Teachers are always checking a student’s comprehension either when we are assessing their reading or performing reading conferences. But in this book it discusses how checking for understanding of plot and setting the checking process has a few parts: understanding what’s most important, summarizing (which students often struggle with), visualizing the setting, and synthesizing cause/effect. Some strategies (many strategies) that stuck out to me to help students through the understanding of fiction text as it relates to plot and setting were the following:

My Top 3 Strategies

5.2 Title Power

This strategy helps the students to keep the title in their mind as they read and always think back to the title. It is important to discuss with the students the title’s importance as well as the importance of headings and sub-headings.

5.3 Summarizing What’s Most Essential

This particular strategy helps the students to determine the MOST IMPORTANT events in the story. It helps the students to connect those events to the problem in the story. This strategy also helps students to state events in sequential orders. (Often students struggle with sequencing)

5.23 Map It

I looooooved this strategy because this helps with building visualization for the setting! this strategy helps students to draw a map of the details the author gives you about each place that occurs within the fiction story. This strategy helps the students to dive deeper into the “why” of the setting and its significance.