Strategic Reading in the Content Areas: Train the Trainer

1. Strategic Reading in the Content Areas: Train the Trainer Terri Sessoms International Center for Leadership in Education

2. Purpose Call to Action Survival Tools and Framework Leadership Training for Leaders Assist education leaders to understand the need for placing greater emphasis on strategic reading instruction at middle and high school levels.

3. No Child Left Behind • Provide focus upon student progress across all groups of learners.

4. Desired Outcomes • Leaders will be empowered to initiate a vigorous instructional focus on strategic reading – the reading skills and strategies that promote information literacy across all subjects and functional areas as study skills, test taking, and literacy for the world beyond school.

5. Desired Outcomes • Students will be empowered with the skill needed to succeed – the ability to process information effectively. • Changes in content area instruction will be reflected in strategies that will serve the vast majority of students by incorporating reading skills instruction across the curriculum.

6. Not Our Purpose… • Not here to turn content teachers into full time reading teachers. • These comprehension strategies help students better understand your course content which leads to improved content achievement (EOC).

7. Research Shows… • Research shows that if content teachers use these strategies 15-20 minutes (a couple of times each week) students increase reading levels and significantly improve performance on content area standardized testing.

8. Myths vs. Facts • Reading as a Homework Assignment = home visits • Blame • Partners and Cooperative Learning • Walk and Talk • Inside/Outside Circles • A/B Partners

9. What’s the Big Deal About Content Area Reading? Trading Spaces…

10. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between depression screening and the model variables hypothesized to be predictive of screening behavior. For this analysis, all significant variables from the bivariate analysis were entered into the regression as dichotomous variables.

11. Challenges to Reading and Information Gathering in the Content Areas: • Concept Density – more ideas and skills in less time • Specialized Vocabulary - unique and multiple meanings • Readability – higher than student skill levels • Length – longer and more comprehensive • Graphs/Charts/Maps – complex information • Non-Print Sources – online information

12. Poor Readers Think understanding occurs from “getting the words right”. Successful Readers Understand that they must take responsibility for constructing meaning using prior knowledge. Characteristics of Poor and Successful Readers:

13. Poor Readers Use strategies such as rote memorization, rehearsal, simple categorization (test and forget). Successful Readers Develop repertoire of reading strategies, organizational patterns, and genre. Characteristics of Poor and Successful Readers:

14. Poor Readers Successful Readers Think strategically, plan, monitor their comprehension, and revise their strategies. Characteristics of Poor and Successful Readers:

15. Poor Readers Successful Readers They have strategies for what to do when they do not comprehend. Characteristics of Poor and Successful Readers:

16. Poor Readers Have a relatively low self esteem. Successful Readers Have self confidence that they are effective learners. Characteristics of Poor and Successful Readers:

17. Poor Readers Have a relatively low self esteem. Successful Readers See themselves as agents able to actualize their potential. Characteristics of Poor and Successful Readers:

18. Today’s schools DO NOT directly these comprehension strategies and skills beyond the6th Grade.

19. Reasons for Raising Reading Requirements • Reading levels of college freshman text is often lower than workplace text levels. Test benchmarks/standards are too low for workplace entry level reading requirements (auto tech, administrative assistants,

20. Customer Focus • U.S. Dept. of Education states there are 2 types of reading All workers must be able to do: 1. Comprehend reading materials related to daily core job responsibilities. 2. Read occupational materials related to organizations, trade journals, etc.

21. Adult Reading and Literacy Roles • The 2002 National Assessment of Adult Literacy defines literacy as: using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.

22. Lexile Chart w/ Jobs (pg. 69-71 Leading with Reading) Average high school graduate is 1150L Job Reading Requirements Surveyor 1370L Draftsperson 1480L Farm Mechanic 1010L Farmer 1210 Hotel Manager 1230 Housekeeper 910L

23. Earning Potential as Relates to Lexile Levels • Between 1000 and 1300L, each additional 150 of reading ability doubles the income expectations of the worker. • Do you want your children living at home with you? READ! • Students below 1000 will not succeed in the workplace.

24. Testing Standards Debate • Proficiency should not be based upon perceptions of what children can or cannot do, but upon the reading and information proficiencies demanded by the workplace.

25. Workplace Expectations • *Learning to Learn • *Listening and Oral Communication • *Competencies in Reading, Writing, and Computation • *Adaptability thru Creative Thinking and Problem Solving *Personal Management *Group Interpersonal Skills & Teamwork *Organizational Effectiveness & Leadership

26. What’s the Best Way to Improve Reading Performance? Research Says… Teach Reading through Content Areas • Students read rather than teacher lecture • Challenge all Readers (Even the Best) • Expose to new vocabulary • Expose to difficult syntax • Expose to challenging literary features • Monitor constantly (Reading Logs, class selections, etc.)

27. What Works Best in Schools? Why Can’t the English Teachers Do it All? Marzano says… • Involve students in a program of wide reading that emphasizes vocabulary development. • Content Reading – Wide reading opportunities each day in different subject areas exposes student to many more words than basal reader or direct vocabulary list instruction (750 – 1500 words vs. 350 words per year).

