Reflections on Literacy Work at LFHS by Michelle Brann, Literacy Team Chair

This school year marked my fourth year on our school’s staff Literacy Team.  I remember being asked to be a member of the new team and attending our first professional development workshop only to experience a moment of panic – was I going to have to learn how to teach students to read?! I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I was tempted to excuse myself from the team that day. I had majored in history in college and only made my way in to teaching on a whim – my school had a January term which offered the opportunity to student teach for a month. At the urging of my mother I decided to try it, and to my great joy, realized that I loved it. However, in my mind, what I loved was teaching history, NOT reading.  I distinctly remember thinking, “if I had wanted to teach reading, I would have become an elementary school teacher.” So it became a very pleasant surprise to me, after deciding to stick it out a little longer to see what this “literacy stuff” was all about, that I soon realized that teaching literacy is teaching students not how to read, but how to think – my goal as a high school history teacher to begin with. The teaching methods I learned through the literacy team have helped me immensely to help my students reach that goal.

I experienced success with many of the teaching practices I learned with the team almost immediately. During my first two years on the team, strategies such as “QAR” (Questioning-Answering Strategies for Children, Taffy Raphael) and “REQUEST” (Improving Reading Comprehension Through Reciprocal Questioning, Manzo) changed the way I asked my students to think and had a significant affect on their academic performance. Through the training we received on the Literacy Team, and books like Reading for Understanding, by Shoenbach, Greenleaf, Cziko, and Hurwitz, I was able to add to my teaching “tool-belt” in a way that greatly benefited my skills in the classroom and consequently, also benefited my own students' learning.

 

Despite the success that many of our team members were seeing in our own classrooms during those first two years, we had a difficult time in trying to make our practices part of the school’s wider culture. Last year we were finally able to begin presenting to the staff in a way that at least began capturing non-team members’ (positive) attention, providing mini-lessons on some of our most successful practices at various staff meetings throughout the year. While the mini-lessons certainly did not start any revolutionary changes at the high school, they did at least set the tone for the team to begin making a really significant impact on teaching practices at the school this year.

During the summer of 2010, with a change in administration, the team began to reorganize and added some new members. We met during the summer to give new team members a “crash course” on literacy, but more importantly, we began laying out a plan that would allow us to make staff-wide, meaningful change in our school’s best teaching practices. As the year progressed, it became clear that we had two major goals. We wanted to help staff make learning goals and objectives clear for students and we wanted to find a way to make reading for pleasure a regular part of every student’s week.

Our first major goal was to introduce a lesson plan framework that would help teachers focus in on the specific objectives they want their students to achieve and to construct their lessons using a consistent format (adapted from EDU 590 LMFHS October 26 PowerPoint). The format we chose to introduce uses an opening activity, usually in the form of a quick-write, that allows students to apply prior knowledge and experience to learning new information in meaningful chunks. Each class ends with a closing activity that allows students to process the information they have learned that day and gives teachers a quick opportunity to check for understanding and adjust upcoming plans accordingly. Most importantly, the framework requires that teachers have clearly posted objectives each day that are explicitly referred to throughout the lesson, making it clear to the students what the learning goal is and giving them an opportunity to self-assess for understanding through the class period. Finally, having a consistent classroom framework created a learning environment in which students knew exactly what to expect each class. Rather than spending energy on interpreting what the teacher expected from them, they could instead spend their energy where it was most needed – on learning objectives.

The team members piloted the lesson plan framework in our own classrooms first, and I soon noticed my own teaching and classroom management improving dramatically. Beginning every class with a quick-write activity established a clear expectation for what every student should be doing at the beginning of the class, having an immediate impact on student behavior throughout the rest of the period. And of course the main reason for the quick-write, activating students’ prior knowledge, helped students to connect with new material more effectively. I soon noticed an increase in student attention and participation in class discussion.

By posting the day’s objective on the wall and explicitly referring to it throughout the class period, I found it significantly easier to stay focused on the day’s goal, and I believe it improved my delivery. I have also found that reflecting back on the objectives several times throughout the lesson is helping me to identify areas of my unit plans that need adjustments or, in some cases, even need to be eliminated completely. I found that having the posted objective to refer to throughout the lesson was helping me to make better use of my students’ time in my class.

After taking enough time to really understand the benefits of the framework and feel comfortable using it, we partnered up with other staff members to begin making it a staff wide practice. We began by having our partner teachers observe our classrooms. After providing them with time to try it in their own room, they then had the opportunity to have us in their classrooms to help with any questions or concerns they still had. Overall we received a positive response. Some teachers immediately saw value in the framework, and one of my partner teachers went so far as to say, “It has made me a more effective teacher.” (Personal conversation) Even when teachers had reservations about the framework itself, they still appreciated the format we used to present it. Many teachers commented on how valuable it is to be able to visit other classrooms, and several also expressed appreciation for having team members, their own co-workers, in to help provide constructive feedback in a non-threatening atmosphere. While there is still much work to help everybody feel truly comfortable using this framework on a daily basis, we have already made significant gains.

