Motivating and Scaffolding Middle School English Language

Learners: Focus on Content and Collaboration

Project ALL (Advancing Literacy for Learning) Donna Ogle & Project ALL Team

IRA, Toronto, May 14, 2007

Research-based practices

The amount of reading students do is critical

“A positive dimension of our research is that all our studies have demonstrated that reading yields significant dividends for everyone – not just for the “smart kids” or the more able readers. Even the child with limited reading and comprehension skills will build vocabulary and cognitive structures through reading.”

A. Cunningham & K. Stanovich (1998)

Enhancing vocabulary through reading and study of academic terms

• According to Anderson, Wilson and Fielding (1986) students at the 90th percentile in terms of volume of reading encounter 200 times more words than students at the 10th percentile.

• Marzano’s review of vocabulary research indicates that students’ comprehension can be improved by 33 percent when key academic vocabulary is taught (p.69)

SOCIAL CONTEXTS• Involve students actively and personally

– Connecting to their lives– Connecting with each other

• Create opportunities for active thinking and student input

• Develop a metacognitive orientation and engage students in assessment

• Embed reading instruction in extended, rich instructional contexts – more critical thinking

Project ALL

• Advancing Literacy for Learning by:

Providing curricular support for teachers with struggling readers and English Language Learners (ELL)

Using the Sheltered Immersion Observation Protocol (SIOP)

Developing as a research and exploratory model: case studies, classroom pilots of content units with informal assessments, differentiated texts and Partner Reading, and observations to create a collection of effective strategies teachers are using

Encouraging more academic & personal reading and integrating strategies into partner and personal reading

Content reading in social studies and science

• Developing lessons using the SIOP framework –Content and Language Objectives specified

• Providing a collection of small books on a content them at varied reading levels are used

• Teacher introduces the content of the unit• Fluency snapshots help determine partners• Students read for 20 minutes with partners• Students keep notes on their questions and

vocabulary they want to learn

Text SetsFor Grades 3, 5, & 8

5th Grade Science Texts

Title/Reading Level Author Publisher

Simple Machines(6pk.)

(2nd)

G. Thompson National Geographic

Machines Make it Move (6pk.)

(6th)

S. M. Tomecek National Geographic

Useful Machines: Wheels

(2nd)

Chris Oxlade Heinemann

From Axes to Zippers: Simple Machines

(3rd)

K. French Benchmark Education

Teacher’s Guides

• Theme ideas• Guide to text levels, features and structure• Partner reading guide • Rich instructional model

– Before reading (KWL, Text Preview)– During reading (Graphic Organizer)– After reading (KWL, Extended response)

• Links to Standards• Vocabulary • Additional teaching ideas

Anticipate students’ levels of interest in informational texts

• Visual preview of text covers

• Interest inventories

• One Minute Fluency

Establishing Partner Reading

Provide an encouraging, positive social context for students to read together – on the carpet, at tables, etc.

Guide students’ use of their active reading strategies with repeated practice with their partner; apply what is known about comprehension and vocabulary

Assess students’ reading levels with fluency checks and match partners with appropriate levels of materials

PARTNER READING Book Preview

A. What is it about?

B. How is it organized?

C. Look through the book (chapter-by-chapter walk-through) and notice:

1. Organization

2. Headings and Sub-headings

3. Pictures and Captions

4. Illustrations

5. Diagrams

6. Boxed Information

7. Highlighted vocabulary

Boldface

Italics

Boxed Definitions

8. Resources in the book – glossary, index, suggested web- sites and other books

D. Partners preview cover of book and Table of Contents together

PRC2- Partner Reading Routine

• Partners share one text on independent or instructional level & take turns reading sections orally

• Both partners first read the 2 pages silently, to get a sense of the text

• Partners rereads their page to prepare for their “performance read’ and select or write a question using the guide or their QAR knowledge

• Each partner reads a page/section orally and asks a question of the listener-partner: partners talk about text

• Partners switch roles of reader and listener as they read section by section

• Each partner adds words to personal academic vocabulary notebook at end of PRC2

Question Guide

What was most important in this section?

