When Readers Pause, Thinking Comes Alive

Introduction: Why Metacognition Matters

As a literacy coach, I work across many aspects of teaching and learning. Yet reading continues to be one of my favourite coaching moments. It is in reading lessons that I get to help children create their reading identities and see themselves as thinkers. These moments remind me that reading is not just about decoding. It is about thinking, questioning, and making meaning.

Kylene Beers and Robert Probst often remind us that teaching reading is teaching thinking. Stephanie Harvey and Debbie Miller show that when we slow down to model strategies, children begin to understand that meaning making is an active process. Don Graves captured this perfectly when he said, “Teach the reader, not the reading.” Michael Pressley and Richard Allington also emphasised that when we guide children to be thinkers, we are building skilled readers who are both interpretive and evaluative.

This means we do not simply want children to know what the words say. We want them to ask, what does this mean, why does it matter, and how do I respond?

Stepping Into Grade 2

When coaching becomes a lesson for both students and teachers

This week I had the privilege of stepping into a Grade 2 classroom to model a reading lesson. Coaching is always a balance of supporting students while also giving teachers a chance to see instructional moves in practice. My purpose in this moment was to show that reading is not just about finishing a book. It is about learning how to think with a book in hand.

I began by inviting the children to choose a picture book they wanted to hear read aloud. The power of choice matters. When students feel connected to the book, they are more open to noticing what is happening in their minds.

Modeling the Lesson: Thinking Aloud

Making invisible thinking visible through simple prompts

As I read aloud, I paused often to model my inner voice. I said things like:

• “I am thinking…”

• “I am picturing…”

• “I am wondering…”

• “I am noticing…”

• “I am seeing…”

• “I am feeling…”

  
  

These prompts made my thinking visible. They reminded students that good readers stop, reflect, and talk back to the book. The anchor charts around the room supported this. The Stop, Think, Jot chart showed them that good readers pause to picture, wonder, think, feel, and connect. The Notice and Note chart from Beers and Probst helped us see how memory moments reveal theme, conflict, or foreshadowing.

After modeling, I gave students the chance to stop, jot their own thoughts, and then turn and talk with a partner. This step was powerful. It gave them the space to process their thinking aloud, to build relationships with peers through purposeful talk, and to see that different readers bring different perspectives to the same text.

Watching Students Transform

How small jottings grew into big conversations

The most powerful part was watching the students try it for themselves and then share with each other. Their comments showed how quickly they could move from passive to active readers.

• “I am picturing the boy’s face when he got sad.”

• “I am wondering why the character did not tell the truth.”

• “I am noticing the author keeps using the same word.”

  
  

Through turn and talk, these small jottings grew into conversations. Students leaned in to hear what their partner noticed, and in the process, they engaged in purposeful talk that deepened their understanding. They were not just sharing answers. They were sharing perspectives, learning that reading is richer when we listen to each other.

Coaching Teachers and Students Together

Showing that modeling is just as powerful for adults as it is for children

For me, this coaching experience was about more than guiding Grade 2 students. It was about showing teachers that when we model our inner thinking, we give students permission to listen to their own.

Don Graves’s words, “Teach the reader, not the reading,” continue to shape my philosophy. When I model reading work, I am not focused on completing the text. I am teaching the child to respond to the text as a thinker.

Michael Pressley and Richard Allington both remind us that we want skilled readers to be interpretive and evaluative. When students learn to stop, think, jot, and share, they begin to engage with texts on both levels. They are not only understanding what the words say but also making meaning from them.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

Why Stop, Think, Jot creates lifelong habits of thinking while reading

As a literacy coach, reading remains one of my favourite coaching moments because it lets me help children shape their reading identities and discover themselves as thinkers. These are the moments where I see the power of modeling, not only for students but also for teachers who watch the process unfold.

If we want students to grow as thinkers, we must model how to pause, reflect, and respond. Stop, Think, Jot may look like a simple practice, but it opens the door to lifelong reading habits.

The next time you read with your students, pause and say, “I am thinking…” or “I am wondering…” Notice how quickly children take up the habit. Then give them the chance to turn and talk, to share their jottings, and to learn from each other’s perspectives.

Our goal, as Pressley and Allington remind us, is to nurture readers who interpret, evaluate, and question as they read. By teaching students to think while they read, and by giving them the space to talk about those thoughts, we help them develop into thoughtful, skilled readers who carry meaning making with them into every text they encounter.