CoL teaching 2024

Working with Texts: an Example of Differentiation

Teaching Comprehension Skills in Curriculum Subjects -Literacy Survey Summary

This a summary of the of a Google Form sent to all teachers. Curriculum Leaders were aske to allocate time in departemental meeting so staff could fill in the survey on how comprehension skills are taught in their department. It is nessecary that department discuss how this can be done in each department.

Reading Task: Chapter 1, Mihipeka by Mihi Edwards -Vocabulary and Summary Tasks.

The vocabulary matching exercise, which is important in itself, is the time to mention visualisation skills. It's a time to teach how we must create images in our minds when we read a text. It's like creating a video in our heads as we read. The photos, some of which are of the author and her family, help us go back a hundred years to when Mihi was a young woman. It's easy to think that the world has always been how it is now. To comprehend this story we must create an image in our mind of isolated communities before the development of New Zealand's extensive roading network. Before we had large trucks delivering fresh goods from Auckland to Makatu daily, many coastal communities relied on goods arriving by sea in flat-bottomed scows. From this description, we can see why this is a complex comprehension skill. This skill is not automatic for weaker readers and must be taught if we hope to improve comprehension levels at Tamaki College.


Teachers must insist students do their own work with these summary tasks. Seat students in ability groups not in social groups. It is important for students to routinely read short sections of a text and to know that they are required to write a summary of the text they have read. It is equally important for teachers to give feedback based on the quality of a student’s summary. Teachers must also help each student in the comprehension process. Did they highlight the keywords accurately, did they say the keywords silently in their head, did they create sentences using most of the keywords before they wrote their summary? Teachers need to insist on the use of these skills

How Does Parliament Make Laws I Card 4

When students research a topic such as the workings of our democracy are often advised to let students access more than one source. Comparing texts, opinions and the author's purpose is part of the curriculum. Students with weak comprehension skills should not be forgotten when it comes to critical readings of a text but they also need texts which develop or strengthen their comprehension skills. Strengthen first, compare next.

Teaching Comprehension Skills in Curriculum Subjects, Part II

I've sent this rubric to HODs along with a survey on the teaching of comprehension skills. I want to use the rubric to observe classes and to give feedback to teachers on the usage of scaffolded reading tasks. Setting this up could be a major step for the college and may require considerable preparation. I based my rubric on one used at a similar school in South Auckland. I simplified it to focus on a single issue but hope it will inspire discussion around the issue of reading avoidance with staff and students alike.

Teaching Comprehension Skills in Curriculum Subjects, Part I

Teach Scanning and Prediction Skills -do it often

Teacher as Inquiry PLD

Teaching Formal Writing -The Functional Grammar Shortcut

In a Nutshell

A Functional Grammar approach to the teaching of Writing Skills.

This resource was produced to help Year 10 students write an explanation essay at Curriculum Level 5 or 6. This is the level students need to write at in order to achieve the new literacy standard in writing. The resource above is on my webpage and is aimed at teachers who wish to use Functional Grammar as a way to focus on the language needed for Explanation Writing. In this, we encourage students to ask, what is the function of this writing task? Then we ask, what language do I need to master in order to complete this writing task?

32403 Read written texts to understand ideas and information. Scaffolded Reading Task

Ego Tripping II





Optional Exercise

32403 Read written texts to understand ideas and information. Scaffolded Reading Task

Literacy Reading
Students whose reading was clearly at or above the standard demonstrated strengths in:
-understanding that writers make specific language choices to suit their purpose and audience
This reading of a text by Black author was designed to show how a writing plays or manipulates language a purpose. In this can Nikki Giovani is using exaggeration to demonstrate pride in her Afican roots. Exaggeration is also a feature of Black American street poetry or rapping. This existed long before it became a music form. The lesson starts with a packet of matching cards. Groups of four spend time matching various language feature commonly found in reading tasks. The cards are in lots of three. Term: Metaphor, Example: The ute was a bucking bronco, Definition: two separate things are compared directly.

