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Reading In-Depth 3-6

Thursday 17 February 2011

North Ryde Golf Club

What are you hoping to achieve today?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where are we headed?

-An enhanced knowledge of current research and direction in the teaching of reading.

-An exploration of the skills and strategies that students require in order to be effective readers (with a focus on improvement in vocabulary knowledge and text fluency).

-Discussion of teaching strategies designed to improve students’ ability to comprehend texts.

-A review of our students’ needs.

Our Great Big Goal:

-Planning for and delivering programs that further improve our students’ reading outcomes.

What is Comprehension? A Shared Definition:

Partner Definition:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Group Definition: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Comprehension – What is the Research Telling Us?

Comprehension involves responding to, interpreting, analysing and evaluating texts.(NSW Department of Education and Training Literacy Continuum)

Research consistently points to the direct relationship between comprehension instruction and success in learning.(NSW Department of Education and Training, An introduction to quality literacy teaching 2009)

In spite of research support for comprehension instruction, large scale studies of classroom practices have indicated that, on the whole, teachers devote very little time to it (Durkin, 1978-79; Pressley, 1998; Taylor et al., 2000)

The goal of reading is for readers to transact with text in order to comprehend.(Rosenblatt 1978)

Transaction implies that a reader’s personal experiences shape his or her understanding of narrative and expository text, indicating that response is personal and may vary.(Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

Reading can be defined as a thinking process. Suggesting that reading is about cognition indicates that the focus of instruction should not be on the print, but rather on how readers connect with the print.(Smith 1997)

Good learners use a variety of comprehension strategies simultaneously. They know how to deliberately apply specific strategies to aid their comprehension, particularly with regard to challenging texts.(Pressley 2002)

Comprehension is an active process between the reader and a text, a process that is both ‘intentional and thoughtful.’ (The National Reading Panel 2000)

It has been found that less-able ‘comprehenders’ usually focus more on word accuracy rather than comprehension monitoring and generally have weak metacognition skills (Cain and Oakhill, 1999; Nation et al., 2005)

Students with poor comprehension generally are poor at making inferences and integrating information. (Nation et al, 2005) They tend to read superficially, are less likely to participate in constructive processes and are unsure of when to apply their prior knowledge during reading. (Cain and Oakhill, 1999)

Research has shown that there are sources of comprehension problems that are independent of decoding. (Williams, 2005) Researchers have also identified students who can not comprehend text effectively in spite of successful decoding. (Caccamise &Snyder, 2005; Duke and Pressley &Hilden 2004)

Providing students with explicit instruction in comprehension strategies can be an effective way of helping them overcome difficulties in understanding texts.(Grahame &Bellert, 2004)

The more explicit the comprehension strategy and self-regulatory instruction, the higher the likelihood that the learner will make significant gains in comprehension. (Manset-Williamson & Nelson, 2005)

As learners become more competent and confident of their comprehension, the less support they require from the teacher .(Duke and Pearson 2002).

2 What is the research telling us?

Discuss.

Comprehension – Teaching and Learning

What are the skills and strategies that my students need in order to comprehend text?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How do I currently teach these comprehension skills and strategies in my classroom?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Just as the director and designer create a stage setting that helps the audience understand and connect to a dramatic performance, teachers must create the environments in which students are challenged to read a wide range of texts deeply and thoughtfully. With the goal of deep thinking, teachers in this kind of learning environment invite responses and reactions, and stretch students’ thinking to levels of reflection they might not reach on their own.When the stage is set for deep comprehension and engagement, there is a sense of commitment and energy that drives learners to explore, wonder and understand with greater depth.

This elevated sense of engagement is supported by three distinct levels of responses that include efferent, aesthetic and critical/ analytical responses.

(Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

Levels of Response:

Efferent:

The information (facts) readers extract from the text

Aesthetic:

Expressive responses that invite learners to share their thinking

Critical / Analytical:

Readers interrogate the text, the author, the issue and the purpose

(Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

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Comprehension – Teaching and Learning Continued

In setting the stage for comprehension, teachers explicitly model how good readers reach into a text, cracking open the thinking process of an expert reader in a way that students can replicate. (Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

Teachers explicitly demonstrate strategies and tools readers use to record their thinking, exposing their thinking and their written responses in a highly visual way that students can follow as a model for their own thinking and writing. (Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

It is vital that, “Teachers support their students’ strategic reading through lessons that attend explicitly to how to think while reading”. (Hiebert, Pearson, Taylor, Richardson, and Paris 1998)

Comprehension – Cognition and Metacognition

Comprehension strategies are the cognitive and metacognitive strategies readers use to accomplish the goal of comprehension.

Comprehension strategies are interrelated and rarely used in isolation.

Cognitive strategies are mental processes involved in achieving something. (For example, making a cake)

Metacognitive strategies are the mental processes that help us to think about and check how we are going in completing the task. ‘Is there something that I have left out?’

Cognitive and metacognitive processes may overlap depending on the purpose / goal. For example, as the cognitive strategies involved in making a cake proceed (following the steps in order), the metacognitive strategies assess and monitor the progress (to check that a step has not been missed).

Cognitive strategies, such as predicting, assist in understanding what is being read.

Metacognitive strategies allow individuals to monitor and assess their ongoing performance in understanding what is being read. (For Example, as a text is being read the reader might think: I don’t understand this. I might need to re-read this part.)(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)

COMPREHENSION : THE SUPER SIX STRATEGIES INTRODUCTION (PUZZLE)

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Comprehension – The ‘SUPER SIX’ Strategies

There are six ‘super’ cognitive and metacognitive strategies and a variety of teaching strategies that can be implemented within your classroom that will allow students to work towards mastering these strategies and

becoming ‘super comprehenders’.

Learners make personal connections from the text with:

-something in their own life (text to self)

-another text (text to text)

-something occurring in the world (text to world)

Example Questions / Statements:

-This story reminds me of...

-This character has the same problem as a character that I read / saw / heard about in another text.

-I saw a program on television that presented things described in this text.

-Does this remind me /you of something?

-Has something like this ever happened to me / you?

Sample Teaching Ideas:

1. Book and Me:

Students create two columns with the headings ‘Book’ and ‘Me’. Prior to and during reading, students add details about the connections between the book and their lives. (NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)

2. The Character and Me:

Invite students to select a character from a story and then compare the character to themselves. In what ways are they alike or different? Do they have similar interests or ways of doing things? If the student had the character’s role in the story, would he or she have made different choices? A Venn diagram works well for this activity. (Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

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The Character and Me – Making Connections

Name of Character: ______________________________________________________________

Name of Book: ______________________________________________________________

Name of Reader: ______________________________________________________________

Describe the character

(In three words):

1.____________________________

2.____________________________

3.____________________________

Describe yourself:

(In three words):

1.____________________________

2.____________________________

3.____________________________

Image of the Character Image of the Student

Continue your description of the character:

Continue your description of yourself:

In what ways are

you and the character

alike?

6 Adapted From Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009

Charlotte's Web: Chapter One

Read the first chapter of Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White.

Then reflect upon the activity ‘The Character and Me’. (You could choose to complete this activity in relation to any character within the chapter.)

Before Breakfast

"Where's Papa going with that axe?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.

"Out to the hog house," replied Mrs. Arable. "Some pigs were born last night."

"I don't see why he needs an axe," continued Fern, who was only eight. "Well," said her mother, "one of the pigs is a runt. It's very small and weak, and it will never amount to anything. So your father has decided to do away with it."

"Do away with it?" shrieked Fern. "You mean kill it? Just because it's smaller than the others?"

Mrs. Arable put a pitcher of cream on the table. "Don't yell, Fern!" she said. "Your father is right. The pig would probably die anyway."

Fern pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors. The grass was wet and the earth smelled of springtime. Fern's sneakers were sopping by the time she caught up with her father.

"Please don't kill it!" she sobbed. "It's unfair."

Mr. Arable stopped walking.

"Fern," he said gently, "you will have to learn to control yourself."

"Control myself?" yelled Fern. "This is a matter of life and death, and you talk about controlling myself." Tears ran down her cheeks and she took hold of the axe and tried to pull it out of her father's hand.

"Fern," said Mr. Arable, "I know more about raising a litter of pigs than you do. A weakling makes trouble. Now run along!"

"But it's unfair," cried Fern. "The pig couldn't help being born small, could it? If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?"

Mr. Arable smiled. "Certainly not," he said, looking down at his daughter with love. "But this is different. A little girl is one thing, a little runty pig is another."

"I see no difference," replied Fern, still hanging on to the axe. "This is the most terrible case of injustice I ever heard of."

A queer look came over John Arable's face. He seemed almost ready to cry himself.

"All right," he said. "You go back to the house and I will bring the runt when I come in. I'll let you start it on a bottle, like a baby. Then you'll see what trouble a pig can be."

When Mr. Arable returned to the house half an hour later, he carried a carton under his arm. Fern was upstairs changing her sneakers. The kitchen table was set for breakfast, and the room smelled of coffee, bacon, damp plaster, and wood smoke from the stove.

"Put it on her chair!" said Mrs. Arable. Mr. Arable set the carton down at Fern's place. Then he walked to the sink and washed his hands and dried them on the roller towel.

Fern came slowly down the stairs. Her eyes were red from crying. As she approached her chair, the carton wobbled, and there was a scratching noise. Fern looked at her father. Then she lifted the lid of the carton. There, inside, looking up at her, was the newborn pig. It was a white one. The morning light shone through its ears, turning them pink.

"He's yours," said Mr. Arable. "Saved from an untimely death. And may the good Lord forgive me for this foolishness." 7

Fern couldn't take her eyes off the tiny pig. "Oh," she whispered. "Oh, look at him! He's absolutely perfect."

She closed the carton carefully. First she kissed her father, then she kissed her mother. Then she opened the lid again, lifted the pig out, and held it against her cheek. At this moment her brother Avery came into the room. Avery was ten. He was heavily armed -- an air rifle in one hand, a wooden dagger in the other.

"What's that?" he demanded. "What's Fern got?"

"She's got a guest for breakfast," said Mrs. Arable. "Wash your hands and face, Avery."

"Let's see it!" said Avery, setting his gun down. "You call that miserable thing a pig? That's a fine specimen of a pig -- it's no bigger than a white rat."

"Wash up and eat your breakfast, Avery!" said his mother. "The school bus will be along in half an hour."

"Can I have a pig, too, Pop?" asked Avery.

"No, I only distribute pigs to early risers," said Mr. Arable. "Fern was up at daylight, trying to rid the world of injustice. As a result, she now has a pig. A small one, to be sure, but nevertheless a pig. It just shows what can happen if a person gets out of bed promptly. Let's eat!"

But Fern couldn't eat until her pig had had a drink of milk. Mrs. Arable found a baby's nursing bottle and a rubber nipple. She poured warm milk into the bottle, fitted the nipple over the top, and handed it to Fern. "Give him his breakfast!" she said.

A minute later, Fern was seated on the floor in the corner of the kitchen with her infant between her knees, teaching it to suck from the bottle. The pig, although tiny, had a good appetite and caught on quickly.

The school bus honked from the road.

"Run!" commanded Mrs. Arable, taking the pig from Fern and slipping a doughnut into her hand. Avery grabbed his gun and another doughnut.

The children ran out to the road and climbed into the bus. Fern took no notice of the others in the bus. She just sat and stared out of the window, thinking what a blissful world it was and how lucky she was to have entire charge of a pig. By the time the bus reached school, Fern had named her pet, selecting the most beautiful name she could think of.

"It's name is Wilbur," she whispered to herself.

She was still thinking about the pig when the teacher said: "Fern, what is the capital of Pennsylvania?"

"Wilbur," said Fern, dreamily. The pupils giggled. Fern blushed.

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3. Coding the Text:

Using a read-aloud and thinking aloud, model for the students, examples of making connections. These may include text-self, text-text, or text-world connections. While reading aloud, demonstrate how to code a section of the text that elicits a connection by using a sticky note, a code (T-S = text-self, T-T = text, text, T-W = text-world), and a few words to describe the connection. Have the students work in small groups to read a short text and code the text. Have them share their ideas with the class. Encourage students to code the text using sticky notes to record their ideas and use these as the basis of small and large group discussions. (Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

4. Connection Stems: After reading a text aloud, show students a sentence stem and think aloud about the process you use for completing it. Use text support and personal experiences to explain the connection. Read another text aloud and guide the students to complete the stem orally with a partner. Have students read a short text and work together to complete a stem. Share the completed stem through discussion or journal responses.(Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

Connection Stems:

-That reminds me of... -I remember when... -I have a connection...

-An experience I have had like that...

-I felt like that character when... -If I were that character, I would...

(Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

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Learners use information from graphics, text and experiences to anticipate what will be read / viewed / heard and to actively adjust comprehension while reading / viewing / listening.


-What do I / you think will happen next?

-What words / images do I / you expect to see or hear in this text?

-What might happen next? Why do I / you think that? What helped me / you make that prediction?

-Were my / your predictions accurate? How did I / you confirm my / your predictions?

-Have I / you read / seen / heard about this topic anywhere else?


