Literacy and the New Curriculum:Success, Engagement and Joy for

AllDelta Curriculum Implementation Day

January 30, 2017Lisa Schwartz

lschwartz@sd38.bc.ca

Learning Intentions• I can make connections between literacy strategies and instruction

and the re-designed curriculum.

• I can see how core competencies can be uncovered through literacy experiences.

• I have one idea to take away and try.

What are you hoping to leave with today?

Images Amazon.ca

Big Idea: Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy

• Developing students’ reading identity• Have students think about their reading

identities. What kind of reader are you?• Teach students to make meaning from a

book even when they can’t read all of the words.

• Look for the treasures in a book.

I can be a flexible thinker• There is more to reading than sounding out and phonics.• Let’s teach all of our students how to word solve and make

meaning while reading.• Big Idea: Playing with language helps us discover how

language works.

Curricular Competencies Content

Read fluently at grade levelUse sources of information and prior knowledge to make meaning.

Reading strategiesMetacognitive strategiesWord patterns, word families

Curricular Competencies

Meaning- Does that make sense?

Sound- Does that sound right?

Visual- Does that look right?

The Reading Process and Word Solving

Source: Catching Reader’s Before they FallPat Johnson & Katie Keier

Skunky went to ___________ worms for his breakfast

Skunky went to d_______ worms for his breakfast.

• Strategies Used:• Thinking about the meaning of the sentence• Your word choices were the same part of speech• You knew what would sound right• After I added the “d” you also used visual information

• **early readers have trouble using all sources of information and tend to rely on one. Whichever one comes easiest for them

Whole Class Lessons Using Big Books

• Work with one or two pages (5-10 Minutes)• Cover up one or two words• Read the sentence together leaving out the missing word• Ask them for all of the possibilities for the missing word• Record their suggestions

• Try each word they suggested crossing out words that don’t make sense

LongLong skinnySharpBigPointythe

CommunicateCoordinateMateLook forTalkTellShareFind

What About More Capable Readers?

• How do students make meaning while reading?• How can we help students develop strategies to come to a deeper

understanding of what they are reading?

Curricular Competencies Content• Use a variety of comprehension

strategies before, during and after reading, listening or viewing to deepen understanding of text.

• Apply a variety of thinking skills to gain meaning from texts.

• Respond to text in personal and creative ways.

• Reading strategies• Metacognitive strategies

• Use thinking and reading strategies to go deeper in our understanding of a text.

• Build language and vocabulary through whole class and small group instruction

• Make connections between a text, ourselves, other books and the world.

Image Source: Amazon.ca

Explode a picture

With thanks to Faye Brownlie

Image Source: Amazon.ca

Explode a picture. Explode a sentence.• Hand out 5-7 photos to small groups.• Explode the photo: What do you notice? What do you think? What do you wonder?• Before rotating the photos show cover of the book to support their inferences.• After seeing at least two photos, display photos around room.• Together explode a sentence from the book.• On their own explode a second sentence from the book.• 10 minute quick write.• Highlight most powerful word, phrase or sentence• Class organizes themselves to create a Found poem with their most powerful parts.

• With thanks to Faye Brownlie

• How might you use some or all of this strategy in your class?

What is a Feedback Frame?• A form of self-assessment and reflection• An opportunity to keep teaching targets steady for students• Formative assessment for the teacher to make a plan for next steps.

Goal: Eyes on print. Real reading for different purposes.

Curricular Competencies Content

• Read fluently at grade level• Use sources of information and prior knowledge to

make meaning.

• Reading strategies• Metacognition

Big Idea: Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy

Every child reads something he or she chooses.

• Just right for the brain• Just right for the heart

3 Ways to Read a BookRead the wordsRead the picturesRetell the story

Browsing Bags

Browsing Bags

• Early readers: Just right books, repeated reading of the same books, expert books.

• More developed readers: A variety of genres.• Read to self, read to a friend, read to an adult.• Reflection: I liked. I learned. I am wondering about.

WHAT:• Students are reading a variety of genres• Authentic reading• Students are having fun while reading• Gives opportunities for the teacher to do some small group,

explicit reading instruction or reading conferences

Literacy Centres/Reader’s Workshop

WHY:• Practice reading strategies and lessons that have been taught in

whole group or small group• Real life applications for reading • Read for different purposes• Finding joy in different reading experiences• Increase choice and motivation• No busy work. No worksheets. No added marking.• 30 minutes of eyes on print a day

Purpose of Literacy Centres/Reader’s Workshop

Read Like a Rock Star

Read Like a Scientist

Possible Read Like a Scientist Mini Lesson

• How to access non-fiction books with a lot of print or difficult vocabulary?

