By: Valerie Toplovich 2010 PennLake NWP Fellow VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

Today’s Student is…. -ZVCjfWf8 I believe……… that today’s student needs a balance between traditional and modern modalities of instruction and products to demonstrate knowledge gained and proficiency. VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

The Literature Circle Traditional - View Modern View - Students self-select a novel from a group of pre-selected texts provided by the teacher. Each student has a role in the function of the literature circle. The roles are not equal in terms of workload. Students self-select a novel from a group of pre-selected texts provided by the teacher. The students work together to establish a reading plan and either read independently or in small group. Each student performs the same role of the literature circle. VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

Mrs. T’s BookClub-25 VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

My stuck place…. How do I get my students to construct inferential (open-ended) questions in their self-directed literature circles? Their questions tend for focus on the literal. So why does it matter? VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

It Matter’s because Questioning is a widespread contemporary teaching technique and assessment tool and is second only to the lecturing technique. There is a direct correlation between questioning techniques and student achievement. Oral questions posed during classroom recitations are more effective in fostering learning than are written questions. Creates an environment of on-task behavior. Increases the number of relevant contributions volunteered. VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

It Matters because Increases the number of student-to-student interactions. Increases student use of complete sentences as well as the quality and quantity of words to complete the thought. Note: These results are based on the higher ability intermediate students, middle, and secondary levels. Students in the primary grades as well as students that learn at a slower rate must be explicitly taught how to draw inferences and provide them with practice doing so. Kathleen Cotton. “Classroom Questioning.”North West Regional Educational Laboratory. Used with permission VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

Instructional Phase: Types of Questions – Defined  Literal: Factual questions are those where the answer was presented in the written material and they are usually pretty easy/obvious.  Often involve a single answer.  Begin with: what, where, who, when  Inferential: Interpretive questions are those where you ask the reader to think about ideas not actually said in the written material.  There is not always one right answer.  Begin with: why, evaluate, compare, develop, examine VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

Types of Questions Examples: Literal 1. What did she have in her hand? 2. Where did she go? 3. Is she happy about this? 4. Where does the story take place? Inferential 1. What made her decide to leave? 2. Explain what you see happening here. 3. How is she taking the new information? 4. Compare he personality prior to the incident. VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

Guided Practice Phase: Types of Questions: Analyze the following question examples and determine which questions can be classified as literal and which questions can be classified as inferential. Be sure to provide an explanation for analysis (look for key words). 1. What was the name of the protagonist in Toy Story? 2. Identify three character traits the protagonist may possess. 3. What did Buzz do when he first met Woody and the gang? 4. Why do you suppose Buzz so upset when he finally realized he was a toy? VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

Guided Practice Phase: Read the following passage. Identify which of the questions are literal and which questions are inferential: Every Saturday morning on Ballyhoo Beach, Mira Bella, the artist, had classes to teach. She taught etching and sketching to grannies and kids, and undersea sculpture to swordfish and squids. All the beach was abuzz with fantastic creations. Mira Bella was planning a special art fair. But the last day of May dawned chilly and gray. Chilly winds whipped the waters of Ballyhoo Bay. 1. What is the main character’s name? 2. The grannies and kids learned to do what? 3. Why might the last day in May be chilly and gray? 4. Describe the material you think the swordfish and squids are using to make there art. VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

Application Phase: (small group) Read the short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe. Once your group has completed the reading compose two literal questions (answers can be found in the text) and two inferential questions (answers are not explicitly stated and may not be the same). VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

Academic Language Connection Academic language is the language used in textbooks, in classrooms, and on tests. It is different in structure and vocabulary from the everyday spoken English of social interactions. Words like evaluation, theory, hypothesis, assumption, capacity, validate. Low academic language skills have been shown to be associated with low academic performance in a variety of educational settings. The main barrier to student comprehension of texts and lectures is low academic vocabulary knowledge. Academic vocabulary is sub-technical vocabulary. In other words, it is not the technical vocabulary of a particular academic discipline it is used across all academic disciplines to teach about the content of the discipline. These words need to be taught explicitly and be utilized in the daily life of a student across the curriculum. These are the types of words that students will begin to utilize in their inferential questioning as they are words that lend themselves to the hierarchy of blooms taxonomy. VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

PDE Standards Addressed 1.1 Learning to Read Independently 1.2 Reading Critically in the Content Areas 1.3 Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Literature 1.4 Quality of Writing 1.6 Speaking and Listening VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow

“Questions are as good as the responses provided and vice versa so it is better to sharpen our questioning skills. Our level of thinking is not so much sharpened when the questions asked are more on factual recall or stock knowledge. We get to hone our cognitive aspect through higher level questions that require more than basic knowledge-level responses. “ Resource: Parting Thought VToplovich PennLake NWP Fellow