A to Z Literacy Strategies

A to Z Literacy Strategies

70 Best Practice Strategies for Teaching Reading and Writing Across Middle Grades Content Areas

Compiled and Edited by

David Puckett

Forward

“The most urgent task our generation now confronts is to ensure literacy … for all children.”

E. L. Boyer

Words can unlock our world, but only when we learn to use them in an intentional and meaningful way. We call that way … reading. The real value of reading is in its goal of understanding, using, and applying words to a wide and varied range of content areas, all of which are necessary keys to unlocking our personal world.

For those of us who spend our passions, time, and energies teaching in Middle Level content areas other than reading/language arts, reading can also be the bugaboo that hinders and often halts content learning. In our content area classrooms, an essential use of reading is to pursue, acquire and expand an understanding about our world through the study of texts. But, in order for students to truly gain understanding, to think at higher levels while reading, they must also learn to strategically interact with the text. The question is, how can they learn to think and interact at those higher levels while reading, if all teachers do not have the tools they need to teach them.

All Middle Level teachers, especially content area teachers, need engaging, effective strategies to deliver text-based instruction, not in addition to, but along side their content. All Middle Level teachers need to create strategic readers; strategic readers who think about text, think with text, and think through text. All middle level teachers, regardless of content, need to create student-centered classrooms where effective young adolescent literacy development can occur. Combining explicitly taught reading strategies with a classroom dynamic that builds upon students background information, prior knowledge, interests, and experience creates a motivating, engaging, positive literacy environment.

A to Z Literacy Strategies is designed to provide effective, content appropriate strategies (more than 60 best-practice strategies), that will engage students at higher levels and encourage them to become active participants in the literacy process. It is designed to better equip middle level teachers of all content areas to “involve and engage” reading avoiders, while maintaining a high focus on content standards. Teachers of all content areas, especially those who teach in areas other than English language arts, need to be empowered with a repertoire of successful strategies at their disposal. Unfortunately, content teachers, as a whole, have had no preparation in reading/writing strategies other than, perhaps superficially, in a general methods course at the university. Practicing classroom teachers do not have the quantity of time at their disposal to research and sort through every available web resource on their own. They do not have the time to pour through the current literature on best practice. They are engaged in fighting the literacy battle on the front lines.

A to Z Literacy Strategies attempts to do the mundane, “grunt” work for the teachers on the front lines: to search the web, print resources, and the experience of many content area teachers– to provide a repertoire of flexible best practice strategies from which the content teacher may draw. Just as research has shown that reading engagement and successful reading are linked, we are also learning that successful reading and content mastery are inextricably linked as well.

Ivey (1999) sums it up well when she summarizes the central message of her research, “Who middle school students are as readers and who they will become is shaped by the context of instruction.” Further, she asserts that matching reading tasks and texts to students’ interests and instructional levels leads to increased skill and motivation to read.”(p.177)

A to Z Literacy Strategies is built on a foundation of the following beliefs of this content teacher:

all teachers are teachers of reading and writing
all students can become successful readers and writers, and, probably most important,
teachers truly do make a difference.

