Literacy Work Station
Book Talk (RL1, RI1, SL1)
This work center is designed to encourage students to participate in independent
reading, to use effective reading strategies before, during, and after reading, and
to collaborate in small group discussions with others by sharing their ideas.
Suggestions For Students:
Make note of strategies used before and during reading a selection.
Mark pages or sections of the selection while reading for reference.
Select a strategy card to begin discussion in small group.
Each member of the group should add to the discussion or give an opinion about
what has been said before the group moves on to discuss another strategy.
Materials Provided:
Printouts of Nancy Boyles Strategies with questions for literature selections and
informational texts to make cards
Reading Comprehension Strategies for Literature Selections
from Nancy Boyles
Predicting
What might happen next? How will the story end?
What is the author trying to tell me?
Connecting
What other books have I read that might relate to this story?
Picturing
How am I visualizing what the words describe?
Wondering
What questions pop into my mind, such as:
What might happen next? How will the story end?
Why did the author write this? What else do I want to know?
Noticing
What are the important clues?
Is there something I don’t understand?
Has the author done something crafty?
Figuring Out
How do all the clues fit together? What do I understand better?
What conclusions can I draw?
Reading Comprehension Strategies for Informational Selections
from Nancy Boyles
Predicting
What will I probably learn from this text?
Connecting
What do I already know about this topic?
What did I read elsewhere about this topic?
Picturing
What clues in the illustrations/diagrams can help me to understand this reading?
Wondering
What questions will this text probably answer?
What more do I want to know about this topic?
Noticing
What clues do I notice in this text that can help me to understand it?
Figuring Out
Do I have a plan for figuring out the big ideas and the supporting evidence?
Connecting
Guessing
Picturing
Noticing
Wondering
Figuring Out
Predicting
Connecting
What will I probably learn from What do I already know about
this text?
this topic?
What did I read elsewhere
about this topic?
NF
NF
Noticing
What clues do I notice in this
text that can help me to
understand it?
NF
Picturing
What clues in the
illustrations/diagrams can help
me to understand this
reading?
NF
Figuring Out
Do I have a plan for figuring
out the big ideas and the
supporting evidence?
NF
Wondering
What questions will this text
probably answer?
What more do I want to know
about this topic?
NF
Predicting
Connecting
What might happen next? How
will the story end?
What is the author trying to tell
me?
What other books have I read that
might relate to this story?
F
F
Noticing
Picturing
What are the important clues?
Is there something I don’t
understand?
Has the author done something
crafty?
How am I visualizing what the
words describe?
F
F
Wondering
Figuring Out
How do all the clues fit together?
What do I understand better?
What conclusions can I draw?
F
What questions pop into my mind,
such as:
What might happen next? How
will the story end?
Why did the author write this?
What else do I want to know?
F
Literacy Work Station
Close Reading of Character Traits (RL3)
In this work station students will read a piece of literature with the focus of
identifying the character trait of both main characters and secondary characters.
Students will use the character trait cards and extract evidence from the text to
support the trait they have identified.
The literature selection can be from a read aloud used in the teacher’s modeled
mini lesson, the students’ text from small group instruction, a piece from the
listening center, an audio piece listened to on the computer, and/or any piece of
literature. Ideally, we are striving for students to apply this strategy to their
independent reading in which case the students will use their independent
reading book to complete the activity. The scaffolding needed for each child
needs to be determined by the classroom teacher as each child will need
modification of the expected outcome depending on his/her reading level.
Please refer to the modeled Close Reading of Stray, Cynthia Rylant, and additional
materials needed for this work station:
character trait and
definitions (3).doc
index cards, glue sticks,
Character Traits
brave
calm
careful
careless
Cheerful
clever
cross
cruel
Curious
foolish
funny
gloomy
grumpy
honest
Patient
thoughtful
From Nancy Boyles
Mischievous miserable
reckless
scared
selfish
wicked
wise
worried
Character Traits
Confident
considerate
creative
Reliable
ungrateful
cautious
Ferocious
argumentative
Irritable
Timid
Innocent
dishonest
intelligent
impatient
cowardly
dependable
fearless
optimistic
pessimistic
gullible
humble
bold
envious
faithful
independent insensitive
modest
sensible
stern
sympathetic supportive
unpredictable unreliable
predictable
self-
loyal
appreciative
spiteful
carefree
tolerant
demanding
trustworthy
assured
Assertive
Surly
From Nancy Boyles
haughty
glum
indifferent
ingenious
meek
conceited
menacing
rambunctious
noble
sullen
Stray
by Cynthia Rylant
Applying the Common Core Reading Standards to the Study of Literature
Practice the Reading Anchor Standards by sharing this story with your class.
Remind students that “you get out of Reading what you put into it” and that “details matter” when you
are doing a “close read”. – Lucy Calkins
This story takes place in winter. A young girl named Doris lives with her mother and father. One day
Doris finds a puppy and wants to keep it.
Story Discussion:
Read pages 42 and 43 aloud.
Stop and ask the listeners to discuss what they have heard so far with 2 or 3 other people:
What is this story coming to be about?
Weather in stories is not accidental. How does this author use the setting/weather to help tell her story?
Read pages 44 and 45 aloud.
How is the story progressing?
What have you learned about the characters so far?
Use the text to explain your thoughts.
Finish the story by reading pages 46 and 47 aloud.
What is your thinking about the story? What is the central idea?
How would you describe the characters? Did anyone surprise you? How?
Who thinks Doris was weak? Who disagrees and describes her as strong?
Form 2 lines based on your votes. Find a person in the opposite line and try to convince them of your
viewpoint. Use evidence from the story to support your argument.
General Ideas for Discussions:
Interrupt the reading of text often to allow students to formulate their thoughts.
Ask frequently, “What is this story coming to be about?”
Allow time for sharing with a partner or small group.
Don’t wait until the story is over to summarize conclusions.
Let the central ideas develop during the reading.
Encourage students to form opinions/inferences and adjust them as the story proceeds.
Ask for text evidence. Why do you think that? What words in the text support your thinking?/ How does
the author show that? What do you think of the characters? Why? Do the characters change as the
story unfolds? How? Use evidence from the text to support your conclusions.
Lesson by Lucy Calkins