DIGGING DEEPER

Presented by Veronica Williams

 Often referred to as close reading

What does it
Stresses engaging with a text of
sufficient complexity directly and

mean to dig
examining meaning thoroughly and
methodically, encouraging students

deeper?
to read and reread deliberately
It requires students to:
● Look at the meaning of a text
What is it all about?
● Give attention to detail
● To reflect on their own thinking
(metacognition), but reflect on
other’s thinking. (the author!)
 Why is digging It expands their knowledge of the
text; the deeper students dig, the
deeper more they are able to
comprehend the text
significant for Teaches students how to look for
understanding and meaning when
reading it isn’t explicitly stated

comprehension? Enhances analytical thinking skills

Why does it matter?

How do we as educators successfully get students
to dig deeper?
❏ Consider your text selection
❏ Consider the appropriateness of close reading for your intended audience
❏ Consider the types of questions to ask during a reading comprehension lesson
❏ Release most of the responsibility on the reader
❏ Do consider having tools on hand for students like an anchor chart displayed or
a thinkmark passed out with codes to use when marking the text
❏ Do set a purpose for reading and/or provide a brief preview for your students if
you think it will help them engage with the text more effectively
How to Model Deep Thinking

❏ Think Aloud
● A method that is recommended for modeling how and what we want our
students to think about as they read
❏ Question Answer Relationship (QAR)
● Students will begin to recognize where their questions stem from and
better yet find the evidence in the text to support their thinking
❏ Reciprocal Teaching
● A student led process where students discuss a lot; includes predicting,
questions, clarifying, and summarizing.
❏ Close Reading and Determining Importance
● A process that helps our students categorize the information drawn from
the text in order of importance
Reading Lesson of the Day:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3
Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or
concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
Objective:
Student will be able to describe key details from the text in their own words, expand on them
(dig deep and draw new conclusions), and provide evidence from the text to support.
Text of the Day:

WRITE IT OUT AND SHARE:

1. What are the first things that come

to your mind when you read the
title of this book?
2. What do you already know about
your brain?
3. What do you think you will learn
from this book?
 READ and DISCUSS

1. We will read the first few pages of chapter 1, pages 12-15.

2. Discuss the four happy chemicals--what are they?
3. How do happy chemicals work?
4. What are the happy survival motives?
 The Four Happy Chemicals

1. Dopamine--Produces the joy of finding things that meet your needs

2. Endorphin--Produces oblivion that masks pain--often called euphoria
3. Oxytocin--Produces the feeling of being safe with others--now called bonding
4. Serotonin--Produces the feeling of being respected by others--pride
How Do Happy Chemicals Work?

Happy chemicals are controlled by tiny brain structures that all mammals have in
common: the hippocampus, amygdala, pituitary, hypothalamus, and other parts
collectively known as the limbic system.

Your cortex looks for patterns in the present that match patterns you connected in
the past.

Your limbic system releases neurochemicals that tell your body “this is good for you,
go toward it”, and “this is bad for you, avoid it”.
Look at the chart and dig deep!

Compare and contrast the human brain with

the chimpanzee brain. What do you notice?

Compare the human brain with the mouse

brain? What do you notice? Why do you
think it is the way it is?

Looking at the lizard’s brain, why do you

think it is most different from all of the other
brains?
Happy Survival Motives

Dopamine: Seek rewards

Endorphin: Ignores physical pain

Oxytocin: Build social alliances

Serotonin: Get respect from others

Happy Survival Motives--DIG DEEPER

What chemical might be activated if you hit your hand on your desk and instead of
crying you continue working on your test?
What chemical might be activated if you are trying to win first place in the spelling
bee?
If you are working hard to get your peers to join you at the lunch table, you might
have activated which chemical?
Being honest and noble will likely activate which chemical in your body?
DIGGING EVEN DEEPER

Why do you think it is necessary to have chemicals in our body?

If we did not have chemicals in our body, how do you think we would function
and respond to different situations?

What other chemicals in the human body can you think of that we have not yet
discussed?

What is the purpose of them and how do they relate/work with the happy
chemicals?