Chapter 8: Extending Meaning

Once again Beers has provided a chapter full of great reading strategies-- this time for after students read. I would like to focus this blog entry on two of my favorites, Somebody Wanted So and Most Important Word.

I really liked the idea of using Somebody Wanted So in the classroom. I think that summarizing really shows how much a student is comprehending. To do this they need to understand character, plot, main ideas etc. It is a great way to link a story together in a students mind and make it make sense.

I also really like the most important word. As can be seen by figure 8.12, this activity hits many aspects of a book that the student would have just finished. Characters, conflict, plot, setting, and theme are all listed. One thing I particularly like about this one is that it gives the student some freedom to think. Not all of the kids are going to come up with the same word, but that doesn't mean they can't all be right. It is a way for them to take the story, learn what it is about, as well as sharing what they thought was important about it.