Meaningful Literacy Instruction

Meaningful
Literacy
Instruction
@pernilleripp

www.slideshare.net/pernilleripp
www.pernillesripp.com
psripp@gmail.com
@pernilleripp
“Creating Passionate Reading Environments” © 2016 Pernille Ripp

Take a few minutes to write down what
you hope to get out of today.
Feel free to share with others.

Hom
e isOregon Middle School
Oregon, Wi
Room 235 D 7-O English

At a time in prehistory when
Neanderthals shared the Earth with
early Homo sapiens, a band of cave-
dwellers adopt blond and blue-eyed
Ayla, a child of the "Others". As Ayla
matures into a young woman of spirit
and courage (unlike other women of
the clan), she must fight for survival
against the jealous bigotry of Broud,
who will one day be clan leader.

I kept my reading
private because it
did not seem like
it was worth
sharing.

I thought good
teachers of
reading carefully
guided their
students every
step of the way.

As we begin;
take a moment
and reflect on
what defines a
good literacy
teacher.

Whole class novel
Guided reading groups
Book reports and projects
Grammar packets
Whole class lessons for writing

144 pages
in 8 weeks

“Creating Passionate Reading Environments” © 2016
Pernille Ripp

So that meant:
× Reading instruction that centered
around the teacher
× Worksheet packets to check for
comprehension
× Book reports and projects
× One process = one product
× No teacher role model

According to one study 28% of
adults reported not having
read a single book in a 12
month period.
PEW Research Center
@pernilleripp

What does it matter that
adults can read and write
if they choose not to?

"The problem: we set
schools up for adults,
not for kids."
From “Hacking Leadership”
By Tony Sinanis and Joe
Sanfellippo

Over 3 years, the Center for Evaluation &
Education Policy asked more than
350,000 high school students in over 40
states about their engagement in
school. Their answer?
“Passionate Learners - Student Engagement” © 2016 Pernille Ripp

image from here

Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report 2017

× Assumed there was only one way to do it
correctly
× Required the same process for all
× Only given choice to those who had earned
it
× Planned every conference/discussion
× Reading logs
Things I Have Done that Harm the Love of
Reading/Writing

× Instruction that centers around the
needs of each student as much as
possible
× Choice based projects
× Reading/writing explorations
× Global Collaboration

Reading enjoyment has been
reported as more important for
children’s educational success
than their family’s socio-
economic status.
(OECD, 2002).

Reading attainment and writing ability
Text comprehension and grammar
Breadth of vocabulary
Positive reading attitudes
Greater self-confidence as a reader
Pleasure in reading in later life
General knowledge
A better understanding of other cultures
Community participation
A greater insight into human nature and decision-making.

Exploring
Our
Reading
identity

Who are
you as an
adult
reader?

“Teachers can be
reading role models
by reading a lot of
books, which might
inspire their
students.”
Anna, 7th grader

Children who are raised in families
who have less access to books and
texts will enter school at a distinct
disadvantage, already having to
make up for “lost” time as they try
to find success.
Scholastic -
Access to Books Report

”If teachers are not knowledgeable
about children’s literature; they are not
able to introduce students to the
wealth of books available, and they
may not recognize the effects of their
teaching methods on students’
attitude toward reading.”
Short and
Pierce 1990

Time to reflect
on your own
teacher
reading
identity...

How is your
Reading
identity
influencing
your reading
instruction?

How is your
Writing
identity
influencing
your writing
instruction?

 Create "Just Read" posters for all staff members
 Create favorite book displays throughout the school
 Doors as book covers.
 Showcase book recommendations on announcements.
 Invite other staff members in to recommend books to your class
 Incorporate a comunale reading time.
 Set up book swap trees throughout the school
 Have picture books in the lunchroom to inspire more reading
 Create book baskets for school buses so older students can read
to younger students.

 Reflect and set your own goals, alongside
students.
 Share your own goals with the students.
 When students reflect on their own progress,
reflect on your own.
 Bring up your progress and achievement or
failure when teaching.

 What are your bad habits?
 Share your bad habits with students through
mini-lessons.
 Confront assumptions.
 Dig into your own reading habits - are you
aware of them?

 Where is your to-be-read list?
 When, what, where will you read?
 Book talks as you read.

 Which genres or formats do you not read?
 Discuss your book gaps with students.
 Challenge your book gap.
 What types of books do you need more of?