1. Before and After Chart:

Students list predictions before and during reading. As they read, students either confirm or reject their predictions.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)

2. Anticipation / Reaction Guide: Select a text for the students to read. Create three to five general statements for the students to respond to with agree or disagree. Create statements that are intuitively sound but may be disconfirmed by reading the text or appear intuitively incorrect but may be proven true by reading the text. Have the students indicate agreement or disagreement. Have students read the text to confirm or disconfirm their original responses.(Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

3. Partner Read and Think: Partner read and think is based on the research that so effectively supports reciprocal teaching, but it requires fewer social skills as it is completed by partners instead of teams of four. The process engages partners in applying six distinct steps to each segment of text that is read. The combination of steps helps students engage at several levels of comprehension and encourages language use as partners navigate a selection. Partner Read and Think guides partner pairs in: a) Placing a stop sign b) Predicting words they think are likely to appear c) Reading the section

d) Identifying words they find confusing or interesting e) Summarising the learning. (Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

4. Predict – O – Gram: (Prediction Map)Select vocabulary from the story to stimulate predictions. Vocabulary should represent the story elements: characters, setting, problem, action and solution. Have students decide which story element the word tells about and write each word on the Predict-O-Gram in the appropriate place. Have students read the story. Revisit the original predictions with students and make changes as necessary. Use the resulting information to summarise or retell the story. (Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

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I Wonder...

HILARIOUS!

I learned that...

PREDICTION MAP Name: ___________

Adapted From Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009

Adapted From: Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009

Vocabulary Words

Characters Setting

Problem Action Solution

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Learners pose and answer questions that clarify meaning and promote deeper understanding of the text. Questions can be generated by the learner, a peer or the teacher.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)


-What in the text helped me / you know that?

-How is this text making me / you feel? Why is that?

-When you read / viewed / listened to the text, did it remind me / you of anything I / you know about? Why did it remind me / you of that?

-What did the composer of the text mean by...?

-Whose point of view is this? What points of view are missing?(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)


1. Wonderings: Using sticky notes, students list all the questions they have about the text. As they read, students continue to write questions. When an answer is found for the ‘wondering’ students remove the sticky note. Modelling the creation of surface vs. Deep questions sets the stage for improved comprehension.(Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

2. Stimulating Discussion through Questions: When students learn to ask questions of themselves and their conversation partners, they remember more and become more fully engaged with the text selection. The personal questions readers generate about a text stimulate connections, represent inferences, activate prior knowledge, and help them to clarify understanding. As you guide students in generating questions, remember to assist them in generating questions and responses that are aesthetic, efferent and critical / analytical. These levels of questioning support broad ranges of understanding, stimulate language use, and are powerful supports to partner conversations.(Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

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Wonderings Name: ______________________

STEP ONE:

Preview a text.Read titles, subheadings and the table of contents. Look at the pictures or illustrations.Read The First Paragraph.

STEP TWO:

Think of an “I wonder” question. Write it down.

I wonder __________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

STEP THREE:

Read the text to answer the question.Write the answer when you find it._________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

STEP FOUR:

Ask yourself another “I wonder” question.Read the next section to find the answer.I wonder __________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

STEP FIVE:

Continue to read small segments – be sure to ask yourself a question before each section.

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STEP SIX:

Write the most important ideas that you learned from reading the text:

_________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________


Types of QuestionsEfferent:

Unpacking the Facts of the Text...

Who, What, When, Where?

In what order?

Which character was central to the Story?

Describe the climax.

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From which point of view is this selection of the text written?

If we were to identify the most important ideas, what would they be?

Compare the events in this story with the events in _______.


Types of QuestionsAesthetic:Expressive

Responses That Encourage Learners

to Share Their Feelings...

What was your favourite part? Why?

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Which character did you fins most intriguing? Why?

If you were the author, which part of the story would bring you the most pride?

Are there any parts of this text that you would change?

At which points were you best able to visualise or ‘see’ the action?

What did the author do that helped you connect to this part of the text?


Types of QuestionsCritical / Analytical:

Students Interrogate the Text, the Author, the Issue and the

Purpose...

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What important issues were addressed in this text?

Why are these issues important?

What does the author want you to believe or understand?

What is the author’s point of view?

How might we check if what has been written is correct?

If we were to evaluate this text, what criteria might we consider?


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Learners stop and think about the text and know what to do when meaning is disrupted.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)


-Is this making sense?

-What have I / you learned?

-Should I / you slow down? Speed up?

-Do I need to re-read / view / listen?

-What can help me / you fill in missing information?

-What does this word mean?

-What can I use to help me understand what I’m / you’re reading?(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)


1. Coding: As they read, students code the text with sticky notes. A tick could represent, ‘I Understand’. A question mark could indicate, ‘I don’t understand’ and an exclamation mark could show that the student has either solved a problem that they encountered or that they have come across something that they deem to be astounding.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)

2. Patterned Partner Reading: Students work in pairs and select a text to read. Before reading, students choose a pattern to use as they engage in reading:Read – Pause – Ask Questions Predict – Read – Discuss Read, Pause, Retell(Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

3. Read, Cover, Remember, Retell: This strategy is designed to help readers slow down and read for meaning. They begin by reading a fairly small amount of text, then covering the print with their hand. While their hands are over the page, readers take a moment to wonder:

“What did I learn?” “What is important?” “What key words and ideas should I remember?”

Students quickly learn that if they are unsure and need to recheck the content, they follow the strategy used by good readers and reread the section to give themselves another chance to absorb the content. This pause in reading, followed by self-questioning, generates a mid-stream retell and solidifies content understanding. The deliberate steps form a routine in which pausing, thinking, self questioning, and summarising become naturally integrated into reading. Patterned Partner Reading provides a structure for reading interactively with another and promotes strategic reading.(Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

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ONLY AS MUCH AS YOUR HAND CAN COVER

THE WORDS WITH YOUR HAND

WHAT YOU HAVE READ IT IS OK TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK!

WHAT YOU JUST READ INSIDE YOUR HEAD OR TO A PARTNER.

Follow the Read, Cover, Remember, Retell strategy using one of the following texts:

Reading Texts(NSW Department of Education and Training)

Reading texts involves recognising words automatically, reading in a phrased and fluent way and navigating texts to create meaning.

(NSW Department of Education and Training Literacy Continuum)

Defining Fluent Reading:

In its broadest sense, Rasinki (2006) claims that fluency is a reader’s mastery over the surface level of texts read – the ability to accurately and effortlessly decode written words and then give meaning to those words through appropriate phrasing and oral expression of the words. The literacy dictionary: The vocabulary of reading and writing defines fluency as “freedom from word identification problems that might hinder comprehension” (Harris &Hodges, 1995). According to Pikulski & Chard (2005) fluency is manifested in accurate, rapid, expressive oral reading and is applied during, and makes possible, silent reading comprehension.The National Reading Panel (2000) defined reading fluency as “the ability to read text quickly, accurately, and with proper expression” (NICHD, 2000, pp3-5). Reading research concludes that fluency is essential to children’s overall reading development (Chard, Vaughn, &Tyler, 2002; Kuhn & Stahl, 2000; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000; Rasinski & Hoffman, 2003).

Reading fluency is often used to distinguish good readers from poor. Pikulski & Chard explain that readers who achieve some fluency are likely to read more extensively than readers who lack fluency because the latter find reading difficult. He claims that poor readers, who lack fluency skills, read in a laboured, disconnected fashion, with a focus on decoding at the word level that limits comprehension. Stanovich (1991) goes further to claim that differences in reading fluency not only distinguish good readers from poor, but a lack of reading fluency is also a reliable predictor of reading comprehension problems. Other research highlights this strong correlation between reading fluency and comprehension (Dowhower; 1987; Shinn et al., 1992; Tan and Nicholson, 1997). However, Stecker, Roser and Martinez (1998) in their review of fluency research point out that “The issue of whether fluency is an outgrowth (of) or a contributor to comprehension is unresolved. There is empirical evidence to support both positions” (p.300). They conclude, “Fluency has been shown to have a ‘reciprocal relationship’ with comprehension with each fostering the other” (p.306).

According to Samuels (1979) and Adams (1990), fluent reading allows the reader to attend to the meaning of text rather than to the mechanics of reading. It is apparent that students who process written text fluently, with an appropriated rate, accuracy and expression make reading sound like language (Stahl &Kuhn, 2002).


Hasbrouck & Tindal (2006) state that “When readers read fluently, their focus is less on decoding and more on making sense of what they read.” Fluency implies that readers’ decoding skills are so automatic that they focus on the meaning of the passage. When readers read with fluency, their oral interpretation of the text through parody – rhythm, intonation, stress, meter, patterns of sounds – could be seen as evidence that they are constructing meaning while they read. The reader who is hesitant, stops and starts, does so at the expense of meaning.(NSW Department of Education and Training: Materials developed and compiled as part of the Focus on Reading 3-6 Program 2010)

Common compensations and causes of confusion

The following are the most frequently used compensations, which are described and ranked by how disruptive they are to reading. The compensations that appear at the end of the list take longer to perform. As a general rule, readers will use the least disruptive compensations first. If they fail to prevent or resolve confusion, later ones serve as back-ups.

1. Slow reading rate.

As readers become more skilled, their control over reading rate increases (Barker & Brown, 1984; Chall, 1996). Moreover, readers become more aware of cues to text difficulty, signalling the need to read slowly (Kucan &Beck, 1977). Slowing reading helps to prevent many confusions by allowing inefficient readers to read text at a pace that their skills can handle, whereas faster reading might overwhelm skills (Baker &Brown; Chall; Walczyk, Wei, Griffith-Ross, Goubert, Cooper & Zha, 2006).

2. Pause.

Less skilled readers pause longer and more often than do skilled readers (Haviland & Clark, 1974; Perfetti, 1985, 1999; Walczyk, Marsiglia, Bryan & Naquin, 2001; Walczyk et al., 2004). A pause is a compensatory if it is an uncommonly long delay during reading that allows an inefficient reading subcomponent (e.g., reading a word by sight) sufficient time to succeed. When slowing reading does not allow enough time, pausing may be its back-up. Furthermore, when the source of confusion is unclear, pausing can occur as readers try to understand its nature and select other compensations for resolving it (Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995; Walczyk et al., 2006).

3. Look back.

Looking back occurs when readers briefly glance to text previously read. Walczyk et al. (2001) defined it as the reprocessing of three words or less, which is slightly more disruptive of word reading than slowing reading rate or pausing (Cataldo & Oakhill, 2000). Looking back is compensatory when it resolves confusion by restoring information forgotten from working memory or by providing information overlooked on the first pass through text (e.g., what it refers to). It can aid poor word reading by uncovering textual clues to an unfamiliar word’s meaning (Ehri, 1994). With pausing and reading aloud, it can help overcome confusions due to difficult words, small verbal working memories, unfamiliar concepts, verbosity or abstractly written text (Kucan & Beck, 1997; Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995).

4. Read aloud.

Reading aloud often occurs spontaneously due to difficult texts or noisy reading environments (Chall, 1996), suggesting that it is compensatory. Researchers have noted marked improvement in comprehension when reading is done aloud. For instance, Miller and Smith (1985) tested 94 second through fifth graders and found that the 33 poorest readers comprehended best when they read aloud. Reading aloud helps focus attention when readers are tired or bored (see Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995) and facilitates comprehension monitoring (Bereiter & Bird, 1985; Ericsson, 1988). It also

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helps automatic reading to succeed by drowning out distractions. It is especially helpful for less fluent readers, providing auditory feedback on the accuracy of their word reading attempts (Ehri, 1994; Walker, 2005). Reading aloud provides less fluent readers with more opportunities to learn about words and assists those more fluent to read with prosody (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000).

(NSW Department of Education and Training: Materials developed and compiled as part of the Focus on Reading 3-6 Program 2010)

5. Sounding out, analogising to known sight words, or contextual guessing.

Ehri (1994) described four ways children read words. When skills are fluent or words are familiar, (1) reading by sight is possible. Words frequently encountered (e.g., car) are eventually recognised as whole units that activate sounds and meanings from memory. This is automatic word reading. The remaining three are compensatory: back-ups when automatic word reading fails. (2) Phonological recoding (sounding out) is using the rules of phonics to match a letter string to a spoken word in memory. (3) Analogising to known sight words occurs when readers look at a word’s spelling and bring to mind similarly spelt words to cue its meaning. (4) Contextual guessing is using surrounding text to infer a word’s meaning.

6. Jump over.

Another way of dealing with word reading confusion can be added to the three mentioned previously. If readers conclude that an unfamiliar word or other confusion involves a minor detail, or that resolving it will take too much time, they can jump over it. For example, if the meaning of an unfamiliar word seems tangential to understanding the overall text, choosing to overlook it makes sense. Older readers know that spending too much time resolving such confusion can cause them to forget important information previously read, making it harder to form connections (Walczyk et al., 2006). Of course, jumping over too often will lower comprehension.

7. Reread text.

Rereading is compensatory when it resolves confusion noted on an earlier pass through a text but is more disruptive of reading than the preceding compensations. As a consequence, skilled readers will employ it only after other compensations have not prevented or resolved confusion. Walczyk et al. (2004) defined it as the reprocessing of four or more words. With each rereading, readers become more familiar with words, phrases, and their meanings and can focus more attention on comprehension (Perfetti, 1985; Samuels & Flor, 1997). Rereading can resolve confusion due to poor reading skills, as well as to choppy, verbose or abstract text (Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995; Walczyk & Taylor, 1996; Walczyk et al., 2001, 2004). Other compensations exist (e.g., using a dictionary) but are beyond the scope of this article.