The team’s second major goal, creating time for students to experience reading for pleasure on a regular basis, took shape in the form of our new Free To Read program. It ‘s overall structure was the brainchild of one our teammates, Library Media Specialist, Cathi Howell. With her expert experience and ideas for the foundation of the program, the team worked together to establish the details and to anticipate any questions or concerns that might prevent the program from finding success among the staff and students. We began with the premise that students benefit most when they have several short (30-40 minutes) opportunities each week to read something they are interested in rather than having one extended period each week (SSR with Intervention, Leslie B. Preddy). With that in mind, we decided the program would begin with two forty-minute reading periods a week, with the hope that it may someday be expanded to three days a week. We also knew that students would benefit more if the reading program included an opportunity to think about and discuss their reading (The SSR Handbook, H.M. Miller). Therefore we decided that each reading session would end with a five-minute opportunity for discussion among teachers and their advisees.

Once we had a plan for what we wanted our reading program to look like, we began preparations to introduce it as successfully as possible. Cathi administered a student survey to gather information on student reading habits and book interest. Group members solicited local businesses for gift certificates that we could use as rewards for participating in the program. We also created a presentation for staff and students to help explain the program using Scholastic’s Reader Bill of Rights (http://www.scholastic.com/readeveryday/read.htm). We presented to other teachers during a staff meeting and provided them with an opportunity to fill out a comment/question card. We organized a school wide assembly for the student presentation, and even invited local town library staff in to speak about reading opportunities in their own library.

The first month and a half of our Free to Read program has gone exceptionally well. We made it clear from the beginning that this reading time would be considered “sacred” and found a way to include it on all regularly scheduled days, even when other events threatened to get in the way. Teachers report that they have faced very little resistance from their advisor groups, and many students have made positive comments about looking forward to the reading time. Perhaps most gratifying, we have had visitors from outside of the school witness and make extremely positive comments about the program, one going so far as to say that we “are doing it the right way.” (Conversations with USM Professor of History Libby Bischoff and Maine DOE consultant Steve McDougal)

We are so proud of the work that we have done this year. At times we have struggled to maintain the energy and positive attitudes necessary to make such far-reaching change, but it is truly gratifying to now see the fruits of our labor blossoming. There is a great deal more work to be done, but based on the slow change in culture we are already seeing, we are looking forward to continuing our work next year.

Should literacy instruction continue beyond elementary school?

Here is a great article - courtesy of ASCD Smart Brief - that focuses on the common core and the need to teach literacy beyond the 3rd grade.  The report also recognizes the importance of 21st century citizens' ability to read nonfiction.

A more comprehensive approach to literacy teaching should be included as part of the revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education. The alliance, which advocates for improved high-school education, argues that educators are not supported or prepared in offering literacy instruction to students beyond third grade -- after which it is assumed they will "read to learn" rather than "learn to read." The group says more focus is needed on teaching reading in both middle and high schools. Education Week/Curriculum Matters blog

The full report can be accessed by clicking on the link: policy brief 

                                             It is well worth the read. 

Free to Read: A Free Voluntary Reading Program at Livermore Falls High School

Many educators are seeing reading scores (as well as writing scores)  decrease as students enter middle and high school.  In a recent ASCD post, research found as students progress through grade levels, nonfiction reading for content area classes dominate their reading time and leave little for their individual reading - fun reading, or practice.  Cathi Howell, librarian at LMFHS worked with the literacy team and classroom teachers to create the Free to Read program.  Cathi and Michelle will be offering a webinar on this topic in May.  Here is the outline of the program.  For more info, contact Cathi at: chowell@rsu36.net.


What does this have to do with writing?  

The reciprocity between reading and writing does not diminish with the age!

  Improving the culture around reading at Livermore Falls High School has been a primary goal of mine since I spent time there as a practicum student working on my bachelor’s degree over ten years ago.  I distinctly remember being asked to ‘read the shelves’ by the media specialist who was there at the time and as I idled away at that mundane job, I was taking in much more than the condition and order of the books on the shelves.  As I observed student activity in the library it occurred to me that students coming to the library did not appear to be engaged in their school work or reading – two primary activities I expected to see students engrossed in at the school library.  After watching quietly on a few different occasions and being a bit reluctant to interfere, I finally asked a group of students who were clearly there simply to avoid study hall and to socialize with their friends, if they had some schoolwork to be doing.  If not, I told them; perhaps they should consider finding something to read – they were in the library after all.  One young man looked at me in disbelief, as he shook his head and stated emphatically “Don’t you know kids at Livermore Falls High School don’t read?”  I have told this story numerous times and thinking back on it now, I never realized then what an impact that student’s comment would have on my professional career goals.  Of course, I knew better than to interpret this student’s comment literally – that no students at LFHS read, but it was obvious to me that what was happening in the library at the time was not working to create a culture of reading in the school.

