Notice & Note
Professional Book Review
Section I
Background Information:
Name: Emily Craig
Current Position: K-2 Instructional Coach
Certification: EC- 4 Generalist, ESL Certified
Seeking Certification: Reading Specialist
Professional Organization: none
Professional Journals: The Reading Teacher,
Professional Conference:
- Texas Reading First Conference, 2009, 2010- Corpus Christi, TX.
- CSCOPE Conference, 2012-San Antonio, TX
- TCEA Conference- 2013, Austin, TX
- Dyslexia Conference, 2017-Dallas, TX
- Instructional Leadership Symposium- 2019- College Station, TX
Each of these Professional Conferences have been very beneficial to my educational journey. The Texas Reading First Conference, was by far my favorite to attend. It offered breakout sessions that I was able to tailor to my classroom needs. Each of these conferences were approved by the district I was working for. I have been fortunate to work for three different districts, all of which were very supportive of attending professional conferences. All three districts have paid for the conferences and provided reimbursement for meals and mileage.
Bibliography
Reviews:
Middleweb.com describes Notice & Note as an effective book that provides strategies that will help readers navigate through and interact with the text.
https://www.middleweb.com/6994/close-reading-strategies/
This review describes Notice & Note as a "godsend" to teachers to help students build reading skills through the use of close reading.
http://reviews.rebeccareid.com/notice-note-kylene-beers-robert-probst/
This blogger refers to Notice & Note as being as close to a "magic wand" as an ELA teacher can get. It provides skillful strategies that help readers ask questions, see signs, and dig deeper into the text.
http://outgrowingmyself.blogspot.com/2012/12/notice-and-note-strategies-for-close.html
Section II
About the Authors
Kylene Beers, Ed.D.
- Former middle school teacher
- Taught at University of Houston: College of Education
- Senior Reading Researcher: Comer School Development Program at Yale Univ.
- Senior Reading Advisor: Teachers College
- Published numerous articles
- Editor of Voices from the Middle
- President of National Council of Teachers of English, 2008-2009
- Convention Presenter
- Served on National Governor's Association
- Awarded English Leadership 2011
- Author: When Kids Can't Read/What Teachers Can Do
- Co-Author: Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading and Reading nonfiction Notice & Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies
Photo & Information retrieved from: https://www.heinemann.com/authors/1804.aspx
Robert E. Probst
- High School English Teacher
- Professor Emeritus of English Education with Georgia State University
- Research Fellow: Florida International University
- School Consultant
- Author: Response and Analysis, 2004
- Co-Editor: Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice
- Co-Author: Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading and Reading nonfiction Notice & Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies
- Numerous Publications
- Professor Emeritus of English Education at Georgia State University
- Convention Presenter
- Professional Publications in: English Journal, Voices from the Middle
Photo & Information retrieved from: https://www.heinemann.com/authors/56.aspx
Introduction
The Authors of Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading are Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst. Both authors have worked as educators in public schools and universities, as well as observed and studied classrooms across the nation.
As they reflected on their past and on the many changes they have seen over time with education they found one consistent issue, students were putting very little thought into what they were reading. Students are either not understanding what they are reading or relying on the teacher to think for them. This led the authors to begin researching and developing skills to implement in the classroom to help students become critical, rigorous readers. The text uses the strategies of close reading, along with six signposts that help readers become more thoughtful, rigorous readers.The readership of this text is to help teachers develop skills and strategies that they can teach their students how to question and interact with a text, and become more skillful readers.
Focus of the Book
The main focus of this book is that through the use of the signposts and their anchor questions, that the authors created lessons and theories around, it will encourage readers to become active and independent readers. Through their investigations and observations Beer & Probst identified that readers were not giving much thought into their reading, they wanted to discover how to get readers noticing, asking questions, interacting, and making connections with the text to gain a deeper understanding of the text. After much research, classroom observations, and teacher surveys, Beer & Probst came up with six signposts and accompanying questions for each signpost to help students become better independent and confident readers.