A to Z Strategies

Adolescent Literacy in the Content Classroom 7

Alphabet Brainstorming 12

Anticipation Guides 15

Best Practices in Reading 19

Book Buddies 20

Conversations Across Time 22

Concept Map Book 25

Creating Student-Centered Classrooms 27

Cubing 29

Directed Reading-Thinking Activity 30

Double Entry Journal 31

Discussion Notes 32

Definition Map 34

E-Mentoring 37

Everyday Literature 41

Expected Outcome Clustering 42

Flipbook Previews 43

Foldables 45

Graphic Organizers 47

History Frames 49

Inquiry Chart 52

Interactive Notebook 54

Jigsaw 56

Jot-Charting 58

Journaling 60

K.I.M. Strategy for Vocabulary and New Ideas 63

Knowing Young Adolescent Readers and Writers 64

K-W-L-H 65

Library 66

Link and Rethink 68

Model Literate Attitudes 69

Novel In An Hour 71

Open House (Tea Party) 73

Paired Summarizing 76

P.L.A.N. 80

Poetry Gallery 82

Pre-Reading Plan (PreP) 84

Questioning the Author 86

Questioning the News 87

Questions – Fat or Skinny? 88

Questions Only 89

Radio Reading 92

RAFT Papers 93

Reciprocal Notes 94

Reciprocal Questioning (ReQuest) 96

Reciprocal Teaching 97

Response Journal 103

Seed Discussion 104

Strategy Log 106

Story Star 108

Sum-it-up 110

Tea Party 112

Think Aloud 113

Think-Pair-Share 116

Three-Minute Pause 118

Three-Level Guide 119

Understanding the Relationship Between Boys and Books and

Urging Parents to Help 121

Useful Web Sites Focused on Adolescent Literacy 125

Verb Word Walls 127

Vocabulary Blocks 130

Vocabulary Journal 131

Vocabulary Prediction Chart 132

Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt 133

Vocabulary Trees 136

Word Splash 137

Writing-To-Learn 139

X Chart for Persuasive Writing 141

Young Adolescent Learners 143

Zoom-In, Zoom-Out 145

Source List 150

Adolescent Literacy in the Content Classroom: Four Key Components

The Education Alliance at Brown University maintains that any effective Literacy focus at the Middle Level and across all content areas must take into account four key components:

1. Motivation – Relevance to the social, emotional, and developmental needs of the young adolescent.

A successful and effective focus takes into account the diverse cultural, linguistic, social, emotional, and developmental needs of the young adolescent. Promising practices related to motivation are:

making connections to the lives of students
creating an environment in which students interact with each other and with text
fostering developmentally appropriate classrooms.

2. Research-Based Strategies – Reliance upon proven strategies and techniques.

The following are related to a research-based practice:

roles of the teacher
reading and writing
speaking and listening
an emphasis on thinking
creating a student-centered classroom

3. Across the Curriculum – Reading and writing in all content areas.

The following promising practices are related to cross-curricular literacy:

vocabulary development
understanding text structure
supporting all classrooms through literacy development

4. Organizational Support – Leadership capacity to ensure necessary support, sustainability, and focus.

The following practices are indicators of effective Organizational Support:

· meets the goals for young adolescents in that particular community and its various constituents

· articulates, communicates, and actualizes a vision of literacy as a priority

· utilizes best practices in the area of systemic educational reform

· is defined in a way that connects to the larger educational program

· involves ongoing support for teacher professional development

· has a clear process for program review and evaluation.

Each of these components is crucial if real progress is to be achieved. Component 4, to a great degree is out of the control of the classroom teacher. However, by consistently using intentional strategies to promote young adolescent literacy, the classroom teacher – in every content area – exercises powerful control.

Questions For Reflection

Before classrooms are truly literacy-focused, we need to consider some or all of the following questions. The questions could be used in interdisciplinary team discussions, needs analysis activities, or informal, small-group conversations. Regardless of the forum, they must be addressed.

How would my planning and teaching change if the strategies described in this collection were common practice? How would they remain the same?
What are the existing barriers to incorporating more of a literacy-focused approach to my content area teaching and learning?
What must I do to address these barriers?

When it works, what does it look like?

Supporting the Language Arts Classroom through Literacy Development

In Middle School Language Arts classrooms where literacy development is a key feature, words and books are everywhere. Reading comprehension is seen as a priority and there are a number of ways that its development is woven into the fabric of teaching and learning. Connections are constantly being made between life and text, and among different texts. Essential questions are generated and incorporated into writing and discussion. There is a celebration of language. If the goal is to explore a particular literary theme, a variety of reading choices is offered and/or both contemporary and classical pieces are selected and read. Writing is seen as a process and there are frequent authentic reasons to write. Students are exposed to how authors think when they write through teacher modeling, guest speakers, Internet interviews, articles from writing journals, and peer interviewing. Students conference with each other and the teacher about their writing. Learning is active and expectations are clear. There is understanding and support that to be literate is important and not to be fully literate is to be disenfranchised.

Suggested Resource:

Two good electronic resources for using young adult literature in the classroom are:

Supporting the Math Classroom through Literacy Development

A Middle School Math classroom that supports literacy development is one in which students and teachers use language processes to enhance and demonstrate understanding. Teachers in these settings make connections, verbally and in writing, between current and prior lessons. Teachers model problem-solving by thinking aloud, and students are asked to articulate, verbally or in writing, how they solve problems. In such a classroom, students do not fear word problems, but actively practice them. Teachers introduce mathematical figures as language features. Students and teachers are active in concept development. Common processes in such classrooms include word play, connections to real life, examples of real life applications, varied groupings, and team work to construct and present solutions to mathematical problems.

