Reading Strategies for Secondary Teachers

1. Reading Strategies for Secondary Teachers ED346 Professor Gretchen Norland

2. Welcome and Introductions • Around the room posters (* ? ! ) (whole-class surveys / pre-tests) • Syllabus goals and textbook

3. Overall 3 week Schedule • January 6 – In-class session • January 7- 8 Reading Buddies (middle school) • January 9 – In-class session • January 13 – in-class session • January 14-15 Reading Buddies (middle school) • January 16 (no class) On-your-own assignments • January 20 - in-class session • January 21 – Last Reading Buddies session • January 22 – in-class session • January 23 - Final

4. A. Demonstrate “before, during and after“ reading strategies, which help readers think about purpose, make personal connections, and interact with the vocabulary and text to construct meaning. • READ THE ENTIRE TEXTBOOK • Take strategic notes on each chapter • Demonstrate strategies on other articles • FINAL EXAM: Demonstrate your knowledge of the strategies on a given article in class.

5. B. Reflect on how all teachers can be teachers of reading, and the opportunities they can provide for secondary level students in various content areas to become more successful in literacy. C. Mentor and instruct 8th grade students in Reading Buddy partnerships to gain greater insight on students’ knowledge of strategies and purposes for reading at the secondary level.

6. Keep a “journal” of your reflections for 5 sessions of Reading Buddies interactions. • Describe each of the students you work with: their attitudes toward reading, and academic, social, personal characteristics. • Record observations of how the students interact with reading and their engagement with strategies from first to last session.

7. D. Design lesson plans with learning objectives that integrate reading strategies with other content areas, use technology, differentiated activities, various learning modalities, and include assessments. • Plan and create (on the Bethany lesson plan template) 2 lessons that integrate reading strategies with another content area. • One lesson plan you will actually implement and direct on the last Reading Buddy session.

8. “It is important that teachers understand reading comprehension strategies themselves, and notice how they use them in their own reading before they can successfully teach and model them to their students” (Keene & Zimmerman, 1997). Think of one of your college textbooks that you have used reading strategies to understand. What does your method of taking notes look like?

9. WRITTEN RESPONSES • Highlighting phrases; circling, underlining words • Making notes or symbols in the margins • Using sticky notes to write questions and notes • Using 2 and 3 column note forms • Writing and responding in notebooks or on paper

10. Good readers make a Plan: •Reading is an ACTIVE process. •Good readers do more than just ‘read’ words quietly; they are writing, thinking about, and asking questions. •Good readers are PROACTIVE and use strategies BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER they read.

11. Reading Chapter 1(pages 1-12) • For the next 20 minutes, read Chapter 1, and take notes on the text however you choose. • If you want, continue using symbols in the margins like you did on the poster : * ? ! Underline/circle words, highlight, or use sticky notes. BE ABLE TO DISCUSS WHAT A “STRATEGY” IS, AND WHAT YOU FOUND TO BE IMPORTANT POINTS.

12. 1:50 DISCUSSION ! * ? !

13. ORAL RESPONSES • Whole class discussions • Small group discussions • Pair shares (side-to-side backwards) • Compass groups (4-way shares: N-E-S-W) • Same book-genre-author-topic groups • Different texts groups • Study/Note-taking groups

14. STRATEGY • What is your definition of READING STRATEGY? Textbook definition on the last paragraph on page 5.

15. “A strategy is a decision. A technique is something you practice, hone, and adapt throughout your life” (Boyles, 2004)

16. What do we know about reading at different levels? • Elementary school: the primary focus is on decoding words and reading with fluency • Intermediate levels: focus on greatermeaning and ideas in literature and nonfiction, plus more difficult and larger amounts of texts and books;

17. Reading is Thinking • Decoding words is important, but it is only one part of the process of comprehension • Secondary Readers must construct meaning by “deliberate, thoughtful cognition.” • “They must understand concepts…determine what is important, and connect their knowledge and experience to what they read.” ((Tovani, 2000, p.18)

18. AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL: • Readers need to be transformed by great literature (Harwayne, 1992) as well as to be given opportunities to explore their passions, interests, and questions to bring the world into focus (Harvey, 1998). • What were some “great literature” titles you read in high school or even in college? • Did you find a purpose for reading them? • Did you enjoy reading them, or were they a challenge?

