Literacy is not something to put on an already crowded plate… Literacy IS the plate!

National Literacy Project Non-profit organization dedicated to improved adolescent literacy 10 years working with literacy teams and schools throughout the country Focus on middle and high school students Consistent, school-based support for improved literacy

You don’t have to be sick to get better.

The teacher cannot do it alone; the school makes all the difference. “An excellent teacher without a well- coordinated program can do only so much. In these situations, even the best of teachers can offer students only isolated moments of engrossed learning and rich experience in an otherwise disconnected series of classes.” Langer, J. (2002). Effective Literacy Instruction: Building Successful Reading and Writing Programs. Urbana, IL: NCTE.

Defining literacy Literacy Definition (in your own words)Visual representation ExamplesNon-examples Frayer Model

Definitions of Literacy Ability to sign one’s name to a document and own or borrow books 1930Functional Literacy – moved to grade equivalents – 3+ years of schooling WWII era4+ years of schooling years of schooling years of schooling Late 1970sHigh school completion

Literate adolescents are those who can read, write, find, present, discuss, think creatively, critically analyze information, and transfer their learning across multiple contexts. These literacy requirements are a far cry from a definition of literacy as basic reading and writing. Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy

Why does literacy matter? …

Literacy for the 21 st Century Abilities required for student success: Ability to seek information and make critical judgments about information Ability to read and interpret many different kinds of text both in print and online Ability to innovate and apply knowledge creatively Where Literacy is Headed, Kent Williams NCTE Executive Director, September, 2008

21 st Century Readers and Writers Need to… Develop proficiency with the tools of technology Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes Manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments NCTE

Literary History List 2-3 positive or negative reading and/or writing events that affect the way you read and write today: –

Important Book Write down… –Title: –Author: –2 reasons the book is important to you:

What makes reading fun? …

The Art of Fly Fishing Learning Something Hard

What Good Fly Fishers Do Relax Feel the force See the big picture See what trout see Always cast to a target Wade safely Never stop practicing

What Struggling Fly Fishers Do Avoid it Blame other factors Rely heavily on others Refuse to try anything new Persist in images of failure

What Doesn’t Help Tell me how but don’t show me how Tell me to try harder Encourage me to practice the same ineffective skills I already use Show me posters that highlight skills I don’t understand Give me mnemonics to help me remember what I don’t understand

What Does Help Motivation Visualizing success High expectations Explicit instruction Modeling Guided practice Independent practice

An Instructional Model

What does this have to do with reading?

What Good Readers Do Plan for the demands of different kinds of text Make connections with prior knowledge Evaluate understanding of the ideas in the text Make inferences Visualize Ask questions Determine what is important Decipher the meaning of unknown words Organize knowledge Create connections between reading and writing Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy, p. 59

What Struggling Readers Do Avoid reading Blame other factors Rely heavily on others Refuse to try anything new Persist in images of failure

What Doesn’t Help Tell me how but don’t show me how Tell me to try harder Encourage me to practice the same ineffective skills I already use Show me posters that highlight skills I don’t understand Give me mnemonics to help me remember what I don’t understand

Read between the Lines Read between the lines to understand.

What Does Help Visualizing success High expectations Motivation Explicit instruction Modeling Guided practice Independent practice

Instructional Model

What Good Readers Do Plan for the demands of different kinds of text Make connections with prior knowledge Evaluate understanding of the ideas in the text Make inferences Visualize Ask questions Determine what is important Decipher the meaning of unknown words Organize knowledge Create connections between reading and writing Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy, p. 59

Plan for Feedback Meet in departments; member of Literacy Team will facilitate discussion Provide feedback on –Goal statements –Literacy Action Plan –Strategies

Literacy’s role in effective instruction Using Literacy Support in 5 Instructional Modes handout… –Underline descriptors of your teaching in both columns –Read across the row completely –Self-assessment

PAS Preview the text and critical vocabulary Access prior knowledge Set the purpose

P: Preview the text Examine –Titles, headings and subheadings –Introductions and summaries –Bulleted lists –Pictures, captions, charts, graphs and illustrations –Print in special type

P: Preview critical vocabulary Focus on understanding Examine vocabulary conceptually Use the words daily Post words around the room

Text Structure and the Struggling Reader Kinds of text they read –Magazines – –Others …

Students should be reading… Textbooks Informational text Abstract, symbolic stories and poems Sophisticated diction Complicated syntax

Cumulative Experience Words heard1 hour100-hr week 5,200-hr year 4 years Welfare61662,0003 million13 million Working class ,0006 million26 million Professional ,00011 million45 million

Prefixes Anti-against De-opposite Dis- not, opposite of En-, em-cause to Fore-before In-, im-in In-, im-, il-, ir-not Inter-between Mid-middle Mis-wrongly Non-not Over-over Pre-before Re-again Semi-half Sub-under Super-above Trans-across Un-not Under-under

A: Access prior knowledge Identify the topic Think about what you already know about the topic Write or discuss what you know about the topic

S: Set the purpose Understand the assignment Read and analyze comprehension questions before you read the text Analyze text structure Read for different purposes