Electronic Notebook
1. Physical Notebook - Table of Contents
Best represents the work I did this semester.
2. Learning Strategy Write-up
Includes sample text, graphic organizer, Common Core
Standards, and research
3. Case Study (Powerpoint)
Student used 5Ws & H, Skimming & Scanning, Text Structures
& Supports, and Meta-guided reading.
4. Sample Assignment (Week 2)
Selecting texts, integrating Common Core Standards, use of
strategy
5. Sample Blog Entry - Vocabulary
Document 1: Physical Notebook Table of Contents Best represents the work I did this semester.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part 1 Page Paradigms of Practice 1
REDW Strategy (variation of GIST) Assignment 2 Rationale 2 Graphic Organizer 3 Learning Strategy Write-Up 4-6 Demonstration Powerpoint 7-8 Research Articles (cover pages-one sleeve) 9 Texts students read 10-11
Journal Article Article 12 Handout 13 Commercial Script 14
Case study Student Used 5Ws & H, Text Structures & Supports, Scanning and Skimming, Meta-guided Reading, Cognizance of reading purpose Assignment 15 Case Study Write-Up (Powerpoint) 16-20 Three Research Articles (cover pages-one sleeve) 21
Classmate’s Strategy Alphabet Books (Demonstrated by Courtney) 22 Graphic Organizer I Created 23 Text I applied strategy to (NY Times article) 24 I used ABC strategy 25-27
Work with Students General Rationale (Blog Entry) 28 Three Research Articles that inform my work 29-31 Skimming and Scanning Graphic Organizer – draft 32
Assignment 33 Lesson Plan 33 Rationale 34 Text Structures and Supports Graphic Organizer I Created 35 Procedure (Script) to conduct activity 36 Students’ work 37-41 Post-strategy Ramblings 42
Assignment (and text) 43 I modeled strategy (Text Structures & Supports) 44 Student’s work 45
Assignment 46 Strategy (Brainstorming) 46 Lesson Plan with Strategies (Text Structures and Supports & 47 Skimming & Scanning)
Part 2 – Blogs, Assignments, Readings with Tools
A. Class-Related - Arranged by Topic Page Selecting Texts Assignment (Week 1) 48-50 Assignment (Week 2) 51-53 Assignment (Week 6) 54-55 Assignment with Carmen Jackson (April 7) 56-58 Blog Entry 59 Blog Entry 60 I used Text Structures & Supports and Skimming & Scanning to 61 read e-book Literacy Libraries Learning In-class work with classmate Eleni 62-63
After-Reading Activities Blog Entry (Flip Chart) 64
Inferencing Blog Entry 65 Assignment (Week 4) (I used It Says I Say and Double Entry 66-69 Journal as part of assignment)
Prior Knowledge Assignment (Week 5) 70-71
Fluency I used (attempted) a Three-Level Study Guide 72 Blog Entry 73 I used Text Features and Supports 74 Comments about Beers’ Chapter 10 75
Vocabulary Blog Entry 76 Blog Entry 77 Blog Entry 78 Blog Entry (I used Three-Level Study Guide) 79
Spelling Blog Entry 80 Blog Entry 81 I used Language Collection 82 Assignment (Week 11) 83-84 Notes 85
Read Alouds I used REAP and Double Entry Journal 86-87
Metacognition and Active Reading Blog Entry 88
Prereading environment Assignment Week 3 89-90
Explicit Instruction Blog Entry 91 Blog Entry 92 Blog Entry 93 Assignment (week 4) 94-95
Re-Reading Journal Article 96 I used GIST 97-98 Notes about article 99
B. Tools used with personal and work-related readings
Personal New York Times Article 100 I used 5Ws and H 101-106
Book - Pull Me Up 107 I used It Says I Say 108 I used Post-Its (similar to Double Entry Journal or It Says I Say) 109-111
Work-Related: Book Review Article 112 I used Cornell Note Taking 113-114 Book – My Favorite Band Doesn’t Exist 115 I used Annotations to read book 116-117 Review - I used a GIST-like strategy to write review 118 Finished Product! 119
Work-Related: Namesake Book – Namesake 120 I used EXPLORE to read book 121-122
ADDENDUM
Notes for Final Reflection 123 Electronic Portfolio Table of Contents 124 Final Reflection 125
Document 2: Learning Strategy Write Up Includes sample text, graphic organizer, Common Core Standards, and research
Learning Strategy Write Up REDW: Finding the Main Idea
REDW (Read, Examine, Decide, Write) is a variation of Janet Allen’s GIST. Both are used during reading to find the main idea in an expository text to improve comprehension and recall. This activity helps with comprehension by teaching students to get to the “gist” or main idea of a sentence and paragraph. Students comprehend better when they are familiar with text structure. This activity teaches students that the first sentence is usually the topic sentence (or main idea of the paragraph).