• Use pictures and headings to make meaning

• Model how to infer from pictures

If we don’t have gravity, we will fly up to the sky

How to Reading• Michelle Hikida- Diefenbaker Elementary. How to inquiry projects.

Joke Books: Read Like a Comedian

Would You Rather?

Read Like an Artist

Read to a Stuffie

Listening to Reading

What are some things that you do that support joyful literacy in your classroom?

Core CompetenciesPersonal Awareness and Responsibility:• I can persevere with challenging tasks.• I can implement, monitor, and adjust a plan and assess the results.

Communication:• I am an active listener.• I can give, receive and act on feedback.• I can recount experiences and activities and tell something I learned.

Lollipop Moment• Watch the video: “Lollipop Moment”

• Use C-S-I strategy to share the message:

Drew Dudley Video: TedX Toronto: “Lollipop Momement

CSI…

Mix and MingleInstructions:• Walk around to music.• When the music stops, find a partner.• Discuss the question given by teacher.

Thinking About C-S-I and Mix and Mingle

• How does Mix and Mingle support students?• What is the difference between a symbol and an image?• How do/would you use C-S-I in your classroom?• What tool would you ask your students to use to create their C-S-I?

My Blue is Happy

Source: Amazon.ca

For Read A Louds• heart = a part I like a lot• exclamation mark = a part with a strong feeling• smiley face = I agree• hmm = interesting, made me think

Inquiry in Language Arts

• What could a literacy inquiry look like in a classroom?

• Using guiding questions, how can we get ourstudents to think deeply about what they are reading?

• How do we build an inquiry unit in language arts while providing time for conferencing, networking, thinking, choice and big ideas?

Connections to the Curriculum

Big Idea: Stories and other texts help us learn about ourselves, our families and our communities.

Curricular Competencies Content

• Reading fluently at grade level.• Using sources of information and prior knowledge

to make meaning.• Exchange ideas and perspectives to build shared

understanding.• Plan and create a variety of communication forms

for different purposed and audiences.

• Metacognitive strategies• Oral language strategies• Reading strategies

Focus• Eyes on print• Rich discussions around big ideas• Social responsibility, social emotional learning and self

regulation woven throughout.• Different access points and opportunities for all learners to

make thinking visible:• Say something• Make something• Write something

How We BeganWe began our inquiry by developing questions and text sets that supported the questions.

E.g.What can stories teach us about friendship?How do these stories help us think about friendship?What is a true friend?

Our Launch • Whole Class• Read Aloud/Think Aloud- Show students the possibilities when

thinking about a book• Model leaving tracks of our thinking in different ways (words, images,

phrases)• Book Talk a few books in the collection (show cover, talk about book,

show inside of book)

Say Something: Wrap Around

Everyone shares their thinking about their reading and its connection to the inquiry question being explored.

Say SomethingKnowledge Building Circle

Make Something

Write Something

Why do some people choose evil or mean?

Illustrator Inquiry• How do illustrations communicate stories?• What messages do the illustrations give us?• How does the colour help us understand the story?• How does an illustrator represent sound, movement and

emotion?

Other Possible QuestionsHow important is creativity?

What does it take to be a hero?

Can one person really make a difference in saving the planet?

How important is it be different?

How do authors create images in our heard while we read?

Turn and Talk Brainstorm Possible Questions

Data Sets to Support Language AcquisitionWith thanks to Brooke Douglas and Leyton

SchnellertBrooke Douglas

Data sets – not as boring as it sounds

• Image about four– about 4• Words – student generated from images• Texts – related to the big idea• Recursive – let’s take another look as we learn• Evolvable – let’s keep adding as we learn• Expandable – let’s go deeper as we learn

What do you notice?

What do you notice?

What do you notice? What do you wonder?

What do you notice? What do you wonder?

Components of the Unit(and the curriculum)

Let’s look! • Big Ideas – Wonder & Explore & Explain• Competencies – Thinking, Communicating, Personal & Social• Teaching Strategies• Upside down triangle – low floor/high ceiling• Skills

Word Data Set• Wheelchair

• habitat

• fish

• camouflage

• survival

• helping

• eating

• Long beak

• bird

• bike

• reptile

• endangered

• dangerous

• adaptation

• colours

Types of texts

• Diverse, ranging in topic, level of difficulty, text to image ratio, number of words

• Expands our understanding of big ideas• Opportunity to layer in reading strategies• How we use texts allows students to process information and then

transform it

What to do with texts?

• Book talk• Select a text• Identify the strategyEach group createsa post-it summary to share with the class

Critical ThinkingMaking judgments based on reasoning:• Consider options• Analyze options using specific criteria• Draw conclusions• Make judgmentsA set of abilities used to examine one’s own thinking, and that of others, about information gained through observation, experience and forms of communication.

Facets of Critical Thinking1. Analyze and critique

2. Question and investigate