1. Visible Learning for Literacy
Doug Fisher
Visible Learning for Literacy

2. Transfer
Deep
Surface

3. Transfer
Self-regulation to continue learning skills and content, applying knowledge to novel situations
Connections, relationships and schema to organize skills and concepts
Deep
Surface
Skill and Concept Development

4. What Works
When

5. Surface Learning is IMPORTANT

6. Ways to Facilitate Surface Learning
Leveraging prior knowledge (d=0.65)
Vocabulary techniques (sorts, word cards, etc.) (d=0.67)
Reading Comprehension Instruction (d=0.60)
Wide reading on the topic under study (d=0.42)
Summarizing (d=0.63)

7. Vocabulary Instruction

8. A starting point for selecting vocabulary
Types of Vocabulary
Tier 1/General
Commonplace; learned from interactions with texts and people
Tier 2/Specialized/General Academic
Change meaning with context (“polysemic”)
Tier 3/Technical/Domain-specific
Specific to the discipline
A starting point for selecting vocabulary

9. Questions for Selecting Vocabulary
Representative
Repeatability
Transportable
Contextual Analysis
Structural Analysis
Cognitive Load
Is it critical to understanding?
Will it be used again?
Is it needed for discussions or writing?
Can they use context to figure it out?
Can they use structure?
Have I exceeded the number they can learn?

10. Foster Collaboration through Vocabulary Steppingstones
Pairs arrange vocabulary in order as it is used in a film, demonstration, or lecture.
Retell using vocabulary to prompt recall of content.
Steppingstones are then used for written summary.

11. Sara’s Vocabulary Card in World History

12. Tino’s Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart in Physics

13. Alphabet Vocabulary Chart
C-D
E-F
G-H
I-J
K-L
M-N
O-P
Q-R
S-T
U-V-W
X-Y-Z

14. Alphabet Vocabulary Chart
C-D
crater
E-F
G-H
I-J
K-L
lava
M-N
magma
O-P
Q-R
S-T
U-V-W
volcano
X-Y-Z
Pre-assessment of prior vocabulary knowledge

15. Alphabet Vocabulary Chart
ash
C-D
crater
cinder cone
E-F
flow
G-H
I-J
K-L
lava
M-N
magma
magnitude
O-P
Q-R
Rim of Fire
S-T
shield volcano
tremor
U-V-W
volcano
vent
volcanologist
X-Y-Z
Mid-unit assessment

16. Alphabet Vocabulary Chart
ash
active
balsat
C-D
crater
cinder cone
caldera
E-F
flow
eruption
extrusion
G-H
geothermal
harmonic tremor
I-J
intrusion
K-L
lava
lahar
M-N
magma
magnitude
mantle
O-P
obsidian
pahoehoe
pillow lava
Q-R
Rim of Fire
S-T
shield volcano
tremor
U-V-W
volcano
vent
volcanologist
X-Y-Z
xenoliths
End-of-unit review

17. Surface
Skill and Concept Development

18. Deep Learning is Also Important

19. Ways to Facilitate Deep Learning
Concept mapping (d=0.60)
Class Discussion (d=0.82)
Questioning (d=0.48)
Metacognitive strategies (d=0.69)
Reciprocal teaching (d=0.74)

20. Deep learning approaches don’t work any better at developing surface learning than surface learning strategies work to develop deep understanding.

21. Simply assigning hard books
will not ensure that students
learn at high levels!

22. TEACH complex text
don’t just
ASSIGN complex text

23. 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

24. Creating a Close Reading
Use a short passage
Creating a Close Reading

25. Creating a Close Reading
Use a short passage
Re-reading
Creating a Close Reading

26. Facilitating Re-reading
Change the task
Read for flow. Read for annotation.
Ask a really good question
What is the author’s belief about war?
Press for evidence
Where did you find that?

27. Creating a Close Reading
Use a short passage
Re-reading
“Read with a pencil”
Creating a Close Reading

28. Foundational Annotation Skills
Underline the major points.
Circle keywords or phrases that are confusing or unknown to you.
Write margin notes restating the author’s ideas.

29. Annotation occurs with digital and print texts.

30. Student annotation in 6th grade
Student sample from Leigh McEwen, AEA 9, Iowa

31. Creating a Close Reading
Use a short passage
Re-reading
“Read with a pencil”
Text-dependent questions
Creating a Close Reading

32. Progression of Text-dependent Questions
Opinions/Arguments,
Intertextual Connections
Inferences
Author’s Craft and Purpose
Vocab & Text Structure
Key Details
General Understandings
What does the text mean?
Inferential
How does the text work?
Structural
What does the text say?
Literal

33. Order of the Day for June 6, 1944

34. Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!
Eisenhower’s Message to the Troops
June 6, 1944
Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!
You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory! I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.
 SIGNED: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Citation: D-day statement to soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force, 6/44, Collection DDE-EPRE: Eisenhower, Dwight D: Papers, Pre-Presidential, ; Dwight D. Eisenhower Library; National Archives and Records Administration.

35. What words and phrases does General Eisenhower use to inspire the troops on D-Day?

36. Ike’s message to the troops acknowledges the difficulty of the mission, but assures them that they will be triumphant. In what ways does he accomplish this? Eisenhower states that this invasion will “bring about the destruction of the German war machine… eliminate tyranny… and create security throughout the world.” What does that sentence reveal about him? How does the use of religious imagery contrast in the opening and closing?

