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A Support for Literacy in Secondary Classrooms

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Happy Saturday Friends!
How is your weekend going so far? Today marks the first day of my fall break and I am so excited to enjoy a week off! I have two days of a digital leadership conference, plenty of TpT things to catch up on, sleeping in, going to the beach, catching up with friends and family and a ton of yard work. Now that I think of it, that doesn't sound like much of a break.

I wanted to start of my break by sharing with you something my 5th graders look forward to every day! I call it my Daily Graffiti Wall. I got the idea from Miss 5th over in IG. Every day I post some kind of question on the board and the kids get to answer it. It's so simple, yet so engaging! They look forward to it every morning when they walk in. Here are some of the pictures from my wall!

If you want to see some more posts from me, make sure you follow me on IG. Don't forget to follow Miss 5th too! She has some great posts!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

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{Daily Graffiti Wall} (Tonya's Treats for Teachers)

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Happy Saturday Friends! How is your weekend going so far? Today marks the first day of my fall break and I am so excited to enjoy a week off! I have two days of a digital leadership conference, plenty of TpT things to catch up on, sleeping in, going to the beach, catching up with friends and family and a ton of yard work.

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The last couple of lessons for my Transformations unit were dilations and symmetry.

For dilations, I used my dilations foldable. I gave students the small page with the vocab and definitions that they glued at the top of the page. This foldable separates the properties and the examples.

The examples flap has two examples - an expansion and a contraction. I don't really go into any more depth than this with my students. We will investigate it a lot more when I have them for Algebra 2 next year.

Then, we moved on to symmetry. You can download the file here. Line symmetry is not new for my students. The top of this page took like 2 minutes. Then, we talked about rotational symmetry. After talking through the first two examples, I left them to work with their partners. Then, we went over it together and I gave them the formula at the bottom of the page. Most of my students had figured it out, even if they hadn't written it down explicitly.

The last page in their notebooks for this unit was review. I printed my transformations task cards and gave even student four. I copied them at four per page, so they printed tiny enough for their notebooks. Each student worked their problems. Then, they switched notebooks and checked their partners work. If they agreed, I double checked their answers. If they disagreed, I checked or had them as someone else for input. I LOVED using task cards this way, because I didn't have to come up with additional examples and I already had them.

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The last couple of lessons for my Transformations unit were dilations and symmetry. For dilations, I used my dilations foldable. I gave students the small page with the vocab and definitions that they glued at the top of the page. This foldable separates the properties and the examples.

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This strategy stresses understanding words within the larger context of a reading selection by requiring students, first, to analyze the items (definition and characteristics) and, second, to synthesize/apply this information by thinking of examples and non-examples.

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8 Strategies

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Ideas for you!

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10 Fun and Engaging Ideas to Teach Science Vocabulary

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10 Ideas to help students learn science vocabulary words10 Ideas to help students learn science vocabulary words-- awesome for 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade

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Vocab instruction

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Vocabulary ideas

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I've been using a Word Wall with my high school students for 9 years now, and the results have been incredible.

I have 90-minute classes, so I'm able to give my students 8-10 minutes of free reading time each day. I put this time at the BEGINNING of the class for several reasons.

1. I express that free-choice reading is SO important in helping students with many aspects of their personal and student life that it deserves to be first in my class.
2. If you save it for last, students will be more likely to talk and not read.
3. It settles a class down and sets the vibe for the remaining portion of the class.

During these 5-10 minutes of reading time, students are to find ONE word that they don't know, find challenging, or like the sound of while reading. They write this word and sentence down immediately then continue reading. Then, I give them around 3 minutes to fill out their Frayer boxes on the word they found. Since I'm in a 1:1 classroom, they do this digitally in their Classroom OneNote Notebooks. Here is what it looks like:

If you would like this strategy, plus more vocabulary strategies for classroom OneNote, follow my OneNote Pinterest Board and download my free vocabulary notebook found in my collection!

