Activities

1. Make a study guide of reading strategies using a two column chart that can be folded and used to study either the terms or definitions.
   
   
2.  Given a 6^th grade fictional narrative, independently read and complete a story map.

3. Given a 6^th grade fictional narrative and a list of short-response questions, independently read the story and answer the questions.
   
   
4. Given a 6^th grade fictional narrative, independently read and summarize story.

5. Given a 6th grade fictional narrative, independently read and retell story giving additional insights.
   
   
6. Given a 6^th grade short story and a narrative arc map, independently read the story and complete the narrative arc map.

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Student makes a study guide of reading strategies using a two columns chart that can be folded and used to study either the terms or definitions.  Student guide is filled out correctly and completely with terms and definitions.  Student understands reading is thinking.   Student understands his/her mind should be saying the words from the text and his/her brain should also be interacting with the text by questioning, clarifying, predicting, reviewing, evaluating, connecting and visualizing.  Study guide may look similar to the following:

2. Given a fictional narrative, student independently reads and completes a story map.  Student accurately and adequately fills in story map.  Story map may include the following items:

3. Given a 6^th grade fictional narrative and a list of short-response questions, student independently reads the story and answers the questions.  Student closely reads the narrative.  Student correctly answers the short-response questions.  For explicit questions, student goes back to the passage and underlines where the answer to the question is found.  For implicit questions, student underlines the clue that the author gave and annotates the thinking he/she used to draw his/her conclusion.  If the short response question requires the student to use information from several places in the narrative to answer the question, such as “identify the theme”, the student has several places in the passage underlined that support the answer given. 
   
   
4. Given a 6^th grade fictional narrative, student independently reads and summarizes story.  Student closely reads text.  Student condenses related and relevant events.  Student tells most important parts of story in the correct sequence.  Student’s retell is accurate.  Summary of story should include much of the following:

• Main “gist” of the story
• Key events
• Correct sequence of events
• Use of words, phrases and clauses directly from the text
• Student’s own words or the text is paraphrased
• Inferences
• Student’s opinion, observations, connections, or evaluation of the text

5. Given a 6^th grade fictional narrative, student independently reads and retells story while providing additional insights.  Student retells information correctly.  Student synthesizes information given and can give additional, logical, insights into text.  Retell includes:

• Main “gist” of the story
• Key events
• Important details
• Correct sequence of events
• Use of words, phrases and clauses directly from the text
• Student’s own words or the text is paraphrased
• Inferences
• Student’s opinion, observations, connections, or evaluation of the text

Student understands that he must interact with the text to make meaning.  This means student must be using the following reading strategies:

• Questioning-Student asks questions as he reads along.  Student looks for the answers to his question as he reads.  Student understands not all questions he asks are answerable. 
• Clarifying-Student recognizes an answer to a question he posed earlier. 
• Predicting-Student uses the text to make a logical prediction about what might happen.  Student uses text to identify instances of foreshadowing.  
• Reviewing-Student stops periodically and reminds himself about all the events that have happened or information he has read.  Student combines information into meaningful chunks. 
• Evaluating-Student makes a judgment about a person, event, situation or information. 
• Connecting-Student makes a connection between the text and things he has seen in the world, in print or in his life.  Student remembers past information or events in text and connects it to relevant information later in the text.   
• Visualizing-Student is making a movie in his mind as he reads the text.  

Student understands that to make additional insights into text, he must go beyond the literal meaning.  To understand the implicit meanings of the text, he must use a variety of strategies.

6. Given a 6^th grade short story and a narrative arc map, student independently reads the story and completes the narrative arc map.  Student closely reads story.  Student fills out narrative arc map accurately and completely.  The narrative arc map includes lines with room for student to record information and events regarding the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.  Student understands the introduction includes the setting, an introduction to the characters and background information.  Student understands the rising action includes the events that led up to the climax.  Student understands the climax is a turning point in the story and causes tension.  The climax includes a decision made by the main character that changes the outcome of the story.  Student understands the falling action includes the events after the climax that helps work out the decision reached at the climax.  Student understands the resolution is the final outcome of the story or how the story resolves the crisis.