1. Your Adolescent’s Struggles With Reading: A Guide to Understanding and Helping by Juliana Meehan by Juliana Meehan This PowerPoint presentation must be viewed in “Slideshow” mode

2. Purpose This slide show is designed to help you: 1. Understand why some students struggle with reading and writing 2. Realize what classroom methods are being used to address these problems 3. Learn what you can do to help your struggling reader

3. How to Use This Presentation Slides whose titles are numbered 1, 2, and 3 are the “basic” slides that give a general overview of each area Each “basic” slide has a series of underlined terms that will take you to further information Click on the underlined terms to learn more When you’ve read the material, return to the “basic” slide by clicking on “Back to the previous slide” in the lower right-hand corner

4. How to Use This Presentation In some cases, the information is several layers deep –Keep clicking on the underlined items to learn more –Then, to go back, keep clicking on “Back to Previous Slide” until that phrase no longer appears in the lower right-hand margin –You will end up at a “basic” slide and may continue as you would a regular PowerPoint presentation –In some cases, underlined items will take you to Internet sites; to return to the slideshow, you must exit the Internet window that opened for you (X-off in the upper right)

5. 1. Why Some Adolescents Struggle With Reading and Writing There are two dimensions to this struggle: Cognitive Socio-emotional After you’ve explored the slides under these headings, click to the next slide in this series as you would for any PowerPoint presentation

6. 2. What the Teacher Is Doing Determining your child’s needs through various ongoing assessmentsassessments Applying individualized reading strategiesreading strategies Organizing students into various flexible groupings flexible groupings Supporting and encouraging his/her progressSupporting and encouraging After you’ve explored the slides under these headings, click to the next slide in this series as you would for any PowerPoint presentation

7. 3. What Families Can Do Research confirms that the key to literacy success begins at homebegins at home Suggestions for supporting literacy for: –InfantsInfants –ToddlersToddlers –PreschoolersPreschoolers –KindergartnersKindergartners –Elementary school childrenElementary school children –Adolescents (middle and high school)Adolescents After you’ve explored the slides under these headings, click to the next slide in this series as you would for any PowerPoint presentation

8. Resources Family Literacy Programs/Resources –Head StartHead Start –International Reading AssociationInternational Reading Association –National Council of Teachers of EnglishNational Council of Teachers of English After you’ve explored the information above, click to the next slide in this series as you would for any PowerPoint presentation

9. References Aratani, L. (2006, July 13). Upper grades, lower reading skills. Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/srticle/2006/07/12/AR2006071201825http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/srticle/2006/07/12/AR2006071201825 Bellon, J. J., Bellon, E. C., & Blank, M. A. (1992). Teaching from a research base. New York, NY: Macmillan. Budd Rowe, M. (1986). Wait time: Slowing down may be a way of speeding up! Journal of Teacher Education, (Jan.-Feb.), 43-49. Caldwell, J.S. & Leslie, L. (2005) Intervention strategies to follow informal reading inventory assessment: So what do I do now? New York: Pearson Education, Inc. Calkins, L., Hartman, A., & White, Z. (2005). One to one: The art of conferring with young writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Stubbs, M. (2002). Some basic sociolinguistic concepts. In L. Delpit & J. K. Dowdy (Eds.), The skin that we speak. (pp. 63-85). New York, NY: The New Press. Faust, M. (2004). Mixing memory and desire: A family literacy event. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 47(7), 564-572. Feldman, K. (2003, March 24). Reading problems in middle school and high school students. SchwabLearning.org. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://www.schwablearning.org/print_resources.asp?type=article&r=719&popref=http%3 http://www.schwablearning.org/print_resources.asp?type=article&r=719&popref=http%3 Georgetown University. (n.d.). What is plagiarism? Retrieved November 29, 2006 from http://gervaseprograms.georgetown.edu/hc/plagiarism.html http://gervaseprograms.georgetown.edu/hc/plagiarism.html Institute for Education Reform. (n.d.). Building a powerful reading program: From research to practice. Retrieved November 30, 2007, from http://www.csus.edu/ier/reading.htmlhttp://www.csus.edu/ier/reading.html Continued on Next Page

