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| February 15, 2005 | Issue #06  Print
Friendly Version (PDF) |
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| Info Update
In Focus
ABC's of Reading
Pertinent Participant Info Chatterbox
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Dr. Z-Coe's Corner "Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher." Parker J. Palmer, The Courage to Teach Best wishes for a successful semester, Reading Next - Adolescent Literacy- Carnegie Corporation of New York & Alliance for Excellent
Education
Governor Recommends Increased Funding
for Reading |
Dear FOR-PD Participant: 
A recent report from The Carnegie Corporation of New York in conjunction with the Alliance for Excellent Education estimates that more than eight million students in grades 4-12 are struggling readers. More than three thousand students drop out of high school every day. Only 70 percent of high school students graduate on time with regular diplomas. Fifty-three percent of high school graduates enroll in remedial course in post-secondary schools. These are alarming statistics. 
| Open Registration Dates | Course Dates | |
|---|---|---|
Summer |
March 14 - May 2, 2005 |
May 16 - August 22, 2005 |
Fall |
June 20 - August 15, 2005 |
August 29 - December 5, 2005 |
Teachers wishing to register for either summer or fall sections will be able to do so from our homepage http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/forpd. Look for the registration link during open registration dates.
Funding
Opportunities
Students in North American Schools Get Connected - Connecting
Schools Internationally
The SMARTer Kids Foundation Connections program
is designed to select eight to ten schools in the United States,
Canada, and Mexico each year to give students and teachers a
wider range of experiences and connections with their peers in
distant schools. Selected schools collaborate each year on curriculum-based
projects that are designed to give students strong communication
skills and help them learn about others in the program.
Deadline: March 1, 2005
Funding: Technology, equipment, and training
Eligibility: Public or private accredited, nonprofit
institutions that service a student population from K-6 (or higher).
Contact: Connections Manage, Suite 300, 1207 11 Avenue, S.W.,
Web site: http://www.smarterkids.org/k12/connections
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) / Florida
Department of State
Accessing Information Through Technology
The Library Services and Technology Act is a state-based program, which
has purposes that focus on information access through technology and
information empowerment. The Act has a strong emphasis on public libraries,
while encouraging interlibrary cooperation and partnerships among all
types of libraries. There is also a major focus on accountability and
evaluation.
Deadline: March 15, 2005
Funding: Varies
Eligibility: Any public or school library system run by an administrator
with a Master's in Library Science.
Contact: Sandra Newel, Department of State, (850) 245-6624, email:
snewell@dos.state.fl.us
Web site: http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/bld/grants/Lsta/LSTA.html
National Endowment for the Humanities - Summer Seminars
and Institutes
Every year, the National Endowment for the Humanities
offers K-12 teachers the chance to participate in a series of Summer
Seminars and Institutes on various topics in the humanities. Participants
receive stipends of $2800 - $3700 to cover full travel costs, living
expenses, books, and other research materials. Seminars are limited
to 15 participants and are led by university scholars with interest
or expertise in the specific subject. Past programs have taught topics
in literature, music, history, art, and cultural studies.
Deadline: March 1, 2005
Funding: stipends of $2800 - $3700
Eligibility: All full-time teachers in American K-12 schools, as well
as librarians and administrators.
Contact: General questions concerning the National Endowment for the
Humanities' Seminars & Institutes (202) 606-8463 or email sem-inst@neh.gov
Web site: http://www.neh.gov/projects/si-school.html
Holidays,
Happenings, & Events
| NEA's
Read Across America America Knows Reading is "Where It's Hat!" |
March 2, 2005 |
| UCF Annual Literacy Symposium University of Central Florida Registration information will be available soon. |
April 1, 2005 |
| ASCD
2005 Annual Conference Voices of Education: Unleashing the Power, Passion, and Promise Orlando, FL |
April 2 - 4, 2005 |
Young
People's Poetry Week |
April 11 - 17, 2005 |
| Florida Secondary Reading Council Annual Conference (see below for information) Braden River High School in Bradenton, FL |
April 22 -23, 2005 |
International
Reading Association Annual Convention |
May 1 - 5, 2005 |
| 2005 Literacy Through Leadership Conference Hilton Daytona Beach/Ocean Walk Village |
July 12 - 14, 2005 |
Secondary Reading Council Annual Conference: If you are interested in presenting at the conference please contact Marcia Haplin at mhalpin@mail.ucf.edu. If you are interested in attending the conference, information will be available soon. You can email Catherine Glass, cc@orion.itrc.ucf.edu, to receive conference registration information.
