Nuts and Bolts of Adolescent Literacy
Nuts and Bolts of Adolescent Literacy
Nuts and Bolts of Adolescent Literacy
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<strong>Nuts</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Bolts</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Adolescent</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong>
Myths <strong>and</strong> Realities <strong>of</strong> <strong>Adolescent</strong><br />
<strong>Literacy</strong>
Myth 1: <strong>Adolescent</strong>s don’t need<br />
decoding instruction
False
The Reading Process<br />
The goal <strong>of</strong> all reading instruction is to create accurate<br />
<strong>and</strong> fluent readers who comprehend what they read.<br />
(Calhoon, 2006)<br />
1. Reading is a complex task requiring the coordination <strong>and</strong><br />
procedural sequencing <strong>of</strong> a multitude <strong>of</strong> sub-skills.<br />
2. A breakdown in the mastery <strong>of</strong> any <strong>of</strong> the sub-skills that<br />
comprise the reading process can have a direct impact on<br />
reading fluency.<br />
3. Automaticity <strong>of</strong> the lower sub-skills allows attention to be<br />
allocated to the acquisition <strong>of</strong> higher-level sub-skills (fluency <strong>and</strong><br />
comprehension.
What we know about the factors that<br />
affect reading comprehension<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>icient comprehension <strong>of</strong> text is influenced by:<br />
• Accurate <strong>and</strong> fluent word reading skills<br />
• Oral language skills (vocabulary, linguistic<br />
comprehension)<br />
• Extent <strong>of</strong> conceptual <strong>and</strong> factual knowledge<br />
• Knowledge <strong>and</strong> skill in use <strong>of</strong> cognitive strategies to<br />
improve comprehension or repair it when it breaks<br />
down.<br />
• Reasoning <strong>and</strong> inferential skills<br />
• Motivation to underst<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> interest in task <strong>and</strong><br />
materials
The Many Str<strong>and</strong>s that are Woven into Skilled Reading<br />
(Scarborough, 2001)<br />
LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION<br />
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE<br />
VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE<br />
LANGUAGE STRUCTURES<br />
VERBAL REASONING<br />
LITERACY KNOWLEDGE<br />
Skilled Readingfluent<br />
coordination <strong>of</strong><br />
word reading <strong>and</strong><br />
SKILLED READING:<br />
fluent execution <strong>and</strong><br />
coordination <strong>of</strong> word<br />
recognition processes <strong>and</strong> text<br />
comprehension.<br />
comprehension<br />
WORD RECOGNITION<br />
PHON. AWARENESS<br />
DECODING (<strong>and</strong> SPELLING)<br />
SIGHT RECOGNITION<br />
Reading is a multifaceted skill, gradually acquired over years <strong>of</strong> instruction <strong>and</strong> practice.
Big Points :<br />
To maintain grade level reading skills<br />
between 3 <strong>and</strong> 10, students must:<br />
• Learn to recognize many thous<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> new words “by<br />
sight” in order to maintain fluency<br />
• Learn the meaning <strong>of</strong> many thous<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> new words<br />
• Grow in knowledge <strong>of</strong> the world <strong>and</strong> how it works<br />
• Improve their thinking <strong>and</strong> reasoning skills<br />
• Learn to utilize more complex reading strategies<br />
• In middle <strong>and</strong> high school, reading can be increasingly<br />
defined as “thinking guided by print.”
Primary Characteristics <strong>of</strong> Struggling Readers in<br />
Middle <strong>and</strong> High School<br />
They are almost always less fluent readers—sight word<br />
vocabularies many thous<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> words smaller than<br />
average readers<br />
1. In eighth grade 34% <strong>of</strong> boys <strong>and</strong> 24% <strong>of</strong> girls cannot read at the basic<br />
level<br />
2. 67% <strong>of</strong> adolescents with disabilities are reading below the basic level<br />
Usually know the meanings <strong>of</strong> fewer words<br />
Usually have less conceptual knowledge<br />
Are almost always less skilled in using strategies to<br />
enhance comprehension or repair it when it breaks down
The 2005 National Assessment <strong>of</strong> Educational<br />
Progress (NAEP) reveals that:<br />
The leading reading crisis in our country is not one <strong>of</strong> 1st<br />
through 4th but <strong>of</strong> older middle school students<br />
(McCArdle & Chhabra, 2004)
Can phonics be successfully taught to<br />
students who still struggle in this area as<br />
fourth graders or 6 th graders?<br />
Should phonics be taught to students<br />
beyond early elementary school who still<br />
do not have pr<strong>of</strong>icient skills in this area?