My daily schedule goes like this:
1. Free Reading
2. Vocabulary
3. Daily Grammar Practice ( See how I incorporate music into my grammar program here: link)
4. Main Lesson

Monday Vocabulary Time:
By finding a new word each day, they will end up with 5 new words each Monday. It is on this day that I walk around the room and pick out the best of the best words. As I'm walking and checking work, I keep students busy by practicing roots words or reviewing their former words (more on this in a minute). I will ask the students with the best words to go up to my computer and type in their word, part of speech, sentence, and definition. I repeat this for all 3 classes (I'm on a block schedule) and end up with around 15-20 great words and sentences from YA books. I personally narrow these down to the top 10 that I see most often in literature and in life. I often teach a variety of grades (10th-12th), but have never had an issue with using the same list for all classes. It has always worked out well for me. I try to get the same amount of words from each class to be fair.

Tuesday Vocabulary Time:
After I have the vocabulary list all nice and neat (remember the students did the work), I project the vocabulary list of the week up on my board, and students copy the information. Since they aren't hand-writing these, I want them to do something with them, so I make them color-code the context clues in the sentences. I label each week's words a different color. For example, Red words 1 (I also color-code my Onenote notebook for an easy way to organize) More on why I color-code in a minute. This is what my student's notebook looks like after they have highlighted the context clues.

Wednesday Vocabulary Time:
Students review words with partners or play a game such as Kahoot, Quizlet, or ball toss (toss the ball and the catcher must call out the correct definition or they are out). I especially love using Quizlet because I simply copy and paste the words by using the "import" function (i.e. less work for me).

UPDATE! I've recently started incorporating a new game, and it might just be my FAVORITE! It's called Word Sneak, and I got this idea from my students. They were playing around and trying to make up funny sentences with the words, and I told them that we should use that as a game. They informed me that game has already been invented and is on The Tonight Show. Since I'm normally asleep by 8:30 each night, this explains why I've never seen it. ;) #partylikeanEnglishteacher

So, anyway, watch this clip to get an idea of the game then download my FREE game template here to play!

Here is a picture from my Instagram with this game in action:

I share all of my ideas first on Instagram, so be sure and follow me there! @Bsbooklove

Thursday Vocabulary Time:
Vocabulary Bingo: Students draw 9 boxes (3 across and 3 down) and put the new set of words in the boxes. When you build your wall up, you can use more colored sets. For example, I say, "9 boxes with any blue or red word." Once they have their boxes made, I make up sentences and have students put an X on the word that fits with the sentence until someone gets a bingo. I have a little box full of candy and toys for the winners.

I'm always surprised how much big kids like toys like these!

Friday Vocabulary Time:
We play a different review game each Friday. Here are the ones in rotation:

* The fly swat game. I have two fly swats and make a bracket with 8 teams (I just have my students number off to 8). The teams go up against each other until the bracket gets to a winner. The first person to swat the correct word on the wall gets to move up the bracket. I do single elimination so this game doesn't take too long.

*Quizlet Live. This is my students' new favorite game!!!

*Others mentioned above such as ball toss, word sneak, Kahoot or bingo.

I also give a quiz each Friday over the new set of words PLUS last week's words OR ....and here's where it gets complicated to explain... the same colored set of words. For example, my quizzes will go like this:

Week 1- Red words
Week 2- Red words plus new Blue words
Week 3- Blue words plus new Yellow words
Week 4- Yellow words plus new Green words
Week 5- Green words plus new Orange words
Week 6- Red words 1 plus new Red words 2
Week 7 Blue words 1 plus new Blue words 2
etc.

I use sentences with context clues for my quizzes. Since we practice highlighting context clues on Tuesday, this really helps them to search for these on the quiz. I differentiate by highlighting the context clues for certain students.

*As you can see, having a color-coded visual of words makes it extremely easy for teachers and students to constantly review new words.

*If you are trying to add more Greek and Latin words into your curriculum as I am, you can focus on a root a week and have students try to find these roots in their reading. You can also add quiz questions regarding these roots.

*Word Walls set the atmosphere for easy, no-prep games to add fun to your classroom.
*Students love being able to look at this wall and add words to their writing (I always put a huge smiley face when I see a word wall word used in student writing).

*Students take ownership of their vocabulary instruction.

*It helps set a routine for your class which is very beneficial for behavior problems.

*It promotes good reading skills

*It promotes free-choice reading. We do a book project every 9 weeks, and it's the best day of the year. I absolutely LOVE the creative projects my students come up with. Want to get a FREE download for my Fun Foodie Book Project Choices? Sign up for my newsletter to receive your free download!

