WSRA DAY 1
Michael Ford- keynote
Discussion of the new books out for 2011.
My Heart is Like a Zoo a book with similes
Mockingbird by Katheryn Erkskine (girl with Asberger’s who lost her brother).
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
The Line by Teri Hali (Hall)
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool Reading historical documents to discover information about people’s lives during the Depression.
Children learn to read when their conditions are right. Conditions will be right when their relationship is good with their teachers.
Suzanne Collins books Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay
Alfie Kohn You can’t make students do things. All you can do is make a culture to allow those who want to be able to.
Minutes reading Words read Percentile
3.9 134 20
12.9 601 50
40.4 2357 90
For those reading 1 minute a day, increase their reading by 10 minutes a day will improve their learning more than those who are already reading 20 minutes a day.
Get the kids involved with more self evaluation!!!
“Were my goals met?” “How do I feel about that?”
MOTION vs. ACTION
TIGER MOMs article in TIME
Praise for their ability vs. praise for the effort.
CAROL DWECK: When praised for effort, kids were more likely to try again.
Prez Obama: Success is a product of hard work (from State of union)
Ben Franklin: Never confuse motion with action
Mike Schmoker and Carol Ann Tomlinson discuss differentiated instruction
Must relook at what we are doing in whole group, universal instruction. Sending kids out is motion, what is the action happening in the classroom?
Common Core Standards: (esp. standard 10) Read fifth grade material proficiently at end of fifth grade.
Must have a growth mindset (both teachers and students) to get the best growth. Business models show there is no best way to do an activity for everyone. MUST be willing to grow and rely.
RtI Panel Discussion: Successful Approaches from Multiple Perspectives
RtI is something you do, not something you buy. Research clearly show, there is no “magic bullet” materials to buy, rather it is the teacher who can make this difference.
Federal Law has changed to restate, children need to have appropriate instruction before any referral. Children cannot be instructionally disabled. This is a soft science. RtI must be ready to be used in 2014. The current model overpopulated with children who shouldn’t be there. We must understands the law and the intent. The Federal Law and Register state: Children must have access to good teaching. The ability to know if the child is learning, and alter the approaches if they aren’t is mandatory. A critical hallmark is if data is collected analyzed, and communication is open between school and home.
Lisa Blackwell (2 year study of middle school kids)
Motivation with student learning (Michael Ford shard this morning motion vs action)
“What motivates students to seek new challenges, visions?”
There are no unmotivated babies, so what goes wrong? They try and try, fall down, get up, keep reaching for the unreachable toy.
Entity Theory Intelligence is fixed, your performances are a result of this fixed measure
“When I do my school work, I want to show how smart I am”
“When I work hard at understanding, it makes me feel worse”
“I will spend less time on my school work from now on”
“I will cheat the next time to do better”
Incremental Theory Intelligence is malleable, able to be developed and cultivated.
“I want to learn”
“I will work harder, be more motivated”
Student achievement
Growth mindset
Fixed mindset
Growth Mindset –> Success
I can get smarter, learning is my goal
New nerve cells are made when we are learning, so this may be true! (Brain Plasticity theory)
Big impact on motivation. What if I try hard and don’t perform well? What does that say about me as a learner? (Ford talked about praise of brains vs praise of effort this morning.)
Skilled Reader (Fixed Mindset) (Growth Mindset)
Vocabulary (too hard for me) (I will learn these words and keep at it), Fluency (don’t want to do it) (Take my time and this is a challenge), Comprehension (I don’t want to do it, I am stupid) (I have a lot to learn), Automaticity in word recognition (messing up, stupid, won’t do it brings about faking it and avoidance) (I can learn it)
What can educators do?
1. Create a risk-tolerant classroom environment
a. Model risk taking moves (show them how to take risks and make mistakes)
b. Give them space to begin (think, pair, share, ticket at the door, anticipatory set)
c. Emphasize learning, not perfection
Risk intolerant Risk Tolerant
Ask students to take a guess, but mark off points for incorrect answers
Ask students to speak in front of the class without preparation Record guesses, later explain the differences to see how guesses could be improved
Practice in small groups with a rubric
2. Growth Feedback Research
a. 5th Graders given easy task to solve, praise was given “Intelligence” score vs. “effort” score. EFFORT group more willing to try a harder task. Then, harder puzzle was given, and the kids with intelligence praise scored lower, effort group scored higher. Intelligence group, lied to others about their low results (even though they knew the results).
b. High risk if it is intelligence mindset is evident.
Brain Rangel (Literacy Coach)
Comprehensive Systems Approach: Research says teachers are the key, so professional development and collaboration must be built in.
