Margin Notes

Texts used for fluency teaching and practice should be connected to reading students are actually going to engage in. One of the most effective ways to do this is to select a short, purposeful excerpt from a complex text before students read it in full. When used this way, fluency practice supports access, comprehension, and confidence going into the larger reading task.

A strong fluency excerpt gives students more than a chance to reread. It introduces essential vocabulary, builds background knowledge, and offers an early glimpse into the ideas, tone, and language of the text they are about to encounter. Through repeated reading, students begin to make sense of complex sentences and unfamiliar concepts before they face them at scale.

This kind of fluency work helps students feel oriented rather than overwhelmed. By the time they begin the full text, they have already heard the language, practiced making meaning, and developed a sense of what the reading will ask of them. In this way, fluency practice becomes a form of preparation that sets students up for success across the entire reading experience.

Here is an example using  Climbing Cringe Mountain With Gen Z from the NYT Learning Network.

Fluency Excerpt:

The phrase cringe mountain came from Erica Mallett, 34, a creator consultant based in Sydney, Australia, who coined it in 2023. Ms. Mallett spent years in the public eye, first as part of the hip-hop duo Coda Conduct and later as a host of a national breakfast show on the radio station Triple J. The role put her in front of a huge audience almost overnight, and she was bombarded with texts from listeners telling her she was “so cringe.”

This idea of stumbling publicly, enduring judgment and finding resilience in the process is not new. What’s new is the language. The phrase “cringe” is distinctly of the internet age, born of comment sections and meme culture to describe acute awkwardness or social embarrassment.

At first, Ms. Mallett tried to shrink herself to avoid criticism, but it only dulled her personality and stifled her creativity. She eventually reframed the word, deciding that being cringe was actually proof she was experimenting and taking risks. To her, “climbing cringe mountain” meant growth.

Why this excerpt:

This excerpt works for fluency practice because it prepares students for the larger text they are about to read. It introduces the term “cringe mountain” and reframes it from public embarrassment to personal growth, giving students essential background knowledge needed to understand both the article’s title and its central idea. Vocabulary such as “meme culture” and “acute awkwardness” supports students as they engage with the article’s exploration of public judgment, embarrassment, experimentation, and risk taking. By working through these concepts in the excerpt, students are better positioned to make sense of the full text as they read. Additionally, the explanatory, layered sentences offer opportunities for students to practice phrasing and pacing while making sense of complex meaning.

This lesson comes from The Heart of Fiction by Kate Roberts. In this chapter, Roberts points out that students often feel like they can’t question the texts presented in classrooms. Texts can become “off limits,” and students learn to accept the author’s choices without examining them. The goal of this lesson is to show students that they can critique a text and that doing so helps them become stronger, more independent readers.

Below is how you can use her idea tomorrow with Grades 6–12.

How to Teach It

1. Start with a quick media clip

Show a short clip of teenagers from a TV show. Then ask:
“Is this actually what it’s like to be a teenager?”

They’ll immediately identify what feels inaccurate. This sets up the idea that representation can be off, even when the creators try.

2. Connect that idea to books

Tell students they can apply the same thinking to the books they’re reading. Authors don’t always get characters, situations, or perspectives right. Students are allowed to notice that.

3. Give students specific critique questions

Share a short list such as:

• Does this feel realistic based on my experience?
• What seems unrealistic or off?
• Whose perspective is missing?
• Is this how problems get solved in real life?
• What would I change?

These mirror the questions in the lesson and keep the task focused.

4. Have them answer the questions

Students can work individually or in groups. If students are reading different books, have them respond on their own and then compare patterns.

5. Make a quick class graph

On a scale of 1–5, have each student rate how accurately their book captures real life. Post the results. It’s fast, visual, and helps spark discussion.

6. Discuss what makes a book feel “real” or not

Talk as a class or in small groups about what authors do that helps, or hurts, believability. This can lead to conversations about representation, stereotypes, missing voices, or overly convenient endings.

Students already critique music, shows, and social media. This lesson taps into skills they already use naturally and attaches them to classroom reading. It also gives them a way to talk about books that goes beyond “I liked it” or “It was boring.”

Source

Roberts, Kate. The Heart of Fiction. Chapter 11: “React to and Critique the Text.”

Every Thursday, the New York Times Learning Network releases a new Current Events Conversation where they publish comments from teenagers who replied to one of the daily writing prompts. Students from anywhere in the world can join the conversation. The editors also highlight schools that took part, which means a class might see a public shout out to their school while taking part in a global dialogue.

After reading the article to build background on the topic, this feature offers several meaningful opportunities, including:

• reading with the purpose of taking a stand on a topic
• engaging with an authentic audience beyond the classroom
• gaining new perspectives that broaden and deepen their thinking
• participating in conversations with teens from many places and backgrounds

There are also many low-pressure ways to participate, especially helpful for students who have not yet discovered what they want to say on a topic. Students can:

• choose a comment that most closely aligns with their thinking and explain how or why
• choose a comment that changed or expanded their thinking and reflect on what caused the shift
• join the discussion later, once they feel ready to contribute a fully formed idea

For those who do submit a comment, the editors revise and condense student writing before publication, creating a unique opportunity for feedback. Students can compare their original comment with the edited version to notice changes in clarity, tone, concision, or organization. They can reflect on which revisions strengthened their writing and which ones surprised them.

The series also offers powerful curriculum connections. It is an easy way to show the three strands of the NB Curriculum Framework working together.

• They read for meaning, nuance, and perspective.
• They represent their own ideas by crafting a thoughtful written comment.
• Students interact with peers from around the world through written dialogue.

This serves to show students the interconnected nature of the curriculum strands.

