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Literacy for Better Learning Resources
Nancy Doda, Ph.D. www.teacher-to-teacher.com
Six Focused Reading Strategies
Our goal is to create structures that engage students in the use of these skills and strategies. 1. METACOGNITION-‐BDA What Good Readers Do:
BEFORE READING
• Preview • Predict • Question • Connect to prior knowledge • Visualize • Determine purpose for reading
DURING READING
• Visualize • Organize information • Retell main points • Reread to clarify • Verify Predictions • Make connections • Answer questions • Make predictions • Summarize
AFTER READING
• Organize information • Review • Retell main points • Reread to clarify • Answer questions • Summarize • Evaluate the information • Write about the topic
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2. SUMMARIZING
How to Summarize: • Step 1 Identify the topic. Ask, Whom or What it is about? • Step 2 Identify the main idea. Ask, What is the main thing the writer is
saying about the topic? • Step 3 Identify the important details. Ask, what details are needed to
understand the main idea? • Step 4 Use the main idea and important details to summarize.
3. QUESTIONING
Kinds of Questions: • Goal-‐Setting
o Ask, What is my reason for reading this text? • Question Words
o Ask, What important details can I find in the text? • Between the Lines
o Ask, What decisions can I make about the facts and details in the text?
• Beyond the Text o Ask, What connections can I make between the text and my life?
4. PREDICTING
How to Predict: • Preview text features to get an idea of what you will be reading about. • Use what you know to predict what will happen next. • Use different skills to preview fiction and nonfiction. • Check your predictions. You can confirm them or change you prediction. • Elaborate on your predictions.
5. TEXT STRUCTURE
How to Use Text Structure • Preview text to get an idea of its organization and purpose. Identify the text
structure. Use clues and signal words to identify problem and solution, description, sequence, cause and effect, and compare and contrast.
• In some writing, you will have to identify multiple structures in text. • Summarize text by thinking about its structure.
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6. VISUALIZING How to Visualize:
• Use pictures to help you visualize what the passage does and does not tell you. • Find descriptive and sensory words and use them to form pictures in your mind
of what you are reading. • Draw conclusions after forming pictures in your mind about what you are
reading. • Use visual aids, such as graphic organizers to help you understand what you are
reading.
7. INFERENCING How to Infer:
• Use what you know. Combine your experience with what you learned and what you read.
• Use information about people, places, and events, in fiction and nonfiction. • Use information to predict what will happen next in the text. • Identify the causes, or what made something happen, and the effects, or what
happened. • Distinguish between those statements that are facts and those statements that
are opinions.
KEY IDEA: Our goal is to create structures that engage students in the use of these strategies.
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Prediction and Confirming Activity (PACA) Based on Beyer’s (1971) Inquiry Model, this strategy, like most pre-‐reading strategies, uses student predictions to set a purpose for reading: this process is what most good readers do naturally. PACA allows students to make predictions about a topic, based on some initial information provided by the teacher, even if they have little prior knowledge. Given additional information, they can revise their predictions (or hypotheses) and pose them as questions for further reading. Suppose a teacher wishes to teach a lesson about the Hausa people of Nigeria and surmises that students will probably have little prior knowledge of the culture or geographical location of the Hausa people. The teacher gives a short explanation that the Hausa people live in Nigeria and shows students where Nigeria is located within Africa. Step 1: The teacher poses a general question such as “What are the Hausa people like?” Step 2: The teacher provides initial information. The teacher places students into small groups for discussion and provides them with a list of Hausa words and again poses the question “Based on the words commonly used by the Hausa people, what are the Hausa people like?” Word lists can generally be found in content area textbooks.
