SESSION 2: ELEMENTS OF READING, STRATEGIC PROCESSING, AND STRATEGIC THINKING

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1 Introduction Reader and Climate Text Features Strategic Processing Strategic Teaching Evaluate Your Lesson Plan Look Ahead Introduction The way a book is read which is to say, the qualities a reader brings to a book can have as much to do with its worth as anything the author puts into it. Frank Crane Overview In the last session we explored the rationale for teaching reading in the content areas. In this session, you will examine the three interactive elements of reading: the reader, the climate, and the text. You will also learn the importance of metacomprehension in the process of reading and what effective readers do before, during, and after they read. This session will also discuss what strategic teachers think about when planning a lesson and provides a selfevaluation checklist to help you plan strategically. Objectives By the end of this session, you will be able to: Discuss the challenges involved in implementing strategies to promote a positive classroom climate using a climate inventory. Reflect about strategic processing, its importance for reading in the content areas, and how this information will impact your instruction. Evaluate and revise a lesson plan using the Teacher's Self-Evaluation Checklist. If you haven't done so already, print the Assignment Checklist to keep track of your assignments for this session.

2 Main Elements of Reading As you begin learning how to incorporate reading instruction into your content-area curriculum, use this research-based conceptual framework to help you craft your approach: the three interactive elements of reading: 1. Reader 2. Climate 3. Text Features The next two sections of this session will explore each element in detail.

3 Introduction Reader and Climate Text Features Strategic Processing Strategic Teaching Evaluate Your Lesson Plan Evaluate Look Ahead Reader and Climate The Role of the Reader Research in "The Role of the Reader" finds that learning and reading are active processes and readers need to intentionally construct meaning as they read. The success of this venture depends on two areas: 1. Prior knowledge 2. Mental disposition (habits of mind) Prior Knowledge We know that no two students will come to class with the same prior knowledge and background experiences. Time spent engaging in strategies that access prior knowledge and connect that knowledge to new material being learned is time well spent. As their teacher, you will have a good understanding of what students already know and how well they know it. You will then be able to determine the level of instruction needed and the strategies you will use to organize their reading and thinking. Read the selection on Prior Knowledge and think about how you would have students reflect on a time when their own background experiences caused them to make errors in their reading by making incorrect assumptions about what they were reading. Mental Disposition (Habits of Mind) We use the term "habit" because we believe it is important for students to use these behaviors in a conscious manner that will lead to the behavior becoming a part of the student's way of thinking. Students benefit when they develop productive habits of mind as these enhance their learning of academic content knowledge. Students need to continue learning and developing productive habits of mind to be successful learners. A student's mental disposition or habits of mind encompass some of the following: 1. How motivated she is to do what is required. 2. How confident she feels about her ability to succeed at reading. 3. How interested she is in actively pursuing meaning while reading. 4. How she feels about what she is reading. 5. How much new learning she wants to integrate into her current schema.

4 Read the selection on Mental Disposition-Habits of Mind and think about ways you model these habits of mind for your students and if you, in turn, ask them to model them for you. The Role of the Climate When our attitudes and perceptions are positive, learning is enhanced; when they are negative, learning suffers. Effective teachers know it is the shared responsibility of the teacher and the student to work on and maintain positive attitudes and perceptions. Research suggests that students learn best in a pleasant, friendly climate where they: Feel accepted by their teachers and their peers. Feel a sense of safety and order because academic expectations, instructions, and the purpose for assignments are clear. Feel confident in their ability to complete tasks successfully. See the value in the learning activities. Climate Inventory Complete the Climate Inventory to assess how you promote a positive environment in the classroom. Engage in an online discussion about your Climate Inventory by responding to the following: Identify 2-3 areas in the Climate Inventory where you rated yourself a "1" or "2" and discuss what challenges you have faced in trying to implement these strategies. In your response to your peers, you should attempt to provide solutions or ideas to overcome the challenges they identified. As you complete the rest of the readings and assignments for this session, you should go to the discussion forum at least two or three times to continue the discussion. Refer to the discussion forum rubric to review the expectations for participating in online discussions in this course.

5 Introduction Reader and Climate Text Features Strategic Processing Strategic Teaching Evaluate Your Lesson Plan Look Ahead Text Features Text features are intended to set the text apart from other types of text and to make it easier to read for students. However, we know that sometimes authors and publishers add too much to a text, thereby making it more difficult for the student to read. Text features are broken down into the following three areas: Reader Aids Reader aids, such as bold or italicized words, graphs, pictures, and timelines, provide the reader with assistance as they move through the text. Oftentimes, however, the author provides too much information and it causes the reader to become even more confused. Teachers tend to tell the students what is important on a page and then move on or they simply skip over the page and provide students with another way of looking at the work. Since 90% of what students read when they leave high school is informational text, it is important to teach students the patterns in those pages and how to read them. Vocabulary Each content area has its own unique vocabulary. Research finds that vocabulary knowledge is the single most important factor contributing to reading comprehension. Read the article "Vocabulary," which discusses the three aspects of content area vocabulary and the eight principles of vocabulary instruction. As you read, think about one concept of vocabulary instruction that was not evident to you before you started this course and think about what you would do differently in the classroom because of this new information. Text Structure Authors tend to organize their writing by using patterns. Elements basic to narrative text include setting, characters, plot, conflict, and theme. The patterns in narrative and informational text are different and it is necessary for the reader to know this. When they begin to read, they should have a clear perception of the way the text is laid out and should be able to follow that structure to comprehend what they are reading more easily. The structure, when well written, provides a type of "road map" for the reader. Informational text is organized in many different ways. It is important that the reader understands this and also is aware of the seven common organizational patterns found in informational text. Once again, when the reader is clear about the pattern the author uses to write, he or she will have an