Over the next few years, I completed my bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Technology, was hired at LFHS as an educational technician in Special Education, and enrolled in the Master of Library Science program at Southern Connecticut State University.  In the meantime, I continued to observe the culture at LFHS. 

After working in Special Education for a year, I was offered the position of assistant to the media specialist in the library.  As I continued working on my master’s degree, I also began working towards implementing programs I had been thinking about that I thought would improve the culture of reading at LFHS.  I started with some simple ideas like contests for students who submitted book reviews, a school-wide reading challenge in connection with Scholastic Books that provided books for children impacted by Hurricane Katrina, and holiday themed activities in the library.  I offered Scholastic Book Orders to students and organized a Read-a-Thon that allowed students to raise funds for an elementary school reading program while reading and eating their lunches in the library.  I knew then that it was critical to get students involved in this process of change and I administered a survey asking students to identify programs and activities they would like to see offered through the library.  Their survey results overwhelming indicated that a Coffeehouse Night was something the student body wanted to try, so in the spring of 2004 we began a new tradition at LFHS and have held Coffeehouse Night each fall since then. 

These initial activities paved the way for a more significant program I had dreamed of trying out, an ongoing book discussion group that would be open to students, faculty members, and community members.   This group would be free for students to participate in.  I hoped to secure funding through grants in order to purchase books that I could give, free of charge to all participants, and to provide refreshments at meetings.  Considering what I had learned about students and activities at LFHS, I thought our best bet at getting this diverse group of participants together would be in the morning before school.  With a small amount of money provided by the principal in the spring of 2006, Bagels & Books was born. 

For the past five years I have also taken students from honors and AP English classes to our elementary school to visit classrooms to talk about their reading history as a way to promote literacy across our district.  The high school students develop presentations that include discussions of their favorite books from childhood and how reading is important in their high school class work.  They read a book or selection out loud for the class they are visiting and coming up with a related activity.  These visits always prove to be as beneficial for the high school students as for the elementary school classes they interact with.  It is an opportunity for these high school students to serve as role models to our younger students and to reaffirm the importance of reading through this activity.

I completed my master’s degree in the spring of 2007 and I was hired as the school library media specialist at LFHS that fall.  By this time, many of these reading and literacy programs were well established.  Over time, I developed a special interest in free reading in secondary schools and my final thesis work was focused on this topic.  As part of my research, I examined the curriculum at LFHS and discovered that only one course included free choice reading in the curriculum, and that was limited to a free choice novel as part of a summer reading requirement for an AP English course.  Even so, by this time I was beginning to notice a change in the culture of reading at LFHS and there were teachers who expressed an interest in a free reading program for our students.  Some English teachers also began building in free choice reading as part of their classroom routines and curriculum over the next few years.  In the spring of 2009, I met with a group of teachers interested in improving our academic advisor program and we discussed the possibility of implementing a free reading program through the Advisor/Advisee program. 

Fast-forward to 2010-2011, a transformative year at Livermore Falls High School.  Changes included a new administration and the support and constrictions of a federal School Improvement Grant.   Working with an incredible group of talented teachers as part of our school’s literacy team, we set two goals for the year as part of our school-wide transformation.  The first goal was to implement a standardized lesson plan format and the second goal was to develop a free reading program. (Sejnost 2009, 20)  Our administration had decided to implement Reading 180 with funds from the SIG, and while we recognized that this was an important program for a select group of students, we felt it was critical to do something that could help all students improve their reading abilities.  With the approval of our administration and literacy consultant and $1500 from the SIG, we started planning.

Based on my past research using resources including Janice Pilgreen’s SSR Handbook, and Ivey and Fisher’s Creating Literacy-Rich Schools for Adolescents, I knew that in order for students to see improvement in their reading, they need to have opportunities to read freely at least 2 to 3 times per week.  I also knew that this must be sacred time, dedicated to free reading on a regular basis and never pushed aside for other meetings and activities.  Finally, I knew that to help students improve their reading skills, we also needed to help them practice having conversations about their reading.  (Marshall 2002, 103)  The literacy team agreed with these three basic premises.

