Learning Module 2

In this power point, you will explore the following:Mosaic of Thought: Mind Journeys “Fake Reading” from Chris Tovani’s (2000) book, I Read It But I Don’t Get ItIntroductory Material from Creating Literacy-Rich Schools for AdolescentsCommon Threads Between Mosaic of Thought and Creating Literacy-Rich Schools for AdolescentsSample Literacy NarrativesLiteracy Narrative Writing Activity

“As I lay comfortably ensconced in my bed, reading Billy Collins’ poetry, my mind took a journey. In the space of three to five minutes, I considered what I already knew that related to the poem; I wove past experiences into the fabric of the poem, posed questions, drew conclusions, visualized, inferred, synthesized and considered what I didn’t know at least as much as what I did know. I longed to talk about what I had discovered through rereading. I created more interpretations because I had already talked to others and my meaning was layered on top of theirs.”

“My thinking led me on a journey many of us take. The journey itself, however, is rarely discussed….[Mosaic of Thought] is about explicit comprehension instruction that is rich and deep and invites children to contribute significantly to the conversation about the mental journey we take when we read” (Keene & Zimmerman, 1997, p. 11).

What does this quote from the first edition of Mosaic of Thought make you think about? What is a mind journey? How can we teach this?

In your discussion groups, you will complete a mind journey activity over Ernest Hemingway’s short story, “Hills Like White Elephants.” Pause here in the power point to complete this activity.

Read Part I from Chris Tovani’s (2000) book, I Read It But I Don’t Get It

Consider the following questions: What is “Fake Reading”? Have you ever engaged in “fake reading”? How do you feel about the prospect of

teaching students who are “fake” readers? How can you help students use more

proficient reading strategies? Or, go on mind journeys?

What does it mean to create literacy-rich schools for adolescents? What would this look like?

“What will students need to know to participate more fully in a technological world? To act as productive citizens? To become critical consumers of information? To live high-quality personal lives” (p. xiii).

Literacy is increasingly multifaceted and demanding for adolescents. Thus, students need increasingly sophisticated reading and writing skills embedded within applications of New Literacies (e.g., digital literacies).

“Content teachers are the ones who can best model and regularly support students’ strategic reading and content learning” (Ogle, 2004, p. vi).

“Students need lots of rich, literacy-based learning experiences across the school day, and sometimes those experiences require specific instruction in reading, but all have the ultimate goal of learning and thinking” (Ivey & Fisher, 2004, p. XV).

Whole School Approach to Content Area Literacy Developed Through Participatory Action Research

Relied on Content Teachers Modeling Literacy

Transportable and Transparent Literacy Strategies

“Is every teacher a teacher of reading?”(p. xiv)

“Learning requires reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing” (p. xiv)

Area 1: Are all students’ reading and writing development and relevant life experiences used to explore literary concepts?

Area 2: Do all courses throughout a student’s day capitalize on the student’s literacy and language as a way to learn new information?

Area 3: Are all students provided with an opportunity to read for learning and pleasure during the school day?

Area 4: Do the intervention initiatives cause students to read more and to read better?

Area 5: Is there a school-wide emphasis on literacy, and does this focus develop teacher expertise?

Self as Reader: Teacher as Literacy Model

Explicit Comprehension Instruction

Focus on a Shared Approach to Literacy Learning

Professional Development with Teacher Buy-In

Please read the collection of literacy narratives written by previous students in this course.

Consider the merits of each literacy narrative. What do you like about each paper?

Generate a list of qualities of a “good” literacy narrative.

Consider how you can address each of these qualities in your teaching.

Freewrite about “fake reading” experiences you have had or observed taking place in school for five minutes.

Add some quoted speech to your freewriting.

Incorporate a quote from Tovani’s chapter into your discussion as either support for your experiences or as a counter example to your experiences.

Create a descriptive title for your writing.