This month our focus is on assessment. The purpose of assessment is to provide feedback. Teaching and learning is a reciprocal process and assessment deals with how well the students are learning and how well the teacher is teaching. When teachers and students think of assessment, they typically think of assessments like the FCAT. Recent federal legislation in the United States has resulted in such assessments becoming mandatory. The test results from assessments like FCAT are used to make decisions about students, teachers, schools, districts, and programs for accountability purposes. However, there is another side to assessment.
Assessment should provide teachers, parents, students, and administrators feedback on student learning. Through assessment teachers should be able to diagnosis student strengths and weaknesses and monitor student performance. Assessment should inform instructional practice and help every child succeed. Research shows that teachers who use student performance data to guide and improve their teaching are more effective than teachers who do not use this information. While assessment is a critical aspect of measuring student progress, how teachers use the resulting data to drive instruction is critical. Teachers must use data from assessments to make good decisions when adapting instruction, evaluating progress, highlighting success, and improving weaknesses.
Please take a look at the articles and resources we have provided.
NCLB & Reading First Assessment Requirements
What does NCLB (No Child Left Behind) have to say about assessment?
NCLB requires that by the 2005-06 school year, each state measure every
child's progress in reading and math in each of grades 3 through 8
and at least once during grades 10 through 12. By the school year 2007-08
states must also have in place science assessments to be administered
at least once during grades 3-5, grades 6-9, and grades 10-12. Students
may still undergo assessments in other subject areas such as writing,
history, and geography. NCLB holds states, districts, and schools accountable
for student achievement. The data collected by these assessments should
be used to make informed decisions about curriculum and programs.
Standardized assessments form the basis of accountability with NCLB.
The standardized tests required by NCLB are designed to determine whether
children within a state are meeting the state standards of learning
for their grade level and subject. The scores from these standardized
assessments indicate if the child has met the state standards for that
subject. The scores are also used to determine how well students within
each tested grade in a school performed. NCLB requires that data be
disaggregated so that performance of different subgroups can be examined.
Standardized tests aligned with state standards are essential for
determining whether schools are meeting their goals under NCLB.
Reading First as part of NCLB also requires screening reading assessments,
diagnostic reading assessments, and classroom-based instructional reading
assessments in grades K-3 (Title I, Part B, Subpart 1, Section 1202).
The definitions of each of these types of assessments are provided
below.
Screening reading assessments are the first
steps in identifying children who may be at high risk for delayed development
or academic failure and in need of further diagnosis of their need
for special services or additional reading instruction. This type of
assessment must be valid, reliable, and based on scientifically based
reading research.
Diagnostic reading assessment is used for
the purpose of identifying a child's specific areas of strength and
weakness, determining any difficulties that a child may have learning
to read and the potential cause of such difficulties, and helping to determine possible reading intervention strategies and related special needs.
This type of assessment must be valid, reliable, and based on scientifically
based reading research.
Classroom-based instructional reading assessments
are assessments that evaluate children's learning based on systematic
observations by teachers of children performing academic tasks that
are part of their daily classroom experience and are used to improve
instruction in reading, including classroom instruction. This is the
teacher monitoring the progress of the student.
Resources:
No Child Left Behind: A Toolkit for Teachers
Florida
Center on Reading Research - Assessment
Reading First Assessment Overview - Catch Them Before They Fall
(FCRR)
Diagnostic
Measures Appropriate for Primary & Secondary Grades (FCRR)
Current Issues In Assessment and Intervention for Younger and Older
Students (FCRR)
Coaching to Use DIBLES Data to Inform Instruction (FCRR)
Using Assessment to Inform Instruction (FCRR)
Formative vs. Summative Assessments
Classroom assessments can include a range of options.
These options can be classified into two different categories - formative
assessments and summative assessments.
Formative assessments are on-going assessments,
reviews, and observations in a classroom. Formative assessments are used
to improve instructional methods and students' feedback throughout
the teaching and learning process.
The results of formative assessment are used to modify and validate
instruction. Students can also monitor their
progress with periodic quizzes and performance tasks. Research shows
that students are more interested and task-oriented if they know
the learning outcome of a task. Knowing the outcome also enables
students to make better decisions about how to go about the task.
Examples of formative assessment include anecdotal records, quizzes
and essays, projects, diagnostic tests, and lab reports.
Formative
assessments provide:
- Insight on students' strengths and conceptual errors in relation to specific course concepts.
