The NAF Literacy Approach
2010 NAF InstitutePhiladelphia
What Do You Believe About the NAF Approach to Literacy?• There are four critical experiences that drive NAF literacy instruction.• There are four parts to the story of words that drive vocabulary
instruction?• Context clues play a key role in vocabulary development?• Genres such as fantasy inform how NAF develops reading
comprehension and writing instruction.• The virtuous cycle for literacy development has five parts that
parallels the overall instructional design of courses, units, and lessons.
• There is a free literacy instructional guide for all Academy teachers to use.
Purpose of This Session• To have a common understanding of
the NAF literacy instruction.• Participants know where the NAF
Literacy supports are located• To introduce some commonly used
literacy strategies.
How NAF Define Literacy
Term Category Characteristics
Literacy is the linguistic process
of• creating meaning• communicating• constructing meaning• and doing so fluently in a professional context
How does one acquire a large vocabulary?
Vocabulary
The Keys to Teaching Vocabulary• Focus on words that are key to understanding the topic.• Limit the number of new words to be acquired.• Directly teach the words and rely less on context to
provide meaning.• Determine the depth of understanding the students
actually need.• Provide multiple exposures and significant practice.• Teach underlying principles of how English words are
organized and constructed.
How to Organize Words for Instruction
The Story of Words
Categorizing
TaxonomiesList-Group-Label
Defining
Defining Format
History of Words
Etymology
Expanding Word Meaning
Morphology
Word Play
How to Decide What Words to Teach• Importance & Utility: Words that are characteristic of
mature language users and are frequently used in the vocabulary of the theme.
• Instructional Potential: Words that can be worked with in a variety of ways so that the students can build rich representations of them and of their connections to other words and concepts.
• Conceptual Understanding: Words for which students understand the general concept but provide precision & specificity in describing a concept.
Levels of Word Understanding• Generalization: The ability to define a word.• Application: The ability to select or recognize
situations appropriate to a word.• Breadth: Knowledge of multiple meanings.• Precision: the ability to apply a term correctly
to all situations and recognize inappropriate use.
• Availability: The actual use of a word in thinking & discourse.
Most Commonly Used Vocabulary Strategies in the NAF Curriculum
• Defining Format• Taxonomies
• A• B• C• D• E• F• G• H• I• J• K• L• M
• N• O• P• Q• R• S• T• U• V• W• X• Y• Z
Taxonomies
• Alphabetical Lists of Words On a Topic• Continuously Expanded• Used for Writing• Double Page Spread• Skip Lines• Solo/Share/Cross Pollinate
Defining Format: Question, Category, Characteristics
• Defining terms clarifies understanding.• Using the Defining Format makes it easier to
recall definitions coming from the dictionary.• Gets students out of the “thing” habit.• Prepares students to write what they know.
Question Category Characteristics
What is a ____?
A ________ is a(n) that 1) 2) 3)
Define a Key Term in Your Theme (AOF – Money, AOIT – the Internet, AOHT – Sustainable Tourism, AOE - Electricity
A portmanteau (literally, carrier of the coat) is a type of suitcase. Portmanteau words result from two words folded together to make
one word.– bit = binary + digit– intercom = internal +
communication– Internet = international +
network– netiquette = network +
etiquette– pixel = picture + element– telecommuter =
telecommunication + commuter
– telsat = telecommunications + satellite
– transistor = transfer + resister
– autobus = automobile + bus– farewell = fare + ye + well– gasohol = gasoline + alcohol– moped = motor + pedal– motel = motor + hotel– skyjack = sky + hijack– taxicab = taximeter + cabriolet– travelogue = travel + monologue
Teaching Reading Comprehension
The Role of Genre• Enables the reader to anticipate he structure
of text and thereby, quickly locate key information and increase comprehension.
• What are some examples of genres in your theme?
Examples of Theme-Based Literary Genres That Students You Would Expect Students to Learn in NAF Courses
• Examples – All Themes– Essays (Personal, Explanatory,
Persuasive – Research Report– Resumes– Business Letter
• Theme specific Genres• Finance
– Annual Report
• IT– How To Manual
• HT– Marketing Brochure
• Engineering– Work Plan
The Reading Comprehension Teaching Cycle
During reading•Confirm/redefine predictions•Clarify ideas•Construct meaning for each segment of text
After reading•Construct meaningfor a whole passage•Assess achievement of purpose•Consolidate/apply learning
Before reading•Preview Text•Activate/access
knowledge•Focus interest&set purpose
Most Common Reading Comprehension Strategies in the NAF
Curriculum• Anticipation Guide • Key Word Prediction• List-Group-Label• Metacognitive Statements
Writing and Speaking
Writing = Organization
+ Fluency
Write to a Martian
The Writer’s Cycle
What’s On the Website & Some Examples• The NAF Handbook• Lesson plans• Teacher Resources• Student Readings