School-Wide Literacy at NVJH

Understanding School-Wide Literacy at North View Junior High
August 31st, 2010
Trish Van Horn, Ann Evenson, Kari Vollrath, Jessica Crooker

Today’s Outcomes
I can define the term “school-wide literacy” and explain what it means in my classroom.
I can identify the three specific focus areas to enhance school-wide literacy.

DEXTER

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

Knowledge Rating Scale
An assessment for learning
Teacher selects essential vocabulary related to topic/unit of study
Students reflect on their level of understanding
Can be extended to get students out of their seats
Formative Assessment

MYTH or TRUTH?
MYTHS about SWL…
TRUTHS about SWL…
requires all teachers to assign formal essays
requires teachers to emphasize grading grammar and spelling
refers only to reading
is part of the training in becoming an English teacher
is subject matter that needs to be taught in addition to your content
describes HOW we teach, not WHAT we teach
is necessary for students of all ages and ability levels
uses reading and writing to help students master content
can enhance student performance
relevant in all content areas

DEFINITION of SCHOOL-WIDE LITERACY
Literacy is…
"The ability to read and write and use numeracy, to handle information, to express ideas and opinions, to make decisions and solve problems, as family members, workers, citizens and lifelong learners.”
School-wide Literacy means…
…all staff intentionally and actively elevate students’ literacy skills in order to increase content learning.

WHAT DOES SCHOOL-WIDE LITERACY LOOK LIKE IN MY CLASSROOM?
Metaphor alert!
Metaphorical thinking provides two benefits:
More readily able to reach deeper levels of comprehension
Repeated practice enables students to generate their own metaphorical connections, thus sharpening higher-level thinking skills (Gallagher 2004, pg. 125)
Our goal= to help students cross the bridge
Identifying Sim. & Diff.
CONTENT MASTERY
STUDENTS
LITERACY

But what is lurking UNDER the bridge…?

Piranhas?!
What literacy challenges do students encounter when trying to master your content?
In other words, what makes learning (i.e. crossing the bridge) difficult for students?
BREAK-
Please post your fish
during the break.

Write-Pair-Share
Summarizing/Note-taking &
Collaboration
Writing Break— (prompts: choose 1 or more)
What do you notice about this graphic?
What are you thinking?
Questions, thoughts, comments, ideas, concerns…
Pair-Share
Turn to a person next to you and discuss your thoughts
Can read a part of your response or simply paraphrase for your partner
Post-discussion—an opportunity to share out with the large group

Outcome #1
I can define the term “school-wide literacy” and explain what it means in my classroom.
On the second Knowledge Rating Scale, place an X in the column that best describes your understanding of school-wide literacy.

Narrowing the School-wide Literacy Focus
Focus on three major instructional techniques
Research shows high return for investing in these techniques:
Metacognition
Content Area Vocabulary Instruction
Write to Learn

Metacognition—what is it?
learners' automatic awareness of their own knowledge and their ability to understand, control, and manipulate their own cognitive processes;
refers to the ability to reflect upon the task demand and independently select and employ the appropriate reading, writing, math or learning strategy

Metacognition—why does it work?
Moves students from dependent to autonomous
Students are better able to access strategies best suited to their purpose
Students become active, flexible thinkers, capable of responding to a variety of:
Texts
Tasks
Contexts
Purposes
(Harvey, Goudvis 2007)

Metacognition—what does it look like?
Knowledge Rating Scale*
Exit card reflecting on the “I can” statements*
Groenke’s learning targets (1-5 scale)*
Post-it notes; text annotation*
KWL chart
Think Alouds (teachers & students)
Self-evaluation
Double-entry journals
Journals, quick writes
Differentiation
TURN & TALK: What have you heard about metacognition that affirms your teaching practices?
Post-its: In what ways have you used metacognition in your classroom?

Content Area Vocabulary Instruction—what is it?
Direct and explicit instruction of vocabulary related to your specific content area
Instruction takes place within the appropriate context
Only for words expected to be made part of students’ permanent lexicon
“My teacher says our school has tough new standards and I need to improve my vocabulary. What’s vocabulary?”

Content Area Vocabulary Instruction—why does it work?
Background knowledge is more important to understanding of reading than IQ.
Vocabulary instruction in specific content-area terms builds up student’s background knowledge in the content area.
Side note…
Academic Language for most teachers IS our everyday language, which makes it hard to notice and, therefore, hard to teach.
Zwiers, p. 39

Support for Direct Instruction
Marzano, 2004, p. 69

Content Area Vocabulary Instruction—What does it look like?
Limit 2-3 per week, per class
Marzano suggests:
Instructor explanation, choral pronunciation
Collaboration & discussion
Non-linguistic activities
Revisiting the words regularly
“Play” with the words, ask students to use the words
Differentiation
TURN & TALK: What have you heard about direct vocabulary instruction that affirms your teaching practices?
Post-its: In what ways have you used direct vocabulary instruction in your classroom?

Write To Learn—what is it?
Using writing as a tool for thinking
Writing to find out what is in our minds
Play with ideas, move them around, make connections
WTLs come in many forms
Short
Spontaneous
Exploratory
Informal
Personal
One draft
Unedited, ungraded—but can be used to give feedback
Daniels, Zemelman, Steineke 2007, p. 20-25

Write To Learn—why does it work?
In order for learners to understand & remember ideas, they must act upon them
Requires students to put new learning in their own words (unlike some note-taking or fill-in-the blank activities)
Pushes students to think beyond factual recall (lower level thinking)

Write To Learn—what does it look like?
TURN & TALK: What have you heard about write-to-learn that affirms your teaching practices?
Post-its: In what ways have you used write-to-learn in your classroom?
Exit/Entrance Slips*
Writing Break*
Brainstorming
Drawing and Illustrating
Clustering
Mapping
Written Conversation
Write-Around
Carousel Brainstorming
Nonstop Write
Reflective Write
KWL
Teacher-Student Correspondence
Differentiation

OUTCOME #2
I can identify the three specific focus areas to enhance school-wide literacy.
KNOWLEDGE RATING SCALE
Complete the second Knowledge Rating Scale
Also, please fill out the exit slip
Tear your paper along the dotted line & leave lower portion on your table

School-Wide Literacy at NVJH

by Jessica Crooker

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