MIDDLE SCHOOL READING INTERVENTION CLASSES & THE CORE STATE STANDARDS

Created by Anna Lynn of South Hills Middle School & Renae Salisbury of Jordan School District

WHAT IS THE JSD READING CLASS GUIDELINES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS?

READING 7 CLASSES JSD Guidelines for 7th Grade Reading Classes

(February 6, 2009): All seventh grade students should take a reading

class in the Jordan School District with the exception of students in the three

schools (South Hills, Fort Herriman, and Sunset Ridge) where reading pilot programs are currently being implemented.

Although foreign language is not currently offered in the seventh grade, modifications to this policy will take effect at a later date.

 

READING 8 AS A “TIER 2” INTERVENTION JSD Guidelines for 8th Grade Reading Classes

(February 6, 2009):

An SRI Lexile score in the “Below Basic” range as assessed near the end of the 7th grade

Failing grades in language arts and/or reading classes

Teacher recommendation Standardized test scores may also be considered

WHAT SHOULD OR COULD READING INTERVENTION CLASSES INCLUDE?

TIER 2 READING INTERVENTION CLASSES Utah State ELA Core Standards – a non-

negotiable Five Tasks of ACTIVE Readers Comprehension/Thinking Strategies Common Assessments

FIVE TASKS OF ACTIVE READERS …1. Read to Self2. Read to Someone3. Write about Reading4. Listen to Reading5. Work with Words

Adapted from The Daily Five by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser

THINKING/COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES Determining Importance Accessing and Building Background

Knowledge Clarifying and Self-Monitoring Predicting Summarizing Questioning Making Connections Visualizing Making Inferences Synthesizing

COMPREHENSION/THINKING SKILLS What Harvey Daniels says about strategic

thinking: More than ever, students need a flexible

repertoire of cognitive moves that allow them to crack open hard texts – especially when the content is alien or background information is intentionally withheld. This means the explicit teaching of inferring, questioning, visualizing, connecting, determining importance, synthesizing and self-monitoring is vital at all grade levels. – “Best Practice and the Common Core”, pg. 5

HOW DOES THE UTAH CORE STATE STANDARDS SUPPORT THESE TASKS, STRATEGIES, AND ASSESSMENTS?

TASK 1: READ TO YOURSELF… The best way to become a better reader is to

practice each day with books on your “just-right” reading level that YOU choose. It soon becomes a habit.

I PICK Books: I choose a book Purpose – Why do I want to read it? Interest – Does it interest me? Comprehend – Am I understanding what I am

reading? Know – I know MOST of the words

RELATIONSHIP TO THE CORE, FEATURING STUDENT LEARNING TARGETS

I CAN explain how what a character says or does moves the plot of the story forward or reveals more about the character. (RL.8.3)

I CAN explain how elements of a story work together. (RL.8.3)

I CAN determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text. (RL.8.4)

I CAN read complex text independently and proficiently. (RL.8.10)

Note: Hyper-links to the Core State Standards that support the student learning targets (“I Can” statements) are included within the parentheses.

THINKING/COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES Determining Importance

I CAN determine the quality of the evidence used to support what the text says. (RL.8.1; RI.8.1)

I CAN identify the theme in a text or central idea in a text. (RL.8.2; RI.8.2)

I CAN explore how characters, setting, and plot interact to support and develop a theme. (RL.8.2)

I CAN explain how supporting ideas develop and support the central idea. (RI.8.2)

I CAN summarize a text. (RL.8.2; RI.8.2)

ACCESSING/BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE (SCHEMA) The Utah ELA Core State Standards do not

explicitly address accessing schema, but this strategy is embedded in many of the standards, objectives, and indicators.

“Not enough can be said about the importance of accessing students’ prior knowledge and experiences as “it allows students to make more meaningful connections between teacher and learner, between prior content and process, and between future content and process” (Draft: Creating Passionate Learners, 28).

ACCESSING AND BUILDING B/K, CONT. A few examples that imply the need for

students to access prior knowledge are included in the table on the following slide, but more implications can be found by studying ALL the ELA standards.

One more IMPORTANT point: Core Standards-based instruction BUILDS

background knowledge.

A FEW CORE EXAMPLES OF NEED FOR ACCESSING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE ELA Core Standard

Implied Need of Schema

RL.8.1; RI.8.1 Understanding implied information requires recognizing author’s/text clues and applying reader’s background knowledge.

RL.8.4; RI.8.4; L.8.4; L.8.5

Understanding the connotative meaning of a word requires schema to correctly interpret how the word is used.

RL.8.9 Understanding how contemporary literature draws upon mythological, traditional stories or religious works requires background knowledge about those texts.

RI.8.6 Recognizing an author’s point of view and how the author responds to opposing viewpoints often requires students to make inferences, and accessing prior knowledge is needed to make inferences.

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Common Assessment:

Accessing/Building Prior Knowledge

TASK 2: READ TO SOMEONE Reading to someone provides the opportunity

to practice comprehension strategies, work on fluency and expression, hear your own voice, check for understanding, and share your learning with a reading community.

RELATIONSHIP TO THE CORE… I CAN read literary or informational texts to

find specific facts, examples, or details to support my [learning that includes] analysis, reflection, and research. (W.8.9)

I CAN read complex text independently and proficiently. (RL.8.10)

THINKING/COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES Clarifying and Self-Monitoring

I CAN [read] … to answer assigned questions … or questions that I create. (W.8.7)

I CAN determine if a source is believable and uses correct information. (W.8.8)

I CAN [break text into chunks and] explain how sentences support a paragraph’s key point. (RI.8.5)

Predicting I CAN analyze how … dialogue or incidents in a

story or drama move the action forward, reveal characters’ attributes, or trigger a decision. (RL.8.3)

Common Assessment

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Predicting

TASK 3: WRITE ABOUT YOUR READING Have students write about the texts they read.

