Literacy Learning for All 

Faye Brownlie and Leyton Schnellert April 17th, 2009 

Coquitlam 

•I can reflect on something I have tried and describe its impact on student learning •I can idenGfy powerful literacy pracGces •I can idenGfy the 6 AFL strategies in acGon •I can make a plan to use a powerful literacy 

pracGce and an AFL strategy 

Learning IntenGons 

It’s all about Engagement & Meaning Making 

•connect •process 

•personalize &   transform •self‐assess 

Keys to Literacy:   A strategic focus 

Teach Content to All 

 Learning in Safe Schools - Brownlie, King

Model 

Guided pracGce 

Independent pracGce 

Independent applicaGon 

Pearson & Gallagher (1983) 

GRADUAL  RELEASE MODEL 

ASSESSMENT FOR     L EARN ING  

PURPOSE:  TO GUIDE INSTRUCTION 

AUDIENCE: TEACHER AND STUDENT 

TIMING: AT THE BEGINNING, DAY BY DAY, MINUTE BY MINUTE 

FORM: DESCRIPTIVE FEEDBACK 

The 6 big AFL strategies 

intenGons  criteria 

ownership 

self and peer assessment 

quesGons 

descripGve feedback 

What’s working? 

What’s not? 

What’s next?

Descriptive Feedback

What have you tried?�

How did it go?�

Reflections and Questions

SUCCESSFUL MEANING MAKING DEPENDS ON THE COMPLEX

INTERACTION OF MANY OVERLAPPING DIMENSIONS

•  Literacy is about more than reading or wriGng – it is about how we communicate in society.  It is about social pracGces and relaGonships, about knowledge, language, and culture. 

•  Those who use literacy take it for granted – but those who cannot use it are excluded from much communicaGon in today’s world.  Indeed, it is the excluded who can best appreciate the noGon of ‘literacy as freedom.’ 

•  UNESCO, Statement for the UN Literacy Decade, 2003‐2012 

QuesGoning 

•  Present a picture •  Ask students to pose quesGons about the picture, 

answering the quesGons in their head, but not out loud •  Present a second picture •  NoGce how quesGons change as students link the 

pictures •  Do a quick write – 5 min. or so – creaGng a text around 

the thinking behind the pictures •  Present one more picture, conGnuing to quesGon. •  Do a 2nd quick write, adding on or starGng anew. 

Student Diversity, 2nd ed. ‐ Brownlie, Feniak, Schnellert 

S T R A T E G I E S

Choose a class strategy about every 2 weeks

Based on a group goal

that will enhance their reading development

Tapping into multiple intelligences

Character development

Influences of setting

Examples

Real life applications

Modeled using a common text

Examples S T R A T E G I E S

Venn diagrams

Containers for

characters

learning journeys

Talk shows

Tableaus

Composing a rap

Mini-dramas

Setting

Characters

Reader’s Theatre

Comprehension Strategies

Comprehension Strategies can include:

Containers for Characters

Julianna – from Flipped Hen House – Even though their backyard is extremely dirty, still she goes out every day to feed and talk to the chickens. She didn’t abandon them after she finished with her project; she kept them and raised them like they were her own children. Just that alone tells you what kind of person she is. It’s a shame that there aren’t more people like her nowadays. Basket – Her thoughtfulness towards others really showed when she bided on the basket boy when no one else would. To further boost his confidence, she even got another person to help her increase the ‘going’ price. Now that’s something. Eggs – Into the egg carton, across the street, in Bryce’s hands, then chucked into the garbage. When she found that out…well, you could say that Bryce threw away a small part of a wonderful person with a big heart. Painting – She’s able to tell her father just about anything. And even if she doesn’t, he can sense it. This stands for how strong their father/daughter relationship really is. To add to that, he even painted a picture of one of the things she loves most, her sycamore tree.

Comprehension Strategies can include:

•  Setting

•  Venn Diagram

•  Venn Diagram with 2 books

•  Character Tree

•  Hot Seat

•  Tableau

•  Readers’ Theatre

Character Tree 

LiGle Willy 

•  Brave 

•  Polite 

From Stone Fox 

•  Liele Willy told Stone fox that he was going to beat him in the race and Stone Fox has never lost a race 

•  Liele Willy went to Stone Fox’s house because he wanted to pet the dogs 

•  Liele Willy always says Mam instead of Dr. Smith, and he always says Yes instead of saying ya! 

Character Tree 

3 characterisOcs 

*what character says *what character does 

*what others say about the character 

*character’s inner voice 

2 pieces of evidence for each 

Grand ConversaGons, Thoughiul Responses ‐ a unique approach to literature circles ‐ Faye Brownlie 

   Portage and Main Press, 2004 

Student Diversity, 2nd ed ‐ Brownlie, Feniak and Schnellert    Pembroke Publishers, 2005 

•  Webcast: 

•  Literature Circles in the Middle Years 

•  www.bced.gov.bc.ca/literacy •  Webcast, part 2