As someone who wants to critically analyze books better, I was really glad to read this book. This book is a guide to help teachers build strong critical thinking skills within their students, however, I think non-teachers and readers can appreciate the tips given in this book. There are certainly awesome tips that I will be using in the future, that I got from this book. I will be getting a physical copy. The only reason this wasn't 5 stars to me, was because it was a bit boring, I have a hard time reading nonfiction even if I love the subject because I get bored easily, another reason would be it was too technical for me, but it is a book for teachers.

This last fall, I had an opportunity to (temporarily) receive a digital review copy of Notice & Note by Kylene Beers, which was published by Heinemann in 2012. Since I last reviewed this book in 2014, I have finished ten years of homeschooling my children (pre-k to middle school). Last year, I specifically used the Notice & Note signposts as I taught my then-fourth-grade daughter to respond to literature.

We had great success. This year, she is in school, and as she was reading one of her books for class, she was excited to tell me about the sign post she had found as she was reading.

“This is just like we talked about last year!”

I cannot remember which of the signposts that she had found, but there is no doubt that learning and noticing the signposts in the books we read and enjoyed together has helped her as she approaches books today. To me, this is a testament to the lasting power of learning to approach literature in this way.

About Notice and Note
As I revisited Notice and Note, I did not sit and reread the book, cover to cover, as I admit I did before the first time I reviewed it. It was a great way to approach the concepts in the beginning. This time, I instead focused on Part II of the book (defining the signposts and why they are helpful) and Part III of the book (lessons to teach to help the students learn the signposts). Throughout the book, the authors also provide sample conversations with students as they read various books and the authors’ teach the concepts with them. Each section and most chapters have a Q&A for educators. Although I wasn’t working with a classroom last year, I still find these discussions helpful to see just where the signposts can take us as we read.

The signposts include Contrasts and Contradictions, Aha Moment, Tough Questions, Words of the Wiser, Again and Again, and Memory Moment. These might seem self-explanatory, and any educator who teaches from literature would probably already be encouraging students to find such concepts as they read. But there is much more in Notice and Note that helps make this a useful concept to use in teaching and writing about literature. First, the book gives simple explanations and and uses these as the basics: comprehension is a must to find these basic concepts. Also, I love that Notice and Note provides suggested questions to ask as we read (see Part II, chapter 3, “Anchor Questions”).

Using Concepts from Notice and Note in Our Homeschool
As the authors indicate is best, we too approached learning the signposts one at a time. Also, since my daughter was so young, we searched for signposts together in books that we read together. (This is/was one of my favorite things about homeschooling: the ability to read together for so much time! It breaks my heart that my loves-to-read daughter has less time for delight reading now that she is in school.) In the beginning, we worked even with some short videos from Disney so we could find the concept quickly in a story, rather than in our reading. (It felt easier to teach a concept when we can find it in a four-minute movie.) Finding concepts in picture books also worked well for us in the beginning.

As we read full-length novels for this project, my daughter and I took notes whenever we found a signpost. (Usually after we read a section we’d discuss it.) Since this was our first year of using these concepts, and because she was at the younger end of the spectrum suggested for using this concept, I read along with her and helped her notice the “clues” to the signposts. Clues and generalized language to look for are both discussed in Part II of Notice and Note.

When we finished the book together, my daughter then chose her favorite signpost that we had found to write about in a paragraph. Because we’d taken notes as we read, she did not struggle to write about the book. We could use the question prompts to guide her in writing: she’s start by answering the question. The two most memorable books we read using these concepts — and taking notes — were Because of Winn-Dixie and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. I’ll find her writing and share her paragraphs as “kid reviews,” if she lets me. I am so proud of her insights.

From Here
I want to explain that using the Notice and Note signposts in our reading response does not take the roll of a full homeschool curriculum. It is a guide for reading deeply, with a critical eye, even while enjoying great books. We still had a phonics/spelling program. I still talked about grammar and sentence mechanics using concepts and writing practice from IEW. But for making read aloud time an even more enjoyable time by making connections in the book, Notice and Note is definitely a guide I’m glad to return to.

Cover image courtesy Heinemann website. Click to purchase. I’m not an affiliate of Heinemann.

I went into reading this text with the intention of refreshing my understanding of close reading just in time to start prepping for teaching a new novel unit next year. What I didn't expect was to find my new favourite reference text on close reading (and guiding students through novel reading and analysis in general). Considering how many books I've bought over the years around pedagogy and practice to support our students to become knowledgeable and capable readers, I was pleasantly surprised to explore a book with clear, detailed explanations on the what, the why, AND the how of supporting students to not only achieve success in one reading unit of work, but to develop skills that will help their reading-in whatever form that reading takes-for years to come. I'm totally bummed that I was reading this as an ebook because I wanted nothing more than to write notes in the margins and sticky note up this book up the wazoo. I'm already looking it up on Dymocks to see if I can snag a hardcopy by the end of the year so I can read it again-with a highlighter this time-to practise some of my own close reading. I would recommend this text for any teacher who has to teach the reading of fiction texts in a school setting (advice is not always explicitly linkable to non-fiction reading, but I felt there was enough there to extrapolate your own strategy).

This was a NetGalley read and honest review.

Notice & Note – I Wish My Teachers Had Read This Book!
Nov 17, 2022
Maria
Edit"Notice & Note – I Wish My Teachers Had Read This Book!"
I read this book because I wanted to learn how to better engage with a text I’m reading, how to better understand it. I also wanted to learn better how to help my son fall in love with literature and reading. This book was great for both!

