The resources on this protopage are a collection of websites that have been either created or identified as useful in supporting adolescent literacy. They are websites that will identify student’s literacy strengths, support literacy growth, and provide learning strategies that allow students to have greater access to content area knowledge.
Lift Up Through Literacy:
Adolescents Learning, Achieving, Becoming
· Learning to read and write
· Impacting content areas with strategies
· Finding literacy strengths
· Taking control of literacy learning
RLTC History with Literacy Development of Adolescents
Purpose
Establish a statewide literacy initiative that will improve high school achievement, high school graduation rates, and college readiness rates for middle and high school students.
Goals
Adolescent striving readers and writers have the right to
· Know their literacy strengths
· Have appropriate level of materials to read
· Practice their literacy skills daily
· Instruction geared to their strengths and scaffolded to independence
· Know multiple ways to access content materials
· Develop literacy skills demanded by the work place
· Instruction from expert and trained teachers
Description of Work
1. Create web-based programs to provide literacy support for adolescents:
Access to Content Courses:
Literacy Assessment System: Assessments for determining the students’ strengths in the acquisition and progress in reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and representing.
Literacy Interventions:
· Workshops (one or two weeks) providing specific skill development, direct instruction (to, with, and by), engaged learners, and guided practice to acquisition of the skill.
· PowerPoint presentations, pod casts, and video presentations for explaining specific skills.
2. Preparation of proposal for potential striving reader federal funding
Progress on Work
RLTC Retreat – July …
Two day retreat in Charlevoix many of the RLTC directors and other literacy leaders from their region met (approximately 20 people) and began the planning for an adolescent literacy program. A framework was established, plans were created for how the work would be accomplished and work dates were established (August 28, September 4, October 10, and November 8).
Striving Reader Proposal Planning on
Patti Loper, Bill Devers and Elaine Weber met to review requirements for programs qualifying for previous striving reader funding. The proposed program from the July retreat was reviewed to assure that what was developed would meet the requirements of the federal striving reader funded programs.
Assessment System / Workshop Planning and Development
RLTC directors and literacy leaders (28 participants) met to learn Web 2.0 programs that would be used to upload the assessments and workshops on the web. Work was divided among the participants to be accomplished by the October meeting:
Access to the Content Courses
The Michigan-created program MiCLASS/HiCLASS is being uploaded on the web and now called Take FLIGHT in the Content Areas (Functional Literacy Instruction Generating Higher-Level Thinking) by a local group of educators from
Timeline for the Project
Lift Up Through Literacy will be completed by Spring of 2008 and ready for pilots during the 2008/09 school year.
Proposal for federal funding will be ready by late fall 2007 or early in 2008.
Timeline Modification
At the RLTC meeting held October 9th directors were told that the Reading First money could not be used for the above described initiative.
October 10th meeting was cancelled.
Work continued on both the project by
November 8th meeting was rescheduled and representatives from
The December 12th meeting is also going as scheduled.
January 29th we met in Ingham, and we are meeting again on February 27th.
Work on the project can be viewed at http://www.protopage.com/assessmentsystem
and http://www.protopage.com/miclasshiclass
The websites to your right connect you to additional protopages and websites which support the Lift up through Literacy Website.
The Websites that are listed below provide additional information and material to support adolescent literacy.
The training materials on your right require you to create an account with slideshare.
Simply click on the link and create an account.
Once you have created an account you can download the material to your computer.
Critical reading
What does it say, how does it say it, what does it mean, what's the connection to me?
Profundity: Steps to a deeper understanding of text.
Available at no cost, Kaleidoscope is a comprehensive site for busy educators striving to integrate the North Carolina Computer Skills and Information Skills curricula into the Standard Course of Study. This Web portal takes
This site has a multitude of activities for 5th - 8th grade teachers. The bookmark to the right, links you to the many of the wonderful links on this site.
Want to increase your reading comprehension and thinking about books?
Join an on-line book club!
Visit here:
For a full definition of Socratic Circles, go to the link below:
Below is a link to a demonstration of Socratic Circles done with the MacombISD Secondary Literacy Network:
http://visitmyclass.com/blogs/macombsln/archive/category/5578.aspx
Take a look at the short video demonstrating what socratic circles are all about.
Reading Comprehension
This section will help you identify your strengths in the area of Reading Comprehension. Follow the links to the left for more information.
This site allows you to travel the routes of the characters in the novels you read.