Based on experience, I also felt that it was critical to involve students in the planning of this new program and I decided to create a personal reading interests and habits survey for students.  The survey was designed in Google Documents and I linked it to our library webpage.  I scheduled every English class, from grade 9 to grade 12, including special education classes, to come to the library to take the survey and to participate in a book selection activity using Scholastic Book Club order forms.  As each group came into the library I explained that the literacy team was working on developing a free reading program for all students because we believe, based on research, that the single best thing students can do to improve their reading abilities is to practice reading materials that they choose for themselves – that are right for them and interesting to them.  I also emphasized that we wanted their input on how to set this program up to best suit their needs, to select books for their classrooms based on their interests, and to provide some prizes that were appealing to them.

As we began planning, I met with our literacy team leader to review the literature on free reading programs.  We agreed that it was important to base our program on research based methods and best practices.  We also continued meeting as a team and reviewing our progress as this free reading program began to take shape.  We established a mission statement (see attached) for our program and we began assembling teacher training materials and student folder components.  Student library aides helped process the student book selection forms and I ordered books from Scholastic Book Clubs based on the most popular choices.  Based on survey results, we identified food, movie and book certificates as the most popular student recommendations for incentives and we discussed the protocol for selecting monthly winners in advisor groups.  The more the more the literacy team worked on developing this free reading program, the more our excitement grew.  Likewise, the more I talked with students about implementing a free reading program, the more I realized how excited they were about having this opportunity to read for themselves during their school day.  With a desire to build off this mutual excitement, we decided to plan a school-wide assembly to kick off our free reading program as a celebratory event when we were finally ready to roll.

In the process of planning, we also revisited Scholastic’s Reading Bill of Rights.  The statements that comprise their Reading Bill of Rights are aligned with and support our mission and their online PowerPoint presentation inspired us to create our own version, using pictures of LFHS students to illustrate each statement.  (Scholastic Inc.) This idea blossomed into creating a multimedia presentation for students and staff members that would be used as an introduction to the program, and as part of our kick-off celebration.  As our free reading program continued to take shape – our program’s name began to solidify; we decided to call this program Free to Read. 

As our start date approached, we assembled teacher folders that included a laminated copy of our mission statement to be displayed in each room, a copy of the summary of results from our student reading interests and habits survey, copies of the bookmarks that would be included in student folders, a simple checklist for teachers to monitor student engagement, and a selection of ideas for starting discussions around reading.  (Preddy 2007, 132-133)  We also included blank copies of the teacher monitoring form and the student response to reading form in the back of each teacher folder.  Student folders included a Free to Read bookmark, bookmarks that include tips on finding a book that is interesting to you and tips on knowing when a book is right for you, a copy of the Free to Read mission statement, and reading response forms. 

Critical components of Free to Read:

·      Meets twice a week for 25 minutes each time – school wide

·      Teachers read with students

·      It is not a time for homework

·      Students may read newspapers, magazines, and books

·      Students may choose to read from novels and nonfiction pieces they are reading in class as long as it is their choice to do so, but not from text books

·      Students record their reading in their workbooks and write a short response or prediction based on their reading – causing students to think and write about their reading

·      Teachers and students wrap up each session with a 2 to 3 minute discussion about what people are reading – causing students to make connections between their reading, themselves, their teachers, and their peers

·      Students may not use laptops during Free to Read but they may read from an e-book reader if they have one

·      No grades are assigned for Free to Read

·      Teachers were provided all necessary materials and trained by literacy team members

·      Easy for teachers to monitor student engagement

·      Prizes awarded by random drawing in each advisor group; eligibility for drawing based on two criteria – student must be on task each time and must record what they read and a short response each time

We are in our fifth week of Free to Read and the feedback I have received to date has been overwhelmingly positive.  Teachers have indicated that their students are settling right down to reading; they hate to interrupt their reading at the end of each session; students have been excited about the choices of new books in their Free to Read baskets; and students and teachers alike have already come to relish this quiet time for themselves in the midst of their busy school day.  Observations by administrators, our literacy consultant, and a representative from the Maine Department of Education corroborate that students and teachers are engaged in reading during this time. 

I believe the success of our Free to Read program can be attributed to two things.  First of all, the time was right to implement a free reading program at LFHS.  We had already seen a major shift in the culture around reading with the numerous programs and events implemented through the school library and with English teachers beginning to incorporate more free choice reading in their classes.  Add to this our recent designation as a low performing school and our need to try new ways of helping students improve their reading skills and test scores and the funds available to us through the SIG.  Secondly, the research, planning, student involvement, staff training, general attention to detail, and positive ‘can do’ attitudes of the literacy team members, helped ensure Free to Read’s successful development and implementation.  In particular, the level of student involvement was critical to student engagement in this new program.  Students were surveyed, allowed to help choose books to purchase, identified appealing prizes, helped create the PowerPoint presentation used for implementation by creating voice-over recordings of the Scholastic Reading Bill of Rights, and were featured in numerous photos in our presentation that showed LFHS students engaged in reading activities in our school library. 

