How Brain Science CanImprove Our Instructional

Approach to Reading

Miracanion.com

About 200 years ago

• There is no dedicated area of the brain for reading.

• That’s is why we teach kids how to read.

• As opposed to speaking: there is a center of the brain that handles speech.

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100,000 to 300,000 years ago

• We have used storytelling to communicate and archive history, knowledge, values, ideas, abstract concepts, etc.

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For 300,000 years

• Human beings have relied on storytelling as the vehicle for archiving information because there was no other way.

• Because we have relied on that process for so many millennia, our brains have evolutionarily been rewired so that at birth you are born hardwired to think in very specific story terms.

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Humans are hardwired to think in story terms

• To understand• To make sense• To remember

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Neural Story Map

“The brain converts raw experience into story form and then considers, ponders, remembers, and acts on the self-created story, not the actual input experience.” Haven, p. 24 Storyproof

Story terms

• Person #1: “Where’s John?”• Person #2: “Well…I didn’t want to say

anything. But…I saw a green VW parked in front of Carol’s.”

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• Did your partner say there is no connection?• Did anyone say that the two statements did not

make sense?

• Human minds assume a connection and assume it makes sense.

• We use story structures to fill in missing information.

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Minds in Action

• Person #1: “Hi, John.”• Person #2: “Shhhhh! I’m not here! You never

saw me. I’m not here!”• Person #1: “It’s okay. Carol’s gone home.”

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Story Mind

He went to the store.Fred died.

Sharon went hungry and wept.

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He went to the store. Fred died.

Sharon went hungry and wept.

What are your brain’s assumptions?

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You assume:

1. Connection and story structure.2. Missing information is ok.3. Its about characters.4. Character relationships.5. Cause and effect sequencing.6. Goal and motive.7. Struggle and obstacles.8. Emotional reactions and states.

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Rival by Mira Canion

"Well, well. What do we have here? A romanticscene no doubt" smirked Tarik in order to angerboth Clara and Jafar. "We are eating," said Clarawithout hesitation. "What might you two benibbling on?" laughed Tarik. "Arabic food,"responded Clara innocently as she peered at Tarik’s thin face.

Carlos: Yes, I know about the map.Henry: Go on. Tell me.Carlos: What do I get in return?Click! Henry prepares his pistol.

Piratas del Caribe y el mapa secretoMira Canion

Implications for reading instruction?

1. Connection and story structure.2. Missing information is ok.3. Its about characters.4. Character relationships.5. Cause and effect sequencing.6. Goal and motive.7. Struggle and obstacles.8. Emotional reactions and states.

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Teach story structure.

Wait! What is story?

Are these stories?

• A magazine article?• An essay• A memo?

• A conversation?• A joke?

• A directive?

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What is story? or What makes a good story?

He went to school.

Is that a story?

He went to school.

Is that a story?

What is the opposite of story?

?

Non-story?

• “We equate FICTION with false, made up, lies, and ‘stories’. We equate REALITY with nonfiction, true, facts. But all events (facts) are subject to some interpretation that fictionalizes them…” Haven, p. 128 Storyproof

Fluctuations and phase transitions in Larkin-Ovchinnikov liquid crystal states of population-imbalanced resonant Fermi gas

Leo Radzihovsky (Submitted on 24 Feb 2011)Motivated by a realization of imbalanced Feshbach-resonant atomic Fermi gases, we formulate a low-energy theory of the Fulde-Ferrell and the Larkin-Ovchinnikov (LO) states and use it to analyze fluctuations, stability, and phase transitions in these enigmatic finite momentum-paired superfluids. Focusing on the unidirectional LO pair-density wave state, that spontaneously breaks the continuous rotational and translational symmetries, we show that it is characterized by two Goldstone modes, corresponding to a superfluid phase and a smectic phonon. Because of the liquid-crystalline "softness" of the latter, at finite temperature the 3d state is characterized by a vanishing LO order parameter, quasi-Bragg peaks in the structure and momentum distribution functions, and a "charge"-4, paired Cooper-pairs, off-diagonal-long-range order, with a superfluid-stiffness anisotropy that diverges near a transition into a nonsuperfluid state. In addition to conventional integer vortices and dislocations the LO superfluid smectic exhibits composite half-integer vortex-dislocation defects. A proliferation of defects leads to a rich variety of descendant states, such as the "charge"-4 superfluid and Fermi-liquid nematics and topologically ordered nonsuperfluid states, that generically intervene between the LO state and the conventional superfluid and the polarized Fermi-liquid at low and high imbalance, respectively. The fermionic sector of the LO gapless superconductor is also quite unique, exhibiting a Fermi surface of Bogoliubov quasiparticles associated with the Andreev band of states, localized on the array of the LO domain-walls.

What story really is…

• An interesting character is motived to achieve a goal. Along the way he faces risk and danger in the form of problems and conflicts.

