Margin Notes

In her book, When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do, Kylene Beers introduces several strategies to support the exploration of character development, one of which is Semantic Differential Scales. Using a Semantic Differential Scale is an effective way to track character development throughout the story as readers use evidence from the text to rate a character at the beginning, middle and end of the story. It allows readers to interpret character traits along a spectrum of opposing qualities (e.g., brave vs. timid, honest vs. deceptive). This scaffold encourages readers to consider the degrees of change and growth that character’s experience. By revisiting these scales throughout a text, students can visually map shifts in a character’s behavior or personality, deepening their comprehension of character arcs. Beers illustrates this concept using characters Roger and Mrs. Jones from Langston Hughes’ short story Thank You, M’am. Students can discuss their ratings with evidence from the text. 

Additionally, students could write a reflection explaining why they rated the character along certain points on the scale. In their responses, they could cite quotes from the text that demonstrate the shift in the character’s traits or actions, providing evidence from the text for their ratings. What another great scaffold to support readers with tracking how characters change throughout a story. 

In her book, When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do, Kylene Beers introduces several strategies to support the exploration of character development, one of which is ABC Boxes. These ABC Boxes can be used as post-reading scaffolds, facilitating discussions on character growth throughout a story. Students who understand character development are better equipped to recognize themes, because character arcs often embody the central ideas and messages of a story. As characters face challenges, make decisions, and grow, their experiences and transformations illuminate the underlying themes. For instance, a character’s journey from isolation to connection can highlight themes of friendship and belonging. By analyzing how and why characters change, students can identify the broader messages the author is conveying.

ABC Boxes are a great way for supporting readers to notice and track how characters change. Students compare and contrast two characters by choosing words that describe the characters challenges, choices, experiences and transformations using different colored ink for each character. Beers illustrates this concept using an example from Lisa Fipps’s novel in verse, “Starfish,” where a student employed ABC Boxes to compare and contrast character development of two characters. Additionally, I used the blank template provided in the Appendices to complete my own comparative analysis of two characters from Fipps’s latest work, “And Then, Boom!”

Try this tomorrow!

7 Mighty Moves: Research-Backed, Classroom-Tested Strategies for K-to-3 Reading Success by Lindsay Kemeny, is a treasure trove of actionable strategies educators can try tomorrow. While Kemeny’s focus is on critical foundational reading skills for K-3, many of these strategies extend beyond grade 3. 7 Mighty Moves helps educators to think about how they can effectively address all the strands in the reading rope across the day. Kemeny shares her ongoing learning journey, revealing the adaptations she has made and the practices she has abandoned in a clear and engaging manner.

Within Move 6: Focus on Meaningful Fluency Practice, many of Kemeny’s strategies are adaptable for adolescent readers. She challenges educators to incorporate the practice of repeated oral readings combined with listening to fluent reading. Notably, Kemeny emphasizes the impact of reading a passage four times, stressing it has a greater impact than reading it only once, twice, or thrice. Techniques like echo reading, choral reading, and partner reading are highlighted as engaging methods that afford readers ample opportunities to both listen to and practice fluent reading. Kemeny emphasizes steering clear of ineffective practices such as round robin or popcorn reading, underscoring the importance of respecting readers’ emotional experiences while reading aloud.

I love that Kemeny included one of the most authentic oral rereading strategies that all readers may enjoy, regardless of age, the performance of a text for an audience. Various types of text can be adapted for Readers Theater: poems, dramatic dialogues, short stories, fables, folklore, and humorous texts with multiple voices, graphic novels, and comics, etc., as these are all great opportunities for repeated reading practice. Picture books and children’s literature featuring engaging dialogue are also recommended, provided they serve the readers’ individual needs.

Check out this group of adolescent readers performing The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs as well as this great collection of Readers Theatre scripts: RTscripts – Dr. Chase Young (thebestclass.org).

Kemeny challenges educators to implement different ways readers can engage in reading aloud in safe reading environments. What meaningful fluency practice strategies are you currently implementing in your classroom?

Kemeny, L., & Archer, A. L. (2023). 7 mighty moves: Research-backed, classroom-tested strategies to ensure K-to-3 reading success. Scholastic.

TRY THIS TOMORROW: One Book, Many Ways

Mathematizing Children’s Literature: Sparking Connections, Joy and Wonder Through Read Alouds and Discussions written by Allison Hintz and Anthony T. Smith challenges educators to explore a “story several times from different perspectives and do so with the goal of listening to and honoring children’s thoughts and ideas”. They implore that we “lead with beautiful and interesting stories and use those stories as context for inviting learners to think as mathematicians.” (Hinz & Smith, 2022, p.4). They challenge educators to think about approaching stories with a mathematical lens and creating a space for learners to share their noticings and wonderings in ways that cultivate thinking and talk, sparking curiosity, joy, and wonder.

I was inspired to extend that to approaching stories with many lenses: as artists, composers, scientists, citizens, inventors, explorers, readers, and writers. Hinz & Smith (2022) disrupted my thinking around collecting stories with a math theme, or an art theme but looking at illustrations and words within texts as a focus for investigation.

• How can one book be used in many ways across learning areas and layered across curriculum?
• How can we return to the same picture book or the same text in different ways?
• How can we use read alouds in a Middle or High School math or science class to springboard thinking and discussion?
• How can we help our readers approach stories with curiosity and wonder?

The watch and wonder theme in the picture book, one boy watching, written and illustrated by Grant Snider is the perfect book to practice this idea. Snider beautifully illustrates a boy’s journey to school and all that a student riding the bus might see, hear, and feel.

Perfect for all ages, Snider will have you reminiscing about your own school bus journey of days gone by. Snider’s illustrations, short text and watch and wonder theme makes this a perfect book for returning to a read aloud repeatedly to focus on or investigate a feature of the story through many lenses.

We asked author Grant Snider for some words of wisdom for educators who share his book with their students and his response echoes Hinz & Smith’s theme in their book: that inspiration for thinking can come from anywhere if we take the time to practice curiosity.

I wonder how can we explore our current collection of read alouds with a learning areas lens and think about how one illustration, one sentence or one beautifully written paragraph can be used across the learnings areas?

Hintz, A., & Smith, A. T. (2023). Mathematizing children’s literature: Sparking connections, joy, and wonder through read-alouds and discussion. Hawker Brownlow Education.

Snider, G. (2022). one boy watching. Chronicle Books.

John Schu primes readers with personal reflection of the books of their heart within the first few pages of his book, The Gift of Story: Exploring the Affective Side of the Reading Life. I love the following questions that Schu uses during his school visits where he shares his love of stories.  

“Is there a book that changed your life?  

Is there a book that feels like a best friend to you?  

Is there a book that you have read so many times that most of it is tattooed to your heart?  

Is there a book that everyone in this room should know about?  

Is there a book that calms you and helps you find your way back to joy? 

Is there a book that helped you understand yourself or a classmate better?  

Is there a book you wish you could give to everyone you meet?” (Schu, 2022, p. 2) 

Book love and joy is something we must sustain and sometimes reclaim throughout the year in our reading communities. These questions are a wonderful resource to add your toolbox for supporting your readers to reflect on their own book love. Sharing “the book of your heart” is a powerful way to exchange book love between your readers. Try it tomorrow!