10. References, continued International Reading Association. (2001). Supporting young adolescents’ literacy learning: A joint position statement of the International Reading Association and the National Middle School Association. Retrieved November 28, 2006 from http://www.reading.org/resources/issues/positions_young_adolescents.html http://www.reading.org/resources/issues/positions_young_adolescents.html International Reading Association Family Literacy Committee. (n.d.). What is family literacy? Retrieved November 30, 2006 from http://www.reading.org/downloads/parents/pb1044_involved.pdfhttp://www.reading.org/downloads/parents/pb1044_involved.pdf Kirk, L. R. (2001). Learning to read: Painful mystery or joyful success? Journal of Adolescent Literacy, 44, 420 – 431. Levy, B.A., Gong, Z., Hessels, S., Evans, M.A., & Jared, D. (2006). Understanding print: Early reading development and the contributions of home literacy programs. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 93, 63-93. Martens, P.A. (1999). “Mommy, how do you write ‘Sarah’?”: The role of name writing in one child’s literacy. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 14(1), 5-15. Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University. (1998). Five criteria for evaluating web pages. Retrieved December 1, 2006 from http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/webcrit.htmlhttp://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/webcrit.html Owocki, G., Goodman, Y. (2002). Kidwatching: Documenting children’s literacy development. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Sousa, D.A. (2007) How the Special Needs Brain Learns, Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Steinberg, A. (1992). When bright kids get bad grades. The Harvard Education Letter, III(6), 1-3. Walker, B.J. (2005, April). Thinking aloud: Struggling readers often require more than a model. The Reading Teacher, 58(7), 688–692. Wiggins, G.P. (1993). Assessing Student Performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc. Zambo, D., & Brem, S. K. (2004). Emotion and cognition in students who struggle to read: New insights and ideas. Reading Psychology, 25, 189–204. Go to Next Page

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14. Flexible Groupings “Children learn as a result of interacting socially and transforming the language and actions of their social experiences into tools for independent thinking” (Owocki) Social interaction in learning is especially important for adolescents Therefore, various student groupings are an integral part of a student-centered classroom: –Heterogeneous groupingsHeterogeneous groupings –Homogeneous groupingsHomogeneous groupings –Random groupingsRandom groupings –Non-random, teacher-chosen groupingsNon-random, teacher-chosen groupings Back to Previous Slide

15. Non-Random, Teacher-Chosen Groupings Sometimes a teacher will choose reading buddies or writing buddies based on common student interests (rather than skill level) This information is gotten through student questionnaires Reading/writing buddies usually stay together the whole year unless a problem arises or a student leaves the class Back to previous page

16. Heterogeneous Groupings By a teacher’s grouping students with different skill levels: –Advanced students can further master subject matter by re-teaching and/or reinforcing it with their less proficient peers –Students less proficient in the task at hand can learn from their peers Back to Previous Slide

17. Homogeneous Groupings By a teacher’s grouping students with similar skill levels: –Students having difficulties in the same areas can receive direct instruction –Students who are proficient can receive advanced, enrichment instruction Back to Previous Slide

18. Random Groupings It is important that students sometimes have choice in their group mates The following activities work well with student-chosen partners: –Think-Pair-ShareThink-Pair-Share –Learning partnersLearning partners Back to Previous Slide

19. Think-Pair-Share A three-step discussion strategy that promotes cooperation with a partner and encourages all students to actively participate in class: –Students listen while teacher poses a question –Students are given ample “wait time” so each one can think of an appropriate responsewait time –Students are cued to “pair with a neighbor” to discuss their response –Students are then invited to share their responses with the whole group Back to Previous Slide

20. Learning Partners A cooperative strategy that is useful for quick, energizing reviews: –Students self-select a learning partner (partners remain together throughout the marking period) –Teacher announces a “learning partner time” and a focus question/problem is given –Learning partners get together and work for 2-4 minutes to answer the question/solve the problem –Students return to their seats and the lesson resumes, with students individually giving oral responses to the question/problem that was posed Back to Previous Slide

21. Wait Time The amount of time a teacher pauses after asking a question A wait time of five seconds or more is required for optimum results (Budd Rowe): –Better classroom climate –Increased level of higher-order thinking –Improved quality of classroom interactions –Increased level of academic achievement –Decrease in behavior problems Back to Previous Slide

22. Cognitive Cognition refers to how our minds perceive, learn, and reason Cognition with respect to literacy involves: –Word identificationWord identification –FluencyFluency –ComprehensionComprehension

23. Word Identification Some students fail to understand that letters represent sounds and that there are patterns to these sounds These students struggle to decode words –They decode words at a very slow rate –They cannot decode longer words So much effort is expended in trying to decode that comprehension suffers