Suggested Resources:

A good rationale for using an interactive process for solving word problems, along with links to word problems across the math curriculum. Can be found at:

http://www.hawaii.edu/suremath/literacy.html

For some suggestions on how to motivate students in the mathematics classroom, see:

http://mathforum.org/~sarah/Discussion.Sessions/biblio.motivation.html

Supporting the Science Classroom through Literacy Development

In a Middle School Science classroom where literacy development is a priority, reading, writing, and discussion happen on a daily basis. Understandings are built and expanded through the use of many kinds of texts, including the reading and analysis of essays, journal articles, Web sites, textbooks, and science fiction. Reading Comprehension is supported through the use of electronic media, film, laboratory experiences, and visuals. The meanings of specialized vocabulary are actively constructed and reinforced; hypothesis, prediction, analysis, and description occur in verbal and written form; and textbook features are explicitly introduced and used. The writing process is used to strengthen lab reports, analytic writing, solutions to problem sets, and research findings. The expectation is that students will be involved with active inquiry, that frequent presentation and discussion of findings, ideas and questions will occur, and that the reading and conducting of scientific research will be a part of the fabric of teaching and learning. Expectations are clear, there are choices in how students can present learning, students are grouped in various ways for different kinds of assignments, and student interests are taken into consideration.

Suggested Resources:

For a good general description of how research-based strategies might look in the science classroom, see:

http://horizon.unc.edu/projects/HSJ/Baird.asp

Resources and strategies for how to use writing in the science classroom can be found at:

http://mdk12.org/practices/support_success/has/biology/writing_classroom.html and http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/has/earth_space/writing_classroom.html

Supporting the Social Studies classroom Through Literacy Development

In a Middle School classroom that supports literacy development, a wide variety of types of resources, including reproductions of primary sources in texts, kits, or Web sites, (e.g., diary entries, newspaper accounts, broadsides, maps, inventories, historical photographs), film, and historical fiction, are used to develop understandings of eras, places, and events. Textbook features are made explicit, and specialized vocabulary is commonly used in classroom discussion. Student writing, and the thinking and approaches of social studies specialists (e.g., anthropologists, archeologists, economists, social historians, sociologists) are investigated. Active participation in the framing and exploration of essential questions is expected. Connections between eras, events, and famous and infamous people, different representations of the same or similar events, and past and present are constantly being made. How languages develop and how language is used, both by those in power and by those who resist, is examined as part of historical, cultural, geographic, and psychological studies. Students are expected to read and write to learn, there is frequent discussion, presentation, and debate; and research skills are used in context on a regular basis. Expectations are clear, there are choices in how students can present learning, students are grouped in various ways for different kinds of assignments, and student interests are taken into consideration.

Suggested Resources:

For a set of specific examples of how various reading comprehension strategies can be applied to the social studies classroom, see:

http://union~city.k12.nj.us/curr/socialstudy/socstu_strat_a.html

For a summary of best practices in the social studies classroom, see: http://instech.tusd.k12.az.us/balancedlit/handbook/BLHS/blsshs.htm

Adapted from: http://knowledgeloom.org/media/bpinter/1174/pyramid.html

Alphabet Brainstorming

Alphabet Brainstorming, also commonly known as ABC Brainstorming, is a simple, common sense strategy for activating background, or prior knowledge, before students tackle a major topic. Students are asked to try to think of words or phrases that correspond to each letter of the alphabet.

The key to success with the Alphabet Brainstorm is to keep the topic broad, general, and relevant enough that students can think of many possible terms. Topics like Environment, Ancient Civilizations, the Water Cycle, or any other broad content topic are appropriate for use with the Alphabet Brainstorm. Topics studied earlier in the year, about which students know a great deal (hopefully), can be good review brainstorms. In social studies, this might include broad areas like Prehistoric Man, Early Civilizations, the Classical Civilizations, the Middle Ages, etc. Narrow topics like Louis Pasteur, the Bill of Rights, or the Scientific Method, would probably not provide enough possibilities fo a successful Alphabet Brainstorm.

First, have students list all the letters of the alphabet down the left margin of a sheet of loose-leaf paper, leaving room beside each letter to write out the rest of the corresponding word or phrase. You may also wish to create a blank template ahead of time (see the samples which follow). Allow the students to work individually at first, trying to think of as many words as they can that might be associated with the topic you have identified.

Give students enough time to think of multiple ideas, then let them work in pairs or small groups to fill in letters that remained uncompleted. This is very much like the Think-Pair-Share Strategy. This would be the “share” stage. After all students have a full alphabet, go around the room or get volunteers to report out (share) possible terms or phrases for their alphabet. Be open to a wide range of possibilities. Make sure students know that you are not looking for exact answers, just justifiable and plausible ones.

