Monitering for Meaning and Envisioning

As first graders become comfortable with the workshop model, and have embraced independent reading, it is time to tackle tricky words and focus on comprehension. To help support comprehension with more complex and rich texts, I focus on the following teaching points as suggested by Kathy Collins:


1. Readers picture the story in their mind as they read
2. Readers don't only see the story in their minds, but they also hear it, smell it, taste it, and feel it
3. Readers envision the characters, settings, and actions in the story
4. Readers envision "between the pictures" scenes


For this unit, I select read aloud texts that allow students to make "movies in their minds" as they envision what is happening in the story by reading slowly, and rereading at points of confusion. Some books I have seen to be successful for this type of unit include:

• Fireflies, by Julie Brinkloe
• The Gardener, by Sarah Stewart
• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears 

 The following suggestions for each text will help guide planning that focuses on monitoring for meaning and envisioning.
  


The Gardener, By Sarah Stewart:
Summary: This Caldacott  Honor book tells the story of Lydia Grace, who leaves her family in the country to help an estranged uncle tend to his store in the city during the Great Depression. Lydia Grace's passion is gardening. She seeks to create beauty in her new home, while also working to accomplish the goal of coaxing a smile from Uncle Jim. The story is written from the perspective of Lydia  Grace, through the form of letters to her family members back in the country.
Teaching Points: 

1. Good readers notice when they are confused about what is happening in the book. The moment readers realize that they are confused, they stop, get brave, and reread until they understand.

2. Good readers stop every two pages to think about what is happening. By doing this readers stop themselves from getting confused. 

3. Good readers notice when they are confused about what is happening in the book. Good readers think to themselves “I’m confused right now. I need to go back, reread, and write or draw about what is happening in this part to help myself understand.” 

Turn and Talk/Accountable Talk Questions:

• Lets infer: why might Lydia Grace be too shy to tell her uncle this in person? Can you make any text-to-self connections with the way she must be feeling

• Why do you think that grandma sent seeds with her? What does this tell us about them that might be important?

• What do you think the word “Doze” must means, use the rest of the sentence to help you out: “The train is rocking me to sleep, and every time I doze off, I dream of gardens”

• This page has no words! I see that Lydia Grace is in a dark place, and the illustrator chose to only draw her in color. How do you infer that she must feel, standing there all alone in a dark place without her family? (“I think that __________ because __________)

Extension Activities: Write a letter back to Lydia Grace in response to one of her letters from the beginning of the story. Use paint or other art supplies, with words, to show how you would create beauty in your own way.

Fireflies, by Julie Brinkloe:
Summary: Through simple yet vivid words and illustrations, a boy excitedly captures fireflies in a glass jar. He is proud of his fireflies, and takes them into his bedroom for the night. When the boy begins to fall asleep, he notices that the light in his jar has begun to dim, and the fireflies no longer fly with the same exuberance as they once did. With tears of happiness and sadness falling together, he releases the fireflies into the night sky from his bedroom window. 
Teaching Points:

1. Good readers help themselves to hold onto meaning by making movies in their minds. Good readers notice that when the movie goes away, they must be confused. When good readers are confused, they stop, and use their reading superhero strategies to tackle the tricky parts. 

2. Good readers are actors and actresses when they read. Good readers act out the story to help themselves envision, and keep track of the movie that is playing in their mind while reading. 

Turn and Talk/Accountable Talk Questions:

• Close your eyes while I read the first two pages. They explain in detail the character's excitement for catching fireflies at night. Envision what it must have looked like, felt like, and sounded like. Open your yes and turn to tell a partner about your envisioning.  
• Can make a text to self connection that can help describe how the boy must be feeling right now, as the fireflies begin to dim and drop to the bottom of the jar? 
• What do you predict will happen in the end?
• What words can you use to describe how he is feeling. Why is he crying?

Extension Activities: Students create firefly jars of their own and explain why or why not they would let their fireflies go.




Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, by Verna Aardema: 
Summary: Through collage work, and the sounds of an African jungle, an old folktale is brought to life in this Caldacott Award winning book.A story of cause and effect unfolds and carries through an entire jungle of animals who in the end discovery the mystery of a sun who has not come up in the morning. The words and pictures in this book are extremely engaging and make for an excellent envisioning story.
Teaching Point: Readers make movies in their mind while they read or listen to a story. Good readers to this and stop when the movie is no longer playing, because they must be confused. Good readers reread.
Turn and Talk Questions:

• What does this setting look like in your mind? What describing words could you use?
• Why did the baby owlet fall out of the tree? What happened first that lead to the baby falling?
• What is the lesson, or moral of this story, and who learned it?                                                       Extension Activity: Students draw the movie in their mind that the story created and use describing words to explain the setting and characters. For a more involved art project, students could do collage work to complete this activity in a way that matches the book illustrations.