Using Formative assessment to Improve Reading Instruction

1. Using Formative assessment to Improve Reading Instruction Meredyth Kezar January 26, 2011 Mkezar@vsb.bc.ca http://lateliteracy.blogspot.com/

2. Lessons I have learned being in the classroom • To improve your students’ reading you have to know how well they actually can read • You have to know where their challenges are in reading • You have to get them reading material they can and want to read at their independent level • You need to teach them strategies to make them better readers • Reading instruction happens in all subjects

3. How Well Do They Read and What are their Challenges?

4. How can I know how well they read? • Word lists such as the San Diego can give you a quick look • Fluency tests as found in tests like the Whole Class Reading Assessment or the RAD • Assessments that measure vocabulary and comprehension strategies such as the Whole Class Reading Assessment or the RAD • A spelling assessment also can be useful-there is a relationship between encoding and decoding • Perhaps most importantly careful observation

5. What can I learn? • Word lists-sight vocabulary-rough idea grade level • Fluency tests-use grade level material-can he read it fluently-if not, need to address this • If fluency is at grade level how is his comprehension-what strategies does he know and use? What do I need to teach, review-try to see if there is a pattern in the class • Spelling assessment-what level of spelling are my students at, what do they need-this is also a good opportunity to work on vocabulary

6. When should I assess? • Do initial observations and assessments • See what stands out • Make a plan, try it out • Assess again • Plan where you need to go next • For a whole class assessment probably once each term

7. How do you get them reading at their independent level?

8. Reading every day • Have them read every day in class • Use strategies from The Daily Five to make sure they have just right books-books they can and want to read • Make expectations clear you expect them reading –again great strategies from The Daily Five • Begin with R5 strategies –Read and Relax, Reflect and Respond, Rap 1 and Rap 2 (Comprehension Shouldn’t Be Silent) • In my grade seven class students read 25 minutes and respond every day • Try to have books for all readers-Orca books and graphic novels have been wonderful for some of my students and picture books can be just fine –nudge into more difficult books when you need to • Students need enough reading time to get in The Zone (Nanci Atwell)

9. Reading and responding every day makes a difference!

10. What I have learned about reading • Leveled reading materials are great but at intermediate level it’s hard to level and aren’t always interesting • A book like The Lightning Thief can turn a kid on to reading • A book like The Red Pyramid can make a kid realize that big books are worth the effort • Movies can make books more accessible to kids • Thank goodness for books like Bone, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Orca Currents-they get kids to start to feel they can read with pleasure…

11. Welcome

12. At Home Reading

13. Home Reading • Make them accountable • Help them understand why they should read • Turn it into a pleasure and a class norm • Turn it into an addiction

14. Other days way to inspire reading… • Read alouds-it may not happen every day but it’s a way a class can share a story-a saga • Mine are once a week, sometimes more • With a response booklet to complete • Last year Dormia (never completed-too long) this year Charlie Wilcox • You are able to share books that they might never have read for themselves but learn to love • Great way to highlight vocabulary-demonstrate connections and predictions etc.

15. Literature Circles • Many ways to do them and I have tried many • I like the format now from Faye Brownlie’s Grand Conversations • Students read text sets and meet in small groups-agree how much they will read and come prepared to discuss-mine happen once a week-currently on Ancient Egypt

16. Reading and vocabulary Strategies

17. Word Study

18. Word Study Groups • Word Study is important • To me, vocabulary and spelling • Use assessment so that you can have two groups-that’s manageable • Pretest, discuss, have them group words, write sentences, study, post test • In class time only takes two periods

19. Word Study strategies-examples • Is there a picture or a diagram to help? • Does the word look or sound like a familiar word? • Can you break it into parts? • If you keep reading will you find the meaning? • If all else fails use a dictionary

20. Word Study strategies • The reason many students don’t do well in reading • Is because they don’t understand the words • You need to instill a love of words • Getting your students to be “word savvy” • And to find ways to figure out words’ meanings in context • Use these strategies and opportunities in all content areas