One major language feature is demonstrated in the poem Ego Tripping. Students highlight this feature as they read the text. Students are encouraged to annote the text with regard to historical events found in the text. Students are also introduced to the events of the 1960s, black pride or black consciuosness. Ego Tripping by Nikki Giovani

Literacy Teaching Across Curriculum Subjects

To create a culture of Literacy teaching in a school there needs to be a number of non-negotiables in planning and teaching. The first of these requires individual teachers and departments to ask what are the learning needs of my students. Reading avoidance is common among students but there is also a need to ask do teachers also avoid setting reading tasks. Choral reading, reading to students and the use of video clips are still common strategies used to sidestep setting reading tasks in the classroom. Our students often engage in ‘word calling or barking at the text. Unless there is a commitment to teach reading in curriculum areas students will not develop their comprehension skills. This survey is a stocktake of teacher literacy teaching in our school. It is designed as a before and after assessment of the explicit use of comprehension strategies in the classroom.

Literacy First How to Build a Culture of Literacy Dr. Marcella L. Bullmaster-Day, Ed.D

Improving Reading Skills Through Effective Reading Strategies Hulya Kucukoglu


We need to build a culture of literacy teaching with a set of non-negotiable goals, one which refines teacher instructional skills.


Stocktake Self analysis Survey


Please use this form to analyse how comprehension is taught in your class or Department.

Scaffolded Grid for Maths Problems

This can be adapted for more advanced equations or problems. Physics, film studies, and any form of problem-solving which can be set out in a grid can be scaffolded this way. For example, students can work backwards from the answer. A set of products and factors can be supplied for students to cross off as they use them.

Teacher Observation: Literacy in Maths

Often there are a few simple strategies a teacher can add to enhance student literacy.

• background readings
• keyword and prediction exercises
• think-aloud
• visualization and vocabulary matching
• language and structure discussion about the question  -the meta language

Literacy Enhanced Lessions

We've looked at Ferguson's Fettuccine Recipe in another post. The Do Now exercise is a vocabulary-matching task, next, there is a language grid and then a Gantt chart. The language grid helps students understand the structure of a procedural text and procedural sentences. It helps students become aware that procedure statements begin with an instructional or action verb. It is also worth explaining that the word order is the opposite of most sentences in the English language. Ferguson is also asking the students to notice the modal adjunct or modifiers used in written instructions. When students fill in the grid, it forces them to vary their reading speed as they find the relevant information.

Another way in which students are encouraged to reread the text is through the Gantt chart. The Gantt chart is a structured overview, a hierarchical graphic. Again students need to reread the text with a specific goal in mind. They must vary their reading speed as they decide the order of each task. Best of all, the students are encouraged to visualise each task as they match the steps to the time chart. The process of visualising is helped by the addition of sequenced images that match the instructions dice, brown, boil, and serve.

Literacy in Curriculum Subjects, Inquiry Presentations

While preparing for the CoL Inquiry presentation, 'Where are we at?' it occurred to me that my inquiry depends on teachers sharing their literacy-based lessons with me.

Ms Rani is teaching MRS c GREN as a mnemonic to help students learn the test used to determine if something is living or non-living i.e. the life processes. Rani is also helping students to access the text by providing students with a list of key terms and by asking the students to scan the list before writing a Prediction. In addition, she has asked students to list any vocabulary words they do not understand. Students are encouraged to define these terms.

Another literacy feature in the lesson is the Finding Information grid. Students are required to find evidence for key aspects of the living process. The grid helps students work to determine important details within the text. This is a reading skill which students often lack. It is also a research skill students need to work on to improve their comprehension. Overall, this strategy encourages students to employ various reading speeds and it asks them to reread the text with a goal in mind. It is the first step in helping students avoid blindly using the cut-and-paste strategy.

Teacher PLD

Over the past few weeks I've run various PLD sessions. One For staff on the usual Monday morning session and one at the Manaiakalani ToD. There few resources beginning to appear. The first is a simple vocabulary matching exercise for a Yr 12. Mr Cunard is helping students learn the complicated vocabulary and definitions of fitness.




