180 likes | 360 Views
Salmen High School. Principal Byron Williams Assistant Principal Glen Walden Assistant Principal Terri Wortmann 9 th Grade Coordinator Toni Rich. 300 Spartan Drive Slidell, LA Population 806 9 th Grade Academy 176 Reading Program 21. Why do we have a reading course in high school? .
E N D
Salmen High School Principal Byron Williams Assistant Principal Glen Walden Assistant Principal Terri Wortmann 9th Grade Coordinator Toni Rich 300 Spartan Drive Slidell, LA Population 806 9th Grade Academy 176 Reading Program 21
Why do we have a reading course in high school? • During the 2006-2007 school year, the Whole Faculty Study Groups focused on Working on the Work. • Groups discussed the need for engaging student work • Groups discussed the need to make work relevant • Groups discussed the need for Literacy • Literacy Team discussed 9th Grade I-Leap scores and found that 97 students scored Unsatisfactory or Approaching Basic With those needs discovered, the School Improvement Committee decided to make the 2007-2008 goal …Literacy.
Goal of Literacy • Literacy Focus • How do we address the needs as a faculty? • Whole Faculty Study Groups (WFSG) are composed of 5 to 7 faculty members from a variety of curricular areas. • Cross Curricular members open the discussion • Cross Curricular members bring new ideas to the table • WFSG read and discuss articles on incorporating literacy strategies into the content areas. • WFSG share strategies from lessons. • Staff include Literacy goals and activities in weekly lesson plans.
Goal of Literacy • Development of a Reading class for regular high school students. • Areas of concern • Which grade level is eligible? • How do you select the students needing the course? • Which program do you adopt? • Who will teach the course?
Which grade level is eligible? • Started with the 9th grade class • Felt the 9th Grade Academy made most sense • Get students early in High School career • Students most at risk to drop out • Funded from the 8G 9th Grade Redesign Grant • Received Literacy Coach staff position from district
Student Selection • Selected students for reading class based on 8th Grade LEAP scores • All regular education students earning Unsatisfactory and Approaching Basic were scheduled into the course • Students are not “singled” out due placement in this course – course takes place of elective class • Students receive an elective credit
Which Program to adopt? • Reviewed the list of literacy programs available and authorized by the State Department. • Narrowed the list to those programs with high school levels • Discussed the programs with the parish ELA Curriculum Specialists • Contacted companies • Presentations made by companies at the school site
Adopted Program • Voyager Passport Reading Journeys • Reasons chosen • Engaging for the students • Quick paced • Expeditions, units, are 10 days in length. • Students are provided anthologies, work books, vocabulary books, and a lexile level library. • Students have access to the Voyager website, SOLO • utilize 2 of the 10 days • Provides additional exercises
Passport Journeys Overview Targets students who have significantly low scores in reading Provides explicit, systematic, scaffolded reading instruction in Whole group Small group Includes age-appropriate instruction Employs high-interest content in a visual, interactive format DVD segments for each Expedition Technology component (SOLO) Integrates with a comprehensive assessment system
Two Week Lesson Plans Lessons 1-5 Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 • Advanced • Word • Study • (10 minutes) • Before • Reading • (15 minutes) • Reading • (20 minutes) • After Reading • (5 minutes) Before Reading (10 minutes) Reading (15 minutes) After Reading (10 minutes) Journeys Library or Word Study (15 minutes) SOLO Independent Guided Reading and Vocabulary Practice (50 minutes) Before Reading (10 minutes) Reading (15 minutes) After Reading (10 minutes) Journeys Library or Word Study (15 minutes) Advanced Word Study (10 minutes) Before Reading (15 Minutes) Reading (20 minutes) After Reading (5 minutes)
Two Week Lesson Plans Lessons 6-10 Lesson 6 Lesson 7 Lesson 8 Lesson 9 Lesson 10 • Advanced • Word • Study • (10 minutes) • Before • Reading • (15 Minutes) • Reading • (20 minutes) • After Reading • (5 minutes) Advanced Word Study (10 minutes) Before Reading (15 Minutes) Reading (20 minutes) After Reading (5 minutes) Before Reading (20 minutes) Assessment (25 minutes) Expedition Wrap-up (5 minutes) SOLO Independent Guided Reading and Vocabulary Practice (50 minutes) Before Reading (10 minutes) Reading (15 minutes) After Reading (10 minutes) Journeys Library or Word Study (15 minutes)
Strategic Online Learning Opportunities (SOLO) SOLO Vocabulary Previewing Main Idea
SOLO Additional SOLO activities Questioning Summarization
Results Reading Connected Text (Fluency Rates) 3rd Period Benchmark 2 - 123.4 Benchmark 3 - 127.5 Increase of 3.32% (after 5 expeditions)
Results Reading Connected Text (Fluency Rates)5th Period Benchmark 2 - 129.9 Benchmark 3 - 133.3 Increase of 2.62% (After 5 expeditions)
Results Reading Benchmarks (Comprehension and Vocabulary Assessment) scores 3rd Period Benchmark 2 - 865.6 Benchmark 3 - 880.6 Increase of 1.73% (After 5 expeditions)
Results Reading Benchmarks (Comprehension and Vocabulary Assessment)5th Period Benchmark 2 - 853.3 Benchmark 3 - 868.8 Increase of 1.78% (After 5 expeditions)
Student Comments “I was afraid people would call me stupid for being in the class, but I was wrong. People are jealous because we have so much fun in Reading class.” – 15 year old female student “I think the Voyager program is good because we do group work and listen to Mrs. Rich’s brain work*.” -15 year old male student *Teachers model reading by explaining their thought process