arse, J, Shor, K, & Burke, C. (1988). Creamy lasooums or Authors. Portsmouth, NE "sremaee Sketch to Stretch Sketch to stretch was originated by Jerry Harste, Carolyn Burke, Majorie Siegel, and Karen Feathers (Tiemey, Readence, & Dishner, 1990) and is a strategy that provides students with an opportunity to represent the most important “picture” that plays in their mind when they read or listen to a selection. It also gives students the opportunity to see that multiple ‘meanings are constructed by class members as they share and discuss their drawings, The strategy is useful for both content and narrative texts and ‘consists of the following steps: 1. Students read text. (If desired, students may divide into groups of four to five and read the same selection. This strategy may also be implemented with a story that the teacher reads aloud to the class or a small group of children), 2. Drawa sketch of “the picture that you see in your mind when you think of the story.” Remind students that there is not a “right” or “wrong” picture, There are many ways of depicting the meaning of an experience. 3. {fall students have been reading the same text, they should divide into ‘groups of four or five after completing their sketches. Each person shows his or her sketch to the others in the group. Group members have aa chance to express what they think the artisustudent is trying to say. 4, Afterall the group members have had the opportunity to indicate what they think the drawing represents, the artist/student gets the last word. 5. Allofthe groups share. Groups may collaborate and construct a group sketch after sharing, This strategy provides students with an opportunity to discuss the impact the ‘ext had upon them by sharing the most important mental image that was formed as they interacted with the text. During this sharing, the concept is reinforced that reading text is much more than just “saying the words.” Mental images must be formed. Finally, it reinforces the notion that readers bring meaning to the text rather than extracting meaning from it