24. Fluency Fluency is that quality of written language that allows us to read with rapidly-executed skill and with almost effortless comprehension. When students lack fluency it is largely due to poor “sight word” recognitionsight word

25. Sight Words “Sight words” are those words that are recognized instantly, without the need for decoding If students have only a few sight words at their disposal, their focus goes to decoding words rather than comprehending text meaning This results in slow reading and poor comprehension Back to previous slide

26. Comprehension Comprehension is the reader’s ability to understand and remember what is read Struggling readers often exhibit poor comprehension, even though decoding and fluency skills may be intact These readers lack comprehension strategiescomprehension strategies Back to previous slide

27. Comprehension Strategies “Active reading” How to carry on inner self-dialogue about the meaning of a text (Walker) How to explain, analyze, and comprehend words in context (Artani) How to adjust predictions in response to text and not ignore contradictory information (Walker) How to deal with different types of textdifferent types of text Back to previous slide

28. Socio-Emotional Literacy Struggles Emotion and cognition are connected in literacyEmotion and cognition Negative past experiences Cultural differences Lack of support at home Individual attitude Adolescent brain development

29. Adolescent Brain Development The frontal area of the brain is responsible for higher-order thinking, problem solving, and regulating emotions –It does not mature until approximately age 24 (click here for diagram)click here for diagram –Adolescents’ ability to make rational decisions, understand the consequences of their actions, and curb emotional impulses is thus delayed –This must be factored in to expectations of students’ of performance in school

30. Frontal Lobe Maturation Age 5 Age 8 Age 12 Age 16 Age 20 Maturation of the frontal lobe shown in light areas (Sousa, 2007)

31. Negative Past Experiences Negative memories –Teacher critique –Peer judgement Social promotion –Never learned reading strategies –Confusion builds and leads to more negative experiences and passivity Back to Previous Slide

32. Cultural Differences Students come to school with experiences of literacy based on their home cultures (Delpit) –If a student’s home culture is very different from that of the school, students might lack the ability to make personal connections to literacy –They cannot bridge the gap between home and school culture without help Back to Previous Slide

33. Lack of Support at Home No support framework –Parents lack the time to assist in their child’s literacy –Non-English-speaking parents often are willing but cannot assist Low expectations: students have permission to fail Back to Previous Slide

34. Individual Attitude Low self esteem Lack of confidence Passivity Back to Previous Slide

35. Emotions Influence Cognition The brain structures associated with long-term memory, the hippocampus and the amygdala, are also highly involved with emotions (Sousa, 2007) Effective learning experiences need to be associated with positive emotions This is especially true for struggling readers, who experience a great deal of negative emotions about reading and create negative self-schemas to deal with them self-schemas Back to Previous Slide

36. Struggling Readers and Self-Schemas Self-schemas are ideas about our environment that contain thoughts and beliefs about ourselves They influence children’s moods which, in turn, affects the memories they will choose to remember (Zambo) Readers with negative self-schemas focus on short-term solutions rather than long- term goalsnegative self-schemasshort-term solutions Back to Previous Slide

37. Influence of Negative Self-schemas on Reading Back to Previous Slide Adapted from: Zambo, D., & Brem, S. K. (2004). Emotion and cognition in students who struggle to read: New insights and ideas. Reading Psychology, 25, 189–204

38. Short-Term Solutions Struggling readers often develop a fight-or- flight reaction to reading (Zambo): –They avoid the reading situation by making various excuses –They may confront the reading situation with anger and defiance Back to Previous Slide

39. Low Self Esteem Some students develop negative beliefs about their ability to comprehend and therefore adopt negative practices (Walker): –These students have low self-efficacy, i.e., little belief in their ability to succeed –They focus on lack of comprehension skills instead of the skills they already possess –They turn this sense of failure into a reason for quitting Back to Previous Slide

40. Lack of Confidence Students who lack confidence decrease their efforts They believe they will fail no matter how hard they try This leads to a downward spiral of: –Less and less success –Less motivation, ambition, drive, and willingness to spend time working on challenge Back to Previous Slide

41. Passivity Some students who have experienced failure find it hard to reward themselves for any progress in reading Consistent failure causes these students to become passive readers Back to Previous Slide

42. Assessment Students are given both formal and informal assessments –Formal assessments include:Formal assessments Class-wide periodic quizzes and tests State-mandated testing One-on-one reading tests –Informal assessment includes:Informal assessment Observation and note-taking Individual conferencing Back to Previous Slide