(NSW Department of Education and Training: Materials developed and compiled as part of the Focus on Reading 3-6 Program 2010)

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Learners create a mental image from a text read / viewed / heard. Visualising brings the text to life, engages the imagination and uses all of the senses.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)Example Questions / Statements:

-What are the pictures I / you have in my / your head as I / you read / view / listen to this text?

-Can I / you describe the picture or image you made while you heard / read that part?

-How did the pictures in my / your head help me / you to understand the text?


1. Sketch to Stretch: As a passage / story is read, students sketch their visualisation. In groups they share their sketches and discuss reasons for their interpretation.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)

2. Graphic Organisers / Visual Organisers: Introduce the Graphic Organiser to the students. Demonstrate how it works by reading a piece of text and noting key concepts and ideas on the organiser. Have groups of students practice using the Graphic organisers with ideas from an independently read text. Share ideas with the class. Choose organisers that match text structures and thinking processes. Examples include Venn Diagrams, Webs and Story Maps. Graphic organisers and visual organisers provide a visual model of the structure of text. They provide a format for organising information and concepts.Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 (Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

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Learners identify and accumulate the most important ideas and restate them in their own words.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)


-What things will help me / you summarise this text – list, mind map, note-taking, annotations etc?

-What are the main ideas and significant details from the reading / viewing / listening?

-If you were to tell another person about the text read / viewed / heard in a few sentences, what would you tell them?

-What is the main theme? How is it connected to the world beyond the text?

-In what significant ways does this text relate to / elaborate on the topic that you have been investigating?

-Can you create a metaphor for the text that you have read?(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)Sample Teaching Ideas:

1. Key Words: Students highlight words they believe are key to understanding the passage. These words are written on sticky notes and placed on the page. After reading, the students close the book and arrange the key words in an order that supports a cohesive summary.(Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

2. Partner Retelling: After reading a story to the students, explain that they will be working on retelling the story. It is helpful to identify the key points for the reading (e.g. most important events, elements of story structure and so on). Divide the class in half so that there is a storyteller group and a listening group. The storytellers work in teams to reread the selection and remind each other of the focus points for this retell. The listeners also reread and reflect on what they agree to be the most important retell elements of this story. The students are then matched with partners, a story-teller and a listener. While the teller talks, the listener records the elements of the story that are provided without assistance. When the story-teller is finished, it is the job of the listener to give clues about any remaining items that have not been checked off the list. (Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009)

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Partner Retelling Checklist

Name of Partner: _____________________________ Name of Listener: _____________________________

Book: __________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________

Draw a circle around one thing your partner did very well today.

Place a tick next to one area that your partner could improve in and tell your partner why.

The Main Idea

The Characters

The Stetting

The Most Important Events

The Problem

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The Solution

Partner Retelling

Partner Retelling Activity for (story name): ________________________

Storyteller (name of student): __________________________________

Listener (name of student): ____________________________________

Focus Points

(Most important events, problem / solution, characters, setting)

Retold Without Help

Clues Given


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Vocabulary

What is vocabulary? A shared definition:

Partner definition:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What teaching strategies do you use to enhance your students’ vocabulary knowledge?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

26Adapted From Revisit Reflect Retell Time – Tested Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension Linda Hoyt 2009

Vocabulary

Vocabulary knowledge involves understanding the meaning of spoken and written words and using words to create and understand oral and written texts. (NSW Department of Education and Training Literacy Continuum)

Research on vocabulary instruction reveals that while most vocabulary is learned indirectly through everyday experiences with oral and written language, some vocabulary must be taught explicitly. (NSW Department of Education and Training 2010)

Vocabulary refers to the set of words known, understood or used by a learner. Vocabulary contributes to comprehension, fluency, reading achievement and effective oral and written communication with others. A broad word knowledge enables students to communicate in ways that are precise, powerful, persuasive and interesting because words are tools for analysing, inferring, evaluating and reasoning.(Vacca et al. 2005)

Vocabulary can be seen as falling into three tiers:1. High frequency words that do not need to be taught (except for non-English speaking learners).2. Less common labels for common concepts – the availability of words that are deemed more mature or sophisticated such as ‘blissful’ instead of ‘happy’ and ‘whispered’ instead of ‘said’.3. Less common words specific to particular content domains.(Beck, McKeown and Kucan 2002)

While traditional vocabulary instruction has involved students looking up words in dictionaries, writing definitions and using the words in sentences, students acquire vocabulary best when it is used in meaningful, authentic contexts and when it connects with their experience and knowledge.(Basurto 2004)

Vocabulary development is both an outcome of comprehension and a precursor to it, with word meanings making up as much as 70%-80% of comprehension. (Nagy&Scott and Pressley 2000)

When it comes to assessing vocabulary, there is much contention about whether or not vocabulary can exist as an isolated entity or only as an embedded construct contributing to text comprehension. Isolated word tests fail to substantiate the basis on which words were selected and why.(NSW Department of Education and Training 2010)

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Vocabulary: Knowing How Words Work

Comprehension can be used as a teaching and learning tool to enhance language and vocabulary development.‘Knowing how words work’ is a comprehension strategy that refers to understanding words through strategic vocabulary development, including the use of graphophonic, syntactic, and semantic cueing systems to figure out unknown words.

The graphophonic cueing system involves creating grapheme (written letter) – phoneme (sound) matches.

The syntactic cueing system deals with the structure of the language.

The semantic cueing system focuses on meaning. Readers use all three of these cueing systems, along with other knowledge of words, to effectively engage with text. (Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

Sample Teaching Strategies:

1. Concept of Definition Map: This strategy allows students to make connections with new words and topics and build personal meanings by connecting the new information with prior knowledge. Students should engage in this strategy before reading. The teacher or the students need to select a word to be explored and place the word in the centre of the map. (Example City) Students then determine a broad category that best describes the word and write it in the ‘What is it?’ section. (Example Place) Have students provide some words that describe the focus word in the ‘What is it like?’ section. (Examples: noisy, crowded, fast-paced) Have students provide some specific examples of the word in the ‘What are some examples?’ section. (Example, Sydney, Melbourne) Have students determine a comparison. (Example a town or village) (Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

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CONCEPT OF DEFINITION MAP

What is it?

What is it like?

A comparison

What are some examples? Adapted From Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002

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CONCEPT OF DEFINITION MAP

PlaceNoisy

Crowded

Fast-Paced

What is it?

What is it like?

Town

Village

A comparison

What are some examples?

City

Sydney Melbourne Perth

Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002

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2. Context Clues: This strategy allows students to use semantics and syntax to figure out unknown words, to use a variety of cueing systems to make sense of text. Students should engage in this strategy during reading. The teacher must explain the eight types of context clues and give examples of each.

Definition Provides a definition that often connects the unknown word to a known word.Example / Illustration Provides an example or illustration to describe the word.Compare / Contrast Provides a comparison or contrast to the word.Logic Provides a connection (such as a simile) to the word.Root words and Affixes Provides meaningful roots and affixes that the reader uses to determine meaning.Grammar Provides syntactical cues that allow for reader interpretation.Cause and Effect Cause and effect example allows the reader to hypothesise meaning.Mood and Tone Description of mood related to the word allows readers to hypothesise meaning.

Using a read-aloud and Think-Aloud, demonstrate using one or more of the clues to figure out unknown words. If the context does not provide enough information, demonstrate other strategies for figuring out the meaning of the word.(Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

3. Possible Sentences: This strategy allows students to improve their understanding of text and key concepts presented in the text. Students use vocabulary to make predictions about the content. Choose six to eight words from the text that may be difficult and list them on the board. Choose another four to six words from the text that may be more familiar to students and list them on the board. Then define the words, If possible, let the students do this by drawing on their background knowledge. Students can then work individually or in groups to develop sentences using at least two of the words in each sentence. All contributed sentences are written on the board. Students then read the text to confirm, modify or extend the information on the board. After reading, revisit the original sentences and revise as needed. Add any new information to the list. Use the revised list as the basis for creating summaries.(Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

4. Semantic Feature Analysis: This strategy allows students to make predictions about attributes related to specific vocabulary words or concepts. It also encourages students to set a purpose for reading or researching (to confirm predictions). Students engage in this strategy prior to reading. The teacher selects a topic and some words or categories that relate to the topic. These words are listed in the left-hand column of the Semantic Feature Analysis Chart. The teacher chooses characteristics that relate to one or more of the related words. These are listed across the top row of the chart. Students make predictions about which characteristics apply to each word by placing a + if it is a characteristic, a - if it is not and a ? if they are not sure. Discuss students’ predictions and have them explain why they chose these characteristics. Have students read about the topic and modify their charts as necessary. Students should then share their completed charts in small groups and then discuss as a class.(Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

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Semantic Feature Analysis

Key: = Yes = No = I don’t know

Categories Characteristics


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Semantic Feature Analysis

Name (s): _________________________________

Key: = Yes = No = I don’t know

Categories Characteristics

Hair / Fur Lay Eggs Warm-Blooded

Care For Young

Live In Water

Breathe

Air

Fish

Birds

Mammals

Amphibians


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Further Instructional Routines

1. Reciprocal Teaching

Reciprocal Teaching is a strategy-based technique that involves discussion of a text based on four comprehension strategies: predicting, questioning, monitoring and summarising. The students, as well as the teacher, take on the role of “teacher” in leading the discussion about the text.

Reciprocal Teaching has three purposes: It helps students participate in a group effort to bring meaning to a text. It teaches students that the reading process requires the continual use of strategies for effective comprehension and provides students with the opportunity to monitor their own learning and thinking.

A Suggested Procedure for Reciprocal Teaching:

The procedure and each of the four reading comprehension strategies must be explicitly outlined and modelled to students. The teacher must model thinking related to each of the four strategies using an authentic text and thinking aloud. With the whole class, guide students to engage in similar types of thinking by providing responses for each of the strategies.

Sentence stems, such as the following, facilitate this:

Predicting I think...I bet...I wonder...I imagine...I suppose...

Questioning What connections can I make?How does this support my thinking?How is the text making me feel? Why is that?

Monitoring Is this making sense?What have I learned?Do I need to reread?

Summarising The important ideas in what I read are...

Students are then placed into groups of four and each group is provided with copies of the same text (along with instruction) to use as a basis for reciprocal teaching. Students then engage in Reciprocal Teaching using the process that was modelled. Students then reflect on the process and their comprehension of the text. Students should be provided with opportunities to engage in Reciprocal Teaching as an independent comprehension routine.

Assessing Reciprocal Teaching: We can assess students in Reciprocal Teaching groups by observing their conversations and documenting their ability to successfully execute the strategies. Students may use a form to self-reflect on their contributions or they may keep notes of the ideas that they contributed in a Guided Comprehension Journal.

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Reciprocal Teaching Self-Evaluation

Name: ____________________________ Date: ____________________________

Text: ______________________________________________________________

1. How would you rate your participation in the discussion?

just right too much too little I didn’t say anything

2. What did you figure out about the text from Reciprocal Teaching? What new insights did you gain?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is the main message or theme of your text? What makes you think this?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How would you rate your group’s discussion?

interesting average boring

5. How helpful was today’s discussion?

very helpful helpful not helpful

6. What worked well today and what will you improve next time?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Adapted From Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002) 36

Reciprocal Teaching ObservationTick the allocated area if the behaviour is observed

Tick or Cross

Student is prepared for Reciprocal Teaching

Student is focused on the group task

Student is actively engaged in Reciprocal Teaching

Student successfully engages in prediction

Student successfully generates meaningful questions

Student successfully clarifies meaning

Student successfully summarises text

Student uses strategy prompts

Student’s contributions demonstrate depth of understanding

Student respects ideas of other group members


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Student’s self –evaluation indicates: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Notes: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(Adapted From Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

Reciprocal Teaching / Activity:

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-You will work in a group of four-Please Read the following table of information and assemble your group ready for the activity-You will not be required to record your monitoring (unless you would like to)-Please complete your groups’ Reciprocal Teaching outline-Please reflect on the activity as outlined on the reflection sheet

- (Today predicting and questioning can be completed in space on page 34 or on scrap paper)Predicting: Before the group reads the text, each member participates in a brainstorming session; writing down predictions (in Guided Comprehension Journals or even on a piece of scrap paper).(Teachers may go so far as to outline exactly how many predictions each student must contribute.)Predictions should then be contributed and discussed by group members before being recorded in the appropriate position on the Group Reciprocal Teaching Outline. (The prompts in the adjoining column may be used if group members become ‘stuck’.)

-I think...

-I bet...

-I wonder...

-I imagine...

-I suppose...

Questioning:As each member reads independently, they record questions that they may have along the way (in Guided Comprehension Journals or even on a piece of scrap paper). Participants may choose to answer their own question if they are able to find an answer within the text, or they may choose to ask the group members for their input at the conclusion of the reading.At the conclusion of the reading all group members will contribute questions (and sometimes answers) and the group will discuss possible answers to the questions.(At first, the teacher may outline the exact number of questions required from each group member) ONE FOR PARTICIPANTS TODAYThe group records the contributed questions and answers in the appropriate position on the Group Reciprocal Teaching Outline. (The prompts in the adjoining column may be used if group members become ‘stuck’.)Group members may also discuss whether the questions that they have developed are ‘surface’ or ‘deep’ questions.

-What connections can I make?

-How does this support my thinking?

-How is the text making me feel? Why is that?

-When I read the text, did it remind me of anything I know about?

-Why did it remind me of that?

-What did the composer of the text mean by...?

