Table Of ContentREADERS
Writing
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READERS
Writing
Lessons for Responding to Narrative
and Informational Text
ELIZABETH HALE
STENHOUSE PUBLISHERS
PORTLAND, MAINE
Stenhouse Publishers
www.stenhouse.com
Copyright © 2014 by Elizabeth Hale
All rights reserved. This e-book is intended for individual use only. You can print a copy for your
own personal use and you can access this e-book on multiple personal devices (i.e. computer,
e-reader, smartphone). You may not reproduce digital copies to share with others, post a digital
copy on a server or a website, make photocopies for others, or transmit in any form by any
other means, electronic or mechanical, without permission from the publisher.
Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders and students for permission to
reproduce borrowed material. We regret any oversights that may have occurred and will be
pleased to rectify them in subsequent reprints of the work.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hale, Elizabeth, 1971-
Readers writing : lessons for responding to narrative and informational text / Elizabeth Hale.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-57110-843-2 (paperback) -- ISBN 978-1-62531-030-9 (ebook) 1. English language--
Composition and exercises--Study and teaching (Elementary) 2. Language arts (Elementary) 3.
Reading comprehension--Study and teaching (Elementary) 4. Exposition (Rhetoric)--Study and
teaching (Elementary) I. Title.
LB1576.H2155 2014
372.62’3--dc23
2014017928
Cover design and interior design by Blue Design, Portland, Maine (www.bluedes.com)
Manufactured in the United States of America
This book is dedicated to my parents,
Stanton and Sandra Hale,
and
to my twin sister,
Christine Hale Landino
Your infinite love and support
make me who I am
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C O N T E N T S
Acknowledgments...........................................................viii
Chapter 1: Beyond the Book Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Chapter 2: A Strategy Lesson .................................................. 8
Chapter 3: Lessons for Narrative Text..........................................20
Chapter 4: Comprehension of Nonfiction Text.................................64
Chapter 5: Lessons for Nonfiction Text........................................ 74
Chapter 6: Supporting Independence .........................................116
Chapter 7: Noticing Comprehension Strategies in Student Writing...............132
Chapter 8: Conferring with Reader’s Notebooks ...............................145
Chapter 9: Assessment and Final Thoughts.....................................165
Appendix A: Book Suggestions for Narrative Lessons ...........................177
Appendix B: Book Suggestions for Nonfiction Lessons......................... 182
Appendix C: Common Core Alignment: Narrative Lessons.......................187
Appendix D: Common Core Alignment: Nonfiction Lessons.................... 189
Appendix E: Common Core Alignment: Writing and Speaking & Listening ........191
Bibliography ................................................................193
READERS WRITING
Acknowledgments
M
y first thank-you goes out to my own elementary school, Windham
Center School in Windham, Connecticut, whose teachers, classrooms,
and library helped to grow my love of school and books. I particularly
remember my second-, third-, and fourth-grade years thanks to Mrs. Yanis, Mrs. Matthews,
and Mrs. McDermott. Only now do I appreciate all the work you did behind the scenes.
Thank you to George Davison and Meg Duchovny at the Grace Church School in New
York City, who gave me my very first teaching job so many years ago. My experiences
there cemented my decision to pursue education as a career. I also want to thank John
Mathews. Unbeknownst to you, the day you joyfully shared “Antoine’s Tulip” by one
of your first graders at Grace Church School is what made me take a leap of faith and
follow in your footsteps. Thank you also to Linda Dahl, who taught me so much about
the intangibles of being a great teacher while at Grace.
Thank you to the professors at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, especially
Pamela Mason, Kathy Boudett, Thomas Payzant, John Willett, Nonie Lesaux, and Paola
Uccelli for your teaching and support during my doctoral journey. A very special thank-
you to my advisor, Professor James Kim, for your support, guidance, and exemplary
leadership. Your investment in your advisees’ academic and personal growth has made
all the difference in my HGSE experience. Thank you also to Helen Kingston and Lisa
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Foster of the READS for Summer Learning program. I am grateful for all your advice
and support, and it has been such a pleasure to learn from you.
I am grateful to the authors whose work about reading, writing, and teaching has cre-
ated a foundation for my own learning, thinking, and writing: Isabel Beck, Linda Kucan,
Margaret McKeown, Katie Wood Ray, Peter Johnston, Stephanie Harvey, Gay Su Pinnell,
Patricia Scharer, and Tony Stead. I also can’t imagine writing acknowledgments in which
I don’t thank Lucy Calkins. Being your student has had such a profound influence on my
growth as a teacher and writer.
A big thank-you to my colleagues in Boston Public Schools whose thoughtful sup-
port and planning of reading and writing made this work possible, especially Cheryl
Watson-Harris, Michelle Decerbo, Maria Cordon, Iris Escoto, Michelle Gulla, Pamela
Pitts, Montala Kahn, and Ethan D’Abelmont-Burnes. Thank you also to my colleagues,
past and present, in the education department at Emmanuel College for your valued and
continued support: Annette Stavros, Sally Dias, Kimberly Sofronos, Diane Bissaro, Fiona
McDonnell, and Sister Karen Hokanson.
Thank you to everyone at Stenhouse who contributed to this book becoming a reality.
I am so grateful to be part of the Stenhouse family. In particular, thank you to my editor,
Bill Varner, for your support and belief in my work from the very start. Thank you also
to Terry Thompson. Your feedback was an invaluable contribution in the shaping of
this book.
A warm thank-you to my friends Connie Jacquays, Jacquelyn Judge, and Dyan Smiley.
Your circle of friendship has become an important part of my life and brings out the best
in me, both professionally and personally.
Thank you to the entire Rozas family who are now my family too. In particular, thank
you to Michael Rozas, Santiago Rozas, and Eva Dougherty, as well as my own mom,
Sandy Hale, who helped with Dexter so I could write and never tired of my saying, “I
think I’m almost done with the book.”
Finally, thank you to my wonderful husband, Xavier Rozas, for supporting my passions,
but mostly for keeping me balanced and making sure we always made time for family
walks and coffee on the porch. You and baby Dexter are a dream come true.
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