Complexity, Reading & Adolescent Literacy

Rita & John

• Rita Platt is a Nationally Board Certified teacher. Her experience includes teaching learners of all levels from kindergarten to graduate student. She currently is a Library Media & Reading Specialist for the St. Croix Falls SD in Wisconsin, teaches graduate courses for the Professional Development Institute, and consults with local school districts.

• John Wolfe is a teacher on special assignment for the Multilingual Department at the Minneapolis Public School District. He has worked with students at all levels as well as provided professional development to fellow teachers. His areas of expertise include English Language Learners, literacy, and integrated technology.

•ritaplatt@hotmail.com• john.wolfe@mpls.k12.mn.us •http://www.weteachwelearn.org/tag/rita-platt/• http://mplsesl.wikispaces.com/Home+Page• @ritaplatt• @johnwolfe3rd

From John Whitfield’s People Will Talk: The Surprising Science of Reputation

Trinidadian Guppies

Relax … Everything (and more) is on The Wikihttp://www.mplsesl.wikispaces.com/

A straight shot?

Or more complicated than that…

O love is the

crooked thing,

There is nobody

wise enoughTo find out all

that is in it…

O love is the

crooked thing,

There is nobody

wise enoughTo find out all

that is in it…

From our wandering & confusion …

Rigor

High-Stakes Assessment

Text Complexity

Common Core

College & Career Ready

Anchor Standards

Common Core is not the enemy ofcommon sense!

CCSS Reading 1-9 = “Business as Usual.”

… but Standard 10! (“Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity”)

Text Complexity• Quantitative Factors

Text level (GE, Lexile, etc.)

• Qualitative FactorsGenre, length, theme, text structures/features, register, demands on reader

• Professional JudgmentInterest, knowledge of student, relevancy

So … students will read on grade-level? Not exactly …

So … what if they

can’t read it?

Good Teaching• Where does the student need to be?• Where is s/he now?• What is the roadmap?• How will be know when s/he has reached the

destination?

Modified from DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Karhanek, 2004

Battling ParadigmsThe Dinner Party

Paradigm(Motivation through Interest)

“They’ll do what it takes to stay.”

The Super-Mario Paradigm

(Motivation through Growth)“They’ll chase success.”

Growth Through Interest

The true reward of academic work is the play of ideas in intense classroom work with challenging ideas and texts.

If we’re not providing this to students, we have no right to expect anything from them. When we:• Give students great works at high text-

levels and• Promote rigorous discussion around

them… we motivate students to meet grade-level literacy challenges.

Growth Through Challenge

Success and mastery are the deep motivators for every activity. Students thrive on triumphing over challenges.

Schools owe students carefully structured series of “just-right” challenges and the support for continuous success.When we:• Give students appropriately leveled

texts and• Give them appropriate tasks… we motivate students to meet literacy-growth challenges.

Battling Paradigms

Growth Through Interest

What kills learning?• Boredom,• Impoverished instruction,

• Endless drill

Also … “You learn what you practice. If you spend all your time on low-level literal reading tasks with idea-impoverished texts, you’ll only learn to do those low level reading skills.”

Growth Through Challenge

Battling Paradigms

What kills learning?• Frustration,• Stagnation (no progress)

Also … “You learn what you practice. If you spend your time discussing texts the students can’t read, students will become good at discussion, not so good at reading.”

The King of Pain weighs in …

Individualized & All Together: Whole Class Instruction Using Differentiated Texts

The Solution: Content-Related, Level-Appropriate Reading Circles

Grade 7 Social Studies Standard:

7.4.4.19. Regional tensions around economic development, slavery, territorial expansion and governance resulted in a Civil War and a period of Reconstruction that led to the abolition of slavery, a more powerful federal government, a renewed push into indigenous nations’ territory and continuing conflict over racial relations. (Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850-1877)

What is your learning target?

your readers while you teach to the target.

Individualized & All Together: Whole Class Instruction Using Differentiated Texts

GROW

They can’t all read the textbook … but they can all read about slavery.

Grade Lvl 4

Grade Lvl 2

Grade Lvl 3.6

Reading Time: Students read together to support their literacy near peers…

Grade Lvl 4

Grade Lvl 2

Grade Lvl 3.6

Each text tells how

slaves were mistreated. Be ready to explain that.

Each text describes

how a slave resisted. Be

ready to explain that.

Discussion Time/Jigsaw. An “expert” from each group reports to a JIGSAW group.

Each member of the group takes notes on

what they hear … with the expectations

for notes differentiated by

literacy & language levels.

Benefits. Every students gets …

• a steady diet of “easy texts”• daily success as a reader• interactive support from near peers for

reading comprehension • an ideal situation for cooperative effort

since comprehension problems will tend to be at or above each group member’s ZPD.

• experience reading in the history/social studies genre

• background and general knowledge about the time and topic being studied

• vocabulary development related to the topic

• a chance to speak about the reading and to listen to others talking about texts on the same topic

What about

State Curriculum-Standards Based Learning Targets?

State Curriculum-Standards are

established by act of legislature!

You’re required by

LAW to address each standard, provide evidence of each

benchmark!

The Solution: Content-Related, Level-Appropriate Reading Circles

Grade 7 Social Studies Standard:

7.4.4.19. Cite the main ideas of the debate over slavery and states' rights; explain how they resulted in major political compromises and, ultimately, war. (Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850-1877)For example: Missouri Compromise, Nullification Crisis, Compromise of 1850, Bleeding Kansas.)

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 Why Did the North Agree? Why did the South?

Circle one: Pro-Slavery | Abolitionist

Place the reasons in the

scales.

Circle one: Pro-Slavery | Abolitionist

Fear of War

“Slavery is a SIN!”

“What’s mine is mine!”

“Do not destroy the country.”

“Do not destroy my lifestyle.”

“God will punish us!”

“History will judge us.”

“The Negro will kill us.”

A Southern Gentleman

A Northern Yankee

Don’t Agree (SLAVERY – Yes!)

Agree COMPROMISE!

Agree COMPROMISE!

Don’t Agree (Free All Slaves!)

“Precision Teaching.” After the “non-fiction reading workshop” portion of the class, you do “precision teaching” using visuals, graphic organizers, etc. From the

“reading workshop,”

students• develop vocabulary

& background knowledge,

• become familiar with how texts are structured in a specific subject, and

• get the daily, successful reading that will drive their growth as readers.

From the “precision teaching,” students

• receive “comprehensible input” in the form of proficiency-appropriate teacher language combined with paraverbal support for understanding

• develop the key conceptual understandings identified by the curriculum standards

• exercise their brains

Ready, FIRE, Aim!!!

Good Luck – and make the magic happen!