READING NONFICTION
Notice & Note Stances,
Signposts, and Strategies
By Kylene Beers & Robert E. Probst
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“We want kids as readers of nonfiction to be
active, to challenge the text, and to invite
the text to challenge and change them.
When students recognize that nonfiction
ought to challenge us, slow us down, and
make us think, then they’re more likely to
become close readers.” – Kylene Beers and Robert E.
Probst
3 BIG QUESTIONS that develop the
stance needed for attentive reading
 5 SIGNPOSTS that help readers analyze
and evaluate the author’s craft
 7 STRATEGIES that develop relevance
and fix up confusions.
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• What did the
author think
you already
knew?
• What
changed,
challenged, or
confirmed
what you
already knew?
• Contrasts and
Contradictions
• Extreme or
Absolute
Language
• Numbers &
Stats
• Quoted Words
• Word Gaps
Use These Fix-Up Strategies
• What
surprised you?
Notice & Note These Signposts
Adopt a Questioning Stance
To Develop Understanding
• Possible
Sentences
• KWL 2.0
• Somebody
Wanted But
So
• Syntax
Surgery
• Sketch to
Stretch
• Genre
Reformulation
• Poster
Big Question #1
What surprised me?
•I WAS SHOCKED ABOUT…
•I WAS SURPRISED WHEN…
•I NEVER THOUGHT…
•I COULD NOT BELIEVE…
•REALLY? WHY DOES THIS
SURPRISE ME? WHAT
DOES IT SUGGEST?
FOUR CATEGORIES OF SURPRISE

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New Information (“I didn’t know that!”)
Suspicious Information (“Really? Is that
true?”)
Clarifying Information (“Oh! Now I get it!”)
A different perspective (“I hadn’t thought of
it that way.” or “How could anyone think
that way?” or “This surprises me. Is there
another way to see this?”)
WE TRY IT:
Pilgrims brought the first
honeybees to America. By the
1850s, honeybees had flown to
California.
What surprised you?
Why was that?
YOU TRY IT: WHAT SURPRISES ME?
It’s your turn to read Vampires Prey on Panama
with this question in mind. As you read it, mark
those passages you find surprising. Perhaps you
want to put an exclamation point beside those
statements, or you might want to underline them.
Then, think about what surprised you and jot that
down in the margin. You may find you are writing
questions.
When you are finished reading, take another look
to make sure you’ve marked 3 or 4 parts that
surprised you. Turn and talk to your shoulder
partner. Share what each of you found surprising.
REFLECTION TIME
 How
did this question affect
your thinking?
 Reflect
on this in your journal.
Share out.
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Teacher Resources
 Notice and Note Resources
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Newsela article about Jupiter
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Really?? Template
“Classroom Close-Up”