-Whose point of view is this?

-What points of view are missing?

Monitoring:The teacher may choose to put ‘stop’ points throughout a text (or designate stop points at each page, chapter etc) where group members are required to stop and ask themselves the questions in the adjoining column.The teacher may ask group members to record their ‘monitoring’ notes in a Guided Comprehension Journal, depending on the students’ stage of development and familiarity with comprehension strategies and reciprocal teaching. THIS WOULD BE AFTER EACH PARAGRAPH TODAY (IF YOU CHOOSE TO MONITOR)

-Is this making sense?

-What have I learned?

-Do I need to reread?

Summarising:At the conclusion of the reading, all group members must work together to list the important ideas in the text. This summary is to be recorded on the Group Reciprocal Teaching Outline.

-The important ideas in what I read are...

(Adapted From Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

GROUP OUTLINE: RECIPROCAL TEACHING

39

Names of Group Members: _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________

PREDICTIONS:

QUESTIONS:

SUMMARY: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

INDIVIDUAL MONITORING SHEET: (Example)

Read to the end of each (teacher or student to circle one option) chapter / page / paragraph and answer the questions:

Chapter / Page / Paragraph One (teacher or student to circle one option):

a) Is this making sense? ____________________________________

b) What have I learned? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c) Do I need to reread?(It is OK to re-read)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter / Page / Paragraph Two (teacher or student to circle one option):

a) Is this making sense? ____________________________________

b) What have I learned? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c) Do I need to reread?(It is OK to re-read)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Some guidelines for vocabulary instruction RECIPROCAL TEACHING ACTIVITY TEXT

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Graves, 2006 Extract DET Focus on Reading Program

The following set of guidelines came from the thinking of many vocabulary authorities, including Herman and Dole (1998); Stahl (1998), Beck and her colleagues (2002), Biemiller (2004), Nagy (2005), and Graves (2006).

Graves states that these guidelines are not absolute and should be followed only when deemed appropriate. Moreover, they virtually always come at the cost of time, a factor that Graves takes into account.

1. Include both definitional and contextual information.

That is, give students both a definition of the words being taught and have them work with the words in context.

2. Involve students in active and deep processing of the words.

Engage students in activities that lead them to consider the words’ meaning, relate that meaning to information stored in memory and work with the word in creative ways. Such activities might include putting the definition of a word into their own words, giving examples of situations in which the word can and cannot be used, examining ways in which the word relates to them personally and recognising similarities and differences between the new word and words they already know.

3. Provide students with multiple exposures to the word.

For example, define the word, use it in a sentence, ask students to use it in a sentence, involve students in recognising appropriate and not-so-appropriate uses of the word, and play games involving the word.

4. Review, Rehearse and remind students about the word in various contexts over time.

Teach a word before students read a selection and ask them to note its occurrence when reading the text. After students read, discuss the word and the context in which it occurred. Then, throughout the weeks and months following initial instruction, look out for and point out other occurrences, and occasionally have a brief review of some of the words taught.

5. Involve students in discussions of the word’s meaning.

Discussion is one method of actively processing word meanings, giving students the opportunity to hear and use the word in a variety of contexts and enabling students to learn from each other.

6. Spend a significant amount of time on the word.

During this time, involve students in actively grappling with the words ‘meaning. With words as with learning in general, time on task is crucial. The more time spent on a word, the better the chance that students will build rich and deep meanings for the word.

Graves reminds us that these are sound guidelines, but that each of them should be prefaced with the phrase, “for the strongest possible results”. There is a definite cost of teaching in order to achieve the strongest possible results. Doing so takes time. Because there are many more words than can possibly be taught and because you have many things to do other than teach words, teachers’ time is definitely limited. Often, it will be necessary to teach words in ways that do not consume large amounts of time and do not produce the strongest possible results. In these cases, think of your initial instruction on a word as just that – initial instruction, an initial experience that starts students on the long road to learning a full and rich meaning of the word.

(Graves, M.F The vocabulary book: Learning and instruction, 2006, The International Reading Association, Newark.)

RECIPROCAL TEACHING REFLECTION

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1. How do Reciprocal Teaching activities support students to develop their ability to apply the ‘Super Six’ Comprehension Strategies?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

2. How do Reciprocal Teaching activities serve to improve students’ knowledge of and ability to use metacognitive comprehension strategies?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

3. What difficulties could be anticipated when trying to establish Reciprocal Teaching routines within the classroom setting?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How could these difficulties be overcome?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

2. Literature Circles:

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Video Footage

Groups of students can share insights, questions and interpretations of texts in Literature Circles. The basic goal of using Literature Circles is to help students converse about texts in meaningful, personal and thoughtful ways (Brabham & Villaume, 2000)

To facilitate students’ use of literature circles, we need to explicitly teach the concept and engage in active demonstration. There are several ways to structure and manage Literature Circles. There is no ‘right’ way, but rather choices must be made to accommodate the needs of the students in a class. Teachers may choose to begin by formulating groups based on students’ book choices or by assigning a text to a group of students. Some teachers prefer to use assigned roles and responsibilities as a way to guide the conversations such as those outlined in the table below.

Discussion Director Takes on leadership of the group and guides the discussion. Responsibilities include choosing topics for discussion, generating questions, convening the meeting and facilitating contributions from all members.

Literary Luminary / Passage Master

Helps students revisit the text. Responsibilities include selecting memorable or important sections of the text and reading them aloud expressively.

Connector Guides the students to make connections with the text. Responsibilities include sharing text-self, text-text, and text-world connections and encouraging others to do the same.

Illustrator / Artful Artist

Creates a drawing or other symbolic response to text. Responsibilities include making the visual response and using it to encourage others to contribute to the conversation.

(If further roles are required Researcher, Summariser, Character Captain, Word Master / Vocabulary ‘Enricher’, Travel Tracer/ Scene Setter may be used)

Gilles (1998) has identified four types of talk that often occur during literature circles.

Talk about the book Talk about connections

Talk about the reading process Talk about group processes and social issues

Teachers can encourage all types of talk with demonstrations and gentle prompts during the Literature Circle conversations.(Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

A Suggested Procedure for Literature Circles:

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Firstly groups must be formed. Teachers may assign students texts at first, but over time groups would be formed based on the text choices that students make. Initially the teacher may develop a schedule for groups to follow. This would outline when the group was to meet and how much they should read etc. However, over time, groups would take increased responsibility for developing their schedules. Once groups and schedules are established, students read the predetermined section of text independently and take notes as they read. Students may keep their notes in a Guided Comprehension Journal. The notes can reflect the students’ role in the Literature Circle or their personal connections to the text. Roles within Literature Circles should vary from meeting to meeting. Students meet according to the group schedule to discuss ideas about the text until the book is completed.(Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

Assessment in Literature Circles: There are several ways to assess the students’ comprehension, contributions and cooperation within Literature Circles. Options include self reflection, observation and response sheets or journal entries. The most important thing to remember about Literature Circles is to use the assessment results. These should influence future instructional decisions. (Guided Comprehension: A Teaching Model for Grades 3-8 Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen 2002)

Literature Circle Self-Evaluation45

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________________________

Text: ______________________________________________________________________________

1. How would you rate your participation in the discussion?

just right too much too little I didn’t say anything

2. What did you do to prepare for the Literature Circle that was helpful?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is something that you learned in your Literature Circle Group?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How would you rate your group’s discussion?

interesting average boring

5. How helpful was today’s discussion?

very helpful helpful not helpful

6. What worked well today and what will you improve next time?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Literature Circle Observation

Tick the allocated area if the behaviour is observed

Tick or Cross

Student is prepared for the Literature Circle

Student is focused on the group task

Student engages in discussion

Talk focuses on the content of the book

Talk focuses on the reading strategies

Talk focuses on personal connections

Talk focuses on the group process

Student is competent in his or her discussion role

Student’s contributions demonstrate depth of understanding

Student respects ideas of other group members


Student’s self –evaluation indicates: _________________________________________________________________________________________

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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Notes: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Explicit Instruction

Select a text

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Texts can range from easy to challenging. The criteria for text selection should focus on text usefulness for teaching a particular strategy or set of strategies, student interests and connections to literacy themes. If the text is challenging use ‘read-aloud’ when modelling.

Explain the strategyFocus on the two questions:What is it?Why is it helpful / necessary for comprehension?Provide examples to assist this explanation and wherever possible make connections to students’ background knowledge and prior learning.

Model the strategyRead a section of the text aloud and use a Think Aloud and a visual (symbol, chart, etc) to share ideas with students.NB: Think Aloud involves orally explaining precisely what is triggering thoughts and how it is affecting understanding.Explain thinking so that students have a clear idea of the cognitively active process readers experience. If a strategy requires a written or sketched response, model that during this step.

Guided supportRead the next section of the text aloud and ask students to work with a partner to apply the new strategy.Discuss the response from paired students and read aloud another section of the text.

Student practiceMonitor as students work independently within the whole group. Either continue reading sections of the text with reduced teacher support or invite students to read independent texts on their own. Regardless, students independently use the strategy. Differentiate instruction by providing scaffolding for those students who need more support (through further modelling or guided support), and by releasing the task to those students who are ready to use it. The goal is to ensure that students know the strategy and the process for using it. Ultimately students develop a range of strategies that they can use as needed when they are reading on their own.

ReflectAsk students to reflect on how using the strategy helped them to understand the text. Invite them to share their reflections in small groups or with the whole class. (Students may record their reflections in a Guided Comprehension Journal.) Discuss how they can use the strategy when they are reading on their own.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Comprehension Strategies Booklet 2010)

STAGE ONE: EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION PLANNER:

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Select a text: Texts can range from easy to challenging. The criteria for text selection should focus on text usefulness for teaching a particular strategy or set of strategies, student interests and connections to literacy themes. If the text is challenging use ‘read-aloud’ when modelling.

Explain the strategy: Provide examples to assist this explanation and wherever possible make connections to students’ background knowledge and prior learning.

Focus on the two questions:

-What is it? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Why is it helpful / necessary for comprehension?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Model the strategy: Read a section of the text aloud and use a Think Aloud and a visual (symbol, poster, chart, etc) to share ideas with students.

Guided support:

a) Read the next section of the text aloud and ask students to work with a partner to apply the new strategy in pairs.

b) Discuss the response from paired students and read aloud another section of the text.

Independent practice:

Monitor as students work independently within the whole group. Either continue reading sections of the text with reduced teacher support or invite students to read independent texts on their own.

Reflection:

Ask students to reflect on how using the strategy helped them to understand the text. Invite them to share their reflections in small groups or with the whole class. (Students may record their reflections in a Guided Comprehension Journal.) Discuss how they can use the strategy when they are reading on their own.

NOTES: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


A Suggested Model:

STRATEGY:

TEXT SELECTION:

MODEL ACTIVIT IES : (Show students how they will be expected to apply the strategy in pairs and independently):

VISUAL:

50

In the classroom, a three-phase model provides a context within which students can learn comprehension strategies using multiple levels and types of text. However, prior to engaging in the model, students will require explicit instruction of comprehension strategies. A process for explicit instruction is outlined below.

-This three-phase model may follow a ‘strategy of the day’ or a ‘strategy of the week’ formula:

Teacher Directed:

Whole Group Instruction – Explicit Instruction using texts at a variety of levels.At this stage of the model, the teacher follows the steps for explicit instruction outlined above.

DERIVE ACTIVITIES FROM ‘SAMPLE TEACHING IDEAS’.

PHASE ONE

Student Facilitated:ACTIVITIES

DERIVE ACTIVITIES FROM ‘SAMPLE TEACHING IDEAS’

Students complete a variety of activities where they can apply

their knowledge of the ‘super six’ comprehension strategies with texts at an independent level. Students may work in pairs,

groups or independently depending on the activity. For Example, If the strategy of the

day was, ‘Predicting’ then students may work

independently on the suggested teaching ideas such as “Partner Read and Think” or “Predict O

Gram”.Students may complete more

than one activity, but will need to reflect on each activity (perhaps

via a Guided Comprehension Journal) that they complete. This will allow them to participate in

the next phase of the model.

PHASE TWO

Teacher Facilitated:GUIDED COMPREHENSION

The teacher works with a small group of four to six students. Students develop and

apply their knowledge of the ‘super six’ comprehension strategies.

At this stage the teacher should review previously taught strategies and focus on

the strategy of the day or week. The teacher would then guide the students to

apply the strategy (through similar activities that other students are working on independently. This will further equip

students to engage with these tasks independently) as well as previously

taught strategies. Students should then practice applying the strategy. They

should record their applications (perhaps in a Guided Comprehension Journal) and share them during reflection. The teacher should the encourage students to reflect

and extend by having them talk about the ways in which the strategy helped them to

understand the text. Students then discuss the ways that this strategy could help them when participating in Literacy

Circles or Reciprocal Teaching.

PHASE TWO

Student FacilitatedMEETINGS

LITERATURE CIRCLESRECIPROCAL TEACHING

Students apply their knowledge of the ‘super six’ comprehension strategies as they participate in small group activities such as Literature Circles and Reciprocal Teaching. Students utilise texts that can

be read at an independent level.

PHASE TWO

Teacher Facilitated:

Whole-Group Reflection and Goal Setting Reflecting on performance, sharing experiences, and setting new goals. PHASE THREE

Authentic assessment is to be used throughout all stages of the cycle.