What was most interesting?

What connections can you make to these ideas?

What could the author have done to make this easier to understand?

Learning to discuss text ideas:New scaffolds on bookmarks

• Receive your partner’s ideas– Thank you. Those are good ideas…– That was interesting. You helped me.

• Elaborate and extend ideas– Can you tell me more?– Can you think of another example?

• Clarify• Make connections• Add a different perspective

Teacher’s Role in PRC2

• Collect appropriate materials

• Introduce unit and help identify purposes

• Observe and listen to students as they read & discuss & make notes on what you learn

• Guide vocabulary development

• Orchestrate group sharing

• Provide positive feedback to students

Pieces of the Puzzle:

• How to reach and engage all students, especially those struggling to meet grade level demands

• How to use the language strengths of children to access English texts

• How to provide a wider range of reading materials for students – more literary non-fiction and general informational texts

• How to increase the amount of instruction in reading to learn

Developing Formative Assessment

Amy Correa

Project ALL, Co-director

What is academic literacy?

• Double the Work defines the term in the following way:– Includes reading, writing, and oral discourse for

school– Varies from subject to subject– Requires knowledge of multiple genres of text,

purposes for text use, and text media– Is influenced by students’ literacy in contexts outside

of school– Is influence by students’ personal, social, and cultural

experiences

Assessments reflect content-specific reading

• ISAT – equal fiction and non-fiction passages, linked procedural texts

• NAEP – mix of reading materials and tasks to reflect reading different genre and reading multiple texts

• International assessments (PIRLS & PISA) indicate that US students need to become more flexible in the kinds of reading they do: more informational and more critical responses

Developing Formative Assessments

• Where are the students?

• How do we assess what they bring with them?

• How do we look at multiple measures to get a complete picture of students’ language skills and content knowledge?

• How does literacy assessment “fit” in the content area?

Project ALL (Advancing Literacy for Learning) working with content readingObserving and listening to students interpret text as they “think aloud”

Assessments within Project ALL

• Fluency Snapshots

• Visual Interest

• Idea Concept

• Morphology (5th graders had tremendous difficulty; so more focus this year)

• Table of Contents

• Observational Notes

Fluency Snapshots • Where are my students in relationship to

the classroom materials I have them reading?– Quick initial screening

– Instructional uses

– Informs oral fluency

Visual Interest

• What type of genre do my students prefer? Any informational texts?– Students explain reasoning of choosing one

over the other

– Helps teacher assess prior knowledge and interest of students on specific topic

– Helps teacher assess genre in classroom library

Idea Concept Web

• What background knowledge are my students coming with? – Students categorize words under specific

labels– Frontloads vocabulary of content area

– Helps teacher assess prior knowledge of both concepts and words

The Solar System

Planets

People

Spacecraft&Equipment

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Sort the following words into the categories you think they best fit. Since weare just beginning the unit there should be many words that are new to you. Notethem as you find them in your reading. Terms: asteroid, astronomer, comet, Crew, Earth, meteor, mission specialist, Venus, Yuri Gagarin, Saturn, shuttle, Booster rocket, telescope, Neptune, satellite, astronaut, helmet, moon

OrbitingObjects

________________________________

Morphology

• Do my students have a good idea of word meanings? Are they able to expand their knowledge of words by understanding unit parts?– Students demonstrate their understanding of

the structure and meanings of words – Helps ELLs think about the Latin and Greek

roots within their own language (relationship to cognates)

Table of Content

• What understanding of informational texts are students coming with? – Students fill in appropriate “chapters” from two

different types of genre

– Helps teacher assess understanding of student exposure to non-fiction or expository text

– Helps teacher determine student understanding of main concepts

Observational Notes

• How is the teacher systemically providing time to collect anecdotal notes on the literacy development of all students in the content area several times a month?– Structured time in which teacher can observe

students’:• oral reading skills, questions and discussion ability,

knowledge of vocabulary, social behaviors, communication, pacing, motivation, level, lack of understanding of content (comprehension), instructional needs, follow-up plans, etc.

