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