Making Learning Visible: Reading Comprehension through Class Novels
How do we know what our kids know? How do we make learning visible? How do we assess what our kid know from what they have shown us—their teachers—by making their learning visible?
Do you have a headache?
Cool.
So do I!
Making learning visible and assessing this learning is hard. We have a few ways that are really standard for reading comprehension, but I want to share with you the power of visuals based on one of the final activities my class did for Out of My Mind before the winter break. This is not meant to outline EVERYTHING you need to do to make learning visible—it is one example of part of an activity. Hopefully it can help you shift your thinking and start seeing other possibilities.
Near the end, there is a section about how I assessed the unit/reading comprehension. It is not a detailed section, but it might give you a few ideas to think about.
How did I use Out of My Mind?
I have many parts to my reading comprehension program. I really like reading novels out loud to my class and using them to support my program. I don’t run a ‘novel study’ like every person reads the novel at the same time answering the same questions. Instead, I read novels to my class. We explore the stories and reading comprehension together. Sometimes I read for the joy of listening (Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman). Sometimes for SEL reasons (Restart by Gordon Korman). Sometimes to explore suspense (Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix). I usually choose prolific authors and/or the start of a series to introduce students to something new.
Out of My Mind, I read for the love of language and the power of connection. I have read this book to grades four through seven and all connect with it. One class even voted to FINISH THE BOOK instead of having a Christmas party on the last day before break. Throughout the book, we explore different reading powers and usually talk quite a bit about inclusion as well as the privilege of communication. We dig into inference and connection through a variety of lessons.
I read the book to the students. I do have extra copies in the room if kids want to follow along as I read, but most of the time, kids listen and create images in their heads.
A Little Aside
‘Traditional’ Ways of Making Learning Visible for Reading Comprehension
The list below represents some more ‘traditional’ ways that students have been asked to represent their reading comprehension during novel studies or class novels. Most of these have been around since long before I was even a student and they rely heavily on writing.
Often, these activities are about remembering events or facts, which sits at the bottom of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The intent behind these activities is not inherently bad, and you can shift them to drive them up the thinking pyramid.
The ‘Traditional’ Activities
Chapter comprehension questions
Spelling test based on chapters (I always had spelling anxiety—I still do. These spelling tests never helped me learn the words, which was the intent…think about why you do something and if the format you chose actually captures that why)
Paragraphs/essays about specific plot points, characters, themes, or story structure
A diorama of a scene
A comprehension test
Shifting the Activities
Instead of comprehension questions…focus on a comprehension skill every couple of chapters that requires kids to reference details and apply them to a bigger ideas. Two resources I love are (1) Reading Power by Adrienne Gear and (2) Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses by Faye Brownlie. I also have ideas in other blog posts, luke using the Windows/Mirrors strategy when working on connections.
Instead of spelling tests…pull ten words out of each chapter that you think are important to the text. Find games to play with these words. Explore definitions in small groups. Play Pictionary as a class. Play with the language and challenge each other to use it in context verbally and in writing.
Instead of paragraphs and essays…clearly identify the thinking skills you are wanting to build in your students and design activities around those skills. Again, see the books suggested in number one. If you were working on character traits or understanding characters, you could give a small group of students Venn diagrams to compare two important characters in the book. If you wanted them to write a paragraph, you could then challenge each student to use the Venn diagram and additional information to argue why one of the characters is more important to the story than the other with evidence.
Instead of a diorama of a scene…put parameters on the activity that engage critical thinking. Build a diorama of the most important scene in the book and be prepared to defend why it is the most important scene with evidence. Write a play of the most important scene in small groups and act it out in front of a green screen so you can put yourself and the other actors into the diorama.
Instead of a comprehension test…clearly identify what skills you are hoping have been built in the students and design a series of activities or choices of activities that will help your students demonstrate understanding of these skills. The rest of this blog post talks about part of the final series of activities I did with my class of Out of My Mind. For this unit, I wanted to focus on (1) making connections, (2) making inferences, and (3) being able to summarize a plot succinctly.
