Group+9+Module+10

1. What does research say about the topic? SUSANNAH: The older students get, the further along they go inschool, the more important it is for them to be able to read and understand text independently. They will be expected to read and understand the information, so the instructor can "take it from there" and build on what they should already know fron their reading. Middle sxchool and high school teachers are employed to teach content, not reading skills, yet they really need to. In elementary schools, most of their texts are narrative, not expository, and the text that is expository is not expected to be read asnd understood independently. The big emphasis on content reading starts in middle school and reading strategies to cope with content reading are not generally taught, so the students never get the content strategy instruction. There is a history of content reading, starting in the early 1900s! RENEE: According to the text research suppots the role of strategic learning in students' literacy development. Students need a balance of visible and invisible aspects of content area reading. Visible aspects involve "teachers explicit instruction routines to develop students' metacognition of reading strategies and self-regulated use if these strategies to comprehend and learn from the text." Whereas, invisible aspects involves teachers instruction integrating reading and subject matter learning using language and literacy to scaffold students' learning. Good teaching plays a key role in successful content area reading instruction. MANDY: Content area reading is a matter of good teaching. When the invisible aspects of content area reading are operting in the classroom, the teacher is able to integrate reading and subject matter leearning in seamless fashion, using language and literacy to scaffold students' learning. PEGGY: The text makes a very important statement, "The literacy learning that takes place in adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 is of critical importance in preparing for life in and out of school". The article, "Addressing the Literacy Crisis: Teaching Reading in the Content Areas," points out how 15 to 30 percent of population (Stedman and Kaestle(1991) has difficulty reading common text. Also, it states major corporations are calling for higher literacy standards to meet future demands and how students who are unable to read at these levels will have difficulty finding and holding a job. 2. Why is adolescent literacy more critical than ever? SUSANNAH: It is more critical than ever because of all the media that is counter-literacy. For example, texting does not encourage correct spelling, students respond mostly to text on the website that tends to be chopped up into short "soundbites", so no opprotunities for increasing attention span or investigating a topic in depth. Students play computer games when students used to read. The economy is more difficult, so parents have less time to engage with their children and when they do it is not to spend time reading to or with them, or going to the library. Instead, they watch TV and go to movies, or kids entertain themselves and they do not choose reading books, usually. Parents are too stressed and busy to find time to read themselves, so love of reading is not modeled to the students. Literacy development "helps to shape the core strategies by which adolescents learn to negotiate meaning and think critically about the texts in their lives".

RENEE: According to the Commission on Adolescent Literacy of the International Reading Association states that: "Adolescents entering the adult world in the 21st centery will read and write more than at any other time in human history." They will need advanced levels of literacy to perform almost every aspects of their lives. Their ability to read will be critical to survive in a complex and sometimes even dangerous world they live in. There are pros and cons of the high speed technology world they live in today. Teachers must provide good instruction that improves reading, attitudes, habits, and skills to prepare students to be college ready, career ready and life-long learners.

MANDY: Because these childen will read more than any other student in our nations history. The will need literacy to cope with the flood of information they encounter, to raise families, work in jobs, and understand the world they live in.

PEGGY: With the demands of the corporate world it will be hard for them to obtain jobs and be successful.

3. Content area reading starts any time a teacher reads expository text to a classroom. How can you improve your content area instruction in your class? SUSANNAH: I can introduce the vocabulary ahead of time. I can have leveled readers, or books, about the content so the content is on the students' reading level. I can show a short video to catch the students' attention, put things in context, and help build or reinforce that sydents' prior or background knowledge. I can bring an artifact or two or three into the classroom, such as different minerals, if we are studying minerals, or a pioneer bonnet if were are studying pioneers, and so on. RENEE: I can Connect the text with studetns backgroud knowledge and every day life. I can provide hands-on activities and various types of guide materials related to the text to improve learning. I can use KWL charts and graphic organizers to enhance reading skills. MANDY: I like to read the key vocabulary to the students and write the definition on the board and try to connect some sort of picture or clue with the definition. Also, I like to read through the text to the students so they will have a heads up when we read it together. PEGGY: I used prediction, background knowledge, vocabulary, and if possible a visual informative clip to draw the students into discussion before reading.

SUSANNAH's question: What is/are a good resource/s for leveled content books? I guess they come with scott foresman science, for example, but as a special ed teacher, an extra set is not ordered for us, just classroom teachers. It take ages to look stuff up in the library and try to locate on the shelves - especially at my school library where nothing ever seems to be on the shelves where it is supposed to be.

RENEE: I am not for sure, you might could find out by search the Internet. I am also a special education teacher and I work with 3rd-5th grade students. I was given the old Scoot foresman leveled reader (1st and 2nd grade level) from teachers when the teachers adopted a new series of reading materials. You might want to check with some of the regular education teachers in your building and just ask them if they will give you an old set. This would be a good time to ask because teachers just adopted a new series of reading materials for this year. MANDY: You also can ask the teachers to borrow their set and make copies out of their books. SUSANNAH: OK, thank you! PEGGY: I'm not much help there, Susannah, sorry I don't work with that level and haven't researched for that level. However, could you find magazine articles, like science magazines written for the young student, that maybe context will connect to the content subject.

RENEE's QUESTION: I have only worked with elementary students. What reading strategy have you found most successful in working with middle school and high school students?

MANDY: I worked with 7th and 8th graders in my internship (special ed.) and for reading we used repeated readings. This helped them remember the information. SUSANNAH: The 15 year old that I tutored really enjoyed Graphic Novels. There are a lot out there that I didn't realize - at the public library there were a lot - and some are the same text that is being read in highschool classrooms. It would take some research.

PEGGY: I've worked with 9-12 grade level males for the past 8 years, the prediction, background, discussion, then using KWL's, vocabulary strategies, have all helped. Most high school level students want to feel like they know something about everything, so opening discussions and then reading to see if they really know what they are thinking is right gives them a type of empowerment and helps to engage them in the reading. Graphic novels, sports magazines, Scope readers theatre's, are all good for engaging reading, but when it comes to content and connecting to text reading the pre-discussions are the most helpful to engage interest.

MANDY's QUESTION: It seems like "true" reading isn't important to kids anymore because of the texting and internet language. How do we make students realize how important reading is? RENEE: As teachers, I believe we must model reading to show students how much we love reading.. When students read during SSR, we should also read. Make reading fun for students by giving them choice. SUSANNAH: I have not ever done this, but the literacy circles would promote this. The students would get together and read and digest and discuss the books they were reading. I think that sharing good books and exchanging ideas about books, must lead to "discoveries" of wonderful books, and boost the student's enthusiasm. I would love it if one day one of my students came to school exhausted because they had been up all night trying to finish reading a book! PEGGY: "true" reading, I believe it comes to those students who have seen modeled reading as exciting, read with lots of expression in order for them to engage in becoming a part of the book, story, play, etc. Also, "true" reading comes from examples that surround the student, the home is the first place these students latch onto reading as an enjoyable entertainment. When they see other members of their family pick up a book to read opposed to playing video games or watching TV, they see examples demostrating importance for reading. There needs to be more involvement from the home, not everything left up to the teacher.

PEGGY'S QUESTION: Should more reading strategies be taught to high school students using life skill applications?