43. Formal Assessment Formal assessment is given to all students in the form of periodic tests and quizzestests and quizzes Some assessment is given before lessons (pre-assessment) in order to see what students already know about a subject and what they need to knowbefore lessons Another type of formal assessment that gives much more individual data is the informal reading inventory informal reading inventory Back to Previous Slide

44. Informal Assessment One of the best ways to understand a child’s educational needs is by “kidwatching”kidwatching Conferencing allows one-on-one instruction on various tasks, particularly writingConferencing Back to Previous Slide

45. “Kidwatching”* Gaining insight into children’s learning by: –Intensely observing and documenting what students know and can do –Documenting the ways they construct knowledge –Using this information to plan instruction and address individual needs (Owocki, 2002) Back to Previous Slide *Owocki, G., Goodman, Y. (2002). Kidwatching: Documenting children’s literacy development. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

46. Conferencing Informal conversation between teacher and student in which the teacher observes a student at work and then guides next steps During that conversation the teacher: –Observes and understands what the child is doing –Decides what can be offered in the form of instruction for this task –Teaches a skill to be immediately applied –Names what the child has done for reinforcement (Calkins, 2005) –Makes notes for follow-up instruction Back to Previous Slide

47. Tests and Quizzes Teacher- and district-generated tests and quizzes that correspond to district and state curriculum standards Standardized, state-mandated testing: –NJ Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK)NJ Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK) –High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) Back to Previous Slide

48. New Jersey ASK A state assessment of student achievement in language arts, math, and science that was implemented in 2003 to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act Read more about the ASK Back to Previous Slide

49. New Jersey GEPA Measures progress in mastering the knowledge and skills specified in the State Core Curriculum Content Standards and needed to pass the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) A primary indicator for identifying eighth- grade students who may need instructional intervention in three content areas: language arts literacy, mathematics and science Go to NJ Department of Education site Back to Previous Slide

50. Pre-assessment By testing students on material before it has been taught, teachers are able to: –See what skills and knowledge students already possess in order to avoid re-teaching learned material –Correct misconceptions students may have –Focus on areas where students are most in need of instruction Back to Previous Slide

51. Informal Reading Inventory Grade-leveled passages are given to students to read to determine what level the student is: –Comfortable reading on (independent level) –Able to read with teacher assistance (instructional level) –Unable to read (frustration level) With such insights, teachers can put appropriate reading materials into children’s hands to increase reading fluency Back to Previous Slide

52. Reading Strategies Developing phonological awarenessphonological awareness Word identification instructionWord identification Building on prior knowledge and concept developmentprior knowledge Vocabulary instructionVocabulary Comprehension instructionComprehension Back to Previous Slide

53. Phonological Awareness Phonological awareness is a student’s understanding that language consists of units of soundunits of sound Ideally, students become proficient in phonemic awareness in early elementary school through listening, rhyming, word games, and early reading Adolescents who struggle to read usually have poor phonological awareness (Caldwell, 2005), and this must be corrected if reading is to improvecorrected Back to Previous Slide

54. Strategies for Improving Phonological Awareness Phonological awareness can be taught, even in adolescence, through: –Listening: Songs Rap Poetry Read-alouds and shared reading –Playing interactive word games, especially those on computers or with peers Back to Previous Slide

55. Units of Sound Phoneme: the sound of a single letter (e.g., /t/) Onset-rime –The phonemes that precede a vowel sound (e.g., tr-) and –The sounds that follow (e.g., -ick) Syllables –Units of words, each of which contains a vowel sound –The word syl-la-ble contains three Back to Previous Slide

56. Word Identification Strategies Students need to be able to recognize a large number of words automatically, without having to decode them This can be done through: –Phonics instructionPhonics instruction –Teaching spelling patternsspelling patterns –Teaching sight wordssight words –Guided readingGuided reading –Shared readingShared reading Back to Previous Slide

57. Shared Reading Teacher selects an appropriate, enjoyable text Teacher reads the text while students follow along, pausing at times to clarify: –A new word –An idiom or figure of speech –A new or difficult concept Back to Previous Slide

58. Guided Reading Teacher introduces and guides reading of a text to a group of students with similar reading abilities (i.e., homogeneous group) Teacher engages students in a dialogue about the text Then each student reads text silently Goal: to read books of increasing difficulty independently Groupings change as students’ abilities change Back to Previous Slide