The Link below takes you to grade level reading passages:
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/eog/sampleitems/reading
http://www.ogtprep.com/highschool_ogt.htm#read
http://the_english_dept.tripod.com/exos.html
Click on the Grade Level below for Online Practice Reading Comprehension Tests from Pearson's Testing Site. You will be leaving the Protopage and going to Pearson's website.
Access to free grade-level diagnostic reading assessments for Grades 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and High School can be found at Learning Express Library.
MEL,
· Choose the tab “Tests and Tutorials.”
· Log in or register as a new user, if this is your first visit to the site.
· To find information on assessment resources, locate the appropriate link.
· For this module, scroll to Middle School Skills Improvement and choose 6th/7th/ or 8th Grade Reading Diagnostic Tests.
· Decide if you’re evaluating student’s narrative or expository reading skills and open the appropriate link to preview the text.
· In order to evaluate individual student’s progress, each student will need to create a username and password.
· Once he/she has completed an assessment, it will be necessary to report these results to the teacher. This can be done by having the student print his/her results page after completing an assessment.
· Results are stored online and can be opened/printed at any time by accessing individual accounts.
Red Flag Reading Screening is an informal means by which you can evaluate student's level of reading accuracy from grade level materials. The link below provide you with the steps to complete a Red Flag Screeing.
http://ldadvocates.com/administering_the_red_flag_reading-screening.htm
This site provides information on a variety of reading strategies to be used before, during and after reading. Explanations and students examples are provided.
This site provides information on Think Alouds:
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Reading/Reading%20Strategies/thinkaloud.htm
The link below is a student demonstrating a Think Aloud:
http://voicethread.com/share/32955/
This is a great site that offers a variety of lessons to help prepare student's for the ACT test.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/GrammarModule_186324_7.pdf
Reading Fluency
"Fluency is more than reading fast: it is reading at an appropriately fast rate with good expression and phrasing that reflects solid understanding of the passage. Since fluency is multidimensional, methods of assessment must capture its multidimensional nature. This booklet provides a broad definition of reading fluency, one that shows its connection to word decoding and comprehension, and presents some simple but effective methods for assessing student reading progress both in fluency and general achievement."
- Timothy V. Rasinski, Ph.D.
Figure 1
Procedures for Measuring Accuracy and Rate in CBM/ORF
|
Grade | Fall | Winter (WCPM) | Spring (WCPM) |
1 2 3 4 | 30-60 50-90 70-110 | 10-30 50-80 70-100 80-120 | 30-60 70-100 80-110 100-140 |
5 6 7 8 | 80-120 100-140 110-150 120-160 | 100-140 110-150 120-160 130-170 | 110-15- |
Source: Adapted from “AIMSweb: Charting the Path to Literacy,” 2003, Edformation, Inc. Available at www.aimsweb.com/norms/reading_fluency.htm. Data are also adapted from “Curriculum-Based Oral Reading Fluency Norms for Students in Grades 2 Through 5,” by J. E. Hasbrouck and G. Tindal, 1992, Teaching Exceptional Children, 24, pp. 41-44. |
|
Source: Adapted from Listening to Children Read Aloud: Oral Fluency, by G. S. Pinnell, J. J. Pikulski, K. K. Wixson, J. R. Campbell, P. B. Gough, & A. S. Beatty, 1995, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/web/95762.asp |
Figure 4
Multidimensional Fluency ScaleUse the following scales to rate reader fluency on he dimensions of expression and volume, phrasing, smoothness, and pace. Scores range from 4 to 16. Generally, scores below 8 indicate that fluency may be a concern. Scores of 8 or above indicate that the student is making good progress in fluency.
Dimension | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
A. Expression and Volume | Reads with little expression or enthusiasm in voice. Reads words as if simply to get them out. Little sense of trying to make text sound like natural language. Tends to read in a quiet voice. | Some expression. Begins to use voice to make text sound like natural language in some areas of the text, but not others. Focus remains largely on saying the words. Still reads in a quiet voice. | Sounds like natural language throughout the better part of the passage. Occasionally slips into expressionless reading. Voice volume is generally appropriate throughout the text. | Reads with good expression and enthusiasm throughout the text. Sounds like natural language. The reader is able to vary expression and volume to match his/her interpretation of the passage. |
B. Phrasing | Monotonic with little sense of phrase boundaries, frequent word-by-word reading. | Frequent two- and three-word phrases giving the impression of choppy reading; improper stress and intonation that fail to mark ends of sentences and clauses. | Mixture of run-ons, mid-sentence pauses for breath, and possibly some choppiness; reasonable stress/intonation. | Generally well phrased, mostly in clause and sentence units, with adequate attention to expression. |
C. Smoothness
| Frequent extended pauses, hesitations, false starts, sound-outs, repetitions, and/or multiple attempts. | Several “rough spots” in text where extended pauses, hesitations, etc., are more frequent and disruptive. | Occasional breaks in smoothness caused by difficulties with specific words and/or structures. | Generally smooth reading with some breaks, but word and structure difficulties are resolved quickly, usually through self-correction. |
D. Pace (during sections of minimal disruption) | Slow and laborious.
| Moderately slow.