* This and many other extremely useful graphic organizers are developed by Dr. Raymond Jones at www.ReadingQuest.org. Several of them are featured in this book.

Alphabet Brainstorm Grid

Topic:

A	G	M	S
B	H	N	T
C	I	O	U
D	J	P	V
E	K	Q	W
F	L	R	XYZ

Text Box: Summary:

Alphabet Brainstorm Graphic Organizer

What is the “Big” topic?

A N

B O

C P

D Q

E R

F S

G T

H U

I V

J W

K X

L Y

M Z

Can you use some of these words and phrases to write a brief summary paragraph about what you already know about this topic?

Text Box: Summary

Adapted from: Raymond C. Jones, ReadingQuest.org

Anticipation Guides

Many of us who consider ourselves to be good readers don’t have to think about what we are doing before we get ready to read something new. Our minds automatically switch into “anticipation” mode as we begin to preview or survey the reading material before us. We, sometimes unconsciously, browse the book cover, excerpts from the reviews, the brief biography of the writer inside the back cover. Sometimes we fall into a habit from our youth and check the number of pages and the size of the print. We look at chapter titles in the table of contents, read main topic headings, and look at pictures. Often we go to the chapter summaries before we actually begin to read in earnest.

The struggling reader does not have the strategic background and experience in possible ways to approach a written text to know to do this. They will more than likely skip these valuable steps and jump into the “reading” of information seemingly foreign to them. The challenge for teachers is to create activities that will help struggling readers anticipate the important ideas in the text and provide an initial “hook” to draw them into the reading.

The Anticipation Guide is designed to do exactly that: link new information to the student’s prior knowledge, activate the student’s interest and curiosity, and give instruction a sense of purpose. Research shows that students with prior knowledge of particular topics remember more information than do students with little or no prior knowledge. (Kujawa and Huske, 1995)

The Anticipation Guide was initially developed by J. E. Readence in 1986, and is usually used with individual or small group instruction. A variation of the study guide, it is designed to enhance comprehension by encouraging the student to make predictions about concepts and ideas to be covered in the text. This strategy can be used in almost any learning situation, in any content area. Before reading a passage of text, students respond to several statements that challenge or support their preconceived ideas about key concepts in the reading. Because student responses are based on thoughts and experiences of their own, they should be able to explain and defend their positions in both whole group and small group discussions. This process arouses student interests, sets purposes for reading, and encourages higher order thinking – all important facets of before-reading motivation.

Although students are encouraged to make predictions about the major ideas in the text passage before they read, Anticipation Guides may also be used after reading to assess how well students understood the material and whether or not their misconceptions have been successfully dealt with. This strategy works equally well with both print and non-print media such as films and lectures.

The teacher should:

Identify the major concepts and details in the reading in order to decide what information or ideas should be the focus of the students’ attention.
Consider student experiences or beliefs that the reading will challenge or support. Think about what the student already knows or believes about the text they will be reading.
Create three to five statements that may challenge or change your students’ before-reading understanding of the material. Include some statements that will bring out agreement between the student and the information in the passage.
Present the guide at the board, on an overhead projector, or on paper. Leave space on the left for individual or small group response. As each statement is discussed, students must justify their opinions. You may want to have students fill out the guide individually first, and then defend their answers to others in small groups or in whole group discussion.
After reading, return the guide to determine whether students have changed their minds regarding any of the statements. Have students locate sections in the text that supports their decisions.
Another option for response is to include a column for prediction about the author’s beliefs. This may be completed after the students have finished reading the text and can lead into your discussion of the reading.

Notes: You might include an I’m not sure response for students who do not feel comfortable with a definite answer. This will help determine the students’ prior knowledge. Let the students know that the statements are designed to make them think about topics and to make them think about what they will be learning.

To use, adapt, or differentiate the Anticipation Guide:

· Use them as preparation for the preliminary discussion on one or more ideas as a way to introduce the text

· Develop one or more of them as writing prompts (journal, essay, persuasive piece).

· Have students choose one (or more) and “track” them throughout the piece of literature.

· Return to them at the end of the passage for clarification and closure.

· Differentiate this activity to make it more inductive and challenging by simply giving students a list of the themes and have them generate a list of statements for an anticipation guide. (Brian Ladewig)

Sample Anticipation Guides