First thought… “Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.” Gary Snyder Poet
Jan 03, 2016
First thought…
“Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.” Gary Snyder
Poet
Why are secondary texts difficult?Secondary Literacy 1Secondary Literacy 1
Philippe Ernewein
Literacy Specialist
www.rememberit.org
Facts About Literacy
“So strong is the link between literacy and being a useful member of society that some states use grade-level reading statistics as a factor in projecting future prison construction.” Bob Chase, former President, NEA
Facts About Literacy
“To compete in the global information economy, young people today need literacy skills far more advanced than have been required of any previous generation. The fastest growing jobs make the highest literacy and education demands.” Reading To Achieve: A Governor’s Guide to
Adolescent Literacy, 2005
Facts About Literacy
“Forty percent of high school graduates lack the reading and writing skills that employers seek, and almost a third of high school graduates who enroll in college require remediation.” Reading To Achieve: A Governor’s Guide to
Adolescent Literacy, 2005
Secondary Literacy Connections
“Many struggling readers have failed more often than they have succeeded in the past, so now they figured, ‘Why try?’” (13)
Shannon Dingle, RGV ’03
6th-8th Grade Special Education
Wake County Public School
Secondary Literacy Connections
“I was shocked that my students reached high school without mastering the basic skills of reading and writing. My first year, the majority of my students read on a third to fifth grade level, and a class could range from pre-primer to 9th grade.” (1)
Bernard Weber Mississippi Delta ’03 9th Grade Global Studies
DO NOW In your journal, reflect in writing for a few
minutes on one or more of the facts presented about literacy.
What are we learning?
Our definition of literacy Different components of reading Steps toward comprehension Different texts make different demands on
readers Specific demands posed by texts in specific
content areas
Agenda DO NOW Introduction New Material
Teaching Literacy is Our Job Reading Comprehension What makes texts difficult?
Examples & Practice Close/Journals
So what?
Journal responses
The achievement gap is a literacy gap. Every teacher must be literacy teacher. Teaching literacy is our job.
• Name tents
• Signing in
• Toolkit
• Journal
Our definition of literacy
“The ability to read, write, spell, listen & speak.”
“Visually represent.”
www.ncte.org
Teaching Literacy Is Our Job.
Artifact: Michael’s Science Test CM Binder: page XXXXCM Binder: page XXXX
Think/Pair/Share What is keeping Michael from having success
with this material? Literacy-wise, what could have gone wrong?
Michael’s Science TestBiology: grade 10
Question 8: Open Responsea. Some large predatory fish causes the
presence of absence of this evolutionary process.
b. The wrasse look like the blenny because
Think/Pair/Share• What is keeping Michael from having
success with this material?
• Literacy-wise, what could have gone wrong?
The Blenny
The Wrasse
Share
1. Does literacy play a role in learning “stuff”?2. Does literacy help us assess knowledge in
content classes?3. Does this assessment tell us much about what
Michael may or may not know?4. Which skills does Michael need to be able to
read the questions?5. Which components go into Michael being able to
write an answer?6. What role might fluency play?
So what about reading comprehension?
Each component of reading is at play here:
Decoding Fluency Vocabulary Comprehension
Strategies Background
Knowledge Engagement
So what…to be successful?
All these components need to be in place for our students to be able to demonstrate what they know in science and all other content areas.
Don’t Let the Blenny Fool You
Reading Comprehension
Research, CM’s experiences indicate the following: Minority of our students will struggle with decoding
words bottom strands
Some will struggle with fluency to tie the bottom strands together
Most will struggle to comprehend content area text tying the top strands together
Reading is a multifaceted skill, gradually acquired over years of instruction and practice.
The Many Strands that are Woven into Skilled Reading(Scarborough, 2001)
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE LANGUAGE STRUCTURES VERBAL REASONING
LITERACY KNOWLEDGE
PHON. AWARENESS
DECODING (and SPELLING) SIGHT RECOGNITION
SKILLED READING: fluent execution and coordination of word recognition and text comprehension.
LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION
WORD RECOGNITION
increasingly
automatic
increasingly
strategic
Skilled Reading- fluent coordination of
word reading and comprehension
processes
The Breakdown
A minority of our secondary students will struggle with decoding
Some will struggle with fluency Most of our students will struggle to
comprehend content area text
Reading Comprehension is an Interactive Process
RAND Model, 2002CM Binder: page 105
How might texts, readers and activities/purposes differ?
What makes texts difficult?
Vocabulary usage Some text use figurative language while others use
technical terms
Background knowledge Assumptions made by text
Organization and format Some texts have headings or diagrams
Level of engagement Some text loved by 12 year olds, others by 16 year
olds, some may be disliked by all
ISAT: connections & applications
Vocabulary Usage Spanish I Objective#19: SWBAT describe foods using 5
adjectives in their singular and plural forms using the phrases ¿Cómo es/son _____? and Es/son _____.
How might vocabulary usage create a specific challenge in this text/objective?
ISAT: connections & applications
Background Knowledge African American History Objective
SWBAT analyze the contributions and accomplishments of West African societies prior to slavery.
How might background knowledge create a specific challenge in this text/objective?
ISAT: connections & applications
Organization & Format Biology Objective
SWBAT use experimental data to create a line graph.
How might vocabulary usage create a specific challenge in this text/objective?
Level of Engagement
Translating “I’m bored”
Content Area Groups
CM Binder: page XXXX
Identify the demands these texts make on readers and complete the middle column of the output hand-out. Complete “Text Demands”
Text Demands Graphic OrganizerText Demands How would you teach it?
Vocabulary
Background Knowledge
Organization
Engagement
Reading Comprehension is an Interactive Process
RAND Model, 2002
Today’s Session
Pair Practice: how would you teach it?
List ideas for teaching each of the four text demands you identified in the third column of the handout
Pair Practice: debrief
What was challenging about this process? What has this process taught you about
how to start planning literacy instruction?
What did we learn?
The Bottom Line
Literacy has many components, each of which is essential to achievement.
Teaching students the specific skills and knowledge they need to read to understand text is your content area is critical.
Why is Literacy important?
Achievement Gap = Literacy Gap Our students’ access to college and
careers hinge on their advanced literacy skills.
Teaching literacy is our job.
Overview of the Secondary Literacy Course
Core Session 1: Why are Secondary Texts
Difficult?
Core Session 2: Reading Purposefully and
Strategically
Core Session 3: Building Comprehension
Before, During, and After Reading
Overview of the Secondary Literacy Course
Core Session 4: Integrating Informal
Writing
Core Session 5: Teaching Vocabulary
Core Session 6: Decoding and Fluency
Differentiated & Placement-Specific Sessions:
The Formal Writing Process
How to Read Non-fiction Texts
Motivating Struggling Readers
Literacy Diagnostics
Check-out
www.rememberit.org Journal returned Hand-out turned in Exit Slips completed