cotton goat Sabbath God mining rainy season trader desert yams amulet prohibition merchant ghost farm cattle witchcraft grandmother aunt umbrella sister Koran debtor servant slavery adobe walled town tent tax collector son cultivate blacksmith camel dry season clay oven crop mosque mountain sheep mother baker prophet devil gold bargain priest
Step 3: Students and the teacher write predictions. Step 4: Teacher presents new information. Step 5: Students and teacher revise or modify statements. Step 6: Students read a selection in their textbooks (or view a video, or listen to information) and revise their predictions using their predictions as a purpose for reading. Step 7: The teacher helps students revise their predictions based on their reading (or viewing). PACA may be used with a variety of topics for which teachers need to build background information. This strategy is good for vocabulary and concept building before using students to use this information in their reading or writing. Irvin, J.L. (1998). Reading and the Middle School Student: Strategies to Enhance Literacy. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
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Anticipation Guide
An anticipation guide is created by the teacher to activate engagement and connect with student prior knowledge of a subject. Students are asked to read a set of statements and predict whether they are true or false. The students use the reading to verify their predictions. The activity is then followed by a class discussion to clarify concepts
Steps to Creating an Anticipation Guide
1. The teacher should identify major concepts in the reading. The student’s prior knowledge and experiences should also be accounted for.
2. Create six to ten statements related to major concepts in the lesson. Some
should be true and others should contain inaccurate information (see example).
3. Present the anticipation guide. Ask students to mark true or false for each
statement. 4. Have students get together in small groups to discuss their answers. Each
group needs to come to a consensus on whether they think the statement is true or false. Students should be encouraged to justify their opinion. Have each group share their prediction for each statement. The teacher or students can ask a group to explain their reasoning.
5. Direct students to read the selection to find out if their predictions are
accurate. They should have a highlighter or sticky notes available to mark key concepts. They should mark the correct answer in the second column of their anticipation guide.
6. Conduct a follow-up discussion to clarify concepts presented in the lesson. ** Adapted from Fairfax County Public Schools, Learning to Read Social Studies
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30-‐15-‐5: Partner Reading
Directions for 30-‐15-‐5:
o Determine partners
o Provide an introduction to the text by setting both a context and purpose for
reading.
o Hand out text and ask individuals to read. (An alternative would be to have
partners read out loud to each other.)
o Explain that Partner A will talk about the text for 30 seconds, and must talk the
entire time. Comments might include:
o Summarizing statements
o Opinion statements about content
o Questions
o Connections to other text, the world, or self
o Inferential statements
o At the end of Partner A’s time, Partner B speaks for 30 seconds, again speaking
for the entire time. Partner B might respond to A’s comments or use any of the
topics mentioned above.
o At the end of the second 30 seconds, the process repeats itself, except this time
the time limit is 15 seconds for each person.
o A third round ends the process. The time limit in the third round is 5 seconds
each.
o Remember, each person must speak about the text continuously during his or her
turn.
o Process the activity by asking for comments or summary statements or questions
to be pursued.
This strategy could be used with text, video, read-‐alouds, etc. Times can be changed to be longer.(eg;
(60-‐30-‐10)
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Just-‐Say-‐Something
Just-‐Say-‐Something is a way to chunk text up in smaller sections that will ensure students won’t get
to the end totally confused. (Jill Spencer)
Directions for Just-‐Say-‐Something
o Students work with a partner and designate one as A and the other, B.
o Together, they chunk up the reading by placing stop signs (stickies)
along the way. Or, the teacher can decide ahead of time where students will stop.
o Students read silently and stop at the stop signs. At first stop, A “says something” about the
text:
what she thinks it said
what she thinks about it
what interests her
what she has questions about
what new thoughts she has
what she might not have understood
how it connects with something else.
o Then B responds. He may comment on something A said or make a comment of his own.
o Partners resume reading and stop at the next stickie/stop sign. This time B gets to ”say
something” first and then A responds.
o Partners move on through the reading in this manner until they finish. (Wellman)
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Think ALOUD Strategy
Description: This strategy is now believed to be one of the strongest ways to strengthen students thinking. Think aloud is used to model comprehension processes such as: Making predictions, creating images, linking text with prior knowledge, word recognition, problem-solving, picking out important details and making connections to the known. Not intended to be used to have students read lots of text aloud in class!! Benefits:
• It helps makes thinking overt and explicit. It also shows us how students think and attempt to solve text comprehension problems.