59. Sight Words Students must see words over and over again in order to store them in memorysee words over and over They then become “sight words,” recognized instantly, without the need to decode Once students gain a large sight vocabulary, they can begin to read for meaning (context), not having to struggle with individual words Back to Previous Slide

60. Developing Sight Word Recognition Reading a wide variety of texts that are of high interest Word cards: each card containing a student- selected word from favorite texts Word sorts: manipulating word cards in various ways to reinforce meaning –Teacher-directed (closed) sorts –Student-directed (open) sorts Back to Previous Slide

61. Phonics Instruction Teacher-planned sequence of lessons on the relationship between letters and sounds Builds on what students already know about words and about the sounds of words Taught explicitly and clearly Integrated into the total literacy program; not taught in isolation Back to Previous Slide

62. Spelling Patterns Teach word recognition (and spelling) by presenting common patterns seen in wordscommon patterns Teach word recognition by analogyanalogy Back to Previous Slide

63. Common Spelling Patterns Back to Previous Slide Think about what a word looks like, e.g., words with ea: bead, bread, dead, instead, great, read, treat, break. Identify the spelling and group them according to pronunciation, e.g., for ea we have –bead, read, treat (long E sound) –bread, dead, instead, read (schwa sound) –great, break (long A sound) Examine the spelling of word families, e.g., great: greater, greatest, greatly By teaching common spelling patterns in small words, adolescents can be assisted in decoding multi-syllabic words by recognizing the same patterns.

64. Analogy Once students learn spelling patterns in small words, they can begin to see these same patterns in multi-syllabic words and begin to make sense out of them Teacher demonstration, read-aloud rhymes, and repetition will reinforce these patterns and help students begin to extend the analogies independently Back to Previous Slide

65. Building on Prior Knowledge To obtain knowledge from text, readers must think while reading and construct meaning Depending upon a student’s knowledge of a subject, he/she will gain more or less information from a given text on that subject Teachers assess what students already know to prepare them to actively readassess what students already know Back to Previous Slide

66. Assessing Prior Knowledge Having students give oral or written definitions of key words/concepts Oral free association Multiple-choice tests Judgements on whether statements would be included in a text Predictions of what is in the text Graphic organizers/maps Word splashes for pre-writing Back to Previous Slide

67. Vocabulary Instruction After new words are introduced through texts or in formal vocabulary lessons, students need to: –Tie them to concepts they already knowTie them to concepts –Personalize words by using them in a context that intersects with their own livesPersonalize Only then will they stand a good chance of remembering it for the long term Back to Previous Slide

68. Word Conceptualization Clustering word meanings –When teaching one word, a group of synonyms, a cluster, is taught –Thus, in teaching scamper, one would also have run, dash, gallop, jog, sprint, trip, trot Using semantic feature analysis –Introduce a topic and then elicit all the words that pertain to it –Under footwear we would have sneakers, pumps, sandals, high-heels, spats, clogs, thongs, flip-flops... Back to Previous Slide

69. Word Personalization Students are given opportunities to use new words in connection with their lives For instance, “My Life Cards” Students write everything they know about a word on one side of a card, and then write or draw the word as part of their life See example Back to Previous Slide

70. “My Life” Cards* * Caldwell, J.S. & Leslie, L. (2005) Intervention strategies to follow informal reading inventory assessment.New York: Pearson Education, Inc. Back to Previous Slide

71. Comprehension Strategies for Expository Text One of the greatest challenges to students in middle school is the transition from reading largely narrative text (i.e., stories) to expository text (i.e., factual) Expository text is vastly different from narrative and requires a different set of skillsset of skills In earlier grades, students learned to read; now they must read to learn Back to Previous Slide

72. Head Start Provides numerous services for children from low income families Serves children with disabilities, age 3 to 5 Visit their Web site: Head StartHead Start Back to Previous Slide

73. International Reading Association Provides resources for parents and teachers on various literacy issues Among them are position papers with solid, researched-based information on ways to help children improve their literacy skills: –Literacy Development in the Preschool YearsLiteracy Development in the Preschool Years –Supporting young adolescents’ literacy learningSupporting young adolescents’ literacy learning Back to Previous Slide

74. National Council of Teachers of English Provides online resources, articles, activities, and publications specifically for parents of children in all grade levelsspecifically for parents Visit their Web site: www.ncte.orgwww.ncte.org Back to Previous Slide

75. Success Begins at Home “Family involvement in a child’s education is a more important factor in students’ success than family income or education” (International Reading Association)International Reading Association Children’s participation in conversation helps oral language Being read to enhances listening and comprehension skills Click here to continue

