Content Reading/Writing Final

What is THE BEST reading comprehension strategy to teach?

"The National Reading Panel (2000) regards the need for multiple comprehension strategies instruction as its most important finding"

Where does writing fit in?

"Writing, like reading, is a means of clarifying, refining, and extending one's internalization of content" (McKenna and Robinson, 2014, p. 7) Writing is a tool for acquiring content

What types of writing will students do in your class? What skills do they need to possess to be successful at these writing tasks? What writing strategies can you teach them to develop those skills?

(English) Analytical writing, creative writing (poetry, memoir, short story, etc.), portfolio Skills: Research, brainstorming, textual analysis, making inferences, drawing conclusions, grammar Strategies: Teaching grammar in context (code-switching), writing workshops, paraphrasing (translating passages), mentor texts (employing a template), sentence-combining, free-writing, student-teacher conferences

What are specific strategies to assist students with asking & answering questions?

1) Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA): 2) Reciprocal Teaching 3) Questioning the Author (QTA): 4) Elaborative Interrogation 5) Question-Answer Relationship (QAR)

Cognitive components of content literacy

1) General literacy skills and strategies 2) Prior knowledge of content 3) Content specific skills and strategies. *1 and 2 are the factors with the greatest influence on learning through text.

What information does a CARI yield?

1) Indicator of how students interact with text materials in content areas 2) Allows for teacher observation of work habits and student behavior. 3) Allows for teachers to estimate their students abilities to comprehend text material at different levels of comprehension.

4 Levels of Knowledge

1) Never seen or heard word before 2)Have seen/heard, but don't know meaning (but CAN develop) 3) Vaguely know meaning; can associate with concept/context 4) Know well; can explain and use it; knows full and precise meaning

How do you implement the CARI?

1) Once you have designed the student response sheet and the answer sheet, give the student response sheet to the students. Have them time themselves as they read the passage out of the book. 2) Once they have read the passage, have them close the book and answer the first question. They can use the book to answer the remaining questions. 3) As they read and answer the questions, note their reading behaviors and skills. 4) Go over the answers with the students.

What are the critical components of an effective vocab program?

1) Wide or extensive independent reading 2) Instruction in specific words to enhance comprehension of texts containing those words 3) Instruction in independent word-learning strategies 4) Word consciousness and word-play activities to motivate and enhance learning 5) Multiple exposures to words and word meanings 6) Opportunities to learn how words are conceptually related to one another in texts

Workplace literacy

Ability to apply general learning strategies across a variety of settings Reading: must be able to set own specific purposes for reading and choose reading strategies to achieve those purposes. Writing: must be able to analyze, synthesize, predict, and persuade rather than just inform *Requires knowledge of specific skills *Highly specialized literacy requirements. Tool for job performance

Good readers are:

Active Purposeful Evaluative Thoughtful Strategic Persistent Productive

How can writing be used to assess comprehension? Enhance comprehension? How can writing be paired with each type/category of comprehension strategy?

Assess: Students can write their answers to inferential/applied questions, summaries, letters to the author, etc. Writing enhances comprehension because it is a form of thinking and processing (think about informal writing especially, see below in fluency) students can actually write down their predictions, answers to their own questions, notes as they follow along (think Cornell notes). can write down their summaries and clarifications (Reciprocal teaching) and write journal entries about what they read and their personal responses to it (see suggestions on writing in Fluency section as well). Can also write more formally

Critical note

Captures the reader's response to the author's thesis ("So what" question)

How do you construct a CARI?

Content Area Reading Inventory 1) Select an appropriate reading selection from the second fifty pages of the textbook. 2) Count the total number of words in the selection 3) Read the excerpt and formulate 10- 12 comprehension questions. Be sure to include the open-ended question: "What was the passage about?"as the first question. Then, develop at least 3 questions at the literal, inferential, and applied levels. 4) Prepare a student response sheet. Include a space for students to record their start and stop time for reading the selection. 5) Answer the questions

Difference between content knowledge and content literacy

Content knowledge is the basis or list of what one knows. Content literacy is possessing the skills necessary to obtain new information and build upon that content knowledge in a given discipline, through reading and writing

What are specific strategies you can use to spark interest in and curiosity about your content?