Ms Apelu has used a scanning exercise to help students read an article on banning Tictok from Parliamentary Services. Before they are given the article to read, students should write a prediction.

Big Brother, Little Sister -enhanced text for Yr10

Pre-reading exercises. Big Brother, Little Sister

This week was dominated by the letter C. As in, C is for Covid. I still managed to create a pre-reading resource. It is designed to lead into the reading of Witi Ihimaera's 'Big Brother, Little Sister.' Just today, a student walked in late to class, sat down, looked at the sheet and exclaimed, "I can't do this. I've never been to Wellington." I quietly explain we are helping students with the skill of visualisation. For many students, this skill is not automatic. Students have this skill but often this skill is weak. Students need encouragement to work on this skill. Some students will say that this is what they do. They then explain that when they create pictures in their head, they thought, they are doing this only because they are dumb. I show the students that as I read this text, I create a picture in my mind of two young children walking through the back streets of Newtown. I visualise what it is like. It is late, the children are alone, cars rush passed. No one notices them.

Reading Observation Information Sheet

Monday Morning PD

NZAI Conference 18/04/23

Sparks Text 2

 

Sparks by Chris Culshaw     Label the illustrations.

Sort the Keywords onto the vocabulary grid, think and then write a prediction.

Students are reminded to use the, Think Aloud and to then write an informed prediction.  

The student above seems to have improved his scanning and prediction skills.  I often tell the students I'm not going to mark their predictions but I insist they complete the task properly. I try to emphasise that it is important that they follow the steps modelled and that they warm up their brains before they attempt to read the text. I link this process to the courts or sports field. No one would consider playing a game without warming up their limbs with stretches or a light jog. 

Students are not given the text until they have completed a prediction. Many students try to skip the task.

The process of determining importance in a text is a fundamental skill. I try to slip this task into a reading session explaining that in order to have a summary in your head or to write a summary it is important to tease out the main facts.

Students are asked to highlight the keywords as they read the text. The concept of using more than one reading speed is mentioned here. Students are asked to re-read the text and avoid treating the task as a treasure hunt.

T1 

T2

It took some effort to convince the student above to highlight the keywords just once but he got there. Explaining that this skill is a powerful comprehension strategy helped. Often it helps to allocate a teacher-aid to work with a resistant student. This is often necessary until the student has mastered a particular strategy.

Another visual aid is used to help students make connections. This text reminds me of.....

This student had peer support but has progressed from a derivative summary judged at Level 3P to a Level 4A grade

The who, what, where, task has helped student G write a Level 4 summary. She has also responded to the prereading clip of The Casketeers and the question, what happens to you when you die.

At the other end of the spectrum, some students need help writing short concise summaries. The student below is still using quotes which I try to discourage. 

The interruptions to the timetable (floods, strikes) this term means I've been unable to work with this class as often as I normally would. The Curriculum and in this case Speeches always take precedence over basic reading skills. Hopefully next term, I'll be able to follow up with a few new strategies. I want the students to try using a flip book of keywords. Students will stand without the text and say their keyword summary to a partner using only the flip book. I'd also like to try using a Judged Group Writing or Summary Task. This is where students, in small groups, present a summary paragraph on portable whiteboards. These are all then given a grade out of 5 before the period ends. Generally, student motivation increases dramatically during this exercise. 

 Last week we looked at a text about the Blues. I also sat down and completed a PAT comprehension Test. After completing the test I was unable to tell if I'd answered the questions accurately, perhaps I didn't look hard enough. And because I'm not a Yr 9 or 10 student, I was unable to generate a Stanine. A feature of the test that became obvious right from the start was the need for the candidate to re-read the text each time they attempt to answer a question. This also applied to the text on The Blues. It's a good time to ask, do teachers consider this skill when presenting students with a text to read?

This is the reading comprehension results for a class who have been involved in the junior reading programme. Because of the disruptions this term and because of the curriculum demands on the teacher, these sessions were not held as often as I wanted. At this stage in the programme, students are still receiving a high level of teacher input.