 How much reading do you really do every day?
 Start your own to-be-read stack or list.
 Embrace your slumps - why are they
happening?
 Follow the advice you give to students for
creating rich reading lives.
 Read more children’s books.

Children read
more when
they see other
people
reading.
Krashen, 2009

“Creating Passionate Reading Environments” ©
2016 Pernille Ripp

What message
does your
room setup
send to
students?

Parker, 7th grader
"Teachers should always have
classroom libraries because it
makes the room look
welcoming, with stories from
people from around the world
right in your reach."

× How does your physical space influence mood?
× How does your physical environment support the
learning?
× How does your physical environment hinder the
learning?
× How do students manipulate the environment?
× How can a love of reading be reflected in the learning
community environment?

× 300 stand alone titles (Hack, Hepler, & Hickman,
1993)
× 7 books per child plus 2 more new books each
year (ILA)
× 500 titles per classroom (Maryland Reading Task
Force, 1998)
× 300-600, depending on grade level and number
of copies of each title (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996)

Mind your book gaps!
Sub-genres include:
× Death and Dying
× Personal Struggles
× Animal Fantasy
× Space & Science
× Sports (fiction and non-fiction)

Send home a library introduction letter to all...

× Eliminate check out system
× Bins with genre stickers
× Purchase a stamp for all books
× Shelve books yourself
× Ever evolving displays

“Passionate Learners - Student
Engagement” © 2016 Pernille
Ripp
Rudine Sims Bishop suggests that
reading provides windows into other
worlds and mirrors as reflections of the
self.
Does your library offer that?
Do your writing experiences offer
that?

Almost every day
Read or Unread
Books up for grabs
Students take over
Use book trailers

Book talk a
book you
have
recently
read

× Ask the students about needs
× Hand students catalogs
× Ask students to help you weed
× Read their books
× Use the public library
× Befriend your fellow readers in school
× Join the Nerdy Book Club
× Pay attention to what is being read

Which Books to Read?
× USBBY - International Book Lists
× #WeNeedDiverseBooks
× Disability in Kid Lit
× Reading While White
× Join the Nerdy Book Club
× ILA’s Reading Choice Lists

× Library sales
× Books4schools.com
× Amazon
× Donations
× bookoutlet.com
× ebay - look for retired teachers selling their
libraries
BUT BE PICKY!

“Teachers should definitely make
their learning community libraries
accessible and easy to use. They
should have a diversity of books,
chapter, picture books, comic
books and easy reads. They should
organize their books by genre and
even put together a classroom
favorites list.”
Amber, 7th grader

× Be a spokesperson for your library
× Create displays that entice
× Organize well
× Include genres and sub-genres
× Embrace picture books
× Learn to let go

Creating
the
passionate
Reader &
Writer

Since when did choice
become a privilege?

1. Choice in engagement
2. Choice in product
3. Choice in setting
4. Choice in timeline
5. Choice in assessment
Students should have a choice in at least
one of these at any given time!
@pernilleripp

“I wish all teachers of reading would let me by myself.
I want to be free from the shackles of lost emptiness,
and when I find a book, it is to escape. An assigned
book is a curse, where we are forced to travel into
another world without our choice. We are forced to
take away an hour of our lives we could be spending
being happy.”
7th grader

...all reading can’t be
hard.
Penny Kittle
(And neither can all writing)

× We do not discourage repetition
× We allow students to read the same genre
× We recommend but do not choose
× We offer suggestions based on want, not just need
× We allow time to book shop whenever it is needed
× Our face does not give us away

“I wish we didn't have to read in our zone
because we need to develop our reading
abilities and some really good books
aren't in my zone which is bad because I
like to read books that mean something.”
7th grader

Ask; who can really access this?
× Audiobooks
× Partner read
× Read Aloud
× Independently Read

What does choice
really look like in
your
classroom/school
?

× Audiobooks
× Partner reading and writing
× Picture books
× Graphic novels
× Read aloud and write aloud
× Reading and writing for fun!

There is some evidence from case
studies and large group research that
light reading, such as comic books,
leads preteens and young adults to
more, if not always higher quality,
reading.

