the text establish purposes for reading selected texts based upon own or others desired outcome to enhance comprehension ask literal, interpretive, evaluative, and universal questions of text monitor and adjust comprehension (e.g., using background knowledge; creating sensory images; rereading a portion aloud; generating questions) Tools to Know Comprehension Fig.19(F) make connections (e.g., thematic links, author analysis) between and across multiple texts of various genres and provide textual evidence 6.7 Fig.19(D) make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding 6.7 Fig.19(E) summarize, paraphrase, and synthesize texts in ways that maintain meaning and logical order within a text and across texts Ways to Show 6.3(C) compare and contrast the historical and cultural settings of two literary works Author s Craft 6.8(A) 6.3(B) 6.7(A) explain how authors create meaning through stylistic elements and figurative language emphasizing the use of personification, hyperbole, and refrains analyze the function of stylistic elements (e.g., magic helper, rule of three) in traditional and classical literature from various cultures identify the literary language and devices used in memoirs and personal narratives and compare their characteristics with those of an autobiography 25
Tools to Know Process 6.2(B) 6.1(A) use context (e.g., cause and effect or compare and contrast organizational text structures) to determine or clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or multiple meaning words (R) adjust fluency when reading aloud grade-level text based on the reading purpose and the nature of the text (NT) Fig.19(A) establish purposes for reading selected texts based upon own or others desired outcome to enhance comprehension (NT) Fig.19(B) ask literal, interpretive, evaluative, and universal questions of text (NT) Fig.19(C) monitor and adjust comprehension (e.g., using background knowledge; creating sensory images; rereading a portion aloud; generating questions) (NT) context evaluative fluency interpretive literal sensory images The process standards are metacognitive comprehension strategies that provide the reader tools for accessing and understanding meaning of text. Each strategy is an in-head action you cannot see and is unique to the reader. As complexity of the text increases, reader demands increase. Therefore, it is important that readers understand the role of each strategy and know how and when to apply and adjust. This is the first step in understanding what is read and must be practiced with every reading experience. When you teach comprehension strategies, remember to: Focus students cognitive energy on meaning, not just the sounding-out of words. Automaticity in reading is practiced and applied. Model and explore relationships between words and phrases to increase vocabulary and support comprehension of text. Provide students with ongoing opportunities to select their own texts and set their own purposes for reading. Provide explicit purpose when assigning reading; knowing a purpose for reading allows the reader to focus on what is important. Provide flexibility for readers to ask questions that are relevant to the individual reader to support and create deeper meaning. Model and explicitly apply comprehension strategies using background schema, creating images, and re-reading to clarify, monitor, and validate understanding. Focusing on rate of reading without comprehension Looking at the explicit clues and missing the critical, implicit clues in the larger chunks of the reading Looking within the sentence for clues and missing the clues in larger chunks of the reading Missing the explicit purpose for reading Forgetting to use the comprehension strategies to clarify, monitor, and validate understanding Not rereading when information/ideas are unclear 26
Tools to Know Comprehension Fig.19(F) make connections (e.g., thematic links, author analysis) between and across multiple texts of various genres, and provide textual evidence (R) 6.7 Fig.19(D) make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding (S) 6.7 Fig.19(E) summarize, paraphrase, and synthesize texts in ways that maintain meaning and logical order within a text and across texts (S) connections inference logical order summarize textual evidence The comprehension standards are metacognitive strategies that provide the foundational processes for reading with meaning. These strategies are learned in the early school years and are overtly continued as the complexity of text increases. The comprehension and process strategies provide readers a way to read between the lines, draw conclusions, make predictions, synthesize information, filter what is most and least important, and move beyond literal recall. As readers practice and engage in discussion, their responses and understanding become more logical. This is the second step in understanding what is read and requires practice with every reading experience. When you teach comprehension strategies, remember to: Model and explicitly connect prior knowledge and information from text to draw a conclusion, make a connection, and make a prediction (logical guess). Ask questions that encourage reading between the lines as a way to make unique interpretations. Model summarizing to clarify comprehension during and after reading and to ensure a deep understanding of what is read. Allow opportunities for students to use their own words in their own way to tell what the text said and what it means. Model and explicitly make connections between text and self, text and text, and text and world to support connections. Build background knowledge and increase vocabulary by providing a wide range of reading and student discourse. Confusing details for inferences Not recognizing that multiple inferences can be made using the same details Relying heavily on schema without textual evidence Not understanding that a summary is the most important ideas/information/meanings, etc. Thinking a summary only includes details/events from the beginning, middle, and end of the text Only using details and not using higher level thinking to make more abstract connections 27
Ways to Show 6.3(C) compare and contrast the historical and cultural settings of two literary works (S) setting The Ways to Show standards serve as the big idea and/or important information in a text. If the reader applies the metacognitive comprehension strategies (Tools to Know standards) effectively, their understanding will reveal the big idea and/or information as specifically noted in the standards themselves. The Ways to Show standards may also represent the elements specific to the text or genre. Readers require extensive opportunities to read, apply the comprehension strategies, and experience the Ways to Show standards to increase reading abilities. This requirement continues throughout the reader s education as the texts become more complex. Readers need experiences in their independent and instructional reading levels. When you teach this cluster, remember to: Be sure students have the historical and cultural information needed before trying to connect their effect on setting. Choose texts from a variety of historical and cultural settings to build schema. Lacking the historical and/or cultural background knowledge specific to the text Not knowing that cultural setting refers to conditions related to economics, region, and ethnic backgrounds Not knowing that historical setting refers to circumstances and social conditions 28
Author s Craft 6.8(A) 6.3(B) 6.7(A) explain how authors create meaning through stylistic elements and figurative language emphasizing the use of personification, hyperbole, and refrains (R) analyze the function of stylistic elements (e.g., magic helper, rule of three) in traditional and classical literature from various cultures (S) identify the literary language and devices used in memoirs and personal narratives and compare their characteristics with those of an autobiography (S) autobiography figurative language hyperbole memoirs personal narrative personification The Author s Craft standards serve as the analysis of what authors do, why they do it, and how they do it. These standards require readers to examine the text closely after understanding what is read. This analysis may require a second reading or a revisiting of the text for the purposes of analyzing an author s actions. Students rely heavily on what other authors do to learn and enhance their own writing. When you teach this cluster, remember to: Expose students to a variety of memoirs and personal narratives written in different styles to see how stylistic elements and figurative language create meaning. Provide students opportunities to engage in visualization and draw on their own experiences before the evaluation of the impact of sensory details, imagery, and figurative language. Allow students to experiment with word choice and figurative language in their own writing to understand and develop style. Not recognizing that words and phrases have literal and non-literal meanings Over-analyzing an author s use of language instead of experiencing it first 29