- Guidance to improve student understanding.
- A means of monitoring progress in learning.
- Diagnostic information concerning students' errors in understanding.
- A non-threatening environment to identify and correct problems in learning and isolation.
- Feedback to the instructor concerning the effectiveness of instruction activities.
Summative assessments are typically used to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs and services at the end of an academic year or at a predetermined time. The goal of summative assessments is to make a judgment of student competency after instruction. Summative evaluations are used to determine if students have mastered specific competencies and to identify instructional areas that need additional attention. Examples of summative assessments include final exams, FCAT, national tests, and entrance exams. Summative assessments provide:
- Information concerning a student's mastery of specific course material.
- A basis for comparing student achievement to reference groups and/or external performance criteria.
- A means of determining the effectiveness of instructional activities.
- Objective information for assigning course grades.
- Comparative data to determine student placement.
- A means of holding teachers and schools accountable for student learning.
- Content-specific information to inform parents and future teachers.
- Data to determine achievement of curriculum performance standards.
Summative assessments are necessary for determining students'
grades and placement. They are used extensively for accountability
purposes. There is a tendency though to over-rely on summative measures.
There should be a balance between both summative and formative measures.
Resources:
Summative Assessment in the Classroom
Formative Assessment in the Classroom
A Primer: Diagnostic,
Formative, & Summative Assessment
How
Classroom Assessments Improve Learning -article by Thomas Guskey
(Educational Leadership)
No Pain, More Gain: Preparing Students for Standardized Assessments
- online article by Nell Duke and Ron Ritchhart for Scholastic"Standardized tests are a fact of life." We must make sure our students have the skills they need to perform well on these tests. Preparing students for tests doesn't have to be a kill and drill scenario. In Duke and Ritchhart's work, they make explicit connections between good test-taking practices and good general-learning practices. In this article they share some of the strategies and ideas that have grown out of their efforts. In the article you will find reading strategies, math strategies, format fundamentals, and six ways to ease test stress.
In the article Duke and Ritchhart present three surefire strategies for reading comprehension. The strategies should become part of the daily instruction within the classroom.
First, teachers should emphasize purposeful reading. Students need to know why they are reading what they are reading. Based on the purpose of reading, teachers and students can begin to tailor reading strategies. Duke and Ritchhart tell students the reason they are reading passages is to answer questions so that they can perform well on the test. One strategy that is taught to students is to preview the questions. Students should at least read or skim the questions before they read the passage. While reading, students should keep those questions in mind and underline words and phrases that might help them answer the questions.
Next, students should be prepared for the types of questions they will see on the test - literal, inferential, personal, and so forth. It isn't enough to ask the right kinds of questions, students need to understand how to answer them. Duke and Ritchhart teach students to use question-answer-relationships that are common on standardized reading tests. Students find the answers to Right-There questions right in the passage. Students recall information and refer back to one place in the passage. The answers to Think and Search questions are found by looking back through the text. The answer is usually found in more than one place. Students must assemble the information. The toughest questions for students to answer are the Author and You questions because they can't be answered by simply reading the passage. Students must use what they already know and what they have learned from the passage to answer these questions. The power of teaching students this strategy is that it also teaches them how to look for answers.
Finally, students should be taught text structure as a part of their literacy instruction and test preparation. Understanding the format of a piece of text will give students a leg up on reading passages and locating answers. Teachers need to help students understand how the text structure helps determine where an answer might be found. For example, students can be taught that the beginning of a story usually tells when and where it takes place. The middle of a story usually explains the problem. While the end of the story usually explains how the problem was resolved. Knowing where to look will save students valuable time.
For other strategies and tips check out the article No Pain, High Gain.
FCAT Resources
FCAT Up-Date
This update from the Department of Education outlines information and changes for the 2005 assessment. A few of the changes include FCAT Writing Plus, 11th graders taking the science exam, and a change in the question classification system.
What Every Teacher Should Know About the FCAT
This document explains five suggestions for helping students succeed on the FCAT.
FCAT Test Item and Performance Specifications
The "FCAT Test Item and Performance Specifications" describe the test items and performance tasks found on the FCAT. The specifications are guidelines for item writers and reviewers. The booklet identifies the standard, benchmark, content limits (explains how it should be taught and assessed), passage attributes (type of text), item types (how it will be assessed), response attributes (clues to distracters test makers throw in), and sample test items.
