Teachers, save “Independent Reading: Thinking Deeper (I…” to assign it to your class.

When we are reading, it's easy to point out the events the author literally tells me. This is represented by the 10% of the iceberg a captain can see above water. The much deeper thinking we should be doing as readers is the 90% of the iceberg that we can't see BELOW the water. We can push ourselves to do this deep thinking simply by asking the question WHY. For example, when Opal met Otis at Gertrude's Pets, Otis studdered a lot when he spoke to her because he was uncomfortable around her. For example, he kept looking down at the counter when he spoke to her and didn't make eye contact. That is the 10% I can literally SEE. To push myself, I ask WHY is Otis uncomfortable around Opal? And to push myself even further, I can come up with possible answers! 1. Maybe it's because Otis is actually the Winn-Dixie store manager who quit and now works at Gertrude's Pets and he's embarrassed to see Opal again after he raged and cried in front of her at the grocery store. 2. Or could it be it's his first day on the job and he's very nervous. 3. Another reason might be that _________ DIRECTIONS: Now you push yourself to do this same deep thinking in your book. Please see the example on page 1.