The first section of the book starts with ten questions that the authors wondered and investigates further. Questions about the role of 21st century reading, rigor, engagement in talk, text dependent questions, close reading, repetition in reading, text complexity, and how to create life long learners.
The second section of the book covers the signposts they found, anchor questions that go along with each signpost, and comments about teaching the signposts. To identify these signposts the authors used the teacher surveys to identify novels that were commonly taught, then as they read and reread these novels they identified "particular features, features that helped us understand character development, internal conflict, and even theme." (p. 67) They then established a criteria that focuses on features worth teaching. From those three criteria questions the author then were able to identify six features that met the criteria, they refer to these six features as "signposts." The signposts consist of Contrasts and Contradictions, Aha Moments, Tough Questions, Words of the Wiser, Again and Again, Memory Moment.
The third and final section of this professional book provides teachers with lessons on how to introduce and teach the signposts to their students. The lessons can be adapted to meet the teachers teaching style. The book does offer an order of how they suggest the lessons be taught, but explains that they can be taught in the order that best meets the needs of your curriculum and student needs.
The authors argue that through explicit teaching of these six signposts along with the anchor questions students will begin to read more closely and explore the text with deeper meaning and understanding. "We hope that learning and staying alert for the signposts will inculcate a habit of paying close attention, a readiness to slow down and reflect, and a willingness to hear and explore other responses to a text." (p. 111) This book and its theories and practices relates to current educational theories because it supports the importance of dialogue, 21st century classrooms, making connections, developing rigor, and implements skills to help students become effective independent readers and thinkers. The author's end this book with this final thought, "So there you have it. Six lessons. Six signposts. Six anchor questions. One goal: to help teachers help students come to love thoughtful, reflective, engaged reading." (p.189)
Picture created by and retrieved from: Hannah Braun at https://www.theclassroomkey.com/2014/09/the-6-signposts-for-close-reading.html
Your Response to the Book
I found this book to be very informative and consider the evidence found to be very convincing. I very much agree with the authors original theory that students were lacking in independent reading and comprehension skills. I appreciate that the authors pointed out that we want our students to get lost in a book and to also find themselves in a book as well. The signposts are meant to help readers be alert and pay close attention to significant moments in the text. Not to ruin the love of reading by making students find specific text features. Originally I assumed this book would be just another book about how to improve comprehension, but I discovered that it is so much more. It's about how to foster a love of reading and how to help students gain a deeper understanding and make deeper connections with the text. I appreciate that the author offers lessons on how to incorporate the signposts, but also flexibility to teacher styles with the lessons. I also found that the chapter about questions teachers might have to be very informative and helpful when considering implementing these strategies into your classroom. I have not found these theories to be very conflicting with other professional books that I have read, the goals have all been similar: To help readers become more engaged, thoughtful, reflective and successful in their independent reading. The process to get them there might look a little different, but I think that as teachers we have to decide which skills and processes will best meet the needs of our students. What separates this book from other books similar to it is it's realistic approach and it's ability to make the content and skills more meaningful to instruction. What differs this book from other comprehension strategy books is the desire to grow an "intellectual community," not just to teach comprehension skills that will improve reading comprehension and test scores.
The works of this practice has been applied to many different textbooks, most recently in Houghton Mifflin Harcort: Into Reading has applied the Notice & Note signposts into their curriculum. After reading this book, I better understand the meaning behind the Notice & Note signposts in the HMH books, and can better apply these theories into my teaching. I highly recommend that ALL teachers, especially those who are using this HMH textbook, read Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading to help them gain a deeper understanding of the process. These skills can be incorporated into any K-12 classroom, but would especially be beneficial for teachers in grades 3-12.
Section III
Tip #1: Track Thinking
1.) Beers & Probst (2013) suggest using a reading log or sticky notes to keep track of their thinking. (p. 100-101) A study by Morris (2012) noted that annotating can be very beneficial to a students reading comprehension, and that the best annotations are not summaries but analytic and critical conclusions.
