Improving+Adolescent+Literacy

Improving Adolescent Literacy: Chapter 1: Ensuring All Students Read, Write and Think Chapter 2: Anticipatory Activities in Science Chapter 3: Vocabulary Development Chapter 4: Read-Alouds and Shared Readings Chapter 5: Questioning Strategies Chapter 6: Pictures-Graphic Organizers Chapter 7: Taking Notes Chapter 8: Writing Chapter 9: Assessment PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR THOUGHTS
 * Teachers over time need to shift from generating questions to coaching the students to be generating the question.
 * The DR-TA (Directed Reading/Thinking activity is a tool used to help achieve the above goal.
 * Reading, writing, thinking and listening are all part of the DR-TA strategy.
 * Informational texts contain ideas, facts and principals that make comprehension difficult for students.
 * Each subject generally has a common style with inherit difficulties for the student.
 * Three approaches are important in developing reading comprehension (before, during and after model):
 * Before reading-understand the purpose, what you know, how long it will take to read the assignment
 * While reading-pause from time to time to see if you understand
 * After reading-reflect on whether you understand, see if you need to re-read any parts of the assignment
 * Conversation between students support literacy development
 * Think-Pair-Share: After a question is posed, a short reflection period follows, then students discuss possible answers with a partner, then students are invited to offer answers to the class.
 * Learning Stations: Collaborative work in small groups to consolidate concepts.
 * Jigsaw: Multiple texts are assigned that may show complementary or conflicting sides or divided sides of a topic. A Center-Activity-Rotation system (Page 10) can be used to create multiple experts on one area to report to a home group.
 * Reciprocal Teaching: Students groups are directed by a structured format including-Questioning, Clarifying, Summarizing and Predicting.
 * The demonstration
 * Establish a purpose-it should be directly related to the concept being studied.
 * The lesson should support the demonstration.
 * The demonstration should be repeatable.
 * Safety is prime.
 * Showmanship is great-enthusiasm is infectious.
 * The Thought Provoking Question
 * K-W-L Charts: What do I know? What do I want to know? What have I learned?
 * Vocabulary knowledge influences reading comprehension
 * Vocabulary instruction needs to involve students actively involved
 * Students need to be able to make personal connections
 * Meaning needs to come from multiple sources
 * Vocabulary in Science:
 * Word sorts help students to study relationships. Open sorts are used when you want the student to create the categories. Closed sorts are when the teacher creates the category.
 * These can promote engagement and foster critical thinking skills in content area instruction.
 * Shared reading in Science:
 * Use tables, charts and graphs in presentations when these are the instruments used to convey difficult concepts in texts.
 * Think-Pair-Share allows the students to interpret in front of the class.
 * Use questions to develop comprehension.
 * Avoid the Initiate-Response-Evaluate Technique (IRE).
 * Higher order questions-teachers should strive to ask the higher levels:
 * Level 1-Knowledge: facts, terms, definitions
 * Level 2-Comprehension: compare the information
 * Level 3-Application: use the information to solve a problem
 * Level 4-Analysis: infer reasons
 * Level 5-Synthesis: use the information is a new way
 * Level 6-Evaluation: make judgments and defend opinions
 * Using Question Answer Relationships (QAR) in Science. QAR involves four types of questions:
 * Right There: Use words in the text. The answer is right in the text.
 * Think and Search: Question comes from the text but the students look in several places to find the answer.
 * Author and You: Answer not directly in the text but information in the text can guide the student to an answer.
 * On Your Own: Prior knowledge and experience needed to answer the question.
 * A technique for solving word problems. SQRQCQ:
 * Survey: Skim to get main idea
 * Question: Ask the question stated in the problem.
 * Reread: Identify what is given
 * Compute: Solve the problem.
 * Question: Does answer make sense
 * After a word sort activity in Science, a Graphic organizer can be used to tie the terms together and show the relationships.
 * Personal opinion: Whatever form used, try to be structured and consistent.
 * Use enough prompts to guide students in researching a topic.