Strategic Reading in Action Year 3: Implementing Effective Reading Practice in Middle School

Where we’ve been…. In 2008-09 – we looked at how to implement a reading workshop in our reading time. In 2009-10 – we focused on how to strategically teach a reading skill using Tanny McGregor’s launching sequence and where to embed that at each grade level

Where we’re headed…. In 2010-2011- we want to deepen our ability to effectively teach strategic reading by working this morning on three teaching strategies: Interactive Read-Aloud Guided Reading Literature Circles Silent Sustained Reading (Independent Reading)

Objective 1: What does this look like… how do I develop one? Objective 2: Same as above. Objective 4: Objective 3:

Walk-Through Results from 09-10

Interactive Read-Aloud “The single most important acttivity for building knowledge required for evetual success in reading is reading aloud to children.” Commission on Reading (Anderson, Hiebert, Scott & Wilkinson)

Interactive Read-Aloud The problem… Although most reading and language arts teachers agree with this, the specifics on how to use a “read-aloud” in the classroom are rarely taught in a college class on reading or in most district pre- services, nor are they taught in teacher’s texts.

Interactive Read-Aloud In examining data from their use and then in study teacher effectiveness, a skillset has been developed in the essential components of an effective interactive read-aloud.

Essential Components of an Interactive Read Aloud Books and reading materials are chosen to match a students’ development, emotional and social levels. Selections had been previewed and practiced by the teacher. A clear purpose for the read aloud was established with the students before implementation.

Essential Components of an Interactive Read Aloud Teachers modeled fluent oral reading when they read the text. Teachers were animated and used expression. Teachers stopped periodically and thoughtfully questioned the students to focus them on specifics of the text. Connections are made to independent reading.

Text Selection Teachers were consistently observed selecting high-quality childrne’s leterature for their read-alouds. Often these were award-winning books such as Newberry or Caldecott winners or books that had received notice in some way.

Common Read Alouds Books by Grade Level The Giver by Lois Lowry Number the Stars by Lois Lowry Hatchet by Gary Paulsen A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle Petey by Ben Mickaelsen

Common Read Alouds Books by Grade Level Holes by Louis Sachar Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples Tru Confessions by Janet Tashjian

Common Read Alouds Books by Grade Level Who Will Tell My Brother by Marlene Carvell Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Stuck in Neutral by Terry Tureman Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida by Victor Martinez The House That Crack Built by Clark Taylor

Previewed and Practiced Teacher practice allowed them to pause effectively during the read-aloud to model fluency and offer opportunities for questioning. (RATATA) “The teacher has anumber of sticky notes on the pages wit hher questions and prompts written on them.”

A Clear Purpose Expert teachers consistently demonstrated a clear pupose throughout the read-aloud. They remind the students of skills they are focusing on (ex. Inferring or Asking questions) There are posters on the wall about the skill that the teacher refers to througout the read-aloud.

Fluent Reading and Animation The teacher has practiced the book and is familiar with the sequence of the text. Pronunication errors are rare. They change voices to denote different character’s emotions and various moods. They used movement, hand gestures, facial expressions to fully engage the students. Children loved to listen to their teachers read.

Discussing the text Teachers use strategic discussions of the text before, during and after the read- aloud. They want the students to engage with the text and connect with their own background. Student are asked to connect, make predictions, ask questions, etc. Then they talk with others (Turn and talk).

Connect to independent reading Final component was the expert teacher’s ability to connect their read-aloud to independent reading or writing that was to occur during the day or next days. Some teachers used a journal, a writing prompt, or the guided or independent reading to connect with the read-aloud.

Why use an Interactive Read-Aloud? “ When teachers introduced the target book or article by sharing an overview and a focus, students seemed to better understand the purpose. These expert teachers used these as an anticipatory set. This increased student enageent with the text and ensured that he book discussions were focused and lively. Their thinkin and talking were enhanced as listened to and talked about books with their teacher and peers. During the conversations many of the expert teachers created word walls and charts of selected bocabulary and student responses. Charting of and later use of “story time talk” is of major significance in improving literacy instruciton.” Roser, Hoffman, Labbo, and Forest, 1992

Let’s see one in action… What did you see?

