As a teacher, I know the importance of getting students interested in a book before they read the first line. When students are motivated to read, it flips the script from a book the teacher is “making me read” to a book “I want to read.” Using a prediction strategy, such as a picture walk (quickly browsing the images in a book), can ramp up student interest.

Yet, have you ever excited students about a book using information not in the book? What if you could share information with your students from outside sources that would activate curiosity and make connections to science or social studies? Count me in for those cross-curricular connections, right?!

Let’s Try the Phenomena Pre-Reading Strategy!

Before we learn about the phenomena pre-reading strategy, take a moment to experience it yourself.

Look at the animated map below. What do you notice? What do you wonder? (If it doesn’t appear in your browser, you can view it here.)

Imagine sharing this map with students and having a notice-and-wonder discussion before reading They Are Here! How Invasive Species Are Spoiling Our Ecosystems by Roland Smith.

How could this type of introduction benefit your students?

What is the Phenomena Pre-Reading Strategy?

Engaging with phenomena, like the lionfish map, is a strategy I use to motivate students to want to read and to prepare them to read, a middle grade book–especially nonfiction. According to the Next Generation Science Standards, “Natural phenomena are observable events that occur in the universe and that we can use our science knowledge to explain or predict.” Snowflakes falling, a python eating a deer, and a plant growing toward light are all natural phenomena. Phenomena occur all around us every day, and a science best practice involves asking our students to “notice and wonder” about those phenomena.

Side Note: “phenomenon” is singular and “phenomena” is plural. I hope someday to not have to stop and think for 10 full seconds about which to use in a particular sentence. Today is not that day.

I apply phenomena best practices during English Language Arts (ELA) by sharing a phenomenon related to the core concept in a nonfiction book before we even crack open the cover. The phenomenon could be a photograph, a video, a map, an audio file, or a graph. Then I simply ask: What do you notice? What do you wonder?

We refer to this as a “notice and wonder routine” in science. The less information you give students and the less you lead them with my questions, the better. This is a time for students to call up their background knowledge and to think deeply about what they are seeing and/or hearing. So, I encourage you to stick with: “What do you notice? What do you wonder?”

You can hold a simple discussion, or you can record student ideas on a chart. While students read, they can refer back to the chart and even add to it when the text answers their questions.

Let’s Review a Few Examples!

Here are a few examples of phenomena introductions paired with middle grade nonfiction:

Before reading Who Gives a Poop by Heather Montgomery, enjoy a discussion about this photo:

https://www.waynesword.net/images/scat4b.jpg You’ll have to forgive me. I live with two boys and information about poop is a hit in our house. Oh, and here are the answers in case you’ve never taken a deep dive into poo identification: https://www.waynesword.net/scat.htm

Before Reading Unseen Jungle: The Microbes That Secretly Control Our World by Eleanor Spicer Rice, notice and wonder about these photos: https://telegrafi.com/en/after-seeing-these-pictures%2C-you-won%27t-sleep-without-brushing-your-teeth/amp/ These mysterious pictures may serve the dual purpose of motivating students to read and brush their teeth!

Before reading The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown, share dust bowl photos with your students. They will certainly start wondering, “How did this happen?!”

https://infosys.ars.usda.gov/WindErosion/multimedia/dustbowl/dustbowlpics.html

However, you don’t have to limit yourself to phenomena. Sometimes showing students media related to what they are about to read will be enticing. In Total Garbage: A Messy Dive into Trash, Waste, and Our World, Rebecca Donnelly begins by describing a location that is not open to the public: Treasures in the Trash. Conducting a notice and wonder with three photographs of this museum-of-sorts will pique curiosity. And it will certainly provoke deep thoughts about trash when students find out what the images depict.  https://www.mas.org/events/treasures-in-the-trash-group-1/

Plus, there are no photographs in the book, so it is an effective way to demonstrate how conducting research beyond the book can lead to interesting information that enhances the reading experience.

Let’s Discuss Discussions!

If you are used to responding to student ideas with phases like, “Great idea!” or “Hmm…I’m not sure about that one,” I encourage you to take a different approach with phenomena discussions. It is important to facilitate these discussions without judging or favoring specific answers. Your classroom should be a safe space for all students to share their ideas, and you don’t want students to feel that you seek one “correct” answer.

Using Talk Moves, like the following, facilitate open discussion: “Would anyone like to add on to what Angel said?” and “Who has something else they would like to share?” You can find a list of Talk Moves here: https://inquiryproject.terc.edu/shared/pd/Goals_and_Moves.pdf 

If Talk Moves are new to you, don’t be afraid to print the document and keep it by your side as you get used to letting students lead the discussion. And most importantly, don’t answer your students’ wondering questions. Let them read to find out!

Not only does beginning with a phenomenon motivate your students to read, it also provides all students with an equitable experience to build on as they read the text.

So, go ahead, try a phenomenon introduction for your next middle grade read. I think you’ll find it works phenomenally well! (Sorry, I had to!)