Content Reading

1. Content Reading Wendy Otto Pliska

2. Introductory Reflection • Reflect on the questions below, then discuss one or two: • Think about the study strategies you’ve used as a student. What is most effective for you? • What middle and high school classes did you dread? Why? • Have you ever been explicitly taught a study strategy? If yes, by whom? When? Where? • As an adult, when you come across a word you don’t know how to pronounce or whose meaning you don’t know, what do you do? • What (and how) do you read for pleasure? How is that different from how you read to gather information (i.e. textbook, cell phone manual)? • How would you explain the differences between decoding, comprehension, and analysis to a 4th grader? An 11th grader? A parent?

3. Business • Syllabus • Website • Course Registration • Book Signup

4. Class website: Wikispaces

5. Course Registration Info • Course Name: Content Reading • Instructor: Wendy Otto Pliska • Course Number:650-004 • Tuition Amount: $930

6. Adolescent Literacy: A Position Statement • Read the IRA’s position statement on adolescent literacy • In the margins, jot down: • Key ideas for classroom teachers • Key ideas for administrators • Key ideas for reading teachers/specialists • Ideas that surprised you • Questions you have

7. Triple Venn • International Reading Association: www.ira.org • Wisconsin State Reading Association: www.wsra.org

8. Lunch • Please be ready to start at 12:30

9. Welcome Back! • Any lingering questions from this morning? • This afternoon’s topic: • Shifting how we assign and assess reading at the secondary level

10. Key Concepts in Content Reading • Reading must be taught across the curriculum and in all content-area classes; it is not the sole responsibility of the English department nor of the building/district reading specialist • Study skills are an integral part of reading instruction at the middle-high school level; teaching students to comprehend text and then take notes, write about the text, and perform well on tests are all crucial to student success in middle-secondary schools • Reading and learning from text is an interactive process between the text/author, the student, and often the teacher • Most middle and high school content area teachers see themselves as content specialists; in traditional teacher-training programs, the role of the content area teacher in reading instruction has not been emphasized, and many teachers feel unprepared to take on this task • Helping students to learn vocabulary is a struggle in all content areas! • In addition, many middle and high school teachers assume that students have already been taught the necessary reading and study skills; however, this is often not the case. Or, students may have learned appropriate study skills in their earlier grades that no longer apply to their situations in middle or high school • Read-and-test still happens in content area classrooms. • Many struggling readers in middle and high school stop reading altogether because they have learned that their traditional method of reading (skim the text, find the answers, fail the quiz) is ineffective, and they have not learned different, more effective strategies. • Some middle and high school students have masked poor comprehension and analysis skills by becoming good word callers, but decoding and fluency are not good indicators of comprehension

11. Reading Reasons(Kelly Gallagher) • With a partner, brainstorm as many answers as possible to the following question: Why should we read? • Now… try to identify what themes emerged from your list…

12. Why Do We Read? • For pleasure • To escape • For religious reasons • Knowledge is power • To achieve something • For advice • To communicate /share experience (social) • To learn how to do a task • To follow/explore an interest • To become better/grow • To make something • To research • To laugh • Inspiration

13. Reading Reasons(Kelly Gallagher) • Turn and share your list and themes with another group. • Which “reasons” did your two groups share? • Which did you think of independently?

14. Reading Reasons(Kelly Gallagher) Building Blocks: How to “Build” Better Adolescent Readers • Students need access to high-interest reading materials. • Students must have a time to read and a place to read. • Teachers must model the value of reading. • Teachers must stop grading everything. • Teachers must provide structure to a reading program. • Students must want to read; they must see what’s in it for them. From Gallagher, K. (2003). Reading reasons: Motivational mini-lessons for middle and high school. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

15. Reading Reasons(Kelly Gallagher) • Reading Reasons • Reading is rewarding • Reading builds a mature vocabulary • Reading makes you a better writer • Reading is hard, and “hard” is necessary • Reading makes you smarter • Reading prepares you for the world of work • Reading well is financially rewarding • Reading opens the door to college and beyond • Reading arms you against oppression From Gallagher, K. (2003). Reading reasons: Motivational mini-lessons for middle and high school. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

16. Reading Reasons(Kelly Gallagher) What’s the Connection Between Reading and Test Scores?? • In the journal Reading Research Quarterly, Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding* looked at the correlation between the amount of time fifth graders read and their scores on standardized reading exams Anderson, R.C., Wilson, P.T., & Fielding, L.G. (1988). Growth in reading and how children spend their time outside of school. Reading Research Quarterly. 23, 285-303. From Gallagher, K. (2003). Reading reasons: Motivational mini-lessons for middle and high school. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