76. Success Begins at Home (continued) Having books in the home develops print awareness Literacy development begins at the earliest of ages and is a lifelong experience (International Reading Association Family Literacy Committee)International Reading Association Family Literacy Committee Back to Previous Slide

77. Infants Talking with baby, answering baby sounds Talking/touching games –Peek-a-boo –Pat-a-cake Reading to baby and encouraging baby to engage with books Back to Previous Slide

78. Toddlers Talking to toddler often –Naming objects, clothing, colors, sizes, shapes –Asking open-ended questionsopen-ended questions –Answering toddlers’ questions Reading together Pointing to and identifying illustrations Back to Previous Slide

79. Preschoolers Share the alphabetalphabet Continue to read together Write together –Encourage scribble writing that children then “read” themselves –This type of writing is a precursor to formal letter formation (Levy, 2006) Back to Previous Slide

80. Alphabet Sing the “Alphabet Song” together Encourage writing the alphabet –Research has shown that writing at this age positively influences letter recognition and phonemic awareness Phonemic awareness is the understanding that words can be segmented into constituent sounds Some research shows phonemic awareness is the single greatest predictor of later success in reading (Institute for Education Reform)Institute for Education Reform Back to Previous Slide

81. Kindergartners Connect with school and reinforce skills at home Continue to read togetherread together Write with your childWrite Back to Previous Slide

82. Elementary School Children Continue to connect home experiences with school through frequent communications with teachers Take trips to the library and book storetrips to the library and book store Read daily through everyday experiencesRead daily Encourage writingwriting Back to Previous Slide

83. Adolescents Today’s adolescents encounter more literacy demands than at any other time in history (Supporting Young Adolescents’ Literacy Learning)Supporting Young Adolescents’ Literacy Learning There is much families can do to support and develop adolescent literacysupport and develop adolescent literacy Back to Previous Slide

84. Reading With Kindergartners Use books that have repeated text and a predictable story line Encourage your child to: –“Read” passages that are familiar –Memorize text –Read to others Discuss how your own parents shared stories with you Back to Previous Slide

85. Writing With Kindergartners Create books together Discuss adult writing in everyday occurrences like newspapers, magazines, grocery lists, signs, captions, etc. Encourage invented spellinginvented spelling Back to Previous Slide

86. Invented Spelling The use of non-standard spelling to write a word, such as “rnjr” for “ranger” Research shows that such invented spelling and experimentation with language is essential for building self-confidence and understanding of language (Martens, 1999)Martens, 1999 Back to Previous Slide

87. Open-ended Questions These are questions that generate discussion and lead to analysis and opinion They usually begin with: –“Why...” or –“How…” or –“What do you think about…” Back to Previous Slide

88. Trips for Books Reinforce material being studied in school Help to find books on your child’s reading level Choose your own books as well: –Children learn by example –Share elements from your own reading (vocabulary, a character, a story, etc.) Back to Previous Slide

89. Everyday Reading Follow directions together (recipes, crafts) Read and share different parts of the newspaper, including the comics Read cards, signs, labels, captions Back to Previous Slide

90. Writing Write books, cards, letters Create memory books Keep journals and diaries Make lists Label objects around the house Back to Previous Slide

91. Support Adolescent Literacy Be a positive role model by reading and writing yourself Continue to be involved in school activities Give gifts of writing and high-interest bookshigh-interest books Keep up communicationcommunication Connect literacy to other mediaother media Back to Previous Slide

92. Teen Book Sources Grouchy Café Teen Space New York Public Library’s TeenLink YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association)YALSA Garden State Teen Book Awards Back to Previous Slide

93. Communication Discuss news articles, current events, books Write letters and notes to each other Discuss school activities Stress the importance of education Encourage the use of interviews and conversations as springboards for reading and writinginterviews and conversations Back to Previous Slide

94. Other Media Discuss television programs and movies and connect them to literature Capitalize on adolescents’ knowledge of technology and treat them as experts: –Have them write “how-to” directions for different computer functions –Work with them to gather information about the world through an enlightened use of the InternetInternet Back to Previous Slide

95. Internet Use Keep dialogue open concerning the good and bad applications of the Internet Warn adolescents of the dangers of Internet predators Learn how to determine whether a Web site is a valid source of information or notvalid source Discuss plagiarism and its implications for their school workplagiarism Back to Previous Slide

