Literacy Strategies for Elective Courses

LITERACY STRATEGIES FOR ELECTIVE

COURSES

On a scratch piece of paper, write an “A” for agree or “D” for disagree

I love to read and read often for entertainment

I am a good reader I often have to read something more than

once to understand what I’m reading Good reading skills are important for

everyday life I’d rather be on the beach…

Expectations Turn cell phones to silent. Please keep

texting to a minimum and step outside to answer phone calls

We will have a scheduled break, but feel free to take care of personal needs when needed

Please have an open mind. We MUST increase literacy, and we need your help to do this

Ask questions as they come about

Discussions We will have many table discussions

Please sit with teachers who teach a similar subject if possible

Why are we talking about this? The STAAR test is a literacy based

assessment Students across the board are reading

below grade level YOUR kids have to be successful, too. There are too many gaps for the reading

to be left up to the English teachers. We’ll never fill them.

9th grade ISIP results

Level 1, 2, 3 Not prepared, Sufficiently prepared, Well

prepared

Only 4% of Birdville students scored “well prepared”

Resources http://www.franklindataconsulting.com/lit

eracy/electives.html

http://www-tc.pbs.org/teacherline/courses/rdla220/docs/fisher.pdf

http://www.projectcriss.com/pdf_files/24_W02_LITERACY-MUSIC.PDF

http://www.psmla.net/sites/default/files/4RdgStrat%202012%20Forum.pdf

Think back… What were your assignments in middle

school and high school? We read chapters and answered

questions…although this was not necessarily best practice for retaining information, WE LEARNED HOW TO READ ACADEMIC TEXTS

Our kids are missing this practice

Strategies Anticipation Guide Direct Reading and Thinking Activity

(DRTA) Gist Jigsaw Making Connections Cornell Notes Quick Write

Anticipation Guide Builds background Peaks interest Serves as a pre-assessment Focuses reading Gets students to form opinions

Anticipation Guide How could you use this in your content

area?

For example, you could ask questions about… Health Different types of art Computer use

Direct Reading and Thinking Activity

Purpose Prereading Making predictions (focus reading) Access prior knowledge

Direct Reading and Thinking Activity

Procedure Provide a brief summary of topic Have students access prior knowledge and

discuss ideas/vocabulary Make connections Walk through text and identify features

(illustrations, titles, subtitles) Students write predictions on post-it notes Read text Revisit predictions and adjust according to

outcomes

Direct Reading and Thinking Activity

When can you use this? Discuss with your table.

Use this before reading… Newspaper article Text book Online article Story

Gist Purpose

Summarizing main points Identifying key words

Gist Procedure

Explain the meaning of “gist” (the main purpose or idea)

Model with an article. Read a paragraph or article out loud. Gather 20 words that cover the who, what, where, when, why and how.

Write a summary using the 20 words. Discuss Students continue doing this in groups or

individually as they read the text

Gist How can you use this in your content

area? Discuss at your table.

Examples: Biographies on famous athletes, artists,

inventors, etc Articles Text books Descriptors or pieces of art or styles of art Trade manuals

Jigsaw Purpose

Students work cooperatively Breaks apart a reading assignment Makes students become experts on certain

parts Engages students Students held accountable Teaching is the best way to learn!!

Jigsaw Procedure

Divide class into home groups Provide different color-coded reading to each

member in group Students read assignment and organize notes

into an outline or visual organizer Regroup students by color-coded readings.

Expert groups discuss learning and collaborate on collective notes or assignment

Students return to home group and share notes

Jigsaw How can this be used in your content

area? Discuss with your table group

Examples: Different types of exercises and their effects Descriptors of different styles of artwork Descriptors of different types of computer

systems and their purpose

Making Connections Purpose

Build background knowledge Activate prior knowledge Connect to personal experience

“This strategy leads students to realize that most written work reflects real life events and issues.”

Stratiques, 2010

Making Connections Procedure

Build background of a given topic (YouTube, pictures, ect)

Ask students to share their examples: Personal experiences Other texts Real world examples

Use post-its to label connection points in texts

Making Connections How can you use this strategy in your

content area?

Across the board… Cornell notes/t-charts

Way to organize notes Used by Avid students

Quick writes Share opinion Summary of content learned

Quick Write Your child is an AMAZING athlete. He has size, ability

and a drive to win, practice and improve his skills at any cost. However, he struggles with reading and writing and will have to retake the English 1 EOC test, not to mention that he almost failed English and World Geography every six weeks last year, which almost made him ineligible to play ball and caused a lot of stress.

He doesn’t feel comfortable talking to his English teacher, but he loves his coach. How would you want the staff at your son’s school to work with him?

Write for 3 minutes without stopping.

Closure Literacy affects every other aspect of

education We are all on the same team with a

common goal: to make students successful.

We learned 7 strategies to increase literacy with our students, and we incorporated them into our classes.

Email Us! Beth Anne Preston

Bethanne.preston@birdvilleschools.net

Jennifer Young Jennifer.young@birdvilleschools.net