Lessons Learned: FCAT, Sunshine State Standards, and Instructional Implications
Lessons Learned was published by the Department of Education in 2002. This publication provides an analysis of previous years' FCAT results and contains analysis of state data for the years since the first administration. Trends in the data were examined to gain insights into student performance. Instructional implications sections have been included to assist educators in improving instruction in the classroom.
FCAT Sample Items
2004-05 sample test materials for grades 3-11.
FCAT Staff Development Tool
The following were designed to help teachers prepare for the FCAT. This program includes rubric scoring, sample tests, teaching strategies, and related websites.
Grade 10 Reading
Grade 8 Reading
Grade 4 Reading
Assessment Resources on the WWW
Dr. Helen Barrett's Favorite Links on Alternative Assessment and Electronic Portfolios
This site contains many links to other sites on the web. Check out the section on K-12 examples of electronic portfolios.
American Association for Higher Education
This site contains a wealth of information on assessment including guidelines and standards, planning an assessment program, learning outcomes, rubrics, portfolios, analyzing data, learning styles, and articles on assessment.
Authentic Assessment In Action
This site contains snapshots of a fourth-grade classroom at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. The snapshots focus on how the teacher uses the principles of good authentic assessment.
Classroom Assessment
This site contains a self-study course on classroom assessments. The course is divided into two parts, each containing 3 lessons. Part I focuses on basic concepts and common assessments such as multiple choice and essay questions. Part II includes performance assessment, classroom interactions, and attitude surveys.
All About Assessment and Rubrics
This site has compiled information on rubrics and portfolios.
Looking at Student Work
This web site presents the work of educators committed to new ways of looking at student work. They emphasize teachers looking together at student work, reflecting on important questions about teaching and learning, and using structures and guidelines for looking at and talking about student work. Students' work is the key data about the life of the school.
Project Based Learning
Project based learning is a comprehensive approach to instruction. Students participate and practice interdisciplinary skills from math, language arts, geography, science, and technology. There is information on building motivation, using multiple intelligences, and be sure to check out the project checklists.
Authentic Assessment Resources
This site features articles on authentic assessment as well as some technology resources teachers can use to develop assessment activities.
Alternative Assessment
Explore the critical issue of equity with alternative assessments.
Test Prep Review
This site contains test prep resources and practice tests for the FCAT, ACT, SAT, PSAT, GRE, CLAST, and many more. The FCAT course contains self-assessment modules, which can be used to focus on gaps in learning. Also included are web resources, which can help improve your weak areas and enhance scores.
FOR-PD Reading Strategy of the Month
No comprehension activity has a longer or more pervasive tradition
than asking students questions about their reading (Duke & Pearson,
2002). Questioning sets a purpose for reading, focuses attention
on what must be learned, develops active thinking while reading,
monitors comprehension, reviews content, and relates what is learned
to what is already known (Armbruster, Lehr, & Osborn, 2001).
Try out this month's Reading
Strategy:Question-Answer Relationships
(QAR). The QAR strategy provides students with knowledge
of four types of questions while showing
them the thinking processes involved in answering each type of
question. By showing students where to look for information, whether
it is in the book, their own knowledge, or a combination of both,
they begin to understand how to answer difficult questions. This
strategy can be used across all content areas and is an excellent
test preparation strategy for FCAT.
Take a look at the reading strategy and the examples provided from
elementary and secondary levels. Try this strategy in your classroom
and then email us and tell us how it worked (forpd@mail.ucf.edu).
Also, don't forget to share the strategy with your colleagues. Each
month we feature an effective reading strategy, explain the rationale
behind the strategy, give directions on how to use the strategy with
students, ideas for adapting the strategy to different content areas,
ideas for assessing the strategy, and, of course, a printable PDF version
of the strategy. Check out our Reading Strategy Archive to see past Reading
Strategies of the Month.
Literacy on
the Web
Literacy Center.Net
This website provides more than one million free lessons a month to parents, children, and teachers. Lessons focus on pre and early reading.
Poetry Quest
A webquest about poetry. Includes activities, links, tasks, and evaluation. A teacher page is also included.
Scholastic Lesson Search
This site contains a searchable database of lessons for preK to 12th grades. New lessons are posted regularly.
Reading Resources Network
This site includes up-to-date research and best practices for enabling teachers and creating readers.
Ask Reading Rockets
Do you have a question about how to help a child read? If so, feel free to e-mail "Ask Reading Rockets." You'll
receive a personal and confidential response from experts who are up-to-date on the latest reading research.
