A Cognitive Strategies Approach to Reading and Writing Instruction for Mainstreamed

Secondary School English Language Learners

Carol Booth Olson

University of California, Irvine

cbolson@uci.edu

2007 NAEP Writing

Grade 8 ELLs Not ELL

Below Basic 42% 10%

At or Above Basic 58% 90%

At or Above Proficient

6% 34%

At or Above Advanced

-0- 2%

California High School Exit Exam, 2008English/Language Arts

Total Percent Passed: 79%

White: 91%

Hispanic: 71%

English Learners: 40%

The Pathway Project1997 – 2004110 teachers (experimental and control)2000 students

Quasi-experimentalFunded by OELA

The Pathway Project2006 – 2010104 teachers (randomly assigned to experimental and control)3600 treatment students

Randomized field trialFunded by IES

College Follow-up66 students 2008 – 200983 students 2009 - 2010

Quasi-experimentalFunded by NWP

ReadingReceptive

WritingProductive

Reading and writing are essentially similar

processes of meaning construction involving the use of cognitive strategies.

Tierney & Pearson, 1983; Paris Wasik & Turner, 1991; Tierney & Shanahan, 1991.

What is a cognitive strategy?

Cognition = the process of knowing or thinking

Strategy = a tool or tactic one uses to solve a problem

Cognitive Strategy = a thinking tool

“Numerous reports from blue ribbon panels implicate poor understandings of cognitive strategies as the primary reason why adolescents struggle with reading and writing (Deshler, Palinscar, Biancarosa & Nairs, 2007; Graham, 2006; Snow & Biancarosa, 2003)”

Conley, 2008

Cognitive StrategiesReading

Paris, Wasik, & Turner, 1991National Reading Panel, 2000Block & Pressley, 2002Duke & Pearson, 2002

WritingLanger & Applebee, 1987Langer, 1991Englert, Raphael, Anderson, Anthony, & Stephens, 1991Graham & Harris, 1996Troia & Graham, 2002Graham & Perin, 2007

Reading & WritingTierney & Pearson, 1983Tierney, Soter, O’Flavahan, & McGinley, 1989Tierney & Shanahan, 1991

Cognitive Strategies for ELLs

Chamot & O’Mally, 1994

Jiménez, Garcia, & Pearson, 1994

Fitzgeral, 1995

August & Hakuta, 1997

Anderson, 2002

Vaughn & Klinger, 2004

Meltzer & Hamann, 2005

Short & Fitzsimmons, 2007

Schleppegrel, 2009

FACTS About Santa UnifiedSchool District

SAUSD is the largest district in Orange County and the fifth largest district in California.

It has the greatest number of minority students in Orange County (98.5%). 94.6% of the student population is Chicano/Latino.

88% of the students are mainstreamed ELLs The district has a secondary attrition rate of 50%. SAUSD students are underrepresented in postsecondary institutions.

(Only 3-6% of SAUSD students are eligible for admission to a University California.)

Tool Kit

Verbs in the Common Core Anchor Standards

Summarize Make Inferences Draw Conclusions Analyze

Interpret Assess Evaluate Reflect

Three Types of Knowledge

Declarative Knowledge

Procedural Knowledge

Conditional Knowledge

Paris, Lipson, & Wixon, 1983

Ca-CCSS-ELA

Anchor Standards

Reading

2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development.

9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes.

Writing

1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts.

9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

What is a Theme? The theme of a literary work is the writer’s message or main

idea. The theme is what the writer wants you to remember most. Most stories, novels, and plays, and sometimes poems have more than just one theme. Some themes are easier to spot than others. A character might say something about life that is clearly important. For example, in E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, Wilbur says at the end, “Friendship is one of the most satisfying things in the world.” That’s a statement of one of the book’s themes. The author leaves clues, but it is up to you to put them together and decide what the important message or lesson is.

The article you read for your pre-test was nonfiction. Although some nonfiction texts are written solely to present facts and information, others are also intended to present the writer’s message and influence readers’ ideas about people, places, or events. Therefore, nonfiction texts can also contain themes.

Sometimes, the Earth is CruelWriting Situation

Two days after the Haiti earthquake on January 12, 2010, Leonard Pitts, an award-winning journalist, wrote an article

for the Miami Herald in which he describes the Haitian people’s response to the tragedy which struck their country.

 

Writing Directions

After reading “Sometimes, the Earth is Cruel,” select one important theme to write an essay about. Create a theme

statement which expresses the author’s main point, lesson, or message in the article. Your theme statement will be the

thesis of your essay—the claim you make about the writer’s message or main idea.

