Section 2 Literal Responses: thinking within the text

Respond accurately to most literal questions..30 Retell narrative text..32 Main idea identified.34 Although Cornerstones mentions, After Reading Skills, in its reading checklist, the Strategy Sam graphic does not display comprehension strategies. It is, therefore, unnecessary to discuss it further in this report. The following reading skills will be compared with Beanie Babies, CAF and Debbie Dillers table as applicable.

Respond Accurately to Most Literal Questions

Literal questioning is the most basic of comprehension exercises. The K Standards document describes it as the ability to recall specific facts which are stated explicitly in the text.(8) It may be as simple as identifying the texts main character or as complex as remembering groups of minute details through visualization. Encountering literal questions helps the reader understand how well he has collected the puzzle pieces of a text, but does not involve putting those pieces together. Kindergarten students read books with very limited print but can use picture clues to gather more facts. They may be quizzed on more involved texts during read alouds. Teachers can model and train the readers to glean literal information by explicitly identifying who, what, when and where as they read to students. Readers will then be prepared for their teacher to ask them to recall similar information. Students in grades one and two should be able to give supporting ideas from books they read, and students in grade three should be able to use visualization to remember more specific details. Much attention is given to deeper comprehension skills; however, none of them can be done well without this first collection of facts. The following table shows the progression of this skill (respond accurately to literal questions) required in the NB Reading Achievement Standards at the end of these instruction periods.

Entry (K) Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3

respond accurately to many literal questions; rely on information in

pictures respond accurately to most literal questions by identifying specific facts; rely on information located in one place in the text, rather than skimming complete text respond accurately to most literal questions by identifying specific facts; rely on information located in one place in the text, rather than skimming complete text for details respond accurately to most literal questions by locating specific details; reread and skim small amount of text to gather appropriate information

Beanie Babies
The Beanie Babies character which covers this skill is called Digger Dog. He can be useful for the word-solving skill of locating information, but particularly addresses literal questioning. He encourages students to dig for details, facts and important information. The word dig is well chosen, as it is a strong verb inferring great effort. Students learn from Digger the Dog that they can find out what they want to know if they keep searching. Rocky Racoon, the Beanie Baby character which reminds students to visualize while reading, is also an aid to recalling literal information. Students are taught to picture what they are reading as if they are watching a movie in their minds.
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This becomes more essential as students begin to read pictureless books. It is also a powerful tool for anchoring many details as the reader has focuses on them in a clear mental image. Although introduced in earlier grades, this skill is a required outcome for grade 3 and becomes a vital tool for holding larger categories of information in content areas studied in higher grades. The rings around Rockys eyes in the poster may suggest looking closely at something, and can be used to help children remember his mnemonic connection to visualization. As can be seen in the pictures above, Rocky was originally called Ricky by his Beanie Baby creators. Perhaps a more visual name than Rocky may have been chosen, but he is so well known now it might cause too much confusion to change it.

The CAF Menu

The CAF Menu does not mention responding to literal questioning. It seems that this is such a basic step that it can easily be overlooked or absorbed into other forms of literal responses, such as retelling. CAF does specify visualization, however, and emphasizes helpful teacher-talk in its accompanying Ready Reference Form (159) found in The CAF Book. Students are supported in identifying sensory details and putting them together into pictures by questions such as, If you could see a picture in your mind, what would it look like? Pictures may vary greatly depending on the childs background and experience but will still be effective for storing and recalling the information.

Dillers Strategy Continuum

Debbie Dillers table Reading Levels and what to Focus On (171-174) mentions the importance of visualizing by level M as pictures are included less, but as with CAF, there is no mention of answering literal questions. Diller highlights visualization as one of her nine select comprehension elements. She offers a sample lesson and clear recommendations. Her teacher prompts suggest simple questions to bring out sensory information and special vocabulary. (5859) What are you picturing? What do you see/ hear/ smell/ feel as you read this? Which part helped you see something more clearly?

Retell Narrative Text

All elementary reading assessments in NB require students to retell what they have read. Kindergarten students are expected to retell major ideas with a few details and those in higher grades are expected to start at the beginning and explain their texts with sequence and detail. Information must be gathered and arranged during reading. It must then be held while more details are added. This can be very difficult if the text has too many challenging words or new ideas which monopolizing the readers attention. Even if a student manages to read with great accuracy, he/she is not considered competent at any level until he/she can adequately retell the text.

The following table shows the progression of this skill (retelling) required in the NB Reading Achievement Standards at the end of these instruction periods.

Entry K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3

retell the major ideas of a story orally or through the use of pictures (using
their own drawings or provided images); may require prompting retell narrative text by recounting main events (usually three to four) in sequence, providing general details, and including many story elements (i.e., setting, main characters, problem/solution); verbal prompts or graphic organizers may be used to support/extend retelling retell narrative text including main events in sequence with some supporting details, and most story elements (e.g., setting, main characters, problem/resolution); verbal prompts or graphic organizers may be used to support/extend a retell identify most story elements (e.g., setting, characters, events, problem/resolution, and, when clearly stated, overall theme/lesson) of a narrative text and include some supporting details, may include unimportant details at times; graphic organizers may be used

Beanie Babies
Jabber the Reteller is one of Beanie Babies most popular comprehension characters. His toy form is bright and full of parrot personality potential. Teachers can engage students by using him to model retelling. When retelling a story, students are often far too brief. They are used to adult time and attention being limited and are more apt to abbreviate than expand their ideas. It is fortunate that this character has come along to inspire animated jabber in children as they develop freedom with storytelling. Jabber is more than a model of good story telling. He also gives important explicit advice, such as reminding readers to pause and think about their reading before they dive into a retell. This, again, lets children know that they can take their time, reflect and do a thorough retell. As with other Beanie Babies posters, Jabbers is wordier than necessary for young children. It is meant to remind the teacher and the students simultaneously, but would be more effective in separate forms: a simple one for students and a more detailed form for the teacher.
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The CAF Menu