Next steps to ensure that Free to Read continues on its path to success include soliciting feedback from faculty members and students and responding to it, monitoring student reading scores and attitudes toward reading over time, and maintaining student involvement in selecting new books, soliciting suggestions for prizes, and creating promotional materials to sustain the program.  Challenges include re-engaging students each year and developing a new kick-off program as well and developing a plan to implement Free to Read at the second campus of our high school program as we move toward consolidation in our new school district, RSU 73 for the fall of 2011.  Additional concerns include maintaining funding to continue to infuse new, student selected books into the program and purchasing necessary support materials and supplies, as well as training and supporting new staff members and those who need assistance with implementing or managing Free to Read time in their classrooms. 

There is nothing more exciting than to witness the calm, quiet, peaceful and productive time that is Free to Read in our school!

 

“Integration Day”: Creating and Implementing an Opportunity for Literacy-Based Integrated Teaching by Robert Condon, Deborah Muise, Lisa Dalrymple, Therese Hersey, Karen Cyr, John Logan

 
 Mt. Blue High School has been involved in literacy training and implementation for 4 years. 

It has been a cross curriculum, school wide goal - and - predictably - has built collaboration throughout the building.


Here is a proposal from their cohort 3 teachers involving their high school and tech school teachers - creating interdisciplinary units.


Enjoy!

A Preface

The following is a collection of reflections on an idea Mt. Blue High School teachers came up with in EDU 591, a University of Maine at Farmington course for content literacy mentors. It is presented in a variety of voices, some overlapping greatly in terms of ideas and content, others not.  As a whole, this collection shows teachers with a different instructional responsibilities and approaches breathing life into a common and as-of-yet unrealized vision.

Robert Condon

Integration Day: An Introduction

            What happens when you share an idea? Sometimes the answer is collaboration.  If you are lucky, others will believe in the idea and they help you grow it. This is what happened in our class, EDU 591. The idea, or more likely the outburst, raised the question “Why don’t we do more team teaching?”  What came next was collaboration and refining a simple question into a method by which teachers could have time to plan and create integrated learning opportunities for students using literacy strategies.

            We realized one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in this initiative, as in so many others, is finding the time to execute a new plan. This is when collaboration led to synergy as brainstormed solutions knocked down hurdles and the pieces began to fit together.  We decided that planning time for integrated lessons will be made possible through the use of substitute teachers covering for one of the cooperating teachers (and the other willing to give up preparation time) to create a beneficial learning experience. Through shared planning cooperating teachers will share ideas on literacy strategies that will be employed throughout the integration process.  

            The interesting part about the discussions that have created this plan is there was almost no mention of the actual teaching of the lesson. We believe teachers will do what they do best – find approaches to material that appeal to how students learn best.  Ultimately, we hope that Integration Day meets several universal goals: teaching in ways students learn; using literacy activities that foster better, deeper understanding; and providing students an opportunity to see how understanding in one discipline can promote understanding in another.

John Logan            

A Rationale for Integration Day

            Integration Day is intended to foster collaboration between educators, integration of vocational and academic disciplines, and use of literacy strategies across those various disciplines.  Encouraging these things is important to nurturing the vibrant, productive learning environment we seek for our students.

Collaboration Between Educators

            Pete Hall and Alisa Simeral’s “Continuum of Self-Reflection” highlights an important difference between a strong educator and an exceptional one:  The exceptional teacher “pursues opportunities to work and learn with colleagues” while a developing teacher “collaborates on a limited basis.” (42)  In short, a greater ability to professionally collaborate makes one a better teacher.  Integration Day will not instantly make every Mt. Blue High School a better collaborator, but it may encourage some teachers to see more value in and grow more comfortable with collaboration.

Integration of Disciplines and Working as a Team

            A school that works together as a team will produce better results than a school divided by disciplines that are insular:  This conclusion is implied (though not outright stated) by Anne Conzemius and Jan O’Neill in The Handbook for SMART School Teams when they discuss how schools that work like systems are superior to schools that do not. (180)  For these authors, schools where professionals “interact to function as a whole” better identify patterns and underlying trends in its student population; are more aware of how parts of the school’s system affects each other; and ultimately, work more effectively to benefit all students. 

            Integration Day will not instantly produce a Mt. Blue High School that functions like a well-oiled system, but it will push us towards that laudable goal. 