Create a print-rich environment Have a wide range of reading materials available (genres, levels) Give students a chance to read Read aloud to students (relevant articles) Vary teaching methods Make class reading and discussions relevant to their lives and interests Provide choices when possible Look for interdisciplinary connections Make sure to appropriately challenge all students Assign projects and group work that allow for collaboration and social interaction Make sure your instruction is engaging and relevant

What do good readers do?

Decode words Read fluently Use comprehension strategies → repair misunderstanding Activate vocabulary knowledge

What are the "steps" of explicit instruction?

Direct explanation Model ("I do) guided practice ("we do") independent practice ("you do")

Elements of an effective adolescent literacy program

Direct, explicit comprehension instruction Effective instructional principles embedded in content Motivation and self-directed learning Text-based collaborative learning Strategic tutoring as needed Diverse texts - levels, topics, genres Intensive writing Technology as a tool and topic of literacy instruction Ongoing formative assessment Extended time for literacy (approx. 2-4 hours) Professional development- ongoing and long-term Ongoing summative assessment of students and programs Interdisciplinary teacher teams that plan together Leadership An interdisciplinary and interdepartmental, comprehensive and coordinated literacy program.

Content literacy

Discipline specific "The ability to use reading, writing, talking, listening, and viewing to learn subject matter in a given discipline" (Vacca, 2014, p. 16) "The ability to use reading and writing for the acquisition of new content in a given discipline" (Mckenna and Robinson, 2014, p. 6). *Requires knowledge of specific skills *Highly specialized literacy requirements.

What are the practices to AVOID when using/incorporating digital and new literacies into your content area?

Do not put technology before teaching Do not use technology as a toy Do not use it to fill time Do not neglect technology Do not assume all students know how to use it without instruction

Types of literacy

Emergent Functional Workplace Content Discipline

Examples of discipline specific literacy and vocabulary

English: text structure literacy (how to read a poem vs. a novel vs. a play, etc). vocab (story arc, stanzas, soliloquy)

FRUCO

Fluency Recall Understanding Comprehension Organization

Why is fluency in writing important?

Fluency in writing is important because writing is a way to learn and comprehend, it is a tool for acquiring content. Writing and reading are connected (and both of those are connected to language [speech and comprehension]) and so they inform each other. If a student can become fluent in writing, then they can further master your content,

What role does fluency play in reading comprehension?

Fluency is about speed, accuracy, and prosody (rhythm, stress, intonation) in reading and writing. Must have all 3 to comprehend. Student who is not fluent in reading is usually a very SLOW reader

Learning to Write

Formal writing - more elaborate assignments, like essays and research papers Writing in Disciplines (WID) - each discipline has its specific writing forms, styles, and conventions that students must consider Mentor texts can help students understand the parameters of content-specific formal writings Examples: RAFT Writing (Role, Audience, Form, & Topic), Research-Based Writing, Formal Writing Process (Discovery, Drafting, Revising, & Publishing)

What are the 3 types of vocabulary?

General: meter Special: general words that take on special meanings in particular contexts/content areas meter in math is something very different from meter in music or a parking meter! Technical: words that have usage and application ONLY in a particular subject matter field

Degrees of Knowing

Generalization: ability to define Application: ability to select/recognize situations appropriate to the word. Breadth: Knowledge of multiple meanings for a word Precision: Ability to apply a term correctly in all situations and recognize appropriate use Availability: Actual use of word in thinking and discourse Derived Knowledge: Can understand word in context read or heard, but can't remember the information, thus the word isn't learned.

What is the goal of comprehension strategy instruction?

Help students become active readers in control of their own comprehension.

Characteristics of Culturally Responsive Instruction:

High Expectations Positive Relationships with families and community Cultural Sensitivity Active teaching methods Teacher as the facilitator Student control of portions of the lessons Instruction around groups and pairs.