Students’ comprehension of science, social studies, and language arts texts is improved when they write about what they read (Writing to Read: A Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York; Graham and Herbert, 5).

Teach students the writing skills and processes that go into creating text. Students’ reading skills and comprehension

are improved by learning the skills and processes that go into creating text … (Graham and Herbert, 5).

Increase how much students write. Students’ reading comprehension is improved

by having them increase how often they produce their own texts (Graham and Herbert, 5).

RELATIONSHIP TO THE CORE…

I CAN summarize a text. (RL.8.2; RI.8.2)

I CAN research several different resources to answer assigned questions or

questions that I create. (W.8.7)

I CAN come up with additional questions that relate to the original research and investigate those questions using a variety of resources. (W.8.7)

RELATIONSHIP TO THE CORE, CONT. … I CAN write an argument to support claims

with clear reasons and relevant evidence. (W.8.1)

I CAN write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and share information through carefully selected and organized content that is relevant to the subject. (W.8.2)

I CAN write a logical, detailed narrative about real or imagined events or experiences. (W.8.3)

I CAN routinely write over a shorter or extended time frame for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences within a particular content area. (W.8.10)

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Common Assessment:

Generating Questions

Common Assessment: BOOKS VERSUS HOLLYWOOD

TASK 4: LISTEN TO READING The research that documents the importance

of reading aloud with primary-, intermediate-, and middle-grade students is compelling. Reading aloud to young and older readers alike introduces new vocabulary and concepts, provides demonstrations of proficient reading, and allows [readers] access to stories that they are unable to read on their own or that they might not choose for themselves (Serafini, 3).

RELATIONSHIP TO THE CORE… I CAN compare/contrast two or more different

texts. (RL.8.5)

I CAN identify the point of view of the characters or narrator(s) in a text. (RL.8.6)

I CAN tell the difference between the character's point of view and the audience's or reader's point of view. (RL.8.6)

I CAN analyze how differences in the character's point of view and the reader's point of view create suspense or humor. (RL.8.6)

THINKING/COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES Making Connections

I CAN connect individuals, ideas, or events in a text. (RI.8.3)

I CAN explain how what a character says or does moves the plot of the story forward or reveals more about the character. (RL.8.3)

I CAN tell the difference between the character's point of view and my point of view. (RL.8.6)

Visualizing I CAN explain how what a character says or does

moves the plot of the story forward or reveals more about the character.

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Common Assessment: Visualizing

Common

Assessment

TASK 5: WORKING WITH WORDS “Expanded vocabulary leads to greater

fluency in reading, therefore increasing comprehension. Becoming more proficient as a speller leads to writing fluency and the ability to get your ideas down on paper” (Boushley and Moser).

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPELLING & READING Teaching students how words are spelled provides them

with schemata about specific connections between letters and sounds, making it easier for them to identify and remember words in text containing these connections. The practice of putting smaller units of writing together in order to create more complex ones—from letters to words or words to sentences—should result in greater skill in understanding of these units in reading (Writing to Read; Graham and Herbert, 19).

… teaching students how to spell theoretically makes it easier for them to identify and remember words in text. More explicitly, spelling and word reading rely on the same underlying knowledge, and therefore instruction and practice in one should aid development of the other (Graham and Herbert, 19).

RELATIONSHIP TO THE CORE…

I can use a variety of strategies to determine what a word or phrase means. (L.8.4) I CAN determine the meaning of a word through context clues or by

the way it is used in a sentence. (L.8.4.a) I CAN determine the meaning of a word through my knowledge of

Greek or Latin word parts. (L.8.4.b) I CAN make an inference about the meaning of a word and then

double check to see if I am right by using a dictionary. (L.8.4.d)

I CAN identify how specific word choices influence the meaning and tone of the text. (RL.8.4; RI.8.4)

I CAN identify the technical meaning of words in an informational text. (RI.8.4)

I CAN use precise language and vocabulary specific to my topic. (W.8.2.d; W.8.3.d)

I CAN spell correctly. (L.8.2.c)

Common Assessment: Interactive Vocab Cards

THINKING/COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES Making Inferences

I CAN identify and explain how textual evidence supports what the author states directly and what he/she implies. (RL.8.1; RI.8.1)

I CAN determine the meaning of a word through context clues or by the way it is used in a sentence. (L.8.4.a)

I CAN make an inference about the meaning of a word and then double check to see if I am right by using a dictionary. (L.8.4.d)

Common Assessment

THINKING/COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES Synthesizing – “to combine various components

into a new whole” (Encarta Dictionary). I can identify the central theme of a text. (RL.8.2)

I can explore how characters, setting, and plot interact to support and develop a theme. (RL.8.2)

I can find a central idea in a text and explain how supporting ideas develop the central idea. (RI.8.2)

I can explain how supporting ideas relate to the central idea. (RI.8.2)

I can summarize a text. (RL.8.2 ; RI.8.2)

Note: When the standard requires summarizing, students are asked to synthesize.

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TO ACCESS SOME OF THESE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS, GO TO TEACHER FEATURES’ PLAN-IT & POST-IT.

Click HERE to access “Plan-it & Post-it: Lesson Ideas By and For Teachers”.