Sketch to Stretch This sixth grader is using Sketch to Stretch (Harste & Burke, 1988; Beers, 2003) to represent visually a powerful line from Henry's Freedom Box. As he visually represented his thinking about a particular line, he stretched his understanding of the text. When students sketch what a text represents to them, it helps them focus on specific words, especially important when reading nonfiction
I think this is so important for young readers. Not only because of the idea of focusing on specific words, but also to help children find a love of reading. When I read a book, I am constantly painting a picture, it's basically a movie going on inside my head. It makes reading easier and more enjoyable. I think most people do this, but there are so many children missing this. I believe it really comes down to the fact that some children need more instruction in reading comprehension, but they easily fall through the cracks. This is setting those children up for a lower vocab skills and lost interest in reading, which will help them go further in life.