Florida Memory Project
Looking for an excellent research tool on Florida history? Check out this site. The purpose of the Florida Memory Project is to provide enhanced public access to the collections of the State Archives of Florida. The primary records illustrate significant moments in the state's history, provides educational resources for students of all ages, and makes available collections for historical research.
The Learning Page
The Learning Page is the educator website for the Library of Congress. Educators can access more than 100 American Memory collections, seven-million historical documents, photographs, maps, and audio recordings. There are lesson plans and activities as well.
Highlighted Books of
the Month
In last month's newsletter, we highlighted both the Newbery and
Caldecott Medal winners. This month, we are highlighting the honor
books and the Coretta Scott King Award winners.
Newbery Honor Books for 2005
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Geniffer Choldenko
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with
bird turd and surrounded by water. I'm not the only kid who lives
here. There's my sister, Natalie, except she doesn't count. And there
are twenty-three other kids who live on the island because their
dads work as guards or cooks or doctors or electricians for the
prison, like my dad does. Plus, there are a ton of murderers, rapists,
hit men, con men, stickup men, embezzlers, connivers, burglars, kidnappers,
and maybe even an innocent man or two, though I doubt it. The convicts
we have are the kind other prisons don't want. I never knew prisons
could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by being
the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my
mother said I had to.
That Voice that Changed the Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by
Russell Freedman
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Marian Anderson Loved to Sing. Her deep, rich voice thrilled audiences
the world over. By the mid-1930s she was a famed vocalist who had
been applauded by European royalty, welcomed at the White House,
and adored by appreciative listeners in concert halls across the
United States. But because of her race, she was denied the right
to sing at Constitution Hall, Washington's largest and finest auditorium.
Though Marian Anderson was not a crusader or a spokesperson by nature,
her response to this injustice catapulted her into the center of
the civil rights movement of the time. She came to stand for all
black artists -- and for all Americans of color -- when, with the
help of prominent figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt, she gave a landmark
performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that broke racial
barriers and hastened the end of segregation in the arts.
Drawing on Anderson's own writings and other first-person accounts, Newbery medalist Russell Freedman shows readers a singer pursuing her art in the context of the social and political climate of the day. Profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs, here is an inspiring account of the life of a talented, determined artist who left her mark on musical and social history.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminister Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
FROM THE PUBLISHER
It only takes a few hours for Turner Buckminster to start hating
Phippsburg, Maine. No one in town will let him forget that he's a
minister's son, even if he doesn't act like one. But then he meets
Lizzie Bright Griffin, a smart and sassy girl from a poor nearby
island community founded by former slaves. Despite his father's-and
the town's-disapproval of their friendship, Turner spends time with
Lizzie, and it opens up a whole new world to him, filled with the
mystery and wonder of Maine's rocky coast.
The two soon discover that the town elders, along with Turner's father,
want to force the people to leave Lizzie's island so that Phippsburg
can start a lucrative tourist trade there. Turner gets caught up
in a spiral of disasters that alter his life-but also lead him to
new levels of acceptance and maturity.
This sensitively written historical novel, based on the true story
of a community's destruction, highlights a unique friendship during
a time of change.
Caldecott Honor Books for 2005
The Red Book illustrated and written by Barbara Lehman
FROM THE PUBLISHER
This book is about a book, a magical red book without any words.
When you turn the pages you'll experience a new kind of adventure
through the power of story. In illustrations of rare detail and surprise,
The Red Book crosses oceans and continents to deliver one girl into
a new world of possibility, where a friend she's never met is waiting.
And as with the best of books, at the conclusion of the story, the
journey is not over.
Coming on Home Soon illustrated by E.B. Lewis
and written by Jacqueline Woodson
FROM THE PUBLISHER
After Mama takes a job in Chicago during World War II, Ada Ruth stays
with Grandma but misses her mother who loves her more than rain and
snow.
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale illustrated and written by Mo Willems
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Using a combination of muted black-and-white photographs and expressive
illustrations, this stunning book tells a brilliantly true-to-life
tale about what happens when Daddy's in charge and things go terribly,
hilariously wrong.
Coretta Scott King Awards for 2005
Remember: The Journey to School Integration written by Toni Morrison
FROM THE PUBLISHER
"On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated
schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. This pivotal
decision ushered in an emotional and trying period in our nation's
history, the effects of which still linger." Recalling this
tumultuous time, Toni Morrison has collected archival photographs
that depict the events surrounding school integration. These unforgettable
images serve as the inspiration for Professor Morrison's text - a
fictional account of the dialogue and emotions of the students who
lived during the era of change in separate-but-equal schooling. Remember offers a unique pictorial and narrative journey that introduces children
to a watershed period in American history and its relevance today.
