How to Read Like an Octopus

Aligned with our Classroom Core Belief #2: �We are curious, asking questions and exploring new skills and concepts

Adapted for our classroom from Marisa Thomson’s TQE Method

An Eight-Step Process…

…Over Three Reads.

Octopus Fact: Octopuses have the ability to squeeze through incredibly small holes (as long as they aren’t smaller than the octopus’s beak)

[1] Why this matters: more challenging texts in high school aren’t going to be easy to understand right away! And that’s okay—especially since you have the tools to get “unstuck” as a reader.

[2] When the text begins to feel difficult to navigate, don’t give up! Be an octopus and find your way into it (or through it!) using the tools within this slide deck.

[3] Remember, successful close-reading comes in being precise—you have to narrow yourself as a reader in order to find your “solution” (i.e. your interpretation of its meaning).

Happy feeling once you’ve found your way!

Another Octopus Fact: Each Octopus has Three Hearts!

So when we “read like an octopus,” we need to work through three separate stages of annotation/thinking:

3rd Read

1st Read

2nd Read

Check the title/author out, then just read for the what and trust your first reactions of what might be important, highlighting or underlining as you go

Go through your highlights and write out on your Thoughts (what did you notice? Why do you find it interesting?) and Questions (write them all out, too!)

Look for Epiphanies realizations and “a-ha’s” that help you understand the overall text more (esp. connections, contradictions) + reflect on meaning

Remember the “Rule of 8” (octopus = 8 arms): for each text (poem, story, excerpt) you should aim for at least eight annotations of your own thoughts, questions, and epiphanies. Early in the year, the “Rule of 8” includes group work and whole-class discussion, too, but eventually we want you to be able to navigate this on you own!

Adapted from Marisa Thomson’s TQE Method

Eight Steps (*Arms*) of Close-Reading a Text!

1. Title and Author
2. One-Sentence Summary
3. Highlight Evidence/Key Lines�
4. Annotations, Pt. 1: Thoughts
5. Annotations, Pt. 2: Questions

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• Annotations, Pt. 3: Epiphanies
• Theme or “The Problem”
• Why does it matter? (does it?)

the water line

Read 2

Read 1

Read 3

Sample THOUGHTS using “Sticks” by Saunders

• The pole seems to be associated with holidays, at least in the first paragraph
• The first paragraph ends with “I” and the second paragraph begins with “We”
• “Seed of meanness” metaphor might be important
• Major shift in what’s happening with the dad/pole between paragraphs
• Middle of second paragraph we get “sticks” again, connecting back to the title—maybe shows kids are the focus on the story, not the dad
• Capitalization of LOVE and FORGIVE along with question mark following latter
• Both pole and sticks were “yanked” out by couple at the end
• Lack of resolution/clarity around a lot of things at the end

Sample QUESTIONS using “Sticks” by Saunders

• Why does Saunders compare the pole to a crucifix in the first line, and what purpose does this allusion serve?
• Does Saunders intend for the main character of “Sticks” to be the narrator or the father?
• What does Saunders’s narrator mean at the end of the first paragraph when they say, “I sat there blinking”?
• Is there meaning from Saunders within the repetition and lack of punctuation after the ketchup is poured—“good enough good enough good enough”—and, if so, what is that meaning?
• What purpose does the characterization shift of the father in the second paragraph have for the story’s meaning? (and is this a positive or negative shift for the father?)
• How does the ending itself contribute to the meaning of the story?

Sample EPIPHANIES using “Sticks” by Saunders

• By having the title be “Sticks,” it emphasizes that this story is much more about the children rather than the father—and his impact on them. �
• Whereas the crucifix allusion biblically is about forgiveness to the “children,” this story reverses that by asking forgiveness from them. �
• There is lack of resolution in multiple ways throughout the story (blinking narrator, father’s requests for forgiveness, “garbage day” ending)—signalling perhaps how there isn’t always clear resolution in life, especially with challenging relationships.�
• The introduction of the “young couple” also potentially broadens the scope beyond the family, as if this is yet another family that is not willing at that moment to confront its own issues.

What this can look like on the page!

So what should you do when you read a text?

1. Take a look at the title and author (and date, if it’s available), and take a second to consider this and even make some predictions!�
2. Read through the text actively but with an eye towards summary—what is the “above-the-iceberg” reading? (i.e. what happened?). As you’re going, mark key words and lines that stick out to you by underlining or highlighting. �
3. You read through once? Great, now go back through with an eye towards your own annotations! The most important thing is to write out your thinking—both your thoughts and questions—on the reading itself. (#getmessy, like an octopus squirting ink to propel itself forward)�
4. If you have a chance (and we’ll do this a lot in class) it’s a great time now to collaborate. Others notice things you don’t, and we’re better off sharing our thinking as a result. You also want to go back through with one final read if you can, looking for epiphanies: connections you see within the text, understandings you now have that you didn’t initially realize (including what you might have learned from others), and bigger/broader ideas.�
5. Before you’re done, make sure to come back to theme before you finish (reminder: it can be a problem, too!) and the significance—which is a more personal reflection, at times, but important to reward yourself with after all this work!

Octopus Fact: 3/5 of an octopus’s neurons reside in its arms—which can still feel/react even when severed

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This is why TQE’s are so important—they their own living entities!

Things to remember with TQE’s

• You bring a unique capacity as a reader based on your own experiences and perspectives—you can see things that others cannot! (including Mr. Luther!)�
• If you move through a text without any TQE’s, then, it is a rather empty experience—the TQE’s are critical to “survival” for this course, ultimately!�
• Keep in mind that, early on, TQE’s won’t always be easy—we will get better individually and collectively, as you will get many tools and lenses to use as a critical reader!

Literary Analysis Reminder:

Say the author’s name (Saunders, Saunders, Saunders!) a lot in analyzing!

• Why does the father do ____
• Why does Saunders depict the father as ______

Like an octopus, adjust to the context of the text:

What time period was this text written in, and what do we know about that era?

Who is the author and what do we know/understand about them and their motivation[s]?

How does the text attempt to depict its context and how does it attempt to contrast or resist this context?

If you’re unsure about the context, are there any clues within the text (images, names of people/places, allusions) that you can find?

Octopus Fact: Octopuses have the ability to squeeze through incredibly small holes (as long as they aren’t smaller than the octopus’s beak)

Why this matters:

1) When the text feels difficult to navigate, don’t give up! Be an octopus and find your way into it (or through it!)

2) Successful close-reading comes in being precise—you have to narrow yourself as a reader!

Why do all this?

Great question! Here are three main reasons: �

1. The ability to critically read anything and form your own interpretation is one of the most valuable skills you can develop—not just in English class, too! It’s one of the most sought-after skills across all professions right now!�
2. However, doing that doesn’t just “happen”—it takes work and, like all things, having a process can help make that work more manageable. So moving through these eight steps gives you a path so that you’ll have something to say about pretty much any text you read in here!�
3. Most of all, your interpretation matters. You might see something no one else has seen before—and we are all better off getting your voice into the conversation. This process then can help you do just that: join the discussion on a text in a meaningful way!