Margin Notes

In last Thursday’s post, we explored how to use the New York Times’ What’s Going On in This Picture? to help students build sentences from the ground up. By starting with a “Who + Do” chart and expanding with details, students learn how to construct meaning.

But what happens when students encounter a complex sentence in their reading that they didn’t build themselves? To help them navigate this, teachers can turn to a routine from Nancy Lewis Hennessy’s The Reading Comprehension Blueprint.

While the previous routine focused on sentence construction, this script focuses on sentence deconstruction. It teaches students to ask specific questions to unlock the meaning of sentences they encounter in their texts.

The Routine: Words Working Together by Nancy Lewis Hennessy

This routine is the perfect follow-up to the Who + Do image practice. In the image routine, students learn that adding “how, when, and where” details makes their writing more precise. In the Teacher Syntax Script, they learn that those same details are the keys to comprehending what an author has written.

By teaching students to identify how phrases and clauses contribute to meaning, we give them a “way in” to complex text. Instead of getting stuck on a difficult sentence, they can systematically break it down into its functional parts and rebuild the meaning for themselves.

Hennessy, Nancy Lewis. The Reading Comprehension Blueprint: Helping Students Make Meaning from Text. Brookes Publishing, 2021.

The New York Times feature What’s Going On in This Picture? is a simple way to help students notice and apply syntax. This quick routine moves students from observation to sentence building, sentence expanding, and sentence combining. Each step is followed by class discussion and sharing opportunities.

Here’s a version using this NYTimes image.

Step 1: Observe and Build a Who + Do Chart

Ask students to study the image silently first.

Give students a two-column organizer labeled:

• Who (subject)
• Do (verb/action)

Step 2: Write Kernel Sentences

Students turn each row into a short, direct sentence.

• The child lies across the chairs.
• The child sits upright.
• The boy looks to the side.
• The girl looks down.
• The children wear costumes.

Step 3: Expand with Adjectives and Adverbs

Now students add detail.

Ask: Which one? What kind? How many? How? When? Where?

• The tired child lies across the metal chairs.
• The serious child sits upright in a dark costume.
• The curious boy looks to the side quietly.
• The young girl looks down at her hands.
• Several children wear colorful costumes.

Step 4: Combine Sentences

Students now combine related ideas using conjunctions or clauses. Offer combining stems: while, as, because, when, who is/who are

• The tired child lies across the chairs while the serious child sits upright beside him.
• Several children wear costumes as they sit in rows of chairs.
• The boy looks to the side while the girl looks down at her hands.

 Step 5: Create

Have students return to a paragraph they are currently drafting and revise two short sentences by expanding or combining them using today’s syntax moves.

Reading Transfer

When students build sentences themselves, they understand how meaning is constructed. Later, when they hit a long or complex sentence in a text, they have a way in. They can ask:

• Who is this about?
• What are they doing?
• When, where, why, how?

Instead of getting stuck, they break the sentence apart and rebuild the meaning, just like they practiced with the image.

Writing Transfer

• Writing complete subject–verb sentences
• Adding precise detail
• Combining ideas into more fluent sentences
• Varying sentence structure intentionally

This lesson was inspired by William Van Cleave’s Syntax Matters: The Link Between Sentence Writing & Sentence Comprehending

What I was reading:

This post is inspired by the NYTimes Learning Network student opinion piece titled What Little Victory Would You Like to Celebrate? by Natalie Proulx. The article argues that people should celebrate small, everyday accomplishments instead of only major milestones like birthdays or holidays. She explains this idea by sharing examples of “micro-occasions,” such as getting a new haircut or being pain-free, and suggests that recognizing these moments can make life feel more joyful and meaningful. Overall, the article encourages readers to rethink what is worth celebrating and to notice the good things that often get overlooked.

This text made me think of the TikTok trend of buying cake to celebrate the typically unrecognized accomplishments of friends. An example of this trend can be found here, here and here. This one is an example of a class doing the trend. The common theme among the videos is the worthy celebration of the simple accomplishments like surviving finals, drinking water daily or not hitting snooze.

How to try this tomorrow:

1.Quickwrite:

Quickwrites are a flexible way of inviting student thinking, building confidence, and preparing students for deeper reading, writing, and discussion. You can read more about them on our blog series here.

Choose one of the TikTok small wins videos from the examples linked above that best suits your students and view it together. Offer invitations to respond such as:

• Write anything that comes to mind after viewing the text.
• Write about the small wins you have had this year that may not typically be celebrated.
• Write about whether you agree with the trend of celebrating all success, no matter the size.
• Write about the wins from the video. Which one was most impressive?

Offer the opportunity to share thinking by summarizing, reading directly from the page, commenting on another perspective or listening.

