reading-writing connections - heinemann

IT’S All ABOUTCOMPREHENSIONTEACHING K-3 READERS FROM THE GROUND UP

FACILITATOR’SCOMPREHENSIVEGUIDE

Sharon Taberskiwith Rosanne L. Kurstedt

HEINEMANN PORTSMOUTH, NH

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Heinemann361 Hanover StreetPortsmouth, NH 03801-3912www.heinemann.com

Offices and agents throughout the world

© 2009 by Sharon Taberski

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic ormechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission inwriting from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review; withthe exception of the reproducibles (identified by the It’s ALL About Comprehension: Facilitator’sComprehensive Guide copyright line), which may be photocopied for classroom use.

The author and publisher wish to thank those who have generously given permission toreprint borrowed material:

“Dedicated to Teachers”is a trademark of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-325-01381-7

Writer: Rosanne L. Kurstedt, PhDEditor: Wendy MurrayVideo Producer: Pip ClewsProduction: Patty AdamsCover design: Judy ArismanCover photograph: Peter CunninghamInterior design: Jenny Jensen GreenleafTypesetter: Gina Poirier DesignManufacturing: Louise Richardson

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper13 12 11 10 09 VP 1 2 3 4 5

Excerpt from Awesome Facts About Sharks by ClaireLlewellyn. Copyright © 2001 by Claire Llewellyn.Published by Flying Frog Publishing. Reproduced bypermission of Aladdin Books Ltd, PO Box 53987,London SW15 2SF, United Kingdom.

Excerpt from The Bravest Dog Ever by NatalieStandiford and Donald Cook. Copyright © 1989 byNatalie Standiford. Illustrations copyright © 1989 byDonald Cook. Published by Random HouseChildren’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

From “Buffalo Before Breakfast”; Magic Tree House ™Series; 18. Text copyright © 1999 by Mary PopeOsborne. Published by Random House. Reproducedby permission of Brandt and Hochman LiteraryAgents, Inc.

Excerpt from The Chicken-Chasing Queen of LamarCounty by Janice Harrington and Shelley Jackson.Text copyright © 2007 by Janice Harrington.Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Shelley Jackson.

Reproduced by permission of Farrar, Straus andGiroux, LLC.

Excerpt from The Chicken Sisters by Laura Numeroff.Copyright © 1997 by Laura Numeroff. Published byHarperCollins Publishers. Reproduced by permissionof the publisher.

Excerpt from Cornelius by Leo Lionni. Copyright ©1983 by Leo Lionni. Published by Alfred A. Knopf,Inc. Reproduced by permission of Nora Lionni.

Excerpt from Could We be Friends?: Poems for Pals byBobbi Katz and Joung UN Kim.Text copyright © 1997by Bobbi Katz. Illustrations copyright © 1997 by JoungUN Kim. Published by Mondo Publishing.Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

Excerpt from Duck and Hen by Joy Cowley and TonyStoddard. Text copyright © 1996 by Joy Cowley.Illustrations copyright © 1996 by Tony Stoddard.Published by Wright Group/McGraw-Hill. Reprintedby permission of the author.

continues on page 146

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Contents

CONTENTS III

Acknowledgments...................................................................................................v

PART 1: GET READY

Planning Your It’s ALL About Comprehension Staff Development ......1

Overview of the Resource.......................................................................................4Get the Back Story: Understanding the Video Context ..................................4

The Five Teaching Strands .........................................................................4How this Video Resource Was Developed ...............................................7Video Backdrop: A Workshop Model .......................................................9A Description of the Resources and Reproducibles................................9Suggested Organization for Staff Development Sessions.....................21A Sample Session .....................................................................................22Session Evaluation Questions .................................................................25Supporting Teachers in Their Classroom................................................26

PART 2: GO

Implementing It’s ALL About Comprehension Staff Development ....27

Key to Strand Icons and Instructional Components Icons ...............................30Overview of the Strands ........................................................................................31Model Lesson.........................................................................................................33Option 1: Moving Through the Strands ..............................................................34Option 2: Moving Through the Instructional Components...............................35