The Blues Begin to Rock

In secondary junior school, this text is fairly typical of the material presented to students. It is a high-interest text but it also has a high level of lexical density. In this case nouns and noun groups. Students assessed as reading at Stanine 3 or even Stanine 4 will struggle with the context and the vocabulary. The structure of the text could also cause issues in terms of comprehension.

Read the document here

Here I'm trying to improve the pre-reading discussion. Before the students get the article they are required to make a prediction, to consider a likely topic for the coming reading.

 Students highlight, circle or underline the words as they read.

The text has been chunked into manageable sections.

The text offers the opportunity for a jigsaw reading exercise.

Another option is to use small groups. Each group creates a small summary for a single page. Each group then present their summary on a whiteboard. Ideally, the teacher then gives some feedback on the genre of summary writing.

Another option is to talk students through the process of keyword selection (see words highlighted in yellow). What to include, how to leave out excess detail. How to include a small amount of relevant detail. Put the chosen words on the whiteboard or screen. Ask students to cover the text, then ask students to write their own summary for the whole article.  A good strategy for the teacher would involve saying the summary out loud while pointing to each keyword. Show the students what you do in your head as you create a summary i.e. a think-aloud.  I'd feedback on this process but the teacher has gone abroad.

 The Blues    Begin to Rock

Text for the week. 

The problem with most non-fiction texts is lexical density. A large number of noun groups makes comprehension and summary writing a problem for most readers.  Myself included.

 Summary, Inference and Connections

For many students in Yr 9, these skills and asking questions of the texts need to be taught.

This grid is roughly based on the KWL chart. There is an extra column for the keywords. 

Students are instructed to read the text, The Fur Coat and to highlight the keywords as they read. 

In the first instance, the teacher talks the students through the process so that most students end up with something like the response above.  This is a student exemplar which has been graded at Curriculum Level 5A. The student has inserted the word 'trick'. This word does not appear in the text.

In the first session, making inferences is touched on but is an extension exercise.

Making connections with the wider world or with another text is introduced. This is also an extension exercise. The teacher talks about King Solomon the wise, the first detective stories and the two mothers who both claim the live child.

This format of scaffolded readings is repeated for a period, once a week for a term. This will depend on the class and student needs.

Summary Writing

Summary Writing Reading and summary writing may not be the best way to assess comprehension but it is a vehicle for ensuring students focus on their use of comprehension strategies. On a weekly basis students a given a new text to read, to comprehend and to summarise. The rubric below is not comprehensive but it offers a way for students to monitor their own progress. Students get competitive with themselves and with each other. There is no demand for students to share their results but they regularly ask, why is my summary still judged at a Level 3? Why does she have a Level 4 and I’m still achieving at Level 3? Many of our students find it difficult to write a summary. The rubric has a few flaws in that it has a few negative statements or criteria. So it is not a true indication of Curriculum Levels but it does discourage students from copying sections of the text. Many students avoid risks and persuading them to use real names and place names is a major step forward.

Step 1
Discuss the context of the text and the vocabulary that may cause a breakdown in comprehension.

Step 2
Discuss train compartments and overnight trains and Harry Potter.

Step 3
Reinforce the idea of train journeys in New Zealand and the rest of the world. Glen Innes versus London.

Step 4
Show the students the text they are about to read. Discuss the title and the illustration.

Students do receive a copy of the text at this stage. The focus is on Scanning. If students are allowed the text at this stage many would put their finger to the page and start mouthing the words.

Step 5
Show students the keyword list. Ask students to read the words. Then take them through the process of retelling the story based only on the keywords. Choral fashion. 'Mrs Melrose was on a train, she was going from London to Glasgow, it was three in the morning, she was cold......' Explain how this ability to summarise a text is a very powerful start to comprehending a text.

