Concept Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI) with Pre-service Teachers Christina M. Cassano Literacy, Counseling, & Learner Development

Overview of the Project In EDU 250A: Intro to Literacy and Language Development, students learn the foundations skills required to support reading development including: Early literacy/language skills Supporting comprehension Developing vocabulary knowledge

Reading instruction is “more than an the opportunity to read—it is the opportunity to learn something meaningful through text and related activities around text (i.e., discussion and also hands-on learning experiences)” ~ Cervetti, Jaynes, & Hiebert, 2012 Project Aim

The Problem… Background/content knowledge supports comprehension (Hailikari et al., 2008). Simply “activating” background knowledge privileges children who already have it and contributes to the “knowledge gap” (Cervetti et al., 2012; Neuman, 2006). There are few knowledge building opportunities in schools. 80% of teachers studied reported spending less than 1 hour/week to science instruction. 16% reported spending no time (Dorph et al., 2007). There is growing concern that teachers do not understand the science content that they are required to teach (Schickedanz & Collins, 2012).

CORI includes strategy modeling, scaffolding, and guided practice; however, it differs from more “traditional” approaches: interesting texts on a topic knowledge goals real world experiences autonomy support collaboration These components are designed to support motivation, engagement, and content learning as children Guthrie, Wigfield & Perencevich, 2004

Interesting Texts

Knowledge Goals The Capture (Literature): – What is truth? What is the difference between truth told and truth learned? – How far would you go for a friend? Would you put your own safety in jeopardy for the sake of a friend? Would a real friend put another at risk? – How have your own lives been affected by a sister or a brother? Informational Text (Science): – What specialized structures/systems do owls have to survive and thrive in different habitats? – What plans do we need to make to help us become “friends” of endangered species and the environment?

Real World Experiences Examining our misconceptions Barn owl web cam Dissecting virtual owl pellets Exploring web-quests

Autonomy Support & Collaboration Students LEARNED how content knowledge supported (or interfered) with their understanding of the text while simultaneously exploring how to TEACH children to comprehend text. They worked together to design instruction for children with an emphasis on what they would SAY to guide student learning as well as what they expected students to SAY, DO, or PRODUCE to demonstrate that learning had occurred.

Final Projects Developing, presenting, and evaluating final projects