Pennsylvan ia L i t e racy Framework

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Edward G. Rendell, Governor

Department of Education

Vicki L. Phillips, Secretary

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Gerald L. Zahorchak, Deputy Secretary

Bureau of Curriculum and Academic Services

Susan A. Enfield, Director

Division of Curriculum and Instruction

Nancy Neil, Chief

Language Arts Education

Joel Geary, Advisor

Pennsylvania Department of Education

333 Market Street

Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)will not discriminate in its educational programs,activities or employment practices, based on race,color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,disability, age, religion, ancestry, union membership,or any other legally protected classification.Announcement of this policy is in accordance withstate law including the Pennsylvania HumanRelations Act with federal law, including Title VI andVII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of theEducation Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the AgeDiscrimination Act of 1975, and the Americans withDisabilities Act of 1990.

Any complaint of harassment or discriminationpertaining to education should be directed to theEqual Employment Opportunity Manager,Department of Education, 333 Market Street,Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333, Voice Telephone: 717-787-1953, Text Telephone TTY: 717-783-8445,Fax: 717-783-9348. For information onaccommodations for persons with disabilities,contact the ADA Coordinator, Department ofEducation at the same address, Voice Telephone:717-783-9791, Text Telephone TTY: 771-783-8445, Fax: 717-772-2317.

If you have any questions about this publication, orfor additional copies, contact, PDE, Division ofCurriculum and Instruction, 333 Market Street,Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333. Voice Telephone:Joel Geary: 717-772-1716, Fax: 717-783-3946.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

User’s Guide - Introduction i i i

Acknowledgements/Credits v i

Chapter 1 - Lifelong Learning tab 1

Chapter 2 - Early Literacy Learning tab 2

Chapter 3 - Reading: Transacting with Text tab 3

Chapter 4 - Writing: Composing Text tab 4

Chapter 5 - Investigating Language tab 5

Chapter 6 - Reading and Writing to Learn Content tab 6

Chapter 7 - Assessment of Literacy tab 7

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USER’S GUIDE

This text represents a continuation of the

State’s commitment to quality instruction in

the areas of Reading and Language

Arts/English. This is the third in a series of

documents which have guided reading and

language instruction in the state since 1979.

Each document has extended or modified

the knowledge base and practice of the

previous document. Note that this document

has changed the name to Pennsylvania Literacy

Framework in keeping with current thinking in

the field. The teaching of reading and

language skills has become ever more

integrated in the past years and the entire field

is seen as attempting to provide our children

with literacy skills which will enable them to

compete in the adult world. These skills are no

longer seen as separate from each other but

are now taught as an integrated subjects.

Reading and writing skills are now taught in all

content areas.

This text has been prepared for use by

professionals in the classroom, school

administrators and pre-professionals in the

higher education teacher preparation stream.

The document has been written in the strong

belief that educators are professionals who can

and must read and apply the most current

research and theory in their classrooms

and schools.

For the professional in the classroom, the text providesa review of current research and theory accompanied bypractical applications for the classroom. Practices tofacilitate research-based theory are provided in eachchapter.

For the administrator, the document provides a conciseand practical update of the current research and theory inthe communications teaching areas. This brief review isintended to enable the principal to communicate with theReading and English faculties in a more informed fashion,facilitating meaningful curriculum conversations betweenthe administrator and the faculty.

For the pre-professional, the text provides an overview ofcurrent research considered to be important in instructingin the literacy areas of reading, writing and languagelearning instruction.

The preparation of the document was planned by a team of

researcher-writers from higher education and

teacher/administrators from the field. This team chose to

maintain the four lenses from the last version of the Framework

and three of the Five Critical Experiences with modifications.

Reading, Writing and Investigating Language were maintained

as Critical Experiences. The chapter titled Expanding Reading

and Writing was maintained but is addressed strongly to the

content teacher. The chapter Learning to Learn was modified to

provide the overview/cornerstone to the whole document as the

Lifelong Literacy introduction. A new chapter was added,

providing a basis for considering early childhood literacy as a

concern. A concluding chapter reviews the impact of current

developments in assessment of literacy skills.

Since the Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Standards

are now expected to be taught in all areas of the curriculum, this

chapter was expanded to provide a specific response to the needs

of content area teachers. Chapter 6 provides specific suggestions

for teaching the communication skills in the context of a content

area.

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The researcher-writer teams have

attempted to integrate the four lenses as they

were appropriate to the content of the chapter.

In addition, where it is appropriate, they have

attempted to integrate a concept of Stages of

Learning.

The Stages of Learning, for this document, are

defined as:

� Early literacy—the literacy learning ofchildren from birth through the early

school years.

� Expanding literacy—the literacy learningwhich extends the early literacy knowledge

and experience into new forms of literacy

and new content learning. The focus is on

learning to read and write.

� Enhancing literacy—the literacy learningwhich assumes a readiness to use previous

reading and writing knowledges and skills

to enhance the student’s world of

knowledge and experience. The focus

is on reading and writing to learn.

� Lifelong learning—the attitudinal posi-tioning toward literacy and learning which

enables adults to grow and learn in

professional and personal ways

throughout their lives.

The Framework is divided into seven

chapters. Chapter One reviews current theory

and practice on the issue of learning as a

lifelong process. In this chapter is included a

review of the four lenses which underlie

literacy in the Commonwealth.

Chapter Two is a new addition to the

Framework, providing a review of research,

theory and practice in early childhood literacy.

This chapter represents a bold step in the

direction of recognizing the importance of

establishing literacy habits in children from

the earliest stages of development.