Accurate Fluent Reading ...................................................................................39Featured Conference: Madelyn: The Power of Spelling Patterns 43Lessons in Action: Ryan: Punctuation Enhances Meaning 44Whole-Part-Whole Teaching with Big Books 45 • Connor: Building Fluency in Reading and Writing 46 • Building Students’Spelling Pattern Knowledge 48 • Maria: Assessing and Celebrating Growth 49Exploring –ed Endings 50 • Exploring To, Two, and Too in Context 51Lydia: Fluency Development from Fall to Spring 52 • Discussion Questions 53 • Reading Behaviors 54 • Teaching Strategies 55

Background Knowledge ................................................................................... 57Featured Conference: Peter: Delighting in Students’Expertise 60Lessons in Action: Connecting the Known to New 61 • Abby and Julie:Learning More About Ladybugs 62 • Isis: Stop, Look, and Learn 63Peter: Just-Right Books Make All the Difference 64 • ConsolidatingUnderstandings with Fact Logs 65 • Discussion Questions 66Reading Behaviors 67 • Teaching Strategies 68

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iv CONTENTS

Oral Language and Vocabulary....................................................................... 71Featured Conference: Olivia: Choosing Books by Heart 74Lessons in Action: Vocabulary Work with a Light Touch 75Linking Word Work to Students’Reading 76 • Exploring Prefixes 77Nurturing Oral Language in Small Groups 78 • Using the Power ofDialogue 79 • Discussion Questions 80 • Reading Behaviors 81Teaching Strategies 82

Reading-Writing Connections .........................................................................85Featured Conference: Lucas: Favorite Books Inform Writing 89Lessons in Action: Erin and Olivia: Finding Topics You Love 90Rereading Writing to Check for Meaning 91 • Ben: Using Pictures in Reading and Writing 92 • Elaborating on Ideas 93 • Maria: BlendingFiction and Information Text 94 • Webster: Hard Work Pays Off 95Discussion Questions 96 • Reading and Writing Behaviors 97Teaching Strategies 98

Repertoire of Strategies ....................................................................................101Featured Conference: Jude: Building a Comfort Level with Fiction 105Strategies: Ask Questions and Wonder 106 • Set a Purpose forReading 107 • Access and Use Prior Knowledge 109 • Visualize to Experience 110 • Consider Text Structure 111 • Summarize toDetermine Importance 112

PART 3: RESOURCES

Resources at the Ready to Enhance Your Staff Development ..............115

Five Principles of Effective Staff Development ..................................................118Leading Professional Conversations ...................................................................119Needs Assessment: Understanding Your Setting ..............................................120Questions to Assess the Group’s Needs ............................................................122Example of a Completed Session Planning Sheet:

Accurate Fluent Reading....................................................................................124Session Planning Sheet (blank form).................................................................126Noticing, Thinking, and Wondering Guide........................................................128Follow-Up Sheet ..................................................................................................129It’s ALL About Comprehension Reflective Journal ...............................................130Stages of Reading Development .........................................................................132Matching Children with Just-Right Books for

Independent Reading......................................................................................133Book Collections to Support Comprehension

Strategy Demonstrations ................................................................................135Reading Logs ........................................................................................................136Response Sheets....................................................................................................141Main Events ..........................................................................................................144Building and Using Background Knowledge.....................................................145

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GOImplementing It’s ALL About Comprehension Staff Development

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Key to Strand Icons and Instructional Components IconsSTRAND ICONS

Accurate Fluent Reading

Oral Language and Vocabulary

Background Knowledge

Reading-Writing Connections

Repertoire of Strategies

Ask Questions and Wonder

Set a Purpose for Reading

Access and Use Prior Knowledge

Visualize to Understand

Consider Text Structure

Summarize to Determine Importance

INSTRUCTIONAL COMPONENTS*

Reading Conference

Shared Reading

Guided Reading

Writing Conference

Mini-Lesson

Share

Read-Aloud

Whole-Class Lesson

Literature Circle

Small-Group Lesson

* Please note that some of the Lessons in Action have two instructional components, indicated by a double icon.

