Elements of Effective Literacy Instruction Kim Bowen (9-12) Capital Area Writing Project NC State University

21st Century Literacy “Adolescents entering the adult world in the 21st century will read and write more than at any other time in human history. They will need advanced levels of literacy to perform their jobs, run their households, act as citizens, and conduct their personal lives. They will need literacy to cope with the flood of information they will find everywhere they turn. They will need literacy to feed their imaginations so they can create the world of the future.” (IRA: Adolescent Literacy: A Position Statement)

Freewrite When someone (a parent, a principal, or a teacher) asks you to define effective literacy instruction, what is your response?

Reading Next, Alliance for Excellent Education, 2004 Recommendation for how to meet literacy needs of adolescents (grades 4 – 12) 15 elements of effective adolescent literacy programs

Reading Next, Alliance for Excellent Education, 2004 Recommendation for how to meet literacy needs of adolescents (grades 4 – 12) 15 elements of effective adolescent literacy programs

Pulling it Together Teaching Strategies (RNext, #1) ▫Tools for Teaching Content Literacy, Janet Allen, 2004 LEP Concerns ▫Double the Work: Challenges and Solutions to Acquiring Language and Academic Literacy for Adolescent English Language Learners, Alliance for Excellent Education, 2007

Anticipation Guide Read the statements and determine which are true and which are false. Discuss each statement and justify your responses with the colleagues at your table. Think carefully about each statement. Consider the evidence you have to support your position. Listen thoughtfully to your colleagues’ responses – especially those that differ from yours. Feel free to change your mind after discussion and / or presentation of additional information.

Reciprocal Teaching Working with a partner, read the selection (DTW, p (top)). Take turns asking questions or making comments that lead to real discussion at the end of each paragraph (or so). Predict what will happen next or will result from this information. Ask questions you have (or that you think others would have). Clarify words or information by talking through confusion. Connect to prior knowledge. Summarize important ideas.

Concept Mapping Develop a concept map (or graphic organizer) that illustrates relationships among the key ideas of the selection (DTW p ) (Don’t worry – NO one right way!) Determine key words or ideas and write them on sticky notes. Share and discuss sticky notes with tablemates. Organize notes on poster. Draw connecting lines (or figures) and label them to indicate relationships between ideas (notes). Post your map on the wall. As time permits, “walk the room” and discuss maps from different groups.

Writing to Learn Take five minutes and write about the most important or useful information you have learned this afternoon (so far). How can you use this with the teachers in the school(s) you support? Think about the topic and as thoughts come, jot them down in whatever format works for you. Write quickly. Don’t worry about correctness – this strategy focuses on ideas more than grammar/language usage or getting the “right answer.” Keep writing; even if you think you’re out of ideas, keep going with something related and you might be surprised.

Writing Next, Alliance for Excellent Education, 2007 Meta-Analysis of research on adolescent writing instruction Comparing effectiveness of specific teaching strategies 11 recommendations ranked by strength of effect (statistical analysis) Pages 12-13

1. Strategy Instruction ES =.82 (General Writing) Explicitly teach students strategies for planning, revising, and/or editing text. Greater effect size on low-achievers (1.02)

2. Teaching Summarization ES =.82 (Write better summaries) Explicitly teach students how to summarize texts. Also has significant effect on reading comprehension

3. Collaborative Writing ES =.75 (General Writing) Have students work together to plan, draft, and/or revise their compositions.

4. Specific Product Goals ES =.70 (General Writing) Assign students specific, reachable goals for their writing. ▫Purpose of assignment ▫Characteristics of final product

5. Word Processing ES =.55 (General Writing) Have students use word processing and related software when writing. Greater effect size on low-achievers (.70)

6. Sentence Combining ES =.50 (General Writing) Teach students to construct more sophisticated sentences by combining simpler sentences into a more complex one.

7. Pre-Writing Activities ES =.32 (General Writing) Engage students in activities prior to writing that help them generate and/or organize ideas for their papers.

8. Inquiry ES =.32 (General Writing) Engage students in inquiry activities that help them develop ideas and content that they use when writing.

9. Process Approach ES =.32 (General Writing) ▫Stress extended opportunities for writing, writing for real audiences, self-reflection, personalized instruction and goals, and cycles of planning, translating and reviewing ▫Teacher training key to significant positive effect (.46 vs..27)

10. Study of Models ES =.25 (General Writing) Have students study and emulate models of good writing.

11. Writing As A Tool for Learning ES =.23 (Content Learning) Have students use writing as a tool for learning content material.

Fool’s Gold -- Grammar ES = -.32 (NEGATIVE effect on writing) Explicit teaching of grammar ▫Parts of speech ▫Structure of sentences “The answer is not eliminating grammar but teaching it with relevance in the context of writing.” In the Right Direction: Approaches to Teaching Grammar and Language Usage

Grammar in Context Objectives determined by student data (observation, writing samples, etc.) Demonstration of concept Guided application in student writing Independent application in subsequent writing Assessment through continued collection of data

Reading/ Writing Activity Read the assigned text individually and summarize on index card – no more than 25 words. ▫Group 1 – p. 3-5 ▫Group 2 – p. 7-9 ▫Group 3 – p ▫Group 4 – p

Reading/ Writing Activity At table, each person reads individual summary aloud. Compare summaries. Write a new group summary of no more than 25 words. This summary will be shared with the whole group to let your peers know the information in your section. Copy summary onto chart paper to post in room.

Discussion of Reading/Writing Activity Which of the 11 elements were involved in the activity? How did individual responses deepen group members’ understanding?

Sentence Combining Helps students broaden their sentence sense. Introduces new patterns. Encourages true revision. Develops precision in language. Emphasizes language as communication. Provides a helpful reading strategy.

Sentence Combining -- Example The men were old. They were at a soup kitchen. The men were hungry. They were watching the plates. The food was steaming. The plates were being handed out. They were being handed over the counter. The old men were hungrily eyeing the plates of steaming food as they were handed out over the soup kitchen counter.

Sentence Combining Activity In your group, read the sentence kernels that you have been given. Each person should combine those kernels into 1-2 sentences.

Sentence Combining Activity At table, each person reads individual sentences. Compare sentences. Discuss differences in meaning and in style. Select one or more to read to the whole group.

Discussion of Sentence Combining Activity Which of the 11 elements were involved in the activity? How were sentences different within the group? How could this activity complement an instructional unit? How else can teachers use sentence combining in the classroom?

Freewrite Review your freewrite from the beginning of the session. Write about how your understanding about writing instruction has been affirmed and/or challenged?

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