Teaching Reading in Teaching Reading in High School:High School:The Continuum of The Continuum of

PossibilitiesPossibilities

Black Group Liz, Amanda, Anna, and Leigh

The English Teacher’s Companion, by Jim Burke (Chapter 4)

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READING is COOL!

Before We Dive In…

Take a moment to check out our WikiSpace for quotes, links, and

other insightful resources at your fingertips!

http://rearingreaders.wikispaces.com/

Now, let’s begin!What seems to be the PROBLEM?

“A seemingly endless stream of articles and reports say students are NOT ready for the textual demands of either the university or the workplace.”

(Public Agenda 2001; Romano 2005; Achieve 2005; Mazo 2006; Biancarosa and Snow 2004 in Burke 2008).

So what can YOU do to help?

Listen to the experts! Review studies and articles!

Be open to new ideas!

According to Burke, “Recent studies show consistent agreement on certain elements of effective reading instruction within the

class and the school at large.”

15 Elements of an Effective Adolescent Literacy Program

Incorporate the following:

Instructional Improvements1) Direct, explicit comprehension instruction2) Effective instructional principles embedded in

content3) Motivational and self-directed learning4) Strategic tutoring5) Diverse texts6) Intensive writing7) A technology component8) Ongoing formative assessment of students

15 Elements of an Effective Adolescent Literacy Program

Infrastructure Improvements 9) Extended time for literacy10) Professional development11)Ongoing summative assessment of students and

programs12)Teacher teams13)Leadership14)A comprehensive and coordinated literacy

program * For more information and better explanations, please

see pages 33-34 in your Burke book*

(Reading Next—A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy, Biancarosa and Snow 2004 in Burke 2008)

Defensible Strategies

In a 2002 study, the following seven strategies “consistently improved student achievement at the

high school level.”

1) Read-alouds2) K-W-L charts3) Graphic organizers4) Vocabulary instruction5) Writing to learn6) Structured notetaking7) Reciprocal teaching

(Fisher, Frey, and Williams 2002 in Burke 2008)

4 Key LiteraciesThe “skills” in which contemporary schools are being

asked to teach as our culture continually changes.

1) Embodied knowledge: The self is fashioned as an active learner.

2) Situated knowledge: The ability to translate among modes.

3) Distributed knowledge: The ability to use information technology.

4) Negotiated knowledge: The capacity to translate from one world-view or point of view to another.

(Changing our Minds: Negotiating English and Literacy, Myers 1996 in Burke 2008)

Teaching a Range of TextsFour Categories

1) Functional/expository2) Narrative3) Dramatic4) Poetic

Functional/Expository Texts: The Literature of Daily Life

These texts consists of things such as magazine articles, legislative bills, newspaper articles,

online texts, essays, etc.

TIPS for teaching the lit of daily life!

• Have students compose texts

• Have students take a stance on what they read

• Have students study how these documents function

TIMEOUT!

Reminder: Why are we learning how to teach reading ?

What’s the BIG problem?

Narrative Texts: A Study in the Novel’s Complexity

• Narratives conform to a Continuum of Complexity.

• The Continuum of Complexity depends on BOTH the features of the text and the capacities of the reader.

• Helps students master the complexities inherent in different texts as they move toward fluency.

• For a more detailed look at this idea, please see figure 4-5 on page 52.

GOALS of the Continuum of Complexity

• Move students along the continuum (moves from simple understanding to confident interpretation of multiple texts)

• Teach students how to read a particular text

Types of Narrative Texts

• Memoirs• Personal Essays• Biographies• Novels• Short Stories

Pleasure Reading for High School Guys and Gals!

http://www.c-t-l.org/high_school_readers.html

Promoting Reading for Appreciation

TIPS for TEACHERS!