30 IT’S ALL ABOUT COMPREHENSION • FACILITATOR’S COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

It’s ALL About Comprehension: Facilitator’s Comprehensive Guide © 2009 by Sharon Taberski (Heinemann:Portsmouth, NH).

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Implementing 31

Overview of the Strands


Fluency has been defined in many ways from reading rate, to word accuracy, toa complex process that includes rate, expression, and of course comprehension.Concepts of print, reading right to left, letter-sound correspondence, spellingpatterns, knowing about language, knowing the rhythm of language, knowinggenre characteristics, knowing about story patterns, and reading books that areof interest to them all contribute to students’ ability to become accurate fluentreaders. By providing students with specific and explicit strategies, plenty ofmodels, and plenty of practice, we introduce them to the wonderful experienceof reading.

Because we want students to read words with appropriate speed, intonation,and stress so that they understand what they’re reading, we must explicitlyteach students behaviors that will support accurate fluent reading. We wantthem to laugh at the funny parts and be moved to tears when things go badlyfor the characters. We want our young readers to learn new information aboutthe world and ultimately about themselves.To achieve this level of engagementand understanding, they have to develop accurate fluent reading—as it haseverything to do with comprehension.

Background Knowledge

Background knowledge in this strand refers to the knowledge of the naturalworld that readers bring to text. It’s their firsthand experiences, the informa-tion they’ve acquired through reading and content-area studies, and the atti-tudes and opinions they hold. Because learning is actually about connectingwhat we know with what we’re learning, background knowledge plays a crit-ical role in children’s reading success. The more a child knows about a topic,the easier it is to read, understand, and remember the important ideas. Newinformation gets integrated into the child’s existing understandings orschema. For example, when a child first experiences or reads about a lady-bug—when someone tells her about them, or she finds one herself, or whenshe sees a picture or reads a book—a “hook” forms. A concept is now in herbrain. From then on, whenever she experiences ladybugs, either firsthand orvicariously, new information is added to that “hook.” This becomes her back-ground knowledge.


Oral Language and Vocabulary

Oral language as it relates to reading comprehension involves children hearingelaborative language that is spoken and read aloud, but most importantly, it isthe spoken language of students as they articulate their own ideas and opin-ions with others and build their understandings of text through discussion.Developing students’ oral language and building their vocabulary go hand inhand. As children share their ideas and hear what their classmates have to say,they begin to understand at some basic level that words convey meaning,transport information, and communicate ideas. And that talk lies at the veryheart of comprehension and learning.

Reading-Writing Connections

Reading-writing connections are the implicit and explicit relationshipsbetween the two processes. Reading nourishes writing. Children who readacquire a wealth of knowledge and skills they can bring to texts they write.Through wide reading across genres, they gain information and new ideas, theypick up on text features, they recognize the power of words to persuade, andthe helpful phrases writers use to transition from one idea to another. Theirstance as a reader trying to understand the written word makes them moreaware that their job when writing their own text is to make their ideas under-standable to others. This gives them an insider’s perspective on the meaning-making nature of both the reading and writing process. When children areengaged in writing texts for others to comprehend, they become more attentivereaders. They notice punctuation, appreciate how a text is organized to helpthem access information, and marvel at an author’s word choice and how ithelps create an image in their minds. Just as reading influences children’s writ-ing, writing influences students’ reading comprehension in powerful ways.

Repertoire of Strategies

Repertoire of strategies is like a toolbox students can reach into when mean-ing breaks down or when they encounter a difficult text. Having a repertoireof strategies to use when needed can contribute greatly to children’s overallreading enjoyment and comprehension. Children need to know that whencomprehension falters, there are things they can do to get them through thetough spots. The six strategies, ask questions and wonder, set a purpose forreading, access and use prior knowledge, visualize to experience, con-sider text structure, and summarize to determine importance in this videoare kid-friendly in the sense that they can be easily demonstrated and under-stood. These six strategies go a long way towards helping students compre-hend and enjoy the texts they read.



Section at-a-Glance

In this section you’ll find:

◗ Accurate Fluent Reading Defined

◗ Featured Conference Close-Up and Lesson in ActionClose-Ups

◗ Discussion Questions

◗ Reading Behaviors Sheet

◗ Teaching Strategies Sheet

◗ Further Suggestions for Teaching Accurate Fluent Reading

Suggested Readings for This Strand

Use these resources with teachers during or between sessions to support their learning.

