Mixing strategy and skill

1. Mixing strategy and skill Reading Project Webinar 2 Hosted by Maddie Witter

2. Aims • To differentiate between reading strategies and skills • To analyze a schedule that allows students to master both in one year • To spiral and re-teach both to ensure mastery

3. Paradox 1 In order for our readers to get on level, they need to master reading strategies, read for an extended period of time and love reading. In order to show that our readers are on level, we are tested according to state standards which do not assess strategies.

4. Aim: to differentiate between reading strategy and skills Reading Strategies Good readers • Ask questions • Identify when they don’t understand and find a strategy to fix it • Share books with their peers • Determine importance • Synthesize information • Infer Reading Skills Main Idea Cause and Effect Finding Details Literary Elements + Plot Context Clues Make Predictions Summarize Compare and Contrast Fact and Opinion Draw Conclusions and Make Inferences Sequence Use Graphic Organizers Identify Author’s Purpose Interpret Figurative Language

5. Structure

6. Do Now • The Do Now should take about 5 minutes. • If Do Nows are taking longer, shorten them. • Do Nows spiral SKILL 80% and other stuff  20% • As students do the Do Now, teacher walks around checking for understanding. • Teacher goes over the tricky answers --- If this takes more than 2 minutes, then your mini lesson just turned into the do now review.

7. How to Make a sample Do now • Go to www.greatleaps.org • Click on “passages” • Click on “3rd Grade” • Double Fudge By Judy BlumeSample Text From BookWhen my brother Fudge was five, he discovered money in a big way. "Hey, Pete," he said one night as I was getting out of the shower. "How much would it cost to buy New York?""The city or the state?" I asked, as if it were a serious question."The state, but all the good stuff is in the city. People who don't live in the city might disagree, but I'm a city kind of guy.""We live in the city, right?" Fudge said. He was sitting on the open toilet seat in his pajamas."You're not doing anything, are you?" I asked as I toweled myself dry."What do you mean, Pete?""I mean you're sitting on the toilet, and you haven't pulled down your pj's."He swung his feet and started laughing. "Don't worry, Pete. Only Tootsie still poops in her pants." Tootsie is our little sister. She'll be two in February.Fudge watched as I combed my wet hair. "Are you going someplace?" he asked."Yeah, to bed." I got into clean boxers and pulled a T-shirt over my head. • What a Great Short Passage!!!

8. When my brother Fudge was five, he discovered money in a big way. "Hey, Pete," he said one night as I was getting out of the shower. "How much would it cost to buy New York?""The city or the state?" I asked, as if it were a serious question."The state, but all the good stuff is in the city. People who don't live in the city might disagree, but I'm a city kind of guy.""We live in the city, right?" Fudge said. He was sitting on the open toilet seat in his pajamas."You're not doing anything, are you?" I asked as I toweled myself dry."What do you mean, Pete?""I mean you're sitting on the toilet, and you haven't pulled down your pj's."He swung his feet and started laughing. "Don't worry, Pete. Only Tootsie still poops in her pants." Tootsie is our little sister. She'll be two in February.Fudge watched as I combed my wet hair. "Are you going someplace?" he asked."Yeah, to bed." I got into clean boxers and pulled a T-shirt over my head. • What is the purpose of the previous passage? • To inform readers about New York • To entertain readers about a story with two brothers • To persuade readers to read a story • Where does this story take place? • New York City • In a bank • In a bathroom I do up to 4 questions.

9. But, have we taught the skill? • I haven’t taught author’s purpose explicitly, how are they supposed to answer it in the do now? After the students do the do now, spend a couple minutes reviewing how to get the answer. In this case, fiction = entertain. Include a chart. Then REPEAT that question for 5 days on the do now. • What is the purpose of the previous passage? • To inform readers about New York • To entertain readers about a story with two brothers • To persuade readers to read a story

10. Spiral all questions for at least one week Until 100% of the class has gotten the skill question correct, do not remove that question type from the do now– even if there are students who habitually get many questions wrong, keep it on the do now.