Let’s do one…. Each team has been given a short but challenging text to use as the focus for a interactive read-aloud. Take 30 minutes and develop this piece into an interactive read aloud with your team. Read it first. Determine skill to focus on. Determine schema to connect with in setting purpose. Develop pausing moments and questions focused at the skill determined as well as any discussion tools to use (turn and talk, pair share, etc.) Be ready to model lesson for group.

Objective 2: Guided Reading Guided reading is “reading by the students.” The students are responsible for the reading of the text. Reading materials are again chosen at the appropriate level for each group. If students are not reading on the same level, different materials should be used. Groups should be homogeneous. Can be used small group or large group, but small group aids in differentiation. Groups are determined by assessments and students’ changing needs.

Components of Guided Reading Teacher plans the lesson. Identifies core content. Plans for a 20-30 minute lesson. Defines purpose of the lesson. Selects appropriate reading strategies. Gathers materials needed for lesson. Previews text prior to instruction.

Components of Guided Reading Teacher sets the scene. States the expectations for the students. Identified the reading strategy on which lesson is focused. Introductions the material, author, illustrations, theme,genre. Asks students for predictions Discusses student’s schema Uses visual aids to elicit student response

Components of Guided Reading Students read independently. Use meaning, structure and knowledge of letter-sound relationships. Make a meaningful guess an dhcke to see if it makes sense (sounds right, look rightL Read on to the end of the sentence or reread Ask for hel if an unknown work is essential to meaning. Note any problem words for later discussion.

Components of Guided Reading Teacher provides individual feedback As students read, teacher moves from student to student and closely observes and monitors the ways in which individual students process print. Teacher checks on reading strategies that are being used, praises appropriate strategies and suggests new ones (fix-up strategies).

Components of Guided Reading Students confer for Deeper Meaning This is stage where they extend meaning of the text. Focus on students’ responses to text. Focus on literary merits of the text. Follows a conversational pattern. Encourages students to interact concerning the text.

Components of Guided Reading Students respond to the text… Writing Oral responses Group presentations Connecting to other literature Students share their responses with their peers.

Let’s see one in action… What did you see?

Let’s Analyze a Teacher’s Lesson Each grade level has been given a model of a guided reading lesson, both the plan and the text. With your team, analyze the lesson, and determine how you could incorporate this in your teaching of reading. Be ready to share out in 15 minutes. Feedback

Literature Circles How do you use a literature circle? There is no one way to do literature circles.  Literature circles look different in every classroom; they change from teacher to teacher, grade to grade, student to student.  Literature circles have no recipe, they are not a specific "program", and they never look the same from year to year -- or even from day to day. 

So where do we begin? Perhaps the easiest way to understand what literature circles are is to examine what they are not. Literature Circles are . . . Literature Circles are not . . Reader response centered Teacher and text centered Part of a balanced literacy program The entire reading curriculum Groups formed by book choice Teacher-assigned groups formed solely by ability Structured for student independence, responsibility, and ownership Unstructured, uncontrolled "talk time" without accountability Guided primarily by student insights and questions Guided primarily by teacher- or curriculum-based questions Intended as a context in which to applyreading and writing skills Intended as a place to do skills work Flexible and fluid; never look the same twice Tied to a prescriptive "recipe"From From Getting Started with Literature Circles by Katherine L. Schlick Noe & Nancy J. Johnson

Literature circles fit into a comprehensive literacy program as one way for students to apply what they are learning about reading and writing:

Literature Circles What are Literature Circles? "In literature circles, small groups of students gather together to discuss a piece of literature in depth. The discussion is guided by students' response to what they have read. You may hear talk about events and characters in the book, the author's craft, or personal experiences related to the story."

Literature Circles What is its purpose? "Literature circles provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to books. Collaboration is at the heart of this approach. Students reshape and add onto their understanding as they construct meaning with other readers. Finally, literature circles guide students to deeper understanding of what they read through structured discussion and extended written and artistic response."

