“stuck in the middle ”: helping students begin new literacy lives
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“Stuck in the Middle ”: Helping Students Begin New Literacy Lives. Summary by Abbi Gee. Photo Credit: http://www.rainbowreaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/boy-struggling-reading.jpg. Article. "Stuck in the middle": Helping students begin new literacy lives. Barbara Radcliffe, 2007 - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
“Stuck in the Middle”:
Helping Students Begin New
Literacy Lives
Summary by Abbi Gee
Photo Credit: http://www.rainbowreaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/boy-struggling-reading.jpg
Article"Stuck in the middle":
Helping students begin new literacy lives.
Barbara Radcliffe, 2007
A case study of her own middle school classroom.
Look—she wrote a book with Buehl!
Photo Credit: http://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Enhance-Literacy-Learning-Classrooms/dp/0205360610/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361321884&sr=1-1
Importance Struggling readers are failing to gain the skills
they need to be successful.
Due to our use of high-stakes testing to determine placement, promotion, and retention of students, students are entering and exiting middle school later.
The icing on the cake: students’ own perceived inadequacy due to low test scores.
Culminates in unmotivated, frustrated students who are caught in a cycle of literacy failure.
SummaryRadcliffe uses a five-step approach
to break the students’ cycle of failure and help them begin what she calls new “literacy lives.”
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
SummarySTEP ONE: ACCEPTING THE
CHALLENGE
Acknowledge the attitudes and beliefs students hold about literacy
Discuss different types of literacy
Help students see themselvesas readers and writers—develop a new “literacy self”
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
SummarySTEP TWO: BUILDING STRONG
TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS
Get to know the students personally
Utilize reading surveys, quick writes, &community-building activities
Have students explore their reading history & make a reading timeline
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
SummarySTEP THREE: CREATING LITERACY-
RICH ENVIRONMENTS
Select content that excites students
Find a balance between interest and reading level
Introduce them to the library
Create READ! posters to foster positive attitudes
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
SummarySTEP FOUR: CONNECTING READERS TO
TEXTS
Develop a learner profile using all your compiled information
Select a text you think will speak to the student
Introduce the text in a one-on-one conference
Keep trying until student sees success
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
SummarySAMPLE LEARNER PROFILE
Radcliffe’s learner profiles include the following data she collects:
namebirth date test scores
http://www.englishclub.com/images/writing/writing.png
SummarySAMPLE LEARNER PROFILE
The students also respond to the following:
Preferred learning style:Multiple intelligences:Thoughts on reading:Reading strategies:Reading interests:Hobbies:Favorite book:Favorite form of writing:About me:Why do people read?Book recommendation:
What does someone have to do in order to be a good reader?How do you feel when you are asked to read aloud in front of your classmates?Do you prefer to read by yourself, in a small group, or as a whole class?What sort of things do you think about when you read?
SummarySTEP FIVE: SUPPORTING READERS
WITHSTRATEGIC LITERACY INSTRUCTION
“All readers deserve intentional and explicit reading instruction.”
Effective before-, during-,and after-reading strategiesSocratic seminarsLiterature circles
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
Summary
Results: after a year in her course, 28 out of 32 remedial eighth-grade students saw success on the state assessment and were able to advance to high school.
Her techniques align closely to our class readings; her strategies are sound.
Students had a newfound love and appreciation for reading. The cycle had been broken!
Photo Credit: http://www.exchangesupplies.org/drug_information/campaigns/break_the_cycle/resources_break_the_cycle/sq_break_the_cycle.jpg
Take AwayStruggling readers need help to break
out of the cycle of failure.
Their own reading histories and self-reported data can be a great starting point.
Following Radcliffe’s suggested five steps helps students enjoy reading AND learn specific reading strategies to improve their reading.
Resources: Strategic Literacy Instructiono http://www.webenglishteacher.com/konigsburg.html
for a collection of information and lesson plans by author and title.
o http://www.readingrockets.org/articles/82 for Jim Burke's 103 ideas that students can do before, during, and after reading.
o http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr259.shtml or http://www.litcircles.org/ or http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Reading/RDG0206.html for an introduction to literature circles with many practical advice and lesson plan ideas.