*Word Walls give you an instant inspiration board when you want students to practice writing grammatically correct sentences. (For example: Tell them, "Use one blue word and one yellow word to form a compound sentence using a semicolon")

For a free vocabulary template, click here: 5 New Words a Week Template

Want to see my newly updated Word Wall letters to match my new Harry Potter-ish themed classroom? Click Here: Harry Potter Secondary Classroom

Want more teaching and time-saving tips? Be sure to follow me and sign up for my newsletter using the prompt above!

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How and Why to Use Word Walls with Older Students

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I've been using a Word Wall with my high school students for 9 years now, and the results have been incredible. I have 90-minute classes, so I'm able to give my students 8-10 minutes of free reading time each day. I put this time at the BEGINNING of the class for several reasons.

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One of the great debates in close reading is whether or not we should frontload (or pre-teach) before students do a close reading. Often, close reading lessons start with a cold read, when students start reading text without any lesson beforehand. While this approach has merit, there are many reasons frontloading has a place in close reading lessons.

Frontloading ensures that students maximize their time with the text by giving them just enough information so they gain traction as they enter the text. It's also an authentic way that readers start reading.

Think about the way you approach texts. The last time you were in a bookstore, or shopping for a book online, you may have read the back cover or the online summary. You may have read the Amazon or New York Times reviews to find out more about the plot and what other readers thought of the book. If a friend recommended the book, you may have asked a few questions about the topic or plot. Perhaps you quickly Googled information about the author, the setting, or the historical time period before you read. These are all forms of frontloading.

This is not to say that we need to teach entire lessons before students read. But, frontloading just enough information so that students can get started with a book may be just the ticket to help them with deeper analysis. Strong frontloading lessons activate students' background knowledge, provide them with just enough information to gain traction with the text, increase student motivation, and are woven into the broader purpose for reading.

We can also teach students how to do their own frontloading. Teach them how to skim a text to grasp quick facts about the who, what, and where. Have them scan headings, subheadings, and graphics that may activate their background knowledge or help them form questions to think about as they read. Talk to peers who have read the book before, or have experience with the topic. Encourage students to do a quick online search (of reputable sources) to answer initial questions about a topic or text.

Making frontloading an authentic experience that students engage in, rather than a laundry list of vocabulary words or facts-to-know before reading, adds depth to close reading lessons and makes frontloading a skill rather than a scaffold.

Where do you come down in the frontloading debate? How do you start your close reading lessons?
Samantha Cleaver is an education writer, former special education teacher, and avid reader. Her book, Every Reader a Close Reader is scheduled to be published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2015. Read more at her blog: www.cleaveronreading.wordpress.com.

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The Case for Frontloading: Why Kids Should Talk about Texts Before they Read Them - WeAreTeachers

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One of the great debates in close reading is whether or not we should frontload (or pre-teach) before students do a close reading. Often, close reading lessons start with a cold read, when students start reading text without any lesson ...

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Strategies

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Frontloading Vocabulary in Core Content Classes: Instructional Strategies | W&M School of Education

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The Virginia Department of Education lists the Frayer Model (see Figure 1) as an instructional strategy for teaching math vocabulary. As illustrated, the targeted vocabulary word is placed in the center of the graphic with the definition, characteristics, and examples surrounding it. Identifying non-examples is helpful in developing a fuller understanding of that word.

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Reading Rockets

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We've had our share of lively debates in the field of reading, but not on this particular topic: background knowledge. There is a virtual consensus that background knowledge is essential for reading comprehension. Put simply, the more you know about a topic, the easier it is to read a text, understand it, and retain the information. Previous studies (Alexander, Kulikowich, & Schulze, 1994; Shapiro, 2004) have shown that background knowledge plays an enormous role in reading comprehension (Hirsch, 2003).

The contribution of background knowledge to children's comprehension became all that more clear for us in a recent three-part experiment including 4-year olds from low- and middle-SES (socioeconomic status) families (Kaefer, Neuman, & Pinkham, in press). In the first experiment, we assessed low- and middle-SES children's background knowledge about birds by creating a task with fictional characters and names: "This is a toma. A toma is a bird. Can a toma live in a nest?" and other items in a similar format. The experiment revealed stark differences in knowledge about birds between the two groups: ( t(43) = 3.22, p = .002), Cohen's d = .93. Low-SES children had significantly more limited background knowledge than their middle-class peers.