Chapter Three provides a review of

current theory, research and practice in the

area of reading instruction. The focus of this

chapter highlights the significance of

developing meaning-making skills in the areas

of phonemic awareness, phonics and

comprehension of vocabulary as well as

explicit and implicit instruction in

comprehension.

Chapter Four focuses on writing

instruction. This area has been a major focus

in schools for the past ten or more years. Most

of this focus has been centered on the writing

process. This chapter moves beyond the

process to encompass the areas of genre as a

way of addressing the importance of writing in

the informative genres. The issues of grammar

and spelling instruction are addressed in this

chapter also.

Chapter Five focuses on language

learning. The content reviews language

functions, variety and history as well as

providing practical ideas for instruction in oral

communication and language exploration

through word play and similar activities.

Chapter Six is directed toward the teacher

of content who needs to understand how to

instruct reading and writing in the content

areas. This chapter is focused extensively on

instructional processes to facilitate reading

and writing skills in the content areas.

Chapter Seven provides a review of

current assessment issues in literacy. This

chapter is especially valuable for use by

administrator/teacher teams in planning Local

Assessment Systems.

Three CD-ROMs are a new feature of this

document. These are included as professional

development tools.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS/CREDITS

This document is the collective product of a

group of dedicated educators who met several

times from December 1999 through the

summer of 2000 to critique, analyze, search,

research and prepare this Framework. Two

teams of people are responsible for the work.

The front-line team met as researcher-writers to

develop the actual document. To each of these

people we extend thanks.

Writer-Researcher Team

Rita BeanUniversity of Pittsburgh

Shirley BiggsUniversity of Pittsburgh

Nicholas ColesUniversity of Pittsburgh

Marion DuganSouderton Area School District

Barbara MarinakMechanicsburg School District

Beverly MelenyzerCalifornia University of Pennsylvania

Jesse MooreEast Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Marsha PauleyCentral Cambria School District

Kim RiddellChatham College

Charlene TrovatoUniversity of Pittsburgh

Yvonne WeaverTrinity Area School District

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A second team of teachers, administrators and professors

from across the state met with the first team to critique and

guide the writing.

Advisory Committee

Barbara Bender Lucille Jute

Jane Blystone Mary Jane Koenig

Jennifer Boone Patricia Koller

Chris Cherrington Joyce Lee

Kisha Davis Carol Merrill

Lillian DeLeo Sue Ann Miller

Lynne Dorfman Lynn Morley

Diane Dougherty Gail Ryan

Denise Dragich Jan Sansone

Trudie Engel Toni Saul

Marion Lynn Fauceglia Valerie Sharir

Meg Geffken Vicki Steinberg

Joel Geary Betty Stoner

Dorothy Grier Deborah Sturm

Cathy Hayden Kenneth Toth

Janet Hoffman Mary Ann Warner

Patricia Jones Michael Williams

Ray Young

Finally, recognition is given to the originators of the plan to

up-date the Pennsylvania Framework for Reading. This group

designed the process for the development of the new

Pennsylvania Literacy Framework and identified the changes to

be made in the document itself.

The Planning Committee

Diane Skiffington DicksonPennsylvania Department of Education

Marion DuganSouderton Area School District

Nancy NeilPennsylvania Department of Education

Jean E. WinsandUniversity of Pittsburgh

Jean E. WinsandProject Coordinator

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THE THREE CDS INCLUDED IN THE PA LITERACY

FRAMEWORK BINDER ARE TOOLS FOR

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

� Introduction to the PA Literacy Framework CD

This CD provides materials for a half-day or full-day

introduction session to the Framework. It includes Word

Documents that will need to be printed and then duplicated for

participants prior to the session and a Power Point presentation

that describes the purposes for the new revision and the

critical experiences included.

� Cover Page Word Document

� Half-day and Full-day Schedules Word Document

� Facilitator Directions Word Document

� Initial Activities Word Document

� Power Point Presentation Power Point

� Ouline of the Power Point Presentation Word Document

� Activities for Reviewing the Chapters Word Document

� Evaluation form to be provided by local site

� Oral History CD

Origination of this Project

This CD is based on a model developed at the Governor’s

Institute for Language Arts Educators, a weeklong seminar held

in August of 1998, 1999, and 2000 for Pennsylvania teachers.

Purposes of this CD

� Teach the PA Language Arts Academic Standards in a

project-based application.

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� Have students learn that oral histories are valid ways to

record history and are of equal value to written texts.

� Engage communities and schools together in a learning

process.

Consortium

� Athens Area School District � Huntingdon School District

� Lancaster City School District � Souderton Area School

District � Elizabethtown College � Tuscarora Intermediate

Unit � PA Department of Education � Governor’s Institute

� Montgomery County Community College � Tom Graves,

Folklife Consultant � Stroudsburg Area School District

� University of Pittsburgh

� Language Arts Instructional Formats CD

Major Purpose

The major purpose for this CD is to provide teachers and

administrators with a professional development tool for

implementing both:

� the Critical Experiences of the PA Literacy Framework and

� the PA Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening

Academic Standards.

This CD provides:

� Well Designed Classroom Applications – called FORMATS

(The fourteen (14) formats outlined in this CD help a

teacher to organize for instruction.)

� CONSISTENCY in implementation across a district

� A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOOL for districts

Teachers can use the CD as an individual learner; grade levels,

departments or schools can organize a workshop around a

single format or a series of sessions that focus on each of the 14

formats. The CD could be used for Act 48 Credit by a provider

(district) or by a university (course).