Day: _________ Week: _________ Term: ________ Year: ________ Class: ________51

Phase Two of the Guided Comprehension Model

Activities Session One Participants

Session Two Participants

1. _________________

Strategy Focus:____________________

2. _________________

Strategy Focus:____________________

3. _________________

Strategy Focus:

____________________

4. _________________

Strategy Focus:

____________________

5. _________________

Strategy Focus:

____________________


Meetings Session One Participants

Session Two Participants

52

1. Literature Circles

Strategy Focus:

___________________

2. Reciprocal Teaching

Strategy Focus:

__________________

Teacher-Guided Small GroupsOutcome: __________Content:

Strategy Focus: ___________________


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Text Selection

1. What factors might make a text challenging for readers? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What needs to be considered when you choose texts to improve students’ comprehension?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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What Might Make a Text Challenging For Readers?

1. Background Knowledge: -Ask yourself whether or not students have had experience with this type of text before? Experienced readers have a level of expectancy when they read based on the text type. If they have not encountered a particular type of text before, then reading will become more difficult.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

-Think about whether or not students have knowledge of the particular topic? If they don’t then they may use their topic knowledge incorrectly. For example, words such as tension, area, net and scale have a number of subject-specific meanings.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

2. Vocabulary: -Students will find it easier to read a text if they have an awareness of the more challenging words, be they technical or subject-specific. This will ensure that they are not constantly stopping to use the dictionary or skipping unknown words.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

3. Use of Abstractions: -Abstract nouns are harder to visualise and require more thought than a concrete noun. Even when accompanied by pictures, these are hard to read because they require a great deal of processing to make them accessible.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

4. Lexical Density: -Are there more content words than grammatical items (such as conjunctions, prepositions, articles etc) in the text? This contributes to lexical density, making the text tightly packed with information.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

5. Formatting and Layout Features: -Have students been taught about the different layout features, such as headlines, sub-headings, text boxes, captions, and formatting features, such as the use of italics, bolding, and different fonts on the same page? If not, they may become confused when reading the text and not know which parts are related to other parts of the text.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

6. Concepts not Topics!-When choosing texts consider what it is about the English subject the students will be learning rather than a theme or a topic. Use the language of the ‘learning about’ outcomes as a ‘filter’. For example, ‘How will we be able to discuss how writers relate to their readers in different ways (RS2.7) ...using this text?(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials)-For Example: How does Roald Dahl shape his characters? Rather than Roald Dahl as an author study. Include the full range of texts written by Roald Dahl, as well as film, poetry and perhaps snippets of appropriate adult fiction. As Roald Dahl also uses stereotypes to engage students, these texts can also be compared with familiar fairy tales and animated film.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

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7. Graphics and other diagrammatic visuals:-Graphics and other visual support may require reading in a different order or direction. Readers have to work out if the visuals directly support the prose, add additional information, or provide alternative viewpoints of information. Reading visual images can be a complex process, reading images also requires explicit and systematic teaching.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

8. Photographs: -Like other graphics, readers have to work out if the photographs directly support the prose, add additional information, or give an alternative perspective. Readers then have to interpret the choices that have been made in the selection of the photograph as well as where the photograph is sourced from. Readers will also be influenced by whether the photo is a portrait-type image or a more action oriented shot.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

9. Unusual Features: -Writers often use a range of features (both verbal and pictorial) to try to make the information more entertaining for student readers. Sometimes these additional features actually make reading more difficult as students can mis-read features that they are unfamiliar with.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

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Using Literary Texts in Your Classroom:Enhancing Engagement and Motivation whilst Improving Comprehension

1. Start from an area of interest: -Start with authors that students relate to or topics / contexts that are familiar and offer up a wide range of texts (of varying levels of difficulty) from there.-Use the ‘Books by Category’ search in the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge booklist to get started.-Search out texts that connect in some way with the students’ backgrounds and heritage. Include these texts incidentally or as part of their regular reading, rather than as focus units.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

2. Focus on widening literary reading: -Read to students daily during lesson breaks / transitions.-Encourage students to pick up texts that interest them. Provide opportunities where students are expected only to read parts of the text and not the whole text.-Encourage students to read with each other. (NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

3. Encourage multiple readings and layers of reading: -Quality texts lend themselves to multiple readings as they can be interrogated in different ways.-Connect texts with film adaptations, the author’s website and promotional materials as well as books and other writings from the author. Students will find it easier to discuss a writer’s style when they can make connections and comparisons.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

4. Work across contexts: -Work with texts that are written in different eras or set in different contexts. Support students to make connections between and among these texts and their lives.-Choose texts that represent different cultures and ways of living in real and imagined worlds. Encourage students to comment on author’s depictions of characters and the worlds they inhabit. -Pepper a range of texts, including short stories, poetry, fables, and Dreaming stories throughout the English teaching program rather than in discrete units such as a, ‘Poetry Unit’.(NSW Department of Education and Training, Extract From ‘Focus on Reading’ Materials 2010)

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Reflection

What have you learned / achieved thus far today?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What learning will you take and translate into your classroom practice?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where to from here?

-What are MY students’ needs?

-Addressing those needs by planning and delivering quality teaching and learning programs.

-Backward Design Programming linked to the Quality Teaching Framework

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Gap Analysis: Work Samples Teacher Observations

Analyse student work samples using professional judgement then against additional criteria as required.

How effective are our students at comprehending a variety of texts?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What reading comprehension skills and strategies do our students possess? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What reading comprehension skills and strategies do our students need to develop in order to become more effective readers? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Share findings and record common areas for development (skills and knowledge gap trends)_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Gap Analysis: NAPLAN / Other DataCompare the above findings to other sources of evidence including NAPLAN results; other identified data.

Taking all the evidence into consideration, what skills and knowledge about reading comprehension do we therefore need to target in our teaching and learning program and assessment tasks?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Determine and record main areas for development (skills and knowledge gaps) for reading programming and assessment._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gap Analysis: Teacher Professional Learning What professional learning support do we need in order to explicitly and systematically teach these aspects

of reading more effectively? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What in-house and external personnel and resources can support us?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What professional development do I need to address these areas? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Record areas for Teacher Professional Learning focus. These areas will act as a guide in regards to your in-school support._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Backward Design Programming

Big ideas/enduring understanding/key concept/make choices

Your subject knowledge Students’ interests

SyllabusFaculty scope and sequence

Syllabus outcomes and content – learn to/learn about

Topic/unit of work

Evidence of learning?

Nature and timing of assessment

Evaluation

Learning experiences

Assessing for learning

Feed

back

to s

tude

nts

Adapted by Michelle Ware – 7-10 Curriculum Consultant, South Western Sydney Region 2005 from Are the best curriculum designs ‘backward’? Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins (online article

http://www.ubdexchange.org/resources/news-articles/backward.html)

http://www.ubdexchange.org/resources/news-articles/backward.html

Backward Design Programming

Stage 1. Identify Desired Results What should students know, understand, and be able to do? (DK, DU, SC) What is worthy of understanding? (DK) What enduring understandings are desired? (DK)

In this first stage, we consider our goals, examine the outcomes and content of the syllabus, and review other syllabus requirements or needs of the students e.g. specific literacy and numeracy issues. Given that there is sometimes more content than can reasonably be addressed, we need to make choices. A useful framework for establishing curricular priorities can be depicted using the three nested rings shown below.

Establishing Curriculum Priorities

In the largest ring, we can outline all of the things that are elements of the topic are, and that students will need to have a broad knowledge of to provide a context for deeper knowledge and understanding.

In the middle ring, we sharpen our choices by specifying important knowledge (facts, concepts, and principles) and skills (processes, strategies, and methods). We would say that student learning is incomplete if the unit or course concluded without mastery of these essentials. The middle ring specifies the prerequisite knowledge and skills needed by students for them to successfully accomplish key performances.

The smallest ring represents finer-grain choices—selecting the "enduring" understandings that will anchor the unit or course. The term enduring refers to the big ideas, the important understandings, that we want students to "get inside of" and retain after they've forgotten many of the details. (DK)

Stage 2. Determine Acceptable Evidence How will we know if students have achieved the desired results and met the syllabus standards?

(DU, EQC) What will we accept as evidence of student understanding and proficiency? (DU, EQC)

The backward design approach encourages us to think about a unit or course in terms of the collected assessment evidence needed to document and validate that the desired learning has been achieved, so that the course is not just content to be covered or a series of learning activities.

This backward approach encourages teachers to first think like an assessor before designing specific units and lessons, and therefore to consider up front how they will determine whether students have attained the desired understandings. When planning to collect evidence of understanding, teachers should consider a range of assessment methods, depicted below.

Continuum of Assessment Methods

This continuum of assessment methods includes checks of understanding (such as oral questions, observations, and informal dialogues); traditional quizzes, tests, and open-ended prompts; and performance tasks and projects. They vary in scope (from simple to complex), time frame (from short-term to long-term), setting (from decontextualised to authentic contexts), and structure (from highly to non-structured). Because understanding develops as a result of ongoing inquiry and rethinking (DK, PK, HOT, SK), the assessment of understanding should be thought of in terms of a collection of evidence over time instead of an event—a single moment-in-time test at the end of instruction—as so often happens in current practice.

Stage 3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

With clearly identified results (enduring understandings - DK) and appropriate evidence of understanding in mind DU, EQC), teachers can now plan instructional activities. Several key questions must be considered at this stage of design:

What enabling knowledge (facts, concepts, and principles) and skills (procedures) will students need to perform effectively and achieve desired results? (DK)

What activities will equip students with the required knowledge and skills? (DK, HOT, E)

What will need to be taught, and how should it best be taught, in light of performance goals?

What materials and resources are best suited to accomplish these goals?

Is the overall design coherent and effective?

Note that the teacher will address the specifics of instructional planning—choices about teaching methods, sequence of lessons, and resource materials—after identifying the desired results and assessments. Teaching is a means to an end. Having a clear goal helps us as educators to focus our planning and guide purposeful action toward the intended results.

All schools and faculties will have ways of setting out their teaching and learning programs. It is important to ensure that all aspects of learning experiences and instruction are carefully planned and documented within the structure you have selected. This is important to ensure that opportunities for assessment of student understanding are provided so teachers can gather evidence of learning and achievement.

The focus of this Stage should be on engaging students (E) and promoting effective learning experiences (PK, M, SC, KI, C, N). The W.H.E.R.E.T.O questions may assist in keeping you on task when developing learning experiences that will allow you to gather acceptable evidence of student progress.

W Where are we headed? (DK, KI)

H How will the student be ‘hooked’? (E)

E What opportunities will there be to experience and explore key ideas? (DU, PK, SC)

R What will provide opportunities to rethink, rehearse, refine and revise? (DU, HOT, SC)

E How will students evaluate their work? (EQC, SD)

T How will the work be tailored to individual needs, interests and styles? (C)

O How will the work be organised for maximum engagement and effectiveness?

(DK, PK, E, KI, C, N)

The role of the teacher in quality programming

Informs students of the big ideas and essential questions, performance requirements, and evaluative criteria at the beginning of the unit. (DK, EQC)

Hooks and holds students' interest while they examine and explore big ideas and essential questions. (DK, E)

Uses a variety of strategies to promote deeper understanding of subject matter. (DU) Facilitates students' active construction of meaning (rather than simply telling). (PK) Promotes opportunities for students to "unpack their thinking" -- to explain, interpret, apply, shift

perspective, empathise, or self-assess. (PK, SC, HOT) Uses questioning, probing, and feedback to stimulate student reflection and rethinking. (DU, PK) Teaches basic knowledge and skills in the context of big ideas and explores essential questions.

(DK) Uses information from ongoing assessments as feedback to adjust instruction. Uses information from ongoing assessments to check for student understanding and misconceptions

along the way. (DU) Uses a variety of resources (beyond the textbook) to promote understanding. (DU)

What does quality programming look like in the classroom environment?

The big ideas and essential questions are central to the work of the students, the classroom activity, and the norms and culture of the classroom. (DK, I)

There are high expectations and incentives for all students to come to understand the big ideas and answer the essential questions. (DK, HE)

All students and their ideas are treated with dignity and respect. (SS) Big ideas, essential questions, and criteria or scoring rubrics are posted. (EQC) Samples or models of student work are made visible. (EQC) Exploration of big ideas and essential questions is differentiated, so some students are able to delve

more deeply into the subject matter than others. (DK, SD)

What does a quality program look like?

Reflects a coherent design - big ideas and essential questions (DK) clearly guide the design of, and are aligned with, assessments and teaching and learning activities.

Makes clear distinctions between big ideas and essential questions (DK), and the knowledge and skills necessary for learning the ideas and answering the questions (DU).

Uses multiple forms of assessment to let students demonstrate their understanding in various ways. (SD)

Anchors assessment of understanding with authentic performance tasks calling for students to demonstrate their understanding and apply knowledge and skills. (DU)

Uses clear criteria and performance standards for teacher, peer, and self-evaluations of student products and performances. (EQC)

Enables students to revisit and rethink important ideas to deepen their understanding. (DU) Incorporates a variety of resources. The textbook is only one resource among many! Meets the requirements of the syllabus and has a clear focus on the stage outcomes that have been

targeted. (DK)

How do learners interact with quality programs?

