This document summarizes key points from a two-day professional development session on evidence-guided literacy instruction. The session focused on using student assessment data to identify strengths and gaps in literacy skills, and develop targeted instructional plans. Teachers learned about assessing reading through performance tasks, writing samples, and conferences. The document provides examples of instructional approaches like guided reading, literacy centers, and standard reading assessments. It emphasizes using a range of assessment methods to understand students and align instruction to support all learners in developing literacy.

1. Evidence Guided Literacy
Instruction:
Closing Learning Gaps
MRLC in Portage
K-4 teams
Oct 9/10
Faye Brownlie with Catherine Feniak
Slideshare.net/fayebrownlie.evidenceguided.k-4, sept

2. Learning Intentions
• I can use my data to view my class in terms of literacy strengths and
stretches.
• I can use this data to develop a plan to support the literacy development of
all my learners.
• I have a plan to improve my forma8ve assessment prac8ces.
• I have a be:er idea of ‘what counts’ in effec8ve literacy instruc8on.
• Every Child, Every Day
• CR4YR
• Burkins and Yaris

4. What counts?
In assessment

5. • Assessment is value driven.
• The assessment you choose must reflect what you value.
• So what do you value in reading?
• How does this match what the Manitoba Department of EducaAon
ELA expectaAons?
• How does it match others in your school? Your division?

6. assess
(What can my students do?)
re-assess analyze
(Is my teaching making a difference?) (What is missing?)
plan and implement
(What do I need to teach?)
(What is my teaching plan?)

7. What kinds of data have you collected?
• What does this collec-on show you value?
• How long did it take to collect?

8. • Performance-based reading assessment
• Using performance standards
• Wri5ng samples
• Using performance standards
• 1:1 reading conferences
• Choice text
• Assigned text
• Benchmarks or DRA
• Screens
• Observa5on
• Conversa5on
• 1:1 and small group phonics and phonemic awareness tasks
• Work samples

9. What do you know?

10. Who are your learners?

11. Class Profile – Reading Plan
Interests
Classroom Strengths Classroom Stretches
Individual Concerns
(Brownlie & King, 2000)
Goals Decisions and Strategies/Structures
Medical Language Learning Socio-Emotional Other

12. Support for Vulnerable Students
• Good classroom teaching
• Daily 1:1 or small group teaching
• Word work
• Reading of just right or instruc=onal text
• Wri=ng about reading
Fountas & Pinnell

13. A Way in…..GET COMFY with the Performance Standards

17. Relationship Between TeacherSupport and Student Controlin Reading
Interactive
Read-Aloud
Shared
Reading
Guided Reading
With
Leveled
Books
Lit
Circles
Independent
Reading
Oral Language – “Reading and writing are floating on a sea of talk” - James Britton
Adapted by Faye Brownlie from 2017 Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell from Guided Reading, Second Edition Portsmouth, NH, Heinemann
Literacy is the ability and willingness tomake meaning from textand express oneself ina variety of modes and for a variety of purposes.
Literacy includes making connections, analyzing critically, comprehending, creating, and communicating.
B.C. Ministry of Education, 2017
It's all about making meaning. All the subsets of reading— fluency, decoding, vocabulary development — are important in how they help the
reader derive meaning from text. All aspects of writing — from letter-sound relationship to the construction of sentences and the use of vocabulary
are basedon communicating.
High
Student
Control
Low
Student
Control
High
Teacher
Support
Low
Teacher
Support

18. Fountas and Pinnell – Level BOOKS, Not Children
Jan/Feb 2019 Literacy Today
• Of the 5 contexts for reading that we describe in our work…only one
uses leveled books. Text levels play an important but quite limited role
in students’ literate lives in school.

19. Instruc(onal
Context
Text
Choice/Level/Purp
ose
Accessibility Who does the
work?
Read aloud A stretch.
Model model
model. Most kids
couldn’t read this
on their own.
Challenging. The teacher – and
moves to co-
construct
understanding with
the kids.
Shared reading Just beyond most
kids. Model and
guided practice.
Somewhat
challenging for
many.
Read together and
think together.
Guided
reading/small
group instruction
Just right books.
Guided and some
independent
practice.
Matched to
individual students.
The student reads
and thinks with side
by side guidance.
Independent
reading
Wide range of
choice.
Independent
application.
With ‘productive
effort’ and stamina,
level can vary.
The student,
reading with
purpose to
understand.
Inspired by Burkins & Yaris, co-founders of “ThinkTank for 21st Century Literacy” Blog:
burkinsandyaris.com