Method: (The teacher can create a customized worksheet or students can create their own.) Step #1: Read the entire paragraph. Step #2: Examine each sentence and select the 2 or 3 most important words in the sentence and write them down. Step #3: Decide which sentence contains the words that express the main idea of the paragraph. This is the topic sentence (often the first sentence in the paragraph). Step #4: Write down the topic sentence for the paragraph.
Jihad vs. McWorld By Benjamin R. Barber The two axial principles of our age—tribalism and globalism—clash at every point except one: they may both be threatening to democracy
Just beyond the horizon of current events lie two possible political futures—both bleak, neither democratic. The first is a retribalization of large swaths of humankind by war and bloodshed: a threatened Lebanonization of national states in which culture is pitted against culture, people against people, tribe against tribe—a Jihad in the name of a hundred narrowly conceived faiths against every kind of interdependence, every kind of artificial social cooperation and civic mutuality. The second is being borne in on us by the onrush of economic and ecological forces that demand integration and uniformity and that mesmerize the world with fast music, fast computers, and fast food—with MTV, Macintosh, and McDonald's, pressing nations into one commercially homogenous global network: one McWorld tied together by technology, ecology, communications, and commerce. The planet is falling precipitantly apart AND coming reluctantly together at the very same moment. (Atlantic Monthly, 2002)
Sentence 1 ______
Sentence 2 ______
Sentence 3 ______
Sentence 4 ______
Topic Sentence (or Main Idea)
Sample Completed Worksheet: (Important sentences bolded and underlined).
Sentence # 1: Just beyond the horizon of current events lie two possible political futures—both bleak, neither democratic.
Sentence #2: The first is a retribalization of large swaths of humankind by war and bloodshed: a threatened Lebanonization of national states in which culture is pitted against culture, people against people, tribe against tribe—a Jihad in the name of a hundred narrowly conceived faiths against every kind of interdependence, every kind of artificial social cooperation and civic mutuality.
Sentence #3: The second is being borne in on us by the onrush of economic and ecological forces that demand integration and uniformity and that mesmerize the world with fast music, fast computers, and fast food—with MTV, Macintosh, and McDonald's, pressing nations into one commercially homogenous global network: one McWorld tied together by technology, ecology, communications, and commerce.
Sentence #4: The planet is falling precipitantly apart AND coming reluctantly together at the very same moment.
Topic Sentence: Just beyond the horizon of current events lie two possible political futures—both bleak, neither democratic.
Common Core Standards: This strategy helps students meet English Language Arts (6-12) Career and College Readiness (CCR) Anchor Standards for Reading:
Key Ideas and Details - #1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it. #2: Determine central ideas of themes of a text. Craft and Structure: - #5: Analyze the structure of texts
Resources: Journal Articles: I could not find a journal article about REDW, but the strategy includes re-reading:
Hedin, L.R. (2010). Teaching students to comprehend informational text through rereading. The Reading Teacher, 63(7), 556-565.
Also related: Baumann, J.F. (Autumn, 1984). The effectiveness of a direct instruction paradigm for teaching main idea comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly. 20(1), 93-115.
Jitendra, A.K., Hoppes, M.K., & Ping, X.Y. (2000). Enhancing main idea comprehension for students with learning problems: the role of a summarization strategy and self-monitoring instruction. Journal of Special Education. 34(3) 127-140.
McCarthy, P.M., Renner, A. M., Duncan, M.G., Duran, N.D., Lightman, E.J. & McNamara, D.S. (2008). Identifying topic sentencehood. Behavior Research Methods. 40(3), 647-664.
Sjostrom, C.L., & Hare, V.C. (Nov.-Dec.1984). Teaching high school students to identify main ideas in expository text. The Journal of Educational Research. 78(2).114-118.
Books: Botha, D., Chaka, M., duPlessis, N., B. Krause, Rawjee, V. P., Porthen, D. … Wright, B. (2007). Public relations fresh perspectives. Cape Town, South Africa: Pearson Prentice Hall South Africa. p. 129.
Gupta, Sadhana. (2008). Communication skills and functional grammar. New Delhi, India: University Science Press, p 80.