Observational Notes for PRC2

Partner 1_________________ Title of Book

Partner 2. Date Number of sessions with bookPartner 1 Partner 2

Oral reading notes Oral reading notes

Questioning (asking or answering) Questioning (asking or answering)

Attention to knowledge of vocabulary Attention to knowledge of vocabulary

Teacher Reflections:(Partners social behaviors, communication, pacing, motivation, level, lack of understanding of content (comprehension), instructional needs, follow-up plans, etc.)

(Ogle & Correa, 2004)

Break Out Sessions

There will be 2 sessions of break-outs; choose two you will attend – one from each set of four

Presenters: Javier Arriola, , Debra Gurvitz, Peggy Gyftakos, Jeanette Hamman, Renee Mackin , Margaret McGregor Carol Schmitz, Christine Seidman

Fluency Snapshot: Matching TextsSession 1 - A

• Content ObjectiveAssessment to identify instructional text level

• Language ObjectiveExplain the purpose and limitations of the fluency snapshot

• Activities– Try a fluency snapshot and graph result– Review student data– Select text in alignment to student score of correct

words read

Partner Reading & Content Too (PRC2)Session 1 - B

• Content Objectives– Learn the steps in PRC2– Use the student guide sheet– Use leveled books to match students with partners

and texts • Language Objectives

Use academic vocabulary to describe the components of the texts (Table of Contents, headings, visual displays) and how to engage (preview, question, discuss)

• Activities – Preview components – Engage in PRC2 reading with partner

Vocabulary Using TechnologySession 1 - C

• Content Objective– Provide electronic/computerized experience to assist in the

internalization of content and related vocabulary – Build and connect to student’s home language

• Cognates

• Language ObjectivesDiscuss ways to incorporate more use of new vocabulary in the classroom and integrate reading and speaking

• Activities– Electronic Jeopardy– Cognates– Semantic Gradient

Text StructureSession 1 D

• Content ObjectiveProvide strategies to understand elements of informational text• Table of contents, index, glossary• Text boxes, captions, bold text (fonts), headings, sub headings• Graphs/charts• Illustrations/photographs

• Language ObjectivesExamine the importance of teaching text structure; Practice describing text structure features to students as part of introduction of a lesson

• Activities– Preview text– Predicting– Guess the Heading– Think, pair, share– Questioning

Organizing and Observing PRC2Session 2 - A

• Content ObjectiveProvide ways to manage and organize PRC2

• Language Objectives– Learn the vocabulary of PRC2; – Develop ways to describe & analyze student talk

• Activities– Set up management folders– Role of the teacher – observational notes– Audio tapes using observation form

Vocabulary GamesSession 2 - B

• Content Objective– Provide multi-sensory learning experiences to enhance content

vocabulary – Build on word knowledge

• Roots, base words, affixes

• Language Objectives– Incorporate a variety of vocabulary development activities to

deepen students’ retention and learning of key vocabulary

• Activities– Pyramid game ( concept sorts)– Vocabulary beans (morphology)– Jeopardy (roots, base words, affixes)

Questioning and DiscussionSession 2 - C

• Content ObjectiveProvide opportunities to construct meaning• Connections, syntheses, engagement, clarification

• Language ObjectivesLearn and use the vocabulary of PRC2

• Activities– Four square questioning probes– Conversation starters– Responding to the text

Word and Concept Sorts Session 2 - D

• Content ObjectiveProvide kinesthetic activities for students to organize content and related vocabulary words and concepts

• Language ObjectivesDevelop students’ ability to describe and explain their reasons for grouping words

