Notice and Note Post 10: Contrasts and Contradictions

Heather at 2 Brainy Apples did a great job of sharing the ideas from Notice and Note: Contrasts and Contradictions and Aha Moment.  I wanted to share with you my reading notebook entry that I planned for my students.  To help me do better with notebooks this next year, I'm planning entries and writing them down myself.  I realize that they may end up a bit different when I actually teach them, but they'll be planned and I'll have a good idea of what will be helpful for the students.  

Two page spread of C&C notebook entry.

I started with an overview entry so students will have the main idea of each of the signposts in their notebooks.  I included a section briefly explaining what the signpost is, then the question that should be asked.  I also included a sentence connecting the signpost to comprehension strategies. 

Left side of notebook.

The second section of this notebook entry is the responses for the lesson outlined in this chapter based on the short story Thank YOu M'am by Langston Hughes.  I didn't want to waste half a page, so I just sectioned it off with a colored squiggle line.  The lesson basically stops 4 times to ask the question " Why is the character doing that?"  In my notebook, I wrote the responses I had at each stop.  Students will include their own responses as we move through the lesson.  

Right side of notebook with a peek at the text. 

Part of the lesson includes having students mark in the text.  I debated on whether to include the text in their notebook, but finally decided to include it.  I wanted the text there for reference since this was an anchor lesson.  When students go back to remind themselves of Contrasts and Contradictions, they'll have the text as well to see how the signpost worked here.  So, I just folded the short story in half and glued it in along the top edge of the back page.  

Right side of notebook under the text glue in. 

Since this signpost focuses on character, I decided my next mini-lesson would be on characters.  I'm debating whether to teach this lesson before the signpost, we'll see in August,  The character cut-out and page idea is from the Reading Notebook by Nicole Shelby.  I also have her Language Notebook set that I'll be using in writing lessons throughout the year.  

I'll continue with my notebook entry for Aha Moment in the next post and link it here when it is live. How will you be teaching your students about Contrasts and Contradictions?