37. Based on the text, what is General Eisenhower’s state of mind before the D-Day invasion?

38. Eisenhower’s “In Case of Failure” Letter
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”

39. Based on this second text, what is General Eisenhower’s state of mind before the D-Day invasion?

40. Compare the audiences for these two texts. For whom is each written?

41. Why is one word, Bravery, capitalized incorrectly?

42. Writing Task
How heavy is the burden of leadership for General Eisenhower in preparing for the D-day invasion? After reading the “Order of the Day for June 6, 1944” message to the troops, and the “In Case of Failure” memo he drafted on the same day, discuss the leadership of Gen. Eisenhower in the days before the invasion. Use examples from both texts to support your claims about the qualities of military leadership he exhibited.

43. The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Langston Hughes (1921)
This morning we experienced a close reading with an informational text, specifically a speech. Now we’ll turn our attention to a literary text: a poem by Langston Hughes.
Facilitator: Background Knowledge (do not share with participants). Langston Hughes wrote this poem at the age of 17, during a long train ride to visit his father in Mexico. He had just graduated from high school, and was inspired as he crossed the Mississippi River in the late afternoon. The setting sun was turning the muddy brown water into a golden hue, and he wrote the phrase “the Negro speaks of rivers.” Within an hour, he had completed his poem. When the poem was first published several years later, he dedicated it to W.E.B. DuBois.
Langston Hughes high school yearbook photograph, 1920

44. Initial Readings to get the flow, Read the text to yourself
then a second time to annotate.
Facilitator: Invite participants to read the text to themselves, then a second time to annotate, writing observations, questions, and other thoughts in the margin.

45. What does the text say? General Understanding
To what natural resource does the poet compare his people? What is your evidence?
Facilitator: The poem compares the Negro people to rivers across the world.

46. What rivers does he mention?
What does the text say? Key Details
Facilitator: this question doesn’t require a table discussion, as adults quickly arrive at this answer. You can use this as an example of a literal level question.
What rivers does he mention?

47. What does the text say? Key Details
Who is the “I” in the poem?
Facilitator: this question doesn’t require a table discussion, as adults quickly arrive at this answer. You can use this as an example of a literal level question.

48. What does water symbolize?
How does the text work? Vocabulary
What does water symbolize?
Facilitator: Water is used to symbolize life. Fresh water symbolizes good health, while muddy water symbolizes death or bad times. Rivers are often used to symbolize change and the passage of time.

49. How does the text work? Vocabulary
Why is the word “The” significant in the title? Why does it hold more significance than “A”?
Facilitator: The use of the word “THE” speaks of the whole of the people, not just an individual. Hughes is reminding us that African-Americans draw strength from their history and the span of their influence and presence across the world.

50. What words does Hughes use to convey a sense of eternity?
How does the text work? Vocabulary
Facilitator: deep, continuous, mysterious.
What words does Hughes use to convey a sense of eternity?

51. How does the text work? Author’s craft
In lines 2 and 3, Hughes compares rivers to human veins. How are these two visually similar? How are they symbolically similar?
Facilitator: Both rivers and veins have many branches that form a web or network, especially as they connect to other rivers or veins. Symbolically, both symbolize movement, and are necessary for life. If either a vein or a river stopped, death would soon occur. [PHOTO]: The Mississippi River delta, as imaged by Japan’s Advanced Land Observing Satellite.

52. Select some one in your group to read the speech aloud.
Add life! Let us feel it.
Use your voice and vary the speed.
Facilitator: Remind participants that this isa poem, and as a spoken word piece it needs to be heard aloud. Ask group members to select a reader to read the speech aloud to the table.

53. How does the text work? Structure
How much time passes in this poem? What words and phrases help you to determine this?
Facilitator: the time period extends from approximately 3000 BC to the late 19th century.

54. How does the text work? Structure
Facilitator: The places Hughes mentions go from Mesopotamia, to the Congo, to Egypt, to New Orleans. He follows a pattern of natural migration (Mesopotamia and the Congo), to forced migration through enslavement (Egypt and New Orleans.)
How does Hughes use geography to convey a message? What is the significance of the order of the places he chose?

55. What does the text mean? Inferences
Hughes describes the Mississippi River as a “muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.”
How does this line reveal the poet’s hopes for the future of his people?
Facilitator: Hughes is contemplating the African-American’s experiences from enslavement (muddy) to hard-fought freedoms (golden). While he realizes there is still much to be done (this was written in 1921, decades before civil rights legislation), he is hopeful that there are some signs of improvement. However, the river remains muddy below its golden surface, suggesting there is still much to be done.

56. What does the text mean? Inferences
The poem traces a historical arc from freedom to enslavement, then freedom again. What is Hughes saying about his people throughout history?
Facilitator: Hughes is tracing an arc of history to demonstrate their resilience, strength, and tenacity throughout the millennia. He is also tracing the rise and fall of other civilizations (the Egyptian empire, the Roman empire) to show that his people endure.

57. Writing From Sources
 What are the underlying themes of this poem? After reading and discussing Langston Hughes’s poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” write an analytic essay that describes the themes of survival and strength. Support your discussion with evidence from the text. What is the poet’s message?
Facilitator: Participants do not need to write; this is an example of a writing task.
Constructed using Task Template 12:

58. The right approach, at the right time, for the right type of learning.