2.) At the beginning of the year I will introduce the use of a reading log to annotate the signposts. This process will be modeled by the teacher and then gradually released the responsibility to the students independent use. We will start with one signpost, then add more signposts as they are introduced. When students notice a "signpost" they will stop, write down the signpost, location, and notes about the signpost. This process will help students steer away from writing summaries, and critically analyze how they came to that conclusion. The reading log will help them keep their thoughts in one place while they reflect on the passage. Reading logs can also be used as a formative assessment to ensure that students are comprehending the text.
3.) ELA 4.7E
Response skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple text. The student responds to an increasingly challenging variety of sources that are read, heard, or viewed.
E. The student is expected to: interact with sources in meaningful ways such as notetaking, annotating, freewriting, or illustrating.
* The skill presented supports this TEKS because students are annotating or notetaking while they are reading.
Tip #2: Encourage Dialogue
1.) Beers & Probst (2013) express that close reading should engage students in interaction and dialogue with peers. (p. 36-37) In a study by Lightner & Wilkinson (2017) they note that close reading helps create dialogue that is efferent, critical-analytic, and expressive when students are talking about what they are reading.
2.) In the classroom, first students will participate in a close reading activity independently. Students will use signposts to help them as they write notes about the connections they are making in the text. Then students will turn and talk with their table groups about the connections they made and the notes they took in the story. The teacher will circulate the class during table discussions and interact with students and assess and reteach as needed.
3.) ELA 4.1C
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking-- oral language. The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.
C. The student is expected to: express an opinion supported by accurate information, employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, and the conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively; and
*This activity is applied with this TEKS because students will be using dialogue to have conversations about a selected text, and expressing their ideas, connections, and opinions.
Tip #3: Use Poetry
1.) Beers & Probst (2013) states that close reading works with short passages such as poetry.(p. 37) Timmermans & Johnson (2017) stated that close reading of poetry can help readers develop a critical eye.
2.) First, start by reading the poem aloud to students, then encourage students to join in and read along with the teacher. Next instruct them to read the poem independently. Student's will note during their independent reading important words, events, ideas and connections text to text and text to self. Students will reread this poem throughout the week adding any additional signposts to provide a purpose for reading.
Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses critical inquiry and analyze the authors' choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances.
A. The student is expected to: explain the author's purpose and message within a text.
*This TEKS supports the tip idea because the close reading of a poem encourages students to use close reading strategies to analyze the authors purpose and message with in the text.
Tip #4: Student Created Text-Dependent Questions
1.) Beers & Probst, (2013) noted that text-dependent question be crafted by students to help foster comprehension as they read the text (P. 43) Santori & Belfatti (2016) discovered that when students created their own text-dependent questions it led to closer text analysis and promoted deeper dialogue between classmates.
2.) First, start by reading a short text aloud to students. As you read aloud model using signposts to help create text-dependent questions. Next, invite students to join you in this process. Then invite them to read it independently. After students read the text independently they will note and notice using the signposts they marked to create a text dependent question. Students will then write the question on a piece of paper. Students can engage in a "snowball" fight and then use the text to help determine the answer. They can discuss their answers in a dialogue circle.
3.) ELA 4.6
Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses meta-cognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.
B. The student is expected to: generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information.
I. The student is expected to: monitor comprehension and make adjustments such as re-reading, using background knowledge, asking questions, and annotating when understanding breaks down.
*This activity directly connects with these TEKS because it requires students to self monitor their comprehension and ask questions throughout the text, by creating their own text-dependent questions.
Tip #5: Lesson Closure
1.) Beers & Probst (2013) ends each lesson with a review to help them summarize what they have learned about the signpost. (p. 123) Ganske (2017) states that "Lesson closure provides space for students to digest and assimilate their learning and to realize why it all matters."
2.) After each signpost lesson review the concept learned with students. State what the signpost means, that information can be added to the anchor chart so that students have a visual reference. Have students turn and teach their neighbor by synthesizing what they learned about the new signpost.
3.) ELA 4.6H
Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.
H. The student is expected to synthesize information to create new understanding; and
*This TEKS supports students synthesizing information by teaching another student about what they learned about the signpost and applying it to the text that they read.
