Horse Boots

How is the weather where you are? It has been raining for weeks here. But when I go out to feed the horses, I can navigate easily because of my horse boots. Without the right footwear, I wouldn’t even try to trek through the pasture. These boots keep me moving without getting mired down in muck.

Similarly, the CAFE Menu strategies provide whatever “readingwear” we need to navigate text. The right strategy at the right moment ensures that we don’t get stuck. Sharing authentic examples from our own reading lives is just one way to show students that these strategies will serve them well throughout their lives.

For example, when reading Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly, I first read the following sentence by interpreting light as meaning “not heavy.”

“A light, dull but dangerous, filled his bloodshot eyes.”

A not-heavy, dull but dangerous doesn’t make sense. Cognizant that meaning had broken down, I went back and reread it. After two more tries, a slight change in intonation, and flipping from one meaning of light to another, the sentence was brought into clear focus.

From Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, I applied a short-u to the word uniformed. “They watched as uniformed officers dispersed the crowd” (page 60). Because I am monitoring my meaning, I recognized that uh-ni-formed didn’t make sense. But after flipping the sound, the author’s intent materialized.

I have been teaching with the CAFE Menu for more than 10 years. What a difference this system has made for students of every age and ability. Now the thoughtfully updated and revised second edition is poised to make a difference in the lives of many more. Want to dig in a little deeper? Watch the pre-recorded CAFE book study! Learn how to navigate any text, no matter how deep. Horse boots, optional.