A Balanced Approach to Literacy: Building Readers in the Content Areas

1. A Balanced Approach to Literacy: Building Readers in the Content Areas TELLAS Summer Institute Shannon Trejo Principal, Milstead Middle School Pasadena ISD

2. Why Consider a Change? A small group of committed people can change the world; and indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does. -Margaret Mead

3. Did You Know?

4. "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Albert Einstein

5. What does the research say? • Comprehension is not increasing, but students are expected to read complex, technical material in order to be successful in the workforce. • Students in the U.S. are scoring lower than students in other comparable nations. This is especially evident in understanding discipline-specific content. • There continues to be an achievement gap. • Teachers are not prepared to teach literacy strategies that are necessary for students’ comprehension of content-specific text. • There is little empirical data to support some of the programs that are being implemented within many of the secondary schools. RAND 2002 – Reading Study Group Excerpts

6. How do we find the answers? All Classrooms need… • Access to a variety of reading material • Skill building instruction that creates an interest in more complex reading material. • Highly quality assessments that indicate weaknesses and strengths of students and the professional learning needs of teachers. • Highly skilled teachers who model and explicitly teach reading comprehension and study strategies across content areas. • Reading specialists who apply explicit instructional strategies for the struggling reader.

7. What is a Balanced Approach to Literacy? • 4 key Components • Gradual Release • Workshop Approach (Reading, Writing and Word Study) • Rigorous and Relevant • Teacher is the most important element!

8. Gradual Release Model Four kinds of reading/writing and Four levels of support. TO WITH BY

9. What is a Workshop Approach? An organized set of language and literary experiences (typically, a mini-lesson, variety of grouping (small, large, individual, conferring and sharing with peers/teacher) designed to help students to become more effective readers and writers in any content area.

10. Translate effective instruction into a classroom framework Workshop Approach for the Content Areas Explicit Instruction in Reading Strategies that facilitates greater access to content objectives. Large blocks of time for extended reading and writing about content area topics Immersion of print of every genre Accessible Resources including: organized books baskets, charts, computers, pens, clipboards, sticky notes, journals, notebooks, reference materials Opportunities for readers to read and practice strategies in self selected text that they are able to read. Continuing opportunities for teacher and peer response

11. Components of Integrated Literacy

12. Timeline for Training and Implementation

13. Sample Activity – The Big Fitz • Navigating Non Fiction using Inferencing

14. 212° - The Extra Degree At 211 degrees, water is hot… At 212 degrees, IT BOILS!!

15. Eleanor Roosevelt Every effort must be made in childhood to teach the young to use their own minds. For one thing is sure; If they don’t make up their own minds, someone else will do it for them.