I am talking about “Notice&Note – Strategies for Close Reading” by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst, a nonfiction book about close reading, deeper learning and so much more!

Notice & Note by Kylene Beers & Robert E. Probst
Who Should Read “Notice and Note”?
This book is written first and foremost for teachers. I am not a teacher, but I didn’t mind that at all: I still got a lot of value from it and I actually found it fascinating! My first thought after reading only about 10% of it was that I truly wish the teachers I had in school could have read it back then. The way it presents examples makes me remember boring classes and how they could have been so much better, with lots an lots of interactions, how they could have opened our minds to so many possibilities and different ways of thinking and of approaching a topic! I so, so hope things will be improved by the time my son is in school!

If you’re not a teacher, but, like me, you want to understand close reading better, you will find value in this book! If you want to make your child think more, you will find value in this book! If you want to understand and appreciate teachers and their important work, you will find value in this book!

I found it practical and engaging.

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How Did “Notice and Note” Come to Be?
The premise for “Notice and Note” is that what’s been done around literacy until now is not enough: “too many readers plow through a book giving it little thought; too many readers who finish the page or the chapter and then, rather than express a thought, ask a question, or leap into conversation, look up at the teacher and wait“.

This struck me…I did that for so, so long in school. I am great at consuming, not so great at thinking for myself. I tried a lot more to improve since school. The way I read has definitely changed in the last 20 years, but I still don’t think it’s enough. I still think I have a lifetime of learning to do. I view this as a great thing: no time to be bored! This book is another step in my journey.

With this premise in mind – the lack of real interaction from children around books, the authors of this book started to check with other teachers to see if they have the same problems in their classrooms. They also repeatedly read the exact books these teachers were using for their lessons. A pattern emerged: all the books had similar, easily recognisable elements. That’s how the idea of signposts came alive. Whenever students would come across a signpost they would know to ask themselves a series of questions. These questions would make them really engage with the text.

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What Is the Purpose of “Notice and Note”?
With this book’s help, students will be empowered to become independent readers – deeply engaged, attentive, independent readers. They will start by noticing signposts, then ask themselves questions until they come to a real understanding of the bigger themes and character development going on in their readings.

The goal is, in time, to take on texts on their own, without relying on their teachers and find joy in that challenge.

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What Are the Signposts?
The authors identified six important signposts that can be found in most middle-grade books. They are pretty self explanatory patterns and along with the questions for each one, these are bound to stir up conversations.

1. Contrast and Contradictions
This is meant to help students recognise character development, internal conflict and plot. After a few lessons with this signpost, they can identify places in texts where you can find contrasts – differences in behaviours of two characters, for example – and contradictions – between how a character was supposed to act and how it acted, for example. Students need to start asking themselves “Why would they act/feel this way?”.

2. Aha Moments
This is that moment when a character realizes or understands something that until that point he had not known.

“NOTICE AND NOTE”, BY KYLENE BEERS AND ROBERT E. PROBST
The question students need to ask themselves when they stumble upon this signpost is “How might this change things?”.

3. Tough Questions
This signpost helps students recognise the importance of the moment when “the main character puts into words the major problem he or she is facing”. This should make the student stop and ask himself “What does this question make me wonder about?”.

4. Words of the Wiser
This lesson “helps students recognise the author’s theme”. When a wiser character offers the main character advise, students should come to ask themselves “What is the life lesson and how might it affect the character?”.

5. Again and Again
When something is repeated, we should pay attention. The students should ask themselves “Why does this happen again and again?”

6. Memory Moment
These are “the points in a novel where a character remembers something about the past”. Students should ask themselves “Why is this memory important?”.

As you see, the ideas aren’t complicated, but the way they are thought here is amazing and you really need to read the book to understand the beautiful work these teachers have done.

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How to Teach the Signposts?
“Notice and Note” is just perfect in explaining this in detail! You actually get exactly what should go on in classroom for each and every signpost. It was illuminating and incredibly well explained!

Everything is exemplified on actual texts the students would read. You get entire lessons, along with the most frequently asked questions. I had so much to learn from that!

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Are the Signposts Really Effective?
This is the part that impressed me the most!

After learning in this way to question the fictional text in front of them, students started to question things for other subjects as well!

Questioning, critical thinking became a habit! There’s nothing better than that!

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Conclusion
This book is a must read for educators of any type. I cannot stress enough how important I find it!

P.S. You can find the book on Goodreads here.
My review is available on my blog, goodreads and it will be posted on youtube in December

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of Notice & Note in exchange for my review. I actually first read this book years ago as I was preparing to teach a group of struggling readers as they began high school. The strategies and plans detailed in this book were very helpful in teaching students who aren't yet ready for English 1. Many teachers in my district found success while using this book as a guide.

This is a great overview of a classic strategy, with plenty of examples to illustrate how to implement the signposts in the classroom.

As a voracious reader almost from birth, it comes as a surprise to me that you have to teach people how to comprehend what they read. However, since trigonometry is still a complete mystery to me, I understand that everyone has their own skills and challenges. If you teach English or have a child that struggles with reading, Notice & Note is a clear and concise way to achieve improved reading comprehension.

Notice & Note was first published in 2012. Many of the online references within it may be outdated. Other than that one issue, bravo to this book for trying to make better readers of those that find reading a challenge. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Heinemann Publishing and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.