Elementary Principals MeetingReading Workshop

March 4, 2014

Jennifer EvansAssistant Director ELASt. Clair County RESA

Evans.jennifer@sccresa.org

Why Reading Workshop?

How to do a Reading

Workshop?

Assessment / Grouping

Intervention School Wide Programs Daily Routine

Guided Reading Strategies PD Plan

Agenda

Statistics

The number of adults that are classified as functionally illiterate increases by about 2.25 million each year.  

One child in four grows up not knowing how to read.

44 million adults in the U.S. can't read well enough to read a simple story to a child.

21 million Americans can't read at all, 45 million are marginally illiterate, and one-fifth of high school graduates can't read their diplomas.

 

 

43 % of those whose literacy skills

are lowest live in poverty.

Two-thirds of students who cannot read

proficiently by the end of the 4th

grade will end up in jail or on welfare.

90% of welfare recipients are high school dropouts.

16 to 19 year old girls at the poverty

level and below, with below average skills, are 6 times

more likely to have out-of-wedlock

children than their reading

counterparts.

When the State of Arizona projects how many prison

beds it will need, it factors in the

number of kids who read well in fourth

grade. 

70% of America's prison inmates are

illiterate and 85% of all juvenile

offenders have reading problems.

Why Workshop?

Research based

Motivation

Best Practices

Research Based

Research has suggested that addressing students’ individual needs is an important aspect of effective reading instruction (Fielding & Pearson, 1994). Although this may challenge teachers’ traditional notions of reading instruction, forcing them to work in guided reading groups and individually with readers, the research is overwhelmingly in favor of individualizing instruction to meet the needs of all learners Teachers need to put aside instructional practices that have been shown to be ineffective. (“Implementing a Workshop Approach to Reading” Dr. Frank Seraini, 2005)

Motivation

Learning in general is indeed an intentional act. Students make the conscience decision to learn or not to learn immediately upon entrance into the classroom each day. The teachers and learning environments which the student encounters certainly influence his decision to learn.

Implementing Reading and Writing Workshop into elementary, middle, and secondary classrooms leads to increased levels of motivation in readers and writers.

Research has found that high levels of motivation and engagement in elementary classrooms leads to high levels of achievement (Pressley, M., Allington, R.L., Wharton-McDonald, R., Black, C.C., & Morrow, L.M., 2001

Best Practices

In workshop approaches, the teacher is seen as a decision maker, conducting lessons and creating learning experiences based on the needs of the readers in their class.

Instructional decisions are made by teachers to address the needs of the students in their classrooms. In the hands of a quality teacher, basals and instructional materials become resources to use, rather than a series of lessons to be read aloud.

One of the most important things we can do as educators is to provide students with ample time for reading and writing.

The Reality

Professor Pearson finds that in many classrooms, students spend little time actually reading texts. Much of their instructional time is spent on workbook-type assignments. The skill/time ratio is typically the highest for children of the lowest reading ability (Allington, 1983). Furthermore, the research indicates that teachers are spending inadequate amounts of time on direct comprehension instruction. A study completed (Durkin) concluded that teachers used either workbooks or textbook questions to determine a student's understanding of content, but rarely taught students "how to comprehend."

Both NRP and Duke and Pearson (2002) agree that explicit teaching, including an explanation of what and how the strategy should be used, teacher modeling and thinking aloud about the strategy, guided practice with the strategy and support for students applying the strategy independently are the steps needed to effectively teach any comprehension strategy.

Comprehension is what it’s all about! Reading comprehension – and how to teach it

– is probably the area of literacy about which we have the most knowledge and the most consensus.

It is also probably the area that gets the least attention in the classroom.

“Effective classroom teachers are the only absolutely essential

element of an effective school.”

Allington & Cunningham, 1997

Background

m.socrative.comJoin room 980994Discuss: When you are observing reading in K-2 classrooms, what do you consistently see?

Discuss: When you are observing reading in 3-5 classrooms, what do you consistently see?

Record: Differences in K-2 and 3-5 reading instruction.

Traditional Reading Groups◦ Groups remain stable in

composition.◦ Students progress through a

specific sequence of stories and skills.

◦ Introductions focus on new vocabulary.

◦ Skills practice follows reading. ◦ Focus is on the lesson, not the

student. ◦ Teacher follows prepared "script"

from the teacher's guide. ◦ Questions are generally limited to

factual recall. ◦ Teacher is interpreter and checker

of meaning. ◦ Students take turn reading orally. ◦ Focus is on decoding words. ◦ Students respond to story in

workbooks or on prepared worksheets.

◦ Readers are dependent on teacher direction and support.

◦ Students are tested on skills and literal recall at the end of each story/unit.

Guided Reading Groups ◦ Groups are dynamic, flexible, and

change on a regular basis. ◦ Stories are chosen at appropriate

level for each group; there is no prescribed sequence.

