Beyond the Basal: Examining Texts No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship!" -James Comer

Today’s Agenda Examine Children’s Literature Discuss Readability and how it affects students Describe Text Sets and discuss how they can be used in the classroom Explain Inquiry Project Select Inquiry Topic

Reading Level and Readability- Think/Pair/Share What does this mean to you? How is it used in your classroom? Your school? What is used to determine readability? (What tools do you know of and use?)

Your School and Classroom What Matters: Children need texts they can read Decide where you and your school fall in terms of texts and text selection Mark where you think you fall in each of the areas

Readability Readability - The difficulty level of the book or selection in terms of grade level. Why is it important to know this? Teachers need to help children select books that fall in their reading level Teachers will assess students to determine their reading levels Teachers will determine the reading level of a text in order to match appropriate level books to the student

Readability Readability is based on the following assumptions As reading material becomes more difficult, the length of the words tend to become longer. Since reading material becomes more difficult according to grade level, it is possible to develop a scale which will reflect this.

Leveling Texts Smog Readability Scale Word Readability Online Resources Lexile Measures o Ranges from 200L to 1700L o Used in many districts around the country and has been around for about 50 years o Children are assessed and given an “lexile score” o Database contains the lexile measures Database

Article Discussion In groups of 3, discuss the Really Reading article Use the discussion guide to record your thoughts Be prepared for a whole group share

Turn and Talk Imagine entering a place where you have never been, all by yourself. What do you do, who or what do you look for or notice? Describe your feelings to your neighbor.

Taking a Critical Look at the Process What are some things teachers need to consider about readability? Why might a child be able to navigate a text with a readability above his/her reading level? What else do we need to consider along with readability when matching books and readers?

The Achievement Gap In 2005, the percentage of Caucasian 4th graders who met or exceeded state learning outcomes for reading was 78%. Only 44% of the Hispanic and 35% of African American students met or exceeded the outcomes. For eighth grade, 85% of the Caucasian students met or exceeded standards compared to 65% of Hispanic and 53% African American students (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2005).

Some More Statistics In Illinois, the number of students with Limited English Proficiency has risen to over 190,000, an 80% increase in the past ten years (National Clearing House for English Language Acquisition, 2005). The most predominantly spoken language is Spanish. This increase in non-English speaking students has classroom teachers looking for ways to teach these students in ways that are culturally relevant.

Funds of Knowledge funds of knowledge -the expansive cognitive resources that children and their families have available that could be used in the classrooms. The idea is to better match the students’ home backgrounds and literacies with the practices of the school Teachers can use the language, culture and customs of their students as a springboard for learning Ladson-Billings, 1995

Sociocultutal/Sociolinguistic Learning Theory Children are active learners Literacy practices are reflective of culture Children enact their social and cultural identities through literacy Language and thought are related

In the Classroom: Beyond the Heroes and Holidays Consider Community Literacies Use the rich literacy experiences children bring to the classroom Mediators/ interpreters, conversations, documents Folk tales and familiar stories Other texts: music, art, drama, technology Use books, poems, text (pictures, characters, stories) portraying diversity Incorporate students’ cultural values in readings (rhythm, family life)

Levels of Approaches Contributions (holidays, crafts, customs) Ethnic Additive (multicultural themes are approached but not embedded in the curriculum) Transformation (curriculum is changed to allow perspectives of diverse cultures to be represented Social Action (children identify social problems through literature and seek solutions)

Multicultural Literature About African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Latinos. Books by and about women, religious groups, regional groups, gender groups and people with disabilities Literature that represents voices outside of the traditional canon of literature used in the classroom or that of the dominant culture Bishop, 1997

Windows and Mirrors Readers can read the world around them through texts. Readers can learn about others and themselves Texts can be windows into the lives and experiences of others Texts can be mirrors, reflecting our own lives and experiences Reading can becomes a means of self-affirmation. Readers may seek their mirrors in books.

Examining Texts When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part. Our classrooms need to be places where all the children from all the cultures that make up the salad bowl of American society can find their mirrors. (Rudine Sims Bishop, Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors, 1990) Read Aloud: Princess Grace, by Mary Hoffman Discussion

Your Turn Select a book Work with a partner and fill out the Matrix Share your book with the class

Structuring your Classroom Get to know your students o Discover your students’ home literacies (Remember, these may not be “school” literacies) o Measure students’ prior knowledge and interest in independent reading

Structuring your Classroom Build a strong classroom library. o This should have a wide variety of unleveled texts that children WANT to read

Structuring you Classroom Teach your students the self-selection process o Discuss how people go about selecting a book o What is a “just right” book? o How do you know a book is right for you? o What do you do when you pick a just “right book”? o What do you do when a book isn’t a “just right book”?

BOOKMATCH Lesson Plan B- Book length O- Ordinary Language O- Organization K- Knowledge Prior to the book M- Manageable Text A- Appeal to genre T- Topic Appropriateness C- Connection H- High Interest

Choosing a Text Set What is the purpose of the lesson for the text set? Choose a theme or strand for the text set that relates to the theme. Consider what type of texts would be most appropriate to the purpose of the lesson. Research and gather texts- remember to use other professionals as a resource and to truncate websites. Remember that texts can be defined broadly.

Inquiry Process Topics based on student curiosity, questions, interests Dig deeply into complex, authentic topics that matter Flexible grouping Student responsibility with peer leadership Use of proficient reader/thinker researcher strategies Draws on multigenre, multimedia resources Going beyond fact-finding to synthesizing and applying knowledge Actively using knowledge: take action, share, go public Match kids’ learning to state and district curriculum

Your Assignment Guidelines are posted on the WikiWiki Goal for Today: Select a topic of Inquiry Put together groups