Reading with a pencil

I love teaching this technique to my students. It really propels student thinking...all students. I found this version in a book entitled "Making Content Comprehensible for Elementary English Language Learners - The SIOP Model". They refer to this as the 'insert' method. We dubbed it "reading with a pencil".

You may find other versions of the same technique, but this one seemed to be easily adapted by my second language learners. We introduced the four symbols:

v = I already knew this.

! = Wow! That was unusual.

? = I'm confused.

+ = Something new I learned.

To begin this method, we modeled the strategy focusing on ! Wow moments only. As students read, they were to "read with a pencil" and look for information they found unusual. They were to record their thinking onto sticky notes. As time progressed, we added the focus on ?: I'm confused...it is imperative that students realize when they lose meaning of what they are reading. This takes quite a bit of modeling and monitoring. Then we included +: something new I learned and finally v: I already knew this. The students can apply this to all readings. I've used this strategy with both third and fifth graders. When we ran out of sticky notes, students simply jotted down their ideas in their notebooks. It is amazing to see what they realize and learn when reading. Keeping journals helps me to continuously monitor student progress. When students are making little or slow progress, they are pulled aside for mini-lessons.

My favorite story was from a student I was sitting with when he was 'reading with a pencil'. I was sitting with a fifth grade ELL boy who was reading about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He paused when he read that it was signed on July 4, 1776. Then he looked at me and said, "Oh, that's why we have fireworks on the Fourth of July!" I live for these moments!

Deb