CAFÉDearborn Literacy Framework

August 3,4,5, 2010

Do our assessments inform our instruction?

Joan Moser

Agenda•What is Café?

•Whole Group Mini-lessons

•Assessment

•Goal Setting with the Student / Conferring

•Strategy Instruction

•The Conferring Notebook

What is CAFÉ CAFÉ is a structure for conferring, a language for

talking about reading development and a system for tracking growth and fostering student independence.

CAFÉ is a simple system which has these core elements:

• The One on One Assessing of Students with the Teacher• Whole-group instruction based on the needs of

many students, which often uses texts from whole-class read alouds. • Small-group/ 1:1 instruction based on students’

similar needs in one of the CAFÉ categories.

The Café Goals• Comprehension

• Accuracy

• Fluency

• Expand Vocabulary

Strategies State Standards and

Grade Level Expectations

Current Research of Process and Strategies

Café Menu• At the beginning of the year

Menu should have only headings.

• Create the board with students as strategies are introduced.

• Have student write strategies.

• Only the strategies that are taught whole group go on board

• Students declare their strategy and writes their name on post it.

Mini Lesson (Whole Class Lesson Elements) •Launching CAFÉ Pp. 95-97 Appendix p. 130-137

•Identify strategy and share “secret to success”

•Instruct

•Practice with partners

•One student writes and illustrates strategy on a card

•Review strategy

•Encourage practice during reading times

•Student posts strategy on menu after independent practice

•Continually connect new strategies to strategies already on the menu

Assessment•Initial Assessment: purpose and use: DRA, 6+1, Running Records•CAFÉ Menu (strategies/goals)

7 Steps to Assessment (p. 39)

1. Assess individual student.2. Discuss the findings with student.3. Set Goal and identify Strategies

with student.4. Student declares goal on Menu

and in notebook.5. Teacher fills out individual Reading

Conference form.6. Teacher fills out Strategy Groups

Form.7. Instruction

Goal Setting After Assessment (40-44)

• Discussing assessment results with student as part of the assessment

• CAFÉ Menu• Asking student about themselves as a reader• Deciding on strategy (ies)• Student declares the goal (states it themselves• Student posts on menu at that moment• Student returns and repeats goal again

Goal Setting Script• Discuss learning with student. Always the first question:• “What do you know about yourself as

a reader?”• Student responds.• Then go to CAFÉ Menu and teacher

says:• “This is what I found….We can work

on this as a goal.”• Teacher and student verbalize the goal.

Assessment to Conferring (p. 153)

Goal Setting After Assessment (40-44)

• Discussing assessment results with student• CAFÉ Menu• Asking about the student as a reader• Deciding on strategy (ies)• Student declares the goal (states it themselves• Student posts on menu at that moment• Student returns and repeats goal again

Conference Protocol for Effective Conferencing

• Continual • Brief• Targeted instruction• All students (fair is NOT always equal)• Student sets & articulates goals• Shared language with students• Consistent structure

Seven Elements for Successful Conferences

1. Check the calendar for appointments2. Prepare for conference3. Observe student & listen to reading4. Reinforce & teach5. Practice the Strategy6. Plan7. Encourage

Conferring to Coaching (p. 56)

What does a conference look like?

As you watch the video ask yourself.

• Did the teacher use all seven steps of effective conferencing?

• What was the purpose the teacher had?• Did the student understand what she

was expected to do?• What made the conference effective?

Conferring (Chapter 4: 50-68)

• How long will each conference take? How will we get these accomplished?• How can my time be best used?• What is my role in the conference?• Why are we conferring with students so

frequently?

Strategy Groups: Guiding Readers • Form one strategy group of most at risk students

to start. • Identify a group of 2-3 students that need the

same strategy (example: back up and reread) Use Reading Conference Forms completed at

Assessment (conferring notebook)• Teacher groups students together based on

common goal/strategy.• The goal is flexible grouping: students work on a

strategy until mastery (some students may require 1:1 instruction).

• NOTE: Small groups/1:1 do not begin until stamina has been developed and assessments are complete

(chapter 7 p. 105)

Strategy Instruction: Guiding Readers• Standards-based• Hierarchy of strategies: 4-4-3-3 (Menu)• Whole Group Mini-lessons: 5-10 minutes • Day 1/ Read Alouds with Strategy Instruction

– Checking for Understanding (Read aloud #1)– Cross Checking (Read aloud #2)– Tune in to interesting words (Read aloud #3)

• Continual modeling• Small group and 1:1 instruction begin after

assessments are complete and stamina is established.

