Title: Guided Reading: Reading Like a Writer
Author: OIT
Last saved by: Courtney Yeager
Company: Dept. of Health and Human Services

Reading Like a Writer

Note to teachers:
Annotating, or marking up, text will help students develop confidence analyzing text.  This strategy can be applied to any content area reading.  Model the method first with a short article or passage.  Have students work in groups and gradually release responsibility while increasing text complexity of the texts you present.  Eventually, students should apply the process to appropriate texts they have selected themselves. 
It may help to have students identify what they already know about the topic or source before you hand out the text.    
To make this a formative assessment:  
1. Score the annotated text or 
2.  Have students complete a pre-writing exercise (i.e., prompt eliciting a paragraph response)  following their reading to demonstrate synthesis of information or    
3.  Use more than one text and have students complete the pre-writing exercise synthesizing both texts.  

Before reading: look at the text but don’t read it
What is the genre or type of writing?  
	Use vocabulary from literature and informational text to identify the type of writing.
What do you know about the author?  Is the author an authority on the topic?  Do you know of any bias the author may have regarding the topic?
Who is the intended audience?  Why was the article (or item) written?
	Talk about this before reading and again after reading.  Look for clues in the language use about how the author accounts for or addresses the anticipated audience.
What is the format of the text?  Are there headings, subheadings, footnotes, photographs, diagrams or other non-text features?  
	Have you explicitly taught the text features relative to the text?  Do students know that text boxes often provide clarifying, relative, or specific information?  Do students understand the value and use of links?  Footnotes?  Other features?
 What do you know about the way the information is presented before you begin reading?  
	Chronological?  Flashbacks?  Cause/effect?  Effect/cause?  Have you taught students to understand the significance of audience and purpose as it relates to form, format, structure?  If this information is not obvious before reading, save the topic for later.

During reading: annotate the text
Tailor these directions to the text and the class.  What do you most want students to learn as a result of reading this text?  
What is the topic?  How do you know?  Highlight, underline, or note in the margin the topic of the text.  
	Students are often taught to present a thesis statement, but effective writers do not always place an explicit sentence in the first paragraph.  Can your students find the distinct main idea or objective of the text?  Could there be more than one?  
What is the evidence supporting the topic or author’s position?  Highlight or underline.  In the margin, note whether this is fact or opinion and whether this is new information to you (+), contradicts prior learning (-), or supports/confirms prior learning (!).  
	For literature, you may want to change this reflect what is expected, what contradicts prior behavior, or what represents a shift.  Make sure the students notice what you would want them to include in response.
Are there any words or phrases specific to the topic?  Do you know these or do you need to figure out the meaning?  Circle 
	Consider whether there are words in the article that you want students to use in their response.  You may not these before you begin so students look for them.  

After reading: relating the reading to the next assignment 
What do you want students to do – have a discussion or debate?  Write an essay?  Identify evidence to be used in a later assignment?  
Can you draw a conclusion about what you read?  
Do you agree, disagree, or otherwise question the content?  
Can you take a position and support your position with evidence?  
Can you use evidence from the text or do you need other evidence to support your position?
Does this information or topic relate to anything else you are currently reading/studying?
What remaining or related questions do you have?
Informational text
Before reading: look at the text but don’t read it
What is the genre or type of writing?  
What do you know about the author?  Is the author an authority on the topic?  Do you know of any bias the author may have regarding the topic?
Who is the intended audience?  Why was the article (or item) written?
What is the format of the text?  Are there headings, subheadings, footnotes, photographs, diagrams or other non-text features?  
What do you know about the way the information is presented before you begin reading?  

During reading: annotate the text
What is the topic?  How do you know?  Highlight, underline, or note in the margin the topic of the text.  
What is the evidence supporting the topic or author’s position?  Highlight or underline.  In the margin, note whether this is fact or opinion and whether this is new information to you (+), contradicts prior learning (-), or supports/confirms prior learning (!).  
Are there any words or phrases specific to the topic?  Do you know these or do you need to figure out the meaning?  Circle

After reading: relating the reading to the next assignment 
Can you draw a conclusion about what you read?  
Do you agree, disagree, or otherwise question the content?  
Can you take a position and support your position with evidence?  
Can you use evidence from the text or do you need other evidence to support your position?
Does this information or topic relate to anything else you are currently reading/studying?
What remaining or related questions do you have?

Reading Like a Writer