Literacy Now

Many elementary schools are expanding literacy blocks in an effort to improve reading achievement. Teachers work with guided reading groups while other students work independently, often at a literacy center. Although specific activities may vary, the common thread is the colossal amount of work that students are not doing during this time. Such was the case at the school just outside Winston-Salem, NC, where Valarie Hazel, a 23-year veteran of public education, teaches.

Wasting time and opportunity

Most of the students here read below grade, some significantly. Perhaps as a consequence, many have become expert at avoiding work, usually quite loudly. Arguments are frequent and impassioned, even when the stakes are meaningless—a prolonged squabble over possession of a book that neither student intends to read or extended debate regarding whose turn it is to go first.

Valarie, a fourth-grade teacher, was frequently interrupted in her small-group instruction to redirect disruptive students. Transitions between centers were lengthy and chaotic. Much of her instructional time was consumed with managing student behavior.

Data-empowered, not data-driven

“I had been using materials from the resource room,” Valarie explained. “I just worked with what we had.” Because only a few of Valarie’s students read on grade level, the activities were simply too difficult. “They didn’t want to try because the work was too hard.” She could support students’ on-grade level efforts during guided reading groups, but independent work required tasks at which they could succeed in her absence.

Using a variety of assessment data, Valarie determined each student’s literacy skills and deficits, which dictated what activities she included in the centers. She tapped the wealth of free, reproducible resources available online, printing and cataloging dozens of learning games that reinforced a range of skills. This enabled her to quickly change out tasks as students developed greater competencies.

At each center, students tracked their progress. At the fluency center, for example, students logged the date, the title of the reading passage, and their words per minute for each of three turns. Although this can be used as an external accountability measure, its real value is allowing students to register an immediate payoff to their center work.

Logistics

For every activity, Valarie replaced complex instructions with kid-friendly language. These instructions were included with each center but only for reference purposes. Before placing an activity in a center, “I put the game on the Promethean board, and we all played it together. Then I made enough copies [so students] could practice in groups.” Only when she was convinced that students could administer the centers themselves did she allow them to work independently.

She created a rotation schedule and placed it where everyone could see it. Names of centers were inserted in a clear, plastic pocket chart. As students cleaned up from one rotation, Valarie moved the center names to a different set of students for the next rotation.

To further limit the opportunities for disruption and to increase time on task, Valarie shifted from student teams to student pairs. The smaller the group, the less downtime each student had between turns. Using her assessment data, she paired students who were within a few reading levels of each other, changing the pairings as student abilities changed.

Teachers with larger classes may assume they lack the necessary space for 12 or 14 centers, but none of the activities require an area larger than two desktops. Most are stored in pocket folders that the students retrieve from a box at the front of the room. Others, like the game Boggle, remain in their original boxes but sit on the same shelf.

Valarie accepts that students who have never been asked to self-regulate require continual practice. Further, disengaged students often need a personally relevant reason to persist at an activity, and so she may need to work individually with students to set literacy goals that are supported by their center work. Great teaching is not a place at which you arrive but a constant process of becoming.

Deb Teitelbaum joined the faculty of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching in 2011. She holds a PhD in Educational Administration & Policy from the University of Georgia. She also taught high school English and theater in Lombard, IL, for 11 years, during which time she attained National Board certification. She is also on Twitter.

John Y. Dater School has immersed itself in the world of R.J. Palacio’s Wonder for four years. Its message has become part of the fabric of our school. We have even taken one of the quotes from the book and adapted it to use as our school motto, which hangs in every classroom and office. Now, every day we begin with the Pledge of Allegiance as well as a Dater fifth-grade student reminding us all to “Work Hard and Be Kinder Than Is Necessary.”

As part of the fifth-grade reading workshop curriculum, every student enjoys Wonder as an interactive read-aloud—I highly recommend it for upper elementary school students. Although its target audience is children ages 8–12, it is a great read for adults as well. Wonder is about a boy named August who was born with a major facial disfigurement. He begins attending school in fifth grade after being homeschooled. Through multiple perspectives, the story tackles important issues such as bullying, kindness, bravery, and friendship. The book’s impact on our school transcended its role as a simple assignment. 