96. Interviews and Conversations Encourage adolescents to interview older family members (Faust, 2004) –They thereby gain varied perspectives on life –They can then connect these perspectives to: Their own lives Texts they are reading Their own writing Back to Previous Slide

97. Support and Encouragement Encouraging an incremental view of intelligence and discouraging the notion of entity theory and its negative consequencesincremental view entity theory and its negative consequences Attribution retraining and teaching effective effortAttribution retraining Responding to students’ ability-based belief statementsability-based belief statements Giving positive feedback and effective praisepositive feedbackeffective praise Back to Previous Slide

98. Positive Feedback Feedback is “information designed to enable (students) to accurately self-assess and self- correct—so that assessment becomes ‘an episode of learning’” (Wiggins). “Feedback is positively related to student engagement rate. Students who are given accurate information about the correctness and quality of their work spend more time working on academic assignments” (Bellon). Back to Previous Slide

99. Effective Praise Contingent: the praise is for something earned Specific: e.g., “You included a topic sentence in every one of your paragraphs.” Genuine: the teacher really means it Appropriate: matched to the student, his/her level, the type of person he/she is Varied: not the same all the time Attributed to performance and effort: tone is that the student obviously had the ability to do well, but because of effort exerted things turned out so well Back to Previous Slide

100. Responding to Ability-based Belief Statements Acknowledge student’s frustration and feelings Make a “not yet but you will” statement Identify what the student does know about a lesson Give a cue or ask a cuing question about the next step Continue to give cues until the student resumes working Make an “I appreciate…” statement about the student’s effort Leave the student Come back later and praise the student’s efforts if he/she has continued to try Back to Previous Slide

101. Incremental View vs. Entity Theory* An incremental view of education is the notion that people can get smarter by learning things and trying hard Although most students start school with this kind of thinking, by middle school many buy into the fallacy of “Entity Theory:” –You are born with a certain amount of intelligence –It’s fixed; you’re either smart or you’re not *Steinberg, A. (1992). When bright kids get bad grades. The Harvard Education Letter, III(6), pages 1-3. Back to Previous Slide

102. Consequences of the Entity Theory “Students who held entity theories and had high confidence at the start of seventh grade showed the most pronounced decline of any group” (Steinberg) They give up easily and explain their failures by their lack of ability They predict future failures Entity theory must be vigorously rejected in the classroom and replaced by the notion that students will “get smarter” through strategic work Back to Previous Slide

103. Attribution Retraining Key messages of attribution retraining: –This is important –You can do it, with effective efforteffective effort –I won’t give up on you Counter “I can’t do…” with –“You can’t do it yet, but I’ll teach you how” –“You can’t do it yet, but I’ll teach you strategies to help you get it” –“Let’s figure out what part is confusing, because you do know how to…” Click here to go to next slide

104. Attribution Retraining, cont. Share own personal stories Ask students to recall examples of how they succeeded when they didn’t give up Give examples of people who have succeeded through great effort Explicitly teach learning strategies Prior to tasks, have students identify which strategy they will use When students succeed at a task, have them identify the strategies that contributed to their success Back to Previous Slide

105. Effective Effort Hard work Learning strategies students deliberately use to “get smarter” at important knowledge and skills Back to Previous Slide

106. Hard Work Time: willingness to spend the hours needed to finish the job well Focus: no TV or distractions; focusing only on the work Resourcefulness: knowing where to go and whom to ask for help when you’re really stuck Use of feedback: looking carefully at teacher responses to work so you know exactly what to fix Commitment: being determined to finish and do your very best Persistence: if one strategy isn’t working, keep trying different ones until you find the one that works Back to Previous Slide

107. Expository Reading Skills To adequately read expository text, students need to be able to: –Tackle unfamiliar material –Pick out important information –Put information in correct sequence –Generally make sense out of what is being said –This is difficult for many students, and they are in need of strategies for improving expository readingstrategies for improving expository reading Back to Previous Slide

108. Improving Expository Reading Expository expectation grid Expository idea map Main idea map Teaching of these concepts –Teacher modeling –Students gradually assuming greater role in generating and completing grid until mastery Caldwell, J.S. & Leslie, L. (2005) Intervention strategies to follow informal reading inventory assessment.New York: Pearson Education, Inc. Back to Previous Slide

109. Expository Expectation Grid Students fill in grid with information they already know about a topic in preparation for reading –Activates what they already know about a topic, no matter how little –Helps to organize information They then fill in details as they find them in the reading Example of such an expectation gridExample Back to Previous Slide

