BOOSTING ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH CONTENT AREA READING INSTRUCTION Nicole Hochholzer Literacy Coordinator, Kaukauna High School Consultant, International Center for Leadership in Education nhochholzer@hotmail.com 3

Poll #1 Who do we have participating today? Literacy coach Classroom teacher Administrator Other

Answer the big questions: Who? How? What? When and where? But most importantly: WHY???

Adolescent Literacy A successful adolescent literacy initiative is only successful if you know WHY you are implementing it!

Answering the questions: Developing great leadership – WHO? Using lexiles to differentiate instruction – HOW? Choosing the most effective strategies – WHAT? Fostering reading for pleasure – WHEN & WHERE?

DEVELOPING GREAT LEADERSHIP Do form a strong team of interested staff Don’t rely on one administrator or one literacy coach Do develop a plan that details WHO will do WHAT by WHEN with time for reflection and adjustment Do give yourselves time – it won’t happen in one year Don’t expect things to go perfectly – they won’t!

USING LEXILES Using lexile data gives staff helps with the WHY - the argument “it’s not my job to teach reading” seems rather petty when a student with a 400L is facing a textbook of 1300L It’s up to the literacy leadership team to help staff understand HOW to use lexiles to differentiate instruction

Grade Levels Do I want to buy a 5th grade shoe? Why would I want to buy a 5th grade book?

Lexile Literature 1500 - On Ancient Medicine 1400 - The Scarlet Letter 1300 - Brown vs. Board of Ed. 1200 - War and Peace 1100 - Pride and Prejudice 1000 - Black Beauty 900 - Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders 800 - The Adventures of Pinocchio 700 - Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery 600 - A Baby Sister for Frances 500 - The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth 400 - Frog and Toad are Friends 300 - Clifford’s Manners

Lexile Texts 1500 - The Making of Memory: From Molecules to Mind; Doubleday 1400 - Philosophical Essays; Hackett Publishing 1300 - Psychology: An Introduction; Prentice Hall 1200 - Business; Prentice Hall 1100 - America: Pathways to Present; Prentice Hall 1000 - Writing and Grammar Gold Level; Prentice Hall 900 - World Cultures: A Global Mosaic; Prentice Hall 800 - Word 97; Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 700 - World Explorer: The U.S. & Canada; Prentice Hall 600 - Science (Grade 4); Addison-Wesley 500 - People and Places; Silver Burdett Ginn 400 - Imagine That!; Scholastic Inc. 300 - My World; Harcourt Brace

Interquartile Ranges Shown (25% - 75%) 2005-06 Lexile Framework® for Reading Study Summary of Text Lexile Measures Interquartile Ranges Shown (25% - 75%) 1600 1400 1200 Text Lexile Measure (L) 1000 800 600 High School Literature College Literature High School Textbooks College Textbooks Military Personal Use Entry-Level Occupations SAT 1, ACT, AP* * Source of National Test Data: MetaMetrics

Uses at Kaukauna High School: Self-selection of books in English classes Math textbook example Helped teachers understand need for strategies and differentiation Part of textbook selection process “Snapshot” test for special ed

CHOOSE THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES: Literacy Leadership Team can: “Test run” strategies Run in-services Serve as resources Act as cheerleaders

What are the best strategies? Strategies that work with all subject areas Strategies that aren’t too daunting or complicated Strategies that complement already existing curriculum Frankly, the best strategies are the ones you can do!!

Vocabulary: the great equalizer Vocabulary strategies are great to start with because everyone has content-area vocabulary It’s not just an “English issue”

Concept Definition Map What is it? (definition) What is it like? LITERACY What are some examples?

Concept Definition Map What is it? (definition) What is it like? Comprehend text Communicate verbally & Written LITERACY Read for different purposes Resume & Cover letter Word problems Websites What are some examples?

Vocabulary Knowledge Rating Sheet Unit of study:___________ WORD 3 Can define it, use it, teach it 2 Heard it, seen it 1 Do not know it Definition, example, and/or image 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Source: Kinsella and Feldman

Vocabulary Squares Term Definition Example How I will remember this

Vocabulary Squares Term Latency Stage Definition Example No erogenous zone Play with same sex peers and avoid opposite sex peers Example Girls play dolls on playground while boys play football How I will remember this EWW! YUCK!!

Read Around the Text Picture Cues This picture shows… Captions Questions Maps, Charts Graphs First and Last Paragraph Big Ideas

INSERT STRATEGY Confirms what you thought Contradicts what you thought Raises a question Confuses you Seems important Is new or interesting X ? ?? !

The Deluxe Reading Tour Title of the Reading: MY title for the reading: Key Quote (one of the most important statements in the reading) Why I Chose This Quote (reasons and evidence to support my choice) Brief Casual Summary (the main ideas expressed in my own words) Graphic Representation (illustration or clip-art that conveys theme) Source: Kinsella & Feldman

Two Summarizing Strategies: Summarizing Fiction: Somebody Wanted But So Somebody – main character Wanted – problem they dealt with But – force that worked against the problem So – outcome, but don’t give away ending *Then take each part and craft it into a sentence to summarize what was read Source: Laura Robb

Summarizing Strategies… Summarizing Nonfiction: TFCN T – Topic F – 2 Fascinating facts C – connection made N- new understanding *Then write a summary

Rock Around the Clock Main Idea Key Words and Meanings Important Points Ah-ha’s (Insights) Unanswered Questions Source: ICLE

Poll #2 Which strategy could you try this week? A vocabulary strategy INSERT Deluxe Reading Tour Rock Around the Clock

The Lesson Research Suggests a New Format Traditional Format New Format Prereading Activities Discussions Predictions Questioning Brainstorming Setting Purpose Reading Assignment Given Guided ACTIVE Silent Reading Activities to clarify, reinforce, extend Knowl-edge Independent reading Discussion to see if students learned main concepts, what they “should have” learned

Reading CAN be fun! Make Book Clubs attractive and rewarding Draw attention to reading – create buzz!! Latch on to trends in Young Adult Lit

Remember… Don’t expect perfection Give yourself some time! Start small and start strong

Nicole Hochholzer (920)766-5948 (920)766-6113 x5430 nhochholzer@hotmail.com