first thought…

First thought…

“Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.” Gary Snyder

Poet

Why are secondary texts difficult?Secondary Literacy 1Secondary Literacy 1

Philippe Ernewein

Literacy Specialist

www.rememberit.org

Facts About Literacy

“So strong is the link between literacy and being a useful member of society that some states use grade-level reading statistics as a factor in projecting future prison construction.” Bob Chase, former President, NEA

Facts About Literacy

“To compete in the global information economy, young people today need literacy skills far more advanced than have been required of any previous generation. The fastest growing jobs make the highest literacy and education demands.” Reading To Achieve: A Governor’s Guide to

Adolescent Literacy, 2005

Facts About Literacy

“Forty percent of high school graduates lack the reading and writing skills that employers seek, and almost a third of high school graduates who enroll in college require remediation.” Reading To Achieve: A Governor’s Guide to

Adolescent Literacy, 2005

Secondary Literacy Connections

“Many struggling readers have failed more often than they have succeeded in the past, so now they figured, ‘Why try?’” (13)

Shannon Dingle, RGV ’03

6th-8th Grade Special Education

Wake County Public School

Secondary Literacy Connections

“I was shocked that my students reached high school without mastering the basic skills of reading and writing. My first year, the majority of my students read on a third to fifth grade level, and a class could range from pre-primer to 9th grade.” (1)

Bernard Weber Mississippi Delta ’03 9th Grade Global Studies

DO NOW In your journal, reflect in writing for a few

minutes on one or more of the facts presented about literacy.

What are we learning?

Our definition of literacy Different components of reading Steps toward comprehension Different texts make different demands on

readers Specific demands posed by texts in specific

content areas

Agenda DO NOW Introduction New Material

Teaching Literacy is Our Job Reading Comprehension What makes texts difficult?

Examples & Practice Close/Journals

So what?

Journal responses

The achievement gap is a literacy gap. Every teacher must be literacy teacher. Teaching literacy is our job.

• Name tents

• Signing in

• Toolkit

• Journal

Our definition of literacy

“The ability to read, write, spell, listen & speak.”

“Visually represent.”

www.ncte.org

Teaching Literacy Is Our Job.

Artifact: Michael’s Science Test CM Binder: page XXXXCM Binder: page XXXX

Think/Pair/Share What is keeping Michael from having success

with this material? Literacy-wise, what could have gone wrong?

Michael’s Science TestBiology: grade 10

Question 8: Open Responsea. Some large predatory fish causes the

presence of absence of this evolutionary process.

b. The wrasse look like the blenny because

Think/Pair/Share• What is keeping Michael from having

success with this material?

• Literacy-wise, what could have gone wrong?

The Blenny

The Wrasse

Share

1. Does literacy play a role in learning “stuff”?2. Does literacy help us assess knowledge in

content classes?3. Does this assessment tell us much about what

Michael may or may not know?4. Which skills does Michael need to be able to

read the questions?5. Which components go into Michael being able to

write an answer?6. What role might fluency play?

So what about reading comprehension?

Each component of reading is at play here:

Decoding Fluency Vocabulary Comprehension

Strategies Background

Knowledge Engagement

So what…to be successful?

All these components need to be in place for our students to be able to demonstrate what they know in science and all other content areas.

Don’t Let the Blenny Fool You

Reading Comprehension

Research, CM’s experiences indicate the following: Minority of our students will struggle with decoding

words bottom strands

Some will struggle with fluency to tie the bottom strands together

Most will struggle to comprehend content area text tying the top strands together

Reading is a multifaceted skill, gradually acquired over years of instruction and practice.

The Many Strands that are Woven into Skilled Reading(Scarborough, 2001)

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE LANGUAGE STRUCTURES VERBAL REASONING

LITERACY KNOWLEDGE

PHON. AWARENESS

DECODING (and SPELLING) SIGHT RECOGNITION

SKILLED READING: fluent execution and coordination of word recognition and text comprehension.

LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION

WORD RECOGNITION

increasingly

automatic

increasingly

strategic

Skilled Reading- fluent coordination of

word reading and comprehension

processes

The Breakdown

A minority of our secondary students will struggle with decoding

Some will struggle with fluency Most of our students will struggle to

comprehend content area text

Reading Comprehension is an Interactive Process

RAND Model, 2002CM Binder: page 105

How might texts, readers and activities/purposes differ?

What makes texts difficult?

Vocabulary usage Some text use figurative language while others use

technical terms

Background knowledge Assumptions made by text

Organization and format Some texts have headings or diagrams

Level of engagement Some text loved by 12 year olds, others by 16 year

olds, some may be disliked by all

ISAT: connections & applications

Vocabulary Usage Spanish I Objective#19: SWBAT describe foods using 5

adjectives in their singular and plural forms using the phrases ¿Cómo es/son _____? and Es/son _____.

How might vocabulary usage create a specific challenge in this text/objective?

ISAT: connections & applications

Background Knowledge African American History Objective

SWBAT analyze the contributions and accomplishments of West African societies prior to slavery.

How might background knowledge create a specific challenge in this text/objective?

ISAT: connections & applications

Organization & Format Biology Objective

SWBAT use experimental data to create a line graph.

How might vocabulary usage create a specific challenge in this text/objective?

Level of Engagement

Translating “I’m bored”

Content Area Groups

CM Binder: page XXXX

Identify the demands these texts make on readers and complete the middle column of the output hand-out. Complete “Text Demands”

Text Demands Graphic OrganizerText Demands How would you teach it?

Vocabulary

Background Knowledge

Organization

Engagement

Reading Comprehension is an Interactive Process

RAND Model, 2002

Today’s Session

Pair Practice: how would you teach it?

List ideas for teaching each of the four text demands you identified in the third column of the handout

Pair Practice: debrief

What was challenging about this process? What has this process taught you about

how to start planning literacy instruction?

What did we learn?

The Bottom Line

Literacy has many components, each of which is essential to achievement.

Teaching students the specific skills and knowledge they need to read to understand text is your content area is critical.

Why is Literacy important?

Achievement Gap = Literacy Gap Our students’ access to college and

careers hinge on their advanced literacy skills.

Teaching literacy is our job.

Overview of the Secondary Literacy Course

Core Session 1: Why are Secondary Texts

Difficult?

Core Session 2: Reading Purposefully and

Strategically

Core Session 3: Building Comprehension

Before, During, and After Reading

Overview of the Secondary Literacy Course

Core Session 4: Integrating Informal

Writing

Core Session 5: Teaching Vocabulary

Core Session 6: Decoding and Fluency

Differentiated & Placement-Specific Sessions:

The Formal Writing Process

How to Read Non-fiction Texts

Motivating Struggling Readers

Literacy Diagnostics

Check-out

www.rememberit.org Journal returned Hand-out turned in Exit Slips completed