• Allows teachers to model the way skilled readers think. • Engages students in reflective, meta-cognitive thinking. • Helps students to see that learning requires effort and is often
difficult. Steps: Model Think Aloud
• Read aloud a small part of a chosen text. • Ask what strategies students observe you using (None). • Read the next small section or part: Stop at various junctures to Think Aloud
(Model). • Have students jot down what you say. • Ask them to discuss this with a partner/buddy. What strategies did I use to help
me think about what I was reading? • Next … have partners take turns reading and thinking aloud with another text
selection or a selected part of the same text you read. • Can also have students read silently and they write down their thinking either in
boxes you have made or other ways. Remember: The idea is to get telling about things they are thinking about.
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Vocabulary Development
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ANALYSIS MATRIX
Property
Parallelogram
Rectangle
Rhombus
Square
Diagonals bisect each other
Diagonals are congruent
Each diagonal bisects a pair of opposite angles
Diagonals form two pairs of congruent triangles
Diagonals form four congruent
triangles
Diagonals are perpendicular to
each other
From Content Area Reading
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Vocabulary Development Concept Definition Mapping
What is it? Concept definition mapping (Schwartz, 1988) is a strategy for teaching students the meaning of key concepts. Concept definition maps are graphic organizers that help students understand the essential attributes, qualities, or characteristics of a word’s meaning. Students describe what the concept is, make comparisons, tell what it is like, and cite examples of it. How could it be used in social studies instruction? This strategy provides a structure for students to organize their understanding after they have completed an activity and/or read about a concept. It gives students an opportunity to illustrate their understanding and to extend their learning by citing examples from their own experiences. How to use it:
1. Display an example concept definition map. 2. Discuss the questions that a definition should answer:
• What is it? What broader category does it fit into? • What can it be compared/contrasted to? • What is it like? What are its essential characteristics? What qualities make it
different from other things in the same category? • What are some examples of it?
3. Model how to use the map. 4. Provide students with time to practice. 5. Instruct students to use the information from their maps to write a complete definition of
the concept. 6. As a unit progresses, encourage students to refine their maps and to reflect on their
learning.
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Different Perspectives Outline
Your Perspective on ____________________________
You assume the Role of:_____________________________
NEEDS
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
TEXT STATEMENTS
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
CONCERNS
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
YOUR REACTIONS
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
SUMMARY POSITION STATEMENT
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
(Buehl, 1995) Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, 2nd Ed., by Doug Buehl, 2001. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
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Double Entry Journal
So many best literacy teaching practices are all about getting students’ fingerprints all over the text. Teachers want students to do more than glide over the text, decoding with ease, but making only limited amounts of meaning. They want students to handle the text, take it apart, manipulate it, look for its heart, find out what makes it tick, chunk it into meaningful bits and then interrogate each bit. Double entry journals are ways to help students read with an investigating eye. It helps students to slow down and pay attention when they read. (Where did students get the idea that the best readers were the fastest readers?) Double entry journals teach students the critical art of close reading.
Different Ways to Keep a Double Entry Journal
Left Hand Side Right Hand Side
Quotes from the text Visual commentary (drawings, visual analogies, doodles)
Quotes from the text Written reactions, reflections, commentary, musings (“Hmmm…”)
Quotes from the text Connections Text to text Text to Self Text to world
Observations, details revealed by close reading Significance
What the text says… Why the text says this…
Questions: “I wonder why…” Possible answers: “Maybe because…”
Quotes from texts Questions (Clarifying & Probing)
Quotes from texts Social Questions (Race, class, gender inequalities)
Quotes from texts Memories
Quotes from texts Naming Literary or Persuasive (Rhetorical) Techniques
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Double-‐Entry Diaries Direct quote and page number: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
This reminds me of … 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
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Representing-‐to-‐Learn in Math
Dialectic journals invite students to work problems both in mathematical symbols and everyday language.
