1. Signposts for close reading
Stop, Notice, and note
This is the PowerPoint presentation for the basic form of the signposts.
For use with grades 9, 10, 20-2, and 30-2
Suggestion: choose a story you’ve already read in class to help students practice these strategies
Students can record their findings in a chart, mind-map, bulleted list, sticky note on their novel page, or any other appropriate note-taking form
Anchor charts on classroom walls and bookmarks with the signposts and questions are highly recommended
Signposts for close reading

2. What are signposts? Important moments in the text worth examining
Like “red flags” in literature saying “Pay attention!”
Common across narrative (both fiction and non-fiction)
Represent commonly-used literary techniques that authors expect you to pick up on
They won’t exist in all texts, but in most (especially young-adult fiction)
Will be more covert in more sophisticated texts
These six signposts aren’t the ONLY aspects of the text that are important; they are a starting place for students to be more independent in their analysis of text

3. How do I use signposts? Pay attention!
Stop! Notice the signpost, and note your answer the accompanying question
Sticky-notes, margin notes, chart, etc.
Choose the style that fits your text (library book vs. photocopied handout, etc.) and your thinking style (chart vs. bullet points vs. mind map)
Use these key moments as evidence for the analysis you’re asked to do in class (ie. Questions, essays, discussion)
Emphasize that it’s the question that truly matters. Just noticing isn’t enough!
Assignments could be built around these, though it may be helpful to empower students with this tool without the added burden of formal “work”

4. #1: contrasts and contradictions
Connect this to moments from a text you’ve read together, a Disney movie, Harry Potter, a real-life moment, etc.
Enjoy the cheesy graphics and inspirational music!

5. Contrasts and Contradictions
Definition
A sharp contrast between what we would expect and what we observe the character doing; behavior that contradicts previous behavior or well-established patterns
Clues
A character behaves in a way we don’t expect OR
An element of setting is something we would not expect
Question
Why would the character act/feel this way?
Use “generalizable language” in a think-aloud to help students see what this kind of thinking/noticing looks like
Generalizable language from Beers and Probst:
When a character does or says something that contrasts with how you would expect someone to act or that contracts how that character has been acting, you know the author is showing you something important about that character. You’ll want to pause and ask yourself, “Why would the character act this way?” As I think about this question, I wonder if it might be…

6. #2: aha moment
Again, connect to an example

7. Definition Clues Question Aha moment
A character’s realization of something that shifts his actions or understanding of himself, others, or the world around him.
Clues
Phrases, usually expressing suddenness, like:
“Suddenly, I understood…”
“It came to me in a flash that…”
“The realization hit me like a lightning bolt”
“In that instant, I knew…”
Question
How might this change things?
Generalizable language:
When a character realizes or finally understands something, then you want to pause because you know this realization means something. It might be showing you something about character development, or a new direction of the plot. You want to ask yourself, “How might this change things?” Now that this character realizes this, I think that…

8. #3: tough questions

9. Definition Clues Question Tough questions
Questions a character raises that reveal his or her inner struggles
Clues
Phrases expressing confusion:
“What could I possibly do to…”
“I couldn’t imagine how I could cope with…”
“Never had I been so confused about…”
Question
What does this question make me wonder about?
Generalizable language:
You know that when a character pauses to ask himself or a friend some really tough questions, then you are getting a glimpse of what’s bothering him the most, and those questions often show you what the character will struggle with throughout the story. When you see these tough questions, stop and ask yourself, “What does this question make me wonder about?” These questions she was asking herself make me think that…

10. #4: Words of the wiser

11. Definition Clues Question Words of the wiser
The advice or insight a wiser character, who is usually older, offers about life to the protagonist
Clues
The protagonist and another more experienced character are usually off by themselves in a quiet, serious moment, and the wiser figure shares wisdom/advice in an effort to help the main character with a problem/decision
Question
What’s the life lesson and how might it affect the character?
Generalizable language
When a wise character – who is often older than the main character – shares his or her understanding, insight, or advice on an issue or topic, stop and think about that. These insights or advice usually reveal something important about the theme. Ask yourself, “What’s the life lesson, and how might it affect the character” The important lesson offered here is that…

12. #5: and again

13. Definition Clues Question Again and again
Events, images, or particular words that recur over a portion of the novel
Clues
a word is repeated, sometimes used in an odd way, over and over. OR
An image reappears several times during the course of the narrative
Question
Why might the author bring this up again and again?
Generalizable language
When you see repetition in a novel, you can bet that it’s important, but you might not know, right away, what it means. Repetition might give insight into the setting or a character or perhaps a symbol of some sort. You have to ask yourself, “Why does this keep happening again and again?” Here, I see…

14. #6: memory moment

15. Definition Clues Question Memory moment
A recollection by a character that interrupts the forward progress of the story
Clues
The ongoing flow of the narrative is interrupted by a memory that comes to a character, often taking several paragraphs to recount before we are returned to the events of the present moment
Question
Why might this memory be important?
Generalizable language
When we share a memory with someone, it’s usually because that memory has something to do with what’s happening at that moment; the memory of the past helps explain the present moment, So, when an author has a character pause to think about a memory or share a memory with someone, I know that the memory can tell me something about what’s happening right now. That memory might five me insight into what bothers or motivates a character; or, it might help me understand something happening in the story.