19. •BOOKS YOU READ IN HIGH SCHOOL?(Last year’s Interterm class) •(Shakespeare) •Romeo and Juliet •MacBeth •Hamlet •Night •Animal Farm •Sophie’s Choice •The Great Gatsby •Grapes of Wrath •The Scarlet Letter •Life of Pi •Of Mice and Men Huckleberry Finn •Frankenstein •The Odyssey •(Mythology) •Catch 22 •Dante’s Inferno •Crucible •Beowolf

20. •Anne Frank •The Dreamgiver •Tangerine •Anna Karenina •Western Front •Catcher in the Rye •Fahrenheit 451 •Brave New World •Call of the Wild •The Red Badge of Courage •A Separate Peace •Pride and Prejudice •Tale of Two Cities •Anthem •Pedro Perome •Like Water for Chocolate •Beloved •The Contender •To Kill a Mockingbird •Lord of the Flies •Ivanhoe •Sula •Great Expectations

21. •FAVORITE BOOKS OR AUTHORS NOW?(Last year’s Interterm class) • Bleachers • Catcher in the Rye • Goosebump series • The Outsiders • The Lucky One • Harry Potter series Nicholas Sparks Jane Austen J.R.R. Tolkien Hunter S. Thompson Philipa Gregory NONE: 6

22. •FAVORITE GENRES •Non-fiction •Romance •Classics •True life, serious •Sports articles •Thriller, Horror •Books on tape • Mystery, suspense • Crime and Mystery • Fantasy • Sports, action • History • Historical Fiction • Science Fiction

23. Survey posters around the room • How does your attitude or how much you read impact your learning? • What is your opinion on the attitudes of secondary level readers based on your own experiences in high school?

24. Assumptions secondary teachers may make: • Teachers assume students ‘know how to read’ and can read faster than they did in elementary school. • They assume students can read and understand increasingly difficult material like nonfiction with topics and words that they are unfamiliar with. (Tovani, p.20)

25. Assumptions secondary teachers may make: • Teachers assume that students connect information they learn in one class to information they learn in another class. • Teachers assume students already see the connection between ideas because it seems obvious to the teacher. (Tovani, p.63, 66)

26. Assumptions secondary teachers may make: • Teachers assume students already know a lot about topicsof study. -OR- • Teachers assume students know little to nothing about the topic. (They have not taken the time to find out about the students’ background knowledge or experiences.)

27. The truth about many secondary readers… • Many secondary students are “resistive readers” , “fake readers” or just “word callers.” “My child is a good reader. He just has trouble with comprehending.” (Tovani, 2000)

28. The truth about many secondary readers… • Students don’t want to take the time to use strategies like beforehand planning or making predictions; stopping to take notes, thinking about or asking questions. • They aren’t concerned about ‘understanding the material’ but just want to finish the assignment quickly and earn the grade.

29. “Many secondary readers complain that they don’t know anything about the topics they read in science and social studies. They have difficulty relating to the information…they become bored and lose their attention…they aren’t making connections.” (Tovani, p.68)

30. HAVING A PURPOSE A reader’s purpose affects everything about reading…. When students read a topic they don’t care about or can’t relate to, they don’t have a reason for reading. “Most students don’t think about setting their own purpose.” (Tovani, p.24)

31. Your Purpose: IDENTIFY THE PURPOSE of why you are reading a particular text. •A favorite book because it peaks your interest? •You want to put something together or operate something. (Making a recipe; Using new technology or equipment….) •You need to find a solution to a real-life problem •It is a required text for school and you must do it because it is important to your grade.

