How Academy Leaders Can Improve Literacy and Learning

1. How Academy Leaders Can Improve Literacy and Learning Intensive Session 2010 NAF Institute for Staff Development Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Session facilitator: Julie Meltzer PCG Education

2. Goals of this Intensive Session • Introduce the key components of ALeadership Model for Improving Adolescent Literacy • Communicate the importance of whole-school literacy efforts as a lever for educational improvement for adolescents • Clarify the roles and responsibilities of school administrators and classroom teachers in ensuring that students develop the critical literacy skills needed to be successful in college, in their careers, and as citizens

3. PCG’s Definition of “Adolescent Literacy” Adolescents who are fully literate KNOW and USE reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking strategies to learn across all content areas and CAN DEMONSTRATE/COMMUNICATE that learning to others who need to know and CAN TRANSFER their learning to new situations.

4. What were you like as a reader in high school?

5. The BIG question… • If the answer is YES – a collective concerted effort is required. • If the answer is NO – a collective concerted effort is required. Do you want your students to be a reader/writer like you were?!!!!? Either way, working together on this is how to make it happen!!!!

6. What do we mean by a “schoolwide effort”? • Read the high school vignette and underline the things this school put in place to support literacy. • Code the items you underlined in the following way: • 4 = things everyone does in our school/academy • 3 = things some people do in our school/academy • 2 = things no one does at our school/academy • 1 = things that would be unrealistic/not relevant at our school/academy • Discuss your results with a partner

7. Who needs literacy support? • Non readers • Struggling readers and writers • Reluctant readers and writers • Average readers and writers • Excellent readers and writers • English language learners who may be any of the above

8. Why focus on literacy? • More than six million students in middle and high schools struggle with reading. • Literacy demands in the 21st century are higher than they have ever been. • Literacy and academic success go hand in hand. • Literacy and workplace success go hand in hand.

9. Taking Action Literacy Leadership Model 3 Goal Areas 5 Action Points

10. Taking the Lead on Adolescent Literacy: Action Steps for Schoolwide Success Corwin Press, 2010 Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy: An Implementation Guide for School Leaders ASCD, 2007 Meeting the Challenge of Adolescent Literacy: Practical Ideas for Literacy Leaders IRA, 2009 Taking Action LiteracyLeadership Model

11. Quotes Activity

12. Taking Action Literacy Leadership Model 3 Goal Areas 5 Action Points

13. The Literacy Engagement and Instruction Cycle Provide instruction, modeling, and guided practice of literacy support strategies in context. Engage students in literacy tasks that are meaningful and purposeful. Improve student confidence, competence, and efficacy.

14. Student Motivation, Engagement, and Achievement • Make connections to students’ lives (RELEVANCE) • Create safe and responsive classrooms (RELATIONSHIPS) • Have students interact with text and with each other about text (RIGOR)

15. Linking instruction to the needs of adolescents • Need for control/autonomy • Interest in technology/media • Need to be heard • Disposition to debate • Need to make a difference • Need to belong • Sense of accomplishment

16. Taking Action Literacy Leadership Model 3 Goal Areas 5 Action Points

17. Integrating Literacy and Learning: Across the Content Areas Asking the right question: Not “Everyone a reading teacher?” but “How will students become better readers, writers, speakers, and thinkers of this content (English language arts, math, science, finance, IT, engineering, cultural geography, etc.) as a result of being in your class?”

18. The goal of quality content literacy instruction… …is to improve students’ content learning AND literacy development (progress as a reader, writer, listener/viewer, speaker/presenter, and critical and creative thinker) AT THE SAME TIME

19. What does it mean to read something? • Do you read an informational website on health issues and a mystery novel the same way? • Do you read a how-to manual for your DVD player or cell phone the same way you read an advertisement for supermarket specials? • Do you read a graph, a photograph, and a graphic novel the same way? Why not??? What determines HOW you read something??? What would happen if you read everything the same way???

20. Content Literacy = Program Area Literacy • How, why, and what you READand WRITE in a particular content area • How and why you SPEAK/PRESENTin a given content area • Types of THINKING required by a specific discipline • Applicable vocabulary, formats/text structures, and discourse elements

21. What do we mean by “literacy demands”? CROSS CONTENT literacy demands Students need to strategically read, write, speak/listen, present, and think across content areas (however these may need to be APPLIED in different ways to each discipline of study). Examples: Activating prior knowledge, setting purpose for reading, clarifying, questioning, predicting, summarizing, visualizing, deductive and inductive thinking, brainstorming, responding

22. What do we mean by “literacy demands”? DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC literacy demands Specific ways of reading, writing, speaking/listening, presenting, and thinking WITHIN each discipline of study are more applicable to some disciplines as opposed to others. Examples: Rules of evidence, text types and structures, presentation formats, conceptual vocabulary, technical vocabulary

23. Content of the English language arts classroom Literary genres and formats: Poem, essay, short story, play, biography, memoir, novel, letter Language usage: Grammar, technical and conceptual vocabulary related to the study of literature Writing: Narrative, persuasive, and expository writing English Language Arts is heavily dependent on reading and writing for success BUT teachers may not know how to support literacy development, especially in the area of reading