Use of Literacy Strategies Across Disciplines

            If we are to work together as teachers, it only makes sense that we use effective universal thinking strategies while doing so.  International education consultant Janet Allen claims that “there is an extensive body of research supporting the effectiveness of instruction in comprehension strategies” in all subject areas.  She cites a number of benefits in using these strategies, including helping students acquire specialized vocabulary, remember content, and prioritize material (1). 

Works Cited

Allen, Janet. Tools for Teaching Content Literacy. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2004. Print.

            Tools for Teaching Content Literacy

Conzemius, Anne, and Jan O'Neill. The Handbook for SMART School Teams.

            Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service, 2002. Print.

Hall, Pete, and Alisa Simeral. Building Teachers' Capacity for Success. Alexandria:             Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2008. Print.

Karen Cyr                                       

             Collaboration and Integration

“To the young mind everything is individual, stands by itself. By and by, it finds how to join two things and see them in one nature; then three, then three thousand…discovering roots running underground whereby contrary and remote things cohere and flower out from one stem.”

                                                                                                Emerson

The mission of both teachers and students is to find ways to create cohesion and relevancy. We can achieve this goal by integrating the curriculum. Integration is the result of collaboration between educators in multidisciplinary groups. It is the overlapping of content and the aligning of similar yet varied curriculums.  It can be as easy as connecting one lesson to the next or as extensive as the sharing of themes and creating lessons that overlap between classes of different disciplines. 

Curriculum integration is gaining momentum in high school settings all over. This is because educators are seeing that it builds “community, fuels motivation, renews the spirit, and enhances innovation” (Conzeminus). When professionals come together and share their expertise the whole school benefits.  There is renewed energy and higher student engagement. Students feel as though the courses connect and are purposeful. They are seeing the bridges forming between school and real life.

Teachers are the most important element in this initiative. They need time to plan together and they need a supportive structure that allows for nontraditional schedules. Physical locality of overlapping discipline can also facilitate the teaming desired here. But most importantly, the school needs to adopt this new way of planning and teaching. Only then will real results occur.

The purpose of our project is to begin with a small yet powerful experience where two or three teachers, from different disciplines, are given time to discuss and plan an activity. Literacy strategies are incorporated into the lesson along with the mixing of classes. Time is built into the schedule as well as reflection pieces. Finally, this expertise will be shared with others in hopes of more collaborating in the future.

Works Cited

Conzemius, Anne, and Jan O'Neill. The Handbook for SMART School Teams.

            Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service, 2002. Print.

Lisa Dalrymple

Thoughts on Literacy Strategies

            There are several strategies that can be used in the classroom to help teachers and students.  Students need to learn the protocol before they can work on the strategies or key thoughts.  It takes repetition for a student to learn a protocol. Teaching students these thinking strategies across disciplines helps the student develop these skills.

            Strategies are used to improve comprehension and to help students process the information.  These can be very simple such as a Think Aloud.  A Think Aloud is exactly what it says.  I would say out loud to the student what I am thinking and how I am processing a problem or question.  As the teacher, I am modeling the thinking process so that the students can metacognitively improve their comprehension. The question that I present a student may be ‘how did Cortez conquer the great Aztec emperor Moctezuma?’  In a loud voice I might describe the physical appearance of Cortez and then that of Moctezuma ….

            Another great thinking strategy is the KWL.  The K is for what do I know, W is for what I would like to know and L is for what have I learned.  This is another great tool to use prior to a project, reading an article, and the list goes on.  This is quick and simple but it provides me as the teacher valuable information as to what the student knows, or doesn’t know and it helps the student recognize what they knew and what they learned. 

            With respect to specific strategies that help in writing, I love the RAFT.  The acronym stands for: R is the role of the writer, A is the audience, F is the format and T is the topic. This is fantastic for students to organize their thoughts.  I often tweak this by adding another F, F for focus. The extra focus is if I want the students to select one item to focus on from a mural or a topic we are studying.  Some teachers include an S (RAFTS) to have students reflect on a strong verb.  This strategy works well with a schematic or web diagram.  If students aren’t ready to create their own written piece or if I have them work in groups and peer edit, Google Docs is a wonderful tool to use.  I also have students Blog.  Blogging helps students produce reflective written work. 

            There are several strategies to support reading.  The one that makes sense to use all the time is the GIST.  This acronym stands for Generating Interaction Between Schemata and Texts.  This is a great summarizing strategy.  This can easily be combined with Sticky note comments, Concept sorts, word walls or digital flashcards, and picking out signal words or phrases.  The digital flashcards can also be auditory.  With respect to word walls, I don’t limit the students to word walls on real walls.  The digital flashcards are cyber walls.  These cyber walls can easily be created in Google Docs which is shared, thus becoming an interactive wall.  Anticipation guides are also fantastic to use with students as a pre-reading strategy.  This is also good to go back to after the reading assignment so that the student can reflect on what he/she wrote before the reading.  There are many sample Anticipation Guides but I find it easy to provide this to students in a form format on Google Forms.  This is quick for the student and for the teacher to compare what everyone wrote.  This can also be shared.  Double entry journals is another tool that I can use with my students. 