The Final Activities
Often for my final activities or during units, I have a portion of the work that everyone does—usually in small groups. This helps me make sure everyone starts with a good baseline of information and gets to share thinking with each other. The ‘everyone’ activities for Out of My Mind, help all students remember and understand the story. I try to include some analysis, but these activities are about creating a baseline for all kids to work from.
This is a brief outline of the final activities I run for Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper.
Everyone
Sticky Note Outline: Students worked in pairs or groups of three. I gave them 10 sticky notes in 3 different colours (2-6-2). The challenge was to outline to entire novel in ten sticky notes. They work together under a time limit (10-15 minutes). Before they started, we discuss why they have three different colours (Beginning, Middle, End) and why they were weighted differently.
Visual Map: Students worked in pairs or groups of three to create a visual map of the story. They used pictures and words to map out all of the important locations in the story and how these locations were connected. The students were challenged to use at least the ten sticky notes they created for the summary. The more visual detail the groups added, the deeper comprehension and connections across the text they were able to demonstrate. Normally, my class would have TWO work blocks for this, but due to the fact that my class was in isolation for two weeks in the fall, this was rushed. The groups had 30 minutes to get as much detail onto the page as possible. Down below, I am going to break down a messy visual map to explain the detailed comprehension it demonstrated. Visuals are powerful.
Individual
For the individual activities, I wanted my students to focus on inference and creativity. They had a choice of THREE different activities and most completed two—they only needed to do one. Again, my kids usually have 2-3 working blocks during a week to complete this activity and I gave them one. Yikes. Not normal for me, but they LOVED it and shared beautiful things.
Activities:
Rewrite a scene/Add to the story: If the students chose to rewrite a scene, they had to explain why they chose that scene and how it would have impacted the rest of the story. If they continued the story, it had to pull in strands from the book and be logical.
Write a letter to the author: Talk to the author about what you liked about the book, your favourite scene, how it changed your thinking etc. I provided a list of several questions they could choose from, or they could talk to me before they started writing about their focus.
Create an Inclusion/Accessibility Plan for our School: A big theme in the story is inclusion and accessibility. For this choice, the students had to draw a map of our school that highlighted accessibility AND added what they thought should be added to our school. For example, only one of our portables has a ramp and in student diagrams, every single portable had a ramp and every single door to the outside had a button to open, not just the front door. This option also included a little write-up about how our school compared to Spaulding Street Elementary.
Making Learning Visible AND Helping All Students Succeed
This is the map I am going to break down for you. The students had about 30 minutes to complete this and everywhere I look, I see comprehension. Something you need to know is, the students who created this both have fine motor challenges and one was flagged as having reading comprehension challenges last year. What I have discovered this term is that the student with reading comprehension challenges does just fine when books are read out loud…so I need to dig deeper into what is going on when words are written down. Is it dyslexia? Is it a visual processing challenge? I don’t know yet, but I will keep digging.
I am going to ask you to look past what might seem a bit messy to see the powerful comprehension represented by two amazing humans. Humans who don’t like the look of their own writing, but drew comprehension with labels that I am excited to share.
Before I break down a few specific spots that show deep comprehension and inference, I want you to take the image in as a whole. This picture shows all of the important locations in the book:
Mrs. V’s House
Melody’s House
Melody’s Driveway
Melody’s School with H-5, the music room, and Mr. Dimmings room marked off
Dr. Hugely’s office
The Airport
The Hospital
The TV Studio
The Restaurant AFTER the TV Studio
If you have read Out of My Mind, you will know the significance of all of these places. All are important to the story and many change the trajectory of Melody’s life. The fact that the two students made sure all of these were on the sheet with labels showed me that they understood how location was tied to story. We are now going to dig deeper into a few images and what they show me about comprehension.
Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD…if you have not read the book and you want it all to be a surprise….just don’t read these in detail…. These little clips are a few of the small details added that the students elaborated on verbally. They demonstrated a deep connection and understanding of the text.
