What is a Code Breaker?
Code Breakers identify words in a text (a chapter of a book, a newspaper article, a poem, etc.) that need to be better understood. Code Breakers write down those words, and they prepare to explain and share them with others.

Tips for Code Breakers
There are many ways that Code Breakers (or good readers) decode a text. Code breakers… write down (as they read!) words they don’t know, words they’d like to understand better, and words or combinations of words they like write down page numbers in parenthesis and put the words or phrase in quotation marks focus on words that help them form movies in their minds and words that are key to understanding the meaning of the text, the writer’s message re-read the context (the surrounding words) for clues break down the words into chunks (prefix, root word, or suffix) use a dictionary and/or a thesaurus but always write down the definition in their own words think of synonyms and antonyms research the history (the etymology) of slang and dialect and colloquialisms look for similes and alliteration draw pictures representing the meaning of words and/or phrases

Code Breaker’s Task
When Code Breakers come to class, they should be prepared to: share explanations of the 3-5 words and/or phrases they recorded provide background information from the text—including the page number—before explaining the word or phrase

I felt shrunken as a piglet runt(122) = small animal
Aroma (Pg. 123) = Scent
Informed (Pg. 124) = Showing Knowledge
Soiled (Pg. 99) = To Soil
Threadworms = Any relation to Tangled Threads?
Guffawed= To speak very loudly
Tiger(120)
Lowlanders (108)
Reverberate = Load noice repeated several times.

What is a Text Participant?
Text Participants connect with the ideas in the text (a chapter of a book, a newspaper article, a poem, etc.) and they ask questions that help others connect with ideas from the text. Text Participants focus on the reader.

Participating in the ideas of a text
There are two main ways that Text Participants (or good readers) get involved with a text. Text Participants… make connections. They connect key ideas from the text to their personal experiences. They connect key ideas from the text to ideas from other texts (books, films, TV shows, etc.). And they connect key ideas from the text to current or historical world events. ask questions. They help others connect to the text by asking thoughtful, open-ended questions.

Tips for Text Participants
Great Text Participants… jot down ideas and page numbers (in parenthesis) while they read write down at least two thoughtful and insightful connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to-world) write down at least three questions that will help others connect to ideas in the text

Text Participant’s Task
When Text Participants come to class, they should be prepared to… share the connections and questions they wrote down as they read. provide the context of the idea from the text, including the page number, before describing a connection or asking a question. encourage everyone in their groups to participate

Have you been called names in your life? (Example Yer was called Brown Nose)
Has anyone given you are hard time about your appearance? (Example Lisa said people are mean to fat girls)
Have you ever been judged by your country? Relation: Chinese. Thinks cannot speak English
Have you ever lost a family member or friend who was close to you? (Ex. Grandma died)
Has your parents ever forced you into a religion?

What is a Text Analyst?
Text Analysts really get inside of a writer’s head. Text Analysts think of many thoughtful, open-ended questions that focus on the writer’s meaning and choices. Text Analysts focus on the author.

Examples of questions that get into a writer’s head
Is the story like real life? Could this happen in real life? Could this happen in your neighborhood?
Why did the author put this character