◦ Introductions focus on meaning with some attention to new and interesting vocabulary.

◦ Skills practice is embedded in shared reading.

◦ Focus is on the student, not the lesson.

◦ Teacher and students actively interact with text.

◦ Questions develop higher order thinking skills and strategic reading. Teacher and students interact with text to construct meaning.

◦ Students read entire text silently or with a partner.

◦ Focus is on understanding meaning.

◦ Students respond to story through personal and authentic activities. Students read independently and confidently.

◦ Assessment is ongoing and embedded in instruction

Comparison of Traditional and Guided Reading Groups

Round 1: Discuss what you currently see in classrooms during reading instruction.

Round 2: Discuss what you would like to see in classrooms during reading instruction.

Round 3: How will you implement this change?

Chips In

How?

teacher modeling and explanation

guided practice during which teachers "guide" students to assume greater responsibility for task

completion

independent practice accompanied by feedback

application of the strategies in real reading situations

Dr. Pearson emphasizes that comprehension instruction must be embedded in texts rather than taught in

isolation through workbook pages.

Such instruction involves four phases:

After reading through the Teacher Self-Reflection, think of the teachers in your building:◦ Where will you find most teachers?◦ Where will you start to support your teachers to

achieve Reading Workshop with fidelity?◦ Where will you focus your resources?◦ What do you need to help support your teachers

in this process?

Reading Workshop Teacher Self-Reflection

AssessmentsInformal Assessments

Listening In

Turn and Talk

Teacher/Student Conference notes

Running Records

Notes From Small Group Instruction

Observations

Hand Signals

Rubrics

Journals

Self-Evaluations

On Demand Writing

Formal Assessments

DIBELS

Pre/Post Assessments

MEAP/NWEA/STAR Reading-Math

DRA

Comprehension Tests

Published Writing

Presentations

Students who do not meet benchmark should be receiving intervention. These services include:

Intervention

Reading Recovery

Intervention Specialist

Reading Coach Support

Other pull-out programs

Classroom intervention

groups

Students who qualify for

intervention should not receive

intervention during CORE

reading instruction (90 minute block).

These students need additional

reading instruction.

Intervention Schedule

School Wide Programs

Yearly, time should be spent supporting teachers to achieve:

Program Consistency

throughout the building

Assessment Fidelity

Reading DevelopmentStage Name The Learner

Birth to grade 1 Emergent Literacy Phonological Awareness – gains control of oral language; relies heavily on pictures in text; pretends to read; recognizes rhyme

Beginning grade 1 Decoding Phonics – grows aware of sound/symbol relationships; focuses on printed symbols;

Grade 1 to Grade 3 Confirmation and Fluency

Develops fluency in reading; recognizes patterns in words; checks for meaning;

Grade 4 to 8 Learning the New (Single Viewpoint)

Uses reading as a tool for learning; applies reading strategies; expands vocabulary;

Secondary Multiple Viewpoints Analyzes what is read; reacts critically to texts; deals with layers of facts and concepts

Higher Education A Worldview Develops a well-rounded view of the world through reading

The Reading Workshop format

is the “How”

Daily Routine

Rick’s Reading Workshop Overview

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/reading-workshop-overview (5:22)

Mini-Lesson (10-15 minutes): explicit

instruction of skills and strategies

Read Aloud

Think-Aloud

Shared Reading

Modeled Reading

Review

Assessment

Independent and Small Groups (45-

60 minutes):

Independent Reading

Collaboration

Discussions

Guided Reading

Assessment

Conferences

Reinforce/Extend/ Re-teach skills

Centers/Menus

Shared Learning (10-15 minutes): time to share and talk about reading

Sharing Projects

Author’s Chair

Assessment

Status check

Review

Essential Components of a Reading Workshop

Students have a high accuracy rate in

reading when the appropriate level text is chosen for them.

Students are provided with the necessary

strategies to overcome “reading

road blocks.”

The focus of reading shifts to meaning

rather than decoding; the

construction of meaning is imperative.

Students have the opportunity to apply independent reading strategies with the

guidance and support of their teacher and observe proper reading strategies,

as modeled by their teacher and peers.

When Using Guided Reading

Independent Level 96%- 100% Accuracy with good comprehension and fluency

“Just Right”

Instructional Level 90-95% Accuracy Students can read with teacher support and instruction

Frustration Level < 90% Accuracy “Too Hard”

“Just Right” Books

Using the basal…

If Harcourt is the foundation

Works best for on-level students

Struggling readers and advanced

readers need more or different

All readers need real literature

Key

Look at needs of students

Other options

Book rooms

School library

Classroom libraries

Leveled Readers

Cover the same skills covered with the leveled readers

Question: What do I do about worksheets and workbook pages?

