This week and next week our class is going to be learning about how to identify signposts in their reading. These signposts can help students find important places in their books where they need to slow down and do more thinking. Our goal is that these signposts can help students take their reading comprehension to a deeper level. We are introducing one signpost every few day. Below is a list of the signposts and the question that students need to think about when they identify the signpost. The question helps push students thinking!
Our goal is to have our students STOP, NOTICE, and NOTE when they encounter these in books. Here is a “cheat sheat” for you for each of the Signposts. You will notice that there are three parts to each Signpost: The first part is what you notice in the story, the second part is the essential question you must ask yourself and answer, and the third part is how noticing and answering the question help you as a reader. All three parts are equally important!
Contrasts and Contradictions (CC)
… a character says or does something that’s opposite (contradicts) what he/she has been saying or doing all along.
and yourself: “Why is the character doing that?”
The answers could help you make a prediction or make an inference about the plot and conflict.
Aha Moment (AHA)
… a character suddenly realizes, understands, or finally figures something out.
and yourself: “How might this change things?”
If the character figured out a problem, you probably just learned about the conflict. If the character understood a life lesson, you probably just learned the theme.
Tough Questions (TQ)
… the character asks him or herself a really difficult question.
and yourself: “What does this question make me wonder about?”
The answers will tell you about the conflict and might give you ideas about what will happen later in the story.
Words of the Wiser (WOW)
… a character (who’s probably older and a lot wiser) takes the main character aside and gives serious advice.
andyourself: “What’s the life lesson, and how might it affect the character?”
Whatever the lesson is, you’ve probably found a theme for the story.
Again and Again (AA)
… you notice a word, phrase, object, or situation mentioned over and over.
and yourself: “Why does this keep showing up again and again?
The answers will tell you about the theme and conflict, or they might foreshadow what will happen later.
Memory Moment (MM)
… the author interrupts the action to tell you a memory.
and yourself: “Why might this memory be important?”
The answers will tell you about the theme, conflict, or might foreshadow what will happen later in the story.
We would like to see the language of the Signposts being used when you read together. We also teach that the Signpost examples can be found in movies and television shows so we hope that as you watch with your child you will begin to have conversations around the Signposts then too!