Professional Texts

Allington, Richard L. 2008. What Really Matters in Fluency: Research-Based PracticesAcross the Curriculum. New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Rasinski, Timothy V. and Nancy D. Padak. 2007. From Phonics to Fluency: EffectiveTeaching of Decoding and Reading Fluency in the Elementary School (2nd Edition).New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Children’s Texts

Wilson, Karma. 2002. Bear Snores On. New York: Margaret K. McElderry.

Paschen, Elise and Dominique Raccah (Editors). 2005. Poetry Speaks to Children (Book& CD) (Read and Hear). Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks MediaFusion.

Nayer, Judy. 1997. A Week with Aunt Bea. (Big Book) New York: Mondo Publishing.

Adler, David A. 2008. Bones and the Big Yellow Mystery. New York: Puffin Books.


ACCURATE FLUENT READING 39

strand

• Be sure to view the strand overview videosegment before viewing the FeaturedConference or Lessons in Action. Thendiscuss with teachers their understanding ofthe strand’s essence. Use the strand definedpage to facilitate and support the discussion.

• You can give the reading behaviors andteaching strategy reproducibles to teachers inthe beginning or at the end of the sessions. Itmight be best to give them out at the end sothat during the sessions, as teachers arediscussing the videos, they can identify thereading behaviors and teaching strategiesthemselves. If you choose to hand thestrategy sheets out in the beginning, youmight have teachers mark off whichstrategies were evidenced in the differentvideo segments.

Tips


40 ACCURATE FLUENT READING

The Strand Defined: What Is Accurate Fluent

Reading?

Fluency has been defined in many ways from reading rate, to word accuracy, toa complex process that includes rate, expression, and of course comprehension.By providing students with specific and explicit strategies, plenty of models,and plenty of practice, we introduce them to the wonderful world of reading.Because we want students to read words with appropriate speed, intonation,and stress so that they understand what they’re reading, we must explicitlyteach students behaviors that will support accurate fluent reading. We wantthem to laugh at the funny parts and be moved to tears when things go badlyfor the characters. We want our young readers to learn new information aboutthe world and ultimately about themselves.To achieve this level of engagementand understanding, they have to develop accurate fluent reading—as it haseverything to do with comprehension.

Phonics Is Basic to Accurate Fluent Reading

At its most basic level, fluency development rests on children learning letter-sound relationships and applying them to texts. They must read the words theauthor wrote. When readers can decode quickly and automatically, they cantransfer that recognition to new texts and situations.

Expression and Phrasing Are Important Too

We also want children to read words with appropriate expression and phrasing.Children need to group words grammatically into single units as they read.They need to learn to make their voice rise and fall at the end or a sentence andto give proper emphasis to significant words and less to others. These skills arecentral to what it means to be a fluent reader.

We can get children to attend to these prosodic elements by focusing onmeaning right from the start. When we ask children to think of how a charac-ter may be feeling—Is he happy? Sad? Surprised?—we’re providing naturalcues for how the text should be read.

How Does Accurate Fluent Reading Support Comprehension?

Children must become accurate and fluent readers to successfully comprehendtext. When children struggle to sound out each word, when they’re unable toaccess most of the words at lightning speed, they can’t attend to meaning. Ourbrains have a limited amount of working memory available at any given time.If too much of our cognitive capacity is used to sound words out, there’s notenough remaining to understand what we’re reading. We see this all the timewith young readers or, for that matter, struggling readers of any age. Accuratefluent reading is imperative because it allows students to pay attention to thestory or information in the text. It enhances comprehension, which in turnenhances accurate and fluent reading.


Running Time: 5:13

Lesson Focus: Developing students’ word work through the reading of books supports accu-rate fluent reading.

The Context: Madelyn is a first grader. This conference occurred in the spring during the sec-ond independent reading time. At the start of the conference Madelyn told Sharon she was hav-ing trouble with some words. Notice how conscientious Madelyn is throughout as she begins toread the difficult words more fluently and begins to understand the story.