6 x 2 + 9 x – 105 (5 steps)
1 3 ( 2 x 2 + 3 x – 35 ) 2 2 x • x 5 • 7 3 3 ( 2 x – 7 ) ( x + 5 ) └───┘ 4 – 7 x + 10 x 5 3 ( 2 x 2 + 3 x – 35 ) 6 x 2 + 9 x – 105
1 Factor out the GCF 2 Look at factors of 1st and 3rd terms 3 Signs are +, – 4 Write as binomials 5 Check using FOIL
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Found Poetry Found Poetry Basics
1) Each student writes a letter or diary entry from the perspective of a specific
character. Choose only one or possibly two if they have a relationship. 2) Read each letter aloud or trade with partner. Find the one or two most powerful
lines. Or…each student selects 2-‐3 passages they believe reveal imagery and serve an important role in story. (This focus can vary depending on your purpose.) 3) Write each on a separate 3x5 card. 4) Working in small groups, students attempt to arrange cards until the best poem is
created. (Don’t be afraid to revise lines or add others.) 5) Write down the poem and script readers theater style. Add titles. 6) Practice. Pay particular attention to oral interpretation. 7) Present to class. Steineke-‐Grade Level-‐ Writing
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Structural Indexing Focus: Vocabulary Thinking Integration Assessment Procedures: Take some index cards and write a major concept or idea on each card – an idea found
within a body of an academic discipline. Try the index section of a book for some examples. Lay the cards out to form a grid. Try doing this with nine cards. Study the random arrangement you made and create true statements (generalizations) from the words provided. Do this with the words appearing horizontally, vertically and diagonally.
As an example, look at the grid below representing concepts drawn from social studies:
politics resources culture change process structure leadership society system
Taking the concepts that appear horizontally, these generalizations can be made: Politics can affect the resources within a culture. Change a process and a structure may be changed. Leadership in a society can create or destroy a system. Taking the concepts that appear vertically, these generalizations can be made: Politics can create change in leadership. Resources can create a process for the development of a society. Culture determines the structure of a system. Taking the concepts that appear diagonally, these generalizations can be made: Politics can create a process for governing a system. Culture can create a process for developing leadership.
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Flipbooks
Text books swamp kids with data overload. Students need a system and a process to digest the information. They also need to slow down the reading....and to have some way to decide what they are going to try to remember. Creating flipbooks is one fun way to help students manage this type of inconsiderate text. It can be adapted to assist a modified SQ3R activity (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review).
Students enjoy folding the three sheets of mimeo (ideally colored) paper into a flip book stapled twice at
the top. The teacher (at some point) lets kids decorate the cover. But first the teacher leads/models how to survey pictures, captions, maps and other fun stuff...then asks the students what this piece of the text book is going to be about. This prior to reading activity can take the form of either predictions or questions. Students write down their pre-‐reading work in the first section.
Then students proceed to read marking down important names and dates...and questions all in the
appropriate section. When they have finished reading and note taking, the students should retell using some kind of sentence stem...."In this section I read about Ancient Egypt. I learned that..."
Survey and Write Predictions
Very Important People Timeline (Key Dates)
Questions Retell
History of Ancient Egypt
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LITERATURE CIRCLES:
A Collaborative Reading/Writing Activity Literature Circles are a powerful structure for reading and discussing fiction or non-‐fiction texts at all grade levels. Sometimes called “book clubs” or “reading discussion groups,” Lit Circles combine two very important educational ideas: collaborative learning and independent reading. Simply defined, Literature Circles are small, peer-‐led discussion groups whose members have chosen to read the same article, CHAPTER, book, or novel. These groups can be organized in a wide variety of ways, but the consistent elements are:
� Students choose their own reading materials � Small groups (3-‐6 students) are formed, based upon book choice
� Grouping is by text choices, not by "ability" or other tracking � Different groups choose and read different books
� Groups meet on a regular, predictable schedule to discuss their reading � Kids write notes which help guide both their reading and discussion
� Discussion questions come from the students, not teachers or textbooks � Personal responses, connections, and questions are the starting-‐point of discussion