Thesis note

Identifies thesis of the author

Give an example of how you might adapt one of the strategies we have discussed for a student with diverse needs

Incorporate books at a variety of reading levels to allow both gifted students and students with learning disabilities to have engaging, appropriate-level reading material. Try to find lower-level books which don't appear to be too low-level to avoid stigmatizing students who would be reading significantly below grade level but don't want to be seen with children's books. For strategies like DRTA, have students write down their predictions and evaluations of predictions instead of doing everything verbally. This could help a student with ADHD keep him/herself on task throughout the activity.

Research Based Instructional Practices for ELL students

Integrate all 4 language skills (reading, writing, listening, & speaking) into instruction Teach components and processes of reading and writings Teach reading comprehension strategies Develop vocabulary Build and activate background knowledge Teach language through content and themes Use native language strategically Pair technology with existing interventions Motivate through choice

Factors that influence reading to learn in a discipline

Learner's prior knowledge of, attitude toward, and interest in the subject Learner's purpose Vocabulary and conceptual difficulty of the text material Assumptions that the test writers make about their audience Text structure Teacher's beliefs about and attitude toward the use of text in learning situations.

Relationship between language and reading

Listening and speaking are automatic while reading and writing are taught. Oral language and written language are NOT the same. Listening comprehension and reading comprehension are NOT the same. Learning to read and write is part of, not separate from, learning to speak and comprehend language

Emergent literacy

Literate behavior/exp. that begin before kids enter school Begins with parents reading to kids, kids watching parents write, etc. Primary task of teachers is to build upon this background. For a lot of struggling readers, the root problem is emergent literacy from experiences/exposure before school

How do you construct a content interest inventory?

Make a list of interesting subtopics from your content subject matter. ID materials that you could use to teach these topics- books, magazine or news articles, videos, podcasts etc. Add a few blanks at the end of the inventory for students to add their own suggestions. Decide how students will respond (checklist, preference scale, ranking).

What are specific strategies you can use to develop concept knowledge?

Make analogies to connect to concepts they already understand; graphic organizers; list-group-label activities; give examples and non-examples

How can writing be used to (1) assess vocabulary knowledge and (2) reinforce and extend vocab knowledge?

Making students write out context clue sentences or paragraphs that involve multiple vocabulary words can demonstrate their knowledge of a word in its content context. Act of writing itself reinforces vocab, making a student write an explanatory paragraph extends their knowledge of the word, makes connections to other things in paragraph, etc

What is a mentor text and how could you use it?

Mentor texts are pieces of literature that you can return to and reread for many different purposes. Mentor texts are to be studied and then imitated. Mentor texts help students make powerful connections to their own lives. Mentor texts help students take risks and try out new strategies. English: "my name is..." Creative assignment that Dana taught.

Functional literacy

More than ability to read, write, math "...skills needed for an individual's full autonomy and capacity to function effectively in a given society" (Muller and Murtaugh, 2002, p. 4) difficulty with a precise definition due to the broadness of what "full autonomy and capacity" could be. i.e. to achieve full autonomy in some societies could be far different than the level of functional literacy required and necessary to function in another society

What are specific strategies you can use with students to develop fluency in reading?

Paired or peer reading - when two students silently read the same passage of an assignment. Once completed, put aside the book. "Recaller" tries to summarize without looking back at the passage. Listener then points out/corrects any ideas that were summarized incorrectly, adds any ideas that were not included. Switch back and forth between roles Reader's Theatre - students read aloud twice (once as practice, once dramatically) Repeated Readings

Components of an effective reading program

Phonemic Awareness: recognition of syllables, ability to distinguish words based on difference in sounds. Phonics: connecting idea of sound to specific letters and print, phonemes, ability to decode Fluency: word speed, accuracy, phrasing and self correction Vocabulary: bank of word knowledge in expressive, receptive, written and incidental forms Comprehension: understanding what is being read.

Define the domains of language

Phonology: speech sounds Orthography: spelling patterns Morphology: units of meaning in words Syntax: phrase and sentence structure Semantics: Phrase and sentence meaning. Pragmatics: word choice and use in context. Discourse structure: Organization of connected sentences.