So, to tap how these differences in background knowledge might relate to comprehension in text, we created an 18-page illustrated storybook in our second experiment that featured the adventures of four types of birds (named for extinct species): the moa, faroe, cupido, and kona. The book had a total of 238 words and shared a common plot and story grammar, including the setting (i.e., a house), problem, response, and resolution. Using a receptive comprehension measure that examined children's understanding of critical story events and their ability to make causal inferences, we found once again that the low-SES children experienced greater difficulty comprehending the story than their middle-SES peers. These children demonstrated significantly poorer comprehension of the text ( t(75) = 1.99, p = .050), with a moderate effect size (Cohen's d = .46).

Consequently, in our third study, we attempted to neutralize background knowledge by introducing a storybook narrative context that would be novel to both groups. Here was our reasoning: If children's preexisting background knowledge underlies these differences in comprehension, then we would expect that there would be no differences in learning among our differing SES groups. For this study, we created an 18-page illustrated storybook similar to the one we used in our previous study-with one difference: The storybook used a novel category, wugs (a pseudo-word), and was designed around the adventures of four species of wugs. And our results sustained our hypothesis about background knowledge and comprehension. In this case, there were no differences between groups ( t(56) = .57, p = .569, Cohen's d = .15). When we held background knowledge constant by introducing an unknown topic, there were no significant differences between SES groups in children's word learning, comprehension, or ability to make inferences. Taken together, these results suggest that differences in low-SES children's comprehension skills may be attributed, in part, to limitations in their preexisting knowledge base.

This research builds on a large body of work that has shown the effects of background knowledge and comprehension (Anderson & Nagy,1992; Anderson & Pearson, 1984). For example, studies have shown that individual differences in prior knowledge affect the ability to extract explicit and implicit information from text and integrate this text-based information in reading comprehension (Kintsch, 1988). Other studies (e.g., Cain, Oakhill, Barnes, & Bryant, 2001) have examined multiple factors, including the relative contributions of inferential processing, domain knowledge, metacognition, and working memory to learning from text. Our results are consistent with this research (Cain & Oakhill, 2011; Recht & Leslie, 1988), highlighting the role of background knowledge on children's comprehension as early as preschool.

Why is background knowledge so important?

It makes good sense that to comprehend a story or text, readers will need a threshold of knowledge about the topic. Sometimes we call it domain-specific knowledge or topical knowledge. Without such knowledge, it becomes difficult to construct a meaningful mental model of what the text is about. Consider the following examples.

Background knowledge enables readers to choose between multiple meanings of words

For example, think about the word operation. If you were to read the word in a sports article about the Yankees, you might think about Derek Jeter recovering from his latest baseball injury. If you read the word in a math text, on the other hand, you'd think about a mathematical process like multiplication or division. Words have multiple purposes and meanings, and their meanings in particular instances are cued by the reader's domain knowledge.

Reading and listening require readers to make inferences from text that rely on background knowledge

Even the most immediate oral language exchanges, like "What do you say?" to a young child who just received some Halloween candy, require some level of inferencing. From infancy on, oral language comprehension requires children to actively construct meaning by supplying missing knowledge and making inferences. This, of course, becomes even more complicated when we turn to written texts, since it may require students to make inferences based on limited information in the text itself. In fact, many of our greatest writers engage readers through their writing to think beyond the text.

Understanding text depends on readers supplying enough of the unstated premises to make coherent sense of what is being read. But to do this well, readers need to have a foundation of knowledge about the topic. Otherwise, as studies have shown, they can get caught on the "seductive details" (Garner, Gillingham, & White, 1989) of a text-highly interesting and entertaining information that is only tangentially related to the topic-which can distract the reader and disrupt the comprehension of text. Background knowledge, in contrast, acts as a road map for students, allowing them to stay on target despite the interesting details. This suggests that once print has been decoded into words, reading comprehension and listening comprehension requires the active construction of inferences that rely on background knowledge and are implicit in the text.