Last summer I discovered the Choose Kind Classroom Challenge and became immediately excited about having Dater participate in this national movement. The challenge is part of the Choose Kind anti-bullying initiative that grew from Wonder, as explained by Palacio. I introduced the challenge to the teachers at our school as an optional classroom activity and provided each classroom with a mason jar and 50 marbles. We introduced the program during the first six weeks of school as we focused on building classroom communities. Almost every teacher welcomed the challenge in their classrooms, and within a month the jars started coming back down to the office filled with kindness marbles!

Although I was hoping that a few of our classrooms would participate and become one of the first 500 schools to become Certified Kind, I was overwhelmed with pride when 25 Dater classrooms received this designation. In fact, one of our Choose Kind classrooms was chosen to receive a special video message from Palacio. The students and teacher in this classroom requested the message be for the entire school rather than their individual classroom. They wanted to recognize the efforts of all of the students and classrooms at Dater School rather than the spotlight being solely on them. What a kind gesture that was!  We were able to surprise the students with the video we received from Random House at April’s schoolwide Spirit Day assembly.

The impact of our participation in this challenge has been tremendous. We now have 25 Choose Kind banners hanging around the school to remind students that we are a Choose Kind school. Kindness is ingrained in our school values and gives us a common language to use when discussing character development and prosocial behaviors with students. I am grateful to Palacio for writing such a powerful book about kindness and to Random House for creating and promoting such an important challenge for our schools. 

What I like about this particular anti-bullying initiative is that it is proactive and focuses on promoting positive behaviors rather than highlighting anti-social behaviors that should be avoided. In today’s schools and society, teaching students to tolerate “others” is not enough. We must hold ourselves and our students to a higher standard of celebrating everyone and always remembering to “choose kind.” 

Andrew Matteo is principal of John Y. Dater School in Ramsey, NJ, which educates all of the fourth and fifth graders in the town's public school system.  Matteo taught elementary school for seven years in Glen Rock and also served as the principal of Central School, Glen Rock, NJ.  He is currently pursuing his PhD in Teacher Education and Teacher Development at Montclair State University.

I am a lector at my church. Reading in front of the congregation is not a challenging task, but it is an intimidating one.

I enjoy reading to the parishioners, but as I read, I cannot help but count my errors. Recently, during the first of three readings, I made three errors: a mispronunciation, mistaking a for the, and omitting a word. Can you believe it? Right there, in front of 150 people, I made three errors.

I stood there, actually assessing myself at the lectern, and wondered if anyone even cared that I made errors. Did anyone laugh because they knew I made errors? Did anyone think I committed blasphemy by reading Bible passages incorrectly? Or, worse, did one of them feel the need to pull me aside to talk about my errors, maybe point out what I already knew, and remind me of what I already felt embarrassed about?

Whether in front of a class or with a teacher, the act of reading for others to hear can create a sense of insecurity in the student. I hear the student, the class hears the student, and the student hears himself or herself. Thus, oral reading creates self-consciousness because students are “forced” to recognize their reading by “seeing” themselves through a lens they may wish not to, unlike silent reading. Further, when readers are not provided feedback (what the reader does from his point of view or the teachers), they are likely to presume the worst about their reading.

So, of course, when I ask my students to read for me, they are reluctant. Those who struggle are shuttered by memories of bad oral reading, or those who struggle most are asked to read out loud, regularly. With each reading, a reader internalizes his or her ability to read. With little change from the previous reading assessment, negative internalizations can form.

Because I can’t do much to amend readers’ past (nor can the readers), the question then becomes, how can I help them develop resiliency?

I have yet to see a reader who doesn't display apprehension toward reading out loud. When I recognize this physical manifestation of self-consciousness, we talk first. I am more apt to encourage oral reading than demand it.

