Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading (Notice & Note Series)

Not only would I consider Notice & Note an essential and valuable resource for any English Language Arts teacher, but I also plan on using the text in my own future instruction. As a whole, Notice & Note offers highly practical, student-centered approaches to reading texts more closely and critically. One of the best tools it offers is the “signpost” concept for reading literature—that teachers can help students ask texts critical questions that build effective close reading habits. Additionally, Beers and Probst offer countless questions, activities, and lesson ideas that teachers can incorporate into their instruction to build upon the literary signposts—and therefore help students to become better close readers. One reason I think this book is especially useful is because of its timeliness; with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, in which learning to read text closely is especially valued now more than ever, this text is nothing short of a godsend. With its simple and straight-to-the-point language and textual structure, along with its accompanying appendices containing useful and easy to use class activity, I contend that this text should be in every ELA teacher’s possession.As an ELA teacher-in-training, I often busy myself with collecting various resources that will be useful to me before and while I begin my teaching experience. Always trying to acquire and appropriate simple, practical and thought-provoking lesson ideas that are effective and helpful for students, I was happy to have come across the “signposts” and “anchor questions” concepts in the text—two ideas I think we can all benefit from as future ELA teachers. The signposts, as I have mentioned earlier, serve as literary nodes which students can learn to intuitively follow (using some of the questions provided by the text) to not only read their texts more closely, but to get into the habit of asking relevant questions and looking for key details. Some examples of signposts would include the “Aha Moment,” in which a character in a text is personally changed by a profound realization or experience (71), or, similarly, “Contrasts and Contradictions,” in which thoughts or actions of a character contradict what the reader might normally expect (71). Additionally, the anchor questions provided with each signpost—such as “Why might the author bring this up again and again?” or “Why might this memory be important?”—help keep students on point when reading for signposts (76). In addition to providing teachers with these tools, the text also provides supplementary materials used for teaching students to recognize and work with the signposts; this is provided in the form of lesson ideas listed next to each signpost, as well as corresponding lesson activities provided in the appendix.I find the methods the text provides for teaching each of the signposts to be especially useful. It offers simple and realistic explanations we can provide to our students to explain each signpost—such as getting students to realize the importance of patterns in everyday communication for the “Again and Again” signpost (163-4). It then provides ways for us to incorporate the signpost into our instruction, as well as ways students can practically apply the learned knowledge with their work. It provides teachers with examples from popular texts (mostly canonical, but useful nonetheless). On the subject of popular texts, Notice & Note also provides teachers with ways of assessing the complexity of texts, and provides information teachers will need to help plan the instruction of their chosen text(s) using the signposts and anchor questions. I found this to be an especially useful tool, as well. Overall, though, I think that Notice & Note is an excellent tool that every ELA teacher should have, as it equips teachers with the tools they need to more effectively teach close reading and comprehension to students.

WITHOUT HESITATION: Buy This Book! If you teach middle-level reading (I teach 7th grade "regular" reading classes) and are struggling with how to teach CLOSE/DEEP reading, this is your new best resource. I have absolutely no connection with the authors--I am simply speaking from a classroom teacher's point of view--and omigosh, this has been my saving grace with CCSS and close reading. I have truly seen the light with the Notice and Note signposts (they are kind of like strategies--not to be confused with Strategies That Work), and more importantly, so have my students.I received the book on a Thursday, started reading it that weekend--with many "AHA!" moments--and on Monday morning I started in with my first signpost lesson. I knew INSTANTLY that my students were "getting it!" Seriously, I have had moments of giddiness and chills while working with the kids on the different signposts. I have never been this excited about a book.It is incredibly easy to read. The six introductory lessons are there for you, scripted even, so you easily get the idea of how to teach the signposts, and the text selections are in the back of the book for copying. The authors are very "real" with their comments and how their signpost implementation in the classroom panned out. Lots of "Bwahaha!" moments where I laughed that they were keeping it real with me!Notice and Note is a perfect fit with the CCSS. My students are easily citing text evidence with the signposts and focusing on the accompanying questions. The questions really bring home the deep thinking that I've struggled with (how to teach) since the advent of the term "close reading." We have been studying The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and without a doubt, these signposts have deepened my students' understanding and questioning of the novel. We are using our iNotebooks along with the signpost implementation. The kids have easily begun to internalize the signposts, cite evidence (from the signposts), and deepen their thinking with the questions--keeping up with it all in their notebooks.The six strategies have made me a better reader, as well. I told my students the other day that I would no longer be afraid to join my neighborhood book study (my fear has always been that profound thoughts and ideas would be expected of me because I teach reading!).I could say soooo much more about how in our discussions we have even gone back to other novels we have studied or that students have read independently and talked about the signposts we realize were in them...PLUS... although I am not an English teacher, I can say that these signposts would fit perfectly in a writing program to help add voice and style to narrative pieces. Have I sold you on this yet?I just can't say enough about this book. #lifechanger

Simple non-educator heavy terms that my students (grade6) can get from the outset. The book offers their ideology and thinking processes which helps to know where I was maybe not reaching my students as well. From there a deep dive into each signpost and ends with texts and organizers for immediate use in the classroom. I suggest looking for the f. book page for so many more ways on how people have applied these signs to help make our students ingest more when they are reading, listening to , writing and watching fiction.

This product showed up quickly and is a great resource for anyone teaching junior high ELA.

This was an excellent book, recommended to me by a fellow teacher. It is full of great strategies, with details, examples, and lesson plans to help students learn to identify significant parts of a text and strengthen comprehension.

Put it to use right away- made a huge difference for two struggling students right away on the first day.

Great information