Group Reading/Analyzing

Passage: Chapter 4, pg. 70- 71

She was black as could be, twisted like driftwood from being out in the weather, her face a map of all the storms and journeys she’d been through. Her right arm was raised as if she was pointing the way, except her fingers were closed in a fist. It gave her a serious look, like she could straighten you out if necessary.

I felt she knew what a lying, murdering, hating person I really was. How I hated T. Ray, and the girls at school, but mostly my self for taking away my mother.

I wanted to cry, but then, in the next instant, I wanted to laugh, because the statue also made me feel like Lily the Smiled-Upon, like there was goodness and beauty in me too. Like I really had all that fine potential Mrs. Henry said I did.

Standing there, I loved myself and I hated myself. That's what the black Mary did to me, made me feel my glory and my shame at the same time. 

Day 2: Agenda

Readers Group: Day 2 Agenda

1.     Speed Reading test (5-10 minutes)

a.     Class takes speed reading test on the readers blog

b.     Explain importance of reading with speed and understanding

2.     Group passage reading (15-20 minutes

a.     Class splits into three groups (Mrs. Shigemitsu, Emma, and Tamara)

b.     Each group analyzes the passage, and possible meanings/symbolism/metaphors

c.     Share

3.     Group Reading game (10 minutes)

a.     All groups are given the same quote/line

b.     Must determine who, where, why, possible consequences

Homework Assignment

Grading Rubric:

Thesis and Content	Grammar and Spelling	Voice and Clarity	Word choice	Total Points (10)
Skillfully combines all story elements around a controlling idea to reveal a thought- provoking theme	No grammatical or spelling errors	Writer's voice is authentic, clever and entertaining • Skillfully reveals the significance of the writer’s attitude about the subject/ memorable incident • Clear sense of purpose and audience • Consistent point of view	• Words or phrases powerfully convey the intended message and skillfully reveal characters’ looks, actions, feelings, reactions, and conversation • Academic language, imbedded throughout the text, enhances story
Combines story elements around a controlling idea to reveal a thought-provoking theme	Very few grammatical errors (1-3)	Writer’s voice is confident, authentic and entertaining • Reveals the significance of the writer’s attitude about the subject/memorable incident • Clear sense of audience and purpose • Consistent point of view	• Precise, detailed words or phrases get message across and reveal characters’ looks, actions, feelings, reactions, and conversation • Uses academic language to enhance story
Story elements may or may not reveal a controlling idea/theme • Overly simplistic	Several grammatical errors (4-7)	• Sense of purpose and/or audience not clear • Writer’s voice is detached from the story	More precise and accurate words are needed to convey a clear message
No clear controlling idea and/or theme	Not proofread.	• Unclear or no sense of voice, purpose and/or audience	• Limited vocabulary; words may be used inappropriately or unnecessarily repeated
Not existent	Passage makes no sense due to grammatical errors	No opinion/voice	No words used

http://www.sites4teachers.com/links/redirect.php?url=http://www.sandi.net/depts/literacy/rubrics/7_writing.pdf

The essay must be about one of the questions posted on Blogger (readinggroupshigemitsu.blogspot.com) or the question bellow.

Additional Question:
Describe Lily’s relationship with her mother, Deborah. What makes their relationship so complicated?

This Essay must be at least one page. You may answer one of the questions given. This assignment is out of 10 points. Each category is worth up to 2.5 points.

Agenda

Our Goal: We want the class to become better readers.


Objectives – Students should be able to...

• identify important information
• identify key terms
• have a better understanding of the reading materials assigned

Activities: [we'll elaborate more on these later]

• group competitions where students will be asked to identify key words and find the main idea of the given passage
• individual speed reading tests to calculate their WPM (words per minute) reading speed
• close reading to look deeper into the passages for better understanding (highlighting symbolism)

Assignments:

• individual reading competitions to work on reading comprehension
• comprehension questions (for homework) – will continue from the short reading passages given in class

Meeting Times:

• A-Day – 9:30
• E-Day – 12:30
• F-Day – 9:30 or 1:30

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 1: (15 minutes)

1. Go over agenda (3 minutes)
2. Helpful reading strategies (3 minutes)
3. Review reading comprehension (4 minutes)
4. Assign homework – comprehension questions (5 minutes)

Day 2: (15 minutes)

1. Go over comprehension questions in three small groups (5 minutes)
• (one person per group – Mrs. Shigemitsu, Emma, Tamara)
2. Take a speed reading test (5 minutes)
• Explain significance of speed reading tests (what they’re used for)
3. Ask questions after speed reading test to see if students could comprehend what they read, or if they were reading too fast for their brains to process the words (5 minutes)

Helpful Reading Strategies For Close Reading

Before Reading:

1. Set a purpose for reading – Ask yourself if you will you be reading to find out what happens in a story or to learn specific information
2. Preview the text – Look at the title, pictures, captions under pictures, headings, bold-faced print, and other graphics – These are important guides that will help to aid your reading comprehension
3. Activate background knowledge – Think about what you already know about the content of what you will read
4. Predict – Think what might happen in the story, what words may be used, or what information the text might contain

