Journey of a Literacy Coach

SpellingSubstantive

conversationsReciprocal teaching

Writing to learn quick

writesWriting to

learn going deeper

AssessmentIndependent

reading

Action planReflectionPhilosophy

Whole school strategies

ComprehensionVocabularyGrammar

Literature Circles

Web LinksPhotosreferences

Philosophy 10 ways to get your students respect Every child can learn given sufficient time and support – Crevola / Hill Positive relationships are critical to effective learning Differentiation is essential for engagement and learning Teaching must be less sage on the stage and more guide on the side

(INTEL) When fear is eliminated, anything can be discussed Teachers must use data to drive instruction Teachers must “think” data, not just “do” data” Only use assessment tools which inform “Writing is the key to differentiation in diverse classrooms” p 17

Content Area Writing

References Content – Area Writing Every Teacher’s Guide

Harvey Daniels / Steven Zemelman/ Nancy Steineke Subjects Matter – Every Teacher’s Guide to Content-Area Reading

Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman

GoalsThat by the end of the first year, the

business of being “coached” is looked upon as an opportunity not a punishment.

That the coachees can claim, that this experience has been positive, supportive and a period of professional growth which has brought about a shift in they way they use data to drive their instruction.

To get all content area teachers using writing to help differentiate within their classrooms

Roles Resource person Collaborator Encourager Facilitator Expert

Feedback

Reflective notes Fortnightly reflections Mid year reflection Personal reflection

•Assessment plans

Warrnambool Network Data Plan Hawkesdale student learning plan

Comprehension strategies

Secret Envelope Placemat Sticky Note Reading Word Web Reciprocal Reading Stick Debate 62 games to develop the mind – de Bono Random Input box – words – Andrea Hillbrick What’s behind the door?

Action Plan Hawkesdale P12 College – Coaching Plan Work with the 6/7 team Action plan:

To support ongoing data collection by staff To support staff in using this data to drive instruction To support staff in developing comprehension strategies which will

support differentiation within the classrooms. To develop a 5 – 7 point plan across the school, for dealing with

comprehension so that each teacher is using similar strategies eg Cornell note taking

To have a shared vision of literacy across all year levels. To introduce Content Area Writing

Links Establishing Literacy Coaching in your School Establishing Literacy Coaching – wiki PLG – Group 2 Alpha boxes – Learning Journals in action Tony Buzan – Mind mapping Educational evolution or revolution? TED talks Schools kill creativity – TED talks Finding the literacy in maths After the game – Marg’s literacy coaching wiki

Secret EnvelopeThis can be used with fiction or non fiction books/articles. Select a word/s you would like the student to find in the text while

reading independently Put the word/s in an envelope and hand the envelope to the student The student removes the word/s and locates the word/s in the text The student takes responsibility for that word or group of words, in

terms of definition and context The student shares their understanding with the group Andrea Hillbrick idea

Placemat This group strategy is excellent for summaries or interpretations of

chapters and ideas Use an A3 piece of paper, divided into 4 Write the title or chapter heading in a box in the middle of the page Decide what you are discussing – eg characters, action, ideas and

have each member of the group draw the representation of the nominated ideas in each of the shapes.

Place the paper in the middle of the group and each child draws at the same time. Some of the pictures will be upside down when displayed.

Andrea Hillbrick idea

Sticky note reading

As the students read, they attach sticky notes to the reading for the following reasons: Questions they may have about the text Interesting words – strange spelling, unknown definition, root

word etc Exclamation – something they wish to share with the group – a

new idea, a contradiction, a talking point I wonder?? What if??? That’s sad Andrea Hillbrick idea

Word Web Select a word from the text. Selection may be for a number of reasons

– unknown, interesting spelling, root word, strange word, never heard before etc

Draw a shape in the middle of an A4 piece of paper – landscape Write the word in the middle and divide the page into 4 Label one of each of these shapes with the following:

Dictionary - write the definition of the word and use in a sentence

Thesaurus – list alternate words found in the thesaurus Word building – list other words using the root word Picture – draw a picture which shows what the word means Andrea Hillbrick idea

Reciprocal Reading

Students work in groups of 4 – 5 Each student has a role

Prediction Questions Clarifier Summariser

Students are responsible for generating discussion Teacher is very much a silent participant This strategy is extremely useful for non fiction texts http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/a

trisk/at6lk38.htm

Stick Debate Used in small group or whole class discussion to ensure that each

student has an equal say. This means the dominant child has to allow others to talk and the quiet child must speak up.