“...Evidence suggests that we use the
same cognitive process to make sense
of comics as we do to read a sentence.
They seem to tap the deepest recesses
of our minds, where we bring meaning
to the world.”
Cohn, 2012“Creating Passionate Reading Environments” © 2016 Pernille Ripp

× We do not discourage repetition
× We allow students to read the same genre
× We recommend but do not choose
× We offer suggestions based on want, not just
need
× We allow time to book shop whenever it is
needed
× Our face does not give us away

× Goal is 25 books or higher
× All self-chosen texts
× Books can count for more than 1
× 10 must be chapter books
× No punishment/reward
Inspired by The Forty Book Challenge created by Donalyn Miller

Literacy-targeted rewards, such as
books or book vouchers have been found
to be more effective in developing
reading motivation than rewards that
are unrelated to the activity
(Clark and Rumbold, 2006).

Teachers should avoid
scripted writing that
discourages
individual creativity,
voice, or expression of
ideas.
NCTE on Teaching Writing

Requiring a
reading log tells
students that we
do not trust them
when they tell us
that they read at
home.
× Jessica Lifshitz

× Build in time to speak about books
× Pay attention to student reading habits
× Give reading logs to those who want to track
their reading
× Ask parents if needed
× Do student goal setting
× Leave time for book reflection

What is your writing
process?
Do you bring it into
the classroom?

Experts recommend at least
1 hour of writing time starting
in 1st grade.
How much of that time is
spent free writing?

New research published by the
National Literacy Trust reveals
that boys are half as likely to
enjoy writing as girls and
almost a third never or rarely
write outside of class.

Sometimes we
write by not
writing, not all
writing is
automatic, nor
intended to start
when we want it
to.

× Students have choice in how they write
× Students have choice in when they write
× Students have choice in what they write
× Students have choice in how they share
× Students have choice in what is assessed
Students should have at least one of these choices
every single time they write.

How can you
offer choice
within your
writing
instruction?

If we value it, then we
must give it the one
thing we have the least
of; time.

According to Anderson, Fielding, and
Wilson (1988), students who begin
reading a book in school are more likely
to continue to read outside of school
than students who do not begin a book
in school.

The researchers conclude that “among all the
ways children spent their time, reading books
was the best predictor of measures of reading
achievement reading comprehension,
vocabulary, and reading speed, including gains
in reading comprehension between second
and fifth grade.”

The Power of a Reading Check-In
× 2-3 students a day
× “What are you working on as a reader?’
× Reading identity versus skills teaching
× Keep short notes
× It is not about documenting everything
they say but figuring out who they are

There is no
ideal speed in
reading.
Thomas Newkirk, 2011

Let’s try a
reading check-
in; what
information can
you uncover in
just 3 minutes?

× If daily reading begins in infancy, by the time the
child is 5 years old, he/she has been fed nearly
900 hours of brain food!
× Reduce that experience to just 30 minutes a
week, and the child’s mind loses 770 hours of
nursery rhymes, fairy tales, stories, and
vocabulary development.

That means a kindergarten student who
has not been read aloud to could be
entering with less than 60 hours of
literacy exposure.
Think of that opportunity gap!
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Every child should have at
least two hours of
sustained silent reading
time a week - but how
many do?

Students should be
writing 4 times more
than we can grade. If we
can grade everything
kids are writing, they
aren’t writing enough.
Not even close.
Kelly Gallagher

Why is reading and
writing always seen as
silent activities?

Reading for pleasure is strongly
influenced by relationships between
teachers and children, and children and
families.
(Cremin et al, 2009).

“Passionate Learners - Student
Engagement” © 2016 Pernille Ripp

What do we tend to ask
students to do most in our
classrooms?

Listen

Teachers are estimated to
speak 60-75% of the time
(Goodlad, 1984 noted by Crandall, in Arnold,
1999: 235)

Reading and
writing float on a
sea of talk.
James Britton (1983)

Paul, 7th grader
“What’s the point
of English if we
don’t talk to
anyone?”

Then
× Teacher driven
× Teacher chosen
× 5 or 6 books
× Theme of books
× Group project
Now
× Student driven
× Student chosen
groups
× 50 books
× No theme
× Solo project

Some teachers ask between 200-300
questions a day.
Most students ask 2 questions a day.
John Hattie

1. Procedural Questions - “Is that clear?”
2. Display questions - “Who is the main
character?”
3. Referential Questions - “Why do you
think the author wrote that?”
Which do you ask the most?