� A spirit of playfulness and sharing pervades the room � The teacher does not lead any group; s/he is a facilitator, fellow reader, and observer � When books are finished, groups share highlights of their reading with the classmates
through presentations, reviews, dramatizations, book chats, or other media � New groups form around new reading choices, and another cycle begins
� Evaluation is by teacher observation and student self-‐evaluation
READINGS ON LITERATURE CIRCLES / BOOK CLUBS
Daniels, Harvey. Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups, Second Edition. (Stenhouse, 2002)
Daniels, Harvey and Marilyn Bizar. Methods that Matter: Six Structures for Best Practice Classrooms. (Stenhouse, 1998)
Hill, Bonnie Campbell, Nancy Johnson, and Katherine Schlick Noe. Literature Circles Resource Guide. (Christopher-‐Gordon, 2000)
Hill, Bonnie Campbell, Nancy Johnson, and Katherine Schlick Noe. Literature Circles and Response., (Christopher-‐Gordon, 1995)
Samway, Katherine Davies, and Gail Whang, Literature Study Circles in a Multicultural Classroom. (Stenhouse, 1996)
Schlick-‐Noe, Katherine and Barbara Johnson, Getting Started with Literature Circles. (Christopher-‐Gordon, 1999)
McMahon, Susan and Taffy Raphael. The Book Club Connection. (Teachers College, 1997)
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But Does it Work? Recent Research on Literature Circles A 1998 study of fourth graders by Klinger, Vaugn, and Schumm found that students in peer-‐led groups made greater gains than controls in reading comprehension and equal gains in content knowledge after a reading and discussing social studies material in peer-‐led groups. This effect was confirmed through a standardized reading test, a social studies unit test, and audiotapes of group work. Interestingly, the researchers found that students small-‐group talk was 65% academic and content-‐related, 25% procedural, 8% feedback, with only 2% off-‐task. Martinez-‐Roldan and Lopez-‐Robertson looked at the effect of literature circles in a first-‐grade bilingual classroom. They found that “young bilingual children, no matter what their linguistic background, are able to have rich discussions if they have regular opportunities to engage with books.” Interestingly, they found that many of the Spanish-‐dominant children were more eager and ready to make personal connections with stories than the English speakers, who tended to stick closer to the text on the page. The Hispanic children manifested their connections through the telling of extended stories, a style of response which the English speaking kids rarely utilized. Dana Grisham of San Diego State University has been an indefatigable recorder of emerging literature circle research, and also organized the first panel at the American Educational Research Association to focus on literature circles. Grisham has catalogued literature circle research documenting benefits for inner-‐city students (Pardo, 1992); incarcerated adolescents (Hill and Van Horn, 1995); “resistant” learners (Hauschildt & McMahon, 1996); homeless children and children living in poverty (Hanning, 1998); second-‐language learners (MacGillivray, 1995); and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners (Dupuy, 1997). Various versions of book clubs and literature study circles have been found to increase student enjoyment of and engagement in reading (Fox and Wilkinson, 1997); to expand children’s discourse opportunities (Kaufmann, et al, 1997; Scharer, 1996); to increase multicultural awareness (Hansen-‐Krening, 1997); to promote other perspectives on social issues (Noll, 1994); to provide social outlets for students (Alvermann et al, 1977); and to promote gender equity (Evans, Alverman, and Anders, 1998). Excerpt from Daniels, 2002
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ILLUSTRATOR Name: ________________________________________ Date: _____________ Book: ________________________________________ Assignment p ___ -‐ p ____ Illustrator: Your job is to draw some kind of picture related to the reading. It can be a sketch, cartoon, diagram, flow chart, or stick-‐figure scene. You can draw a picture of something that’s discussed specifically in your book, or something that the reading reminded you of, or a picture that conveys any idea or feeling you got from the reading. Any kind of drawing or graphic is okay as long as it shows time and effort -‐ -‐ you can even label things with words if that helps. Make your drawing on the other side of this sheet or on a separate sheet. Presentation Plan: When the Discussion Director invites your participation, you may show your picture without comment to the others in the group. One at a time, they get to speculate what your picture means, to connect the drawing to their own ideas about the reading. After everyone has had a say, you get the last word: tell them what your picture means, where it came from, or what it represents to you. Describe below what your illustration is of and how it relates to the selected reading assignment.