28. Research on Effects of Poverty on Learning… • Students from Poverty enter kindergarten with one half of the speaking and listening vocabulary that their other classmates bring to school. • Students from Poverty “don’t get out much” – background information and vocabulary. • By the time students from Poverty enter 9th grade, they have one fourth the vocabulary that their classmates have.

29. Content Area Terms/Vocabulary • Provide direct instruction in vocabulary terms and phrases that are important to specific subject matter content. • Exposes student to content rich vocabulary which is directly taught ahead of time to build comprehension. • Exposure to integrated and application based vocabulary (higher levels than traditional text book vocabulary) which is directly taught as needed (mini lesson, glossary, dictionary, etc.).

30. Students Read Text All Day, Everyday • Not just for Reading and English teachers anymore. • Improved Content Achievement goes Hand in Hand with Reading Achievement. • At Risk students should be reading at or below level at least 3 times per day across content areas.

31. Which paradigm will get our kids where they need to be? • We’re going the wrong way, but we’re making good time. • Change is good as long as it doesn’t affect me? • Kids Need to Be Working Harder Than We Do? (How are we spending the only instructional time we have with students?)

32. Successful Strategies • Content Area Teachers Needed • Natural setting for informational reading • Successful Strategies Needed • Strategic Reading in the Content Areas: Boosting Achievement in Grades 7-12 • Good Leadership Needed – YOU!

33. Writing Improves Reading and Content Comprehension • At Risk students should be writing about what they have read and learned at least 3 times per day (math, careers, science, social studies, etc.). • Strategies in Handbook are perfect for both reading and writing.

34. Most Effective Learning Strategies – McRel • Identifying Similarities and Differences • Classification, Categorization • Summarizing/Notetaking • Cooperative Learning • Graphic Organizers • Providing Appropriate Practice (Guided & Independent) • Setting Objectives and Providing Meaningful Feedback • Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition

35. Learning Activity Retention Amount of Transfer Teach Others/Use Learning 90% Practice & Real Application 75% 50% Discussion Group 30% Demonstration 20% Audio Visual 10% Reading Lecture 5% William Glasser, The Quality School

36. Framework for Lesson Planning (Reading thru Content Areas) • Before Reading • During Reading • After Reading

37. Before Reading • Activating background knowledge • Investigating Text Structure • Setting a Purpose for Reading • Predicting text content • Reviewing and Clarifying Vocabulary

38. During Reading • Establishing the purpose for each part of the reading • Self-Monitoring • Visualizing • Summarizing • Confirming, rejecting predictions • Identifying and clarifying key ideas • Questioning self

39. After Reading • Assessing if purpose of reading was met • Paraphrasing important information • Identifying the main idea and details • Making comparisons • Connecting • Drawing conclusions • Summarizing • Analyzing

40. Connections to the Strategies… • Discipline Applications • McRel Connections • Values for Students • Workplace Connections

41. Strategies from Kit • Affinity – pg. 111 • Anticipation Guides –pg. 117 • Fishbone – pg. 154 • Cloze – pg. 122 • Paraphrasing – pg. 184 (Text pg. 213) • Concept Definition Map – pg. 129 • Cornell Graphic Organizer - 137 • Minute Paper – pg. 173 • RAFT – Pg. 201 • Tips on Reading Specific Text – pg. 271-327 • Glossary, References, Lexile Library – pg. 331-343

42. Generate Examples of Text for Your Content Area… • Take 5 minutes with your table and generate the different types of text your students can use to better understand the content you teach. • Examples: textbook, rules, steps/procedure • Appoint a reporter. • Share Out

43. Affinity Diagram POST ITS - Work in silence. Use phrases or sentences to answer the question. PLACE IN CATEGORIES - Work in silence. Group like “post its” together. LABEL CATEGORIES - Talk as a team and use phrases to label the categories.

44. Teacher to Teacher • Values of strategy • (Marzano and Glasser) • Increase ALT (Academic Learning Time) • Determine a piece of text and topic that you can use this strategy with next week. • Share out & Record

45. Trainer to Trainer • Materials you will need: • Generate examples for people you will train:

46. Trainer to Trainer • Anticipate questions/responses: • Responses to these:

47. Trainer to Trainer • Use each strategy in your own classroom before you train to generate student products to share with the teachers you work with. • Share one or two new strategies each time within your own department. Have them try out and bring in their own student products to share at next training session.

48. Anticipation Guide • Identify concepts you want students to learn from the reading • Create 4-6 statements that support or challenge beliefs or experiences • Have students check whether they agree or disagree with each statement prior to reading the selection

49. Anticipation Guides • Have students explain their responses to each statement • Have students read the selection to find evidence that either supports or disconfirms each statement • Have students rewrite false statements to make them true (individually, partners, or whole group • Discuss what was learned from reading

50. Text: Generalization or PrincipleEvery composite number can be written as a product of prime numbers Anticipation Guide (D, A, NS) ___ 20 = 2 X 2 X 5 ____ 14 = 3 + 11 ___39 = 3 X 13 ____154=2 X 7 X 11 ___36 = 3 X 12