TABLE GAMES

By Sarah Kay
At restaurants, our favorite game was to touch an object on the table, and casually offer a pun
into the existing conversation. Touching the pepper grinder, I might say,“You crack me up”. Then
you would graze your knife and declare,“That’s a sharp observation”. I would hold my water
glass and caution,“Don’t get too full of yourself”. And you would nod seriously and apologize,
“You’re right, I’m sorry”, as you took the pen to sign the check.
Back and forth we went. Eyes shifting from napkin to soup spoon. Considering the table top like a
chess board. Giggling about our secrets from the waiters. The best, of course, was when a new
object was introduced to the table. Something surprising, or difficult to maneuver into wordplay.
Something that left both of us staring hard and silent, racing each others’ brains to the cleverest
quip. You were always faster than I. I could not keep up with your lightning mind, and rejoiced
instead in the satisfaction it gave you to beat me to the punch line. To see you beam at your own
wit, and then at me, your favorite audience. Food always tastes more delicious when you feel
victorious. Maybe this is why people like to hunt.
The day you broke up with me, you brought me to Whole Foods for lunch. This is a pain, because
there are so many of them in New York City, and they each look the same, and so now each one
looks like the scene of the crime. After you told me you’d forgotten my name, so many other
mouths, I said “It’s okay”, and held your hand while you cried. If I had been just a little bit faster, I
would have reached for the paper napkin holder and said “Thank you for dispensing this
knowledge to me”.
 It would have not been one of my stronger puns, but it might have made you laugh; which is still
what I wanted most of all in that moment. I could of said “Let’s table this for later”, and
knocked on the counter between us, or “I guess I was more disposable than I thought”as I
reached for a plastic spoon. Maybe“wow, you sure kept this information contained”, with a
nob to the takeout box.“I can’t believe you kept a lid on this for so long”as I take a swig of
water.“I bet it was really hard to keep bottled up!”. Maybe I could have shouted a line about
every single product on the shelves as a threw them to the ground. Winding backwards through
each aisle to the exit. Could you imagine the response I would have gotten? Employees wiping
their hands on their green aprons, pausing from shelving the quinoa, turning to see the crazy pun
lady go out with a bang. I could have delivered on finally zinger shouting, “I’ve never felt more
Beat-rayed!”as I pushed over the entire display of violent roots, causing every shopping cart
wheeling mom to burst into sympathetic applause as I bow my way out.
Actually, I doubt anyone would have even noticed. I’m sure wilder things happen in Whole Foods
all the time. Instead, I said “it’s okay”, which was the opposite of what I meant.
I meant, "it’s not okay”.
I meant, "why?”.
I meant, “please don’t leave me”.
I meant, "I have loved you for five years”.
I meant, "who will I play with when the waiters aren’t looking?”
“who will I race to impress with my banter?”
“who will smile at me when he reaches the punchline first, delighted that he has won?" Ŧ
Me: What’s wrong Ben?
Ben: I didn’t get the story.
Me: Did you reread the parts you didn’t get?
Ben: Why?
Me: To help you understand them.
Ben: Why would reading the same stuff again
help me get it?
3. RE-READING
WHY WE SHOULD READ?
When we reread, we move at a slower pace, reflect on what
we have read, and in our effort to make meaning of the text,
flip back a page or two to see where else that vocabulary
word was mentioned.
REMEMBER:

1. Struggling readers first need to broken

down their misconceptions about the
value of re-reading.
2. Struggling readers also need structured
opportunities to reread in order to
continually build comprehension in the
during-reading phase.
 TABLE GAMES
By Sarah Kay
At restaurants, our favorite game was to touch an object on the table, and casually offer a pun
into the existing conversation. Touching the pepper grinder, I might say,“You crack me up”. Then
you would graze your knife and declare,“That’s a sharp observation”. I would hold my water
glass and caution,“Don’t get too full of yourself”. And you would nod seriously and apologize,
“You’re right, I’m sorry”, as you took the pen to sign the check.
Back and forth we went. Eyes shifting from napkin to soup spoon. Considering the table top like a
chess board. Giggling about our secrets from the waiters. The best, of course, was when a new
object was introduced to the table. Something surprising, or difficult to maneuver into wordplay.
Something that left both of us staring hard and silent, racing each others’ brains to the cleverest
quip. You were always faster than I. I could not keep up with your lightning mind, and rejoiced
instead in the satisfaction it gave you to beat me to the punch line. To see you beam at your own
wit, and then at me, your favorite audience. Food always tastes more delicious when you feel
victorious. Maybe this is why people like to hunt.
The day you broke up with me, you brought me to Whole Foods for lunch. This is a pain, because
there are so many of them in New York City, and they each look the same, and so now each one
looks like the scene of the crime. After you told me you’d forgotten my name, so many other
mouths, I said “It’s okay”, and held your hand while you cried. If I had been just a little bit faster, I
would have reached for the paper napkin holder and said “Thank you for dispensing this
knowledge to me”.
 It would have not been one of my stronger puns, but it might have made you laugh; which is still
what I wanted most of all in that moment. I could of said “Let’s table this for later”, and
knocked on the counter between us, or “I guess I was more disposable than I thought”as I
reached for a plastic spoon. Maybe“wow, you sure kept this information contained”, with a
nob to the takeout box.“I can’t believe you kept a lid on this for so long”as I take a swig of
water.“I bet it was really hard to keep bottled up!”. Maybe I could have shouted a line about
every single product on the shelves as a threw them to the ground. Winding backwards through
each aisle to the exit. Could you imagine the response I would have gotten? Employees wiping
their hands on their green aprons, pausing from shelving the quinoa, turning to see the crazy pun
lady go out with a bang. I could have delivered on finally zinger shouting, “I’ve never felt more
Beat-rayed!”as I pushed over the entire display of violent roots, causing every shopping cart
wheeling mom to burst into sympathetic applause as I bow my way out.
Actually, I doubt anyone would have even noticed. I’m sure wilder things happen in Whole Foods
all the time. Instead, I said “it’s okay”, which was the opposite of what I meant.
I meant, "it’s not okay”.
I meant, "why?”.
I meant, “please don’t leave me”.
I meant, "I have loved you for five years”.
I meant, "who will I play with when the waiters aren’t looking?”
“who will I race to impress with my banter?”
“who will smile at me when he reaches the punchline first, delighted that he has won?" Ŧ
 TO HELP STUDENTS SEE THE VALUE
OF REREADING:
1. assign them a short passage and ask them to read it three times.
2. ask them to rate their level of understanding of the text on the scale
of one to ten.
3. debrief with students, asking them to share their comprehension
levels and why they think they increased from the first to the third
reading.
I knew what the hard words were,
so by the second or third time I
could focus on using the context
clues to figure out what the words
meant.
The second time I
already had a general
idea of what the
passage was about, so I
could pay more
attention to the details.
You might also relate the re-reading process to the re-listening
and re-watching process that students constantly – and
eagerly – engage in with music and movies.
Let’s watch:

Table Games
by Sarah Kay
HOW THEY SHOULD READ?
Teacher:
Alright guys, let’s look at the beginning of Chapter 5; that’s what
you’re going to read tonight. [The students are reading a novel called
Stick and Wittle by Sid White.] Before you get into your literature circles to
discuss what you read last night, I want us to talk a moment about
something I want you to do tonight as you read this chapter. Okay, this
chapter is only eight pages so I want you to read it three times tonight.
When you get to the end of it the first time, I want you to stop and jot
down any questions you have, predictions you have, or responses you
have. Then read that same chapter. This time, I want you paying specific
attention to information about Stick. What do you know about him at the
end of that chapter that you didn’t know before? Finally, I want you to
read the chapter one more time, this time focusing on finding out about
Whittle. After each reading, jot down notes about what you learned
about those two characters.
Reiterate that you want them to shift their attention to something
different with each re-reading, and that doing so will result in a
more rich understanding of the text.
 RE-READING STRATEGY:
READING FROM DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES

When using this technique, students

must engage with the student
thoroughly, so that they can view the
events in the text from more than one
perspective.
 One formulation of the directions for this approach is as
follows:
a) Have students read through the story, article, or selection for the first
time.
b) Identify a number of perspectives that could be connected to
important ideas or concepts of the passage.
c) Divide the class into groups of three of four students and assign each
group a different perspective.
d) Have each group read the passage again, this time looking for
statements that reflect the needs and concerns of their assigned
character or perspective. Have each group list the concern that
someone with their perspective might have about the topic, as well
as the needs a person of that perspective might have.
d) Have each group read the passage again, this time looking for
statements that reflect the needs and concerns of their assigned
character or perspective. Have each group list the concern that
someone with their perspective might have about the topic, as well
as the needs a person of that perspective might have.
e) Then, have them record how they would react to each statement
from the text – in character, as if they were actually there.
f) Finally, students create a one or two-sentence summary statement
that conveys their perspective.
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES GRAPHIC OUTLINE
4. STORY MAPPING
A Story Map is essentially a graphic organizer
that helps the students note and track the
essential elements in a narrative while
reading.
STORY MAP
EQUATION MAP
EVENT MAP
PROCESS MAP
IN SUMMARY…
While there are multiple during-reading strategies – many more than
mentioned here – all serve to give students continued and structured
practice in applying the comprehension strategies that good readers
employ and are necessary for true comprehension.
THANK YOU 
Presented by: Arlene G. Felias