Writer's Notebook Post #10

We're in the home stretch! This is the last Writer's Notebook Post (tear) for EDT 646: Reading & Writing in the Content Areas. This class has absolutely flown by, but it has been overall a very enjoyable experience for me.

I'd like to document some of the highlights from this course (including some things that I've learned and some things I've enjoyed).

One activity I greatly enjoyed occurred at last Thursday's class. We performed in group book clubs in small groups of four and five teachers, and we were mixed in heterogeneously (regardless of subject and grade level taught). This exposed us to a variety of genres and age levels in the books that were presented, and it was a joy to see some great teachers "brag" about some of their favorite teaching books and instructional methods. The ladies I was grouped with had a variety of texts to share, from a children's novel about money and economics (entitled Lunch Money) to a couple of nonfiction children's texts about sea turtles. This reaffirmed to me that, even though I teach middle school students, picture books and children's books can be powerful resources for the middle school classroom. Students benefit from the illustrations, the graphic organizers, and the simplified information. Although I would certainly not use children's and/or picture books for every classroom project/activity, I definitely think these texts have merit in my Language Arts classroom.

In general, I have learned that I can gain a lot of knowledge and insight from primary grade teachers. When I first started attending this course, I wasn't really sure how much relevance it had for me (since I teach middle level students and already teaching reading and writing as my content area). I am glad, however, that I was terribly mistaken. The crop of women in this class are top-notch; they are intelligent, passionate, creative, and above all, they love their students. It has been so refreshing and motivating to see so many women excited about trying to incorporate reading and writing into their classrooms.

And although I was already familiar with several of the techniques and methodologies in class, I definitely learned some new ones AND was refreshed on teaching methods that I learned in my undergraduate studies.

Perhaps my favorite part of this class was reading William Strong's Write for Insight. Thanks, Dr. Frye, for the recommendation! :) This text, even though it is geared towards OTHER content area teachers (like math, science, Social Studies, etc.) created in me a rejuvenated and energized attitude towards my instruction. It made me want to jump into the classroom the very next day and implement some of his strategies! One strategy that I am determined to utilize more next year is the concept of Exit Slips. This would consist of having the students write down a couple of questions, comments, or concepts learned during the lesson on an index card and then having the students turn these in at the end of class. This would allow me to cater my instruction better for the next day and anticipate which questions I need to answer, which concepts need to be explained further, and which ideas I may not have considered during my instruction.

Overall, this has been a very enjoyable class experience, and I am sad that it's drawing to a close. I hope to keep in contact with many of the ladies from this course, and I am mostly excited to work further with my Professional Text and ILU partner (Erin White, a seventh grade Social Studies teacher).

Writer's Notebook Post #9

Second to last post for the course... We're in the home stretch! :)

I'd like to focus today's post on the text Content Area Reading & Writing: Fostering Literacies in Middle and High School Cultures (Second Edition) by Norman Unrau (2008).

Chapter 3 of this text is entitled "Inside the Meaning Construction Zone: Readers Reading", and it mostly focuses on developing good reading habits through practice. It also refutes several "Myths of Good Readers" that a lot of students believe. But, we instructors know that most educational myths are often untrue.

As a graduate student of 24 years of age, I would consider myself to be a strong reader. No, I do not know and recognize every word I encounter in the texts I read (especially graduate level texts). Far from it. But, I have learned through my high school and post-secondary education experiences to monitor my own comprehension and use my metacognitive skills to increase my comprehension. For example, I write summaries in the margins of difficult articles and texts that I read so that I can glean some of the main points by skimming the margins. Additionally, I either write questions into the margins of the text when I don't understand, or if it's a library or a friend's copy, I will use Post-It notes to write my questions into the text. These self-monitoring strategies to aid my comprehension demonstrate that I am a relatively sophisticated reader.

One "Myth of a Good Reader" that I'd like to discuss is the idea that "Good readers never look back". I completely disagree w/ this statement, as I oftentimes look back into the text- and I would consider myself to be a good-- or even great-- reader. In fact, this statement goes in direct opposition to what we teach our students. In this standardized testing age where we're constantly preparing our students for the OAT (Ohio Achievement Test), we encourage our students to look back at the passage for evidence and reasoning to support their answers (whether they're multiple choice, short answer, or extended response). I think that good readers analyze what they've read previously, and this helps them draw conclusions, make predictions, and make inferences. Looking back at the text during a standardized assessment is also a surefire technique to help them improve their scores.