The first step I take to promote resiliency is to tell students I value their oral reading. By acknowledging the reader's feelings, we can change the vibe before the student reads out loud. I know that the reader is going to make errors. I tell each reader that mistakes are a part of reading. By informing my readers of their potential for mistakes, we can be aware in a positive and productive fashion. Together, we can improve the student's oral reading, in part with practice, but also by what we learn (i.e., multimorphemic words).

From time to time, I tell students stories about my reading, such as the story of reading in front of the congregation, thereby creating empathy. I tell them stories to loosen them up and help them realize that not a single living soul reads perfectly every time, creating compassion.

As the student and I establish trust in our reading relationship, we can make light of mistakes. Because mistakes are a natural part of reading aloud, students are more apt to correct miscues in the future if we can laugh it off. Sometimes we have to joke about how a word sounds. Again, only if we have a trusting relationship and if the reader knows I am listening rather than judging. By listening to and enjoying readers, we are able to help them forgive themselves for making reading errors. We further their resiliency by showing readers appropriate ways to “break apart” words, pronounce a word (albeit further follow-up instruction will be necessary), or apply “fix-up” and clarifying strategies.

Making mistakes, like stumbling over unfamiliar words, is a natural part of reading. No reader should be apprehensive of reading because he or she is afraid of getting words wrong. If readers become wary of reading unfamiliar words, why would they pursue reading? Can we encourage readers to embrace more challenging texts, such as high school textbooks, loaded with unfamiliar words, if we don't acknowledge that mistakes will be made? When readers gain comfort with the imperfections, they develop resiliency.

We will make mistakes. Just because I don't recognize ancient names from the Bible doesn't mean I will stop reading to the congregation. Nor should a student be reluctant to embrace a challenging text because he or she is afraid of not knowing the words. When we embrace and correct mistakes as part of our reading process, our confidence grows and our resilience becomes perseverance. As we know, part of learning to read is figuring out words we don't know.

Justin Stygles is a fifth-grade teacher at Guy E. Rowe Elementary school in Norway, ME. He has taught for 13 years at the intermediate level and in various summer program settings. He is currently working on a book with Corwin Literacy about self-conscious emotions.

Stygles will present  “‘I Hate Reading!’ Strategies and Invitations to Reverse Negative Self-Perceptions Among Readers at the Elementary Level” Monday, July 11, 8:30–9:30 AM at the ILA 2016 Conference & Exhibits in Boston. Visit ilaconference.org for more information or to register.

Imagine 300+ families reading one book simultaneously.

At G. Stanley Hall Elementary School we accomplished this through a project called “One Book One School.” We know bringing families together through literature can be a strong bond to help connect parents to their children's schooling by a single book. We also know that many parents want to help at home. One of the best ways to help is by reading aloud. With One Book One School, our building came together to read one chapter book at the same time, usually over the course of a couple weeks. I had the chance to embark on the reading adventure with the book The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary.

A night assembly where parents were invited to school to learn about the journey and chance to enjoy a book with their children kick-started the experience. Each family received a copy of the book. Families who spoke Spanish as their first language received the Spanish version of the book. We gave them a schedule of when to read what chapter and showed them a website that was set up to accompany them. The website featured the schedule and videos of featured guest readers. We were off!

Each morning a question about the book blared from the speakers. Students were given strips of paper to record their response. I collected the responses as a class, and we discussed the question. Correct answers were brought to the office and entered into a drawing for a chance to win a prize, usually something sweet shaped into a mouse or a car. Students were buzzing each day for a chance to answer the question.

By sharing one book with students across all grades and their families, we shared the love of reading with our entire school, not just one class. Students enjoyed having a chance to share their thoughts about the book with their friends, and the event helped spark further interest in Beverly Clearly, as some students continued to check out her other books.

Other teachers were willing to help those students whose parents chose not to participate by allowing them to watch the readings of the chapters or reading the chapter aloud to their class. It was just another chance for teachers to share their love of reading. Also, teachers were able to hit those ever-important Standards while discussing the book.