Can describe the goals (big ideas and essential questions) and performance requirements of the unit. (DU)

Can explain what they are doing and why (i.e., how today's work relates to the larger unit or course goals). (DU, KI, C)

Are hooked at the beginning and remain engaged throughout the unit. (E) Can describe the criteria by which their work will be evaluated. (EQC) Are engaged in activities that help them to learn the big ideas and answer the essential questions.

(HOT) Are engaged in activities that promote explanation, interpretation, application, perspective taking,

empathy, and self-assessment. (HOT, SS) Demonstrate that they are learning the background knowledge and skills that support the big ideas

and essential questions. (DU) Have opportunities to generate relevant questions. (PK) Are able to explain and justify their work and their answers. (DU, PK, SC) Are involved in self- or peer-assessment based on established criteria and performance standards.

(EQC) Use the criteria or rubrics to guide and revise their work. (EQC) Set relevant goals based on feedback. (SD)

Subject: Stage/Year:

Unit: Unit duration:

Coordinating teacher(s): Assessment due by:

We want students to know that:

<insert KLA big idea(s) here>

What do we want our students to learn? (Deep knowledge element)

Must be guided by syllabus content pages (not indicators) and foundation/ stage statements.

Links to Foundation/Stage Statements

K-6 teachers visit http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/k-6-curriculum/foundation-statements

7-10 teachers locate Stage Statements towards the back of your syllabus document.

This learning matters because:

<insert KLA and ‘real world’ justification(s) of big ideas here>

Why does this learning matter? (Significance dimension)

Are there clear links to prior and future learning and real world application?

Jennifer York and Tracy Considine ♦ South Western Sydney Region 2008

Assessment task outline

Insert task(s) that address the core concepts / key ideas as identified in the first section.

How will students demonstrate their deep understanding?

Planning for programming by starting with assessment design

67

http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/k-6-curriculum/foundation-statements

Design task(s) with authentic purpose, audience and communication tools.

Is student direction (content, process or product) suitable to the task?

Is there opportunity for students to demonstrate learning at an ‘A’ level?

Key <insert syllabus> outcomes for assessment

No more than 2 or 3 syllabus outcomes and they must be aligned to above content.

How well do we expect students to do it?

How will this information be communicated to all students and parents?

Assessment criteria

Your team will be judged according to the following criteria:

<insert indicator(s) from syllabus or develop your own criteria aligned with outcome>You will also be marked on the following criteria:

<insert indicator(s) from syllabus or develop your own criteria aligned with outcome>


68

MARKING GUIDELINES:

Outcome →

Criteria ↓Marking guidelines Level

Teacher’s additional comments

<use adjective such as extensive> Excellent

<use adjective such as thorough> Good

<use adjective such as sound> Good

<use adjective such as basic> Unsatisfactory

<use adjective such as extensive> Outstanding

<use adjective such as thorough> Excellent



<use adjective such as extensive> Outstanding

<use adjective such as thorough> Excellent




Summary of core components69

Map the core knowledge and skills we need to teach the students in order for them to successfully engage in the planned assessment.

In doing so, have we identified the syllabus content (NOT INDICATORS) we will be teaching in order to meet the assessment outcomes?

Component 1 Component 2 Component 3




70

Planning for programming by starting with assessment design

Subject: English Stage/Year: Stage Three

Unit: Comprehension Unit duration: Term One

Coordinating teacher(s): Stage Three Team Assessment due by: Week Eight

We want students to know:

Effective readers draw on a range of strategies (simultaneously) to read, critically analyse and respond to themes and issues within a range of texts that feature increasing levels of technicality and abstraction.

What do we want our students to learn? (Deep knowledge element)

Must be guided by syllabus content pages (not indicators) and foundation/ stage statements.

Links to Foundation/Stage Statements


Students independently read and view an extensive range of complex texts and visual images using a comprehensive range of skills and strategies. They respond to themes and issues within texts, recognise point of view and justify interpretations by referring to their own knowledge and experience. Students identify, critically analyse and respond to techniques used by writers to influence readers through language and grammar. They identify text structure of a range of complex texts and explore how grammatical features work to influence an audience’s understanding of written, visual and multimedia texts.

This learning matters because:

Students must be equipped with the strategies necessary to effectively ‘transact’ with texts if they are to engage with content across all key learning areas over the course of their formal education and beyond.

Why does this learning matter? (Significance dimension)

Are there clear links to prior and future learning and real world application?



Assessment task outline

Insert task(s) that address the core concepts / key ideas as identified in the first section.

-Reciprocal Teaching – Observations and Self Evaluation

-Literature Circles – Observations and Self Evaluation

-Small Guided Reading Groups – Observations

-Guided Comprehension Journals

- Strategy - See Checklist (Rubric)

How will students demonstrate their deep understanding?

Design task(s) with authentic purpose, audience and communication tools.

Is student direction (content, process or product) suitable to the task?

Is there opportunity for students to demonstrate learning at an ‘A’ level?

Key <insert syllabus> outcomes for assessment

RS3.5 Reads independently an extensive range of texts with increasing content demands and responds to themes and issues. RS3.7 Critically analyses techniques used by writers to create certain effects, to use language creatively, to position the reader in various ways and to construct different interpretations of experience.

How well do we expect students to do it?

How will this information be communicated to all students and parents?

Assessment criteria

Your team will be judged according to the following criteria:


You will also be marked on the following criteria:



71

72

Questions that underpin

NSW QT Model of

Pedagogy

QT element DefinitionFrom Jenny Gore, 2004

Guiding questionsFrom GAT Unit, Curriculum K-12, 2007

Level 5 coding criteriaFrom QT Phase 3:

An Assessment Practice Guide

What do we want the students to learn?

Deep knowledge Identify and map key concepts to be addressed and their relationships.

Does the task focus on core concepts and key ideas central to the subject or KLA?

Does the task meet syllabus requirements including aims, objectives, foundation statements, stage outcomes and content?

The task requires sustained focus on key concepts and ideas and requires clear articulation of the relationships between and among concepts.

Problematic knowledge

Help students ask where knowledge comes from and how we know. Encourage students to address multiple perspectives and solutions to recognise that knowledge has been constructed and therefore is open to question

Does the task provide opportunities for students to address multiple perspectives or solutions?

Are students required to make a judgement about the appropriateness of an interpretation in a given context?

The task requires knowledge to be treated as socially constructed, with multiple and/or conflicting interpretations presented and explored to the extent that a judgement is made about the appropriateness of an interpretation in a given context.

Why does this learning matter?

Connectedness Connect school learning to something outside the school. How will this learning be useful or valuable to students in the future? Lessons rely on the application of knowledge in real-life contexts or problems. Provide opportunities to share work with real audiences beyond the school.

Does the learning connect to the student’s world outside of the classroom and the school?

The task requires students to recognise and explore connections between classroom knowledge and situations outside the classroom in ways that create personal meaning and highlight the significance of the knowledge. The task requires students to engage with and/or influence an audience beyond the classroom.

73

Background knowledge

Find out and draw on what students know. Make connections to students’ past including aspects of their personal lives.

Does the learning link to prior learning?

Does it form a basis for future learning?

Students’ background knowledge is substantially incorporated into the task, and meaningful connection to out-of-school knowledge is integral to the task.

Questions that underpin

NSW QT Model of

Pedagogy

QT element DefinitionFrom Jenny Gore, 2004

Guiding questionsFrom GAT Unit, Curriculum K-12, 2007

Level 5 coding criteriaFrom QT Phase 3:

An Assessment Practice Guide

How will they demonstrate their learning?

Deep understanding

Help students ask where knowledge comes from and how we know. Encourage students to address multiple perspectives and solutions to recognise that knowledge has been constructed and therefore is open to question.

How will students demonstrate their understanding of key ideas and core concepts identified above?

How will students show they have learnt the intended content?

The entire task requires students to provide information, arguments or reasoning that demonstrate deep understanding.

Substantive communication

Engage students in sustained, substantive and reciprocal conversations dealing with big ideas. Encourage elaboration and richness.

Is the demonstration of understanding sustained and focused on key concepts?

The task requires students to produce an elaborate, sustained and coherent clarification of complex ideas, concepts or arguments directly related to the substance of the topic.

Higher order thinking

Help students organise, reorganise, apply, analyse, synthesise and evaluate knowledge and information.

How will students apply/use this new content?

Are students asked to analyse, synthesise (creative) and evaluate (critical)?

Throughout the task students are required to demonstrate higher-order thinking.

How well do we expect them to do it?

Explicit quality criteria

Provide clear statements or examples of what constitutes quality of work.

Is the criteria for success made explicit to the students? E.g. written criteria, oral instructions, modeling, ongoing and evaluative feedback.

Are opportunities and processes for feedback to students evident? (key aspect of ‘assessment for learning)

Statements regarding the quality of work are made explicit and it is clear how these criteria will be used in assessing students’ work.

High expectations Expect more while supporting students’ efforts. Encourage and reward conceptual risk-taking.

Is the standard made clear? Are there high expectations for the

performance and/or product? How will students know what a

The task presents serious challenges to all students, and encourages them to take risks in demonstrating their

quality product or presentation looks like?

How will they know what an A grade looks like?

learning.

Tracy Considine Middle Years ICT Consultant South Western Sydney RegionThis guide comes from the work of Sally Hogan NSW DET Curriculum K-12

74

Assessing Student Use of the ‘Super Six’ Strategies: Colour or make notes in the box that applies to the student’s achievement level for each strategy

Student Name: _____________________________ Date: _____________________________

Strategy: A B C DPredicting The student volunteers an example of how they have

effectively integrated this strategy with at least one other strategy. The student describes how they utilised the strategies simultaneously to enhance their understanding of a text.The student can articulate their reasoning for utilising these particular strategies.The student articulates this knowledge to another student or to the teacher at any stage of the Guided Comprehension Model (without being prompted by the teacher).

The student demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of this strategy.The student describes how they utilised the strategy to enhance their understanding of a text. The student gives reasons as to why the strategy was chosen. The student may offer this information voluntarily or be prompted by the teacher.

The student demonstrates a sound knowledge of the strategy and an ability to utilise the strategy independently to enhance their understanding of a text.

The student demonstrates an awareness of this strategy.The student can use this strategy with limited success.The student requires teacher assistance to utilise this strategy in order to enhance their understanding of a text.

Questioning The student volunteers an example of how they have effectively integrated this strategy with at least one other strategy. The student describes how they utilised the strategies simultaneously to enhance their understanding of a text.The student can articulate their reasoning for utilising these particular strategies.The student articulates this knowledge to another student or to the teacher at any stage of the Guided Comprehension Model (without being prompted by the teacher).




Monitoring The student volunteers an example of how they have effectively integrated this strategy with at least one other strategy. The student describes how they utilised the strategies simultaneously to enhance their understanding of a text.The student can articulate their reasoning for utilising these particular strategies.The student articulates this knowledge to another student or to the teacher at any stage of the Guided Comprehension Model (without being prompted by the teacher).




Visualising The student volunteers an example of how they have effectively integrated this strategy with at least one other strategy. The student describes how they utilised the strategies simultaneously to enhance their understanding of a text.The student can articulate their reasoning for utilising these particular strategies.The student articulates this knowledge to another student or to the teacher at any stage of the Guided Comprehension Model (without being prompted by the teacher).




Making Connections

The student volunteers an example of how they have effectively integrated this strategy with at least one other strategy. The student describes how they utilised the strategies simultaneously to enhance their understanding of a text.The student can articulate their reasoning for utilising these particular strategies.The student articulates this knowledge to another student or to the teacher at any stage of the Guided Comprehension Model (without being prompted by the teacher).




Summarising The student volunteers an example of how they have effectively integrated this strategy with at least one other strategy. The student describes how they utilised the strategies simultaneously to enhance their understanding of a text.The student can articulate their reasoning for utilising these particular strategies.The student articulates this knowledge to another student or to the teacher at any stage of the Guided Comprehension Model (without being prompted by the teacher).




Notes: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Content Overview Early Stage 2

‘Learning To’ Outcomes Students will be provided with opportunities to:

-listen for enjoyment and information - engage in activities that involve many structured speaking situations, e.g. reporting, describing, recounting, explaining, interviewing-listen and respond to a range of texts, e.g. respond to poems and stories, follow a series of instructions in order to complete a task, listen critically to a spoken presentation from peers-participate confidently in partner, small-group and whole-class discussion - speak to any audience drawn from the school or local community on a range of topics related to the school curriculum, personal and community interests

‘Learning About’ Outcomes Teachers Will:

-make explicit the purpose of a range of spoken texts-model how to structure spoken texts-organise the students to deliver spoken descriptions, recounts and procedures, identifying the main ideas or information to be presented-discuss with students how to adjust spoken language for different audiences, e.g. compare telling the same story to a friend or to the principal -talk about and explain the difference between standard and non-standard speech

Learning to Talk and Listen: Learning About Talking and Listening:

TS2.1 Talking and ListeningCommunicate in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum.

TS2.3 Context and TextIdentifies the effect of purpose and audience on spoken texts and distinguishes between different varieties of English.

TS2.2 Skills and StrategiesInteracts effectively in groups and pairs, adopting a range of roles, uses a variety of media and uses various listening strategies for different situations.

-listen for main idea and specific information-perform, giving consideration to voice and gesture to enhance meaning -use tone of speech appropriate to the audience -make constructive statements that agree/disagree with the issue -use group discussion strategies, e.g. turn-taking, asking appropriate questions, making constructive additions to others’ ideas -use a range of skills to enhance spoken presentations, e.g. plan and organise content of talk, use prompts, use body language and gesture effectively

TS2.4 Language Structures and FeaturesIdentifies common organisational patterns and some characteristic language features of a few types of predictable spoken texts.

