“The whole purpose of education is to turn

mirrors into windows.”

Sydney J. Harris

Connecting with Connecting with LiteratureLiterature

presentspresents

Engage

Motivate

Challenge

1. High school graduates, college instructors, and employers agree that students are significantly underprepared in writing and math.

2. Areas in which there are gaps include graduates’ abilities to read and understand complicated material, think analytically, apply what they learn to real-world problems, and communicate orally.

3. A low percentage of graduates surveyed said they were challenged in high school. A large majority of graduates said they would have worked harder in high school if more challenging courses had been offered.

*Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies prepared for Achieve, Inc., Feb. 2005.

Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates Prepared for College and Work?

A Study of Recent High School Graduates, College Instructors, and Employers.*

Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates Prepared for College and Work?

A Study of Recent High School Graduates, College Instructors, and Employers.*

Preparing Students for College and Work

“…a strong positive relationship exists between the amount

and kind of high school coursework students take and their

readiness for college. The more courses students take and

the more challenging those courses, the more likely these

students will be college ready and will persist to a college

degree.”

(Crisis at the Core; Preparing All Students for College.)J. David Armstrong, Jr., Chancellor Division of Community Colleges and Workforce

Education; Cheri Pierson Yecke, Ph.D, Chancellor, K-12 April 18, 2006, Florida Department of Education

Closing the Gap Between High School Graduation and College Readiness

Closing the Gap Between High School Graduation and College Readiness

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”

Sydney J. Harris

Connecting with Connecting with LiteratureLiterature

Great Great Selections Selections in Literaturein Literature• Relevant

“Getting It Right at Ground Zero”

by Rudolph Giuliani / “Land of the Living” by Lucy Kaplansky /

“On This Day in 2001” by Garrison Keillor

“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

• High-Interest

• Classic

“The Ravine” by Graham Salisbury

• Contemporary “Learning to Love America” by Shirley Geok-Lin Lim

“The Rising of the Moon” by Lady Augusta Gregory

“Catch the Moon” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

from The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

• Engaging and motivating readers with three types of connections to the text

• Three levels of reading support: guided, directed, independent

• Gradual release of responsibility leads students to become independent learners

• Assessment practice after selections (gr. 9-12) and at end of unit (all grades)

Grades 6-10 Key FeaturesGrades 6-10 Key Features

1. Text-to-Self Connections Reader’s Context questions before reading Mirrors & Windows questions after reading

2. Text-to-Text Connections (three types)Informational Text ConnectionPrimary Source ConnectionsLiterature Connections

3. Text-to-World Connections (cross–curricular)Science CultureHistory World HistoryLiterary HumanitiesSocial Studies

Connecting with Literature Three types of connections:

Connecting with Literature Three types of connections:

• Eight units• Emphasis on theme (“Meeting the Unexpected,”

“Facing Challenges,” etc.)• Highlighting genre within each theme

– Two units on fiction– Two units on nonfiction (literary and

informational)– Two units on poetry– One unit on drama– One unit on the oral tradition

• Introducing independent reading at the end of each unit

Grades 6, 7, 8: Contents in Brief

Grades 6, 7, 8: Contents in Brief

• Six units• Emphasis on genre

– Unit 1: Fiction– Unit 2: Nonfiction– Unit 3: Poetry– Unit 4: Drama– Unit 5: Folk Literature

• Emphasis on independent reading– Unit 6: Independent Reading (Strategies and Skills)– Units 1-5 end with a collection of independent

readings organized by theme

Grades 9-10: Contents in Brief

Grades 9-10: Contents in Brief

A. Guided Reading (ATE Red background)1. Model–“The Open Window”2. Understanding the Plot–3 selections

B. Directed Reading (ATE Blue background)1. Understanding Point of View—2 selections

2. Understanding Character—2 selections 3. Understanding Setting—3 selections 4. Understanding Theme—3 selections

C. Independent Reading (ATE Green background) 1. Theme: Choices 2. Twelve selections

Gradual Release in Grade 10, Unit 1: Fiction

Gradual Release in Grade 10, Unit 1: Fiction

Develop Critical ThinkingDevelop Critical ThinkingRevised Bloom’s Taxonomy

Mirrors & Windows Middle School Program

Mirrors & Windows High School Program

Remembering Find Meaning:(Remember)