11. Keep it short and sweet Push to keep the teacher review to under 2-3 minutes. Daily exposure is what makes it stick--- not lengthy teacher explanation. Less is more with the do now • Once the students have shown mastery of that type of question, move onto a different question. • Bring back that type of question in ONE MONTH. • If the students start to slip with that type of question, then start the week long process all over again.

12. Should do nows just have skills? Nope.  We also include process questions such as: What is your stamina goal today? Which question was hardest on last night’s homework? Or strategy questions such as Write one text to self connection about the above passage. Or vocabulary questions such as How is ________(word) similar to ________ (word)? Less = More. Keep it under 5 minutes.

13. Mini Lesson and Read-Aloud Think-Aloud The mini lesson models to the students what you want them to do. It’s essential to model everything. I’ve found that the biggest pattern of student error results from when I did not model.

14. After the do now is completed, transition to the strategy part of the class. MODEL what you want the students to be doing. Then, they practice for 25-30 minutes. This will allow your readers to be able to read the state test passage when that time comes AND (more importantly) become life-long readers.

15. Aim: to ask questions that have multiple possible answers as you read Sample Mini Lesson Reading Mania Training

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19. Guided Practice I’m standing on the corner admiring the weather and about to take a stroll down Broadway so I can practice my breathing exercises, and I’ve got Raymond walking on the inside close to the buildings, cause he’s subject to fits of fantasy and starts thinking he’s a circus performer and that the curb is a tightrope strung high in the air. ?: Is the narrator older or younger than her brother Raymond? Reading Mania Training

20. Independent Practice Continue reading from your own independent novel. As you read, ask questions that have more than one possible answer. Write your thinking on your sticky notes. You need to generate at least 3 sticky notes by the time you are finished with the story. If you write more than 3, that’s great!  I’ll be around to check your progress. Don’t show me your work, I can see over your shoulder.  Reading Mania Training

21. Independent Work Reading Mania Training • Checking for understanding… the clipboard • Potential pitfall: The Reading/Thinking Balance • Building Stamina and 100% • Uh, oh- they aren’t getting it. Now what?

22. That’s okay    How many students didn’t show mastery? If it’s more than 25% of the class, re-teach the next day. Spiral the lesson in a couple of days…re-teaching is essential (I would do this even if 100% of the class showed mastery- but, in a couple of weeks) If it’s less than 25% of the class, you can either Pull them for a small group later in the day or during the next class For the next day’s lesson, have them do two different aims The previous day’s aim (1-2 examples) That day’s aim (1-2 examples) Uh Oh. They Didn’t Get It. Reading Mania Training

23. Essential Mini Lessons to Re-Teach A LOT  • What to do when you get distracted • Creating at home reading goals • The reading : thinking ratio… how to keep a balance Re-Teaching is vital for reading your students to become independent. Reading Mania Training

24. Process Share Reading Mania Training

25. Creating Homework 1. Book Log • Students read at home for 25-30 minutes (or whatever you prefer) • The book log also SPIRALS strategies taught!  Some from recently, some from WAY back. Monday 12/1/08 Title: ______________________ Genre: _________ Start page: _________ End page: _______ Total pages:________ Write down two questions that you can ask yourself to deepen your thinking about your book (this works for nonfiction or fiction): __________________________________________________________

26. Part 2: Spiral the Do now and process share questions • Using the same strategy with the www.greatleaps.com passages, create a do now type sheet that should take the students five minutes. • Then, create a short answer question that emulates your process share from the lesson. • Lastly, spiral OLD content (vocabulary + strategies). Often this part goes ignored, but it is so essential.

27. Arg, this takes a long time. Totally. The documents I e-mailed out earlier have lots of things that you can just cut and paste  The adage why re-invent the wheel is a bit of a paradox. We need to re-invent the wheel in order to spiral effectively. But, we totally can copy and paste as we go.