Website: “Reading Comprehension: The REDW Strategy for Finding Main Ideas. (n.d.). How-to-study.com. Retrieved from http://www.how-to-study.com/study-skills/en/language-arts/11/reading-comprehension-the-redw-strategy- for-finding-main-ideas/
Blog: Zakirumaruddin, A., & Sabri, A. (2008, Jun 1). Students’ corner: reading comprehension: The REDW strategy for finding main ideas. Retrieved from http://zakismartstudy.blogspot.com/2008/06/reading-comprehension -redw-strategy-for.html
Document 3: Case Study Powerpoint Student used 5Ws & H, Skimming & Scanning, Text Structures & Supports and Meta-guided Reading
Case Study Background Same subject for QRI5 assessment battery (intellectually gifted 10th grader)
Follow-up on recommendations from the QRI5: improve recall, read difficult texts, increase reading rate Strengths, Weaknesses, Issues
Strengths: Reads narrative and expository texts at the independent level; Weaknesses: Recall assessed at Instructional Level on QRI5 (may be due to inexperience with this activity); Independent Level with “look-backs”; Issues: Has to read a lot for school, has to read difficult texts, thinks she’s a slow reader (according to QRI5 assessment, she reads at a normal rate) Development Plan Strategy to improve recall and comprehend difficult text (5 Ws and H) Strategies to increase reading rate (Text Structures and Supports, Skimming and Scanning, Meta guided reading). Note: Text Structures and Supports and Skimming and Scanning help with comprehension as well. Strategies 5Ws and H Skimming and Scanning Text Structures and Supports Meta Guided Reading (“visual guide to increase focus”) 5Ws and H: Procedure, Rationale, Results Procedure: I explained the strategy, modeled the strategy (with a NYT article), and provided a graphic organizer. GH selected appropriate material for this strategy (biography of Dolly Madison). Rationale: This is a good strategy to use to comprehend a difficult text and the assignment is difficult as well: students are required to collaborate with classmates and present the figure from different authors’ perspectives (see assignment). Results: GH stated that the strategy was extremely time- consuming but did help her to engage more deeply with the text. She said she was not likely to use the strategy in the future. Assignment
Completed Graphic Organizer Reading Rate Introduction: Although GH does not necessarily need to increase her reading rate, strategies that are designed to increase reading rate affect comprehension as well by helping the reader to focus and set an appropriate reading rate. Awareness of Text Structures and Supports Skim and Scan text prior to reading Cognizance of the purpose of reading Meta guided reading (helps reader focus on the text and set a reading rate) Script Last year you told me you think you are a slow reader. Reading rate depends on the difficulty of the text and the purpose for reading. If you are reading a narrative for entertainment you may breeze through it. At the other end of the spectrum, you may be reading an expository text to not only learn the material but memorize it. Last year I timed your reading as part of the QRI5 assessment. Your rate was in the normal range, but you told me you think you are a slow reader. To try out a strategy designed to increase reading rate, I’d like you to re-read aloud the same text I timed for the QRI5 assessment. This is not a scientific test because you already read the material, but to create similar conditions, I like you to answer questions after you complete the reading so that the purpose for the reading is the same. Procedure GH was instructed to look over text to become familiar with Text Structures and Supports before reading the text; GH was instructed to Skim and Scan the text before reading; GH was shown how to use Meta Guided Reading (running her finger under the words as she reads); The purpose of the reading was established (when readers are conscious of the purpose for reading it helps them “pre-set [their] minds for receiving outputs” (Gagliardi). The purpose of this reading was defined: read the text and answer questions about the text (to create similar conditions to the QRI5 to compare reading rates). *Not scientific because this is a second reading of the same text. Meta Guided Reading Point to text (Characteristics of Viruses, Pt. 1) with finger while reading
PLAY AUDIO Results 1st read: 357x60/139 seconds = 154 wpm 2nd read with strategy: 357x60/137 seconds = 156 wpm
Typical college student: 189 wpm Average Reading Rates Speed Reading Reading slowly does not necessarily improve comprehension (Gagliardi); Speed readers learn to tune out redundancy and fluff – “over-the-top” verbiage* (Gerliardi);
*Speech or writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions (Merriam-Webster) Bibliography Gagliardi, J. (2009). Speed reading: Can it work for you? Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology. 285- 286. Lewandowski, L.J., Codding, R.S., Kleinmann, A.E., & Tucker, K.L. (2003). Assessment of Reading Rate in Postsecondary Students. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment. 21(134): 134-144. Harvard Course Harvard Course
The Reading Course can help you develop a greater range of reading rates and a broader repertoire of reading strategies so that you have more choices available to you in approaching any text. Just as you would not ride a bike at the same speed at every moment, on every road, for every purpose -- or ride it in the same gear under all conditions -- it does not make sense to read all texts, of even all parts of a given text, at the same speed and in the same way regardless of your needs and circumstances. The Reading Course enables you to gain a better sense of control over your reading and studying and develop the flexibility, judgment, and confidence to apply different approaches for different purposes, thus increasing your speed of comprehension.
While students in the course do increase their reading speed (typically doubling it), the Harvard Course in Reading and Study Strategies is much more than a speed-reading course. Reading more efficiently is not just a matter of moving your eyes more quickly over the pages. It's also a matter of using your mind more actively and your attention more judiciously. Reading mindfully and purposefully improves focus, comprehension, memory, and speed.