17. Reading Reasons(Kelly Gallagher) Sample “Reading Reason:” Reading Well is Financially Rewarding • The average lifetime earnings for a student who does not finish high schoolis $936,000 • The average lifetime earnings for a student who does finish high school is $1,216,000 • Therefore, a high school diploma is worth $280,000 ($1,216,000 - $936,000) • Four years of high school (assuming some time off for illness) is approximately 700 days of school • Therefore, students are “paid” $280,000 for 700 days of school • Therefore, students earn $400 per day • Therefore, students earn $100 to attend my class every day (based on a four-block day) • Students who finish college “earn” a lot more per day than that!! If students ask, “then where’s my money?”, the answer is… just like plumbers, doctors, and mechanics, you don’t get paid until the job is done! *data is based on 2000 U.S. Census data, in 1999 dollars From Gallagher, K. (2003). Reading reasons: Motivational mini-lessons for middle and high school. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

18. Planning an Effective Reading Lesson • Identify something you plan to have your students read (textbook, novel, short story, poem, current event article, primary source, instructions, etc.) • Read the selection for yourself. • Then, ask yourself the following four questions: • Without my help, what will my students take from this reading? What can they understand on their own? • With my help, what do I want my students to take from this reading? Keep in mind: • Vocabulary • Students’ background knowledge of the subject • Students’ reading level • Students’ reading attack strategies • What can I do to bridge the gap between what my students would learn on their own and what I want them to learn? What support should I offer during the reading process? • How will I know if my students “get” it? • Use these questions to frame your planning of any reading activity Source: Kelly Gallagher, Magnolia High School, Anaheim Union High School District, kellygallagher@cox.net. Adapted from the handout “Building Deeper Readers” from the WSRA Adolescent Literacy Workshop, September 27, 2008, Waukesha, WI.

19. Starting with the End in Mind • How do we know if our students are getting what they need out of our reading? • What do our comprehension and critical thinking questions really assess? • How can we do it better?

20. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Improve Reading Comprehension AND Critical Thinking From http://www.whenlilacs.com/bloom.htm

21. Are we really assessing what we think we are assessing? • Read “The Jabberwocky” and answer the questions the follow. • Reflect on what the experience tells you about traditional “comprehension” questions

22. How do we get beyond “recall?” • Critical Thinking Questions • AND… • Text-Based Evidence (CCSS/Smarter Balanced!)

23. Tomorrow’s Topics: • How literacy is changing • Introduction to Disciplinary Literacy • 21st Century Literacy • Before, During, and After-reading Strategies: Overview • Focus on Before Reading: • Vocabulary Acquisition • Building Background Knowledge

24. Class Wrap-Up • Reminder: To Do’s for Week: • Tomorrow: choose a technology article from the wiki • Weds: be prepared to discuss first journal article review & bring your choice of strategies from AdLit or WI DPI DL site • Thurs: 2nd journal article review & your choice of Gender / Reading article from wiki • Fri: book review

25. Class Wrap-Up • The rest of our time until 5:00 is time for you to work on your projects and consult with me if needed…stay as long as you need. • Tomorrow we meet in room 206/208 • See you at 8:00!

26. Welcome Back! Tuesday’s Topics: • How literacy is changing • Introduction to Disciplinary Literacy • 21st Century Literacy • Before, During, and After-reading Strategies: Overview • Focus on Before Reading: • Vocabulary Acquisition • Building Background Knowledge

27. This morning’s focus: • How is our understanding of Adolescent Literacy changing? • Disciplinary Literacy vs. Content Reading • The impact of technology on reading

28. Foregrounding the Disciplines in Secondary Literacy Teaching and Learning: A Call for Change • Read Elizabeth Birr Moje’s call for disciplinary literacy • In the margins, jot down: • Key ideas for classroom teachers • Key ideas for administrators • Key ideas for reading teachers/instructional coaches • Ideas that surprised you • Questions you have

29. Discuss Moje’s Article • With the person sitting next to you… • Create a working definition of Disciplinary Literacy • Plan how you would explain this concept to staff members

30. WI DPI Disciplinary Literacy Resources • http://standards.dpi.wi.gov/stn_disciplinaryliteracy • Separate Disciplinary Literacy Powerpoint

31. Break • Please be ready to start in ten minutes

32. 21st Century Literacy:Discussion Questions • How does technology affect literacy? • How have you used electronic texts as part of your teaching or learning? What are the most effective practices that you have found? • How can you help students who are enthusiastic about using the Internet also draw upon print resources and online databases?