Sydney the Snowman
Sydney the Snowman was brought out every year in room H-5. It was a symbol of nothing every changing in the room and kids being treated like babies. It was hated by most and just one more reminder that the kids in room H-5 got hand-me-downs and were thought to not know any better. Some of the students on other posters also drew a CD being broken to highlight Mrs. Billups—perhaps the worst teacher the students in room H-5 had.
The weather and an airplane
An unexpected storm that caused the airplane not the be able to fly changed the book. Not only did it keep Melody from getting to Washington for the Whiz Kid Team competition, but the storm showed the rest of the team for who they were. The team had not invited Melody to the morning breakfast, they did not phone her from the airport to let her know about the cancelled flights. They did not see her or treat her the way she should have been treated. It was a powerful moment—complete with Melody’s dad punching a wall.
Step Fart
Sometimes funny moments catch the imagination. For some reason, the description of Melody’s father farting with each step stays with my students each year. The idea that he loves cheese, he eats cheese, and then he farts as he walks up stairs because of the cheese stays with my little humans. It was also included on many of the diagrams within Melody’s house. This descriptor helped paint the picture of Melody’s dad: silly and funny . You an also see int he corner Ollie her goldfish who jumped out of the bowl.
Penny and the Car
This little drawing on Melody’s driveway says so much. It references the day after the quiz team left Melody. It is pouring rain and she insists on going to school. She doesn’t have Elvira in the car or her old communication board. Her mom is distracted and they are all soaked. Melody suddenly realizes her sister is behind the car and her mom cannot see her. Melody does everything she can to get her mother’s attention and nothing works. The car starts, backs up, and they hear/feel a soft thud. Being the teacher I am, I usually stop reading at this point and make kids wait at least an hour…if not a day before I finish the story…. so have fun finding out what happens next.
These are four examples of the little drawings that covered the map. Each one showed the importance of an event or a place to the story. Each demonstrated deep comprehension. Most of the times, a few words labeled the event and sometimes a whole sticky note was written. The more I looked, the more I saw. This was the case with all of the diagrams.
Visuals are powerful and they can demonstrate deep comprehension.
A Word About Assessment
My assessment is changing and evolving, but I can talk about what I currently do.
I think about the skills I am trying to develop (e.g. summarizing, inferencing, connecting).
I look at the current performance standards or curriculum (I know these are currently being rewritten in BC).
I use this language to create a series of positive I-can statements and build a rubric.
I design lessons around these skills and use evidence from these lessons to assess my students. Most of the lessons are linked to anchor texts like the novel we are reading or picture books.
How do I help my students see growth?
I give verbal and written feedback
I do a mid-unit check in with suggestions for demonstrating deeper understanding and goals. I look at an assortment of activities they have completed by the middle of the unit to help me with the assessment.
I complete an end-of-unit assessment on the same sheet in a different colour. I use the final activities and/or the lessons from later in the unit to help me complete the assessment.
Sometimes: I have students fill in an early self-reflection about the skills we are working on and then complete one at the end that is similar. This can allow the students to see growth more clearly in a specific area.
Final Thoughts
I love reading novels to my class. I read novels to them in order to model language and explore powerful stories. I love using novels to dig deeply into comprehension topics and introduce my students to new authors or genres.
Have I found a magic solution for reading comprehension? Not really, but I have found what works for me:
I start where they are.
I design activities around the skills they need to develop.
We enjoy the book together…which means we sometimes explore unusual things!
We find creative ways to show comprehension…sometimes teacher generated…sometimes student.
I provide feedback in a way that allows students to see and experience their growth.
My approach to reading comprehension and assessment are always shifting…a little. It means I don’t feel stuck. If a book falls flat or lessons don’t work, I do my best to have a growth mindset and try something new. Educators are a really great at having a growth mindset for everyone but themselves.
So here is my challenge to you, don’t feel stuck. Try something new. It if works, great—think about why it worked for your kids! If it okay, think about how you could tweak it to make it better. If it falls flat, find the kernel of good. The moment in the lesson that worked and focus on that. How can you bring that moment into your next lesson? How can you use that good moment to build your best practice?