I also disagree with the statement that good readers read quickly and take in a lot of text at one time. While automaticity and fluency are critically important to reading success, speed reading is not proven to increase a student's comprehension. Sometimes, good readers need to go slowly and read word-by-word to have the best comprehension possible. Also, good readers may take notes, write questions into the text, or spend time looking up unfamiliar vocabulary... and this would render their reading process slower as well.

I think that at the lower levels, our students absolutely need to master fluency and automaticity in reading (and especially when reading silently) so that they can read all of the texts presented to them in class. But, as children progress through school, I absolutely believe that the emphasis needs to shift towards comprehension self-monitoring strategies (and that students need to already possess automaticity and fluency).

Writer's Notebook Post #8

One of the primary texts we're reading for EDT 646: Content Area Reading & Writing is, not coincidentally, entitled Content Area Reading & Writing: Fostering Literacies in Middle and High School Cultures (Second Edition) by Norman Unrau (2008). This text focuses on lots of different aspects of reading and writing in all content areas, but the most recent chapter I read focused on developing vocabulary skills in the content areas.


As educators, we all know that vocabulary undoubtedly contributes to our students' knowledge of our different subject matters. Specifically in subjects like chemistry, math, physics, and social studies, the jargon in these subject matters is imperative to a student's reading comprehension in these areas. As a Language Arts teacher, I, of course, stress vocabulary instruction in my classroom (although it's never as much as I'd like). But, after reading this text, I am realizing that many other subjects neglect vocabulary instruction, and this can severely hinder their students' performances on statewide and national assessments. It could even hinder their students' performances on assessments such as the SAT and ACT, which are integral to their students' post-secondary instruction.



One point that Unrau mentioned that I highly agree with is the idea of student-motivated vocabulary instruction. Where possible, I believe that students should choose the words they study for vocabulary instruction (at least, in English and Language Arts classrooms). This makes vocabulary study more enjoyable for students, and this will result in more engaged and motivated students.



Now, I understand that for other subject areas (where there isn't really time for direct, extensive vocabulary instruction) that there is probably not time for students to vote on words to study. But, I do believe that the vocabulary instruction of the curriculum-aligned vocabulary words (whether they are scientific, mathematic, historical, etc.) should be taught in a motivating and engaging way-- and not just through rote memorization.



One technique I use (adopted from my mentor teacher in my department) is teaching the concept of "$1.00 words". $1.00 words are words with the most value. They are not trite, overused, or disposable, which, unfortunately, are the words that eighth graders tend to flock to. Then, I teach the concept of a 25 cent word, which would be words like pretty, beautiful, good, great, nice, etc. These words are overused and lead to ineffective, weak writing . Students are then asked to keep a Word Journal, in which they document difficult vocabulary words (of $1.00 worth) that they hear in CONTEXT in the real world. The Word Journal words can come from newspaper articles, television shows, conversations with friends and family, independent novels the students read, and/or texts from other academic classes.

Once students have gathered about three new vocabulary words apiece in their respective Word Journals, we come together as a class a vote on about 6-7 words to study per week. By studying only a few words per week, the students become extremely comfortable using these words in context AND in making word connections with these words (and others studied previously).

I am excited for the future of vocabulary instruction, because if Unrau's text is any kind of indicator, it seems like every content area is going to have a larger focus on vocabulary than currently exists.

Writer's Notebook Post #7

For today's class, we had to read an article entitled "More Equitable Literacy Assessments for Latino Students" by Robert T. Jimenez.

I knew that this article would probably have something to do with reaching out to ESL (English as a Second Language) and/or ELL (English Language Learners) students, and I was a bit nervous. This is a demographic of students that I have little experience with.

I have just finished my second year of teaching at Mason Middle School (a job which I adore), but in this district, I have little opportunity to work with ESL and ELL students. When I was student teaching at Fairfield Freshman Building, I did work with a few Latino students from ESL backgrounds, but as ninth graders, they had been dealing with the struggles of a fully immersed English curriculum for a long time. I wasn't much extra help to them.