Grade-Level Team Meetings during the day are a must (we have these) to have professional discussions
Vertical Meetings Once a month allow teachers to work up and down with each other
Intervention Team Meetings Quarterly to discuss about kids with needs, or in need of help. Emergency meetings available in mornings to meet as needed
Collaborative Conferences Brief 2 minute what to watch for, specialist meets with child, meet to discuss
Cluster Visits Go into another teachers classroom to discuss their approaches
“Classroom teachers are experts and should share with others to help improve the environment” (some of our staff feel “who are you to tell me what to do?)
I NEED THIS CHART Degree of intensity/ Layers of support chart (layering sheet)
A portfolio of interventions that meet diverse needs of kids
1. Clearly defined literacy blocks!!!
2. Structured routines
3. Congruency across classroom and supplemental programs
READING WORKSHOP
Mini lesson
Small group work
Workshop projects
Writing about reading
Conferencing with teacher
Share time
Supplemental Tiers (Guided Reading Plus, Writing Aloud, with special help from outside teacher)
Universal Reading program for all students
Lit group discussions, individual conferences, reading response prompts
Portfolio of interventions is the next tier
Progress monitoring chart lists reading levels, second tier, and then back into classroom
Dr. Donna Scanlon (she has an approach to share, Reading Department at the Univ. New York)
Interactive Strategies Approach to Preventing and Remediating Reading Difficulties (ISA)
1. Approach, not a program to gain success
2. Emphasizes teacher knowlegdes and decision making
3. Encourage responsive and comprehensive instruction
4. Draws on and builds from the extensive theoretical and empirical literature that informa early literacy instructions
5. Emphasizes importance of self regulated learners
6. Evolved from studies by enhancing quality of instr. at early grades
a. Study 1 (1996) designed to compare struggling readers with one to one interventions and improvements made. Not effective for all struggling kids, mainly because of phonemic losses (sort of a backwards tier approach to RtI) It’s not cost effective to met with kids one to one!
b. Study 2 (2005) two major parts: PART ONE: Identify Kindergarten kids at risk, place in small groups (3 kids 30 minutes twice a week Oct-May). Less first grades with reading difficulties PART 2: In first grade, more intervention was supplied with Text emphasis, Phonological skills, or control group. Kids in bottom 15th percentile were very low after the approach. Originally all kids in the test were below: after the test, 5%, 0%, 7%. In control group percentile was much higher. Kids in top 50th percentile showed growth as well, but not as much.
Studies show kindergarten interventions make sense and should be sought after.
Dr. Peter Johnston (Dept of Reading Univ of New York out of New Zealand)
(Donalyn Miller-esque) No assigned reading, only reading according to their interests. Older kids are introducing younger kids to edgy fiction, trying to turn the kids onto reading. 2008-2001 academic year 3 books a year to 40 books a year. Also, students have increased the amount of kids talking about the books out outside of school. Teachers need to instruct less to get out of the way of the reading. Students are improving in spite of less instruction. (have my students do book talks to show the other kids about the books)
Student Anecdotal Notes
Mikayla went from not passing the state test, to high achievements. She came from a broken home and is determined not to do drugs, hit her kids, or let her mom take care of her children when she has them.
Quinten doesn’t just react, thinks about his behavior before he acts. Doesn’t have time to get in trouble, rather read than sit in trouble
??? She shared the book with a bunch of friends. Reading is starting to invade their other classes. They are watching peers finish the book so she could talk about it with her.
A big change occurs, with really a little change in instruction. Change in the way kids are reading books. They want to share the book. This is a change of comprehension and social attitude with the books. Kids are forming learning communities with reading. (Fable Haven, Skeleton Creek (Kamen), Percy Jackson, Diary of Wimpy Kid groups).
Barbara Taylor, Linda Dorn (couldn’t get in)
Deepening Comprehension through Talking about Literature
Use Multiple Sources
The more you know the tougher it gets to hold just an opinion.
Journey of Thought
What big ideas to do you to develop?
How will each source grow those ideas?
Do you go from topic to issue?
Ben Franklin Exapmle
Create a web for teh topic, then with each new book add ideas with a new color. Add outside findings with post it notes. Add colored checkmarks for repeated ideas that are duplicated to show concepts that are found often.
TEXT SET IDEAS
Articles of coyote
Pictures books of coyotes eating shep
Videos from youTube
Political cartoons
Richard Allington
To help struggling reader’s we must double or triple the amount of reading growth to catch them up.
Need to intergrate phoics into the classroom, using nonsense syllable programs does not work. It is “educational malpractice”.