<strong>Adolescent</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong><br />
Phonological Impairments:<br />
Most <strong>Adolescent</strong>s with reading disabilities have a<br />
core linguistic impairment at the lower sub-skill<br />
level leading to deficits in word identification<br />
<strong>and</strong> phonological processing.<br />
Students lacking prerequisite awareness <strong>of</strong><br />
sounds, symbols, <strong>and</strong> word meanings can<br />
improve their reading if these skills are directly,<br />
systematically <strong>and</strong> actively taught.
<strong>Adolescent</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong><br />
Comprehension Impairments:<br />
• Strategy instruction, where teachers demonstrate,<br />
explain, model, implement <strong>and</strong> scaffold strategies has<br />
emerged as an appropriate method for teaching<br />
reading comprehension. (NRP, 2000)<br />
• Research has shown the most important<br />
comprehension skills students need to learn are<br />
questioning, clarifying, summarizing, <strong>and</strong> predicting.
<strong>Adolescent</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong><br />
The Challenge for teaching adolescents with reading<br />
disabilities is not how to appropriately teach each<br />
individual sub-skill but how best to sequentially<br />
balance each sub-skill (phonemic decoding,<br />
spelling, reading fluency, <strong>and</strong> reading<br />
comprehension) to maximize the responsiveness<br />
<strong>of</strong> these students. (Mathes et al, 1998; Lovett, et<br />
al., 2000; Torgesen et al., 2001)
Early <strong>Literacy</strong> Instruction<br />
Scientifically based research on early literacy<br />
instruction should be provided with a variety <strong>of</strong><br />
experiences relating to all aspects <strong>of</strong> reading<br />
through a sequential balancing.<br />
Students should be exposed to:<br />
Oral language activities that promote concept<br />
<strong>and</strong> vocabulary development such as story<br />
reading, accompanied by verbal discussions,<br />
phonics lessons, word recognition<br />
instruction,spelling, <strong>and</strong> writing activities.<br />
The reading <strong>of</strong> connected text should be added as<br />
quickly as possible allowing for practice <strong>of</strong><br />
learned skills in context.
Current <strong>Adolescent</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> Instruction<br />
• Remedial reading programs for older<br />
students typically follow the same<br />
sequential introduction <strong>of</strong> sub-skills as in<br />
early literacy instruction, together in<br />
one lesson
Closing the gap in middle <strong>and</strong> high school:<br />
the fundamental challenge<br />
Each year, the dem<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> text become more<br />
challenging
Improving reading skills in middle <strong>and</strong> high<br />
school<br />
1. Intensify our efforts to prevent reading difficulties<br />
in the first place<br />
2. Be sure we have powerful remedial programs in<br />
place in 4 th <strong>and</strong> 5 th grade<br />
3. Offer a continuum <strong>of</strong> intensity in reading<br />
instruction while also improving the contribution<br />
<strong>of</strong> content area teachers to literacy growth.
A Continuum <strong>of</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> Instruction<br />
Level 1: Enhance content instruction<br />
Level 2: Embedded strategy instruction<br />
Level 3: Intensive strategy instruction<br />
Level 4: Intensive basic skill instruction<br />
Level 5: Therapeutic intervention<br />
Tutoring: Strategic tutoring
RETHINKING ADOLESCENT<br />
LITERACY INSTRUCTION<br />
• How do we teach reading to middle<br />
school <strong>and</strong> high school students with<br />
reading disabilities?