Document 4: Sample Assignment (Week 2) Selecting texts, integrating Common Core Standards, use of strategy
Week 2
Scan through the Reading Standards for Informational Text section of the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/common_core_standards/pdfdocs/p- 12common_core_learning_standards_ela_final.pdf
Focusing on the grade/subject that you teach (or plan to teach), select two goals. Discuss what type of activities you might do with the students to help them reach these goals? What benchmark reading skills would the students have to demonstrate to show that they have met these goals?
Week 2 Assignment
Goal One (for Grade 12): “Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (eg. visually or quantatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.” (Standard 7)
Objective: In a unit about Brown v. Board of Education and school integration, students compare and contrast a text (paragraph in John Steinbeck’s TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY), a photograph (from Toni Morrison’s book REMEMBER: THE JOURNEY TO SCHOOL INTEGRATION), and a painting (Norman Rockwell’s, "The Problem we all Live With") depicting or describing the day Ruby Bridges integrated the New Orleans school system in 1960.
Scaffolding: Students learn about the unique elements and devices of each medium and how these are used to express a point. For example, students learn how a painter uses color, a photographer form and a writer sarcasm to create an image, appeal to our emotions or connect to our experience.
Activity: Write an essay that compares and contrasts how these three mediums treat the subject. What are the common features of each? How does each depict the emotion of the event? How do the author, photographer and painter use the unique features of the medium to express their opinions and the attitudes of others? What details does Rockwell incorporate in his painting to “appeal to our common life experience”? How is Steinbeck’s description of the event like a parable? Which of the three works do you think best captures the event? What would you like to know about the author, painter, photographer? For example, what other social problems did Rockwell depict in his paintings? What were the criticisms of Rockwell’s painting? Where else in her work did Morrison address the issue of desegregation?
Benchmark skills: In a written response, the student clearly delineates the unique characteristics of each medium to compare and contrast the presentation of the event and the author/artist’s opinion. The student explains how Steinbeck used metaphors, adjectives, text structure and grammar to elicit an emotional response from the reader. In a response to the painting, the student mentions Rockwell’s use of form, light and color. The student describes the similarities and differences between the photograph and the painting and spectulates how these elements were used to express the opinion of the photographer and artist. In their response the student includes unanswered questions they have about the author, painter and photographer or the event that they would like to explore.
Goal Two (for Grade 12): “Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.” (Standard 12)
Objective: Students identify the central themes in Lytton Strachey’s essay, “Florence Nightingale” (EMINENT VICTORIANS,1918) and summarize the text.
Scaffolding: Students use a REDW stragegy to analyze and summarize the text. (Read each paragraph; go back and examine each sentence and select the words that tell what the sentence is about; decide which sentence tells the main idea of the paragraph; write down the main idea for each paragraph).
Model the strategy. Examine each sentence: Paragraph 1, 8 sentences: Sentence 1: popular conception of Nightingale; 2: saintly woman; 3: not true; 4: Nighingale not like image; 5: other motives; 6: possessed by Demon; 7: that’s interesting; 8: Nightingale not agreeable
Which sentence tells the main idea of the paragraph: The last one: “... in the real Miss. Nightingdale there was more that was interesting than in the legendary one; there was also less that was agreeable.”
Write the main idea of the paragraph: We have a misconception about Florence Nightingale. She was not the saintly image of the public’s imagination.
Activity: Students read Strachey’s essay and use a REDW strategy to identify the central themes of the text. What are the topics of each paragraph and what sentences support the topics. How do the paragraph topics connect to the support major themes of the essay. Objectively summarize the text.
Benchmark skills: Students identify the central themes of the essay using textual evidence to support their claims; students outline the development of the themes in the order they were presented.
Document 5: Sample Blog - Vocabulary chrislib says
In Chapter 9, “Vocabulary, Figuring out What Words Mean,” Beers offers suggestions to help students improve their vocabulary. One way is for teachers to methodically and consciously use upcoming vocabulary words in the classroom. This reminded me of a hilarious passage in Calvin Trillin‟s book FAMILY MAN where he describes the kinds of conversations he had with his daughter when she was a junior in high school stressed out about applying to college and trying to learn vocabulary for the SATs
“Relax I kept saying to S., the teenager I know best, as the pressure in her crowd mounted. I read that a lot of colleges don‟t pay much attention to SAT scores anyway. Also, you can always go to work in the dime store.”
His daughter‟s response:
“ „Relaxing would be a herculean task – meaning a task very difficult to perform.‟ S. said. „Because among my friends, there‟s no dearth of anxieties. A dearth is like a paucity-a scarcity of scanty supply. In fact, most of the people I know have a plethora of anxieties – a surfeit, an overabundance.‟”
Like many strategies that work, specifically using vocabulary in the classroom requires planning and work.