The Content Literacy Continuum: A Framework for Helping Struggling Adolescent Learners Don Deshler University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning August 8, 2006 Portland, Oregon

How many words a year do 5 th graders read who read at the 50 th percentile? (A) 250,000 (B) 400,000 (C) 600,000 (D) 900,000

How many words a year do 5 th graders read who read at the 10 th percentile? (A) 60,000 (B) 100,000 (C) 180,000 (D) 250,000

How many words a year do 5 th graders read who read at the 90 th percentile? (A) 1,800,000 (B) 2,500,000 (C) 3,000,000 (D) 4,000,000

Students who are successful during their 9 th grade year are ___ times as likely to graduate? (A) 2.0 (B) 2.5 (C) 3.0 (D) 3.5

Exhibit #1

Information Explosion/ Instructional Time Dilemma Time Content

Triple jeopardy for teachers! Teach more content Teach content to higher level of proficiency Teach classes with greater diversity of students

We know that in secondary schools standardized tests… Increase in –Length –Question number and complexity Require students to be proficient in… –Complex thinking (inference, summarization) –Vocabulary –Background knowledge

Exhibit #1 ( “ Raise the bar ” )

Exhibit #2

Unsat. Basic Proficient Advanced Exemplary WLPB-R: Struggling and Good Readers Listen Comp N Mean %tile N Mean %tile N Mean %tile N Mean %tile N Mean %tile % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % th %tile th %tile nd %tile st %tile th %tile % % % % Letter- Wd ID Reading Comprehension Read Skills Broad Read Vocab Word Attack Pass Comp % % % % % % % % % % POOR READERS GOOD READERS

Word Attack Examiner points and says: “I want you to read some words that are not real words. Tell me how they sound.” Examples: nat; knoink; paraphonity “How does this word sound?” Poor Readers Good Readers SS of SS of 85 SS of 115

Passage Comprehension Examiner points to the pictures, sentences, or passages and says: “Read this sentence to yourself and tell me one word that goes in the space.” Examples: The bird is ______. Also, word passages. [Cloze procedure] Poor Readers Good Readers SS of SS of 85 SS of 115

Overall Reading Comprehension A composite score of passage comprehension and vocabulary. A good indicator of overall reading proficiency. Poor Readers Good Readers SS of SS of 85 SS of 115

Reading Component Profile List Comp Word ID Word Att Vocab Passage Comp Reading Comp Mean Standard Scores ◊ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ∆ Proficient ◊ Not proficient

Exhibit #2 ( “ Close the gap ” )

So …. How can secondary schools respond to these “ competing ” realities????

Begin by …. Getting a profile of the literacy performance of all students in your school

Adolescent Reading Model Language Comprehension Background Knowledge Syntax Vocabulary Text Structures Reading Comprehension: Comprehension comes from integrating prior knowledge with new information from the text. This new knowledge facilitates deeper thinking about the text and can be applied to learn new information and solve problems. Word Recognition Phonological Awareness Decoding Sight Word Reading Fluency Executive Processes Cognitive Strategies Metacognitive Strategies KU-CRL Hock & Deshler, 2006 Integration

Then ask …. Five important questions about literacy supports!

1.What happens for those students who are reading below the 4th grade level?

2.What is in place across a school staff to ensure that students will get the “critical” content in spite of their literacy skills?

3. What happens for students who know how to decode but can’t comprehend well?

4. What steps have been taken to ensure that powerful learning strategies are embedded across the curriculum?

5. What happens for students who have language problems?

Finally …. Use a “ content literacy ” framework to determine an action plan

The listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and strategies necessary to learn in each of the academic disciplines.

is the door to content acquisition & higher order thinking.

A Continuum of Literacy Instruction (Content Literacy Continuum -- CLC) Level 1:Enhance content instruction (mastery of critical content for all regardless of literacy levels) Level 2:Embedded strategy instruction (routinely weave strategies within and across classes using large group instructional methods) Level 3:Intensive strategy instruction (mastery of specific strategies using intensive-explicit instructional sequences) Level 4:Intensive basic skill instruction (mastery of entry level literacy skills at the 4th grade level) Level 5:Therapeutic intervention (mastery of language underpinnings of curriculum content and learning strategies)

LANGUAGE SKILLS STRATEGIES SUBJECT MATTER Building Blocks for Content Literacy HIGHER ORDER

The CLC says… There are unique (but very important) roles for each member of a secondary staff relative to literacy instruction –Every teacher is not a reading teacher, and literacy coaches may be necessary but aren’t sufficient! Some students require more intensive, systematic, explicit instruction of content, strategies, and skills

The Muskegon High School Story

North Central Accreditation visitNorth Central Accreditation visit

The Muskegon High School Story North Central Accreditation visit School-wide reading screening

The Muskegon High School Story North Central Accreditation visit School-wide reading screening Intensive word identification intervention (Level 4)

Word Identification Intervention at MHS

The Muskegon High School Story North Central Accreditation visit School-wide reading screening Intensive word identification intervention Reading comprehension strategies class (Level 3)