Each student is given 3 icy pole sticks – 2 of one colour and 1 a different colour.

The 2 sticks are for comments – each time they make a comment, put a stick down

The coloured stick is for a question Andrea Hillbrick idea

What’s behind the door

Excellent tool for vocabulary Write the definition in your books or on a piece of card Write the answer on a flap, which is then stuck over the answer Alternately, write the definition on the flap and stick it over the

answer

Independent Reading

Photos

Writing to learn So what is it? Exit slip Writing break Admit Slip Brainstorming Drawing and Illustrating Clustering Mind Mapping

Writing to learn – what is it?

“To get true learning power, kids must put ideas into their own words.”p 26 Content Area Writing

Writing to learn is different to high stakes, public writing. WTL’s are: Short Spontaneous Exploratory Informal Personal One draft Unedited ungraded

Writing to learn – going deeper

Written Conversation Write around Carousel Brainstorming Double entry journal Non-stop write Reflective write KWL Teacher – Student Correspondence

Written Conversation It is a note writing tool for engaging and discussing ideas Students can all “talk” at once and it’s still quiet in the room Unlike out loud discussions that vanish into thin air – letters leave

artefacts that can be used or assessed later. Live – here and now conversations are when students pass notes in

class Take away version is when the reader has to wait and retrieve the note

from a mailbox or email etc to read it Teacher may like to join in the conversation as well Students might typically have a regular dialogue journal buddy and

write to each other once a week The text is the key to success of the activity. You need something

short, complex and central to the subject field. http://sites.google.com/site/theactiveclassroom/ho

me/ideas/teaching-reading/the-written-conversation

Write Around In a write around, a group of 3 – 5 students (4 is optimal) write short

notes to each other about a rich, complex assigned by the teacher. They jot comments, pass their papers, read what the previous students

have written, add their own remarks, basically creating a string of conversations as the pages circulate around the table.

Sit in a circle of 4, put your initials on top of paper, use all your time for writing

Write for one minute – thoughts, reactions, questions, feelings about topic (1/4 of a page is expected)

Pass your papers 4 times until it returns to origin Share as a whole class and see where this quiet conversation took us. http://sdoherty.wordpress.com/2008/10/25/17/

Carousel Brainstorming Carousel brainstorming enables students to simultaneously share

ideas and respond in writing to 3 or 4 different prompts. Use separate sheets of chart paper for each prompt and give each

group of 3-5 students a different colour marker. Groups visit a station, discuss the topic written at the top of the sheet

of chart paper and add their own contributions, which are identified by the colour of their marker.

Move onto next station, focusing on new topic. Brainstorming means thinking quickly and in quantity. Write down all of the group’s responses on the chart with your

marker You have 2 minutes to write Read other group responses before you add yours. Don’t add

something that is already there.

Double Entry Journal

Any time you have kids divide a page in half hotdog style (vertically) you have a double entry journal.

Cornell note taking is a double entry journal In the left hand side, list the facts In the right hand side, list the thoughts, reactions, ideas Thinking can be done in words, phrases, sentences, but equally,

notes, drawings and symbols are useful. They can provide a starting point for small or large group discussions. When you view all your double entry journals, they can be used as a

review for the test. http://lsc.sas.cornell.edu/Sidebars/Study_Skills_Resources/cornellsys

tem.pdf http://www.bucks.edu/~specpop/Cornl-ex.htm

Non-stop Write

A non stop write is a timed writing, usually between 3 and 5 minutes, in which students are asked to respond to a prompt.

Students respond in sentences, writing quickly and continuously, focusing primarily on presenting ideas rather than stopping to ponder the spelling of a puzzling word.

The idea is to get lots of thoughts down in the given time. Begin by writing for 1-2 mins and build up to 5-7 mins Before writing, do a quick partner, whole class brainstorming about

the topic

Reflective write “As educators, a central part of our job is to help young people become

more conscious of what they are learning, how they go about it and what the learning can mean to them.” p 96 Content Area Writing

Students are asked to reflect on the learning and the task The reflection may be informal, a brief in class jotting on a note card or

a full page where kids write down as quickly as possible, like the non stop write.

