Guiding Developmental Readers: Bridging Past Habits to New Practices through Reading Guides Sharon Green Ed.M. Niagara University NADE 2015 Greenville, SC

Niagara University ◦Private, four-year liberal arts institution ◦Most first-year students are traditional age CRL 101, “Critical Literacy” ◦3-credit humanities elective ◦Combined reading/writing course; limited time for direct reading instruction ◦Students are recommended for CRL 101 based on SAT/ACT scores, NYS English Language Assessment, & high school English grades.

Why do developmental students have a limited reading background? ◦They have a limited reading history. ◦They dislike reading. ◦They read cursorily “just to get it done.” ◦They haven’t developed a repertoire of reading strategies. ◦They haven’t been held accountable for assigned reading. ◦They seldom read for pleasure. ◦They may have a reading disability. ◦Jobs, sports, and extracurricular activities may limit their time to read. ◦They may lack motivation. ◦They may be lazy.

CRL 101: Student Learning Goals for Reading ◦Students will increase literal and analytical comprehension. ◦Students will increase their college-level vocabulary. ◦Students will recognize the importance of reading as learning.

Structure of CRL 101 ◦1-2 short articles per class ◦Some articles are challenging (Paulo Freire; David Brooks; Paul Krugman; James Loewen; Leonard Pitts) ◦Book Project (15%): Students read one full- length book (six choices; five nonfiction) ◦Three argument papers (10%, 15%, & 20%), using course articles ◦Weekly small-group Recitation, focusing on vocabulary and literal comprehension

In Fall 2014, I introduced Reading Guides ◦Based on a model in John C. Bean’s Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking and Active Learning in the Classroom (2011). ◦The Reading Guides accompany the first ten articles of the semester.

Strategies embedded in the Reading Guides ◦Previewing ◦Predicting ◦Noticing structure and organization of text ◦Locating main ideas ◦Annotating text ◦Asking questions ◦Increasing vocabulary ◦Allocating adequate time for reading ◦Eliminating distractions ◦Expanding background information

Integrating Reading Guides in CRL 101 ◦Students receive them in the previous class. ◦Students can use them as much or as little as they like. ◦I don’t collect them but in class I scan while circulating the room.

SAMPLE READING GUIDES (will be distributed during the presentation)

Assessing the Effectiveness of Reading Guides (Fall 2014) First Assessment (end of Week 2) ◦“Are you following the suggestions on the Reading Guides?” Yes: 88% No: 12% ◦“Did the Reading Guide for the first article (by John Chaffee) help you feel more prepared for Quiz #1?” Yes: 74%No: 26%

Second assessment (Week 5) ◦Have you been using the Reading Guides? ◦ Yes, all of them: 12 Yes: but just a few: 12 ◦ Yes, most of them: 14No: 2 ◦If you answered “Yes,” have the Reading Guides been helpful?  Yes: 23Not really: 1  Somewhat: 11 ◦If you answered “Yes,” do you answer the questions and fill in the definitions on the Reading Guides?  Yes, most of them: 16Yes, but just a few: 6  Yes, some of them: 11

◦Have you used any suggestions from the Reading Guide for readings in your other courses? Yes: 31 No: 9 ◦Should we continue to use Reading Guides in this class? Yes: 32/40 (80%)

Adapting Reading Guides to other texts ◦Textbooks chapters ◦Journal articles ◦Literature

Future plans ◦Prepare more Reading Guides ◦Indicate on syllabus which articles have an accompanying Reading Guide ◦Collect occasionally

Sharon Green Niagara University