Diagnostic decision tree for students who perform below st<strong>and</strong>ards on a measure <strong>of</strong> reading<br />
comprehension in 3 rd Grade or later<br />
TOWRE Sight Word Efficiency<br />
(45 second subtest)<br />
Scores above 39 th %ile<br />
(for student’s grade level)<br />
Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test or<br />
Group Reading Assessment <strong>and</strong> Diagnostic<br />
Evaluation<br />
(vocab <strong>and</strong> comprehension subtests)<br />
Scores at or below 39 th %ile<br />
(for student’s grade level)<br />
TOWRE Phonemic Decoding<br />
(45 second subtest)<br />
Above 39 th %ile<br />
At or below 39 th %ile<br />
Above 39 th %ile<br />
At or below 39 th %ile<br />
QRI-3<br />
Identify independent/<br />
instructional reading levels;<br />
Diagnose reading/<br />
thinking strategies<br />
Build fluency plus<br />
voc <strong>and</strong> comp.<br />
Above 39 th %ile<br />
CTOPP<br />
(Elision subtest)<br />
At or below 39 th %ile<br />
Background knowledge?<br />
Vocabulary?<br />
Details/explicit questions?<br />
Inferring/implicit questions?<br />
Synthesizing/main idea?<br />
Test taking strategies<br />
Higher order questioning<br />
Practice writing extended responses<br />
citing support from text<br />
Intensive instruction in<br />
phonics based program<br />
Needs phonics based<br />
program that explicitly<br />
addresses phonemic<br />
awareness (not<br />
assumes)
TOWRE Scoring<br />
…a test <strong>of</strong> sight word<br />
efficiency
The side <strong>of</strong> the tree for students with word level<br />
skills above the 39 th percentile<br />
Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test or<br />
Group Reading Assessment <strong>and</strong> Diagnostic Evaluation<br />
(vocab <strong>and</strong> comprehension subtests)<br />
Above<br />
39 th %<br />
Test taking strategies<br />
Higher order questioning<br />
Practice writing extended<br />
responses citing support from<br />
text<br />
At or below 39 th %<br />
QRI-3<br />
Identify independent/instructional<br />
reading levels;Diagnose reading/<br />
thinking strategies<br />
Build background knowledge<br />
Teach vocabulary<br />
Teach comprehension strategies
The side <strong>of</strong> the tree for students with word<br />
reading difficulties<br />
At or<br />
below the<br />
39 th<br />
percentile<br />
on a<br />
measure<br />
<strong>of</strong> word<br />
reading<br />
accuracy<br />
<strong>and</strong><br />
fluency<br />
TOWRE<br />
test <strong>of</strong><br />
phonemic<br />
decoding<br />
efficiency<br />
(45 secs.)<br />
Above<br />
39 th %<br />
At or<br />
below<br />
39 th %<br />
Needs phonics based<br />
program that builds PA,<br />
not assumes it<br />
At or<br />
below<br />
39 th %<br />
Build<br />
fluency<br />
CTOPP<br />
Elision<br />
Subtest<br />
Above<br />
39 th %<br />
Intensive instruction in<br />
phonics based program
TOWRE Scoring<br />
…a test <strong>of</strong> phonemic<br />
decoding efficiency
Case Study-Aaron, Grade 6<br />
Can your district help? What can<br />
your district do to help Aaron?
Intensive instruction in reading for<br />
students with serious difficulties<br />
What students do: Students develop decoding skills <strong>and</strong><br />
increase reading fluency through specialized, direct, <strong>and</strong><br />
intensive instruction in reading.<br />
What pr<strong>of</strong>essionals do: Teachers, reading specialists, special<br />
education teachers, speech-language pathologists, <strong>and</strong> other<br />
support staff team develop intensive <strong>and</strong> coordinated<br />
instructional experiences designed to address severe literacy<br />
deficits. Reading specialists <strong>and</strong> special education teachers<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten deliver these services. They also assist content teachers<br />
in making appropriate modifications in content instruction to<br />
accommodate severe literacy deficits.