Teachers need to provide prompts – facts you learnt; connections, thoughts, questions, empathising with the facts; what did you do well throughout the project? Research? Rewording? Group work? Using technology? Bibliography?

http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/pdf/reflective.pdf

KWL What do you Know? What do you Want to know? What have your

Learned? KNOW – write down what you know already about.... WANT – what do you predict you will learn in this unit LEARNED – as the unit comes to a close, revisit the K and W charts,

reviewing where you started and what questions were posed. Turn key learnings into statements in the L column.

The KWL structure externalizes what is going on in the mind of a powerful learner who is encountering a new set of concepts: you connect, add information, readjust your thinking, set your goals for more inquiry.

http://www.cap.nsw.edu.au/qi/tools/jkl/kwl.htm

Teacher – Student Correspondence

“No matter what you teach, you should try writing letters with your students a few times a year, spending just 10-15 mins of class time on each round. The benefits will be higher class morale, deeper understanding or the material, better targeted instruction and a more personal, meaningful relationship with your students. Talk about differentiation!”

p 106 Content Area Writing This can be an effective tool for classroom management of difficult

students.

Exit Slip Save the last 5 minutes of class time and ask kids to quickly jot a

response to the day’s lesson, on a sticky note or index card. Read these notes later on and use them to help plan the next class. You can offer students just one prompt or let them pick from several Prompts can be as varied as you like but something that will inform

your teaching http://www.wku.edu/3kinds/dmaesexamples.html Further examples of exit / admit slip prompts

Writing Break Writing breaks are a reminder to the teacher to just “shut up every

once and a while and let the kids think.” p31 Content Area Writing Kids recall between 10 and 30% of what they read, hear and see.

By incorporating writing breaks at regular intervals, about every 10 to 12 minutes, you can kick retention up because writing and then talking about it, moves the sticking rate into the 70 – 90 % range

Before starting class, decide when you are going to stop and offer a writing break.

Decide upon prompts in advance, either general or specific Wander around room, reading over students shoulders – this can

be revealing in itself Think, pair share writing – not all students share to class

Admit Slip Students write about the class the previous day using prompts eg make up

a problem like the ones we have been doing in maths and bring it to class. As the kids enter the room, you collect the admit slips and use them to get

the class session rolling. The options are similar to those for exit slips. Teacher reads 1 – 3 promising discussion starters aloud – inviting

discussion OR Tr finds 2 opposing views to share OR Tr calls on individual students to share their admit notes OR Tr shuffles slips and hands them out. Students read whichever slip they

get OR Slips are passed 3 – 4 people down the row. That student reads the slip

and writes a response on the back. Slips are returned to owners. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev091.sh

tml

Brainstorming can be a quick 1 – 2 minute writing break before you begin, decide whether it is to inventory a new topic,

review material, connect content to events outside the classroom or correct previous misconceptions

Can be used before beginning a new topic – to gain prior knowledge

Can be used in the middle of a topic – to list important details, concepts so far understood

Can be used at the end of the topic revising, adding information Can be used as a think / pair / share Can be done as a whole class activity

Drawing and Illustrating

Students make quick drawings, sketches or diagrams to illustrate ideas, events, science experiments, real world situations, math problems etc in order to help themselves and others understand something they are trying to learn.

These illustrations usually include words, labels or lists of ideas and terms

Teacher can quickly pick up misconceptions or understanding It is important to stress to students that the art work is NOT

important. Stick figures are fine

Clustering The writer jots a key word down in the centre of the page, draws

spokes outwards, and in associative , writes words connected with the key word in circles or balloons at the end of the spokes.

Can be used as a tool for jump starting thinking

Mind Mapping Maps allow students to represent thinking that involves multiple,

simultaneous associations, rather than just linear steps. Maps help us organise, consolidate ad digest knowledge. They can enable kids to recall multiple steps in a process for solving complex math or science problems.

“If you want to remember a page of notes, words will help to some extent of course, but more important for fixing them in your memory, will be images, pictures, symbols, codes, colours, associations and connections.” Tony Buzan

P60 Content Area Writing

Vocabulary Teaching Vocabulary – powerpoint Possible Sentences Possible Questions – what does it look like? Concepts and vocabulary Focused close Frayer method Personal word walls Previewing content vocabulary Semantic feature analysis Survival of the fittest Word sort

Possible Sentences

Before introducing a topic, show a short video, youtube clip or something visual, to scaffold the learning – set the context for the vocabulary.