• Activities– Pre and post assessment sorts– Open, closed and layered sorts– Student generated sorts

University Collaboration Within and Across Schools

Carol Schmitz

Debra Gurvitz

Javier Arriola

Across Schools

• Visit to Carson and Bateman Schools

• Saturday Seminars– Articulation across schools in the project– Year Two met at Project Schools

• Friday Seminars at National-Louis University– Articulation of the units– Data collection to inform instruction

Professional Development Opportunities

• University Classes – Masters in Education, Reading– Endorsement in Reading or Type 10 Reading

Specialist

• SIOP Training• Saturday Seminars• Professional Presentations

– Area 4 Staff Development Spring 2006– International Reading Association 2007

Leadership in Schools and Area

• School Leadership– Professional Development Days– Grade Level Meetings– Data collection to inform instruction– Model partner reading

• Chicago School District Area 4– Staff Development for Area 4 Spring 2006

Fluency Snapshot and Matching Text

Debra Gurvitz

Christine Seidman

Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) Classroom Fluency Snapshot

• Collection of 1 minute reading samples

• All students read the same grade level passage

Why Use• Quick initial screening

– Hear every student read orally• Instructional Uses

– Instructional Groups for Guided Reading– Pairing for Partner Reading– Match students to leveled materials

• Independent Reading 98% accuracy• Instructional reading 95% accuracy

• Informs oral fluency-- RACE– Rate– Accuracy– Comprehension (limited)– Expression

Administer

• Copy of text to be read–Number on recording sheet–Student reads original text

• Stop watch or clock with second hand–One minute

• Ask question or 2 after (optional)

Administer--Record Errors

• Anything different from the text that is not corrected – put line through the word missed

• Mispronunciation (if accent or dialect not as error)

• Substitutions (even if they mean the same)• Omission• Words you supply after 2/3 seconds

• Repeated miscues—count each time • Incorrect proper names

– Multiple counted only one time

Not Counted as Errors

• Don’t count—but note–self-corrections –hesitations – repetitions – insertions –punctuation

ScoringWords Per Minute

• Count words read per minute

• Subtract miscues

• Total = amount of correct words read per minute

Look at Rate

• Best is the Hasbrouck &Tindal– Best norms for Fall,

Winter, Spring

• National Norms• Local Norms• Classroom Norms

Grade Level

WPM

1.8 30-54

2.8 66-104

3.8 86-124

4.8 95-130

5.8 108-140

6.8 112-145

7.8 122-155

8.8 136-167

Look at Accuracy

• Key: Were they accurate but slow or were they fast and not accurate

• Understand what is happening

• Very accurate and slow

• For instructional level reading with support of teacher, group or tutor at least 95%(as close as you can get)

Things to Remember

• All students read same text

• Reading is timed ( 1 minute)

• Accuracy is recorded

• Correct WCMP ( words per minute) are charted

References• Allington, R. L.(2006). What really matters for struggling readers: Designing

research-based programs. (2ND Edition). New York: Allyn& Bacon.

• Blachowicz, C., Sullivan, D., Ciepley, C. (2001). Fluency Snapshots: A quick screening tool for your classroom. Reading Psychology, 22, 95-109.

• Johns, J. L. (2005). Basic reading inventory. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.

• Moskal, M., Blachowicz, C.(2006). Partnership for fluency. NY: Guilford

• Rasinski, T., Blachowicz, C., Lems, K (Eds). Fluency instruction: Research-based best practices. NY: Guildford.

• Rasinski, T. (2004). Creating fluent readers,. Educational Leadership, 61, 1-9.

• Short, D. & Fitzsimmons, S. (2007). Double the Work: Challenges and Solutions to Acquiring language and academic literacy for adolescent English Language Learners – A report to the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.

Contact Information

• Donna Ogle, National-Louis University

DOgle@nl.edu

• Amy Correa, NLU/CPS

amy.correa@nl.edu