Literacy Session: Teaching Reading – My Job

Audience: Grades 6-12 Educators, Literacy Coaches, and Learning Leaders

Presenter: Lorrie Morales – she has taught for over 30 years and has recently "retired". Most of her experience has been with middle school, high school and adult learning in Humanities and Literacy.  She has been on numerous committees such as Professional Development, school lead teams, and has attended and presented at multiple Professional Development workshops, conferences and sessions.  Lorrie was previously on the executive for the Middle Years Council of Alberta and is presently serving as an Associate Instructor and a Designer of Professional Learning.

"The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don't tell you what to see."
Alexandra K. Tenfor

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On January 19, 2017, Lorrie Morales, a teacher in the field of Humanities and Literacy shared her expertise in a literacy workshop called Teaching Reading – That’s My Job!

Lorries’s presentation covered cross-curricular and Universal Design of Learning (UDL) strategies for teachers to use in classrooms. She covered questions like, “how do we apply multiple literacies in all subject areas?” In the past, reading was taught (and in some cases still is) as a fragment skill; when in fact, it should be taught across all subject areas. Reading is essential for students in order to problem solve, manage information, communicate, analyze, and criticize.  These are skills required in all subject areas.

Based on the book, Visible Learning for Literacy – Implementing Practices that Work Best to Accelerate Student Learning, teachers must intentionally design classroom experiences at three levels: the surface, deep and transfer. Here are some practical strategies you can start using in your classrooms today in order to enhance skills at each level:

The Role of Literacy Across the Content Areas

Surface: introducing new knowledge by building on knowledge students already have.
Strategies:

1.       Introducing a new concept: have your students relate that concept to something they are already familiar with. When introducing your students to new vocabulary, use the new vocabulary words in your classroom and encourage teachers of other subject areas to use the vocabulary word in their classrooms so students have multiple exposure to the word. This promotes higher order thinking and learning because learning becomes more relevant and meaningful to their own lives. For more strategies like this visit http://wordgen.serpmedia.org/

2.       Summarizing: there are multiple ways for students to determine essential ideas and consolidate important details to support them. Have students highlight or circle key words in an article that they feel are important, next have them identify their top 10 words and write each one down on 10 index cards. Have them partner up with someone else to compare/contrast the words identified. They will sort through the index cards and between the two of them, choose their NEW 10 words (10 cards). Finally use those words in a few sentences to summarize the article. For more strategies like this visit http://www.readingquest.org/strat/

3.       Feedback – provide timely feedback during class or short quizzes, specific questions from the unit, understandable to learner with a rubric and actionable feedback so students can take next steps to improve or they can for instance, revise and resubmit. Here is an interactive website designed to serve as a supplemental reading program for students in grades 1 through 12. The website provides a wide variety of reading comprehension exercises and follow-up essay options for writing practice. The website assesses student level and presents best-fit material appropriate for their performance. www.readtheory.org

4.       Student engagement: Get students engaged before they read. Hook students in by introducing icebreakers or begin your class with a hook.

Deep: 
Teachers need to encourage learners to plan, investigate and elaborate on their learning – not just relying on surface thinking.

Strategies:

1.       Word in mind maps: using visuals and notes to synthesize the information on one page

2.       Discussion and questioning: small group discussions

3.       Cloze reading: repeat reading by reading with a partner and aloud as a class, encourage interactive note taking by annotating text using sticky notes or visuals, self-questioning to deepen understanding of the text, discuss content that is being read with partners. Visit this website for self-questions examples and more information: Information: http://prel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/QuestionGen_lo_res.pdf question generator - https://umich.instructure.com/courses/824/modules/items/79077  Strategies: http://www.ldonline.org/article/61887/

4.       Reciprocal Reading: have students clarify, summarize, and predict by using strategies that promote questions, making connections, visualizing, evaluating, and synthesizing. For strategies visit: http://reading.ecb.org/teacher/resources.html

5.       Feedback: Have teachers assess the following questions: Where am I going? What are my goals? How am I going there? What progress have I made toward the goal? Where to next?

Transfer: 
Learning can be transferred if paired closely with a learned situation (recognition of word in a paragraph).

1.       Organization: new knowledge is draped into existing form. Can use metaphors or analogies with students. Use of metaphors: http://www.fpce.up.pt/ciie/sites/default/files/IOJES_1041.pdf

2.       Relevant: How is the topic relevant to other areas? Example Topic RENAISSANCE make the connections to other subjects: Science – body systems, inventions, medicine; Math – Pythagorean Theory, Architecture; Social – research, geography and trade; Language Arts/English – biographies, Shakespeare. You can incorporate core subjects one step further by asking teachers from those subject areas to introduce the topic in their classes. This cross-curricular technique may/may not work for all institutions.

3.       Problem Solving: investigate the issue and craft an argument that supports the viewpoint (debate)

4.       Projects: Designing projects incorporating questions that pertain to connecting and synthesizing content

  
Learn more about Visible Learning for Literacy based on John Hattie's books Visible Learning (2009) and Visible Learning for Teachers (2012)

Many of the strategies mentioned above that fall into the framework of Universal Design for Learning and teaching. There is a wealth of research evidence to support UDL.  There are numerous articles that explain how to implement UDL and there are many learning tools for UDL. Implementing UDL with classes might look overwhelming and seem like a lot of extra work; but it can be as simple as changing the activities you are using to supplement classroom lectures or content. These strategies can be as simple as the ones highlighted by Lorrie Morale in her presentation.

Lorrie Morales will be doing two sessions this spring (April) - Coaching VS Mentoring (based on Dr. Jim Knight and Laura Lipton' research and strategies); as well as Differences or Disabilities - strategies.  I am also hoping to do a session based on Kelly Gallagher - Reading and Writing in "Real Life" - but that may have to wait until the fall. 

Vicky Minhas BA, B.Ed, MC

Lead Instructor: Literacy, Disabilities and Research CEFL