Independent ReadingP-12Loddon Mallee Region

Session Outline• Literacy Frameworks

• Research

• Reading Behaviours

• Text Selection

• Formative Assessment

• Home/school Partnerships

LITERACY ELEMENTS

• Read Aloud

• Shared Reading

• Guided Reading

• Independent Reading

SPEAKING & LISTENING

OBSERVATION&

ASSESSMENT

• Write Aloud

• Shared Writing

• Guided Writing

• Independent Writing

5

GRADUAL RELEASE OF RESPONSIBILITY

MODELLINGThe teacher

demonstrates and explains the literacy focus being taught. This is achieved by thinking aloud the

mental processes and modelling the

reading, writing, speaking and

listening

The student participates by

actively attending to the demonstrations

SHARINGThe teacher continues

to demonstrate the literacy focus,

encouraging students to contribute ideas

and information

Students contribute ideas and begin to

practise the use of the literacy focus in

whole class situations

GUIDINGThe teacher provides scaffolds for students

to use the literacy focus. Teacher

provides feedback

Students work with help from the teacher and peers to practise the use of the literacy

focus

APPLYINGThe teacher offers

support and encouragement when

necessary

The student works independently to apply the use of

literacy focus

Role of the teacher

Role of the student

Pearson & Gallagher

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KnowWant to KnowLearnt

Individually brainstorm;

– What you know about Independent Reading– What you want to know about Independent Reading

INDEPENDENT READING Description

Independent reading is central to successful

reading development.

Students select and read engaging and interesting

material daily, independently and individually.

Students need to be engaged by the text, discuss text and explain their understanding

INDEPENDENT READING Classroom Indicators- Instruction

Time must be scheduled daily for independent reading to occur. A structured take home reading program for all primary students is expected.

For secondary students, a structured reading program is essential in addition to library borrowing.

Students:

• promote books to others

• practise reading at home each night : home and school partnership is fostered

• practise what has been taught in whole class, small group and individual reading activities

• reflect on and articulate their reading goals

INDEPENDENT READING Classroom Indicators- Instruction (continued)

Teachers:

• select particular students to confer with, guide and teach at point of need

• support students to develop and monitor their own reading goals• promote reading of quality literature and texts• discuss and enjoy texts with individual students, observing what

they know and can do • provide guidance with text choice - noticing when students

choose texts beyond their control • monitor choice to ensure a broad range of successful and

enjoyable reading experiences

INDEPENDENT READING Classroom Indication- Resources

• Classroom environments foster enjoyment, and appreciation of reading

• A range of high quality literature is accessible in classrooms, and central libraries

• Wide range of interest and difficulty levels• School library is closely linked to classroom reading

programs• Partner reading arranged with peers and adults• Well organised take home and library programs

RESEARCH

VARIATION IN AMOUNT OF INDEPENDENT READING

Anderson.R,Wilson,P.,and Fielding, L. Reading Research Quarterly, Vol.3,1988. Growth in reading and how children spend their time outside school.

Skill instruction is not enough. In fact when reading takes a back seat to skill instruction, one has to ask the age old question about the cart and the horse.

To develop the ability to read fluently requires the opportunity to read- a

simple rule of thumb.

R. Allington “if they don’t read much, how they ever gonna get good”

“The average higher-achieving students read three times as much each week as their lower-achieving classmates, not including out-of-school reading.”

(Allington, Richard. 2006)

DISCUSSIONWhat are the implications of this research for you?

What do you know about this

reader?Where might you take this

reader?

DI SNOWBALL2009

We need to know…• What is the level of text complexity students can

read independently and show competency with the above?

• What are the range of texts students can read independently and show competency with the above?

• What is the amount of reading students are engaged in (easy, instructional and challenging?)

Proficient Readers• Know what they need to comprehend from a text

• Are aware of the purpose for their reading and direct attention to the parts of the text they most need to comprehend for that purpose.

• Are able to assume different ‘stances’ toward a text. For example, a child can read a book from the point of view of different characters, of a book reviewer, or of a writer seeking new techniques for his or her own work.

• Identify difficulties they have in comprehending at the word, sentence and whole text levels. They are flexible in their use of tactics to revise their thinking and solve different types of comprehension problems.

• Can ‘think aloud’ about their reading process. They are aware and articulate the surface and deep structure strategies they use to identify words, read fluently, and create solutions to reading problems.

• Can identify confusing ideas, themes, and/or surface elements (words, sentence or text structures, graphs, tables, etc.) and suggest a variety of means to solve the problems they encounter.

• Are independent, flexible and adaptive:– They show independence by using surface and deep structure strategies to solve reading problems and

enhance understanding on heir own.– They demonstrate flexibility by using particular strategies such as determining importance to a greater or lesser

degree depending on the demands of the text.– They are adaptive in their ability to ‘turn up(or turn down) the volume’ a particular strategy or use all the

comprehension strategies in concert.