Because this is a long running feature, teachers have countless mentor texts ready to use. These models can help students notice what makes a comment effective. They also pair beautifully with a Must and Might chart. Teachers can gather a handful of comments and invite students to identify writing moves that appear in every example and moves that appear only sometimes. This work supports drafting, revising, and building genre awareness. You can explore a fuller explanation of Must and Might charts here.

Try this tomorrow and let students explore what it feels like to join a community of young thinkers who are learning from one another.

Second semester has started for high school, and the beginning of any literacy course starts with identity, including who we are as readers, why we read, and how our reading lives shape the ways we make meaning in the world.

As teachers, sharing our own reading identities and making space for students to share theirs helps us gather important information. It helps us understand what students choose to read, what they avoid, and how they see themselves as readers. When teachers and students come to know each other as readers, conversations about texts, choice, and engagement become easier and more productive.

Over the past few years, we have shared several posts on Margin Notes that focus on making reading identities visible, both our own and our students. These are not new ideas, but they are practical practices you may want to return to at the beginning of second semester.

Making Our Reading Lives Visible: This earlier post explores simple and practical way teachers can make their own reading lives visible to students. Read the post here

Quickwrites to Reflect on Reading Identity: In this Try This Tomorrow post, quickwrites are used as a short, low-pressure way to learn how students see themselves as readers. Read the post here

Reading and Writing Timelines: This post looks at reading and writing timelines to surface patterns in students reading lives over time. It can be revisited as a brief activity or conversation starter rather than a full assignment or project. Read the post here

Reading Conferences: Three Things I Know About You: This post reframes reading conferences as opportunities to listen and notice as you come to know your students as readers. Read the post here

The holidays bring a lot of joy and also a lot of pressure, and students experience this just as adults do. A recent New York Times article suggests a simple and refreshing idea. Along with the long lists of things we need to get done, we can also make a list of things we give ourselves permission not to do. Writer Jancee Dunn describes her family’s holiday routines and the pressure to keep everything perfect. After speaking with psychologists and authors, she begins to create her own “to don’t” list. The experts in the article encourage readers to make some small shifts to make the holiday season feel lighter and more manageable.

Read or Listen:

Teachers can invite students to read the short article and then use the invitations below to rehearse their thinking before a discussion on the article

There is also an option to listen to a discussion of the article on The Mental Breakdown and Psychreg Podcast. Hosts Dr Berney and Dr Marshall talk about the idea of “to don’t” lists in their episode and begin discussing the article around the twelve minute and thirty second mark.

Quickwrite Invitations:

After reading the article, or listening to the discussion, students can select one of the invitations below and teachers can provide time after writing for optional sharing.

• Create your own “to don’t” list. What are a few things you give yourself permission not to take on during the holiday season?
• Write about one expectation you feel you must meet. What would it feel like to release it?
• Think about a tradition or routine that no longer fits. What might you change or simplify so that it is a better fit?
• Imagine what you would have more time or energy for if you removed one item from your list and write about that.

This can lead to a thoughtful conversation about the expectations students carry and the ones they might choose to let go of.

Students are often asked to summarize an article or chapter, and for good reason, because this work encourages deep thinking and helps consolidate learning. At the same time, summarizing well is a skill that students build over time with practice and guidance. Making Deep Sense of Informational Texts: A Framework for Strengthening Comprehension in Grades 6–12 by Gwen J. Pauloski offers a clear four-step strategy to help students summarize thoughtfully. Each step slows the process down and makes the thinking behind a good summary visible. A handy template for guiding students through the steps is available here.

Making Deep Sense of Informational Texts: A Framework for Strengthening Comprehension in Grades 6–12 by Gwen J. Pauloski offers a clear four-step strategy to help students summarize thoughtfully. Each step slows the process down and makes the thinking behind a good summary visible. A template that students can use as they walk through the steps is available here.

Step 1. Compose a Central Idea Statement

Students begin by reviewing the text’s features, annotations, and structure. Then they step back to identify the central idea or core message. The author provides “Suggested Central Idea Stems” (open post in Microsoft Edge to access link) to help students match the stem to the text’s structure, and recommends the following questions to consider:

• • What is the central idea of the whole text?
  • Which central idea stem fits with the top-level text structure?

Then draft a statement using this frame from the text: In [type of text], [title], [the author] [central idea stem] [central idea].

Step 2. Paraphrase Key Supporting Ideas

After establishing the central idea, students identify the important ideas that support it. They may be directly stated in the text or inferred. Students are encouraged to look away from the text and restate each supporting idea in their own words. Recommended questions for this step are:

• • What does the author spend the most time talking about?
  • Which are the most important ideas?
  • Which ideas work together to support the central idea?

Step 3. Note Key Details and Terms

Next, students reread the text using the reporter questions (Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?) to locate key details and terms that support their understanding. They then use purposeful selection to decide on which to include, with the following questions:

• • How detailed does the summary need to be?
  • Which details and terms are most important for me to add?
  • Are there examples or explanations that are really important to mention?

Step 4. Draft and Revise the Summary

At this stage, students combine their first three by introducing the summary with the central idea statement. adding paraphrased supporting ideas and weaving in key detail, and including examples when helpful. The recommended questions to consider for this step are:

• • Does my draft make sense? Do I accurately represent the text?
  • Should I make connections between ideas clearer? Should I combine sentences? Should I add a transition?
  • Have I left anything out that I need to add? Have I included details that aren’t important?
  • Can I improve my word choice to make my summary clearer and more scholarly?

You can check out a completed summarization example here, based directly on the four-step Summarize Text Strategy. It’s designed to be used with a “think aloud”, so students can see not just the final summary, but how each step is applied.