Reading Behaviors: Accurate Fluent Readers . . .

◗ use text structures to anticipate what will come next

◗ self-correct as needed

◗ practice

◗ notice spelling patterns

Teaching Strategies: Effective Teachers . . .

◗ ask open-ended questions so students have ownership of the conference

◗ integrate meanings of words seamlessly

◗ restate students’ answers and build on them

◗ remind students of form and genre characteristics (“rhymes do that”)

◗ use notes from previous conference


Notes

Madelyn: The Power of Spelling Patterns

Accurate Fluent ReadingFeatured Conference Close-Up

Scaffolds and ExtensionsTalk with students about what genre they think the book is. How do they know?What text features support their thoughts? If they want to read other books likethis one, what kinds of things will they look for?

When working with younger, less fluent readers, choose books with few words,ample picture-to-word matches, and simple sentences. The spelling patterns thatyou might work on with less fluent readers might be -at, -it, -all, -in, -ig, etc.




Discussion Questions

◗ What do you think are the key points in this Accurate Fluent Reading strand?

◗ What reading behaviors did you notice in these video clips?

◗ What did the student(s) already know about reading?

◗ What other strategies might you have focused on? Why?

◗ What materials in the classroom supported students’ accurate fluent reading development?

In what ways?

◗ What structures (teaching practices and classroom routines) supported students’ accurate flu-

ent reading development? In what ways?

◗ What materials supported the teacher? Which of these do you use in your classroom?

◗ How might you scaffold or extend what you saw in the video clips?

◗ What teaching strategies did you notice in the video?

◗ What do you think was most effective?

◗ What are some other strategies the teacher might have used?

◗ How might you incorporate the teaching strategies from the video into your classroom?

◗ If you are already incorporating these strategies, where might you improve your teaching of them?

◗ What type of language was the teacher using?

◗ What types of questions was the teacher asking?

◗ How does your teaching compare to the teaching you saw in the video?


Running Time: 6:17

Lesson Focus: Teaching children that informational books do not have to be read cover to coverand that children’s background knowledge can help them glean facts from texts that at first seementirely too difficult.

The Context: Isis is a second grader, and this conference took place in the fall. Here Sharon ishelping Isis read an informational book about sharks that if read from cover to cover would betoo hard for him. Sharon could have given Isis a different book to read (and in many instancesshe might have) but that would have only supported Isis’ belief that he “couldn’t.” Instead,Sharon showed him how to use the text features of informational books to “dip in and dip out”of the text. It is amazing to see how reserved and almost defeated Isis is in the beginning of theconference. But in the end, the smile on his face speaks volumes about his confidence in beingable to learn from the book that just 2 minutes prior he thought was too difficult. This confer-ence is a great example of how providing time for students to read interesting books about top-ics of their choice can work wonders in developing their background knowledge.

Reading Behaviors: Readers Who Have Background Knowledge . . .

◗ connect the known with the new

◗ choose texts that interest them

◗ know that they can read different types of books in different ways

◗ know how to utilize the various text features of informational text to support comprehension

Teaching Strategies: Effective Teachers . . .

◗ demonstrate how to read informational texts

◗ innovate during conferences—can “read” the child and direct teaching in a way that promotes achild’s “can-do” attitude rather than “I can’t”

◗ show students how different text features support comprehension

◗ provide opportunities for students to read informational texts during independent reading times

◗ show students to the various text features of informational texts

◗ provide students with time to practice

◗ hold students accountable

◗ document teaching and learning

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE 63

Notes

Isis: Stop, Look, and Learn

Background KnowledgeLesson in Action Close-Up

Did You Notice?When teaching is explicit, students are able to make choices about their readingbecause they know what they can do and what is difficult. Sharon taught Isis aboutusing what he knows about informational text to read what he could in the bookand in so doing, moved him to become a more independent and confident reader.


ORAL LANGUAGE AND VOCABULARY 75

Oral Language and VocabularyLesson in Action Close-Up

Running Time: 6:37

Lesson Focus: Integrating vocabulary instruction into read alouds.

