1. How do early career teachers integrate high-level literacy strategies in high-poverty secondary schools?
Gayle Thieman, Portland State University
Susan Lenski, Portland State University
Northwest Regional NCTE Conference
Portland, OR March 1, 2014

2. Session Goals
Present research on low expectations for literacy of students in high-poverty schools
Present content area literacy strategies and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels of literacy activities
Examine case examples of high level and low level literacy strategies in high poverty schools
Share examples of literacy strategies audience members use
Discuss implications for increasing level of literacy instruction in high-poverty schools

3. NAEP Reading Scores Continue to Decline while Achievement Gap Widens
Compared to the nation, average 8th grade reading scores declined in this state
Poverty & lack of social supports for students in metro area where this study took place
Achievement Gap in 8th grade Reading between lower/higher SES at state level
FRL Eligible 253
Not Eligible 276

4. Need to address Low Expectations for high poverty, ethically diverse students (Banks et al 2005)
Need to teach culturally responsive teaching
Combat “deficit orientation”
Need to both differentiate and accelerate learning
Students in lower track classes--high poverty & ethnic diversity-- have fewer opportunities to develop higher order thinking and reasoning skills (Good & Brophy, 1995)

5. Literacy Strategies (Lee & Spratley, 2010)
Activate prior knowledge
Build vocabulary
Use knowledge of text structures and genres to predict main ideas
Pose relevant questions
Compare claims across texts
Evaluate evidence

6. Literacy in Social Studies (NCSS, 2010)
Sequence events
Differentiate fact vs. opinion
Compare similarities and differences
Analyze cause and effect
Explore complex patterns
Evaluate sources for credibility and validity
Use variety of media to access, create, and present information
Interpret and analyze diverse historical and contemporary perspectives

7. Higher level activities: Depth of Knowledge (Webb, 2005)

8. Lower DOK levels I Recall II Skill/Concepts Label map
Define vocabulary
Recall information
Take notes
Draw representation
Illustrate
II Skill/Concepts
Identify patterns
Summarize information
Make predictions
Organize information
Compare/contrast
Cause/effect
Interpret historical document
Chronology

9. Higher DOK Levels III Strategic Thinking IV Extended Thinking
Analyze consequences
Evaluate policy proposals
Develop logical argument
Draw conclusions
Cite Evidence
IV Extended Thinking
Synthesize information from multiple sources
Create new understanding through analysis, synthesis, critique, application of concepts in novel ways

10. Case Study
Teacher candidates who taught in high-poverty secondary schools
FRL (41-53%)
Ethnic/linguistic diversity (21%-62%)
Ted
James
Chuck
Sheila
Lily
Ashley

11. Case Analysis and Discussion
Read the case assigned to your group.
Note the school/classroom context and…
teacher’s perception of students’ potential
teacher’s organization of instruction around curriculum framing questions
teacher’s skill in scaffolding increasingly complex literacy strategies

12. Group Discussion Report out key findings from the cases
Share personal stories of how you integrate higher-level literacy strategies in your teaching
Discuss implications for increasing level of literacy instruction in high poverty schools
Handouts: Sample Literacy Strategies