Three criteria for a good worksheet…

1. Must involve some reading and/or writing

2. Majority of my class (75-80%) must be able to

do it independently

3. Students must need work on

that skill

Grouping Questions

How big can the groups be?

Struggling readers/below-

level groups (3-4)

Proficient/on-level groups (5-6)

Advanced/above-level groups (7-8)

How often do we meet?

Struggling readers/below-

level groups (every day)

Proficient/on-level groups (4 days)

Advanced/above level groups

(every other day)

Who meets with groups?

Classroom teacher meets with EVERY

group.

Future consideration-Guided reading

training for paraprofessionals

What can the paraprofessionals

be doing now?

Work with groups of students reviewing

skills/strategies already covered

Conference with students as they

read independently

Help students as they work

at centers

Teacher’s RoleBefore:

-Selects appropriate text.-Prepares an introduction to the story.-Previews some challenging word patterns, vocabulary, and concepts that are present in the story.-Focuses on a particular skill or strategy.-Occasionally creates extension activities to improve fluency, decoding, and comprehension.

During:- “Listens in” to what students are reading.-Interacts with individual students to address specific challenges.-Observes student strategy use and takes anecdotal notes.-Confirms student’s problem-solving attempts and their success using a particular strategy.

After:- Facilitates a discussion on the book.-Assess student’s response to what they read.-Returns to the text to point out one or two teaching points that reflect the main purpose of the lesson.-Points out strategies used by students during their independent reading.

See Essential Elements of Guided Reading Handout

Goal: Reading Process for the Strategic Reader

◦ Picture walk ◦ Text Structure◦ Genre◦ Share response from previous day◦ Set purpose for reading◦ Preview/ Review Vocabulary◦ Discussion◦ Book introduction◦ Prediction Chart◦ Reread previous guided reading book (k-2)◦ Build sentences from a previous guided

reading book(k-2)◦ KWL Chart , Thinking Map etc. to activate

schema

Before Reading:

During Reading:

Focus on Comprehension Strategy While…

◦ Students read text through: Choral Echo Partner Independent Paraphrase Summarize

NOT ROUND ROBIN!

The comprehension strategy used during guided reading should have been taught to students, whole group; during guided reading students are able to practice the strategy with teacher support and in instructional level text.

The primary purpose of reading is to obtain meaning from text. Even at the K-2 level students need to be reading to make meaning from text.

After Reading:

◦Independent reading◦Graphic organizer◦Questioning◦Response journals◦Summarize◦Book share◦Discussion◦Graphic Organizer◦Sort ◦Redo the ending of the story◦Act out the story◦Rebuilding/rereading sentences from text◦Draw or write a response to the story

Exemplary classrooms provide:

Conversation about the texts students read

Literate conversations mimic the conversations real readers in the real world have about real

books they really want to talk about!

Conduct discussions with readers as conversations

– not interrogations.

Model types of connections readers

make (T-S, T-T, T-W).

Arrange for students to have literate

conversations in small groups.

At your table, take turns sharing examples of

meaningful activities for students to do. Be sure to

explain how you know it’s a meaningful activity.

Each time you share, place your chip in the center.

Everyone must share before you share again.

Take notes of meaningful activities you would like to

see when you observe reading.

Chips in:

Students are actively

engaged in activities

based on need

Concepts and strategies are

reinforced

Collaboration and

independence are promoted

Meaningful literacy activities are ones in which:

What are the other children doing?

Independent Reading

Word Study/Making Words

Big BookWritingPoetryComputer/iPadListeningExtension activity

HandwritingStrategy workVocabularyReading LogsSkill ActivityChallengesFun Folder ActivityContent AreasWriting WorkshopNewspaper ActivityBook Response

Guided Reading Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBy6Bgo7lvg (8 min. 3rd grade lesson)

Example guided reading lesson plan

Group: A Book: The Hungry Giant Level: 10

Comprehension Strategy : Making predictions

Essential Question: How do I make predictions as I read?

Before: Create a prediction chart. Have students look at the cover of the book and make predictions for the story.

During:1. Introduce vocabulary words: bommy-knocker and roared.2. Choral read with students

1. On page 13 stop and have students revisit their predictions. Check to see if they still think their predictions will be true.

3. Partner read with students4. Independent read

After: Revisit the prediction chart and have students compare the story ending to their predictions.

At your tables identify if this was a good or bad lesson.

Work together to identify the good and bad components of

the lesson.

Analyze Lesson

See additional plans

At your table, revisit what components you would like to see in every reading lesson.

Develop a list of necessary components.

Develop a list of things you do not want to see.

Develop a plan to implement necessary components into every classroom lesson.

The Perfect Plan

Strategies

ELA Look-Fors: (3 day PD)

◦ Day 1 – introduce◦ Day 2 – model lesson◦ Day 3 - classroom walkthrough and support

This year – academic vocabulary Next year – see suggested PD plan

PD Plan

Questions?