Why is prediction an important skill in YOUR content area?

Predictions improve recall Predictions allow readers to set a purpose and help motivate: activates schema/prior knowledge helps readers set a purpose helps model active reading- confirming/revising predictions, paying attention to details to support or refute predictions focuses attention to details to support or refute predictions Focuses attention while reading

What are specific strategies to develop prediction skills?

Preview material/passage and make prediction DR-TA (summarizing, making predictions, refer to text for evidence,) Text-Structure Reciprocal teaching

Discipline-specific language and discipline literacy (English)

Primary goal is development of ability to read, respond to, evaluate and create texts Draws on same sort of language people use everyday Grammar patterns typically do not present much difficulty in comprehension. Figurative language and peculiar language and irony can pose difficulties.

How can you measure text complexity?

Qualitative measures of text: levels or meaning or purpose, text structure, language conventionality & clarity world knowledge demands Quantitative measures of text: readability formulas (Fry, Raygor) Reader & task considerations reader: Motivation, knowledge, experiences task: purpose for reading, complexity of task itself, complexity of questions asked

What do good readers do during reading?

Read sequentially, skimming some parts, focusing on others. Reread some sections Make notes Tune in to main ideas and ideas related to goal or purpose Check and adapt predictions Monitor and repair comprehension Connect to world knowledge to make inferences Paraphrase/summarize passages Respond to and evaluate text

How can you assess texts?

Readibility formulas (Fry, Raygor) are used to estimate textbook difficulty

What is a reading guide? How does it differ from a study guide? How could you use one in your content area?

Reading guides are for the reader while they are actually reading the text (study guide is for afterward, a review). Offers support to students while they read.

What do good readers do after reading?

Reread selectively Summarize Reflect Think about how info might be used in the future.

Who would benefit from SMART?

SMART (Self-Monitored Approach to Reading and Thinking) is a good strategy with ADHD students who typically struggle with monitoring of comprehension/attention

What are 3 schema related problems that can interfere with learning? Describe them.

Schema Availability- Lack of relevant background knowledge and info Schema Selection- Students don't use the background knowledge they have, use incorrect schemas Schema Maintenance- Students are not aware or are not skilled enough to recognize shifts in schemas

What do good readers do before reading?

Set a clear purpose or goal Preview the text Make predictions

Writing to Learn

Short and informal writing tasks; writing is tentative and unfinished Allows for exploration of ideas, clarifications of thoughts, and connections between old and new material Examples: Microthemes (Mini essays), point of view guides, unsent letters, biopoems, journals, admit/exit tickets

How can you assess students?

Standardized (percentile scores, reliability, validity) norm referenced, criterion-referenced Authentic: observations, portfolios, checklists, interviews, CARI, observation log Running records and reading rates. Cloze determines how well students can read a particular text or reading selection as a result of their interaction with material.

Discipline literacy

Strategies that an "expert" needs to construct meaning from one content text. (e.g. social studies) Differs from those needed to comprehend texts in other content areas (e.g. math, science)

Why is it important that teachers assess reading interests (general as well as content) and how can they use that info?

Student choice is huge in propelling students to read. Allowing students to read things that they are interested in can be a game-changer in terms of making them lifelong readers. One way to do this is to administer a survey at the beginning of the year, can have students give brief book talks about their favorite books. Having a bookshelf or suggestions on hand for students for independent reading or research

Describe what it means to be a fluent writer in your content area.

Students should be able to take notes, annotate, and write in multiple formats like journals, letters, essays, passage analyses. Should also be able to write multiple types of essays (compare/contrast, persuasive, literary analysis, personal essay, etc). Need to build structural schemas (need to know when a piece of writing demands a thesis and when it doesn't, etc). Explicit instruction, mentor text modeling and evaluating, outlining, drafts drafts drafts

What are different types of notes and which do you anticipate your students using in your content class?