However, this article provided a lot of useful information that could benefit any educator-- whether or not you've worked with ESL students previously.

One concept that this article highlighted that I found incredibly interesting was the idea of "language brokering". Jimenez defines this as "[when] students translate [English] for their parents". Language brokering is a skill that can build confidence in ELL and ESL students, because it affirms their knowledge of the English language (and its everyday applications). I have a personal experience that I can relate to on the thread of language boyfriend. My boyfriend, now 23 years old, is 100% Taiwanese, and his family speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese in the home. In fact, when he's at home, that's pretty much the only language he speaks. However, when I come over to visit (and I have an incredibly limited grasp of Mandarin Chinese), English must be spoken for me to understand the conversations. My boyfriend often has to translate what I'm saying into Chinese, because his parents do not speak fluent English (though their English is ten times better than my Chinese). The language brokering that he does for his parents (and had to do virtually his whole school-age life) undoubtedly aided his acquisition of the English language.

The Language Brokering Journals that Jimenez advocates in his article seem like a great idea to me. Having students record all of the instances where they had to translate English for their parents/relatives/friends would build confidence in their English learning abilities.

As Mason becomes continually diverse and rich with new cultures, I am positive that I will work closely with ESL and ELL students at some point. And I hope that I can foster the warm and inviting attitude in my classroom that Jimenez and his colleagues do so well. At the end of the day, these students are the same as any others. They want teachers who care about them as people and who want them to succeed.

Writer's Notebook Post #6

For this week's class we investigated two articles dealing with literacy and reading comprehension in terms of the internet. Those two articles were "Reading Comprehension on the Internet: Expanding Our Understanding of Reading Comprehension to Encompass New Literacies" by Julie Coiro (2003) and "Internet Project: Preparing Students for New Literacies in a Global Village" by Donald J. Leu, Jr. (2001).

Coiro's article focused primarily on the idea of shaping literacy and achieving reading comprehension through the internet while Leu's article focused more on preparing students for a globalized generation that is driven by technology, communication, and information. What I gleaned from both of these articles is that it's imperative that our students are equipped with 21st century skills when they leave us K-12 teacher and enter the "real world" (whether that be the military, the work force, a vocation, a technical college, or a four-year university).

I agree wholeheartedly with Coiro on the point that our traditional definition of 'literacy' needs to be expanded to incorporate technological literacies. I also agree with her on the point that we need to prepare our students with a new set of instructions, goals, and activities to achieve increased reading comprehension via the internet.

I found it interesting that many competent readers who come from traditional print backgrounds become often overwhelmed by internet projects, texts, and readings. Coiro explained that this is because the internet is loaded with graphics, audio recordings, advertisements, and hyperlinks that can distract learners from the task at hand. Sometimes over-achieving students become frustrated and overwhelmed when they can't derive the answer to a question or problem immediately, and additionally, they are used to having success with print texts (that are virtually devoid of distractions). As a strong reader in grade school, I can imagine that I, too, would have felt overwhelmed (at least, initially) by internet assignments.

I love the format that Leu used in his article of situating the internet projects in the cultural context. He offered up a lot of great projects and assignments that teachers can use in their classrooms today! Many of them incorporated other classrooms all over the globe, and this would help students have a larger global awareness (a huge plus!). I also like that Leu provided several internet projects, the age groups they're appropriate for, and the websites and appropriate links in his article so that teachers could implement these projects for their students.

In the battle for culture vs. comprehension, I will take both (and so will my students)! :) I think that technology is a great means to achieve a specific end result (oftentimes reading comprehension), but I do, like Coiro, think that a different set of rules apply.

Writer's Notebook Post #5

We are just cruising through this graduate course as quickly as we can!

I have really enjoyed my time in EDT 646: Reading & Writing in Content Areas, mostly because I've had the opportunity to work closely with teachers from not only other disciplines (math, science, Social Studies, etc.) but also from different building and grade levels (including K-6 teachers).

This provides the perfect segue way for I'd like to discuss in today's post- the professional text that I'm currently doing a project on, Write for Insight by William Strong. My partner (a seventh grade Social Studies teacher) and I will be giving our class a presentation next week that involves a summary of the text, a critique of the text, and valuable content area lessons involving writing that we have gleaned from the text.