            Sometimes when I have students present, the audience tend to zone out.  Many times I have the students take notes and use the 3,2,1 strategy.  The students take from their notes the 3 essential facts from the presentation, 2 things that they found interesting for whatever reason and 1 question.  When using this strategy or the Think, pair, share strategy, I must give my students very clear directions.  I need the students to analyze their notes and prioritize them.  There must be rational to their selection of 3,2,1 or what they are sharing in Think, pair, share.  The students need to be very clear as to the difference of active listening and passive listening. 

            There are so many strategies that I use in the classroom that I have used.  Some I like more than others and some I have had to change a bit to meet my needs.  For example, the Socratic Circle is another strategy that I can refine some more.  All of these strategies help in the scaffolding required for metacognition.  These are an array of tools for teachers to use to help the students in their process of learning how to think. 

Therese Hersey

Reflection on Tools for Teaching in the Block, Plus a Plan for an Integrated Lesson

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” (qtd. in Sejnost). I have done a lot of thinking about this statement over the last several years. Students have been changing with the influx of technology, jobs, and in many cases living independently. These students seem to be less invested in their educations and therefore less connected in class. One of my goals has been to find ways to connect with students and get them to buy into their education.

In her book, Tools for Teaching in the Block, Roberta L. Sejonost says that students must be able to connect what they are learning to what they already know and be willing to put the effort into learning. (Sejonost) Too often I see my students enter my biology or my social studies class believing that nothing they have learned in other classes has anything to do with what they will learn in my class. This segmentation of learning is  making learning an overwhelming task for them. On the other hand, if students can connect learning across the disciplines and with what they already know, it becomes more meaningful and purposeful.

Sejonost goes on to say that students need to be challenged by authentic tasks that are challenging, different, and relevant to their lives. Today’s student is demanding that tasks have meaning and are useful. Gone are the days where the answer, “Because I said so..” is enough to satisfy the students. Once again, teachers need to lead students down the path to understanding material in new and different ways.

Feedback is another key point Sejonost proposes to supporting today’s students. The feedback must be immediate, supportive, and encourage the students to reflect on their progress.

If these are positive components to teaching today’s student, Sejonost also proposes some criticisms of teaching methods. Fragmented instruction where there is no in-depth teaching or learning is at the top of her list. This goes back to my point of students not making connections between the disciplines. I believe that integrating the disciplines is a way that we can help the students make real connections in their learning. This integration not only gets experts in different areas working together and pooling their knowledge, it also forces them to take a hard look at what, why, and how they are teaching. This should result in a stronger and better presentation for students in addition to making connections for them.

My teaching partner will be Kathryn Woodsum, a math teacher. She is going to collaborate with me on a social studies lesson. Over the course of the year, her students have been learning how to use their calculators and computers to solve math problems. My students will be studying a unit on Imperialism and Africa. Their culminating activity will be to produce a Keynote Presentation on an African country. I would like them to embed some graphs into the Keynote this year showing trends in population, the economy, etc.

Because my students do not use the correct graph for the correct problem (ie using a bar graph to show population growth) and do not know how to construct a graph on the computer, I feel that working with Mrs. Woodsum for a period would be wonderful for them. I will give my talk at the beginning of the period as to what charts and graphs can be used for in Social Studies Projects and then Mrs. Woodsum will take over explaining how to use and construct them on the computers. Her students should be able to help mine with the new vocabulary and computer setups.

At the beginning of the period, we will post the learning objectives for the day’s lesson. I will also post vocabulary words on the board that students should be looking for as we proceed. After the lesson on when to use each type of graph, Mrs. Woodsum will show students how to construct them on the computer. I will provide the figures that she will use for this part of the lesson. After this has been completed, I will give the students words on paper to construct a word wall which we will post in my room to help students as the construct their projects.

Work Cited

Sejnost, Roberta. Tools for Teaching in the Block. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2009.             Print.

John Logan

A Modest Beginning

            My first literacy-based integrated project is small:  Many of my Grammar students will be helping Honors Earth Science students proofread a large scientific paper they are creating.  Teacher Patti Millette was gracious enough to allow us to do this.  As each section of the paper is created, Earth Science students will email us what they’ve written; students in my Grammar course will have the opportunity to offer proofreading advice via email.  The benefit for my class is obviously the practical application of what they’re learning in class; the benefit for Earth Science students is that they will gain a better appreciation of how to proofread their own papers. 