Intensive instruction in reading for<br />
students with serious difficulties<br />
What it looks like: Small group or 1:1, everyday for 45-60<br />
minutes, instruction is systematic <strong>and</strong> explicit, focuses on<br />
phonemic decoding, reading accuracy, <strong>and</strong> building fluency<br />
One way to do this is to use research-based programs to<br />
support <strong>and</strong> guide the instruction<br />
Corrective Reading<br />
Spell Read P.A.T.<br />
Wilson Reading System<br />
Lindamood-Bell Programs<br />
Failure Free Reading
A different model for improving reading<br />
skills in middle <strong>and</strong> high school<br />
Every pr<strong>of</strong>essional in the school teaches reading/<br />
literacy for 45-60 minutes a day<br />
Children with the lowest reading skills are taught in the<br />
smallest groups—4-6 students<br />
Instruction is provided to different groups/classes<br />
based on need – word level skills, advanced<br />
decoding/fluency, comprehension strategies, critical<br />
thinking/analysis in reading <strong>and</strong> writing
A different model for improving reading<br />
skills in middle <strong>and</strong> high school<br />
Children with skills below 4 th grade level– Groups <strong>of</strong> 4-<br />
6—focus on word level skills building accuracy <strong>and</strong><br />
fluency – corrective reading<br />
Children with mid level skills (4 th -6 th grade) – advanced<br />
decoding—group reading practice with comprehension<br />
<strong>and</strong> work to build fluency<br />
Children with more advanced skills—focus on critical<br />
reading <strong>and</strong> writing strategies
Still another model for improving reading<br />
skills in middle <strong>and</strong> high school<br />
Adopt a comprehensive literacy/language arts<br />
program like Language! that has been written for older<br />
children<br />
Create classes <strong>of</strong> 15-20 students based on entering<br />
levels <strong>of</strong> skill<br />
Be prepared to keep most students in this program for<br />
2-3 years
What can we reasonably expect from<br />
effective interventions with older<br />
students:<br />
We can expect to have a relatively strong effect<br />
on their reading accuracy<br />
We can expect a relatively strong effect on<br />
reading comprehension in situations where the<br />
passages are not too long, or there or are not<br />
significant time constraints<br />
We should not expect a dramatic effect on<br />
relative fluency over the short-term
The take away ideas:<br />
Because reading in middle <strong>and</strong> high<br />
school is “thinking guided by print,”<br />
helping students meet grade level<br />
st<strong>and</strong>ards in reading is a job for all<br />
teachers, not just “reading teachers.”
Myth 2: All teachers should be<br />
reading teachers.
False<br />
• <strong>Literacy</strong> is more complex than just<br />
reading.<br />
• Reading is more complex than just<br />
decoding.<br />
– Need decoding to read<br />
– To underst<strong>and</strong> need vocabulary, background<br />
knowledge, <strong>and</strong> fluency.
The take away ideas:<br />
It’s at least as much about building<br />
content knowledge, vocabulary, <strong>and</strong><br />
thinking skills as it is about helping<br />
struggling readers learn to read<br />
accurately <strong>and</strong> fluently
Myth 3: Reading coaches are the<br />
key.
False<br />
• Supporting teachers for adolescent<br />
literacy interventions<br />
• How do we provide support to teachers<br />
as they learn <strong>and</strong> implement strong<br />
instructional interventions for<br />
adolescents?
Classroom Practices for <strong>Adolescent</strong>s<br />
• Most adolescents who are poor readers need<br />
to improve their fluency <strong>and</strong> comprehension<br />
skills. Some need to upgrade their word<br />
attack skills.<br />
• Five categories <strong>of</strong> instructional<br />
interventions drawn from research target<br />
these needs <strong>and</strong> pose different<br />
implementation challenges to teachers.
Classroom Practices:<br />
•Modeling<br />
•Vocabulary Building<br />
•Cooperative Learning<br />
•Self-Selected Reading<br />
•Focused Tutoring
Modeling<br />
• Students can learn reading comprehension<br />
strategies by observing an expert reader who verbally<br />
demonstrates various techniques <strong>and</strong> by practicing these<br />
approaches.<br />
• Teachers can use a “read aloud/think-aloud” activity.<br />
• Teachers can visualize, predict, question, summarize<br />
<strong>and</strong> guess unknown words from the context.<br />
• Teachers can model metacognitive strategies <strong>of</strong><br />
checking for underst<strong>and</strong>ing by re-reading for<br />
clarification.
Building Vocabulary<br />
• Students can build reading fluency by exp<strong>and</strong>ing<br />
their word recognition vocabulary.<br />
• Teachers can pull problematic words from upcoming<br />
assignments for practice with students before reading.<br />
• Teachers can engage students in underst<strong>and</strong>ing the<br />
meaning <strong>of</strong> new words by asking them to guess what it<br />
means, followed with possible probes about word<br />
family roots or prefixes <strong>and</strong> suffixes.<br />
• Students can use newly learned words in meaningful<br />
sentences.
Cooperative Learning<br />
• Students can learn reading comprehension strategies<br />
through focused discussions <strong>of</strong> readings they have<br />
shared with their peers, to gain a deeper underst<strong>and</strong>ing.<br />
•Student discussions should consider character <strong>and</strong> plot<br />
development in fiction, arguments on alternatives in<br />
nonfiction.<br />
• Students need to have relevant background<br />
information <strong>and</strong> a purpose for undertaking the topic.<br />
• Teachers can activate background information as<br />
context for a reading assignments <strong>and</strong> a motivator.