Present the students with a list of the most significant/ key words for the topic – as lists – nothing else.

Have the students work in pairs to create possible sentences using no more than 2 words from the vocabulary list, in each sentence.

All words must be used As the students read the text, they check to see if their sentences

were accurate or not and correct their misconceptions or otherwise.

Spelling Spelling Powerpoint Assumptions about Spelling Flip folder charts Learning individual words 3-6 Principles of Spelling Sound Exploration Spelling Quiz Strategies used for Spelling Words I want to learn

Grammar What works in teaching grammar Some perspectives on the teaching of grammar - ppt

Substantive Conversations

Literature Circles/ Book clubs

Definition Students choose their own reading materials Small temporary groups are formed, based upon book choice Different groups read different books Groups meet on a regular, predictable schedule to discuss their reading Kids use written or drawn notes to guide both their reading and discussion Discussion topics come from the students Group meetings aim to be open, natural conversations about books, so

personal connections, digressions, and open-ended questions are welcome The teacher serves as a facilitator, not a group member or instructor Evaluation is by teacher observation and student self-evaluation A spirit of playfulness and fun pervades the room When books are finished, readers share with their classmates, and then new

groups form around new reading choices. LINKS – Literature circles Recording sheet for book clubs

Reciprocal Teaching Can be used with whole class or small group Used to support all readers gain meaning from the

text, clarify concepts and vocabulary and formulate questions about what they are reading.

A group leader uses verbal prompts to elicit predictions, clarification of ideas or words, formulation of questions and summaries from the readers.

Works most effectively with non fiction but can be used with all text.

Reciprocal teaching ppt Roles VELS level 4 More about Reciprocal teaching 2 minute video

Our whole school approach

Initially we ran a question protocol using the issue “Using data to drive instruction”

The results indicated that the staff in general, had a suspicious mistrust about data and how it was going to be used.

We think this mistrust originated from the my school website and the NAPLAN data.

We saw a real need to dispel this mistrust and support them to see the use of data as being informative and non threatening.

We needed to support our staff in “thinking data”, not just “doing data”

So…….. Using the reading “7 literacy strategies that work” as a

springboard, we decided upon 4 strategies which we thought would be easy to implement, across our whole school.

We wanted a common language across all KLA’s which would support the idea that all teachers are teachers of literacy.

For this to be taken up by all staff, including the reluctant ones, these strategies needed to be: Low stakes – didn’t require “correcting” or assessing Informative – provide a snapshot assessment which would

inform teachers for the next class if necessary. Quick and easy to implement Effective – so that teachers would immediately see how

these strategies assisted differentiation and made their jobs easier.

Which strategies?

At a literacy planning meeting with our Principal, we decided upon the following “big 4” Cornell notes Exit slips Writing breaks Reciprocal teaching

We introduced these strategies, one each fortnight, at a staff meeting.

How we did it?

Before we introduced a new strategy, we took feedback from the last introduced strategy.

We elicited this feedback through an authentic use of the following strategies: Exit slips Jigsaw Think / Pair / Share www.wallwisher.com as an electronic

exit slip Cornell notes

Deep breaths…..

As much as humanly possible, we ignored the heavy sighing and rolling of eyes and finally took a big deep breath and emailed 2 questions inviting feedback on the uptake and opinions from the staff.

Where to next?

Continue to support staff in the uptake and implementation of these effective literacy strategies. This needs to be a constant and consistent message across the school so that staff understand that: We are not going away – this is not just another

good idea with a brief shelf life Each teacher is a teacher of literacy We can use the information gained from these 4

whole school strategies, to start the conversations necessary to develop a shared responsibility for student learning

A shared sense of responsibility should begin to dispel the fear of how we are going to use data

And…….. Set up a study group next year, to look at content

area writing Provide professional reading as a regular

component of this group Continue working with individual teachers to

support their goals and help gather resources Support staff with assessment Support staff in making formative assessment a

more important part of the student assessment plan

Support whole staff in the consistent implementation of the 4 common strategies introduced in 2010

WESTERN WONDERS