6 easier time reading the text and making sense of it. Seven Organizational Patterns Common to Informational Text There are seven organizational patterns authors tend to use when writing organizational text. Read through the seven patterns of text and think how these patterns apply to teaching material you have used and how you will change your instruction with this new knowledge. The links will give you a visual example of how students can note key information when they read. You may also choose to use these as advance organizers, and fill them in ahead of time with your students. As they read, they can note the key information you have already discussed. Advance organizers will help them stay focused on what you have determined is important in their reading. 1. Chronological Sequence: organizes events in a time sequence. 2. Compare and Contrast: organizes information about two or more topics according to their similarities and differences. 3. Concept Pattern/Definition: organizes information about a word or phrase that represents a generalized idea of a class of persons, places, things, and events (e.g., dictatorship, economics, culture, mass production). Concept/definition text defines a concept by presenting its characteristics or attributes, and sometimes examples of each. 4. Description Pattern: organizes facts that describe the characteristics of specific persons, places, things, and events. These characteristics do not need to be given in any particular order. 5. Episode Pattern: organizes a large body of information about specific events. This information includes the time and place, specific people, specific duration, specific sequence of incidents that occur, and the event's particular cause and effect. An example of an episode pattern might be found in an account of Watergate: when it occurred, who was involved, how long it lasted, the sequence of events, what caused it, and what the effects were. 6. Generalization/Principle Pattern: organizes information into general statements with supporting examples. 7. Process/Cause-Effect Pattern: organizes information into a series of steps leading to a specific product, or organizes information in a causal sequence that leads to a specific outcome. Take some time to examine a content-area text and find 1-2 of the organizational patterns. Think about ways you would teach these strategies to your students. We suggest you keep this knowledge in mind when selecting text for students to read. Text that has a pattern or patterns that are recognizable are called considerate text and are much easier for students to read. Questioning Skills When readers are familiar with the text's organizational pattern, they are able to read the information with specific questions in mind. That is, each organizational pattern suggests a series of questions that will be answered within the text. Answering these questions helps the reader comprehend the author's message. Read "Questions Suggested by Organizational Patterns" and think about how you can use

7 these questions with students to help them consider their thinking as they read. Skilled authors incorporate certain signal words, linking expressions, or transitions that connect one idea to another. When teachers model for students how to recognize different text patterns, they can point out these signal words for determining text patterns and transitions as clues to the organizational pattern. Expert readers not only recognize these patterns in text; they also use these patterns to impose meaning on text. In other words, a reader could recognize that text is written in a descriptive pattern, and yet select a comparison-contrast frame of mind to compare the description he is reading to something else he knows about already. Another advantage of text structure knowledge is that when textbooks are not well organized (and some of them are not), skilled readers are able to impose a structure of their own to organize the information into something that makes sense to them. Thus, organizational patterns can exist both on paper and in the mind of the reader (Jones, Palincsar, Ogle, and Carr; 1987).

8 Introduction Reader and Climate Text Features Strategic Processing Strategic Teaching Evaluate Your Lesson Plan Look Ahead Strategic Processing The Importance of Strategic Processing Metacognition is the act of thinking about our thought processes as we perform an activity. This helps us process what we do. When we strategize and reflect on what occurred during that activity, we take the time to process what we are learning or doing. Strategic readers have strong metacognitive skills and monitor their reading. They use strategies to help with difficult passages, processing the information at a deeper level in order to use it in a meaningful way. Look at the Strategic Processing Diagram and think about ways you would help students strategize and reflect. Think about ways you would model and teach students to be aware of their thinking before, during, and after they read text. Read "Strategic Processing," which describes tactics of effective readers. As you are reading through this list, select one strategy from the "before" section, one from the "during" section, and one from the "after" section; then think of ways you would model and teach these strategies to students. Developing Metacognition Read "Developing Metacognition" from the ERIC Digest, and notice how the author lists questions that students can ask themselves as they read. As you read, think of ways you would use this information in your classroom to promote students to consider their thinking as they read. In your online journal, respond to the following: In 1-2 paragraphs, summarize what you have learned about strategic processing. Then reflect on why strategic processing is important for reading in the content areas and how you will change your instruction in the classroom because of what you have read in this session.