 

As you develop your argument, pay specific attention to: Pitts’ description of the Haitian people’s actions after the earthquake The language Pitts uses to describe nature and the relationship between the Haitian people and nature (including

similes, metaphors, symbols, personification, or other figurative language) Pitts’ response to the way the Haitian people deal with their tragedy

 

When a journalist’s purpose is strictly to inform, he or she will present the facts objectively without trying to influence

the reader. However, Pitts does more than this. Discuss Pitts’ purpose in writing “Sometimes, the Earth is Cruel.” What

message does he want his readers to take away from reading his article and why is it especially significant?

 

Remember: There is no one theme and therefore no “right” answer to this prompt. What is important is to support your

ideas with evidence from the text. Proofread your paper carefully to be sure that it follows the conventions of written

English

I think the theme is about disasters.

Good things happen and bad things happen.

The earth always kills people.The rain will not stop.Earth is mean to Haiti.

How is a Topic Different Than a Theme?

A story’s theme is different from its topic or subject. The topic is simply what it’s about. The theme is the authors point about a topic. It is the “So what?” To identify a theme, sometimes it helps to generate a list of topics or big ideas in a story. Common topics for themes that you’ll find in stories are usually abstract nouns that deal with human relationships, such as bravery, friendship, injustice, revenge, etc.

What is a Theme Statement?A theme is more than one word like “love” or “prejudice.” Therefore, a theme statement must be a complete sentence that states the author’s message about life or about human relationships. A good theme statement applies to people in general, not just to the specific characters in the text. Here are some examples of theme statements.

It is important to stand up for your beliefs. Prejudice is a destructive force in our society. If you interfere with fate, you will be sorry. Growing up means taking responsibility for yourself. When you open your heart to others, you’re open to hurt as

well as love. It is important to accept people for what they are on the

inside and not judge them based on how they appear on the outside.

TheLand Before

Time

Topics that Lead to Themes

Faith: Faith can give you strength to persevere.

Persistence: Never give up. There is always a chance you will achieve your goals if you keeping trying.

Belief: Sometimes you have to believe in something even if you can’t see it.

Hope/Endurance: If you have hope, you can endure great hardship.

Heart: “Some things you see with your eyes; other you see with your heart.”

Bravery: When bad things happen, we have to think positive and have the courage to keep going.

How does “The Land

Before Time” relate to

the non-fiction

we read for our pre-

test?

Sometimes, the Earth is CruelWriting Situation

Two days after the Haiti earthquake on January 12, 2010, Leonard Pitts, an award-winning journalist, wrote an article

for the Miami Herald in which he describes the Haitian people’s response to the tragedy which struck their country.

 

Writing Directions

After reading “Sometimes, the Earth is Cruel,” select one important theme to write an essay about. Create a theme

statement which expresses the author’s main point, lesson, or message in the article. Your theme statement will be the

thesis of your essay—the claim you make about the writer’s message or main idea.

 

As you develop your argument, pay specific attention to: Pitts’ description of the Haitian people’s actions after the earthquake The language Pitts uses to describe nature and the relationship between the Haitian people and nature (including

similes, metaphors, symbols, personification, or other figurative language) Pitts’ response to the way the Haitian people deal with their tragedy

 

When a journalist’s purpose is strictly to inform, he or she will present the facts objectively without trying to influence

the reader. However, Pitts does more than this. Discuss Pitts’ purpose in writing “Sometimes, the Earth is Cruel.” What

message does he want his readers to take away from reading his article and why is it especially significant?

 

Remember: There is no one theme and therefore no “right” answer to this prompt. What is important is to support your

ideas with evidence from the text. Proofread your paper carefully to be sure that it follows the conventions of written

English

Read the prompt Highlight Make a T chart

DoDo WhatWhat

Do What

DoDo WhatWhat

“Sometimes, the Earth is Cruel” Staying strong is our only hope. We can always get back up no matter how life pushes us down. Loss brings people together. “Fall down seven times, get up eight.” (Chinese proverb.) It mean,

you can fall and stay there, or you can fall and get up. You decide. Keep moving forward and have the strength to go on no matter how

painful life can be. The earth is cruel, but you have to accept it and go on. When something devastating happens, we still must recover. If you have hope, you can endure great hardship. You can’t always expect things to go your way, but if you have

hope, life will get better. Never give up on what you dream. The human spirit has the power to endure great tragedy.