Summary notes Thesis notes Critical notes Question note Annotations/Note Coding Reading logs Cornell notes T-notes

Key Components of Culturally Responsive Teachers

Teacher Caring Teacher Attitudes and Expectations Formal and informal culturally relevant curriculum Culturally informed classroom discourse Cultural congruity in teaching and learning strategies

What are the fundamentals of Comprehension?

Text Reader Activity/related tasks

What are specific strategies you can use with students to develop fluency in writing?

Think about ways to promote informal writing in all content areas that is not for a grade -- entrance/exit tickets, "brain dumps", KWL, journals, "writing to learn" strategies etc

Strategies for students on the Autism Spectrum

Think-Alouds to Model Comprehension Strategies Students with spectrum disorders often have difficulty making inferences and developing mental images from spoken/written word Incorporate visuals: use signs, pantomimes, and gestures to "illustrate" a text Organizational Skills Students on autism spectrum often have difficulty with organizational skills, regardless of intelligence, which interferes with their preparedness to access content material during class time and reading activities Include pictorial or note reminders on students' books/binders to remind them to complete homework or bring a pencil to class

How can you assess and develop prior knowledge?

To help activate prior knowledge consider the use of Anticipation Guides (189-191 in Vacca), use KWL charts, or use Reciprocal Teaching to generate questions

Explain UDL

Universal design for learning- a guiding principle when thinking about your classroom and your curriculum. Plan with diverse populations in mind, do not retro-fit your lessons. Multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. UDL is about choice and multiple entry points of access (audio books, easy readers)

when a word, sentence, or passage is not understood

Use word learning, comprehension, and fix up strategies. dictionary, contextual analysis, morphemic analysis connect to world knowledge, recognize text structure, ask questions, answer questions, construct mental images, summarize reread, go back and look, read on, guess using context clues, ask someone, check a reference

What is the difference between good and ineffective readers?

When proficient readers struggle with text, they know what to do to get out of trouble.

How do you determine the readability of instructional materials/text and why is it important that teachers do this?

You can determine the readability of instructional materials/text through either the FRY or the RAYGOR. Typically involve a measure of sentence length and word difficulty to determine a grade-level score for text materials (Vacca, p. 124). It is important to assess the text in order to determine if the text difficulty aligns with the needs of your students.

Explain SAMR

a framework for teachers to follow to help infuse technology into their lesson, this is not a researched based practice yet. As you move through the levels (S-A-M-R) the degree to which technology improves the lesson increases. Substitution - new technologies replace old. The task remains the same. Augmentation- still substituting an old tech for new. Like substitution, the task remains the same. However, there are some functional improvements Modification- The technology allows for significant task redesign to improve student learning. Redefinition- The technology allows for the creation of new tasks that would previously be inconceivable.

Explain TPACK

a research based framework for tech integration. All three pieces are important to consider when planning lessons.

Reading logs

aid in synthesis of info and tool for clarifying and review double column log [main ideas or arguments from text | evidence to support]

Annotations/Note Coding

aid in understanding text structure, identify and analyze important concepts, students can communicate understanding of these concepts students come up with own code or give them a code that involves symbols for different things like key vocabulary, drawing connections, finding evidence, identifying confusing information

word recognition strategies include

decoding, phonics, chunking, morphology, use of context clues, etc

What important skill/characteristic of effective reading does QTA strategy help develop?

encourages students to interact with the info and build meaning from the text by analyzing the author's purpose in writing questions serve as discussion prompts! (not just about finding the answer and restating the info in the text) good strategy for students who struggle with inferences and higher-level thinking/comprehension, students with ASD and disabilities

Strategies to use with English Language Learners

explicit instruction Speak clearly and at a slow pace; enunciate Repeat key terms, concepts Define new words in a meaningful context Check frequently for understanding Teach content vocabulary and vocabulary building strategies explicitly word structure context Incorporate picture books and graphic novel Teach students to read differently for different purposes Incorporate writing and reading strategies

An ineffective way for students to take notes is through __________.

fill in the blank notes

What roles do fluency, prior knowledge, vocabulary, and word recognition play in comprehension?