•  Use text management strategies. They pause, reread, skim, scan, consider the meaning of the

text, and reflect on their understanding with other readers of the text, and reflect on their

understanding.”

Keene E and Zimmerman, S (2007: 64 - 65)

Di Snowball 2009

• Text Selection- Level, Forms, Environment, Engagement

• Formative Assessment- Conferences, Journals, Reflection

• Home Partnership

TEXT SELECTIONLevel, Forms, Environment, Engagement

Text Level Independent Reading

Forms

Environment

Students in classrooms containing literature collections read 50% more

than students in classrooms

without. However, to be enticing a classroom

library must be well designed .

Faye Bolton “Classroom Libraries 2009’

Research by Bissett

• Focal area in the classroom;• Partitioned, private and quiet;• Carpeted and have comfortable seating, such as bean bags, rocking

chairs and couches;• Five to six books per student;• Stocked with books that provided a variety of genre and degrees of

challenge• Room nearby for five or six students to read;• Consists of two types of shelving (regular and open -faced book shelves); • Literature oriented displays and props (to promote re-enactments and re-

readings);• Organised into categories, such as author, poet, text type and topic.

Morrow and Weinstein ‘Increasing children's use of literature through program and physical design changes. Elementary School Journal, 83, 131-137.

‘

VIDEOWhat ideas can you take back to your school/classroom?

ENGAGEMENT- What takes readers ‘off track’

• Lack of interest or motivation• Insufficient/inappropriate resources• Standards/testing• Absence of support• Inability to break the language barrier• Insufficient background knowledge• Lack of reading strategies• Insufficient reading experience• Inappropriate teacher intervention• Interaction

Don Holdaway

BRAINSTORMIn table groups, choose one area that takes ‘readers off track’ and brainstorm ways to support

How to promote Independent ReadingDon Holdaway

• Environment• Time• Choice• Response• Groups• Support• Management Routines• Motivation- incentives, talks, author visits, ‘literature gossips’• Parental Involvement• Student evaluation

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTReading Conference, Reading Journals, Reflection Time

Reading Conference- Conversations• Focused• Usually follows a predictable structure• Reading goals developed and monitored• Both teacher and student share responsibility for

conversation but student has responsibility of reading• Take place where students read their text (not

teacher’s desk)• Scheduled regularly• Shift the learning• Generally recorded• Used to drive instructional teaching

OBSERVATION- Video• Teacher

• Student

Reading Goals• Student friendly language• Often derive from reading conference and guided

reading• Achievable• Immersion- students should be constantly sharing and

reflecting on these goals in order to build language and metacognition

• Meaningful• Relevant• Short and sharp• Personalised

Reading Journals• A reading response journal is a notebook that students use

expressly for talking, thinking and writing about what they read. • In their journals, students share feelings, reactions, and ask

questions about element, including characters, the setting, symbols, the plot, and themes of the books they are reading.

• Response journals can help teachers assess students' comprehension and critical thinking abilities.

• Should not take over the allocated time for reading.• Evidence of the reading conference is often in the journal,

including the students reading goals

Education World

Adapted from Regie Routman

Unknown Word I infer it means I used… Example Sentence

A Running Record is a record of reading behaviors, that readers make as they are reading. Running Records were developed by Dr. Marie Clay, as a way for teachers to quickly and easily assess their students' reading behaviors "on the run", so to speak

• monitor ongoing student progress in reading

• find out which particular skills and strategies students a using

• focus on specific needs of individual children

• group together children with similar needs for reading instruction

• choose books at an appropriate level for your students

Reflection Time

Reflection time follows each reading and writing

workshop. Students question, analyse and discuss their own and

others’ learning.

Something new for me…

In my head I was…

I found it helpful to…

I was challenged by…

HOME /SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP

• National Assessment of Educational Progress results, for example, show that the percentage of children who say they read for fun almost every day dropped from 43% at grade 4 to 19% at grade 8 (Rich, 2007).

• Research tells us that children whose families encourage at-home literacy activities have higher phonemic awareness and decoding skills (Burgess, 1999), higher reading achievement in the elementary grades (Cooter et al., 1999), and advanced oral language development (Sénéchal, LeFevre, & Thomas, 1998).

Instructing parents to simply, "Read to your child" or "Encourage your child to read at home" may be a

start, but it is not enough • Parent information nights- reading & comprehension skills• Keep reading simple and short• Show parents evidence of success and statistics• Personalise reading to individual student• Provide options for different reading stages• Provide texts, booklists, websites for ideas• Teach parents about ‘book choice’• Invite parents into the classroom

KnowWant to knowLearned

• What have you learned?

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