21. Reading Strategies

22. A Proficient Reader(based on P.David Pearson’s research • Connects • Questions • Visualizes • Infers • Analyzes • Synthesizes • And monitors comprehension so he knows when he doesn’t understand and stops, goes back and rereads in order for understanding to take place

23. How do we teach them to do this ?

24. There are some great lessons but • Using the RAD or Whole Class Assessment • You can see what they are doing and • What they may need more practice in • Teach specifically • But bring into all subjects and lessons • The more you do something • The better you get

25. A common complaint • I taught them but they still can’t do it • Truth is we have to do something many times before we actually master it • Solution? • When we teach how to do a strategy use the following steps

26. The Gradual Release of Responsibility Framework • Connect and engage • Teacher Modeling-I do it • Guided Practice-we do it • Collaborative Practice-you do it together • Independent Practice-you do it alone • Application of the Strategy-you do it in different contexts, places, with different texts

27. What materials can we use to teach strategies? • To teach a strategy use a easy material at an instructional material and not too lengthy • Your goal is to teach the strategy so you don’t want the material getting in the way • Use material that is of interest to the students, for instance, science magazines can work well, a picture book. Non-fiction is usually better-depends on what you are teaching • Major publishing companies have some excellent materials now as well

28. Other things that I have really noticed… • It’s important that students use strategies in all subject areas and see the connections • For instance, a hypothesis is a type of prediction as is an estimate-you can even call them inferences. • Make sure you, as a learner, understand the question in order to answer correctly • Pay attention to detail-it can make all the difference-in fact that sign is now laminated in my classroom • Students need to see school as a game in which they can all succeed with the right strategies.

29. But most importantly you Just need to really like to read!

30. Resources • THE DAILY FIVE: Fostering literacy independence in the elementary grades - Gail Boushey & Joan Moser. (2006). Stenhouse. ISBN 978-1571104298.  • SMALL-GROUP READING INSTRUCTION: A differentiated teaching model for intermediate readers, Grades 3-8 - Beverly Tyner. (2003). IRA. ISBN 978-0872070073. • STRATEGIES THAT WORK: Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement - Stephanie Harvey & Anne Goudvis. (2007). Stenhouse. ISBN 978-1571104816. • GRAND CONVERSATIONS, THOUGHTFUL RESPONSES: A Unique Approach to Literature Circles -Faye Brownlie. (2005). Portage & Main. ISBN 978-1553790549. • THE READING ZONE: How to help kids become skilled, passionate, habitual, critical readers – NancieAtwell. (2007). Scholastic. ISBN 978-0439926447.

31. Resources • COMPREHENSION SHOULDN’T BE SILENT: From strategy instruction to student independence - Michelle J. Kelley & Nicki Clausen-Grace. (2007). IRA. ISBN 978-0872076204. • R5 IN YOUR CLASSROOM: A Guide to Differentiating Independent Reading and Developing Avid Readers - Michelle J. Kelley & Nicki Clausen-Grace. (2008). IRA. ISBN 8-0872076846. • NSIDE WORDS: Tools for Teaching Academic Vocabulary: Grades 4-12– Janet Allen. (2007). Stenhouse. ISBN 978-1-57110-399-4. • WORD SAVVY: Integrated Vocabulary, Spelling, and Word Study, Grades 3-6 - Max Brand & Diane E. Deford. (2004). Stenhouse. ISBN 978-1571103666. • MINDFUL OF WORDS:Spelling and Vocabulary Explorations 4-8-Kathy Ganske (2008) Guilford Press. ISBN 9781593858223 • BUILDING READING COMPREHENSION HABITS IN GRADES 6- 12: A Toolkit of classroom Activities 2nd Ed.-Jeff Zwiers (2010) International Reading Association.

32. Resources • For additional great professional web resources just visit my blog http://lateliteracy.blogspot.com/ • and look at my Good Sites to Visit there • I should mention one great resource is The Reading Teacher-to subscribe • http://www.reading.org/general/publications/journals/rt.aspx • Consider forming a professional book club-just contact me if you want any advice on this… • Our school book club this year is Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemoy

33. Questions?