32. Purpose is Everything • Students who don’t have a purpose or don’t know why they are reading, usually lose interest in what they are reading and do not gain any information or understanding. • It is important to think about the Author’s purpose and to even question it. • “Students need to be taught why it is important to have purpose and how to establish one.” (Tovani, 2000, p.20, 25)

33. “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I’ll understand.”

34. READING SURVEY What is the best book you have ever read? Name other books you have liked or favorite authors: How would you describe your interest in reading or your ability to read? What other types of things do you read (newspapers, magazines, etc.)? What topics excite you? If you don’t like to read, or sometimes you struggle with understanding what you read, what do you do?

35. 8th grade survey cont’d • Tell about any BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER reading STRATEGIES that you use to help you understand what you read better? • Complete this sentence with your own thoughts: In reading class, I wish that :_________________________________

36. (INTEREST SURVEY) ABOUT YOU Please tell some things about yourself: (your age, birthday, favorite subjects, things you are good at doing?): What are some things you are interested in? (sports, hobbies, clubs, teams, music, art, entertainment, future goals-dreams?): SURVEYS and PRETESTS are INFORMAL ASSESSMENTS •They give the teacher some good information about students, their knowledge, and also their attitudes.

37. Choose 8th grade buddies PERIOD 6 = 28 STUDENTS (1:05-1:53) (You will be working with a pair of students who have been assigned together). PERIOD 7 = 16 STUDENTS (1:56-2:44) (You will be evenly matched one–to- one with the 16 students in this class).

38. So, how do teachers begin to help students find a purpose for reading and consider their diverse needs?

39. One of the best ways to help readers interact with the text (and have a purpose to read it) is to show them they have something in common with it. (Tovani, p.68)

40. CONNECTING TO BK • BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE • PRIOR EXPERIENCE and memories • SCHEMA • FACTS & INFORMATION students already know. TEACHERS MUST THE TAKE THE TIME TO ASSESS BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE FIRST !

41. ASSESSING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE • Informal observations or surveys • Pre-tests of knowledge and attitudes • Brainstorm as a class • Make a list: “Everything I know about ?

42. “Marking text is an access tool that forces readers to make connections when they read.” • It is also important for the teacher to model how to mark text by “thinking aloud” and show how personal connections can be relevant. (Tovani, p. 68) *LOOK ON PAGES 68-69, BK

43. CONNECTING TO BK • “This reminds me of…” helps the reader find something in common with the text. (Tovani, p.17)

44. Our textbook stresses that students need to “think about what they know about a topic before they begin reading.” And they should make these “BK connections” before they read, during, and after they read. (Tovani, p. 77)

45. TEXT – TO – READER CONNECTIONS • TEXT-TO-SELF • TEXT-TO-TEXT • TEXT-TO-WORLD (Tovani, p.69)

46. TEXT – TO – READER CONNECTIONS • TEXT-TO-SELF: connections readers make between the text and their past experiences or memories (This reminds me of.. I wonder…) • TEXT-TO-TEXT: • TEXT-TO-WORLD: • (Tovani, p.69)

47. Session 1 : Reading Buddies “Mom, I Can Do This” by: Rick Reilly (non-fiction) 1.) Teacher models by “thinking aloud” how to relate to Background Knowledge and mark text. 2.) Student will mark on the text with highlighters and use BK for Background Knowledge in the margins. 3.) Student will also underline and star what he believes to be the Author’s claims or Purpose.

48. The objectives:“Mom, I Can Do This” • To Make Connections with BK Background Knowledge: (“This reminds me of….) • To identify the Author’s Purpose

49. 1. BEFORE • 1. Look at the title of the story and make a PREDICTION of what it means or is going to be about. • 2. Discuss the prediction orally, then student writes down the prediction BY THE TITLE. • 3.Preview the article length, style, structure, pictures, etc. to prepare the student.

50. 2. BEFORE: List Everything you Know about…. • 1. Tell the student (if they haven’t already guessed it) that this story has to do with disabilities of being blind and deaf. • 2. Together, list (or talk about) all the things the student knows or has had experiences with Blind and Deaf people. • **** VERY IMPORTANT: Drawing on BK.