Reading

Character Traits, Character Change:

• I keep in mind that characters are complicated. For example, I might think about how the character is different on the outside than the inside or in one part of the story or in one relationship than another. I’m interested in what really drives a character to make the decisions or take the actions he or she takes. What does the character really want? I know that a character’s action will sometimes seem small (closing a door) but will actually signal a deeper meaning.

• I notice how a character changes across the story. I think about many possible causes of these changes, including other story elements (the problem, the setting, other characters, and so on). I know that what a character learns about life can often be the theme of a story.

• I support my ideas with details from several parts of the text. I discuss how those details actually do support my ideas.

Theme, Author's Craft

• I read, asking, “What’s this story really about?” and I come up with tentative ideas that I test as I read on. I have an internalized checklist of what makes a good interpretation—that the theme applies to most of the story, that it suggests a life lesson. I know that often the theme becomes most clear at the end, but then I can look back and see the theme trace through other parts, such as times when a character makes a decision or realizes something big.

• I notice when the author has done something that stands out—elaborated on a part, used an image or line repeatedly, used figurative language, begun or ended a text in an unusual way—and I think, “Why did the author do that?” I might begin to think about what the author’s words show (e.g., a character’s traits or what a story is really about).