5 th Grade Literacy Night Bands of Text Complexity

R, S, T Characteristics  Plots are issue or theme based, not just a character facing a problem  Several subplots or story lines that are connected to the main story line  Character traits are not explicitly stated  Characters are gray-good and bad-more than one way  Minor characters become important. Reader needs to pay attention to how the minor characters influence and teach the reader about the main character. Minor characters come and go for a reason.  Characters change based on other characters actions and reactions.

R, S, T (continued)  Setting plays an important role; can be considered a character-setting influences the characters  Reader needs to learn content  Tricky chunks, passages and chapters-sometimes require the reader to read on to figure it out  May be personification, humor, satire, exaggeration, or symbolism-including the title  Story line is not always linear-flashback and flash-forward

Questions to Ask R, S, T Readers  Have I heard of this problem/issue before? What do I know about it already? What am I learning about the issue the character is facing? What does that make me think about this issue?  Are you meeting any new characters as you read?  Tell me about their relationship with the main character. How does this character influence, impact, change the main character?  Why did the author include this character?  How would you describe this character’s personality? How else? How do you know? Is he/she always this way?

More Questions-R,S,T  How would you describe this character’s personality? How else? How do you know? Is he/she always this way?  Tell me about the setting. How does it impact the character or them problem/issue he/she is facing?  Why is the setting important in this book?  Have you noticed any repeating objects or ideas? What are they? What do they mean? Why are they there? (symbolism)

U,V,W Characteristics -Readers may encounter CHUNKS or WHOLE CHAPTERS that are CONFUSING. It’s okay-read on and try to PUZZLE THROUGH your confusion. -Readers must pay careful attention to SETTING (Time and place) and how it contributes to the MOOD. Setting can reflect how a character is feeling. -Characters are MUCH MORE COMPLEX -say one thing and mean another -act different ways in different settings -act out of sync with your expectations

U, V, W (continued)  More sophisticated FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE. Readers must pay attention to: -titles and chapter titles -metaphors -idioms (i.e. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch)

U,V,W Continued  More than one plotline. They may not seem important at the time, but readers must hold onto them and think about how they CONNECT as you read.  Structure Changes  Who is Narrating? Does it change?  Are there parallel stories that connect?  How is time passing?  Are ports of the story told in different ways (journal entries, interviews)

Questions and Activities U,V,W, Readers  Think about changing the phrasing from “Are you understanding what you read?” to “You’re reading a pretty sophisticated book…Has anything been confusing for you so far?”  “Tell me about the setting...Why did the author choose to describe the setting in this way? What mood does it create?”  Plot Map  How has your interpretation of the title changed throughout the book? Do the chapter titles have any significance? What is it?  Why does the author choose to include ______? (journal entry, flashback, etc.)  Put the book down, jot some thoughts, come back to it later with a fresh outlook.

X, Y, Z Characteristics  Reader must notice and reflect on unusual story structures when present. Consider how the structure of the story goes with some o the big ideas the reader has and/or the character is having.  In fantasy and sci-fi especially and realistic fiction sometimes, reader must recognize characters that represent the struggle between good and evil as well as character archetypes.  Reader must use prior experiences, particularly prior reading experiences to think critically about themes in books.

X, Y, Z Continued  May contain archaic words or words with unusual or invented connotations.  Contains irony and satire and reader must recognize this and make sense of it.  Text addresses multiple themes that the reader must interpret.

Questions to Ask X, Y, Z Readers  What themes do you see in this text so far?  How are the themes evolving across the text?  How are the themes in this text like or unlike those in other books you have read?  How does the author develop this theme?  How does this compare to how ____ author of ____ book developed the same theme?

More Questions for X, Y, Z  When the author wrote ____ (irony, satire), what do you think he/she meant or was trying to show? Why did he/she write it this way?  How does the author structure this story? Why do you think he/she made this choice?  How does this structure go with the ideas you are having? With those of the character?  Have you encountered any unusual words or phrases? What do you think they mean? Why do you think the author chose to say it that way rather than another way?

Q & A Thank you for coming.