Refer to Text: (Remember)

Understanding (Understand) Reason with Text: Understand

Applying Make Judgments: (Apply)

Apply

Analyzing (Analyze) Analyze

Evaluating (Evaluate) Evaluate

Creating (Create) Create

Critical Thinking SkillsCritical Thinking Skills

Expert Writing ModelsExpert Writing Models

End-of-Unit: For Your

Reading List

*EMC Access Editions featured at appropriate

grade levels

End-of-Unit: For Your

Reading List

*EMC Access Editions featured at appropriate

grade levels

EMC Titles Lexile Level *

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 990L

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 950L

• All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque 830L

• The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver 900L

• The Call of the Wild by Jack London 1120L

• Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton 1160L

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 1170L

• The Giver by Lois Lowry 760L

• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 1200L

• Hamlet by Shakespeare NP*

• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen 1020L

• High Elk’s Treasure by Virginia Driving Sneve 820L

• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 890L

• Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes 800L

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare NP*

• My Ántonia by Willa Cather 1010L

• Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya 900L

• Night by Elie Wiesel 590L

• Othello by William Shakespeare 1370L

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Access Edition Lexile Reading Levels Available

Access Edition Lexile Reading Levels Available

• Emphasis on chronology & literary analysis• Nine units divided into parts based on theme or

literary movements• Highlights

– Understanding Literary Forms– Author Focus– Comparing Literature– Understanding Literary Criticism– Literature of the Americas (Grade 11) and Literature of

the World (Grade 12)– Development of the English Language (Grade 12)

• Independent readings at the end of each part

Grades 11-12: Contents in Brief

Grades 11-12: Contents in Brief

• Chronological organization: Time periods divided into parts based on themes and literary movements

• In-depth literature study: Author Focus & Understanding Literary Forms

• Emphasis on literary analysis: Comparing Literature and Understanding Literary Criticism Assessment practice after selections and at end of unit

Grades 11-12 Key FeaturesGrades 11-12 Key Features

Unit OpenerUnit Opener

Grade 11, The Modern Era (Unit 5)

Time Lines cover Literature, American, and World HistoryTime Lines cover Literature, American, and World History

Grade 11, The Modern Era (Unit 5)

Author FocusAuthor Focus

Grade 11, The Modern Era (Unit 5)

Understanding Literary FormsUnderstanding Literary Forms

Grade 11, The Modern Era (Unit 5)

Focus on the NovelFocus on the Novel

Grade 11, The Modern Era (Unit 5)

Understanding Literary CriticismUnderstanding Literary Criticism

Understanding Literary Criticism workshops focus on six major theories of criticism.

1. Reader-response criticism

2. Biographical-historical criticism

3. Psychological criticism

4. Political criticism

5. Sociological criticism

6. Feminist-Gender criticism

Understanding Literary CriticismUnderstanding Literary Criticism

Grade 11, Expanding Frontiers (Unit 4)

Comparing LiteratureComparing Literature

Grade 11, The Modern Era (Unit 5)

Multiple Selections by AuthorsMultiple Selections by Authors

Rigorous Literary TopicsRigorous Literary Topics

• Grammar and Style• Vocabulary and Spelling• Comparing Literature• Connections• End-of-Unit materials

– For Your Reading List– Speaking and Listening Workshop– Writing Workshop– Test-Taking Workshop

Other Features within the UnitOther Features within the Unit

Meeting the StandardsMeeting the Standards

“The whole purpose of education is to turn

mirrors into windows.”

Sydney J. Harris

Connecting with Connecting with LiteratureLiterature

Make it happen.Make it happen.