Side-by-Side Comparison

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

1996-1997

1999-2000

2002-2003

Pre Test to Post Test Differences for Pathway Students, 1996-2004

Control

Treatment

Average effect size 0.34

Comparison of CAHSEE Pass Rates for 2002-2004 for the UCI Writing Project’s

Pathway Project

2002 2003 2004

Overall State Pass Rate 54% 78% 75%

Overall State Hispanic Pass Rate 46% 66% 62%

Overall State ELL Pass Rate 28% 42% 39%

Overall Santa Ana Unified School District Pass Rate

40%

N=2009

53%

N=5039

62%

N=3343

Santa Ana Unified School District Control Students’ Pass Rate

54%

N=174

75%

N=119

66%

184

Santa Ana Unified School District Pathway Students’ Pass Rate

74%

N= 147

91%

N= 181

93%

N= 179

Measure: Assessment of Literary Analysis (6 point scale)

ALA: 2 raters per essay (literary analysis) Grades 6 to 12 scored holistically on a 6-point scale to assess the

(1) quality and depth of interpretation (2) clarity of the thesis (3) organization of ideas (4) appropriateness and adequacy of textual evidence (5) sentence variety, and (6) correct use of English language conventions

Year 1 and 2 ALA effect size: significant impact in Year 1/2

Year 1 and 2 CST effect size

.07*

.09* .09*

.10*

What Pathway Means to MeBy Irene RamirezWhat Pathway means to me

Is hard to say succinctly

Construct the gist as I speak

I’ll give some hints as to what I think

My reading isn’t what it was

I ask more questions and make predictions

I try to visualize what I read

I make connections, I do concede

Imagery, symbolism

I know what they are

Before this year

They were really hard

When I write, I know what to do

I plan ahead, and so should you

I form a thesis, I think of a hook

I form opinions on what’s in the book

Concrete details are important too

They help support

What you think

And they prove!

Image Grammar is also cool

I write a sentence with participles

I paint a picture

With my pen in my hand

The final result is oh so grand

In literature circles

We sit ‘round in a ring

Discussing our books

It’s fun and interesting

So Pathway had taught me to read and to write

I knew how before

But now I am tight

I’ll leave you tonight

With one thought before I go

Pathway helps students

Off to college I go!

Study Design

Quasi-experimental, Longitudinal Study (2008-2011)

Followed 2 Groups of 12th graders from High School to College

Cohort 12008-09Pathway 34Control 32

Cohort 22009-10Pathway 46Control 37

Hypothesis

Better WritingBetter Writing

Typical WritingTypical Writing

Better Placement

Better Placement

Lower Placement

Lower Placement

Pathway Instruction

Pathway Instruction

Typical Instruction

Typical Instruction

Better Persistence

Better Persistence

Lower Persistence

Lower Persistence

EXPERIMENTAL

COMPARISON

Expected Findings

The intervention will result in

Better academic preparation

Better college placement

Better college persistence

Results: Placement, Pass Rates, & Persistence

Pathway Placement and Persistence Results in SAC

Pathway Placement and Persistence Results in SAC

Conclusion

Cognitive strategies instruction does have an impact on college success: Higher placement in composition courses than

all freshmen

Higher pass rates in their composition courses than all freshmen

Better persistence to the 2nd semester, 2nd year and 3rd year of college than all freshmen

Articles

Olson, C. B., & Land, R (2007). A cognitive strategies approach to reading and writing instruction for English language learners in secondary school. Research in the Teaching of English, 41:3, 269-303.

Kim, J., Olson C.B., Scarcella, R., Kramer, J., Pearson, M., van Dyk, D., Collins, P., & Land, R. (2011). Can a cognitive strategies approach to reading and writing instruction improve literacy outcomes for low income English language learners in the middle and high school grades? Results from a multi-site cluster, randomized controlled trial of the Pathway Project. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 4:3, 231-263.

Olson, C.B., Kim, J.S., Scarcella, R., van Dyk, D., Collins, P., & Land, R. (2012). Enhancing the Interpretive reading and analytical writing of mainstreamed English learners in secondary school: Results from a randomized field trial using a cognitive strategies approach. American Educational Research Journal, 49:2, 323-355.

Matuchiak, T. & Olson, C.B. & Scarcella, R. (under review). The Pathway Project Unpacked: Understanding the effects of a cognitive strategies approach to literacy instruction on the academic writing of mainstreamed secondary English learners. Research in the Teaching of English.