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SUMMARIZER
Name: ________________________________________ Date: _____________ Book: ________________________________________ Assignment p ___ -‐ p ____ Summarizer: Your job is to prepare a brief summary of the reading assignment. The other members of your group will be counting on you to give a quick (one-‐ or two-‐ minute) statement that conveys the gist, the key points, the main highlights, the essence of the reading assignment (not a retell). Use the numbered slots below to record main ideas or events to remember. Summary: ____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Key Points:
1. _____________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________________________
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DISCUSSION DIRECTOR
Name: ________________________________________ Date: _____________ Book: ________________________________________ Assignment p ___ -‐ p ____ Discussion Director: Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group might want to discuss about this part of the book. Don’t worry about the small details: your task is to help people talk over the big ideas in the reading and share their reactions. Usually the best discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and concerns as you read, which you can list below, during or after your reading. Try to think of “fat questions” that promote interesting discussion. You may want to use the words why, how, or if to start off your questions. 1. __________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________________
Adapted from Literature Circles: Voice and choice in the student-‐ centered classroom by Harvey Daniels.
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CONNECTOR
Name: ________________________________________ Date: _____________ Book: ________________________________________ Assignment p ___ -‐ p ____ Connector: Your job is to find connections between the book your group is reading and the world outside. This means connecting the reading to your own life, to happenings at school or in the community, to similar events at other times and places, to other people or problems that you are reminded of. You might also see connections between this book and other writings on the same topic, or by the same author. There are no right answers here – whatever the reading connects you with is worth sharing. Some connections I found between this reading and other people, paces, events, authors…
1. __________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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PASSAGE MASTER Name: ________________________________________ Date: _____________ Book: ________________________________________ Assignment p ___ -‐ p ____ Literary Luminary: Your job is to locate a few special sections of the text that your group would like to hear read aloud. The idea is to help people remember some interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling, or important sections of the text. Under “plane for reading”, mention what the passage is about and how it should be shared. You can read passages aloud yourself, ask someone else to read them, or have people read them silently and then discuss. Location Reason for Picking 1. Page _____ _____________________ Paragraph ______ _____________________ 2. Page _____ _____________________ Paragraph ______ _____________________ 3. Page _____ _____________________ Paragraph ______ _____________________ 4. Page _____ _____________________ Paragraph ______ _____________________ Possible reasons for picking a passage to be shared: Important, Informative, Surprising, Controversial, Funny, Well written, Confusing, Through-‐Provoking,
Other _________________ Adapted from Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in the student-‐centered classroom by Harvey Daniels.
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Thinking Starters I noticed… I wonder…. I was reminded of… I think…I feel… I’m surprised by…. I’d like to know…. I realized… If I were… I’m not sure…. Although it seems…
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Everyday Texts Editorials Consumer Reports Advertisements Riddles Bumper Stickers Proverbs Psalms Sonnets Eulogy Idioms Greeting Cards Board Games Police Reports Epitaphs Weather Reports Homilies Phone Messages Chat Room Confessions Invitations Recipes Report Cards Excuse Notes Slang Dialogue Email Songs Codes “How to…” Instructions Lab Reports Horoscopes Headlines Maps Surveys Diary Journals Interviews Script Friendly Letter Notes Outlines Narratives Lists “To do…” Logs Tattoos Propaganda Hyperbole Lies Cartoons Parables Fables Commercials Proposals Legends Myths Tall-‐tales Testimonies Depositions Graffiti Laws Parodies Wills Haiku Acrostics Cinquain Questions Jokes Sketches Obituary Wedding Announcements Movie Reviews Ransom Notes “Do’s and Don’ts” Persuasive Essays Book Review Personal Ad Real Estate Ad Wanted Poster Lost and Found Missing Poster
Each day the average person is bombarded with composed texts, very few of which are included in the typical school’s curriculum. But these “everyday texts” can be valuable resources for teachers. Incorporating these texts into the literacy curriculum gives teachers material with which they can teach students important lessons about reading and writing. Close, critical reading of these familiar “everyday texts” can lead students to new understandings about how texts attempt to construct readers’ attitudes about race, gender, age, class… Producing their own “everyday texts” helps students to become aware of the many considerations and choices the writer encounters as she composes. Working with “everyday texts” reminds students that reading and writing is not just a classroom preoccupation, but is also a vital practice of the citizen in a democratic civil society.
