Happy New Year!
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing break! I have added a
new page to the website. It covers what we will be doing for Mr. Popper's
Penguins during January. I will be sending home a packet the first day the
kiddos are back, but if you loose a copy, etc., you can go online to find the
information.
Also going home in your child's folder, January 5th, will be 20 index cards on
a ring. Students will be learning that good readers ask questions when they
read and why it is important to ask questions. I have included below
information about the reading strategy of questioning so that you can help
write and reinforce what we are learning at school by modeling the strategy at
home. There is an index card for each chapter. Each night after you read a
chapter, your child (with your help if needed) will write a "Thick" question
on one side and a "Thin" question on the other. The next day in class we will
share our questions with the rest of the class. Please try not to read ahead.
I know that the kids will want to, but it's important to stay with the pacing
guide. Last year a couple of the kids read ahead and then shared what
happened with the class. It is hard for them to keep it to themselves. I
know that some find the pacing guide to be too slow, but I want them to have a
deeper understanding of what they are reading.
Also, I included suggested activities. These activities are not requirements,
only suggestions for you to do with your child at home.
Lastly, I would really like any feedback you have to give. This is only our
second year doing this and I would like to continue the tradition, making it
an enjoyable unit for everyone. If you have any suggestions you think would
add to the experience, or anything you think needs tweaking, feel free to
email me.
Thank you for your continued support of our classroom.
Mrs. Batzer
mrs.batzer@gmail.com
Comprehension Strategies
There is nothing more important than the reader’s thinking. As you read this
book with your child, remember that they have been working on listening to
their “Inner Voice” while reading and thinking about what it’s saying to them.
One thing this voice does is ask questions. Thoughtful readers ask themselves
questions before, during, and after they read to help them understand the
text. Questioning is a critical strategy that helps readers make meaning of
literature by promoting critical thinking about what is being read.
Why Readers Ask Questions
• We ask questions to better understand complicated ideas.
• We ask questions when we are confused.
• We understand that not all of our questions will be answered in the text.
• When we read with questions in mind, we gather text clues to answer it.
• We answer our questions by rereading, reading on, and inferring.
• We can get our questions answered by talking to others.
• We can investigate outside the text to answer.
Many tasks we ask kids to do in school involve what we call assessment
questions or THIN QUESTIONS. Thin questions are those questions that we ask
and readily find the answers to. Thin questions are questions that we
teachers (and parents) already know the answers to and that we ask primarily
to check or monitor our students’ knowledge. They are simply
answered…sometimes by reading on…sometimes by our background knowledge. Thin
questions have a clear, concise answer.
THICK QUESTIONS or Authentic Questions are those questions we ask that require
thought and inference when we read. The answers aren’t always easy to figure
out; you may have to read further on, go back and reread for clues, and infer
what the author was trying to communicate. Thick questions are not so cut and
dry. They are debatable. Thick questions are thoughtful questions that come
about before, during, and after reading. You may be required to do more
research beyond what is given to you in the book to find your answer. They
spawn from genuine curiosity.
Authentic questions:
• Prompt thinking.
• Don’t always have one right answer
• Cause us to ponder and wonder
• Clarify confusion
• Challenge us to rethink our opinions
• Lead us to seek out further information
• Are subject to discussion and debate
• May require research
Great Questions to ask your child while your reading together to assess their
comprehension.
What made you think of that?
Why do you say that?
Can you elaborate on that?
Can you tell me more about your thinking?
How did you think of that?
Model and guide your child to ask those authentic questions. Here are some
great starters to the Language of Questioning:
“I wonder…”
“Why…”
“How come…”
“What’s the deal…”
“What, when, where, why, will…?”
“I’m confused…”
“I can’t believe…”
“Huh?”
“My big question is…”
“I still wonder…”