-design activities to assist students to organise spoken texts, e.g. the setting of a story and the beginning of an interview introduce texts for listeners -explain to students how language is used for different purposes, e.g. to persuade an audience -design activities that assist students to use particular grammatical patterns, e.g. subject–verb and noun–pronoun agreement -discuss how gesture, facial expression, vocal quality and tone affect the meaning of a spoken text

Learning To Read: Learning About Reading:

RS2.5 Reading and Viewing TextsReads independently a wide range of texts on increasingly challenging topics and justifies own interpretation of ideas, information and events.

-read and respond to a wide range of written and visual literary and factual texts – including information and stories about other places, times and cultures – in daily shared, guided and independent reading activities, drawing on knowledge of topics to make inferences about ideas in the text e.g. respond to ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions

RS2.7 Context and TextDiscusses how writers relate to their readers in different ways, how they create a variety of worlds through language and how they use language to achieve a wide range of purposes.

-discuss how literary and factual texts such as narrative, poetry, drama, recount, report, explanation, procedure and discussion are organised according to purpose

RS2.6 Skills and StrategiesUses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies when reading and interpreting written texts.

-use a variety of self-correction strategies to identify unknown words in more complex texts-read fluently with expression after preparation -use grammatical information in shared and guided reading activities, -use a variety of graphological and phonological strategies to respond to text-use book handling and book knowledge skills with greater confidence, e.g. use table of contents to locate information, choose factual texts to find information -use computer software to find information, e.g. databases

RS2.8 Language Structures and FeaturesDiscusses the text structure of a range of text types and the grammatical features that are characteristic of those text types.

-design activities that enable students to recognise cohesive links in texts, e.g. pronouns and Features that refer back to particular people or things, and word chains -model how to identify the subject of a clause or simple sentence by asking who or what performed the action -point out to and discuss with students the use of quoted and reported speech in texts

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Learning To Write: Content Overview Early Stage 2 Learning About Writing:

WS2.9 Producing TextsDrafts, revises, proofreads and publishes well-structured texts that are more demanding in terms of topic, audience and written language features.

-jointly and independently construct a range of text types, e.g. narrative, procedure, response, recount, description and information report -write for a chosen audience, e.g. write letters to family or friends, real or imaginary -jointly alter a text to take into account different audiences -build knowledge of topic before writing by brainstorming and discussing to make reference lists for writing -label graphics accompanying their own texts

WS2.13 Context and TextDiscusses how own texts are adjusted to relate to different readers, how they develop the subject matter and how they serve a wide variety of purposes.

-draw students’ attention to the stages of text organisation in a variety of literary and factual material from books, media and electronic texts -talk about the different purposes and audiences of texts -make explicit how to research information from a variety of sources before writing by using pro formas with guide questions or headings

Skills and StrategiesWS2.10 -Produces texts clearly, effectively and accurately, using the sentence structure, grammatical features and punctuation conventions of the text type.WS2.11 Uses Knowledge of letter-sound correspondences, common letter patterns and a range of strategies to spell familiar and unfamiliar words.WS2.12

-prepare for writing, e.g. by planning text structure using pro formas -attempt to draft, proofread, and edit their own writing, e.g. circle or underline doubtful words for spelling and use dictionary to check -use knowledge of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs to improve their own writing -use knowledge of familiar letter patterns, spelling rules and common words when attempting to spell unknown words -use common punctuation such as full stops, capital letters, question marks and commas -use handwriting of consistent size and spacing in NSW Foundation Style -use computer software to produce texts, e.g. word processing programs.

WS2.14 Language Structures and FeaturesDiscusses how own texts have been structured to achieve their purpose and the grammatical features characteristic of the various text types used.

-make explicit the basic structure and grammar of a variety of text types including information report, procedure, recount, simple explanation and simple exposition -provide assistance to support the editing, proofreading and publishing of writing -explain spelling generalisations to students.

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Content Overview Later Stage 2

‘Learning To’ Outcomes Students will be provided with opportunities to:

-listen, for enjoyment and information, to a variety of less familiar written and factual texts-engage in a variety of structured speaking situations, e.g. reporting, describing, recounting, explaining, interviewing, entertaining and instructing -listen and respond to a range of text types, e.g. respond to new poems and more diverse literary texts read aloud or viewed, follow directions to a particular location, attempt to persuade others to a point of view -participate in partner, group and class discussion on a variety of less familiar topics, acting as a reporter to summarise the main ideas -address an audience drawn from the school and local community on a variety of less familiar and researched topics related to the curriculum -participate and reflect appropriately as an audience

‘Learning About’ Outcomes Teachers Will:

-talk about the ways in which the language features of texts vary according to context and purpose, eg how the language differs between a face-to-face conversation and a telephone conversation.-discuss with students how spoken texts vary according to different audiences, eg formal interaction with school principal versus informal interaction with friend -draw students’ attention to the differences between dialogue and monologue -help students to recognise the differences between school and home language, between standard and non-standard English, between idiomatic and literal language


TS2.1 Talking and ListeningCommunicate in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum.

TS2.3 Context and TextIdentifies the effect of purpose and audience on spoken texts and distinguishes between different varieties of English.

TS2.2 Skills and StrategiesInteracts effectively in groups and pairs, adopting a range of roles, uses a variety of media and uses various listening strategies for different situations.

- listen critically to spoken presentations from a variety of speakers -use tone of voice appropriate to the situation -use group discussion skills, e.g. rephrasing to clarify meaning, guiding discussion by taking on the role of group leader -assume the role of a character in retelling or discussing a narrative -use a range of skills to enhance spoken presentation, e.g. aids (such as posters, palm cards, costumes), effective body language and gesture

TS2.4 Language Structures and FeaturesIdentifies common organisational patterns and some characteristic language features of a few types of predictable spoken texts.

-help students to identify the stages and characteristics of a range of predictable spoken text types, e.g. telephone conversation, oral procedure, group work interaction, class discussion -encourage students to recognise common grammatical features of spoken language, e.g. use of evaluative language and modality in persuasion, different types of questions and responses -develop criteria with students for assessing oral presentations, e.g. content, structure, presentation -assist students to self-assess their use of expressive features, e.g. gesture, facial expression, voice quality

Learning To Read: Learning About Reading:

RS2.5 Reading and Viewing TextsReads independently a wide range of texts on increasingly challenging topics and justifies own interpretation of ideas, information and events.

-read and view a variety of more complex literary and factual texts including Australian literature or stories and information from other cultures or times for sustained periods-select a text for a specific purpose, e.g. to research a topic or to make something -justify inferences made about a text read or viewed, e.g. ‘The main character is selfish because ...’

RS2.7 Context and TextDiscusses how writers relate to their readers in different ways, how they create a variety of worlds through language and how they use language to achieve a wide range of purposes.

-draw students’ attention to the purpose and organisation of factual and literary texts being read in class-assist students to differentiate between different writing styles, e.g. the styles of different authors, objective and subjective language -enable students to select reading material relating to the purpose and topic, e.g. a procedure about making models, an information report on machines -point out symbolic meanings in a range of written and visual texts -encourage students to form opinions about texts they have viewed and read

RS2.6 Skills and StrategiesUses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies when reading and interpreting written texts.

-use a range of self-correction strategies when reading for meaning, e.g. rereading, reading on, pausing and subvocalising -read texts aloud, including poems and scripted drama, using pitch, pause and emphasis -use grammatical information in shared and guided reading activities, e.g. to identify words that show possibility or probability, or relationships signalled by conjunctions -use a variety of graphological and phonological strategies to respond to text, e.g. knowledge of homonyms and contractions and of irregular multisyllabic words -use skimming of text to find key words in order to make brief notes for relevant information -use headings to locate information when scanning text

RS2.8 Language Structures and FeaturesDiscusses the text structure of a range of text types and the grammatical features that are characteristic of those text types.

-model the structure of a range of texts, e.g. autobiography, narrative -draw students’ attention to features of written texts, e.g. cohesive links, reported and quoted speech -encourage students to identify relevant grammatical features in the texts they are reading, e.g. adverbial phrases at the beginning of sentences in narratives and recounts, modal verbs and adverbs in expositions, similes in poems -teach students how to use word-identification strategies, e.g. base words, suffixes, prefixes, homonyms, contractions -draws students’ attention to the conventions of poetry and their effects, e.g. form (e.g. haiku), rhyme, rhythm -demonstrate to students how punctuation is used in written language to organise text into manageable and meaningful segments -point out to students the different forms that visual information can take, e.g. maps, diagrams, animation, and teach students how to interpret these different forms

Learning To Write: Content Overview Later Stage 2 Learning About Writing:

WS2.9 Producing TextsDrafts, revises, proofreads and publishes well-structured texts that are more demanding in terms of topic, audience and written language features.

-jointly and independently construct a range of texts for different audiences and purposes, e.g. descriptions, recounts, procedures, narratives, poems, sequential explanations, personal responses, expositions -use a range of drafting strategies, e.g. note-taking, planning, organising headings, writing key words, revising, final drafting, editing, proofreading -write about both familiar and researched topics -work with a variety of forms, e.g. projects, letters, diagrams, posters, multimedia

WS2.13 Context and TextDiscusses how own texts are adjusted to relate to different readers, how they develop the subject matter and how they serve a wide variety of purposes.

-compare, with students, texts that are organised differently according to their purposes

-model how to adjust writing to suit the audience -talk with students about different topics that can be selected for writing (e.g. familiar/unfamiliar, everyday/technical, personal/objective) and about how to research to build knowledge about a topic

Skills and StrategiesWS2.10 -Produces texts clearly, effectively and accurately, using the sentence structure, grammatical features and punctuation conventions of the text type.WS2.11 Uses Knowledge of letter-sound correspondences, common letter patterns and a range of strategies to spell familiar and unfamiliar words.WS2.12

-write well-formed sentences using grammatical features that help to achieve the purpose of the text, e.g. reported and quoted speech in narratives, structure of noun group in information reports, past tense in recounts, use of relating verbs in descriptions, use of modality in expositions -use correct punctuation in published versions of their own writing, e.g. question marks, direct speech marks, commas and apostrophes for contractions -apply knowledge of spelling conventions and strategies to their own writing, especially when attempting unknown or difficult words -practise and consolidate handwriting that is consistent in form -write texts using the basic word processing functions.

WS2.14 Language Structures and FeaturesDiscusses how own texts have been structured to achieve their purpose and the grammatical features characteristic of the various text types used.

-help students to identify how each stage of a text contributes to the overall impact on the reader and how this impact can be adjusted and augmented, e.g. using the evaluation stage of narrative to build suspense -point out the grammatical features associated with different text types, e.g. text connectives to sequence explanations, noun groups to build up description in information reports -draw students’ attention to the way in which punctuation contributes to the meaning in texts, e.g. commas, semicolons, dashes, question marks, quotation marks.

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Content Overview Early Stage 3

‘Learning To’ Outcomes

-deliver a variety of oral presentations for more varied audiences-listen to more lengthy and challenging spoken texts, gleaning information and listening critically -use increasingly technical vocabulary in spoken texts and know how to clarify meaning for listeners -use strategies employed by effective listeners such as listening for the main idea and attending to the speaker

‘Learning About’ Outcomes

-model and discuss how spoken language differs from written language, and the purpose and audience of eachdiscuss types of language used in different situations, eg football field, restaurant, theatre -provide opportunities for students to engage in discussions and debates on news events and topical issues -provide opportunities for students to focus on word origins and their meanings


TS3.1 Talking and ListeningCommunicates effectively for a range of purposes and with a variety of audiences to express well-developed, well-organised ideas dealing with more challenging topics.

TS3.3 Context and TextDiscusses ways in which spoken language differs from written language and how spoken language varies according to different contexts.

TS3.2 Skills and StrategiesInteracts productively and with autonomy in pairs and groups of various sizes and composition, uses effective oral presentation skills and strategies and listens attentively.

-use a variety of speaking skills, adjusting tone of voice and information in response to a listener’s reaction -converse, debate and hypothesise about issues -use a variety of interaction skills -continue to develop listening skills -contribute to discussions on more abstract topics in pairs, small groups and class

TS3.4 Language Structures and FeaturesEvaluates the organisational patterns of some more challenging spoken texts and some characteristic language features.

-design activities for students to use spoken language to solve problems, elicit and respond to the views of others, clarify ideas and reflect on learning -encourage students to evaluate information for currency, point of view and appropriateness for intended audience -provide opportunities for students to reflect on their own spoken language use -provide students with the scaffolding to evaluate a speaker’s organisation and use of vocabulary

Learning To Read Learning About Reading

RS3.5 Reading and Viewing TextsReads independently a wide range of texts with increasing content demands and responds to themes and issues.

-Read and critically respond to a range of texts for a range of purposes, e.g. extended novels, more complex factual texts.-discuss how information is organised and presented differently in a variety of texts -read daily a wider range of texts (independently and in shared and guided reading)

RS3.7 Context and TextCritically Analyses techniques used by writers to create certain effects, to use language creatively, to position the reader in various ways and to construct different interpretations of experience.