Story is how content is organized

Story is the most effective delivery vehicle for your content

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Summarizing the text(teaching story structure)

SomebodyWants

ButSo

MacOn et al. 1991

Implications for reading instruction?

1. Connection and story structure.2. Missing information is ok.3. Its about characters.4. Character relationships.5. Cause and effect sequencing.6. Goal and motive.7. Struggle and obstacles.8. Emotional reactions and states.

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• Character

Character

• Character has a serious problem.

• Let’s look at a character and how to build background knowledge.

Agree or disagree?

1. It’s better to ignore a problem than to confront it.2. People’s opinions of you are true.3. You are what people think of you.4. You can’t be someone else than who you are.5. You can’t change people’s opinions of you.

Sara Gómez

“Vampire! Sara is a vampire!” exclaimed a group of kids. Sara had tolerated insults and cruel comments for many years. She always tried to defend herself because she was very stubborn. But now she was just tired of defending herself. What she really wanted was to be accepted and loved by everyone. Sometimes she just wanted to escape from her community rather than tolerate the negative comments. Unfortunately, the comments had become her identity. However, Sara had no idea that today the comments were going to be much worse.”

La Vampirata

What are you assuming?“Vampire! Sara is a vampire!” exclaimed a group of kids. Sara had tolerated insults and cruel comments for many years. She always tried to defend herself because she was very stubborn. But now she was just tired of defending herself. What she really wanted was to be accepted and loved by everyone. Sometimes she just wanted to escape from her community rather than tolerate the negative comments. Unfortunately, the comments had become her identity. However, Sara had no idea that today the comments were going to be much worse.” La Vampirata

1. Connection and story structure.2. Missing information is ok.3. Its about characters.4. Character relationships.5. Cause and effect sequencing.6. Goal and motive.7. Struggle and obstacles.8. Emotional reactions and states.Kendall Haven

In Sara’s shoes…

• 1741 Vampire-frenzied Rhode Island

• Story of Mercy Brown is the historical background for the character of Sara in La

Vampirata

In Sara’s shoes…

• On the heels of Salem Witch Trials• What would this conflict look like today?• Would it be life threatening?

Journaling

Chose one the categories and journal about it.1. Being labeled2. Excluded from a social group facebook, twitter, etc. 3. Believing other's opinions of you: theme of Shrek III (Arthur)4. Joining a group just to feel accepted or popular5. Acceptance/Respect6. Feeling loved/valued/respected7. Stories from the drama of middle school

• What makes the characters interesting?

• Read the following selection…

Secretly Sara observed her uncle and mother talking in the kitchen. She was mighty curious to hear them in action, given that her mother did not appreciate Lucas very much. Lucas López was an infamous pirate of the Caribbean, which my mother loathed. Sara couldn't stand him because he was not only egoistical, but also dishonest and had an aggressive personality. He was tall with long, black hair. It seemed like he was always planning his latest adventure in search of fame and fortune. "You have to hide an emerald for me," saidLucas. "Me? Hide an emerald? Why me?” responded Rebecca. La Vampirata

Secretly Sara observed her uncle and mother talking in the kitchen. She was mighty curious to hear them in action, given that her mother did not appreciate Lucas very much. Lucas López was an infamous pirate of the Caribbean, which my mother loathed. Sara couldn't stand him because he was not only egoistical, but also dishonest and had an aggressive personality. He was tall with long, black hair. It seemed like he was always planning his latest adventure in search of fame and fortune. "You have to hide an emerald for me," saidLucas. "Me? Hide an emerald? Why me?” responded Rebecca. La Vampirata

Character and motive

• What do you notice about Tomás?

• What are his motives?

La Vampirata

Thomas had long hair, a big nose and very shiftyeyes. He seemed very dishonest due to the negative energy he exuded. Thomas asked them, "What do you want?""We want to go to the Jaguar Temple," responded Martha. "Why do you want to go there?" inquired Thomas.La Vampirata

Chance to talk about character and motives

(not fluffy reading activities)

Agentes secretos: 5th grade students draw main characters

1. Connection and story structure.2. Missing information is ok.3. Its about characters.4. Character relationships.5. Cause and effect sequencing.6. Goal and motive.7. Struggle and obstacles.8. Emotional reactions and states.

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How can we help kids visualize?

When students are unable to draw a narrative, it shows where comprehension breaks down.

Students check the text often to confirm details.

Student drawings for Tumba by Mira Canion

Drawings

also a source for exams

Comic strips for Agentes secretos

From sentences to predictionTurn to partner- share your prediction

• Phrase:Paula y Luis visitan París, porque tienen un motivo secreto.

(Paula and Luis visit Paris because they have a secret motive.)

• My prediction/(Sentence frames)• Paula and Luis are going

to…• The secret motive is…