The CAF systems Ready Reference Form for this strategy (157) makes a good point by stating that students reading is often assessed by their delivery of an oral retell despite receiving little explicit instruction for what it means to retell properly. It also reminds teachers that retell is an important comprehension strategy because it emphasises story structure and self-monitoring. In CAFs diagnostic table, From Assessment to Conferring: Sample Needs and Strategies (153),

retell is the recommended strategy for readers who do not remember details but do understand the main idea. The CAF Book suggests the use of a knotted rope to anchor readers chronologic memory, each story element and event (character, setting, problem, first, next, then, finally, ending) being figuratively attached to a knot in sequence. The elements of the story are retold as the related knots are passed through the fingers one at a time. The Parent Pipeline for the CAF website, written by Allison Behne, includes the important suggestion that parents should encourage their children to retell stories from their own lives to support the understanding of story structure and important ideas. Again, time is the issue. Students need audience, attention and feedback to perfect this skill. CAF presents this case well to both parents and teachers. Within the conferencing structure presented by the CAF system, students are ensured many opportunities to practice each strategy with their teacher and must demonstrate success with a strategy four or five times before moving on (64). This is a large commitment because retell can be so time consuming. However, because retell involves so many other skills (main idea, text structure, sequence, facts, theme), it is well worth the time.

Dillers Strategy Continuum

Debbie Diller posts retelling as an element to focus on in all of her reading levels from C onward through to I. Retelling is not, however, one of the nine comprehension skills she chooses to emphasise in greater detail within her book. She does list summarizing as one of her important comprehension elements. Although summarizing is not as detailed as retelling, it is much the same. Students must identify a texts main idea and identify details which support it. This is briefer, and does not reflect the structure of the text as thoroughly as a retell. Diller also has students describe text structure by completing graphic organizers (58-59). This may be done as a written response but can also be explained orally, which then becomes a retell. Actually, retell is a sub-element of Dillers graphic organization unit. A retell glove with graphic cues on each finger serves as an organizer for story retelling (35). Students are taught how to select organizers which apply to different types of text. Dillers list of elements (to focus on in small group lessons) develops this skill beginning in level C with a simple retell. This continues through to level I, where students are required to, Retell with increasing detail, using graphic organizers, (171-172). Retell is, therefore, mentioned consistently and discussed thoroughly through summarizing and completing graphic organizers. It would be unfortunate if a teacher were to rely solely on Dillers Reading Level chart and miss this important strategy.

Main Idea Identified

Comprehension is not demonstrated by the simple recitation of a list of random facts from a reading. Understanding of the texts main idea serves as an anchor around which to attach and arrange its details. An accurate retell will demonstrate identification of the main idea when its elements are arranged logically. A skillful retelling will clearly state the main idea as an introduction to the story.

Skilled teachers ask questions about main ideas first and then diverge into requiring gradually more detailed information. Story webs for semantic maps are helpful in presenting this visually and training readers to prioritize the level of facts they are trying to take in and hold. Interestingly, the NB Reading Curriculum calls for identification of main idea even in kindergarten where students minds are still used to collecting information randomly. The following table shows the progression of this skill (identifying main idea) required in the NB Reading and Writing Achievement Standards at the end of these instruction periods.

Entry K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3

recount or illustrate a main topic providing a few simple details; may

require verbal prompts to encourage explanations or additional details recount main topic(s) and some related details; verbal prompts or graphic organizers may be used to support/extend recount identify most main ideas and a few related details; may require verbal prompts or graphic organizers, with applicable headings identify most main ideas and supporting details; graphic organizers may be used, with support, to categorize and sort information

Beanie Babies
Although Beanie Babies toys can be adapted to represent any strategy, the identification of main ideas is not included in the most common list. Manely the Lion as seen in Miss Lakes second grade website is one imaginative alternative used in teaching this strategy, but his use is not wide spread and, unfortunately, there is already a lion known as Tryin Lion, being used to represent rereading. This report judges each system according to its mainstream use. The flexibility and ease of incorporating new Beanie Babies is, however, certainly one of this systems strong points. The only concern with incorporating new Beanie Baby characters would be that teachers strive for consistency so that students do not become confused as they move in and out of different classrooms or change schools.

The CAF Menu

The CAF Menu enlarges upon this strategy to include supporting details. It is listed as, Use Main Idea and Supporting Details to Determine Importance (165). The CAF Book explains that this strategy is important because it is a prerequisite to other skills such as retells. Students are taught to look for topic sentences which state a texts main idea and themes. Students are asked to identify the topic and the most important thing the text has to say about it. As texts become more complex, the teaching of inference may be needed to identify main ideas which are not stated explicitly. Again, The CAF Book anticipates this challenge and suggests intense daily teaching support until it is mastered. (p165)

Dillers Strategy Continuum

Debbie Diller does not state identifying main idea specifically, but calls for determining importance in level G and H and summarizing in levels J and K.(p172-173) Her deeper

discussion of strategies within her book puts a great emphasis on summarizing. (58-59, 61) She gives very useful advice in training for this strategy. Tell kids to practise telling what happened in the story by pretending theyre talking to someone who hasnt read the book and doesnt want to know all the details because he wants to read it. Sometimes we break down summarizing by telling a sentence about what the beginning was about, a sentence about what the middle was mostly about, and a sentence about the ending. Diller (58-59, 61)

In this sense, Dillers summarizing strategy is much like identifying the main idea because if does require the reader to be discerning about what information is the most significant.