Question

• What is the biggest difference between what the Daily 5 and CAFÉ recommend and how we may have traditionally been using read alouds?

Touch Points: Ongoing Assessment•Quickly assess student learning and assign a score

•Documents student learning so trends in performance may be observed and instructional decisions may be made.

•Holistic score for each interaction

•C = Area of Concern

•P = Progressing

•M = Meets Expectations

•E = Exceeds Expectations

•If students receive 3 C/P points after 3 teaching attempts than change instruction

•Recorded after each meeting 1:1 or small group

ComprehensionI understand what I read

AccuracyI can read the words

FluencyI can read smoothly

and understand what I read

Expand VocabularyI know, use, and find

interesting words

•Check for understanding

•Back up and reread

•Monitor and fix-up

•Retell the story

•Cross Checking… Do the pictures and/or words look right? Does it sound right? Does it make sense

•Use the picture…Do the words and pictures match

•Use beginning sounds and ending sounds

•Blend sounds, stretch and read

•Voracious reading

•Reread text

•Read appropriate level texts that are a "Good Fit"

•Voracious reading

•Tune in to interesting words and use new vocabulary in my speaking and writing

•Use pictures, illustrations and diagrams

Comprehension: Check for Understanding•First strategy introduced

•What it is: Stop frequently and check to see if you understand what you’re reading.

•Reference: pp. 30-34, 70-74, 130, Ready reference form p.154

•“Secret to success”

“Knowing when we read we must think about the story and realize what the author is trying to tell us or what we are learning from the book. Readers stop frequently to check for understanding or to ask who and what.”

•Model everyday of the school year

Video

• Video clip

Accuracy: Cross Checking•Second strategy taught

•What it is: Strategy for ensuring the words (and sometimes pictures) read make sense and match the letters on the page

•Reference: pp. 34-36, 80-82, Ready Reference form p.170

•“Secret to success”“Must be able to monitor for meaning and know when it is necessary to pause and fix-up the meaning instead of just continuing to read. Constantly grounding reading in meaning is vital to the success of this strategy.”

•Kinesthetic motion (CAFÉ p. 36)

Expand Vocabulary: Tune in to Interesting Words

• Third strategy taught

Build word awareness and the understanding of words so they have “thinking power” left in their brain to comprehend and make meaning of what is read.

• Reference: pp. 36-37, 84-85, 102-104, Ready reference form, p.185• “Secret to Success”

“When we read independently, we must read and practice this strategy with a “good fit” book. We may use a word collector to record and remember the new words.”

• 2-3 words selected per day

Touch Points: Ongoing Assessment•Quickly assess student learning and assign a score

•Documents student learning so trends in performance may be observed and instructional decisions may be made.

•Holistic score for each interaction

•C = Area of Concern

•P = Progressing

•M = Meets Expectations

•E = Exceeds Expectations

•If students receive 3 C/P points after 3 teaching attempts than change instruction

•Recorded after each meeting 1:1 or small group

The Conferring Notebooka.k.a. The Pensieve

It holds our mostimportant thinking about each

student.

Size Matters!

• Bigger is not always better!• 1” or 1½” binder

Organizing a Conferring Notebook

• As you watch this video, think about how you will use your conferring notebook and the importance of the elements to student learning.

Conferring Notebook

Organization of the Conferring Notebook (Pensieve)

Section Forms to include1 Keeping Track *Keeping Track Form

*Calendar2 Curriculum

3 Guiding Readers *Strategy Group Forms Groups

4 Data *Data Sheets

5 Student Conferences *Reading Conferring Form(a tab for each student *Writing Conferring Form that includes…) *CAFÉ Menu

Additional Resources for the Conferring Notebook

• Chapter 2 in The Café Book: The Café Notebook and Record Keeping Forms

• The Café Book CD-ROM for printable forms

• The Café Book Appendix

Looking back on today• What is CAFÉ?

• CAFÉ Menu

• Mini-lessons

• Assessment

• Goal Setting with the Student / Conferring

• Strategy Instruction

• The Conferring Notebook