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I. Nancy Polette's Literature-Based Reading Guide © 2006 Nancy Polette 

       Pre-Reading Strategies: 

1. Categorizing New Vocabulary: 
   Present a list of new words in the story. Students work together to group the words in whatever categories they choose. Grouping defines!
2. Creative Thinking: 
   Students brainstorm possible characters, actions, and problems that may arise in a story (fluency), unique solutions to problems (flexibility/originality) and elaborate on settings and character descriptions 
3. Paragraph Construction: 
   Show one illustration from the story. On separate slips of paper, groups of students write words related to the illustration. Words are then arranged in a topic sentence. More words are arranged to make sentences giving details to create a paragraph. 
4. Pre-Reading Journal: Students write in their journals for five to seven minutes on topics or sentence starters related to the story. These are shared orally. 
5. Predicting Vocabulary in the Story: 
   The teacher presents the story title and a list of words that might be in the story. Children predict which words will be in the story and listen carefully to see if they were right. 
6. Topic Talking: 
   Assign partners. The teacher states a topic. Partner A talks to Partner B on the topic until the 
   teacher says 'switch'. Partner B talks until the teacher says 'stop'. Introduce another topic. Gradually increase the time children talk and the size of the group. 
7. Topic Focusing: 
   Working in groups students list what they know about a topic and what they think they know but aren't sure. Guesses are shared before reading to support or deny guesses. 
8. Find Someone Who: 
   Eight to ten possibilities are listed from a story. Example: Find someone who has lived on a farm (for 
   Charlotte's Web). Students must find a different classmate's name for each item to discover what the class has in common with the characters they will be reading about. 
   
   Strategies to Use During Reading: 
   
9. Rank Order: 
   Read a story to the point where a character has several choices of action. Working in groups, students rank order the choices they would make. Finish the story to see what choice the character makes. 
10. Critical Listening: 
    Students listen for information to apply in forming opinions or drawing conclusions. 
11. Critical Reading: 
    Students will read to draw logical conclusions, make generalizations, evaluate and make judgments, recognize an author's point of view and recognize persuasive devices based on evidence from the text. III 
12. Predictive Reading: 
    Students are encouraged to ask themselves questions and to predict what will happen next, then read to support or deny predictions.
13. Partnership Reading: 
    Each student has a partner but is reading a different book. Midway in the text they summarize what has 
    happened for each other and predict what will happen next. When both have finished reading they again summarize and each reads aloud a favorite paragraph to the other. 
14. Readers Theatre: 
    Oral interpretation is stressed as students read aloud a play. 
15. Concert Reading: 
    Primary students read poetry to rhythm music. Order students choose one short paragraph or poem and read it aloud to mood music. 
16. Problem Solving: 
    Examine alternatives for solving a story character's problem. Decide on the best solution then read to see how the author solves the problem. 
17. Missing Paragraphs: 
    Copy and cut apart several paragraphs in a selection. Distribute to students. Read the first 
    paragraph. Let students decide which paragraph comes next. 
18. Finish the Story: 
    Copy the last paragraph and leave out key words. Students complete the paragraph before reading the last page. Compare their responses with the author's actual words. 
    
    Strategies for After Reading: 
    
19. Skills From the Text: 
    Select skills already taught (Example: Kinds of sentences). Challenge students to find examples in their reading selections.
20. Group Discussion Questions: 
    Develop one of the following questions based on the story for all groups to discuss for 10 minutes. Each group has a secretary to record the main ideas of the group. Ideas are then shared with the class. 
    Question starters: 
    How many ways..... What if...... If you were...... Suppose that..... How is ___________ like _____________? 
21. Inductive Reasoning: 
    Cut a story into parts or develop story strips to outline the story. Students work to get the parts in order. (On 
    story strips, missing capital letters & punctuation marks can be added.) 
22. Elaboration: 
    Add additional words or sounds to poetry or plays where appropriate before reading the poem or play aloud. 
23. Inferring: 
    After reading distribute clue cards labeled LOCATION, OCCUPATION, PROBLEM, TIME, FEELING. Students must find specific sentences in the selection that infer a location, occupation, time or feeling. 
24. Cause and Effect: 
    Use literal statements from the selection. Students are challenged to give both a cause and an effect for the statement. 
25. Summarizing in Song: 
    Using London Bridge, or Are You Sleeping, primary students can write songs about the story. Upper grades can summarize using the tune, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean or Yankee Doodle. 
26. Pattern Writing: 
    Students use story patterns as the basis for their own writing. 
    Example: FORTUNATELY/UNFORTUNATELY by Remy Charlip. 
27. Story Boards: 
    Divide a sheet of paper into ten sections. In section one write the character setting; section three write the 
    problem; section seven write the climax and section ten write the solution. Students complete the board by adding incidents in the blank sections. 
28. Visual Literacy: 
    Responding to illustrations through understanding of line, color, shape, perspective and framing. Interpreting illustrations. Responding in writing to wordless stories.
29. Writing Dialogue: 
    After reading, partners take turns writing dialogue where one character tells someone else what happened. 
30. Venn Diagrams-Graphic Organizers: 
    Compare characters using connecting circles; expand thinking with plot diagrams 
    and literature webs. 
31. Evaluate: 
    Make report cards for main characters in the story with a place for grades and comments on traits like courage, determination, caring etc. or use the character game. 
32. Data Banks: 
    Record information from non fiction books using appropriate headings. 
    For animals: Eats, lives, has, does, looks like. 
    For people: Statistics: born, lived, educated) Character traits: Accomplishments, Fears, Needs, Physical Characteristics. 
    For places: Statistics (size, location), Characteristics, Products, Famous Citizens, History, Government (if applicable). 
    For structures: Description, Made of, Events that Took Place There, People Involved, Other 
33. Pick A Project Chart:
    

    Action (choose one)	Topic (choose one)	Product (choose one)
    Knowledge   Define   Record   Label   List	List literature-related topics or research topics in this space	Acrostic poem
    		Advice letter
    		Autobiography
    		Bio-poem
    		Chart
    Comprehension   Summarize   Describe   Locate   Report		Choral reading
    		Collage
    		Comic strip
    		Concert reading
    		Diorama
    Analysis   Compare   Categorize   Classify   Discover		Editorial
    		Essay
    		Eyewitness report
    		Fable
    		Filmstrip
    Synthesis   Compose   Hypothesize   Predict   Create		Interview
    		Lesson
    		Map
    		Model
    		Moment in history script
    Evalutation   Judge   Rank Order   Criticize   Recommend		Mystery person report
    		Newspaper
    		Oral report
    		Poem
    		Question/answer session
    		Readers theatre script
    		Report
    		Song
    		Story
    		Tape recording
    		Time line
    		TV Script