× Echoing their answer
× Asking lengthy questions
× Saying much more than the student
when receiving an elaboration
× Repeating instructions to all

× Ask open-ended questions
× Set a timer for lessons
× Limit how many questions you answer
× Stop interrupting
× Give them something worth talking about
× Emphasize importance
× Stop thinking you have to have all of the
answers

One of the easiest ways to get students to speak more, inspired
by Elin Keene.
“Tell me more about that…”

Book Shopping Means
× We discuss how to book shop
× Once a month at least
× Takes as much time as each child needs
× New and old favorites
× Social event
× To-be-read lists in hand
× Each child should add at least 1 book to
their list if not more

The very first thing
we do on the very
first day is to read a
picture book.

Why Picture Books
× They give us a common language
× They give us an entry point into complex
matters
× They create successful literacy experiences
× They relieve stress
× They make us believe we can read well
× They become mentor texts

For all the children, no
matter their story.

“Creating Passionate Reading Environments” © 2016 Pernille
Ripp
On average a teacher makes 1,500
decisions in a day. How many of those
revolve around becoming a better
teacher?

Reading & Writing Rights in Our
Classroom
× Comfortable work spaces
× Wild book abandonment
× One-on-one or small group’s rule
× Choice - all the time
× Reading and writing is social
× Time to set goals and reflect
What are the rights for you?

Students recognize the rights,
responsibilities and opportunities of
living, learning, and working in an
interconnected digital world, and they
act and model in ways that are safe,
legal and ethical.

× A renewed sense of purpose
× A renewed sense of pride
× A renewed sense of community
× A more meaningful understanding of
technology
× A deeper understanding of their digital
footprint

1. It goes beyond product sharing
2. Product is created with the intention of
sharing it with others
3. Audience is often found beyond your school
4. The collaboration adds value to the process,
thus causing the process to change

Students use digital tools to broaden their
perspectives and enrich their learning by
collaborating with others and working
effectively in teams locally and globally.

“The secret of
change is to focus
all of your energy,
not on fighting the
old, but on
building the new.”
× Socrates

Ben Curran
“Before you
go global, go
local.”

How is
community
created in
your
environment
right now?

Students feel…
× Protected
× Cared for
× Trusted
× Respected
× Challenged
× Like their whole self is accepted
× Like they matter

“Control leads to
compliance;
autonomy leads
to engagement.”
Daniel Pink

× Twitter
× Skype
× Google Suites
× Padlet
× Whatever tool a child needs/wants to
use

× Is it easy?
× Is it free?
× Is it meaningful?
× Is it sustainable?
× Does it add value?

One idea:
The pre-
existing
Project

× All the work has been done
× You don’t have to search for others
× You pick the project that works for you
× You have others to consult
× Connections can extend after

http://saveourrhinos.wikispaces.com/The+Travelling+Rhino

https://www.digitalhumanlibrary.org/

http://cardboardchallenge.com/

http://www.globalschoolplayday.com/

http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/

× Had other students give us feedback on our speeches
× Shared our nonfiction picture books with other kids
× One School One World #1S1W
× Interviewed authors about their writing project
× Learned about refugees
× Performed Elephant $ Piggie Plays for others
× Had others edit and critique our work
× Taught others how to blog, do Mystery Skype and other
things

We asked, “What
should America’s
Role be in the
refugee crisis?”

They really like
me, Mrs. Ripp...

This week one of my classes skyped
with a Californian class. Unbeknown
to my class and I, they attend an
Islamic school. I am proud to say
that we thoroughly enjoyed one
another’s class and conversation...

At the end of the Skype, my class was surprised
that their skyping buddies were not only Muslim
but regular kids like themselves, and definitely
not the scary way the television portrays them.
(I hate to put labels on our classes, but being
from the South, hardly any of my students have
ever seen or spoken to a Muslim person before
Thursday….

"The battle to be vigilant, on
behalf of kindness and tolerance
and fairness and equality, that's
a day-to-day thing that each of
us is responsible for. That
doesn't change because of one
election. It's something that has
to be tended to all the time."
President Obama

Take some time to
make a plan - what
will you change?

When was the last
time you asked
students what
made them dislike
reading and
writing?

If a program we use
is effectively harming
a child’s love of
learning, then we
need to stop using it
for that student.

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