20. Literacy Centres, Gr 1/2
with Lisa Schwartz, Richmond
• Begin with whole class modeling of flexible use of
strategies
• Opportunities for guided practice – 10 minutes per
centre
• Reflect, whole group: something you learned or a
challenge you solved in reading/writing

24. 1:1 conference to choose just right books ➡
small group reading prac8ce

30. If we don’t have gravity, we will fly up to the sky

32. Read to a Stuffie

35. Standard Reading Assessment
• Choose a common piece of text.
• Build background for the reading.
• Have students respond to common prompts.
• Have students read a short section aloud and answer several interview
questions.
• Code using the Reading Performance Standards
• Described in Student Diversity, 3rd ed – Brownlie, Feniak, Schnellert & in It’s All about
Thinking – collaborating to support all learners in English, Social Studies and Humanities
– Brownlie & Schnellert & It’s All about Thinking – collaborating to support all learners in
Math & Science – Brownlie, Fullerton, Schnellert & It’s All about Thinking – creating
pathways for all learners in the middle years – Schnellert, Watson & Widdess

37. • Connec&ons: How does what you read connect
with what you already knew?
• Summarizing: Choose a way to show the main
ideas and details in what you read.
• Inferencing: Read between the lines to find
something that you believe to be true, but that
isn’t actually said. Explain your reasoning.
• Vocabulary: Here are 3 challenging words from the
text. Explain what you think they mean.
• Reflec&ng: Was this easy or hard to understand?
How did you help your self understand?
(SD, p.27)

38. What are your goals?
How will you implement them?

40. UDL Pyramid
Even more
support
More
support
Universal
Support

41. LI: I can write and draw a personal story
about being brave (K/1)
• Explode the sentence
• building vocabulary, connecting ideas, setting a purpose for reading
• Think of a time…act out
• Work with the big idea
• Building vocabulary
• Criteria for the draw/write
• Draw a picture that tells a story – big, bright, bold, add letters, sounds, words
• Write
• 1:1 feedback, extend the thinking
• Author’s circle
• Share their work, praise or question
• Read the story

42. Thanks to Mandy MurphyJ - illustrating Google Keep

45. Teaching Reading in a Diverse Class
• Focus on reading strategies
• Questioning from pictures – vocabulary, questioning, detail, predicting
• Re-ordering sentences from the text
• Requires close reading
• Opportunity to read with partners
• Opportunity to conference with reading partners
• The Challenge: great diversity in readers!

49. Suddenly, the drumming and dancing stopped. The chief turned to him and said, “We
are glad that the storm has brought you to our village, but now you are thinking of
your own.”
He took the staff and stepped behind the chief. Closing his eyes, he pictured his father
and mother, his house, and the people of his village.
A chief’s son went fishing alone, and a terrible storm arose.
“My son,” cried his mother, “where have you been? We thought you were lost in a
storm a year ago!”
The boy and his hosts began to dance around the fire together to the steady beat of
the drums.
He soon found himself washed ashore under a strange sky he had never seen before.
That night the whole village celebrated his return and marveled at the boy as he
danced with the staff and told of the large and mysterious people under the strange
sky.
“When you wish to return,” he continued, “grip my staff tightly and stand behind me.”
After they finished eating, the chief said to the others, “Let us sing a welcome song
and invite our guest to join in the dance of our people.”

51. The next day:
• With a new partner, retell the story by rearranging your sentence
strips.
• Listen again to the text, with these questions in mind “How is this a
survival story? What skills do the people display that enable them to
survive?”
• In groups of 4, discuss the questions.
• Create a class ‘survival’ web.

52. Writing in response to a shared read
• Read the text
• emphasize the rhymes with Mr. Fine, Porcupine – Fanny Joly
• Draw and write the fruit Mr. Fine could have on his spikes
• Expand vocabulary, practice sound-symbol as children write
• Create a message for Mr. Fine using interactive writing
• Supports letter formation, sound-symbol development, spaces between
words – transcription
• Supports thinking beyond the text – what next?

59. • What would you see and hear in a high-quality literacy classroom?
• What would the students be doing?
• What would the teacher be doing?
• Build this as a school team. How has this changed over the 2 days?
• How does your vision align with others in your school? Within your
district?
• **Coherence counts when aiming for success for all students.

60. As you leave after these 2 days…
• How will you collect ongoing evidence of your learners reading progress?
• How will you implement the results of your evidence?
• What prac9ce will you a:empt to do more of?
• What prac9ce will you a:empt to do less of?
• How will you know if your focus is making a difference to your learners?
• With whom will you work?