The Context: Sharon is rereading a book to Millie’s first-grade class in the spring. Readingaloud supports students’ oral language and vocabulary development because when studentshear literary language, their oral language development is enhanced. Additionally, as studentsare introduced to new words, their vocabulary develops as well.

Reading Behaviors: To Support and Develop Oral Language

and Vocabulary, Readers . . .

◗ listen to stories read aloud

◗ make comments while reading

◗ ask questions about words they do not know

Teaching Strategies: To Support Students’ Oral Language

and Vocabulary Development, Effective Teachers . . .

◗ read aloud

◗ reread

◗ model talking about books

◗ introduce students to new vocabulary within the context of an authentic text

◗ define new vocabulary seamlessly throughout a read-aloud

◗ allow students to comment throughout a read-aloud without disrupting the flow of the story

Notes

Vocabulary Work with a Light Touch

Scaffolds and ExtensionsLeave the book out so students can reread it to practice their expression and talk about the book with their friends.

List of all the book’s great words (e.g., scrambled, glared). Invite students to use those words in their writing.

Did You Notice?The students are reading along with Sharon and as they do, they are building their engagement with the text and theirreading confidence.

Other DirectionsTalk about the structure of the story. Sharon mentions that it is a cumulative story. You might want to encourage studentsto write cumulative or circular stories. Keep in mind that the study of story structure and author techniques supports stu-dents reading comprehension because it allows them to predict and understand the implicit meanings in text.


READING-WRITING CONNECTIONS 89

Scaffolds and ExtensionsTalk with students about what genre they think the book is. How do they know?What text features support their thoughts? If they want to read other books likethis one, what kinds of things will they look for?When working with younger, less fluent readers, choose books with few words,ample picture-to-word matches, and simple sentences. The spelling patterns thatyou might work on with less fluent readers might be -at, -it, -all, -in, -ig, etc.

Running Time: 8:17

Lesson Focus: Helping students whose writing is inspired by a book to use the connectionmore purposefully.

The Context: This conference occurred in Deirdre’s second-grade classroom in the fall. Lucasis writing a story with the Magic Tree House characters Jack, Annie, and the Dragon King. Sharonacknowledges that Lucas must be a reader because he is pulling characters from books. In theconference, Sharon helps Lucas organize his thinking for writing by looking at a table of contentsfrom a Magic Tree House book and invites him to write a table of contents for his story.

Reading-Writing Behaviors: Students Who Understand Reading-Writing

Connections . . .

◗ get writing ideas from the books they read

◗ use books as models for structure

◗ reread their writing to see if it makes sense

Teaching Strategies: Teachers Who Make Reading-Writing Connections

Clear to Their Students . . .

◗ provide opportunities for students to write texts that reflect texts they’ve read

◗ provide time for students to “play” with writing

◗ expect students to reread their work

◗ talk with students about genre characteristics (fiction stories have a problem)

◗ take notes to document learning

Notes

Lucas: Favorite Books Inform Writing

Reading-Writing ConnectionsFeatured Conference Close-Up

Did You Notice?Sharon reminds Lucas to reread his work to see if it makes sense and to use the editing checklist at the bottom of hiswriting (the bubbles). This corresponds to his personal editing checklist (the yellow stickers) on the inside of his writingfolder and relates to the class checklist. See “Did You Notice” on page 91 for an explanation.

Sharon could have stopped Lucas at the beginning of the story to teach him how his title has to match his story. Thiswould have been too narrow a focus at this point in Lucas’s writing. Instead, Sharon talks with Lucas about various char-acteristics of fiction and nonfiction, focusing on the fact that fiction stories have a problem and that attending to a tableof contents is important in both reading and writing.

Lucas was just being playful in his attempt to write fiction. Chances are he worked on this piece for a couple of days andbegan to work on something else. This is okay. We need to provide students time to “play” with writing. Not everythingmust go through each step of the writing process. However, if Sharon wanted him to be more deliberate and followthrough on completing this piece, she would have designed a unit where she guided all the students through writing afictional story.


REPERTOIRE OF STRATEGIES 105

Running Time: 8:20

Lesson Focus: Slow down, commit to a book, and build stamina. There is a time and place forstrategy instruction and that is when it supports students in comprehension.