Step 6
Ask or show students to sort the Keywords onto the Scanning Sheet. Explain the four features of storytelling, characters, setting etc. One, two skip a few. Tell the students that they have looked at the title, looked at the illustration and scanned or considered the keywords. They should now be able to write a Prediction, "I think this story is going to be about......" Have an informed guess. I lie and tell them, I'm not going to mark it. At least half the class will struggle to complete this strategy. Mature readers often think of this skill as automatic. It's like changing gears on a car we don't have to think when we shift the gear stick. For many of our students, this skill is not automatic it must be taught. For many of our students, this basic comprehension skill is weak and it needs to be strengthened. In the past I often waited until a number of texts had been attempted and hoped this skill would improve. Instead of waiting and giving oral encouragement (sometimes even pleading) I decided to add or create a think-aloud. What do I do when I scan a text and create a prediction? I decided to make this explicit by asking, what am I doing that the students are not doing? ‘You can do better than, "it's about a fur coat, Sir.”’

Heat, eat, repeat

Notwithstanding Betty Edwards and her links between comprehension and visual skills, what are the characteristics of a good reader versus that of a less able reader? The list is long and strategies that need to be mastered in order to become an adult reader are complex. As educators, we need to incorporate these strategies into our reading tasks where ever possible.

Whenever a teacher addresses these basic skills they are countering reading avoidance strategies adopted by our students. Student engagement increases dramatically because students, often reluctantly, find they are using their skills. If students are asked to scan a single paragraph and then to find the names mentioned in the text then they are more likely to spend time locating those names. If the teacher uses a prompt that encourages the students to find four different names in a text then the student is more likely to reread the text. With teacher monitoring and encouragement the student will employ that comprehension skill rather than 'give up'. When I'm pacing the room, students who are stuck will often say, "Sir, what's the answer?" To which, I tell them to reread the text, to find it themselves.

My aim with a junior class is to take a leaf out of Julia Westera’s book and to apply a program of reciprocal teaching for each of the Year 9 classes. For each student, I want to embed the idea that they can, in this particular lesson, improve their comprehension skills. We know improving comprehension is a long process. Assessing comprehension is complex and I am unable, on a daily basis, to give scientific feedback in the manner of an asTTle or PAT test but I am able to give feedback on the successful use of comprehension strategies. With this in mind, we start, if possible, with the results of the PAT test and with a based line task. Feedback is given, summaries are graded and progress is monitored over the weeks. This is to show students that if they consistently use reading strategies their comprehension will improve.

The first step is to talk about reading skills. With 9RDy I discuss, what are reading skills. What do we do when we read a text? The students reply, you use your eyes, you look at the words. I prompt them, what strategies must we use in order to understand what we’re reading. With most Year 9 classes there seems to be little awareness of the skills they must use when reading a text. I prompt again, asking what we do when we don’t understand a word. This time a few students will respond and mention an aspect or two of word attack skills. I know students have all the skills on the meta sheet above and I explain that today, we are going to work to strengthen these skills. I do not say this but the comprehension skills are there, they are weak and need to be strengthened. Trust me and we’ll make them work.

Many years ago, I stumble upon a book by Betty Edwards called, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Although the rightside, leftside of the brain is now contested, Betty demonstrated that you can teach what is often considered by many teachers to be unteachable.

Betty identified four or five skills or strategies used by people who can draw and she made these skills explicit to non drawers. These simple skills can transform most people into artists. What do artitsts do that non drawers need to master in order to become masters.

Edwards claims that in four or five hours she can transform a basic sketcher to a competent draughsman as seen in the images above. One area of my enquiry is how to make the teaching of reading skills advance at a similar pase to Edward's drawing skills.

A focus for my enquiry is to look at ways in which I can make reading skills more explicit and achievable for Year 9 students. Even when reading tasks are supported with scaffolding, students often seem very reluctant to take risks, to commit themselves to a written response. The first question for the secondary teacher to ask is, what skills do competent readers use which less able readers need to master?

A starting point for helping helping students improve their comprehension skills needs to be based on these few simple skills. Lesson design around texts needs to incorporate meta-awareness on improving comprehension. Teachers need to help students to take control of reading tasks by helping them fix comprehension when meaning breaks down, by developing variable reading speeds and by developing awareness of 'fix it' strategies.