33. 21st Century Literacy:Wikipedia Article • What is your experience (if any) with Wikipedia? • What have you heard from parents, colleagues, and/or students about Wikipedia? • What reservations, if any, do you have about its use?

34. 21st Century Literacy: • Please read the article titled “Irish Student Hoaxes Media” • Be ready to discuss the possible implications for teachers

35. 21st Century Literacy:Wikipedia Article • Will you allow students to use Wikipedia? With which (if any) restrictions or guidelines?

36. 21st Century Literacy:Article Jigsaw • Read your article and be ready to discuss the following by 11:15: • What does this article tell you about “21st century literacy?” • What are the implications for classroom instruction? • What would you like to share with your administration, parents, and coworkers?

37. 21st Century Literacy:Evaluating Websites It’s crucial that we teach kids HOW to evaluate websites (which are good to use vs. which are best left alone!)

38. 21st Century Literacy:Evaluating Websites (cont’d) • A good activity was created by librarians at the University of Albany: http://library.albany.edu/usered/webeval/ • Teach students to look for: • Author • Audience • Scholarship • Bias • Currency • Links

39. LUNCH • Please be ready to start at 12:45

40. Reading in the Content Areas: Before, During, and After Strategies • The keys to comprehension are: • the activation of prior or background knowledge, • active engagement in the content, • and metacognition. • In essence, these three categories cover the • BEFORE, • DURING, • and AFTER • of content reading.

41. Teacher-Guided Before Activating what students already know about the text Providing important background information Explaining conventions, techniques, and vocabulary Setting purpose(s) for reading During Modeling the strategies effective readers use Guiding with questions and activities After Encouraging initial responses Discussing and developing interpretations Analyzing, clarifying, and extending Evaluating Student-Led Before What do I know about the topic? What do I need to know? What is the organization of the text? What is my purpose for reading? What might I learn from this reading? During Do I understand what I am reading? Does it make sense? What will I learn about next? Do I picture in my mind what I am reading? What in my personal experience helps me to make sense of what I am reading? Do I make changes if things do not make sense? After What do I think? How did this affect me? What did I learn that was new to me? Reading in the Content Areas: Before, During, and After Strategies From http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/ela20/teach5.html

42. Before-Reading Strategies: Finding Purpose Read “The House” Highlight all important information

43. Before-Reading Strategies: Finding Purpose Read “The House” Highlight all information that would be useful for a real-estate agent to know

44. Before-Reading Strategies: Finding Purpose Read “The House” Highlight all information that would be useful for a burglar to know

45. Before-Reading Strategies: Finding Purpose

46. Before Reading Strategies: Building Background Knowledge A Poem With hocked gems financing himOur hero bravely defied all scornful laughterThat tried to prevent his scheme Your eyes deceive he had said An egg Not a table Now three sturdy sisters sought proofForging along sometimes through calm vastness Yet more often through turbulent peaks and valleys Days became weeks As many doubters spread Fearful rumours about the edge At last from nowhere Welcoming winged creatures appeared Signifying momentous success Adapted from: Dooling and Lachman (1971). Journal of Experimental Psychology (88)2: 216‐22. and http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/frontier/hthcv/38.htm. Inspired by a presentation by Kelly Gallagher at WSRA, September 27, 2008.

47. Before Reading Strategies: Building Background Knowledge

48. Primary Problem: Freshmen were reading To Kill a Mockingbird before they studied 20th Century US History No background knowledge of segregation, lynching, etc. Secondary Problem: Our kids don’t read enough poetry Solution: Front-load a mini-unit on segregation before beginning TKAM Article jigsaw on Civil Rights topics Read book of poetry about the lynching of Emmett Till Before Reading Strategies: Building Background Knowledge

49. Before Reading Strategies: Building Background Knowledge

50. Primary Problem: Freshmen were reading Copper Sun without background knowledge of the slave trade Secondary Problem: Not enough exposure to multiple sources, especially current event articles and primary sources Solution: Front-load a 2-day “center” activity before beginning the novel Students rotate through centers, reading information on: Maps Primary sources re: the slave trade and the Middle Passage Current event articles re: human trafficking Poems, art, and fiction about the slave trade Before Reading Strategies: Building Background Knowledge