110. Expository Expectation Grid Example* paramecium Where it lives What it looks like How it behaves Its enemies Click here to see how students fill it in Back to Previous Slide Adapted from Caldwell, J.S. & Leslie, L. (2005) Intervention strategies to follow informal reading inventory assessment.New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

111. Expository Expectation Grid Filled In paramecium Where it lives freshwater ponds, lakes What it looks like microscopic contains visible nucleus vacuoles may be seen edges have hairs for movement (cilia) How it behaves swims freely eats smaller particles in water Its enemies not mentioned Adapted from Caldwell, J.S. & Leslie, L. (2005) Intervention strategies to follow informal reading inventory assessment.New York: Pearson Education, Inc. Back to Previous Slide

112. Expository Idea Map Students need to make sense out of nonfiction text by analyzing it for various parameters description, sequence, cause/effect, comparison/contrast An excellent way to teach these skills is through an expository idea map: –DescriptionDescription –SequenceSequence –Cause and effectCause and effect –Comparison and contrastComparison and contrast Back to Previous Slide

113. Expository Idea Map for Description DESCRIPTION Pterodactyls Lived in the late Mesozoic period, about 251 to 65 million years ago Type of pterosaur ("winged lizards"). Not considered a true “dinosaur” The term dinosaur refers to terrestrial animals (those who walk on land) Their fossils have been found in found in North America, United Kingdom, Europe, Africa and Australia They had wingspans of between a few inches up to over 40 feet long It was a carnivore (meat eating creature) that flew long distances. They had above average eyesight to help them catch their prey In creating the pattern in this organizer, students will better understand, remember, and be able to retell the information from the text. They will read “actively” and retain more of what they read (Caldwell). Back to Previous Slide Adapted from Caldwell, J.S. & Leslie, L. (2005) Intervention strategies to follow informal reading inventory assessment.New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

114. Expository Idea Map for Sequence SEQUENCE The PROPHASE of Mitosis The nucleolus disappears Chromatin in the nucleus begins to condense and becomes visible in the light microscope as chromosomes. and. Some fibers cross the cell to form the mitotic spindle. Centrioles begin moving to opposite ends of the cell Fibers extend from the centromeres In creating the pattern in this organizer, students will better understand, remember, and be able to retell the information from the text. They will read “actively” and retain more of what they read (Caldwell). Back to Previous Slide Adapted from Caldwell, J.S. & Leslie, L. (2005) Intervention strategies to follow informal reading inventory assessment.New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

115. Expository Idea Map for Cause & Effect In creating the pattern in this organizer, students will better understand, remember, and be able to retell the information from the text. They will read “actively” and retain more of what they read (Caldwell). Cause: Invention of the television National borders are no longer barriers Education and communication reach worldwide Excessive watching causes eye strain Obesity is widely observed in people who like watching TV and eating snacks every day Effect: Physical problems People cannot get away from it – it is addictive This map can also be used for Problem/Solution texts. Back to Previous Slide Adapted from Caldwell, J.S. & Leslie, L. (2005) Intervention strategies to follow informal reading inventory assessment.New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

116. Expository Idea Map for Comparison and Contrast Compare—Contrast: Fresh vegetables Compare—Contrast: Canned vegetables Great flavor - all natural All natural vitamins and minerals are still inside Cheaper Available seasonally Lacks flavor because of chemical additives Lose nutrients due to long storage, additives, chemicals; can become toxic if too old More expensive Available all year round Requires more preparation time (peeling, chopping) Little preparation time (just open, heat and serve) Part of a balanced diet —DIFFERENT— —SIMILAR— Back to Previous Slide Adapted from Caldwell, J.S. & Leslie, L. (2005) Intervention strategies to follow informal reading inventory assessment.New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

117. Main Idea Map Back to Previous Slide Finding the Main Idea in a passage is often a difficult task for a reader. Here is one approach. Step 1: Find the topic (this is often a title) Step 2: Fill in boxes that contain relevant details Step 3: Locate and generate a main idea statement (If you cannot find a main idea statement, at least you’ve identified the topic and details and can write a decent summary.) Topic: The appearance of the octopus Detail: Looks like a monster spider Detail: Eight tentacles attached to a bulbous body Detail: Tentacles are studded with toothed suction discs Detail: Enormous parrot-like beak with which the octopus tears its food or enemies to pieces Detail: Lidless eyes often as large as saucers Main Idea Statement: The appearance of the octopus is like that of a monster