Pyramid Reading - Master Plan

Pyramid Reading is founded upon the idea that

scaffolding is the key. Just like grammar and writing,
reading skills should be learned in a logical, sequential
order. The purpose of Pyramid Reading is to make this
process completely clear.
Beginning with, LITERARY ANALYSIS: Foundational Skills, this unit
pyramid represents the ten complete reading units that make up an English
course. Each unit in Pyramid Reading builds upon the next. Within these
units, the reading skills required for mastery are built upon each other as
well. Finally, for every skill in every pyramid there are multiple teaching
resources available which are themselves scaffolded. When all of this
comes together, the complete picture of a comprehensive and effective
English class becomes clear.

Implementation Guide
So now that we know what to teach and when, how do we do it?
Underneath each unit pyramid there are graphic organizers that
address each skill in each pyramid. Follow the simple steps
below to put these tools to use in your classroom!
1. Choose reading materials that are age-appropriate and abilityappropriate.
2. Start with the first skill at the bottom of the first unit pyramid
and locate the graphic organizers under the unit pyramid that
address this skill.
3. Make double-sided copies of the graphic organizer. Yes, you
can print and make copies of these - as long as you don't try to
sell them or tell people that you made them.
4. Introduce the reading skill. Model for the students how to
complete the graphic organizer by using real-world, relevant,
appropriate topics. It will help to have a document camera or
overhead transparency so that the students can see how this is
done.
5. Read the literature in whatever method you prefer. Stop
strategically to fill out sections of the graphic organizer as a
whole class, in small groups or in pairs. Make sure everyone is on
target.
6. After reading, ask the students to complete the graphic
organizer on the back independently. This is your assessment for
learning.
7. Check their work. If they got it, move on to the next skill. If
they didn't, go back and try again using a new graphic organizer
or reading materials.
8. Many skills can and should be re-taught strategically
throughout the school-year. Primarily, these include the literary
analysis skills found in unit one.

Unit 1: Literary Analysis: Foundational Skills

It is essential to begin by addressing the foundational literary analysis

skills that will be used throughout the course. This pyramid begins where
research shows is most effective, summarizing, and scaffolds up to
evaluation. As with every skill in every unit, do not move up the pyramid
until mastery of the previous skills are achieved. The key to this unit is to
re-teach these skills often throughout the school-year using more and
more complex reading materials.

Unit 2: Elements of Literature: Introduction

The journey towards fully comprehending grade-level reading

materials begins by asking and answering the questions: who,
what, when, where and why? This pyramid begins that process.

Unit 3: Character Development

We now dig deeper into the question: who?

In doing so, we also begin to answer the question: why?

Unit 4: Plot

Studying plot is essentially a way to make sense out of a

complete literary work. The best method for doing so is to read
the story first while stopping along the way to summarize, make
predictions, draw conclusions, etc. Afterwards, by teaching and
utilizing the elements of plot, students can thoroughly analyze
the work by breaking it down into its component parts. In doing
so, they can examine how these elements make up the over-all
structure of the story.

Unit 5: Elements of Literature

This pyramid begins by examining how different characters and

the reader can experience similar events in different ways. It
ends with making connections between literary works and life.
Once again, it is essential that each skill is mastered prior to
moving on - even if it requires more than a week to adequately
teach and learn.

Unit 6: Author's Purpose

The truly powerful aspect to the 'author's purpose' unit is that

when it is complete, students will be able to recognize how
authors, politicians, advertisers and the media in general are able
to manipulate them. As such, they become more empowered
readers and thinkers.

Unit 7: Informational Text

Informational Text includes history textbooks, newspaper articles, flyers

and brochures. The key to the process is to remember that few of these
resources are entirely factual. History, as someone said, is written by the
victors. Therefore, to fully explore informational text, a student needs to
employ the critical reading skills learned in the 'Author's Purpose' unit along
with many of the literary analysis skills mastered in units 1-5.

Unit 8: Theme

Just like main ideas, themes are seldom directly stated. In

order to accurately determine a theme, students need to be
able to employ every reading skill learned up until this point.
Theme represents the highest purpose of literature. It is that
often intangible feeling inside us that we take away from a
great novel or film. How do we find that and put it into words?
The answer is through deep analysis and higher order
thinking.

Unit 9: Figurative Language

It's hard enough to teach students to make sense of the literal

words on the page. Figurative language requires students to take
those words and re-interpret them in a new way. At this point, we
are very deep into an English/Language Arts course. However, if
every skill has been thoroughly taught and learned up until this
point, students are now ready to begin this unit.

Unit 10: Elements of Poetry

It has all been leading to this. Poetry is saved for last because it
is the most difficult genre of literature to comprehend. Further,
many of the reading skills that students have mastered up until
this point - tone, theme, figurative language, etc. - all come back
into play in analyzing and making sense of poetry. This is where
the scaffolded journey ends.