Ellington Was Not A Street illustrated by Kadir Nelson
FROM THE PUBLISHER
In a reflective tribute to the African-American community of old,
noted poet Ntozake Shange recalls her childhood home and the close-knit
group of innovators that often gathered there. These men of vision,
brought to life in the majestic paintings of artist Kadir Nelson,
lived at a time when the color of their skin dictated where they
could live, what schools they could attend, and even where they could
sit on a bus or in a movie theater.
Yet in the face of this tremendous adversity, these dedicated souls and others like them not only demonstrated the importance of Black culture in America, but also helped issue in a movement that "changed the world." Their lives and their works inspire us to this day, and serve as a guide to how we approach the challenges of tomorrow.
Additional Book Award Lists
American Library Association -
Best Books for Young Adults
2005
American Library Association - 2005 Popular Paperbacks for Young
Adults
American Library Association - Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult
Readers 2005
Horn Book Fanfare - Our Choices for the Best Books for 2004
What We're Reading
This section is for sharing what we are reading and you or your students. We invite you to share what you are reading and what your students are reading. To participate send an email to forpd@mail.ucf.edu and in the subject heading put What We're Reading. Include the title of the book, the author, and a summary or review. We look forward to hearing what you are reading.
The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork: Embrace
Them and Empower Your Team by
John C. MaxwellThe FOR-PD Staff is currently reading Maxwell's book on teamwork. The book looks at how to become a better team leader, team player, and play various roles within a team successfully. Each week during our staff meetings, we discuss chapters from the book and how it relates to our project, education, and our personal lives.
Systems for Change: A Guide to Professional Development by Carol Lyons & Gay Su Pinnell
The FOR-PD Facilitator Leadership Board is reading this book as a professional development endeavor. They will be sharing the book with the rest of the facilitators. The book outlines a model of professional development specifically for those who teach literacy to teachers. Understanding key elements such as the characteristics of adult learners, the contribution staff development makes in augmenting teacher education and school effectiveness, and specific methods to assist with a teacher's continued learning and development are all important issues for FOR-PD facilitators.
Professional Book Recommendations
Discovering
What Works for Struggling Readers: Journeys of Exploraion with Primary
Grade Students by Bev Wirt, Carolyn Domaleski Bryan, & Kathleen
Davies Wesley (2005)-International Reading Association
This book chronicles the yearlong journey of three reading teachers as they work with struggling readers. Good teaching means not only knowing your craft, but also knowing your students. The authors found five teaching practices to be effective with their students - meaningful conversation, choice, pertinent instruction, consistent support, and purpose. The reader is transported to these teachers' classrooms as they recount the struggles and successes of three students in their journey to become readers.
Teaching African-American Learners to Read: Perspectives and Practices editors Bill Hammond, Mary Elanor Rhodes, and Irving Pressley McPhail (2005)
-International Reading Association
With NCLB and the accountability created by this legislation,
schools are looking at ways to close the achievement gaps between
subgroups. Of particular interest has been the improvement of African
American children's reading skills and performance on standardized
assessments. This book contains a collection of original, adapted,
and previously published articles on research based practices and
programs that successfully teach African American students to read.
The articles contained in this book examine the role of education,
identify best practices, considers the significance of culture in
the teaching and learning process, and investigate the issue of
assessment.
Read a sample chapter.
Time for Literacy Centers: How to Organize and Differentiate
Instruction by Gretchen Owocki (2005)
-Heinemann
Literacy centers are an excellent way to differentiate instruction
in your classroom. In Time for Literacy Centers, Owocki, shows you
every aspect in using centers successfully. She includes everything
you need to know from planning to assessment to ensure that your
centers help students meet content and skills standards. Read
a sample chapter on managing the flow
of instruction among literacy centers.
Monthly FOR-PD Tip
FOR-PD Case Studies
Case studies have been added as a new feature within the course. The
case studies provide realistic applications to strengthen understanding
and enhance your reflective skills while exploring new content. They
provide a bridge between theory and practice. You will go inside a
classroom and see how the teacher uses the information from the course
to improve student reading. You will get the opportunity to read about
their reflection on the course material. You will also be privy to
their thinking about their students and their reading achievement.