The quality of the teacher in the classroom is the most importanta factor in reading growth (Pianta 2007, Nye 2004)
Paraprofessionals have the best opportunity to be successful when the teacher plans the lesson and works directly to monitor the work.
Interventions Must be All Day
30-90 sec lessons reading long with one to one help.
There are no RtI studies after 3rd grade, most are of K-2 successes.
Must have smaller goup, with a competent teacher to show gains.
8 studies prove 1 to 1 intervention groups are needed to achieve success.
High success reading is 99% accuracy witrh 90% comprehension.
DAY 2 WSRA 2011
Tony Evers — State Superintendent
Phasing out WKCE, building a new multi-state testing system, as well as many other mandates have been started during his 1 ½ year tenure as State Superintendent. Need to increase the amount of credits to high school graduates. Currently, it is the lowest in the nation.
“Fair funding for the future”, is the new program to repair the broken school funding system.
50-60 new legislators this year, let’s get them into the schools. Show them what is needed to succeed.
Dr. Steven Layne — Confessions of a Reading Arsonist
(Judson University)
Fire, on a crisp evening, smelling the leaves, and sparklers gives a powerful image. Kids know 911. Girls call 911, Boys pull fire alarms. The tiniest spark can become flame. Igniting a passion for reading is his book. Starting fires for the passion of reading is Layne’s love. Layne is a reading arsonist, trying to start fires for reading.
1. Bonfire:
Need to prepare to light the bonfire. We must have the right equipment in place to start the fire. The librarian is a main component in starting the bonfire.
Kids do not know how to “shop” for books. Some kids can find any book and love the books. Others need to know how to preview the books so they can successfully shop for books. Previewing includes: Dedication page, looking at reviews, why is the picture on the cover inside the book, or why is it not, where is the summary…
Bring down the “someday” book list, and shop in the library for books. The librarians need to place the books on the tables so we see a sea of books, not a sea of spines.
This Side of Paradise: The Price of Perfection has Skyrocketed is Layne’s best awarded book. A sequel is out Paradise Lost
2. Flash Fire
They occur suddenly, when combustible material lights up and BOOM we have fire.
Reading kids books, and only kids books, can help ignite a passion for reading. Put out signs to show what kids book you are reading. The bus driver matters! She gave a presentation about what she read. These combustibles came together (librarian “the hero” and a book). We are all heroes to kids, we must know that we are. If you breathe and work in the school, you are a hero to someone!
3. Wildfire
A wildfire is an uncontrollable fire, engulfing everyone and everything around.
Mergers, is a book about a horrible society that attempts to eliminate differences and race. It was the merger that happened long ago to stop the diversity in a society. The main characters are together with the evil Senator and they must die, since they are of different race.
After a book chat with a middle school group, the ENTIRE school wanted copies of the book, teachers requested copies of everyone. “We will never get the entire population a library book by the end of the year. We must get a copy for every kid.”
Hand a kid a lighter
“I thought of you” are words we MUST say to kids. Present reluctant readers with books and the outcomes will be amazing! The boy with horrible parents was given a Navy Seals book, and he was so grateful. IF you can’t buy books for every kid, should you buy them for no kid? You can be the spark in some child’s life. Get a book to that child, “I thought of you with this book”.
“Crystal Apples” by Sara Holbrook
Busy hands cannot be troubles with trophies.
Bruce Lansky – How to Turn Kids into Poet Readers
“Giggle Poetry” One of the top poetry sites for kids
Ways to have fun with Poetry, We are going on an adventure. Immersion strategy: just like learning a foreign language. We are going to be dropped into the middle of a poem and we are going to have to get out of the poem.
Immersion
Poetry is a great way to learn reading, poetry-telepathy due to the rhythm and rhyme of the poetry helps gives clues to how the poem should work.
“Bad Hair Day Rap Poem” Must snap the rhythm, and figure out the last word in the line. 60% cannot figure out the last line. Consonant and vowels both rhyme for a true rhyme.
Receive the Words via Poem telepathy
“My Baby Brother” with motions to help kids figure out the end rhyme or last line.
“Violin”, “Sniffles” many poems to choose from for immersion
Motion
“Yankee Doodle” Animal poetry to have motions, noises and end rhyme fill in the blank.
Element of Surprise
“Poorly Dressed” is a fake out poem for a dog.
“Swimming Pool” by Ken Nesbitt
Write the words on an imaginary board using a clicky pen.
“Ned Knot was Shot” poem brings two people up to be tapped one to be Shot, one to be Knot. Ask who was shot, take volunteers to see who was shot.
Then hold a poetry race with “Betty Blotter” oral reading. Make one child race, then let another child read with expression to comprehend the poem.
