Common Practices to Promote Literacy Park City Prep August 26 & 27 Jennifer Chomiak & Pat DeCoster C.E.S.

Rationale: What are we doing and why? Consistency – a powerful tool Role of C.E.S. at Park City Overview of Game Plan Development Implementation Keep It Simple Sam Pat – overview with emphasis on KISS

What does it look like in your content area? Non-Fiction Reading What does it look like in your content area? What (reading) skills do students need to have to be successful in (your) content area? Pair share-written response

Explicit Small Group Instruction: Non-Fiction Reading Explicit Small Group Instruction: The Key to Success Jenn -

Understanding Explicit Instruction Building Background—setting the stage Explaining the strategy—what to do Modeling—how to do it Guided practice—opportunity for student practice in groups or with partners Gradual release of responsibility—students do more, teacher does less Independence—students successfully complete task

Gradual Release of Responsibility TO BY WITH Independent Practice Modeling Demonstration Gradual Release of Responsibility Guided Practice This graphic illustrates Margaret Mooney’s TO-WITH-BY TO: The teacher does the modeling WITH: This is a joint responsibility between the teacher and the students. Teachers scaffold instruction and allow students ample opportunities to practice their skills and strategies. As students assume more responsibility they are ultimately approaching independence. BY: Independent Use of the skill or strategy Joint Responsibility Source: Margaret Mooney

Why work with small groups? Skill instruction can be tailored to students’ needs Learning styles may differ Teachers can observe students’ use of skills and strategies taught in a large group and reteach/reinforce information immediately

Where Do I Find Materials? National Geographic books Teacher resources Leveled books www.middleweb.com Magazine or Newspaper Articles (short) Science News for Kids Time for Kids, National Geographic for Kids Sports Illustrated for Kids Scholastic (SCOPE, Action, Junior Scholastic, Math, Science World, Choices) Pat/Jenn Pass out National Geographic materials and have participants practice strategies individually. Then share in small groups before coming back together.

Nancy Boyles’ Six Kid-Friendly Comprehension Strategies Connecting Picturing Wondering Guessing Noticing Figuring Out Look at cards, review each strategy, give participants opportunity to practice using short text

Three—Two—One What are three new ideas/understandings you gained from today’s session? What are two things you will try out as a result of today’s session? What is one thing you are mulling over or thinking about?

Debrief - Impressions Reflection sheet - discussion

Vocabulary The Frayer Model Tier I, Tier II and Tier III Words Word Sorts Pat – Gallery walk/Jenn

Choosing Words to Teach Word Tiers 3 2 Tier one consists of approximately 8000 words. Tier two words are of high frequency use. About 7000 words fall in this category and are necessary for mature language. 1

Three Tier Vocabulary Tier One: Tier Two: Tier Three: basic vocabulary (rarely requires instructional attention) (ex: clock, happy, baby) Tier Two: high frequency/academic vocabulary (more precise or sophisticated terms to describe what students already know) (ex: absurd, fortunate, industrious) Tier Three: limited use vocabulary (content specific words) (ex: stalactite, peninsula, vertex) Dr. Mary Curtis , a professor at Lesley College, presented at the 2004 International Reading Conference. Dr. Curtis (2004) succinctly summarized the three tiers by stating that Tier one consists of words that children typically hear orally. While we may teach to decode, we usually do not have to teach meaning. Tier two words cut across all content areas and are considered universal academic vocabulary. Tier three words are usually content specific words. Usually young English Language Learners have Tier one in their native language but not a large bank of Tier two and three words.

Word Sorts Extension activities Choose words from your lesson/unit that are critical to student understanding of your objective Write Key words on index cards, post-its Have students work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to categorize words Extension activities Sorting words is a strategy used to reinforce new vocabulary within a subject area. This strategy is most effective when introducing new vocabulary, assessing student understanding of difficult concepts and helping students to recognize common relationships between core concepts that are critical to the understanding of content material.

Writing Strategies Writing journals – the mechanics of use Implementation What to include How to assess Using Graphic Organizers – help student organize their thoughts Thinking Maps – metacognition Other graphic organizers Use of the 6 point CMT-like rubric Pat

Next Steps Modeling and Coaching in the classroom with Pat and Jenn Literacy maps will be modified throughout the year Evaluating resources for future use