1. Literacy for Students with Significant Disabilities Thanks to: Karen Erickson, Ph.D. & Penny Hatch, Ph.D. Center for Literacy & Disability Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill David Koppenhaver, Ph.D. Appalachian State University

2. Guiding Principles All students can learn regardless of the complexity of their needs Literacy is an important, functional life skill for all students Comprehensive Instruction is required if all students are going to learn

3. Comprehensive Instruction The components of comprehensive instruction are: –Reading Comprehension –Word Study (Phonics + Word Recognition) –Self-Selected Reading –Writing

4. Reading Comprehension Instruction Includes: Teaching vocabulary Activate and/or teaching background knowledge Repeated readings of the same text for multiple purposes

5. Background Knowledge Sometimes you have to teach students some background information before you read a book Most of the time, your goal is help them activate knowledge they already have to use while reading. Focus on recalling existing knowledge of the topic What do you already know about … ? What do you think is going to happen? Emphasize the thinking skills that will be required How do you decide if two things are the same or different?

6. Reading Comprehension Instruction Use a Before > During > After format –Before Build or activate background knowledge Set a clear purpose –During Read while actively thinking about purpose –After Complete task directly related to the purpose Provide feedback and return to the text

7. Sample Reading Comprehension Lesson

8. A Fairy Tale by Reed A. Booke Photo by Atelier Tee http://www.flickr.com/photos/atelier_tee/129881298/

9. Before Reading Activate Background Knowledge –Look at the first few pages of the story –Use the pictures to think about the story and what you think it will be about

10. Once upon a time. Photo by Atelier Tee http://www.flickr.com/photos/atelier_tee/129881298/

11. A prince. Photo by Creativity + Timothy K. Hamilton http://www.flickr.com/photos/bestrated1/148095169/

12. Before Reading (cont.) Now, make a prediction about what is going to happen based on the pictures and your thinking.

13. Purpose Read to see how well your prediction(s) match what happens in the story.

14. Slide 32 A Fairy Tale by Reed A. Booke Photo by Atelier Tee http://www.flickr.com/photos/atelier_tee/129881298/ Slide 32

15. Once upon a time. Photo by Atelier Tee http://www.flickr.com/photos/atelier_tee/129881298/

16. A prince. Photo by Creativity + Timothy K. Hamilton http://www.flickr.com/photos/bestrated1/148095169/

17. A castle. Photo by SantiMB, http://www.flickr.com/photos/smb_flickr/362975621/

18. A princess. Photo by Face It, http://www.flickr.com/photos/face_it/2543123378/

19. An ogre. Photo by My Sister a Barista, http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulstringer/280792489/

20. Let’s check your predictions. Do you want to delete any predictions? Do you want to change a prediction? Do you want to make a new prediction?

21. A dungeon. Photo by Pensiero, http://www.flickr.com/photos/pensiero/1530494695/

22. A rescue. Photo by Joits, http://www.flickr.com/photos/joits/501802546/

23. Happily ever after. Photo by Batega, http://www.flickr.com/photos/batega/1865482908/

24. How did your predictions match the text? How did your predictions change as you listened?

25. 3 Characteristics of Good Purposes: “Read so that you can…” Requires processing of entire text, at least initially. –Yes: …tell in 10 words or less what this story is about. –No: …tell where the hero lived. Requires search for main ideas –Yes: …tell how you think the story will end. –No: …tell which words on page 7 have a short /i/ sound Helps the read focus attention –Yes: …tell which of these adjectives describe the boy and which describe the girl in the story. –No: …answer the questions at the end of the chapter.

26. Purposes of Reading Developing readers have not learned to set their own purposes for reading If a purpose is not set, the implied purpose is: –Read this to remember everything –Read this to guess what I am going to ask you Purpose should be broad enough to motivate processing of entire text: –Yes: Read to make up a new title for this story –No: Read to tell me where the story takes place

27. 8 Thinking Strategies: Framework for Generating Reading Purposes Composing Organizing Imaging Predicting Self-monitoring Summarizing Applying Evaluating

28. Two Guided Reading Purposes Connecting Finding relationships between what you already know and your new experiences Sample reading lesson purposes/structures –KWL –Tell how your life is like the spider’s Organizing Putting order on experience –Categorizing –Sequencing –Prioritizing Sample lesson plans –Sequence pictures of weather and spider’s activities in order they occur in poem

29. The Itsy Bitsy Eensie Weensie Spider Text The eensie weensie spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. And the eensie weensie spider climbed up the spout again. The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. And the itsy bitsy spide crawled up the spout again.

30. Read so that you can… Connecting Tell how spider’s climb The impact of rain on this spider To explain what happened to the water/rain Tell about a time you were caught in the rain like the spider List 3 adjectives that describe you and the spider Organizing Categorize which direction the spider went based on the weather Tell the weather in the beginning, middle and end of poem Retell the most important things that happened Identify the happy/sad events Sequence X number of events

31. The Plan Brief overview of the remaining strategies Break into groups and brain storm some possible lesson ideas for your assigned reading purpose

32. Two More Purposes Imaging Using one or more of your senses to understand text Sample lessons –Read to draw a picture of where something took place –Read to explain how you think the spider feels Predicting Educated guessing at nature of experience not yet engaged in –Draw on prior knowledge to do so effectively Sample lessons –Look at these pictures and…predict what is going to happen

33. More Purposes Self-monitoring Self-checking reading in order to: –Clarify confusion –Find something forgotten –Firm up understanding Sample reading structures –Say anything about ____ –Reciprocal Teaching Summarizer, Predictor, Questioner, Clarifier Summarizing Determining –The essence of experience –Lessons to be learned Sample lessons –Read to tell in 10 words or less what this story is all about

34. Other Purposes Apply Adapting what you have learned to another real situation Sample lessons –Read (to the bottom of page 30) in order to write an ending for the story –Read to make up a recipe for something that the main character would love to eat Evaluate Evaluating –Judging experience Sample lessons –Read in order to decide which character is most like you. Provide 3 important similarities. –Compare and contrast ______ with _____. Which do you believe is a better story and why?

35. The Itsy Bitsy Eensie Weensie Spider Text The eensie weensie spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. And the eensie weensie spider climbed up the spout again. The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. And the itsy bitsy spide crawled up the spout again.

36. Read so that you can… Imaging Act out what happened to the spider Take these materials and show what happened to the spider Tell me what the spider heard under water Draw a picture of what the spider looks like after climbing Compare spider’s journey to a water slide Predicting Read some amount of text and then predict what will happen in the rest Decide on a good title Tell what will happen when the spider reaches the top Predict how the spider feels during this experience

37. Read so that you can… Self-monitoringSummarizing Write letter to a friend from the spider’s perspective Journal entry So that you write the spider’s inner dialogue Draw a picture of what the spider accomplishes

38. Read so that you can… Apply So you could talk about other animals that might do what the spider did and what would happen if they did So you can write a different ending How rain affects habitat Apply what you learned about how you might behave in bad weather Evaluate Do thumbs up/down for like/not and report why Compare contrast Tortoise and Hare/Row, Row To evaluate whether the spider made foolish decision or not Describe your least favorite part

39. Activity Choose a book Use the Guided Reading lesson organizer and make a weekly plan for that book Present

40. Make and Take Activity Literacy Cube