Photo Credit: http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/books-clip-art-71.jpg
Resources: Strategic Literacy Instructiono http://www.studyguide.org/socratic_seminar.htm or
http://www.teachnlearn.org/socratic_seminars.htm to glean how to knowledge on using Socratic seminars to engage and motivate readers.
o http://www.literacymatters.org/adlit/intro.htm to learn more about the world of adolescent literature and ideas for activities and lesson plans.
Resources: Choice in Reading Materialo http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/ to access a
database of book talks by interest or subject.
o http://www.reading.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/downloads/choices/yac0 -bookmarks0 -2006.pdf for the most recent list of Young Adult Choices reviewed by teenagers and published by the International Reading Association.
o http://www.teachersfirst.com/read-sel.cfm for appropriate book suggestions by grade level.
o http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/allreviewed.html for reviewed book suggestions through grade nine.
Resources: Graphic Organizerso Story Map
(http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/storymap/). The Story Map interactive is designed to assist students in prewriting and postreading activities by focusing on the key elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution.
o Plot Diagram (http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/plot-diagram/). The Plot Diagram is an organizational tool that is used to map the events in a story. Designed in a pyramid or triangular shape, this mapping of plot structure allows readers and writers to visualize the key features of stories.
Resources: Graphic Organizerso Literary Elements Map
(http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/lit-elements/). Students can map out the key literary elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution as prewriting for their own fiction or as analysis of a text by another author in this secondary-level interactive.
o ReadWriteThink Notetaker (http://interactives.mped.org/notetaker722.aspx). Useful for a wide variety of reading and writing activities, this outlining tool allows students to organize up to five levels of information using bullets, Roman numerals, or letters.
Radcliffe’s References Beers, K. (2002). When kids can't read: What teachers can do. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann. Biancarosa, G., & Snow, C. E. (2004). Reading next-A vision for action and research
in middle and high school literacy: A report to Carnegie Corporation of New Tork. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Brashares, A. (2001). The sisterhood of the traveling pants. New York: Delacorte. Buehl, D., & Stumpf, S. (2005). The 6-8 literacy notebook. Madison, WI: Madison
Metropolitan School District. Burke, K. (2000). Reading reminders: Tips, tools, and techniques. Portsmouth, NH:
Boynton/Cook. Daniels, H. (1994). Voice and choice in the student-centered classroom. York, ME:
Stenhouse. Grimes, N. (2002). Bronx masquerade. New York: Dial. Guthrie, J., & Wigfield, A. (1997). Reading engagement: Motivating readers through
integrated instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Hinton, S.E. (1967). The outsiders. New York: Penguin. Langer, J. (2002). Effective literacy instruction: Building successful reading and
writing programs. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Lewis, C. S. (1950). The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. New York: Macmillan. McCombs, B., & Barton, M. (1998). Motivating secondary school students to read
their textbooks. NASSP Bulletin, 82(600), 24-33.
Radcliffe’s References Mikaelsen, B. (2001). Touching spirit bear. New York: Scholastic. Myers, W. D. (1992). Somewhere in the darkness. New York: Scholastic. Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster. New York: HarperCollins. National Middle School Association. (1995). The developmentally responsive
middle school: This we believe. Columbus, OH: Author. Pelzer, D. (1995). A child called It. Omaha, NE: Omaha Press. Plumb, B., & Ludy, J. (2002). Seminars and self-assessment. In J. Holden & J. Schmit
(Eds.), Inquiry & the literary text: Constructing discussions in the English classroom (pp.161-172). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Rudell, R., & Unrau, N. (1997). The role of responsive teaching in focusing reader intention and developing reader motivation. In J. T Guthrie & A. Wigfield (Eds.), Reading engagement: Motivating readers through integrated instruction (pp. 102-125). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Shakur, T. (1999). The rose that grew from concrete. New York: MTV Books/Pocket Books.
Spinelli, J. (1990). ManiacMagee. Boston: Little, Brown. Strasser. T. (2000). Give a boy a gun. New York: Simon and Schuster. Tovani, C. (2000). I read it, but I don't get it: Comprehension strategies for
adolescent readers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse. Tyree, O. (1993). Flyygirl. Washington, D.C.: Mars. Woodson, J. (1998). If you come softly. New York: Penguin Putnam.
Bibliography
Radcliffe, B. (2007). "Stuck in the middle": Helping students begin new literacy lives. Voices
from the Middle, 15(2), 18-29. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/213930808?accountid=39473