Students who struggle with active reading.
The Sticky Notes Bookmark strategy engages student in the reading actively as they must identify four different aspects of the text being read. They must identify an interesting part of the book (!), a part of the book that has a vocabulary word that they would like to discuss deeper (V), a part that is confusing (?), and lastly a part that identifies an illustration, map or graph to help the reader understand the text (graph). Students using this strategy read with preconceived questions and markers to identify.
1. Each student should receive four sticky notes. Students must understand that throughout their reading, they must find specific Information from the text. They may utilize the Sticky Note Bookmarks while they read along or listen to the first time reading of a text.
2. Explicitly model how to label each sticky note. The first sticky note should have an exclamation point on it (!) for the part of the text that is the most interesting. The second sticky should be labeled with a "V" for a discussable vocabulary word. The third sticky note should have a question mark (?) on it to represent a confusing part of the text that the student feels they need to clarify. The fourth sticky note should have a small chart on it to represent pictures, illustrations, maps, charts, or graphs that assist the students to comprehend the text.
3. Put each sticky not on the board. Model using think aloud how to place the bookmarks throughout their text and how to identify and mark one example of each sticky note. Model a written response for each item as well.
4. Each student should receive a copy of an appropriate text to work with.
5. Involve students in a type of prereading activity such as a KWHL chart or prediction strategies.
6. Read the text aloud to the students or have them read the text themselves being sure to bookmark the text as they read or listen. Have them utilize the sticky notes by writing on them as they come across the appropriate sections throughout the text. For a read aloud, students can bookmark the text by coming up to the document camera or projector device.
7. After the reading is complete and students are finished, have the students pair off to discuss each of their bookmarks or have a group discussion of the bookmarks after a read aloud.
Adapted from 40 Strategies for Guiding Readers through Informational Texts
(Moss, B., & Loh-Hagan, V. (2016). 40 strategies for guiding readers through informational texts. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.)
Aston, D. H. (2006). An egg is quiet. New York: Chronicle Books. (P)
McLaughlin, M., & Allen, M. B. (2002). Guided comprehension: A teaching model for grades 3-8. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.