Applying the INTERACT, Inc. "Take/Make Notes" Strategy to Choosing Up Sides and Over the Wall
Contributed by Patricia K. Ladd, Dana Middle School, Pt. Loma, CA.
Reading for understanding is a complex skill that requires learned strategies. John H. Ritter's novels Choosing Up Sides (1998) and Over the Wall (2000) can certainly be "read" by anyone having achieved a minimum of an upper-elementary reading status. However, his books are full of metaphorical connections that require sophisticated analysis in order for readers to fully comprehend the multiple layers in his novels.
As a means to increase comprehension, I require students to use the following form of note-taking as they read:
Using literature logs, or journals, students "Take Notes" on the left-hand side of their paper. These entries should be done chapter-by-chapter. Notes consist of concrete details, also referred to as CD, which are facts and examples from the text. Direct and indirect quotations are also concrete details.
Students "Make Notes" by recording their responses to the concrete evidence. These responses, or commentary, also referred to as CM, are ideas that come to the reader after reflecting on the facts of the text. Commentary is recorded on the right-hand side of the paper, opposite their concrete details. As readers "Make Notes", they use higher-order thinking skills and form opinions, comments, insights, interpretations, inferences, and evaluations to specific events that actually occurred in the text.
This particular form of note taking serves the following purposes:
Suggestion: While students draft their "Take/Make Notes" independently, I encourage the use of shared responses in Literature Circle groups. I also regularly allow for whole class discussions of responses and reward effort with genuine praise. As needed, I challenge students to "dig deeper."
In addition to note-taking, and as a precursor to drafting a formal response to literature essay, I introduce students to several forms of graphic organizers (based on ideas presented by Fran Claggett in her book Drawing Your Own Conclusions: Graphic Strategies for Reading, Writing, and Thinking (1992). Two favorites with students and teachers were designed by me (please see "Quotes & Symbols" template or "Similes & Metaphors" template) to meet the following instructional objectives:
Adaptations to the attached template are easily made to fit the needs of particular assignments and desires of creative students. Final products, created on 12" by 18" construction paper, provide stunning visual evidence of comprehension and literary concepts.
The "Take/Make Notes" and the illustrated graphic organizer serve as a form of outlining for the traditional five-paragraph response to literature essay. For example, one of my students determined that "love" is a significant theme in Ritter's Choosing Up Sides. She created and illustrated several vignettes representing this theme. These drawings became part of the inner circle of the organizer.
Next, she searched her notes for concrete details describing her chosen illustrations. She both paraphrased one incident and supplied a direct quote for another.
Then, she reread her "Make Notes" pertaining to these scenes and used her initial thoughts as impetus for even more reflective comments.
The borders of her graphic organizer were filled with examples of similes, metaphors, direct and indirect quotes, and symbols taken from Choosing Up Sides.
She now had a basic outline from which to draft one body paragraph to her essay. Caroline writes:
"Ritter portrays the theme of love through several characters in his book. For example, Annabeth, a friend from school, comes to know the Bledsoe household as she helps out Luke's mother after Ezekiel has died. When Annabeth learns that Luke has been injured, she goes to visit him and finds him lying in bed in his small room. He is healing from a broken arm and is in acute pain. He is also bearing a great burden of regret as he was unable to save his father's life from drowning, because ironically his father had broken Luke's arm so badly. Luke and Annabeth begin to talk openly about themselves and about Luke's relationship with his father. As Luke is expressing his guilt, Annabeth leans down and kisses him affectionately. While Luke is unable to trust his peers at school, he is able to trust Annabeth and feel emotionally close and open with her. He feels confident enough to be himself with Annabeth, unlike his relationship with his teammates, such as Skinny, with whom he is not so sure of himself and remains careful and reticent."
The two sections, above and below, illustrate this student's personal interpretations, or comments, relating to the above concrete details. Her statements show evidence of analysis beyond a mere literal interpretation, or summarization.
Caroline concludes this body paragraph by giving another example to support the theme of "love."
"Another example of love in this novel is Luke's love for Uncle Micah. Uncle Micah is Luke's maternal uncle. Even though Uncle Micah has a tendency to get drunk, chase women, and go to parties and saloons at all hours, Luke admires him. According to Ezekiel, Uncle Micah is '...wild as a witch dog.' (p. 2) However, he is also independent, kind and supportive of Luke. Luke's fondness for his uncle shows that he may actually identify with Micah, particularly because he also is left handed. Since Uncle Micah is quite the opposite of Ezekiel in personality, Luke appears to feel accepted by him in the positive way he longs to relate to his father."
Notice that Caroline's first sentence is a topic sentence followed by concrete details supporting the theme of love. She "weaves" fact and opinion throughout the paragraph and includes direct quotes from Ritter's novel. Her concluding sentence is entirely opinion related to the theme. Her success in writing a cogent paragraph is related to her previous experiences with note taking and the organization of ideas graphically.
Lesson Plans contributed by Patricia K. Ladd, Dana Middle School. © 2000. Permission granted for classroom use.