During Reading:

1. Cross-check – Check one cue with another. Ask yourself, "Does this word look right, sound right, and make sense?"
2. Reread – When problems occur, return to the beginning of a sentence or paragraph and read it again.
3. Predict and confirm – Ask yourself, "What word do I expect to see?", "What do I think will happen next?", "Did that make sense?" or, "Am I finding the answers to my questions about this topic?"
4. Skip, read on, and go back – Sometimes you can skip an unfamiliar word and read to the end of the sentence or paragraph

After Reading:

1. Retell and summarize – Tell someone or write what happened in the story, including characters, plot, and important events. If you read a nonfiction piece, review what information was presented
2. Use a graphic organizer – Use a story map, biography wheel, Venn diagram, or other way to show what was included in what you read
3. Draw conclusions – Think about what predictions you made before and during reading. Look back and think about what you have read. Consider how the information you read relates to what you already knew about the topic
4. Think about whether or not your questions were answered. Do you have more questions about the subject?
5. Reread the text or a section of the text to help you understand it better
6. Discuss and respond – Talk with someone about what you have read. Ask each other questions. Look back at the book to defend your opinions
7. Write to support understanding – Write about what you have read, telling what it made you think of or what you learned

http://www.paec.org/david/reading/general.pdf

Reading Comprehension

What is reading comprehension? 
According to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, reading comprehension is the capacity of the mind to perceive and understand


One can better comprehend reading materials by...

• Asking insightful questions while reading to gain a better sense of what's going on
• Using close reading strategies
• Looking for key words
• Highlighting symbolism

Assignment:

Read the selected short passage and answer the questions below on a separate piece of paper (this may be typed):

Group 1 (Chapter 1)

Questions:

1. When Rosaleen told Lily, "Bees swarm before death," (p. 2) what do you think Rosaleen was trying to tell Lily? 

2. When Lily opened the jar to release the bees she had just captured, what (symbolism) do you think the author was trying to portray by having the bees remain in the jar? (p. 28)

3. Why do you think Rosaleen refused to apologize to the men whose shoes she poured "snuff juice" over? (p. 32)

Group 2 (Chapter 2)

Questions:

1. Why didn't the policemen defend Rosaleen from the white men trying to hurt her? (p. 35)

2. What do you think finally gave Lily the courage to stand up to T. Ray? (p. 38)

3. When Lily heard a voice say, "Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is open," what do you think this symbolized? (p. 41)

Group 3 (Chapters 3-4)

Questions:

1. What do you think the Black Mary picture symbolizes? (p. 58)

2. Why do you think the author included this quote in her story, "The little girl sneezed, and her mother said, 'Come here, let's wipe your nose'"? (p. 63)

3. What does the author mean when she says that Lily could "sense Mary's statue's spiritual power"? (p. 71)


Grading Rubric:

	1	2	3
Question #1	Question wasn't answered; answer showed no form of understanding of the question; vague	Question was somewhat answered; bare minimum; answer didn't display full understanding of the question	Question was answered thoughtfully and insightfully; elaborated on an important thought
Question #2	Question wasn't answered; answer showed no form of understanding of the question; vague	Question was somewhat answered; bare minimum; answer didn't display full understanding of the question	Question was answered thoughtfully and insightfully; elaborated on an important thought
Question #3	Question wasn't answered; answer showed no form of understanding of the question; vague	Question was somewhat answered; bare minimum; answer didn't display full understanding of the question	Question was answered thoughtfully and insightfully; elaborated on an important thoughts

This homework assignment will be out of 9 points – three per question.  We will use it in Day 2 for a "discussion circle" within your small groups and to test your understanding of the reading.

Speed Reading Test

What is a speed reading test?

Speed reading tests are used to measure how fast a person can read and comprehend a particular passage in a given amount of time

Click this link to take a speed reading test: http://www.readingsoft.com/

The goal of a speed reading test is to broaden your understanding and comprehension time while reading.  Research has shown that if you read at extremes (too fast or too slow), it can negatively impact your reading comprehension.  Everyone has their own "reading optimum," but you need to find the right speed for you in order to make sure that you fully understand the concept of what you're reading.

Why is taking a speed reading test important?

Taking a speed reading test allows you to know what kind of a reader you are. By determining your WPM (words per minute), you can be aware of what you need to do to in order to improve your reading skills. If you are within 400 to 1000 WPM, you are a very skilled reader who probably reads all the time. If you are within 240 to 400 WPM, you are a good reader who absorbs information quickly. If you lie anywhere near 110 WPM, you should really read more, practice reading comprehension, and go over good reading techniques. Reading well is a very important skill for a person to have. It allows them to absorb information faster and expand their vocabulary. It is also a great idea to read for fun! You will be surprised what kind of adventures you can go on when you just open a book.