9 Introduction Reader and Climate Text Features Strategic Processing Strategic Teaching Evaluate Your Lesson Plan Look Ahead Strategic Teaching The Importance of Strategic Teaching Effective teachers plan and teach strategies and techniques that support students' reading for understanding. They analyze how every aspect of the lesson will contribute to the instructional goal and select teaching and learning strategies that will enhance student learning. In 1986, Brophy and Good reviewed hundreds of studies of teachers and observed, "The myth that teachers do not make a difference in student learning has been refuted" (p. 370). Strategic teaching requires intentional planning that helps students to: 1. Prepare for learning through pre-reading activities. 2. Comprehend through the use of metacognitive strategies during reading. 3. Extend and refine the new knowledge they acquire. 4. Become strategic, self-directed, and independent learners. Studies have shown that teachers spend a considerable amount of time presenting new content, which leaves little time for students to practice and process what they have learned. Teachers should incorporate learning activities that provide students with the opportunity to think about what they know before they begin to read, make connections and monitor their comprehension as they read, and discuss or write about what they have read. All of these activities actively engage the learner in the reading process and build upon the instruction the teacher has presented. Frontloading is a term that refers to the act of preparing students for what they are going to read before they actually read. It is a powerful strategy that engages the learner and sets a purpose for strategic reading. Read the article, "Frontloading Lays a Foundation for Comprehension." While you are reading, focus on a specific lesson that you teach and think of 2-3 ways you could frontload the lesson. The National Reading Panel (NRP) identified seven types of text comprehension instruction with a solid scientific basis that improve comprehension. The NRP recommends teaching a combination of these strategies as part of a "multiple-strategy method." Read "Text Comprehension Instruction" from the Findings and Determinations of the National Reading Panel by Topic Areas (scroll about half-way down the page). As you read, select 1-2 recommendations from the NRP's list and think about what it would take to implement them in your school setting. What role would you play in the implementation process?

10 Differentiated Instruction Teachers can struggle with the issue of meeting the needs of all students, whether that student is gifted, an English language learner, not reading at grade level, or just struggling academically. Whatever the case, you will need to consider modifications in order to facilitate their learning. Explore the following resources for strategies and suggestions that will support your differentiated instruction: "Step 6: Determine the Type of Adaptation That Will Enable the Student to Meet the Demand." This article discusses altering or mediating existing material and selecting alternate materials as options to meet the special needs of some students. "The Issues: Adapting the Curriculum to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners." Although this article lives in the PreK-2 directory, it offers advice across all grade levels. "Misunderstood Minds: Reading Suggestions." General suggestions from PBS. "Strategies for Teaching Gifted Students in the Inclusive Classroom." Five overall areas for differentiation, including modifying content and pace. "Acquiring a Second Language for School." This article discusses the issues of providing a "meaningful education" for language minority students (Lau v. Nichols, 1974), and the struggle to identify the most effective education practices.

11 Introduction Reader and Climate Text Features Strategic Processing Strategic Teaching Evaluate Your Lesson Plan Look Ahead Evaluate Your Lesson Plan Evaluate Your Lesson Plan Assignment In this assignment, you will use a checklist to plan to teach strategically by evaluating a lesson you have written. You may wish to review the rubric for this assignment before you begin. 1. Print out and review the Teacher's Self-evaluation Checklist. 2. Select a lesson you have taught or would like to teach. 3. Align your lesson with the lesson plan template to ensure you have all the required components. 4. Review the lesson plan and note sections in your lesson that correspond with the information listed on the checklist. For example, one question you might have is, "Have I identified my objectives for this lesson-what I want students to know and be able to do?" Note the objectives in your lesson and how clearly they identify for the students what they will be learning. 5. If the objectives do not match the information in the checklist, make the necessary changes. 6. Continue through the checklist in this manner. 7. Write a one-page summary describing the changes you made to your lesson by using the checklist. 8. Submit your finalized lesson plan and one-page summary to your facilitator. Additional Resources (not required) "Strategic Teaching in Concert with New Technologies" This article from Jamie McKenzie discusses the importance of strategic teaching in technology instruction. Citations Billmeyer, R., & Barton, M. L. (1998). Teaching reading in the content areas: If not me, then who? (2nd ed.). Aurora, CO: Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory. Blakey, E., & Spence, S. (1990). Developing metacognition. ERIC Digest. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED327218). Buehl, D. (1999). 'Frontloading' lays a foundation for comprehension. Wisconsin State Reading Association. Lenz, K., & Schumaker, J. (1999). Step 6: Determine the type of adaptation that will enable the student to meet the demand. Adapting Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science

12 Materials for the Inclusive Classroom. Council for Exceptional Children: Arlington, VA. Reprinted with permission of Family Education Network and Council for Exceptional Children.

13 Introduction Reader and Climate Text Features Strategic Processing Strategic Teaching Evaluate Your Lesson Plan Look Ahead Look Ahead You will need to complete a final project in Session 6 of this course. You may wish to review the final project now and think about ideas that you would like to incorporate. In Session 3 of this course, you will examine vocabulary strategies to use in content area reading classes. Session 3 should take two to three hours of your time PBS. All rights reserved.