| Uneven mixture of fast and slow reading.
| Consistently conversational.
|
Source: Adapted from “Training Teachers to Attend to Their Students’ Oral Reading Fluency,” by J. Zutell and T. V. Rasinski, 1991, Theory Into Practice, 30, pp. 211-217.
Writing Fluency
The ability to use language easily and accurately.
Volume - the number of words, sentences, paragraphs, and/or pages written
Stamina - self-regulated
Frequency - how often writing occurs
Automaticity - Immediate, automatic response to a writing prompt
An automatic response to a writing prompt is easy if you express an opinion, especially if it is an opinion about someting that relates to you!
Read the article from WIRED magazine, What Websites Do to Turn on Teens, then write to this prompt:
"Sometimes adults think they know the preferences of teenagers. Choose one idea from this report you agree or disagree with and tell why. Write as much as you like, including reasons, experiences, and facts you might have at your fingertips."
You can check the quality of your ideas by using the "Expository Writing Rubric" in the Bookmarks Panel on this page.
Here's a great example of an opinion essay: Advantages of Laptops
Engagement - interest, ownership, and self confidence when writng
Ten Times Two Prewriting Thinking Routine
ReadWriteThink - Poem about the Future
View samples of Digital Stories
To try it, download Photostory 3 or use Moviemaker or imovie on your computer. See more Digital Storytelling links at elenawee.pbwiki.com (password = maples and uncheck the box for notification if you don't want to receive emails!)
Word Study
Word Study is designed to teach pronunciation, definition, and usage of
vocabulary, as well as spelling.
Writing Development
Using the Writing Process to create published works in different genres.
Step 1
Administer the following 8th Grade Reading Comprehension Assessment
http://images.learnatest.com/SearchPDFs/8th_Grade_Reading_Comprehension.pdf
Step 2
If the student does not successfully pass the 8th Grade Reading Comprehension Assessment, with a score of 80% use the following grade-level screening assessment to determine where to begin to determine the grade level at which the student reads successfully.
http://ldadvocates.com/administering_the_red_flag_reading-screening.htm
Attached below are the teacher handouts and instruction with grade by grade passages (teacher and student) Grades 1 to 8:
http://visitmyclass.com/communities/files/2465/139930/Grades%201-8%20Passages.doc
Step 3
Select the grade level passage determined by the above reading screening
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/eog/sampleitems/reading
Administer the MEAP 8th Grade 2007 Writing from Knowledge and Experience Prompt.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/F07_Gr8_ELA_Scoring_Guide_Item_1_WKE_228854_7.pdf
Step 2
Assess the writing with the holistic rubric to determine the rubric score of 1 to 6.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/F07_Gr8_ELA_Scoring_Guide_Item_1_WKE_228854_7.pdf
If the writing scored a 3 or less, use the analytic rubric to score each of the four traits:
Content and Ideas
Organization'
Style and Voice
Conventions
http://www.slideshare.net/eweber/meap-6-pt-writing-rubric-by-trait/
Step 3
To determine the writing strategies the student has used, analyze the writing with the Profiles Writing Attributes of Writing displayed by grade level.
http://www.misd.net/Languageart/ProfilesWritingsec3.pdf
Step 4
If the writing scored a 1 or 2 and displays limited writing, use the Protocol for Looking at Student Work to determine what the student can do with writing and what would be the next best instruction.
Step 1:
Attached below are the directions to assess reading fluency.
http://visitmyclass.com/communities/files/2465/140065/Reading%20Fluency.doc
Step 2:
The link below contains passages to assess oral reading fluency.
Step 3: The link below contains passages to assess vocabulary. http://visitmyclass.com/communities/files/2465/140602/Vocabulary%20assessment.doc
Possible Interventions include:
Workshops, powerpoints, games, school improvement plans, podcasts, video, etc.