The Context: In this conference, Sharon works with Jude, a second grader, in the spring. Shehelps Jude, an avid nonfiction reader, sort through his book basket and commit to reading andsticking with a fiction book.

Highlighted Reading Behaviors

◗ commit to reading through an entire book◗ build stamina by taking breaks to check for meaning◗ try out new strategies to help comprehend

Highlighted Teaching Strategies

◗ take notes to document teaching and learning◗ challenge students to vary the books and genres they choose◗ provide students with scaffolds and support to implement a strategy (main events sheet)◗ invite students to say more

Notes

Jude: Building a Comfort Level with Fiction

Repertoire of StrategiesFeatured Conference Close-Up

Scaffolds and ExtensionsWhen working with kindergarten and first graders, make children aware of the strategies readers use to help themunderstand text. You can name the strategy and show students how to use it, but it is not necessary to hold themaccountable for using the strategy independently at such a young age. If you have a student or group of studentswho are ready to try out strategies on their own, work with them when conferring or during guided reading.

Did You Notice?Sharon told Jude what she was writing in his assessment book and asked him to read it back. The assessment notebookis an important tool for both the student and teacher. It helps the student and the teacher remember what was dis-cussed in previous conferences and on what the student should be working. This supports a student’s independentgrowth as a reader and can serve as a reminder for the teacher the next time they meet.

Other DirectionsWhen Jude said he was reading a lot of books, Sharon could have talked with Jude about how important it is to set apurpose for reading. Jude actually understands this skill/strategy at one level because he’s saying he doesn’t stay onone book because he wants to get a lot of different information. Sharon could have helped Jude see ways to recordand remember what he’s reading or help him select other books on a topic he finds particularly interesting. Shedecided instead to let him talk and explain his process, and eventually she settled on helping him summarize a storychapter by chapter, as a way to keep him engaged and develop stamina. She felt this was more important for Jude’sreading development at this time.


RESOURCESResources at the Ready to EnhanceYour Staff Development

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3

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Questions to Assess the Group’s Needs

Time

How often will the group meet? ___________________________________________________________

How long will the group meet? ___________________________________________________________

What are the options for time of meetings? _________________________________________________

Purpose

What are your overall goals? ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

What are your short-term goals? What are your long-term goals?_______________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Perceived Need/Commitment

Who brought the resource to the school? ___________________________________________________

How do teachers feel about meeting? ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

How knowledgeable is the group in regards to the key instructional components? (See pages 9–18 for

more on the components that underlie Sharon Taberski’s teaching) _____________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

What knowledge does the group already have about reading instruction?

______________________________________________________________________________________

What other professional development experiences have they had? ______________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

What is the morale like in general? ________________________________________________________

If you were to rate teachers’ sense of satisfaction and professional efficacy on a scale of 1–5, what

score would you give this group? __________________________________________________________



—Adapted from research on teacher’s group work, Rosanne Kurstedt, 2007.

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Understanding the Belief Factors

What are the teachers’ attitudes about continuing to learn? ____________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

How do the teachers’ think students learn?__________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

What are teachers’ beliefs about their roles as teachers? _______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

What educational philosophies, research, and frameworks influence their teaching? _______________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Understanding the Unwritten Rules

How do these teachers handle conflict as a staff?_____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

How do these teachers tend to address new situations? _______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

How high a priority is it in the culture of the school to work with colleagues?_____________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

What is the leadership style?______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Other Things to Consider

How will you assess that the resource is helping and supporting teachers in their work with students?

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

How will you assess student response to teachers’ implementation of aspects of this resource?

________________________________________________________________________________________

After taking a look at these questions, you may realize you need to learn more about the teachers orschool before actually introducing the It’s ALL About Comprehension work. Spend some time observinghow people interact in the building, in meetings, and observe teachers in their classrooms.

Resources 123

Questions to Assess the Group’s Needs, cont.


—Adapted from research on teacher’s group work, Rosanne Kurstedt, 2007.

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SESS

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Part 3.qxp 2/9/09 10:59 AM Page 126

Resources 127

LINK

KNO

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Part 3.qxp 2/9/09 10:59 AM Page 127



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