Transcript Critical Reading and Informational Text

Critical Reading and
Informational Text
Virginia Arrington, MMS
Kim Payne, CCMS
Did you Know…?
Young adolescents aged 10-14 go through
a period of brain development second only
to the 1st three years of life in terms of the
magnitude of change. The frontal lobe of
the brain which is the locus of problem
solving, planning, memory, critical thinking
and mood modulation develops during this
stage. This area of the brain is not mature
until about the age of 18.
(Zehnder-Merrell, 2008)
Did you Know…?
Although students in grade four score
among the best in the world, by
grade ten US students place close to
the bottom. According to the NAEP,
70 percent of middle and high school
students score below the “proficient”
level in reading achievement.
(All4ed.org, 2010)
Did you Know…?
Roughly one third of high school graduates
are not ready to succeed in an introductory
level college writing course. At the nation’s
four-year colleges, nearly 8 percent of all
entering students are required to take at
least one remedial reading course. Only
about one third of them are likely to
graduate within eight years.
(ACT, 2006)
Did you Know…?
 17 million youth between the ages of
12-17 use the internet.
 Close to 13 million use Instant
Messaging every day.
 While a consistent pattern of
increased television and computer
use is seen between 6th and 8th
grade, a significant drop occurs in
leisure reading.
Did you Know…?
About 40 percent of employers
indicate they are dissatisfied with
high school graduates’ ability to read
and understand complicated
materials, think analytically, and
solve real-world problems.
(Hart Research Associates, 2005)
So What…?
The literacy demands that adolescents
face in the 21st Century as workers
and citizens will far exceed what has
been required in the past.
So What…?
For secondary students, the social and
economic consequences will be
cumulative and profound:




Failure to attain a High School diploma
Barrier to higher education
Underemployed or unemployed
Difficulty managing personnel lives
So What…?
All indicators suggest that all
adolescent learners do not have the
reading and writing skills necessary
to maximize content area learning
nor to successfully negotiate the
Information Age.
The Information Age
“We are surrounded by text whose primary
purpose is to convey information about the
natural or social world. Success in
schooling, the workplace, and society
depends on our ability to comprehend this
material. Yet many children and adults
struggle to comprehend informational text”
(Duke, 2004)
Think About
 What challenges do your students face in regards
to literacy?
 What are the five big ideas of reading and how are
they each relevant to the adolescent classroom?
 Why is the use of non-fiction text important in the
Information Age?
 What are some struggles students face when
reading non-fiction text?
 What are comprehension strategies that can be
taught with informational text?
 How many minutes do you teach comprehension
vs. asking students questions?
 What brought you to the training today?
Objectives
 Evaluate the importance of text complexity
 Learn how student motivation and reading
achievement are linked
 Synthesize new ideas into classroom
practice
Think About
 What are 3 factors that affect a
students’ ability to comprehend a
written text in your content area?
What is Needed for Success?






Background knowledge
Language
Vocabulary
Fluency
Motivation
Strategies/Tools
4-Square
A wealth of evidence
shows that intensive,
high-quality instruction
can help struggling
readers to catch up to
grade level and build
the skills they need to
succeed in high school
and beyond.
(Alliance for Excellent Education, 2006)
Snowball!
 To test what we learned about the Common Core,
each person will create 2 questions (one explicit and
one implicit)
 Write the questions on a piece of paper
 Wad the paper up into a snowball
 Throw your snowball into the center of the room
 When all snowballs have landed, stand up, pick up a
snowball
 Find one or two others (not from your table) and
share your questions and work together to answer
them
Evaluate Your Program

“. . . When we walk into a nonfiction room, we know
it. Nonfiction reading is messy and noisy. The
classroom echoes with the “oooos,” “ahhhs,” and “ohmy-goshes,” which may come from viewing a
photograph of a spewing volcano or the jaws of a
great white shark.
Nonfiction is the information genre, and information
begs to be shared. So we need to keep in mind that
independent reading of nonfiction can be a bit wild
and wooly.”
Stephanie Harvey, The
Comprehension Toolkit
The Plan

“. . . When we walk into a nonfiction room, we know
it. Nonfiction reading is messy and noisy. The
classroom echoes with the “oooos,” “ahhhs,” and “ohmy-goshes,” which may come from viewing a
photograph of a spewing volcano or the jaws of a
great white shark.
Nonfiction is the information genre, and information
begs to be shared. So we need to keep in mind that
independent reading of nonfiction can be a bit wild
and wooly.”
Stephanie Harvey, The
Comprehension Toolkit