Self-Selected Reading<br />
• Student fluency is a function <strong>of</strong> how much practice<br />
students have had.<br />
• The class library should include a variety <strong>of</strong> materials<br />
to appeal to various gender <strong>and</strong> race-ethnic groups at<br />
multiple levels so students can read without frustration.<br />
• Teachers can activate background information as<br />
context for a reading assignments <strong>and</strong> a motivator.<br />
• Activities should be available to record student’s<br />
completion <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> the selection.
Focused Tutoring<br />
• <strong>Adolescent</strong> readers will pr<strong>of</strong>it from personal attention<br />
from their teacher to assess current individual learning<br />
needs <strong>and</strong> address them.<br />
• Formal progress monitoring <strong>of</strong> student’s reading<br />
progress can be combined with informal teacher<br />
conferences with students.<br />
• Focused tutoring should be available for students who<br />
still have decoding <strong>and</strong> word attack problems or who<br />
struggle with other aspects <strong>of</strong> reading,
What do we know about the<br />
effectiveness <strong>of</strong><br />
interventions for older<br />
students who continue to<br />
struggle in reading?
A very recent<br />
report on ―what<br />
works‖ with middle<br />
<strong>and</strong> high schools<br />
students.<br />
Contains a 15 point<br />
research- based<br />
―action plan‖ for<br />
middle <strong>and</strong> high<br />
schools<br />
Download at:<br />
http://www.all4ed.org<br />
/publications/Readin<br />
gNext/ReadingNext.<br />
Reading Next: Two kinds <strong>of</strong> action items<br />
Instructional<br />
1. Direct, explicit comprehension instruction<br />
2. Effective instruction embedded in content areas<br />
3. Motivation <strong>and</strong> self-direction<br />
4. Text-based collaborative learning<br />
5. Strategic tutoring-intensive<br />
6. Diverse Texts<br />
7. Intensive Writing<br />
8. A technology component<br />
9. Ongoing formative assessment
Reading Next: Two kinds <strong>of</strong> action items<br />
Infrastructure improvements<br />
• Extended time for literacy-2-4 hours across day<br />
• Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Development<br />
• Ongoing summative assessment <strong>of</strong> students <strong>and</strong><br />
programs<br />
• Teacher teams<br />
• Leadership<br />
• A comprehensive <strong>and</strong> coordinated literacy<br />
program
A comprehensive literacy solution for middle<br />
<strong>and</strong> high school<br />
1. Remember that the thinking <strong>and</strong> knowledge<br />
dem<strong>and</strong>s for literacy increase every year<br />
Content area teachers must teach content more<br />
powerfully, <strong>and</strong> they must help students think<br />
about text more effectively<br />
2. Remember the most struggling readers are far<br />
behind their peers in many areas<br />
Teach them reading skills as intensively <strong>and</strong> skillful<br />
as you can manage
Improving reading skills in middle <strong>and</strong> high<br />
school<br />
1. Schedule a 90 minute block every day for other<br />
students reading below grade level<br />
Word level skills- fluency<br />
Strategy instruction <strong>and</strong> engagement in<br />
thinking about text<br />
Both embedded <strong>and</strong> systematic vocabulary<br />
instruction<br />
Lots <strong>of</strong> guided, supported practice in reading
Improving reading skills in middle <strong>and</strong> high<br />
school<br />
1. Schedule a three hour block every day for<br />
students with reading skills more than two years<br />
below grade level with word level difficulties<br />
Word level skills- accuracy <strong>and</strong> fluency<br />
Strategy instruction <strong>and</strong> engagement in<br />
thinking about text<br />
Both embedded <strong>and</strong> systematic vocabulary<br />
instruction<br />
Lots <strong>of</strong> guided, supported practice in reading
Is it really possible to<br />
substantially improve the<br />
reading skills <strong>of</strong><br />
struggling readers after<br />
elementary school?<br />
The greatest danger for most <strong>of</strong> us is not<br />
that our aim is too high <strong>and</strong> we miss it, but<br />
that it is too low <strong>and</strong> we reach it.<br />
Michelangelo
Thank you <strong>and</strong> Good Luck!<br />
Dr. Lori Strong &<br />
Marcia S. Atwood<br />
October 1, 2007