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Internet Sources for Engaging Real-World Reading This document represents just a start on a challenging project. There are plenty of websites devoted to lesson plans and study materials in various school subjects, and plenty of sites that list high-level technical and professional articles – but surprisingly few that feature or link to engaging pieces of real-world reading at a level ordinary high school kids can enjoy and learn from. Still, if we are to provide alternatives to the textbooks that so often frustrate kids, we need to find good sources, and the sites below will help with this. Another part of the challenge is that it’s not always easy to find readings on a specific topic you will be teaching next Monday, particularly in math and science. Rather, you’ll have better luck surfing some of these sites for items that will serve well at some point in the semester or the year. That way, you’ll have some lively non-textbook materials at least part of the time, even if not for every topic or unit. If you know or discover sites additional to those below, please share them with your fellow teachers, and E-mail information about them to [email protected] . Math http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/workbk/contents.html -- Mega Math provides problems with thoughtful reading about them. http://primes.utm.edu/ -- When a teacher asked Steve Z to find materials on prime numbers, he was surprised by how much was out there, and how important they were in real world applications. An example of an article he was led to on this can be found at http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/9705.Wagstaff.number.html . http://mathforum.org/dr.math/dr-math.html While this is mainly a site devoted to helping students by answering specific math questions that they submit, every once in a while, you get a really thoughtful exchange between a student and the teachers running the site. A good example can be found under the student question, “Why do we learn logarithms?” http://mathforum.org/ -- For a sample, click on “Internet Mathematics Library;” then go to “Applications/Connections,” and from there take a look at “Algebra for Athletes” (entry #2 under “All Sites”) or “Journal of Basektball Studies” (entry #31 under “All Sites”). The first focuses more on problems than reading of text; the second is the other way round. http://www.shodor.org/curriculum/index.php -- The Shodor Educational Foundation site provides problems focused on interesting contemporary issues, with plenty to read in the process.
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Biology http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/ -- Articles in this magazine tend to be a little academic, but several are of high interest in terms of big issues around ecology. http://www.microbeworld.org/home.htm -- Good articles, most of which are at a level high-schoolers can handle and address recent news and developments. http://www.microbe.org/ -- Home page may seem overly “cute,” but the news section includes accessible, interesting articles. http://photoscience.la.asu.edu/Default.html -- Go to the Photosynthesis Center and from there to the “Educational Resources” page to find readable articles on the role of photosynthesis in life and human sustenance. Many of the articles and websites listed are pretty advanced and technical, but in the section on “Photosynthesis and the Web,” there are links to a series of “Personal Perspectives on Photosynthesis Research” that can show students what the life of a researcher is like. http://www.helsinki.fi/~lauhakan/whale/ -- Whales are always a popular topic in our society. This site, however, takes the topic seriously and links you to many others (examples: the National Resource Defense Council, Scientific American – I read a piece on how whales and other seagoing mammals sleep). This site was found through the Virtual Library biology listings. Chemistry http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/motm.htm -- This is the address of “Molecule of the month, a fascinating and entertaining site. I checked two entries, “dioxin” and “quinine” and found both of them enjoyable reading. http://www.chemweb.com/alchemist -- This is The Alchemist, the online zine connected with “ChemWeb.com.” Joining is free. Some articles get a more technical than some students are ready for, but still pretty interesting. I read one on microbial fuel cells – using microbes to generate electricity – and one on using plasma torches that burn at 30,000 degrees farenheit to process garbage. http://www.pollutiononline.com/ -- Mainly an online newsletter for professionals, but you can find interesting articles under “News & Community.” Science—Multiple Fields http://www.cienciateca.com/stsindex.html -- A quirky site with the nice slogan, “Science for all.” Interesting news articles on science developments. http://www.discover.com/ -- Another magazine with an online version contain scads of readable articles on a wide variety of science topics. A good one on climate, for example, explained how use of fossil fuels was unlikely to be reduced & so to reduce global warming, engineers should pursue development of machines that extract CO2 from the air. Quite a few articles are free to non-subscribers, but still more are available for the $24.95 annual price.
