Beyond the Horizon: Expanding the Literacy Experiences for Disengaged Learners in Grades 4-12

1. Beyond the Horizon: Expanding the Literacy Experiences for Disengaged Learners in Grades 4-12 Leslie Fitzpatrick, 7th Grade ELA Teacher Regina Parker, Biotechnology Teacher Rachael Rovenstine, ESL Specialist Meredith Spry, Literacy Coach Pam White, EC Teacher

3. THIS SESSION WILL FOCUS ON: ENVIRONMENTAL Creating positive learning environments personal Building meaningful relationships with students purposeful Setting a purpose for reading cultural Increasing cultural relevance thoughtful Active Instructional Techniques Increasing Student Engagement

4. ENVIRONMENTAL BEYOND THE NORM

5. Structure, Routines, Expectations, GoalsWhy they’re important? • Consistent schedule & routines communicated regularly and visually = allows them to prepare to transition for what comes next (Johnson, Eva, et al, 2011) • Clear expectations = know what to expect up front (Johnson, Eva, et al, 2011) • Personally important goals = gives motivation to achieve them, especially when they monitor their progress (Margolis & McCabe, 2004) Citation: Johnson, C, Eva, A, Johnson, L, & Walker, B. (2011). Don’t turn away: empowering teachers to support students’ mental health. The Clearing House, 84 (1), 241-249. Margolis, H, & McCabe, P.P. (2004). Self-efficacy: a key to improving the motivation of struggling learners. The Clearing House, 77 (6), 241-249.

6. Structure &Routines Writing Choral Reading Read Aloud Self-Selected Reading Guided Reading  Post a daily schedule Writing

7. Goals & Expectations Post expected & required daily homework Expectations for writing glued into the front of daybooks Help your students set GOALS at the start of the school year and post them in your classroom.

8. CHOICE & EnvironmentWhy they’re important? Struggling learners “will likely invest in activities they find interesting or valuable, if their environment is safe and supportive, and if difficulties do not lead to embarrassment or comparisons with more successful peers.” Create a classroom library Margolis, H, & McCabe, P.P. (2004). Self-efficacy: a key to improving the motivation of struggling learners. The Clearing House, 77 (6), 241-249.

9. Attitude change? fromthentonow

10. ALLOW CHOICES on: • What they write • Self-selected topics & subject matter • No story starters • What they read • Self-Selected Reading • Choices of text within the subject matter - Book Clubs • How they demonstrate content knowledge • Offer various projects • Leave room for them to come up with an idea • Give a rubric, which has the list of required elements to their end product A student shows off his memoir, When I first got my kitten.

11. To reach today’s struggling learners, we need to go…

12. Beyond theNorm

13. PERSONAL BEYOND THE FIRST DAY

14. The foundation of student achievement is teachers’ care. Two-thirds of student achievement is derived from teachers’ care, encouragement, and recognition of student interests.

15. Authentic Care Aesthetic vs. Authentic Caring Aesthetic Care Students do well in their academic classes. Students obey school rules Teachers praise their students for adhering to school rules, and doing well in their classes. relationships exist between teachers and students Teachers learn about their students’ families and communities Community of trust built between teachers, students, and families Example of authentic caring

16. Two things you can use to build Authentic relationships Student Surveys and Interest Inventories Blogging/Social Networking Establish a blog or join an educational social networking site Offer students a venue to freely communicate their thoughts Afford opportunities to further relationships • Provide student surveys and/or interest inventories • Allow the students to voice interests and communicate aspects of their personalities • Afford opportunities to further relationships

17. Examples of Student Survey and Social Networking Student surveys and Interest inventories Blogging/Social Networking Links to social networking sites are on the wiki for Beyond the Horizon: http://beyondthehorizon.wikispaces.com/Regina wackwall Ning Gaggle Hot Blogging article • Example of interest inventory is available on the wiki for Beyond the Horizon: http://beyondthehorizon.wikispaces.com/Regina

18. Researchers stress literacy instruction that capitalizes on students’ interests, prior knowledge, and out-of-school literacy practices, particularly among struggling and reluctant readers and ELLs (Hinchman, Alvermann, Boyd, Brozo, & Vacca, 2004; Peregoy & Boyle, 2000). Teachers can discover students’ interests and gain insight into their personal lives using popular media the classroom (Hass Dyson, 2003; Weinstein, 2007). Social Networking

19. Students on Our Space

20. Students on Our Space

21. Students on Our Space

22. As a Result… • Knowing more about students’ habits allows the teacher to differentiate independent reading and to meet everyone’s needs. Kelly & Clausen-Grace, (2009)

23. PURPOSEFUL BEYOND THE TEXT

24. Setting the purpose No purpose = No comprehension

25. Okay teacher, Why am I reading this? To Answer The Questions vocabulary information writing techniques theme fluency entertainment setting making connections

26. Self-Selected Texts Previewing KWL Sticky notes Questioning Self monitoring

27. Interest Grabbers… • Book trailers • Think like a character • Tea party/Book bits • Anticipation/Reaction guide • Book Talks

28. CULTURAL BEYOND THE BARRIERS

29. Why?

30. What Does it Mean to be Culturally Relevant? • Based on Ladson-Billings work, being culturally relevant means taking education and inserting it into students' cultural lives (Ladson-Billings, 1995).

31. How to Create an Equitable Classroom? • Keep a positive perspective on families • Use the culture to teach • Modify curriculum when needed

32. Culturally Relevant texts

33. THOUGHTFUL BEYOND THE FACTS

34. “Knowing-Doing Gap” Going BEYOND what we know about our CONTENT to what we know about how our STUDENTS learn!

36. Reading for InformationNAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), 2005 • Involves the engagement of the reader with aspects of the real world • Reading for information is most commonly associated with textbooks, primary and secondary sources, newspaper and magazine articles, essays, and speeches. • Some features that distinguish informational text from literary text are organization and the way information is presented.

37. Type Feature Structure

38. I didn’t know that…! Pg# Fact Reader 10 Women had male guardians Brad P. 8 Citizens produced more than 110,000 Angelina J. pds of solid waste every day!

39. 1. One or More Daily Outcomes Today we will…! 2. Two Daily Instructional Practices: Chunking; Student Discussion of Concepts 3. Three Parts of Strategic Lessons: Before; During; After  4. Four Steps in Explicit Instruction: “I Do”; “We Do”; “Y’all Do”; “You Do” 5. Five Daily Components of Active Literacy (Engagement): T Talking W Writing I Investigating R Reading L Listening Five Components of Engaging Lessons

41. QUESTIONS?

42. References • Heckendorn, R. (2006). Building on the three Rs of professionalism. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 152-153. • Herman, D. V., and Marlowe, M. (2005). Modeling meaning in life: The teacher as servant leader. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 14(3), 175-178. • Kelley, M. J. & Clausen-Grace (2009). Facilitating engagement by differentiating independent reading. The Reading Teacher, 63(4), 313-318. • Schiller, J. T. (2009).”These are our children!” An examination of relationship-building practices in urban high schools. Urban Review, 41, 461-485. • Ware, F. (2006). Warm demander pedagogy: Culturally responsive teaching that supports a culture of achievement for African American students. Urban Education, 41(4), 427-456.