Many families in our school do not have the money to buy books, and this event put a book in their hands. One Book One School is a start. For the school, the cost of the program starts with the book, but the only other expense would be for prizes; a website is certainly optional.

In the end, parents appreciated the support they found in One Book One School. Through the program, they found a new way to interact with their children by sharing parts of The Mouse and the Motorcycle they loved and discussing why the author may have chose to write the way she did. In the end, it felt like this successful journey came to an end too soon.

Garrett O’Dell is a fourth-grade teacher at G. Stanley Hall Elementary School in Nebraska.

Gosh, I love middle-schoolers. They are so. . .honest. Unquestionably honest.

Last month I asked our middle-school students some very informal questions about their classroom and out-of-school reading. These kiddos were enrolled in a full-year reading intervention course for students not yet reaching grade-level reading goals. We wanted to use their responses to plan and prepare for the coming year. The teachers and I braced ourselves for the answers these highly honest adolescents would provide. 

What I found out had me laughing—through tears.

Finding research to support increasing student achievement in literacy by encouraging independent reading is not difficult. We know choice is important, we know making reading social is crucial to today’s kids, and we know making reading meaningful and authentic is vital to keeping them engaged. Seeing that our students prove our theories and research to be true is always gratifying.

Our students advised us that the best place to find out about good books is to ask another student. Proof that for students, reading is social. They told us that they usually choose their next book on the basis of their favorite authors or the next book in a series. Unfortunately, “teacher suggestion” ranked almost equally with “chosen randomly from the shelf”. 

I asked, “How can your teachers make reading more interesting and fun in the classroom? How can they make it something you want to do?” Some of my favorite responses were the most honest. Note that I kept their initial spelling and grammar intact, as it adds to the authenticity. They are quite revealing. 

I don’t know, but the teachers could try and work some stuff into the lesson that kids like.  (If they only knew how hard we try to do just that!)

Just give me good book about fallen angels and stuff like that or a book that people die in.

Talk about sports. (This would create a very narrow curriculum, but we’ll consider it.)

Let you read whatever you won’t. (I’m pretty sure this youngster meant whatever you want.)

Don’t force a kid to read things they don’t want let them pick. (Also, don’t make them eat green vegetables or go to the dentist, right? But we get the point.)

Give us more books to choose from. (Oh, my! How many of your teachers frequent used bookstores, book clubs, and garage sales looking for new selections? If it were up to us, every classroom would have new books to choose on the shelves every week.)

There were many responses from students who wanted us to know they aspired to improve their world, and they wanted to read about genuine issues:

If we read an article have it be a powerful one that people should care about, and if it’s a normal book then books that get your attention right away. I want to read about something I really care about.

Many responses were reflective of current emphasis on testing:

Let us just read instead of analyzing paragraphs!

Actually let us independent read cause we don’t do that a lot

Let me read and let me injoy the book and NOT think about how I fell.  (This darling student likely meant, “think about how I FEEL”.  He has a few spelling needs.)

Then there were of course those few students who were hoping for sweeping change:

Don’t look to see if I’m really reading.

Give candy and don’t talk to us. Also, let us sit wherever we want.

These connections with kids prove to me yet again that our future generations are savvy, smart, and want to make our world a better place.

Overall, it should be noted I could easily separate their answers into categories.

1. Give us a choice.
2. Let us talk.
3. Don’t give us worksheets.

Your advice is noted, middle-schoolers. See you next fall!

Julie Scullen is a former president of the Minnesota Reading Association and Minnesota Secondary Reading Interest Council and is a current member of the International Literacy Association Board of Directors. She taught most of her career in Secondary Reading Intervention classrooms and now serves as Teaching and Learning Specialist for Secondary Reading in Anoka-Hennepin schools in Minnesota, working with teachers of all content areas to foster literacy achievement. She teaches graduate courses at Hamline University in St. Paul in literacy leadership and coaching, as well as reading assessment and evaluation.