Section IV
Annotated Webliography
This website discusses using notice and note with Newslea digital text. It also provides a video to show how to use notice and note online. Beers & Probst (2013) suggest that when participating in a close reading activity to use smaller text. Newslea offers short student interest text that can be read independently by the student.
Social Media is an excellent resource for teachers to learn about how other teachers are using resources and get ideas. Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook all have #noticeandnote ideas or pages that are dedicated to Beers and Probst's book Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading.
Twitter:
Kylene Beers Twitter @KyleneBeers
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23noticeandnote&src=typd
Facebook:
Instagram:
This website provides links to Powtoon video lessons about each signpost you can share with your students. Teachers can use the Powtoon videos in class to support concepts of Close Reading. It also offers video clips of various movies that can be used for signpost practice and discussion when teaching the signpost.
https://missgiesler.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/9/9/23995592/nnlinks.pdf
This blog post applies the Notice & Note signposts to various picture books. Each signpost is listed and linked to a previous post along with even more picture books that can be applied to the signpost. Although Note & Notice is directed towards grades 3-12 can can be adapted to support students of all ages with the use of picture books.
https://pernillesripp.com/2015/11/15/great-picture-books-to-use-for-notice-and-note-all-signposts/
This blog describes how one teacher uses signpost with Literature circles in Middle School. Beers & Probst (2013) suggest that there is not one set way to use signposts in your classroom and that many teachers use them during books clubs and Literature Circles. This website provides teachers with an idea on how to incorporate it in their Literature circles in their classroom.
https://elacoreplans.com/book-clubsliterature-circles-using-reading-signposts-in-middle-school-ela/
If you love listening to Podcast this is a Podcast with Kylene Beers about her new book, When Kids Can't Read. Kylene does discuss Notice and Note, along with her beliefs about reading and teaching children how to read.
Bibliography
Bacchioni, S., & Kurstedt, R. (2019). Personalized Anchor Charts: Bridging Small‐Group Work
to Independence. The Reading Teacher, 72(5), 652–658. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1772
Beers, G. K., & Probst, R. E. (2013). Notice & note: strategies for close reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Ganske, K. (2017). Lesson Closure: An Important Piece of the Student Learning Puzzle. Reading Teacher, 71(1), 95–100. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uta.edu/10.1002/trtr.1587
Lightner, S. C., & Wilkinson, I. A. G. (2017). Instructional Frameworks for Quality Talk About Text: Choosing the Best Approach. Reading Teacher, 70(4), 435–444. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uta.edu/10.1002/trtr.1547
Morris, P. (2012). "It's like reading two novels": Using annotation to promote a dialogic community. Teaching English in the Two-Year College, 39(4), 377-387. Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.uta.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.uta.edu/docview/1140140938?accountid=7117
Santori, D., & Belfatti, M. ( 2017). Do Text‐Dependent Questions Need to Be Teacher‐Dependent? Close Reading From Another Angle. The Reading Teacher, 70( 6), 649– 657. doi: 10.1002/trtr.1555
Timmermans, K.M., & Johnson, A. ( 2017). Introducing and Sustaining Close Reading and Writing Through Poetry. The Reading Teacher, 71( 3), 357– 362. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uta.edu/10.1002/trtr.1613
Section V
Teacher Interview
I interviewed a writing teacher, Mrs. Gordon.
I am, but I have never read it. At my previous district the Reading Specialist introduced it to us towards the end of the year. I think it was because we were adopting HMH and she wanted to give us some background knowledge. We used the signposts, but I did not feel confident in my teaching. I would definitely like to read the book to gain more insight.
b) Does your school district support teacher professional development?
My current district has offered many on-campus professional developments, but I have not attended any out side of the district. I have yet to ask to go to one though. At my previous district I did attend many professional developments at the service center.
c) Do you belong to a professional organization related to language/literacy instruction? If so, which organization?
I do not at this time.
d) Have you ever attended a professional conference such as the Texas State Reading Association state meeting, etc.?
What was that experience like?
No, I wish I had the opportunity to go. I think it would be a wonderful learning experience.