Pre-Reading:

2. Background Knowledge: Cultural Celebrations vs. Personal Victories

Create a quick T-chart on the board:

Complete the chart together to notice the difference between cultural celebrations and personal victories. The discussion along with the quickwrite and vocabulary, will prepare students for this distinction in the article.

Discuss:

• Who decides when cultural celebrations happen?
• Who decides when personal victories matter?
• Which type happens more often in real life?

3. Vocabulary/Morphology

Look for tier 2 words to teach vocabulary needed for comprehension and opportunities for morphology.

In this article you may choose words like milestone, revelry, confine, micro-occasion or other words best suited for the students in front of you.

NYTimes – Little Victories – Vocabulary – Click the link to see models of vocabulary and morphology routines for these words.

4. Reading Task:

Introduce the 3-2-1 response. This is a flexible thinking tool that can be repeated with different texts and for different purposes. It might focus on comprehension, reflection, argument etc. The numbers stay the same, but the questions can change depending on the text and learning.

The goal of a 3–2–1 is to provide focus and to make that thinking visible.

3-2-1 Learning Reflection – here is an example of what the template could look like.

Read the text.

After reading, students complete the 3-2-1:

• 3 key details the author wants you to know from the quickwrite or article
• 2 micro-occasions you hope to celebrate
• 1 milestone you are looking forward to

 5. Debrief:

• Invite students to share a micro-occasion they have experienced or hope to experience this year.
• Is celebrating small victories meaningful or unnecessary?
• How can schools celebrate the small wins? What does this look like?

This lesson sets the tone for a new semester by modeling a routine of quickwrites, word study, mini-lessons, independent work and debriefing while focusing on positive celebrations and intentions. Try this tomorrow to start the semester with joy.

This idea comes from the resource 100% Engagement: 33 Lessons to Promote Participation, Beat Boredom, and Deepen Learning in the ELA Classroom by Brian Sztabnik and Susan Barber. The goal is to spark authentic engagement, thoughtful discussion, and meaningful collaboration that deepen students’ reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Thermometer Checks, inspired by Tim Averill, invites students to track a character’s emotional state over time by literally plotting a temperature check graph. This allows students to visualize character development and connect textual evidence to these shifts.

Here are some images of what that might look like:

Here is how it works:

• Set up the axes: The x-axis moves chronologically through the story or section; the y-axis represents the character’s mental health or emotional well-being.
• Gather evidence: As students read in groups, they collect textual evidence (on sticky notes, annotations, or a shared document) highlighting key moments that reveal the character’s mindset.
• Plot and justify: Students plot data points showing where they think the character “is” emotionally at various moments. Each point must be supported with a direct quote or paraphrased textual evidence.
• Analyze and discuss: Once the graph is complete, students step back to interpret patterns. Where do emotions spike or drop? What causes these shifts? How do they shape the character’s motivations, choices, or relationships?

The goal is to have students increase awareness of how characters change and grow while using inferring skills to see the subtleties that are not stated outright. The lesson ends with a description of the engagement and says this:

This lesson engages students because they visually notice that the progression isn’t so direct. Characters, like us, fluctuate all the time. They respond and react to the events of life in positive and negative ways. It is a great way to get every student to see characters beyond their superficial facades and allow them to plunge into the depths of those characters’ complexity.

Giving students access to text in multiple formats helps them become more confident, independent readers. Whether they struggle with decoding, love listening, or simply want to get through more books, audio can open doors. That’s where ElevenReader comes in – a new tool that turns text into natural-sounding audio in seconds. 

What is ElevenReader? 

ElevenReader is a free app powered by AI that turns digital texts – like PDFs, WORD documents, and ePubs(eBook file format) – into audio using realistic voices in over 30 languages. It’s easy to use, supports student choice, and works great for reading on the go or reinforcing comprehension through listening. 

Why Audio Access Matters 

Listening to text helps build fluency, supports comprehension, and gives students more ways to connect with content. For some, it removes barriers. For others, it’s a way to deepen their engagement and hear how language flows. ElevenReader helps make text accessible, personalized, and portable. 

How to Try This Tomorrow 

1. Choose a Text Together
   Pick a short article, story, or excerpt your students can access digitally.
   Ask: How might hearing this text help you understand it better? 

1. Use the App
   Download the ElevenReader app (iOS or Android).
   Upload or paste your text—then hit play! Let students adjust voice, speed, or language. 

1. Reflect on the Experience
   Have students respond to what they noticed while listening.
   Ask: What was easier? What felt different? What kind of texts would you want to hear next? 

Audio can give students a fresh way into reading—and help them feel successful with texts they might otherwise avoid. Try it tomorrow. You just might change how someone sees themselves as a reader. 

Debbie is a high school literacy teacher who believes all students should have access to great books. When she creates a moment of free time, you will find her cuddled up in her recliner with a book, a cup of coffee and her dog.