Case studies can be seen as turning points. They provide a platform
for professional conversations and invite the reader to listen in to
the classroom conversations, professional dilemmas, problem solving,
and change. A case study not only shows the teacher's mastery of the
curriculum goals, but also a wealth of information about the teacher
such as knowledge, interests, strengths, reflections, challenges, questions,
growth and struggles. Each case study offers insights into the experience
of teachers in a variety of context and aims to help teachers build
their literacy expertise. The case studies included in the course are
real. The case studies are written by FOR-PD graduates
or FOR-PD facilitators. Below is a sample from one of the case studies
completed by a middle school teacher.
Why me? Aren't the students
able to read before they come to me? I teach Geography (or
Math or Science) not Language Arts...isn't that their job...to
teach reading? I have too much of my own curriculum to have
to teach them to read too!
Does this sound like you? It sounded like me three years ago. I have been teaching four years this August. That first year was all about survival. I was too new to know that I didn't know what I was getting into. I wasn't an education major in college. I completed a Liberal Arts major, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. I went from school to coaching my favorite sport, soccer, and working in retail. Coaching is teaching, so I did have that experience. Turns out most good coaches do what good teachers do...model, explain and allow for individual practice. In the retail world, I moved from part time sales to an assistant manager in a matter of a few years. I lived that life for 5 years. Then I decided to work with kids all the time. I earned my certification through my district's alternative certification path. I spent two years with a mentor at my school and asked tons of questions. I found a few teachers who I could turn to, ask silly questions and run ideas by just so they could patiently explain why it was a good idea, but not really practical. After a few required courses in education, I took the exams and earned my certification. Then this year, I noticed that the newer teachers were coming to me and asking the same kinds of questions that I was asking just last year. When did my role change? I wasn't ready for that! I have tried to be as helpful and friendly to everyone who is new to my school as people were to me my first year. I can credit a number of people who helped me grow, develop and, most importantly, survive my first year. I am continually trying to be a better teacher, which is what ultimately led me to FOR-PD. |
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At the beginning of each lesson you will see a box like the one below. These are guiding questions for both the lesson and the case study. As you go through the lesson and read the case study, think about how you would answer these questions. We encourage participants and facilitators to use these questions as discussion points to extend the conversation within the course. Share with each other your thinking about the course and the case study.
For example, in one FOR-PD section the facilitator posted this
question in the faculty lounge, "What is your
greatest challenge in teaching reading?" A participant
posted this response:
"My greatest challenge in teaching reading
is that all 10 or 11 of my students come to my reading class with
different reading levels. Thrown into this mix are a couple of
non-readers. They have made it to high school without learning
to read. This frustrates me because readers
need to be in the text all the time, but the non-readers need time
to understand the process of reading to understand what they are
reading." -FOR-PD
Participant
The questions require you to think, be reflective, and make connections between theory and practice. They are also discussion starters. You can hear the frustration in this teacher's response. What would be your response to this teacher? Perhaps you might discuss motivation and strategies for helping the teacher attempt to engage the non-readers in reading. You might also discuss the use of differentiated instruction and grouping students for guided reading. Within this small group of readers there are obviously differing levels that require different instruction. Use these questions as a vehicle to further discussions.
We would like to hear your opinions on the case studies. Let us
know what you think about them. You can contact us
by emailing
forpd@mail.ucf.edu.
If you are interested in writing a case study for FOR-PD please
contact Catherine Glass by emailing cc@orion.itrc.ucf.edu.
Calling
all new participants from district sections! If you are
currently enrolled in a district section, the FOR-PD office needs
to get some important information from you. Please go to
our Information
Request page and tell us all about yourself.
We need to gather information from each of you so please help
us by filling out the web form.
How do you know if you are in a district section? It's easy,
check your section name. District sections begin with the district
name followed by a number. For example, Seminole015, Charlotte008,
or Pasco016 are all examples of district sections.
FOR-PD Help Desk
Feeling
frustrated? Can't figure it out? Don't forget the FOR-PD Help
Desk is available. Help
Desk hours are:
Monday through Friday 9:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. &
6:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M.
Saturday 10:00 A.M.- 3:00 P.M.
The phone number is 1-866-863-READ (7323) toll free,
Florida calls only. For non-Florida calls only 407-249-4702. Technical
support is also available through AOL Instant Messenger, screen
name "forpdhelp".
You can also reach
the FOR-PD Help Desk via email - helpdesk@orion.itrc.ucf.edu.