So far, I love Strong's writing style. He operates wholeheartedly under the theory that writing has a place in all content areas and that writing (in the content areas, specifically) serves two. These are paraphrased in my own words below:

1. To help the writer understand and make sense of his/her thoughts/learning.
2. To communicate to others our thoughts, research, learning, and findings.

As a Language Arts teacher, reading and writing just happen to be the basis of my content area. However, I remember clearly my days K-12 schooling (particularly my high school days), and I can say for a fact that I remembered and communicated information better when I'd had the opportunity to write about it. By articulating my thoughts in written (and sometimes oral) form, I was able to synthesize my own learning. I think this is an imperative skill for all students at all grade levels.

On the more "critical" side of things, I like how Strong's book is laid out. He provides lots of examples (both literary and non) from his personal and professional life, and even better, he incorporates advice, stories, and narratives from teachers he's encountered throughout his service to public education. I think this renders his text more authentic and more relative. When I'm reading a professional text, I want (in fact, I need) confirmation that the individual has seen real-world classroom experience and understands today's students.

One thing that I'm struggling with is one of Strong's key points behind the idea of "writing for insight". Strong recommends that students be expected to double the amount of writing they're currently doing in and out of the classroom, and he recommends this for all grade levels. He said that because students do virtually no writing in most math and science classrooms (and a mediocre amount in most Social Studies classrooms) that this doubling of writing should come mostly from these other content areas (versus a Language Arts classroom where most students are expected to write daily).

I am totally on board w/ Strong's logic in regards to this point. But, I teach in a Language Arts classroom. How can I truly monitor how much writing is going on in the other content areas? What if I notice that students are still not writing much in a math classroom? Does that mean that I am required, then, to have students write even more in my classroom to make up for what's not getting done in math? That is an idea that I am still wrestling with.

More insights to come from Miss Klahm as I receive more writing insights from William Strong! :)

Writer's Notebook Post #4

We are just rocking through this Reading/Writing in the Content Areas class extremely quickly! We have now studied all three models required of the class, and all three involve an integrated learning/reading approach. (As a reminder these three models include Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI), Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning (EIC), and "Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading".) The citations for each of these models are referenced in Writer's Notebook Posts #1-3.

Reading and learning about integrated instruction has been a great experience so far, but I'd like to focus today's post, more specifically, on the idea of engaging cultures and literacies for learning. Norman Unrau, author of Content Area Reading and Writing: Fostering Literacies in Middle and High School Cultures (2008) believes that engaging your students' cultural and prior literary experiences and quintessential to their reading (and overall learning) success.

I happen to agree wholeheartedly with Unrau on this point.

On page 23 of his text, Unrau cites a list of seven principles that the International Reading Association (IRA) developed in 1999 as part of their "Position Statement" towards adolescent literacy. Numbers 6 and 7 on the list piqued my curiosity the most:

6) Adolescents deserve teachers who understand the complexities of individual adolescent readers, respect their differences, and respond to their characteristics.

7) Adolescents deserve homes, communities, and a nation that will support their efforts to achieve advanced levels of literacy and provide the support necessary for them to succeed.

To me, these are two of the MAJOR points that Unrau is emphasizing in his text.

In response to number 6, I think that this really speaks to the differentiation of teacher instruction. We truly need to meet our students where they ARE (not where we want them to be) and then challenge them appropriately. This means that not every child will achieve reading and content comprehension at the same level. It does mean, however, that every child has the right to success. In my opinion, every teacher should stand behind that statement 100%.

In regards to number 7, I feel that the community and school environment is crucial to student learning and student success. Students need to SEE that their teachers, their parents, their friends, and their overall community value a literacy-based education. I am saddened, for example, when I hear of teachers who never take time to read for themselves (even for leisure). How can we expect our students to accept and excel in literacy-based curriculum if we are not modeling those same practices ourselves? For that reason, I always discuss (usually when there's extra time at the end of class) the current novel or non-fiction book I'm reading. This shows the kids that it can be "cool" to read and that we, as teachers, don't just arbitrarily assign reading homework/assignments/projects. We believe that reading plays a true role in our students' educational development, and more than that, it's ENJOYABLE!! :)