“To be literate in content classrooms, students must learn how to use language processes to explore and construct meaning with texts. When students put language to work for them in content classrooms, it helps them to discover, organize, retrieve, and elaborate on what they are learning.”  ~ Janet Allen (Reading History: A Practical Guide to Improving Literacy  

Roadblocks to Success in S.S. Classrooms

• Lack of interest and motivation
• Classroom resources that are insufficient or inappropriate for student reading level
• Insufficient background knowledge
• Absence of instructional support that would help them to read complex texts
• Lack of independent reading and research strategies

      ~ From Reading History: A Practical Guide to Improving Literacy (Allen, 2005, p.xii)

Ideas for Activating Prior Knowledge

Book Pass

When using multiple texts to build background knowledge before beginning a major study a Book Pass is an effective instructional strategy. The more diverse the texts in the book pass are the more substantive background the students will gain (use poetry, non-fiction, narrative, informational texts, drama, diaries, primary sources and relevant artwork).

•   Step 1

           Give each student a Book pass form

• Step 2

          Distribute baskets of books if working with a small group or one resource per student if you’re working with a whole class.

•   Step 3

           Ask students to note the title and author, then to sample the resource (examine title, introductions, read first few pages, look at illustrations, not chapter titles/captions/headings).

•   Step 4

           As they read students should note in the comment column at least one new thing they learned, a connection they made or a question they have related to the resource topic.

•   Step 5

           After 2-5 minutes, say “book pass” and the student passes their resource onto the next student. Repeat Steps 2-4.

•   Step 6

           At the end of the Book Pass activity, students combine the information they have discovered  (and their questions and connections) on a class chart. This information can guide the study of the unit. 

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Skim and Scan

This skill requires students to use their knowledge of ways to get information from text quickly. Students have to learn “where in the text” they have to go to get first impressions and fast facts related to the reading. Basic facts about skim and scan:

• Use the title to activate/build background knowledge
• Look at the pictures and the people in the pictures
• Look at maps/timelines/graphs/charts
• Look at glossary words
• Read information in fact boxes
• Read information in sidebars
• Read captions
• Read first and last paragraphs
• Reads highlighted information or bold words

SKIMMING AND SCANNING

From: Reading history: A Practical Guide to Improving Literacy  by Janet Allen

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Writing to Learn

“The more content is manipulated, the more likely it is understood and remembered” (Allen, p.15)

This tool provides students with a variety of experiences with several texts. The sources could be fiction, nonfiction, poetry, news articles, video, news clips, periodicals, special speakers, artifacts, interviews, art or music.

Important: each new experience builds on the previous one by adding more information and/or emotional content.

Ex: 1st source: glossary definition of “Holocaust”

2^nd source: the textbook - reading 5 paragraphs and studying a picture

3^rd source: picture book- read The Number on my Grandfather’s Arm to students

                                                           WRITING TO LEARN

From: Reading history: A Practical Guide to Improving Literacy  by Janet Allen

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Text Mapping

• Text maps act as a scaffold to help students develop strategies that allow them to take control of their reading and learning. The ultimate goal is students' independent use of such strategies.
• Text maps help students recognize the organizational features of informational text and use this awareness to build understanding of content.
• Text maps help students accurately identify relationships between key concepts, generating a holistic understanding of the topic.

Spencer, B. (2003). Text maps: Helping students navigate informational texts. The Reading Teacher, 56, 752–756.

Textmapping is:

• Explicit
• Teaches students to be strategic readers
• Encourage students to develop active reading skills
• Links comprehension directly, explicitly and concretely to the text
• Is a traceable visual record of an individual’s thought process
• Accommodate a wide range of learning styles
• Especially helpful to students who have learning disabilities or attention deficit

A text map guides the reader to full comprehension just as a road map guides a traveler to a final destination. A text map helps readers examine organizational features (such as the title, key terms, subheadings, and pictures) of informational text in order to make predictions and ask questions before reading more about the topic. During and after reading, the map helps students "retrace" their steps to be sure they understood and learned about the issues that were in question.

Textmapping

Textmapping PowerPoint

How Teachers are using Textmapping?

Textmapping in the S.S. Classroom

Textmapping Exercise

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Note Taking

The Incredible Shrinking Notes

A fun 3-step process helps students "boil down" note taking

Example:

Materials

· three "sticky notes" or index cards in three different sizes -- approximately 3- x 5 inches, 3 x 3 inches, and 1 x 2 inches - for each student

Amelia Earhart article

STEP 1:

Read Amelia Earhart article

  STEP 2

Fill a 3- x 5-inch sticky note or index card with important facts from the reading selection.

  STEP 3

Narrow down those notes to the important notes that fit on a medium-size (approximately 3- x 3-inch) sticky note or card.

STEP 4

Narrow down those notes to the most important notes that will fit on a small (approximately 1- x 2-inch) sticky note or card.

~ From Education World

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Targeting Literacy With Technology 

Additional Readings