Literature Circles How do I do it? Select members for the Literature Circles (discussion groups). Assign roles for the members of each circle. Assign reading to be completed by the circles inside or outside of class. Select circle meeting dates. Help students prepare for their roles in their circle. Act as a facilitator for the circles.

Roles for Literature Circles Some roles may be as follows: discussion director - develops questions for the group to discuss passage picker or literary luminary - chooses a selection that the group rereads and discusses because it is interesting, informative, the climax, well written.... vocabulary enricher - chooses words that are difficult or used in an unfamiliar way connector - finds a connection between the story and another book, event in their personal llife or the outside world illustrator - draws a picture related to the reading summarizer - prepares a brief summary of the passage read that day travel tracer - tracks the movement when the characters move a lot investigator - looks up background information related to the book

Literature Circles Skills to Introduce Prior to Literature Circles Prior to implementing Literature Circles, you will want to introduce the skills that students will be expected to use in completing the Literature Packet. Use your basal reader, a class novel, or a read-aloud novel to introduce the following skills: Summarizing a chapter or section of a book Writing good discussion questions (Use the Reading Response Questions to work on this skill.) Answering questions in complete sentences Completing graphic organizers (Venn Diagram, Story Plot Flow Map, Character Map, etc.) Illustrating a favorite part of a story and writing a caption for it Choosing vocabulary words and making guesses about their meaning (based on context clues) Looking up words in a dictionary and choosing the definition that fits the context clues

Different Types of Literature Circles Basic Literature Circle Structured Literature Circle Modified Literature Circle Mini Literature Circle Talking Sticks Literary Roles Non-Fiction

Let’s see one in action… What did you see?

Literature Circles Take the handout on different types of literature circles. As a team jigsaw the different types and teach each member of the team each type. Decide as a team one of the styles that would best work in your reading class and be willing to share with the group how your team would see that one implemented within your reading classes.

Silent, Sustained Reading vs. Independent Reading SSR defined… Students read whatever they like. Short time-span,15 to 20 minutes, Every day during school Independent Reading consists of a large block of time 30- 45 minutes. This time is planned out carefully and is a daily routine. In a classroom where reading workshop is a main structure of the reading program independent reading is considered to be one of the most important times of the day.

Book Selection During S.S.R. students can choose whatever book they like. These books may consist of library books, books brought from home, or books from the classroom library. These books may or may not be on the students reading level. During Independent Reading students are taught how to choose a "just right book" which consist of books on their reading level. They choose books from an extensive classroom library based on level and interest. However, a teacher may guide the student's selection of books.

Student’s Role When a Reader's Workshop is in place, students engage in applying and practicing reading strategies that have been modeled by the teacher. The student responds to the literature through writing and keeps a reading record of books read.

Teacher’s Role During Independent Reading teachers are much more accountable for their actions as well. During this time, teachers meet in one on one conferences or small guided reading groups with students. The teacher is responsible for monitoring students comprehension and decoding skills through informal reading assessments. Also, the teacher helps the student set reading goals and continues to monitor progress of those goals.

Monitoring Independent Reading Teachers must monitor and assess independent reading (it is not free reading, DEAR or SSR. Ways to assess: Reading logs Post-it note questions Students answered one generic questions after each session Teacher-Student mini conferences, teacher records in log Rubric on attitudes, reading behaviors, etc. for sharing with parents and students- should be done quarterly. Teacher is very active during independent reading.

What’s your style? Discuss now as a team, how each of you will monitor independent reading. Share strategies and be ready to share these strategies with whole group.

Summary…. A total reading program and fully implemented reading workshop …

Remember where we have been… First step in implementing reading workshop are the procedures… kids must know and practice them for it to work smoothly. You will want to use all components as you implement your reading instruction. The key is how do you want it to look in your classroom and how will it best work for you. Think about these as we come back tomorrow to work on our curriculum maps and assessments for reading.

Questions and Evaluation Time Please complete the evaluation before you leave. Remember I am here as a resource to support you in your implementation of these strategies in your instruction. See you tomorrow!!!