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http://www.newscientist.com/home.ns -- This magazine/website is a bit more breezy-newsy than the others, but still contains some interesting pieces. http://www.nytimes.com/college/index.html -- The address says “college” but most of the news articles are quite readable for high schoolers. This site allows you to plug in a broad topic or search for a more specific one. It’s a bit hit-or-miss as to what you get, but there’s plenty that is interesting. For example, when I searched for “photosynthesis,” the most interesting piece I found was one on the microbes that live near very hot hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the sea, and don’t use photosynthesis at all – the “breathe” iron and make magnetite – magnet-creating organisms! http://www.sciencenews.org/ -- Contains accessible articles on a wide range of science topics. The search engine showed 1482 articles on this topic. One interesting one, for example, was on the proteins that control whether a cell remains a stem cell or switches to a differentiated type. A few articles like this are available free, but a subscription costs $54.50 per year. http://www.the-scientist.com/ -- Requires a subscription ($24.95 per year) to access most articles, but many are accessible to high school readers and cover current hot topics. I just read one piece on finding a chemical switch that, when turned off, allows nerve regeneration. http://vlib.org/Science -- This is the core site for “virtual libraries” in a variety of subject areas covered in this listing. It’s really powerful because it will take you to extensive listings in many subject areas. The VL library was started by Tim Burners-Lee, who created HTML. While many links are purely professional or industry-focused, still others include fascinating articles on important topics.
U.S. History http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/revolutionary.html#Documents -- Revolutionary War site by the same people who did the Civil War site below. Lots of original documents, biographies, etc. http://www.americanrevolution.org/home.html -- Some interesting articles right at the site, but lots more under the history links, ranging from battle descriptions to the couture of the period. http://www.civil-war.net/ -- Site with scads of primary documents from the Civil War, including diaries, battle reports from various units, histories of units from every state. I checked one from Illinois & immediately found that more men in the unit died from disease than from battle. http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/civil_war.html -- Another juicy site on the Civil War with large numbers of original documents. I checked one link, to a site on newspapers, and found a fascinating exploration of ordinary peoples’ experiences in two towns, one North and one South. Another played Civil War music for me. http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/gilded.html#Themes -- The Virtual Library US History sub-site focused on the “Gilded Age,” 1876-1900. It’s an example of a location at which many of the links are to textbook-like materials, but some are also vivid accounts and documents on various issues and struggles of the period. Example: a newspaper account from the period, of how coal miners let their wives conduct most of the protest actions against the Frick Coke Company.
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http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/ -- In spite of the unexciting outlines of American history that this site provides you will find a tremendous collection of original documents from all periods of American history. http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/ -- The PBS site on World War I. It includes clearly-written summaries on many aspects of the war. You can get to sites like this from the Virtual Library, under “Military History.” http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/ -- Archive of original documents from World War I. http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/ -- Links to many original documents from World War II, especially in the Pacific. http://www.euronet.nl/users/wilfried/ww2/ww2.htm -- An extensive site on World War II, with detailed info on battles and related topics. I quickly found a narrative and diary of a missionary in the Philippines who was interred during the war and nearly starved to death and was rescued one day before the Japanese, who were losing and desperate, were going to execute all the prisoners in the camp. Humanities – Multiple Fields http://vlib.org/Humanities -- The branch of the Virtual Library site that connects to many specific humanities fields, including history, anthropology, archaeology, and philosophy. Under military history, I just read about the battle of Marathon, and the 26 mile run of Phidippides to warn Athens that the Persians were sailing toward them – the very first “marathon,” – which was successful but resulted in the runner’s death from exhaustion. On the other hand, beware of the many sites run by textbook companies, simply reproducing the heavy prose we’re trying to get away from.