Reading comprehensions strategy: Notice and note

Signpost: something that helps you know where you are going or reminds you
to pay attention to something.

1.
- Contrast & contradictions: when a character acts in a way you don’t
expect, or in a way that is opposite of his or her previous actions.
- Anchor question: why is the character doing that?

2.
- Again and again: when a word or phrase or situation is mentioned
over and over.
- Anchor question: why does this keep happening?

3.
- Aha moment: when a character realizes, understands, or finally
figures out something.
- Anchor question: How might this change things?

4.
- Tough questions: when a character asks herself a very difficult
question, and it reveals her inner struggles.
- Anchor question: what does this question make me wonder about?

5.
- Memory moment: when the author interrupts the action to tell you
about a memory.
- Anchor question: why might this memory be important?

6.
- Words of the wiser: when a supporting character (usually older or
wiser) offers insightful advice to the main character.
- Anchor question: What is the life lesson and how might this affect the
character?
 Themes and characterization:

Theme: a theme is a universal idea, lesson. Or message explored throughout a

work of literature. Themes are ideas that not only apply to the specific
characters and events of a book or play, but also expresses broader truths
about human experience that readers can apply to their own lives.

Themes key points:

- All works of literature have themes.
- Themes are sometimes divided into thematic concepts and thematic
statements.
- A work's thematic concept is the broader topic it touches upon (love,
forgiveness, pain, etc.)
- A work thematic statement is what the work says about that topic.
(i.e., the thematic concept of a romance novel might be love, its
thematic statement might be that "Love is blind," or that "You can't
buy love.")
- Themes are almost never stated explicitly.

Identifying themes:
- Every work of literature has at least one theme. When analyzing a
given work, it’s always possible to discuss what the work is about on
two separate levels:
- The more concrete level (i.e., what literally happens in the work.)
- The more abstract level of the theme (i.e., the concepts that the work
deals with.)

Characterization: is the representation of the traits, motives, and psychology of

a character in a narrative.

- May occur through direct description in which the characters

qualities are described by a narrator, another character, or by the
character him or herself.
- May also occur indirectly, in which the characters qualities are
revealed by his or her actions, thoughts, or dialogue.