GHS Instructional Meeting September 23, 2010 Presented by Dr. Taylor, Instructional Coach

“Schools will not see significant improvements in the reading, writing and oral communications skills of students until they commit to an across- the-curriculum emphasis on literacy. Assessment data from middle grades and high school students framed five goals that will result in significantly higher reading achievement outcomes.” p.9 Southern Regional Education Board. (2005). Literacy Across the Curriculum: Setting and Implementing Goals for Grades Six through Twelve. Atlanta, GA: Author.

1. Read the equivalent of 25 books per year across the curriculum. 2. Write weekly in all classes. 3. Use reading and writing strategies to enhance learning in all classes. 4. Write research papers in all classes. 5. Complete a rigorous language arts curriculum taught like college preparatory/ honors English.

 What will students know and be able to do as a result of reading across the curriculum?  What is the relationship between reading and writing?  How can we assess reading across the curriculum at GHS?

Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by: Reading in all curriculum areas Read a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books per year from a variety of subject disciplines and participate in discussions related to curricular learning in all areas Read both informational and fictional texts in a variety of genres and modes of discourse Read technical texts related to various subject areas b. Discussing books Discuss messages and themes from books in all subject areas. Respond to a variety of texts in multiple modes of discourse. Relate messages and themes from one subject area to messages and themes in another area. Evaluate the merit of texts in every subject discipline. Examine author’s purpose in writing. Recognize the features of disciplinary texts. c. Building vocabulary knowledge Demonstrate an understanding of contextual vocabulary in various subjects. Use content vocabulary in writing and speaking. Explore understanding of new words found in subject area texts. d. Establishing context Explore life experiences related to subject area content. Discuss in both writing and speaking how certain words are subject area related. Determine strategies for finding content and contextual meaning for unknown words.

SkillsKnowledge Examine, recognize, evaluate, demonstrate, use, explore, determine, read, participate, discuss, respond, relate, 25 grade level books Variety of subject disciplines Curricular learning in all areas Messages and themes Books in all subject areas Variety of texts Multiple modes of discourse Author’s purpose in writing Features of disciplinary texts Understanding of contextual vocabulary Content vocabulary Understanding of new words Writing and speaking Life experiences Strategies for finding content and contextual meaning Merit of texts

 "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” –Albert Einstein

 Everything a child reads counts—newspapers, magazines, instructions for computer games, textbooks, free reading, etc.  However, reading the textbook alone does not meet the learning goals of the standard. [“both informational and fictional texts in a variety of genres and modes of discourse”; “a variety of texts”]

STRUGGLING READERSPROFICIENT READERS Reads below grade level Experiences difficulty in collecting information Have limited vocabulary Problems with decoding or pronouncing multi-syllable words May be disfluent Lacks strategies that engage them with texts and enable them to solve problems Lack cognitive abilities Beers, K. (2003). When Kids Can’t Read: What teachers can do. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann.  Read above level  Process and use a large repertoire of reading strategies  Fluent  Read with expression and capture the different voices of the characters  Keep a stack of books so they have something to read in spare time  Talk to friends about favorite books  Read for long periods of time  Books nurture them; reading is a necessity  Ability to (use strategies) imagine, connect, and visualize enables them to journey into past, experience other cultures, travel into the future, and live inside the hearts and minds of different characters  Skilled at the cognitive and affective demands of reading

1. Activating Prior Knowledge 2. Deciding What’s Important in a Text 3. Synthesizing Information 4. Draw Inferences During and After Reading 5. Self-Monitoring Comprehension 6. Repair Faulty Comprehension 7. Ask Questions Build Vocabulary 9. Develop Fluency

 Count to 3  Each person read a section of the article.  Take notes using the Cornell note-taking strategy.  Compare with others who read the same article.  Return to original group.  Now what do we know?

2-column note-taking Step 2: Take notes here; use abbreviations Step 3: Identify key concepts or questions Step 4: Summarize lesson here Step 1: Draw a grid with 3 sections

Comprehension pre-reading, guided reading, and post-reading To evaluate mastery of content or to engage students in learning For learning, writing provides a chronology of our thoughts Reading to learn/ understand 3 Stages of Reading Writing to learn Step 4: The principles and practices of secondary reading and writing provide means by which students can move from understanding to demonstrating understanding. Reading, Writing, and Understanding

Writing-to-learn Writing-to-demonstrate-learning Authentic writing

Writing To Demonstrate Learning Paragraphs Essays Open-response Lab Reports Questions Research Assignments

Writing To Learn Journals Learning Logs Exit/Admit Slips Writer’s Notebook Inquiry Logs Mathematics Logs

Authentic Writing Articles Editorials Speeches Letters Proposals Memoirs Poems Short Stories

 Implement reading log policy by October 1, 2010  Compile Reading and Writing Inventory Results (Department Chairs)  Determine Reading and Writing Resources (Turn in to Department Chairs)