Strategic Reading Class at Muskegon High School Grade Level Scores on GMRT-Comprehension Subtest

The Muskegon High School Story North Central Accreditation visit School-wide reading screening Intensive word identification intervention Reading comprehension strategies classes Writing strategies as a part of English classes (Level 2)

State Writing Assessment

The Muskegon High School Story North Central Accreditation visit School-wide reading screening Intensive word identification intervention Reading comprehension strategies classes Writing strategies as a part of English classes Engaging content teachers in solving the literacy problem (Level 1)

NAME DATE The Unit Organizer BIGGER PICTURE LAST UNIT/Experience CURRENT UNIT NEXT UNIT/Experience UNIT SELF-TEST QUESTIONS UNIT RELATIONSHIPS UNIT SCHEDULEUNIT MAP CURRENT UNIT

Elida Cordora NAME DATE The Unit Organizer BIGGER PICTURE LAST UNIT/Experience CURRENT UNIT NEXT UNIT/Experience UNIT SELF-TEST QUESTIONS UNIT RELATIONSHIPS UNIT SCHEDULEUNIT MAP CURRENT UNIT /22 The roots and consequences of civil unrest. The Causes of the Civil War Growth of the Nation The Civil War 1/22 Cooperative groups - over pp /28 Quiz 1/29 Cooperative groups - over pp "Influential Personalities" projectdue 1/30 Quiz 2/2 Cooperative groups - over pp /6 Review for test 2/7 Review for test 2/6 Test is about... Sectionalism pp Areas of the U.S. Differences between the areas Events in the U.S. Leaders across the U.S. was based on emerged because of became greater with was influenced by descriptive cause/effect compare/contrast What was sectionalism as it existed in the U. S. of 1860? How did the differences in the sections of the U.S. in 1860 contribute to the start of the Civil War? What examples of sectionalism exist in the world today? ORGANIZATION KNOWLEDGE STRUCTURE GUIDING QUESTIONS

Comparison Table 1 Concept 1 2 Overall Concept 3 Characteristics 3 4 Like Characteristics 9 Extensions Communicate Targeted Concepts Obtain the Overall Concepts Make lists of Known Characteristics Pin down Like Characteristics Assemble Like Categories Record Unlike Characteristics Identify Unlike Categories Nail Down a Summary Go Beyond the Basics COMPARINGCOMPARING 5 Like Categories 7 Unlike Categories 6 Unlike Characteristics 6 8 Summary

Comparison Table 1 Concept 1 2 Overall Concept 3 Characteristics 3 4 Like Characteristics 9 Extensions Communicate Targeted Concepts Obtain the Overall Concepts Make lists of Known Characteristics Pin down Like Characteristics Assemble Like Categories Record Unlike Characteristics Identify Unlike Categories Nail Down a Summary Go Beyond the Basics COMPARINGCOMPARING 5 Like Categories 7 Unlike Categories 6 Unlike Characteristics 6 8 Summary Economic Causes of Sectionalism in the U.S. in 1860 Economic conditions in the North Economic conditions in the South Good ports Good natural resources Immigrants in labor force Profit from industries Good land transportation Good credit with other countries Good ports Good natural resources Slaves in labor force Profit from growing cotton Poor land transportation Good credit with other countries Study the economic conditions of the West in 1860, and create a list of characteristics to be compared to the North & South. Good ports Good natural resources Good credit with other countries Quality of ports Quality of natural resources Quality of credit Immigrants in labor force Profit from industries Good land transportation Slaves in labor force Profit from growing cotton Poor land transportation Primary source of labor Source of profits Quality of land transportation Economic conditions in the North and South in 1860 were alike because both had good natural resources, ports, and credit. Their primary sources of labor and profits were different, as was the quality of their land transportation. CATEGORIZATION Strategic thinking prompts FACTS

Let’s pause for a moment….. What factors do you think accounted for the success story at MHS?

Another question….. Where would you begin to embed the continuum of content literacy instruction in your school?

Intense-Explicit Instruction LEVEL 1 Cue Do Review LEVEL 2 “I do it!” (Learn by watching) “We do it!” (Learn by sharing) “Ya’ll do it!” (Learn by sharing) “You do it! (Learn by practicing) LEVEL 3/4/5 PretestPretest DescribeDescribe –Commitment (student & teacher) –Goals –High expectations ModelModel Practice and quality feedbackPractice and quality feedback –Controlled and advanced Posttest & reflectPosttest & reflect Generalize, transfer, applyGeneralize, transfer, apply

Content Literacy “Synergy” Improved Literacy CONTENT CLASSES Level 1. Enhanced Content Instruction CONTENT CLASSES Level 2. Embedded Strategy Instruction Level 3. Intensive Strategy Instruction strategy classes strategic tutoring Level 4. Intensive Basic Skill Instruction KU-CRLCLC- Lenz, Ehren, &Deshler, 2005 Level 5. Therapeutic Intervention Foundational language competencies

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