Workshop presented at TN TESOL 2012 on behalf of Benchmark Education using their Rigor program and talking about best practices.

1. Differentiating Content
Literacy Instruction for All
Learners
Keith Pruitt, Ed.S.
Words of Wisdom
Educational Consulting
www.woweducationalconsulting.com

2. Not all students are alike.
--Tracey Hall, Nicole Strangman, Anne Meyer
National Center On Accessible Instructional Materials

3. If students are different in
appearance, shape, size, color,
likes and dislikes—doesn’t it
make sense that students
learn in different ways and at
different paces?
So why do we still try to make
ONE SIZE FIT ALL?

4. From Tracey Hall’s work
The Learning Cycle

6. What key challenges do your
students face in acquiring
academic English?
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7. Difficulties for Engagement
• Unfamiliar • Lack of
vocabulary background
• Difficult knowledge
concepts • Time Restraints
• Complex • Testing
sentence Difficulties
structure • Lack of
motivation

8. Building Success:
9 Promising Practices for
Developing Literacy in Adolescent ELLs
1. Integrate all four language skills into instruction
from the start
2. Teach the components & processes of reading &
writing
3. Teach reading comprehension strategies
4. Focus on vocabulary development
5. Build & activate background knowledge
6. Teach language through content & themes
7. Use native language strategically
8. Pair technology with existing interventions
9. Motivate English Language Learners
Source: Short & Fitzsimmons. Double the Work: Challenges and Solutions to Acquiring Language and Academic Literacy for Adolescent
English Language Learners. 2007.
© 2010 8

9. “…the research has well
demonstrated the need for
students to have instructional
texts that they can read
accurately, fluently, and with
good comprehension if we
hope to foster academic
achievement.”
Allington, What Really Matters for Struggling Readers

10. MARGARITA CALDERÓN, PH.D.
The RIGOR intervention resources were
developed with Margarita
Calderón, Ph.D., based on her research about
students' acquisition of English language and
literacy. Dr. Calderón recently retired as a
research scientist and professor at Johns
Hopkins University School of Education, and
she continues to work closely with educators
throughout the United States.

11. Text Challenges for ELLs
• Vocabulary • Possessives
• Connecting to Prior • Contractions
Knowledge
• Passive voice
• Sentence length
• Verb tense • Abbreviations
• Pronouns • Multiple meaning
• Prepositional phrases words
• Punctuation • Idioms
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12. “Grab and Go” Weekly Skill Bags
Level 1: 16 Skill Bags
Level 2: 16 Skill Bags
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13. Step 1
Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
• Review sounds
• Introduce new sounds
• Sound/symbol relationships
• Blending/segmenting
• Spelling
• Word sorts
• Oral language practice
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14. Step 2
Vocabulary Instruction and Practice
• Everyday words (tier one)
• Challenging words (tier two)
• Discipline-specific academic
words (tier three)
• Word study/grammar
connections
• Oral language practice
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15. Step 3
Content-Area Reading
• Making connections/building
background
• Previewing the book
• Comprehension strategies
• Fluency
• Phonics and vocabulary in context
• Grammar and language connections
• Oral language practice
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16. English Content-Area Nonfiction
TESOL-aligned texts for beginning reading/language acquisition
levels
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17. Step 4
Scaffolded Writing
• Shared writing (Days 1 & 2)
• Interactive writing (Days 3 & 4)
• Independent writing (Day 5)
• Oral language practice
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18. Step 5
Ongoing Unit Assessment
Assessment tools for
• Spelling
• Word study
• Phonics
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension
• Independent writing
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19. Creative vs.
Text-Dependent Reading
Type of Reading Description Requires
Answers to comprehension Inductive and
Creative Reading questions are based on prior Deductive
(“C” Reading) knowledge (not connected to Reasoning
evidence in the passage),
personal experiences, and
creative thinking
All answers to comprehension Deductive
Text-Dependent questions are based on Reasoning
Reading information (clues and evidence)
(“T” Reading) in the text (text-dependent).
Ask creative and text-dependent questions with the same reading text:
literature in textbooks, novels, paperbacks, short stories, science and social studies
textbooks, newspaper and magazine articles, directions, menus, recipes, contest
rules, advertisements, Web pages, etc.
(Developed by Margaret Kilgo)
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20. In This Presentation our purpose has
been to show you how taking research
based practices will look when placed
into a program approach.
Rigor provides for you an intervention to
work with ELL students and struggling
readers.
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21. Remember, Good teaching
doesn’t come in a box.
But good tools do.
Thank You
Keith Pruitt