Make sure you state your name, section, problem, and how you can be reached (either through email or phone with a phone number).
Online Chat
SPECIAL CHAT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR CURRENT PARTICIPANTS AND FACILITATORS
FOR-PD will be holding a special chat on the Florida
Reading Endorsement and the Middle Grades
Reform Act in March. Our
special guest for this chat will be Evan Lefsky, reading specialist
for grades 6-12, from "Just Read, Florida!". If you are interested
in attending this chat please email Catherine Glass at forpd@mail.ucf.edu and
in the subject heading of the email type March
Chat. This chat will be by invitation only, so please respond
early.
If you have any questions you would like answered by Evan regarding
either the Reading Endorsement or the Middle Grades Reform Act please
email the same address and we will have Evan answer your questions
and post them on our website.
FOR-PD launched the first chats of the semester February 1st and 2nd. The topic was technology and issues faced using the technology. Participants and facilitators had the chance to ask questions about issues they are currently having. If you attended the chats and still have questions about issues related to technology, please call or email our Help Desk. They are there to help you!
Below are just a sampling of questions asked and answers to those questions.
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We hold two open chats a semester on topics of
interest to participants taking the course and encourage all participants
and facilitators to participate. All chats are logged and posted
on our web site (Chat
Transcripts).
Because chats
can become unwieldy at times, we do have a Chat Protocol.
Chat Protocol: Please be aware that FOR-PD uses
a moderated discussion format. A moderator will keep the chat on
topic and recognize question/statement requests by participants.
The person who has the floor can field questions and statements from
other participants, but they hold the floor until they are done.
When they are done, the moderator will recognize another participant
who requests the floor.
In order to make the chat flow smoothly, please use the following chat symbols and guidelines:
- ! The exclamation point is like raising your hand, you want to be recognized to make a statement.
- # Use the pound sign to let everyone know you are done asking a question or making a statement.
- .... This lets everyone know you have more to say.
Guidelines
- When entering the chat, don't say hello to each other. Most chat
systems inform everyone in the chat room that someone has entered
the room. This will cut down on chat-message run-on.
- Unless you have the floor, don't say anything, but rather ask to
be recognized by the person who does have the floor by posting
an !.
This is unobtrusive and will let everyone know that you have a
statement or question to make.
- When you are done talking, end
your last sentence with a # symbol.
- If you specifically want to ask a question of someone or address them, type their name followed by a semicolon and then the message.
"What are anchor activities? How can I use anchor activities with my 10th grade struggling readers while I work with small groups? Help! I need some ideas. "
Anchor activities are ongoing assignments that students can work on independently throughout a unit of study or longer. They provide a way for teachers to deal with students who complete work at different times. They also allow the teacher to work with individual students or groups by providing activities related to the content for those students not working with the teacher. Anchor activities can be used at the beginning of the day, when students complete an assignment, or when they are stuck and waiting for your help.
Like most classroom routines, students need to be taught expectations and the process of anchor activities. It is suggested that teachers first start by teaching the whole group to work on an anchor activity independently and quietly. Once students are capable of doing this independently, progress to one group working an anchor activity and another group working on a different activity. Make sure you flip flop groups so that everyone experiences the transition. Continue to work with students on using anchor activities independently and in groups. Progress until 1/3 of the class is working on anchor activities, 1/3 are involved in a teacher directed activity, and 1/3 are working on a curriculum related unit. In a reading classroom, anchor activities should be used during guided reading time. As the teacher is working with small groups on guided reading lessons, other students should be working on curriculum related tasks or anchor activities. This frees the teacher to focus on the small group instruction.
In many classrooms, students work on routine activities. These types of activities can be used as anchor activities as options for students after assigned work is complete. The goal is to have students moving independently from one assignment to another without needing teacher direction. Anchor activities can be posted within the classroom in a variety of ways. See below for examples of anchor activities.
Teachers should make sure that students take responsibility for their roles in classroom routines. Clear expectations, rationale for expectations, and student self-evaluation are integral in developing classroom procedures and student ownership. To assess individual anchor activities teachers can employ a variety of methods including rubrics, anecdotal records and checklists, student conferences, journals, and portfolios.
Anchor Activities |
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Brain Busters Learning Packets Learning/Interest Centers Accelerated Reader Investigations Listening Stations Journals or Learning Logs Independent Reading Research/Inquiry Structured computer work |
Resources:
Sample Anchor Activities for Content Areas
Vocabulary Anchor Activities
Differentiation Strategies
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