fluency, vocab, and word recognition go together - fluency is built upon a good vocabulary and word recognition. by recognizing words and understanding vocabulary, students can access meaning more adeptly. first step to building on/creating new meaning (inferring, etc) prior knowledge means that the student is approaching the text with some framework for which to analyze it (which is better than none). Means they already know something about the topic and can build upon this understanding (or can correct a misunderstanding) each of these elements are building blocks to good readers and comprehension

How do word recognition skills impact fluency?

if a student can't recognize a word, they have a hard time understanding a passage's meaning, especially when a word is content specific! (i.e. synecdoche, photosynthesis, etc). When a student doesn't recognize a lot of words in a row, they have a hard time making meaning of sentences.

Question note

raises significant issue in the form of a question

How can you assess fluency?

reading aloud think alouds monitoring SMART - this helps students identify what they do not understand, helps you as the teacher see where they are at

What is comprehension built/dependent upon?

reading fluency vocabulary prior knowledge comprehension strategies motivation

Cornell Notes

recording important notes during class and lectures, use to review and extend concepts covered in class details from class in right hand column, after lecture students record questions or list key concepts in left column respond to questions and material at the bottom Record, Question, Recite, Reflect, Review

What is text structure? Why is it important to teach? How can you teach it? How can you use it in your content area? Be prepared to give an example.

reflect the meaningful connections among the ideas in the text (story structure, grammar, expository structure) Recognizing text structure helps readers organize info as they read and this improves recall Can incorporate instruction in text structure during pre-reading (previewing) or during reading (think alouds) ("Alone in the Ocean" activity) - helps students with LD, ASD, ADHD, ELL can teach it through writing! mentor text activity

What important skill/characteristic of effective reading does QAR strategy help develop?

right there, think and search, author and you, on your own questions (literal, inferential, applied questions, "izzy the inference maker") students both ask and answer questions good strategy for students who don't monitor as they read, have difficulty summarizing, and trouble making inferences or relating to personal experiences

What are specific strategies you can use to reinforce and extend vocabulary knowledge?

semantic feature analysis; concept circles; vocab triangles; magic squares; word scavenger hunts

What are specific strategies you can use to teach key vocabulary?

specific word instruction; word-learning strategies such as cognate awareness (especially significant for ELLs), dictionary consultation, use of context clues, word structure analysis, vocabulary journals

What are strategies/techniques you can incorporate into your instruction to assist with learning and recall?

students need to engage in "deep processing" model how to take good notes! students need to be taught this teach many different strategies so that students can choose what works best for them teach students how to study for your class specifically. (Ex. Studying for English essay is very different from studying for a history test or a science test,etc) incorporate effective review at the beginning of classes every few days (see below for effective memory strategies) Give practice tests/ have quizzes model what elements of tests will look like

How could you differentiate a study guide for students of varied abilities in your class?

study guide could include pictures online study guide if there are helpful links / audio (UDL) study guide could include forming different types of questions from literal → inferential → applied. Varied scaffolding and help in these areas (i.e. study guide could pose the questions for a student who needs more support, study guide could ask the student to form the questions for a student who needs more challenge) "heaviness" of the outline given to students (more fill in the blank vs. broad topics that they must fill in themselves) types of things you include - is there a word bank? if there a chart for them to fill in? do they need to do their own research to find answers?

What important skill/characteristic of effective reading does DRTA strategy help develop?

think critically while reading and learning to self-monitor their own comprehension skills: summarizing, making predictions, confirm/revise predictions, refer to text for evidence, model thinking process of effective reader for students encourages student engagement and discussion teaches both content and reading strategies

What study/memory strategies can you teach students to help them learn/recall more efficiently and retain that knowledge for longer periods of time?

visualization/eyes-closed exercises - involves removing distractions, retrieval practice, active learning, student self-assessment of recall and problem-solving skills practice tests distributed practice (breaking studying up over smaller chunks of time. this is important because we tend to recall things at the beginning and end of a study session. studying for too long means there is a longer dip in the middle and therefore, more things that we cannot remember). self-explanation minute sketches with folded lists