            Where is the literacy aspect of this common project?  Patti’s class will be using exit tickets to determine what Earth Science students are learning about their own grammar errors and how to fix them.  My class will maintain a “grammar term wall” of errors we encounter in student papers.

           

Deborah Muise

Growing Comfortable with Integration

            I admit it.  I am one of those teachers who gets so insulated in her classroom that she can go for days without talking to a grownup in school.  So at the beginning of the year, when my principal said, “Integration must be one of your goals,” my stomach sank a bit.  Sure, the literature says it’s positive and teaches students to look at learning holistically.  Sure, it’s a sign of teachers in the refinement stage. “Relationships are an essential part of the process of reflection for the Refinement teachers.  Eager to capitalize on the knowledge and expertise of their colleagues, they seek out opportunities to share ideas, discuss pedagogy, unearth thoughts, and debate philosophy” (Hall and Simeral 98).  This did not change the fact that it was uncomfortable.  Luckily, a very sweet Spanish teacher had emailed me over the summer her idea to collaborate using a common short story she had in Spanish by Charles Dickens.

            Fast forward to Literacy Class in March and one colleague’s idea to “team teach” or, as the professor insisted, “integrate.”  We had just finished discussing the book Building Teachers’ Capacity for Success.  We had all been secretly thrilled to discover that our professor had considered us all in the “Refinement” stage of teaching. These are expert teachers who “pursue opportunities to work and learn with colleagues. . . .focus on the art of teaching” and explore the “nuances of teaching” (98).  The team teaching idea was a perfect opportunity to apply the literacy strategies we’d been learning as well as become more “refined,” and finally, fulfill the mandate given by our principal.

            The integrative plan for me is to collaborate with a Spanish teacher.  Her advanced Spanish class includes high level students who would be able to translate the very difficult vocabulary in Dickens’ “Nobody’s Story.”  The task is to team teach some background information on Benito Pérez Galdós, Charles Dickens, and the Victorian Age using the class expert strategy. Then we’ll go back to our regular single teacher class format.  We’ll assign Dickens in English for me, in Spanish for her.  We’ll use various literacy strategies such as gist and text highlighting for better comprehension.  The next task is for students to rewrite the story into script form and make a short film in both English and Spanish to be shared in each class, back to team teaching.

            My hope from what I’ve gleaned from EDU 591 and the readings is that integration is a step for students to understand the broader perspectives of their education.  This could help them be able to make connections and see relationships among disciplines, providing more meaningful, stimulating, global experiences.  It could help them open their minds to learning, expanding their views by making connections among subjects areas, ideas, time frames.  Instead of just addressing one facet of a student, collaboration seems to approach multiple learning styles.  I hope we can add to the dynamics of the classroom not just by utilizing a number of different literacy strategies, but also by infusing a new perspective and personality into the mix which might be useful for classes that have become stagnant.  After all, our professor did quote Robert Slavin, saying that 85 % of teachers need to be “together” for success.

Work Cited

Hall, Pete and Alisa Simeral. Building Teachers’ Capacity for Success. Alexandria:  

            Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2008.

Next Steps

Implementing both “Integration Day” and the lessons that lead up to it has yet to be done, but we are well on our way.  Currently, Mt. Blue High School and Foster Regional Technology Center are encouraging subject integration to prepare for a newly renovated collaboration-friendly facility.  They recently held a half-day of staff development in which faculty presented ongoing integration projects and were provided time to begin new ones.  As literacy mentors soon to finish EDU 591, we can help embed more literacy instruction in our facility with Integration Day, and to start providing more consistent and powerful instruction in comprehension for all our students.

 

Keeping students on a path to graduation

It's that time of year and we are all - teachers and students alike - looking back and considering what we could have done differently.  Here is a great report provided by eSchool.

Keeping students on a path to graduation

"College-ready" and "career-ready" are major buzzwords in the educational field these days, as President Obama's push to increase graduation rates gains traction. Educators have spent a great deal of time and energy deciphering what it means to make students college- and career-ready--but a significant portion of the conversation has focused on finding ways to keep kids in school in the first place.
Early intervention and credit recovery programs can pave the way for students to remain on the road to graduation, and a growing number of school systems are turning to online options for delivering these services.
"My members have been having conversations about the fact that, before we can talk about kids being college- and career-ready, we have to reduce dropout rates [and] increase our graduation rates," says Brenda Welburn, executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education. "Many kids don't find school relevant, especially as they get older."
The challenge, she says, is not just to give lip service to the need for relevance, but to make the connection real for today's learners between the outside world and that of school.
Find out more about keeping students on a path to graduation. Visit our special report available for FREE now at: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/02/22/esn-special-report-keeping-students-on-a-path-to-graduation/
Best regards,
   -- The Editors of eSchool News