24. Content of the math classroom Literary genres and formats: Word problems, textbooks, proofs, articles, graphs and charts Language usage: Operations, terminology with precise meanings, conceptual vocabulary Writing: Problem write-ups, manuals, proofs, statistical analysis, response to problematic situations, notes combining symbols and text Math is heavily dependent on critical thinking, vocabulary/concept development, and the ability to learn from dense concise text BUT teachers may not know how to support literacy development

25. Content of the science classroom Literary genres and formats: Articles, lab reports, textbooks, informational websites, graphs, charts, diagrams Language usage: Process words, terminology with precise meanings, conceptual vocabulary Writing: Lab reports, analytical essays, notes, I-search and research projects, summaries, evidence-based conclusions Science is heavily dependent on reading and research skills, critical thinking and vocabulary/concept development for success BUT teachers may not know how to support literacy development

26. Content of the social studies classroom Literary genres and formats: Primary sources, textbooks, articles, nonfiction texts, maps, historical photographs, graphs, charts, artifacts Language usage: Conceptual vocabulary, debate Writing: Analytical essays, opinion essays, I-search and research projects, summaries, evidence-based conclusions Social Studies is heavily dependent on reading, critical thinking, vocabulary/concept development and writing for success BUT teachers may not know how to support literacy development

27. Literacy demands of NAF Academies • Academy of Finance • Academy of Hospitality & Tourism • Academy of Information Technology • Academy of Engineering

28. Reading, writing, and learning as processes • Before reading, writing, or learning • Activate prior knowledge, teach vocabulary, set purpose • During reading, writing, or learning • Ask and answer questions, monitor comprehension, make inferences, make connections • After reading, writing, or learning • Summarize, make connections, evaluate, apply, synthesize

29. What are literacy support strategies? When integrated into content area literacy support strategiesinstruction, can help struggling readers learn the habits and skills of strong readers, writers, and thinkers.

30. Why are strategies important? You return from vacation and a week’s worth of mail has accumulated in your absence. Discuss what strategy you would use to deal with the pile of mail. • What did you need to know in order to select an appropriate strategy to use? • What if you sorted by size of envelope or color? When would this be an effective strategy to use?

31. What’s the point? • As adults, we sometimes do not realize what students are not able to do with text. • Strategies to improve reading comprehension, writing, and vocabulary learning are teachable. • Strategies have to be matched with the purposes and goals of the reading/writing/learning task. • The focus of strategy instruction must be fluent, independent strategy use by students.

32. What does this mean in grades 9–12? • Vocabulary development • Collaborative inquiry with, and meaning making of, increasingly complex text • Strategy instruction to read and write: teaching, modeling, and guided and independent practice • Writing to learn • Writing to communicate • Focus on critical thinking

33. The NAF Learning Handbook Cutting-edge methods of increasing literacy using cross-disciplinary teaching strategies that weave career themes across core subjects such as math, English, and history • Instructional strategies • Literacy strategies • Key activities

34. Instructional Strategies • Concept Attainment • Cooperative Learning • K-W-L • List, Group, Label • Think, Pair, Share

35. Literacy Strategies • Active Listening • Composing with Key Words • Defining Format • Metacognitive Statements • Taxonomy

36. Key Activities • Cornell Notes • Panel Discussion • Read, Draw, Talk, Write • Reading Jigsaw • SQ3R

37. Literacy support in five instructional modes • Teacher presentation • Whole group instruction • Group or pair work • Individual completion of work (without technology) • Individual completion of work (with technology)

38. When students struggle as readers or writers • They will need content area literacy support AND strategic literacy interventions. • Strategic literacy interventions are supports put into place to accelerate the progress of struggling readers and writers. • Strategic literacy interventions can be offered in a variety of formats: One size does not fit all.

39. Eight ways to be a struggling reader • I can read it, but I don’t “get it.” • If the answer is “right there,” I’m okay. • I never see pictures when I read. • I have trouble sounding out the words. • I read very slowly. • I don’t know a lot of the words. • I like real stuff, not Shakespeare. • I like stories, not textbooks.

40. What intervention supports exist for your students? • List the interventions you have in place for struggling readers and writers • Connect the interventions to the types of needs they are designed to address • Discuss insights or patterns you notice about your list

41. Taking Action Literacy Leadership Model 3 Goal Areas 5 Action Points

42. Sustaining literacy development • School culture, policies, and structures • Parents and community • District support

43. Creating a vision If our literacy improvement effort was successful, how would our school be different? What would students be doing? What would teachersbe doing? What would the environment be like?

44. Taking Action Literacy Leadership Model 3 Goal Areas 5 Action Points

45. Rubric #2: Literacy Across the Content Areas Desired Outcome: Teachers consistently integrate high quality reading, writing, and vocabulary instruction to improve all students’ literacy development and content learning. Components: • Classroom Instruction • Curriculum Alignment • Differentiation • Feedback and Grading Practices • Assignments • Research and Use of Text

46. Literacy Across the Content Areas Rubric

47. Taking Action Literacy Leadership Model 3 Goal Areas 5 Action Points

48. Five action points • Implement a Literacy Action Plan • Support teachers • Use data • Build capacity • Allocateresources

49. Spotlight on teaching in the 21st century

50. What is our responsibility? • Making sure that all students have ample access to quality content literacy instruction so they can read, write, discuss, and think at high levels. • Setting up systems of support to make sure all students get access to teaching that truly prepares them for college, careers, and citizenship in the 21st century.