-encourage students to read, analyse and evaluate information found in written and visual texts and justify their responses-draw students’ attention to how texts are organised according to purpose -explain the techniques used by writers to position a reader -encourage students to read widely and compare, discuss and justify different interpretations of texts read and/or viewed

RS3.6 Skills and StrategiesUses a comprehensive range of skills and strategies appropriate to the text type being read.

-consolidate the use of monitoring and self-correcting reading strategies such as rereading, reading on and using word-identification skills -use a variety of strategies such as skimming and scanning, and using contents and index, to find information on an unfamiliar topic in reference sources use grammatical information (such as reference links, synonyms, antonyms, adverbial phrases) appropriate to the text being read -access, record and present information in a variety of ways

RS3.8 Language Structures and FeaturesIdentifies the text structure of a wider range of more complex text types and discusses how the grammatical features work to influence readers’ and viewers’ understanding of texts.

-provide opportunities for students to view screenplays of novels, live theatre and performances, and draw students’ attention to the structure and grammatical features of these texts -draw students’ attention to mixed text types and discuss their structures -design activities for students to explore varieties of texts and their purposes -explain how the choice of grammar affects a reader’s or viewer’s interpretation of a text

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-design activities for students to explore the origins of words, particularly technical words -draw students’ attention to the themes of clauses in texts

Learning To Write Content Overview Early Stage 3 Learning About Writing

W3.9 Producing TextsProduces a wide range of well- structured and well-presented literary and factual texts for a wide variety of purposes and audiences using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and written language features.

-participate in frequent joint and independent activities to construct a wide range of literary and factual texts -consolidate skills in locating resources and accessing information in preparation for writing -produce a variety of texts, using a range of technology, for different audiences -produce texts with attention to design, layout and graphics

WS3.13 Context and TextCritically analyses own texts in terms of how well they have been written, how effectively they present the subject matter and how they influence the reader.

-structure activities so that students write a variety of texts for different purposes and audiences across a range of topics-provide opportunities for students to reflect, analyse and evaluate their own writing and that of others

Skills and StrategiesWS3.10 Uses knowledge of sentence structure, grammar and punctuation to edit own writing.WS3.11 Spells most common words accurately and uses a range of strategies to spell unfamiliar words.WS3.12Produces texts in a fluent and legible style and uses computer technology to present these effectively in a variety of ways.

-proofread their own texts for meaning, spelling and punctuation -use a variety of spelling resources and strategies to spell unfamiliar words -use correct structure, grammar and punctuation when producing texts -use variety of references to assist writing and editing -develop fluent NSW Foundation Style handwriting -experiment with computer technology to produce different texts.

WS3.14 Language Structures and FeaturesCritically evaluates how own texts have been structured to achieve their purpose and discusses ways of using related grammatical features and conventions of written language to shape readers’ and viewers’ understanding of texts.

-model the editing of writing for consistency of point of view, cohesive structure and appropriate use of language for the intended audience -assist students to identify the techniques used in argumentative and persuasive texts to influence the reader, and apply these to writing where appropriate -model ways of providing specific and constructive comments about their own writing and the writing of others during peer conferencing sessions -discuss with students how cohesive texts are constructed -model how to change the theme of a clause and discuss the effects of such changes, linking change in theme to the use of active and passive verbs -design activities for students to recognise how grammar is used in constructing effective texts.

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Content Overview Later Stage 3

‘Learning To’ Outcomes

-engage in a wide range of spoken texts for a variety of purposes, e.g. debates, interviews, explanations, anecdotes, recitations, and one-to-one, small group and large-group discussions.-explore creative ways of manipulating oral texts, e.g. unexpected structure, integration of multimedia, dramatic enactments -listen to a variety of text types presented by people of different ages, different language and cultural backgrounds, different roles in the school and community -interact with a range of audiences, e.g. peers, visitors, parents, community groups, with awareness of audience needs and interests

‘Learning About’ Outcomes-guide students to identify, select and justify their use of a range of oral texts to achieve specific purposes, e.g. telling jokes as part of a debate, using songs or dramatic presentation to persuade.-assist students to develop criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of particular spoken texts -ask students to reflect on how to refine their spoken texts in order to engage, entertain, influence or convince their audience -assist students to recognise the differences between spoken and written language and to apply this knowledge in their own texts


TS3.1 Talking and ListeningCommunicates effectively for a range of purposes and with a variety of audiences to express well-developed, well-organised ideas dealing with more challenging topics.

TS3.3 Context and TextDiscusses ways in which spoken language differs from written language and how spoken language varies according to different contexts.

TS3.2 Skills and StrategiesInteracts productively and with autonomy in pairs and groups of various sizes and composition, uses effective oral presentation skills and strategies and listens attentively.

-develop listening skills for identifying detail and summarising, e.g. note-taking, radio quiz -practise oral production skills, e.g. intonation, volume, pausing, articulation -refine interaction strategies, e.g. asking different types of questions, responding appropriately, clarifying, repairing breakdowns, taking conversation turns, introducing and developing topics, providing feedback and support for others, challenging ideas -develop oral presentation skills, e.g. using visual aids to support presentation, engaging audience, dealing with questions from the floor, speaking with clarity to a whole class, assembly or open day visitors -learn how to adjust spoken language according to formality of situation

TS3.4 Language Structures and FeaturesEvaluates the organisational patterns of some more challenging spoken texts and some characteristic language features.

-analyse with the students the features of more complex spoken texts, e.g. telephone appointments, formal debates, mock television panels -discuss how a knowledge of grammatical features can help when preparing oral presentations, e.g. colloquial language in an interview, predicting questions and preparing answers, using text connectives to guide listeners -provide students with a way of talking about presentation skills, such as body language, eye contact, voice quality

Learning To Read Learning About Reading

RS3.5 Reading and Viewing TextsReads independently a wide range of texts with increasing content demands and responds to themes and issues.

-select, read, interpret and use a wide variety of material with increasing autonomy, e.g. extended novels and information texts, video documentaries, multimedia and performance texts, graphic material, hypertext-read more demanding texts that contain increasing levels of technicality and abstraction

RS3.7 Context and TextCritically Analyses techniques used by writers to create certain effects, to use language creatively, to position the reader in various ways and to construct different interpretations of experience.

-discuss with students how the structure of a particular text type being read relates to its purpose and how readers can use their knowledge of text organisation to predict and extract meaning from texts.-talk about how authors always have a particular audience in mind, e.g. as students read texts, they identify the target audience -discuss with students how different texts treat the same subject matter, e.g. articles about a particular event from a range of

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newspapers and magazines -develop students’ critical and evaluative skills, e.g. effects of different camera angles, relative effectiveness of two or more related texts, different interpretations of the same text

RS3.6 Skills and StrategiesUses a comprehensive range of skills and strategies appropriate to the text type being read.

-access the meaning of increasingly challenging texts using a range of strategies such as predicting, rereading, reviewing, making notes, skimming, scanning, reading on -adjust reading strategies according to the type of text and its purpose -develop skills in word identification through applying knowledge of word origins and word building -recognise how grammatical features help to build up the meaning of texts, e.g. reference links, word chains, adverbial and adjectival phrases, evaluative language -develop higher order skills in decoding texts and accessing visual information -read aloud with appropriate expression, pause and emphasis -consolidate information skills, e.g. tools for locating resources in CD-ROMs, the Internet, encyclopaedias

RS3.8 Language Structures and FeaturesIdentifies the text structure of a wider range of more complex text types and discusses how the grammatical features work to influence readers’ and viewers’ understanding of texts.

-investigate with students the text structures of a range of more complex texts to determine how text organisation contributes to the achievement of text purpose -talk about how authors employ grammatical features to achieve the purposes of their texts, e.g. organising texts predictably, using text connectives, using topic sentences, using subheadings, previewing what is to come and summarising what has been said, using the passive voice to maintain the information focus in reports and explanations, using noun groups to condense information -discuss the conventions of a range of complex text types, e.g. acts and stage directions in plays, literary devices in poems and stories, layout conventions in print and electronic texts

Learning To Write Content Overview Later Stage 3 Learning About Writing

W3.9 Producing TextsProduces a wide range of well- structured and well-presented literary and factual texts for a wide variety of purposes and audiences using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and written language features.

-produce well-planned, coherent, extended texts by applying knowledge about the writing process, e.g.. researching, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, structuring paragraphs -write and creatively manipulate a range of text types to more sophisticated levels, e.g. researched historical recounts, detailed descriptions, sustained arguments and discussions with evidence, responses to artworks, multimedia projects -relate to audiences through subtle use of language, e.g. humour, modality, irony -write texts that deal with more complex and detailed subject matter to high levels of technicality and abstraction -combine various channels of communication in multimedia texts, e.g. poetry, dramatic performance, business letters, diagrams, illustrations

WS3.13 Context and TextCritically analyses own texts in terms of how well they have been written, how effectively they present the subject matter and how they influence the reader.

-model how to reflect on written texts in order to enhance the quality of their own writing, e.g. use of organisational patterns to influence readers, use of literary devices to enhance stories and poems, techniques for taking into account the interests and needs of audiences, strategies for selecting and working with a range of topics-teach students to reflect critically on the effectiveness of their own writing, e.g. how entertaining their stories are, whether their explanations are clear, how easy it is to retrieve information from their information reports

Skills and StrategiesWS3.10 Uses knowledge of sentence structure, grammar and punctuation to edit own writing.WS3.11 Spells most common words accurately and uses a range of

-gain control over a comprehensive range of grammatical features and punctuation that contribute to the purpose, meaning and clarity of texts -apply knowledge of spelling conventions and strategies to ensure a high level of spelling accuracy -experiment with personal handwriting style to enhance fluency, speed, legibility and appeal -consolidate computer skills when using a range of computer

WS3.14 Language Structures and FeaturesCritically evaluates how own texts have been structured to achieve their purpose and discusses ways of using related grammatical features and conventions of written language to shape readers’ and viewers’ understanding of texts.

-initiate discussions about the structure, grammatical features and conventions in written texts with the view to students applying this knowledge in their own writing, eg the use of dependent clauses to add detail, the use of adjectives and adjectival clauses to build character in narratives, how the elements of a clause are ordered to facilitate the flow of the text, how effective punctuation enhances readability.

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strategies to spell unfamiliar words.WS3.12Produces texts in a fluent and legible style and uses computer technology to present these effectively in a variety of ways.

software and applications, e.g. tables, borders and graphics, word processors, authoring software, web pages.

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Resources:

-NSW Department of Education and Training: Teaching comprehension strategies Booklet (Materials originally developed as part of the Focus on Reading 3-6 Program) 2010

-NSW Department of Education and Training: An introduction to quality literacy teaching 2009

-Board of Studies: NSW English Syllabus K-6 2006

-Revisit, Reflect, Retell: Time-tested strategies for teaching comprehension Linda Hoyt Heinemann 2009

-Guided Comprehension: A teaching model for grades 3-8 Maureen Mc Laughlin & Mary Beth Allen International Reading Association 2002

-Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement John Hattie Routledge 2009

-Cover Image on booklet and slide by La’ma: Flickr.com

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Image References / Links From Power Point Display

Image One Image Two Image Three Image Four

www.flickr.com/photos/photoactive www.flickr.com/photos/marcarambr www.flickr.com/photos/kma_images www.flickr.com/photos/arndalarm

Image Eight Image Nine Image Ten Image Elevenwww.flickr.com/photos/studyjunkie/ www.flickr.com/photos/modcustomjewelry www.flickr.com/photos/skvidal Search Matt Hyatt www.flickr.com

Image Fifteen Image Sixteen Image Seventeen Image Eighteenwww.flickr.com/photos/zakmilofsky http://www.flickr.com/photos/

10189535@N02/ www.flickr.com/photos/jonbeard www.flickr.com/photos/juk

Image Twenty-Two Image Twenty-Three Image Twenty-Four Image Twenty-Fivewww.flickr.com/photos/40823283@N08

www.flickr.com/photos/jaredchapman/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/49374264@N00/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/vblibrary/

Image Five Image Six Image Seven

www.flickr.com/photos/bizzarro www.flickr.com/photos/judybaxter Creative Commons / Unknown Creatorwww.flickr.com

Image Twelve Image Thirteen Image Fourteenwww.flickr.com/photos/encouragement www.flickr.com/photos/suesue2 www.flickr.com/photos/wolfy/

Image Nineteen Image Twenty Image Twenty-Onewww.flickr.com/photos/plunder/ www.flickr.com/photos/picture-perfect-designs-jewelry www.flickr.com/photos/30956560@N00/

Image Twenty-Six Image Twenty-Seven Image Twenty-Eight

www.flickr.com/photos/ystenes/ www.flickr.com/photos/39879576@N02/ www.flickr.com/photos/ssaresky/

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssaresky/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39879576@N02/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ystenes/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/picture-perfect-designs-jewelry

http://www.flickr.com/photos/plunder/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfy/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suesue2

http://www.flickr.com/photos/encouragement

http://www.flickr.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/judybaxter

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bizzarro

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vblibrary/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vblibrary/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaredchapman/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40823283@N08

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40823283@N08

http://www.flickr.com/photos/juk

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonbeard



http://www.flickr.com/photos/zakmilofsky

http://www.flickr.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skvidal

http://www.flickr.com/photos/modcustomjewelry

http://www.flickr.com/photos/studyjunkie/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arndalarm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arndalarm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kma_images

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcarambr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/photoactive

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