Group Reading (Groups or Trios)
“How to Torture Your Students” in response to “How to Torture Your Teacher”
A choral reading for 9 readers
“Turn off the TV” poem requires a Mom, Dad and child. Child reads connecting parts.
“Giggle Poetry” for Poetry Theater for the kids to read with fluency with practice
Dramatic Practice
“Grandma’s Kisses” by Jeff Moss
Having a Grandma mime to act out the wonderful voices
Students are the directors to say “Lights, Camera, Action” and “Cut” and kiss noise at the end.
Poetry Singing, connecting music with poetry
“Homework, oh Homework” by Jack Perlutsky sung to the tune of “On Top of Spaghetti”
Now, change the premise to loving homework… a dog loving homework.
Finally, a poem of eating cookies “Adventures of an Oreo Cookie Monster”
Mary Howard
1. Read Alouds
Must do a lot of read alouds, short read alouds to start off the lesson. Once the reading is done, put up an anchor chart to guide them, must be used to anchor the learning for kids. It contains the skill, sample or strategy to help them. Use this as a way to revisit what they have learned. Personal anchor cards can be used to give the kids an overview of what is needed to be learned.
2. Demonstration
Modeling needs to be done more than it is being done currently. Think aloud, demonstration, coaching, and supporting the kids. Being a coach is also being a cheerleader for the kids, with the goal of independence. Prompting gives the kids the strategy needed, when appropriate. Feedback allows kids to have immediate, context dependent feedback of what they just did.
Fishbowl Model: Sitting in a circle, knee to knee, in the power position. Compliment the reader with a “reflect and respond” group they just watched. What did you see, hear and what do you think? 3-5 minutes of watching the group perform. Reading compliment chart can be used (reading was smooth, I liked the way you used the pictures, I liked the way your voice went up, I liked when your voice got softer, you read well, I like to listen to your voice). Focus on quality of reading, not the time (quantity) of reading. Two children, teacher and child, small group, whatever it is you want to work on.
3. Acceleration
We must read many books to gain the understanding within many texts. “Tick, tock” philosophy means time matters. We only have a certain time, for struggling readers, they need us to hurry so they can read the books and not fall further behind.
The size of the group matters for learning. Optimal small group size is 3, not more than 5!
We must increase the amount of time we are meeting with kids who are struggling.
Increase the quality of the opportunities for kids. Good instruction must have kids feeling successful when they leave the table.
“Quick Takes” Be quiet and reflect about what the kids are doing. Get to the struggling reader every day. Word work, response to reading, listen to them reading. It’s not the amount of time, but the quality of the time.
4. Individualization
Do not get rid of the small group work.
50% goal: 50% of your time is sacred small group work. 60 minutes of 90 minutes reading block should be spent in side by side. Only 10 minutes on whole group.
Choices for kids to choose what they read. Levels are for us, not for the kids. Kids need to be taught and taught again how to pick an appropriate book.
Spelling: “Wall cards” are the words the kids need. No better place to take kids spelling words than from their writing. Must engage the kids in the process of picking what they’re learning.
5. Participation
They must be able to participate in meaning reading. Engaging literacy events are reading books you are excited about reading and talking about them.
Read, Write, Talk THAT IS IT BABY!
Find out what the good readers are doing, and do that. Good readers read in the summer!
6. Application
Not teaching skills in isolation, but using those skills. Must increase the amount of meaningful reading
After independent reading “Take two, Buddy up” and share what you read about. Two minutes to find what you are going to share, about a skill you picked or a fun part, or a read aloud.
7. Repetition
Have repetition with a purpose. Rereading a book isn’t repetition with a purpose. Multiple exposures in multiple contexts over time is what is needed. Tape them reading out loud. Make a friendly folder that shows what they can read in a friendly environment.
8. Exploration
Must have many books at many levels, it is independent reading level library. Must be organized so books can be found easily. “Daily Word Basket” so kids can find words from the day. 60 seconds to review the words.
3 by 3: You have 3 minutes to tell 3 people what made you smarter with this topic.
9. Collaboration
Time to work with peers, and time for talking and opportunities to talk with peers will allow growth.
Information Rebound: Sitting in the power position, with different books, Find the goal lesson for the day, and explain it to a partner. Now the listener restates the point and adds a detail.
10. Integration
Across the curriculum means we are reading teachers all day long. The life strategy means teaching them to take notes, post it notes, or another way to learn. Make “anchor cards” to have kids share what they have learned. Not sentences, but phrases of what they have learned.
11. Coordination
Know your students well enough to know what they need.
12. Motivation
Having inspiration and feeling success allows them to feel good about what they do.
Public means Perfect!
We must put kids first.
