This year, I've been teaching at a school in which we use Kylene Beers and Bob Probst throughout the entire school. Notice and Note is a means of annotating text. Students are given six categories or "signposts" to look for within a text and are taught to ask generic questions based on the type of information they identify in the text. The use of questioning is key, as good, active readers ask questions to show engagement with the text. This is to elicit deep and critical thinking about the author's ideas, preparing students to analyze and evaluate that which they have read, and ultimately synthesize new ideas.
This strategy is applicable to both fiction and nonfiction, although the signposts to be learned differ between these two types of text.
 These are signposts to assist readers as they travel down the road of a fiction text. |  Signposts for nonfiction text.  |
The idea is that students identify significant portions of text, read closely, and ask questions to make inferences, draw conclusions, and gain a deeper understanding of the message or overall meaning of the text.
After students learn basic comprehension strategies, Notice and Note is a great way for students to develop critical reading skills in preparation for developing claims and stances on the themes and ideas addressed in a text. This correlates to the evaluation and synthesis levels of thinking according to Bloom's Taxonomy.
Critical reading and writing is an important skill to develop; this is how we develop perspectives and outlooks in life. In this current day and age, social media is a platform for people to express their opinions with very little critical thinking. People are now developing worldviews based on quickly reading the postings of misinformed citizens of the world. Critical reading helps us to evaluate an author's explanation (does bias exist? what are the author's sources? etc...).
Literacy is a means of healing our nation via knowledge. But first, we must learn to read and take in information with a critical lens. Notice and Note is a method that challenges readers to not only answer what, where, and when, but also how and why.
What are you thoughts on critical reading and writing? Do you have any ideas or teaching methods that have worked for you (teachers) or your child (parents) in the past?
For more on Notice and Note, critical reading and writing, and literacy in general, e-mail [email protected]
Critical reading and writing is an important skill to develop; this is how we develop perspectives and outlooks in life. In this current day and age, social media is a platform for people to express their opinions with very little critical thinking. People are now developing worldviews based on quickly reading the postings of misinformed citizens of the world. Critical reading helps us to evaluate an author's explanation (does bias exist? what are the author's sources? etc...).
Literacy is a means of healing our nation via knowledge. But first, we must learn to read and take in information with a critical lens. Notice and Note is a method that challenges readers to not only answer what, where, and when, but also how and why.
What are you thoughts on critical reading and writing? Do you have any ideas or teaching methods that have worked for you (teachers) or your child (parents) in the past?
For more on Notice and Note, critical reading and writing, and literacy in general, e-mail [email protected]
RSS Feed