• Create a strong in-class library• Allow students to choose texts based on specific criteria• Use literature circles• Talk about the stories instead of the writing• Connect texts to students’ lives• Translate stories or dramatic or artistic events

CASE STUDY: Teaching a NovelLord of the Flies

BEFORE• Set purpose for reading (include students)• Research background material• Brainstorm title (see figure 4-6)• Introduce character journals (see pg. 60)

Story Overview

CASE STUDY: Teaching a NovelLord of the Flies

DURING• Use vocabulary squares (see figure 5-5 & handout)• Read aloud opening pages• Introduce note taking• Develop the Continuum of Change Activity• Watch opening versions of films (Venn diagram— Compare and Contrast)• Create masks

After• Bring character journals to a close (turn into a writing assignment• Provide a bridge between units

Vocabulary Squares

One way to help students understand vocabularyFor example: From Lord of the Flies by William Golding

(dictionary.com)•ef flo res cence⋅ ⋅ ⋅    /ˌɛfləˈrɛsəns/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ef-luh-res-uhns] Show IPA noun 1. the state or a period of flowering. 2. an example or result of growth and development: These works are the efflorescence of his genius.3. Chemistry. a. the act or process of efflorescing. b. the resulting powdery substance or incrustation. 4. Pathology. a rash or eruption of the skin. Origin: 1620–30; < F < ML efflōrēscentia. See EFFLORESCE, -ENCE Sentence: (Ralph looking at the water) It was clear from the bottom and bright with the efflorescence of tropical weed and coral.

Planning for a Unit

Some Steps to Remember!

• Organize conversations around topics you want your students to think about and discuss• Develop textual intelligence about the author and text• Incorporate a range of texts (poems, newspapers, etc.)• Read the work from a variety of perspectives• Connect the novel to the unit of study that comes both before and after• Explore a range of interpretations and responses• Connect text to personal lives• Engage in frequent discussion

Planning for a Unit

Some Steps to Remember!

• Integrate use and teaching of writing• Address issues of social justice and ethical complexity• Use a variety of techniques and tools• Move through the novel at a pace that sustains students’ interest but does not discredit the novel’s ideas or crucial elements• Teach the book in ways that cannot be undermined by Cliff Notes and other online resources

Teaching Dramatic Texts: Shakespearean Vignette

Nothing scares students more nor gives them a greater sense of achievement than having successfully

read—and ideally, performed—a Shakespeare play.

Why it’s important:The ideas presented will help us

teach other dramatic texts as well, but Shakespeare challenges us as teachers and readers the most.

Preparing Students to Read Shakespeare

The Main FOCUS

• FOCUS on character• FOCUS on plot• FOCUS on language• FOCUS on themes

Dramatize the Plays

1) Shakespeare Set Free: a series of books created by the Teaching Shakespeare Institute at the Folger Library

2) Teaching Shakespeare, written by Rex Gibson (1998)

Techniques needed for students to act out a play:

• Divide the play into parts• Perform it as reader’s theatre• Read the play aloud• Keep a director’s notebook• Connect the play to the students’ world

There are 2 essential resources for getting students up and acting, for bringing Shakespeare

ALIVE!

Teaching Poetic Texts: Courting the Elusive Muse

• First, look at the poem’s title for some clue as to what it might tell you• Read the poem straight through without stopping to analyze it• Start with what you know• Look for patterns• Identify the narrator• Reflect in writing• Read the poem again • Find the crucial moments

Burke Poetry Tips for Teachers• First, look at the poem’s title for some clue as to what it might tell you • Read the poem straight through without stopping to analyze it• Start with what you know• Look for patterns• Identify the narrator• Reflect in writing• Read the poem again• Find the crucial moments• Consider form and function• Look at the language of the poem• Go deeper or call it quits?• Return to the title before going on• Remind yourself why you are having students read this poem• Engage in other activities to help students move beyond particular poems

Sample Sequences

• Weekly Poem

• Reading Textbooks: A Sample Sequence

How We Read: A Brief Explanation

First: We try to make sense of the textual information as it streams through our eyes or ears.

Next: We try to impose an order by making predictions.

Then: We check subsequent information against our initial theories by filtering it through our prior experiences and knowledge.

Finally: We reevaluate information that does not agree with initial assumptions.

*NOTE* Our individual knowledge and experience creates a bias by which we interpret texts.

3 Types of READERS

Profiles of Readers

• Powerful Readers• Proficient Readers• Struggling Readers

3 Types of READING

• “have to read” reading• “get to read” reading• “need to read” reading

Create a literate environment- teacher as model- classroom library- community of readers

BookmarksStudents as teachersReciprocal teachingRead aloudRead for patternsUse study questionsReader responseAnnotate textsDramatic interpretation

Strategies to Improve Reading Skills

English Teacher’s Dilemma: How to Reinvent Yourself for Reading

• Journal about texts• Literary dinners• Keep your beginner’s mind

And Now…

A RAP Wrap-Up!

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