Literacy language requires background knowledge

Second-language learners know for certain that many metaphors, idioms, and other literary devices are based on background knowledge. For example, if we say that you "really hit the ball out of the park" after you gave a presentation to your colleagues, you would quickly understand the compliment. We know that it can't be taken literally because we know what the saying refers to. Writings are heavily dependent on metaphors and idioms. Studies (e.g., Ortony, Schallert, Reynolds, & Antos, 1978) have shown that idioms are often processed just as rapidly as literal meanings, indicating that we are constantly activating background knowledge in comprehension.

Informational text requires background knowledge

Informational text tends to have a greater density of vocabulary and concepts that are directly related to students' background knowledge (Price, Bradley, & Smith, 2012). And these demands placed on background knowledge only accelerate as students progress through the grade levels. Students will be required to apply previously learned concepts to increasingly complex text. They must read, discuss, and write about topics that are conceptually more difficult, and they will need to increasingly draw on intertextual linkages across subject areas. They'll be required to provide evidence from text, show deep and thorough understanding of these concepts, and think creatively about applying these concepts in new ways.

Consequently, in much of the literature in reading, we have focused on skills associated with comprehension: decoding, vocabulary development, strategy instruction, and metacognition, among many others. But what we can see from this brief summary is that we have given very little instructional time to a skill that can play an enormous role in comprehending text. We would venture to guess that students' understanding of text is unlikely to improve unless we begin to more deliberately teach background knowledge.

How to build background knowledge

The question then becomes, how do we build children's background knowledge? Core reading materials often encourage us to activate, support, build on, and tie to children's existing knowledge base. But what do we do when there is no existing knowledge base? Or when there is little to build on? If you asked us, for example, to read an elementary physics text building on our previous knowledge base of physics, you would likely see blank stares, akin to a deer in headlights.

This issue becomes even more complicated in the age of Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The CCSS place a premium on the amount of background knowledge we provide to children prior to reading a text. It's not that the standards negate background knowledge or its contribution to comprehension; rather, the authors of the publishers' guidance to the CCSS emphasize close reading, developing knowledge through text, regarding the deliberate and careful analysis of text as the gateway for developing independent readers (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers,2010).

Although at times, this clash of perspectives might seem like a catch-22, the problem is solvable. Teachers can effectively build children's background knowledge early on (Neuman & Wright, 2013). However, at the same time, we must recognize that knowledge is not just accumulating facts; rather, children need to develop knowledge networks, comprised of clusters of concepts that are coherent, generative, and supportive of future learning in a domain. Here's how we do it:

Begin by teaching words in categories. For example, you can try something as simple as this: "I'm going to say the following words:strawberries, bananas, papayas, pineapples. They all are a type of... (fruit)." Categories of objects begin to develop concepts, and the use of generic nouns (fruit) has been shown to be highly related to language and vocabulary development.

Use contrasts and comparisons. For example, you can give children puzzlers like, "Is an artichoke a type of fruit? Why is it or is it not a kind of fruit?" Puzzlers help children think outside the immediate context and consider the reasoning behind these contrasts and comparisons, which can further their understanding of categories and concepts.

Use analogies. An analogy is another type of comparison, but this time the comparison is made between two things that are usually thought to be different from each other. Analogies help children build knowledge because they compare something new to something we already know. For example, try something like, "bird is to feather as dog is to... (fur)." Children can use similes (comparisons using the words like or as) or metaphors (comparisons without using like or as) to build new knowledge.

Encourage topic-focused wide reading. Reading builds knowledge, but wide reading has typically been interpreted as reading about a lot of different topics, demonstrating breadth rather than depth in reading. Try this variation: Encourage children to identify an interest and read as many books as they can on one topic. What you find is that children will develop a deeper knowledge and expertise on a topic. These interests will drive children to read more.

Embrace multimedia. We often think that direct experiences are the most compelling ways to build knowledge. As many teachers can attest, there is nothing more thrilling than watching children engage in learning through direct experiences or seeing their delight and excitement on field trips and other activities. Although it is certainly not a replacement for real-life experiences, multimedia can often provide a wealth of information that we could only wish to experience firsthand. Further, it can introduce children to important words and concepts in a highly motivating way and build a shared knowledge base among all of your students.

Conclusion

The importance of background knowledge is especially salient in the age of Common Core. To meet the demands of these new standards, children will be expected to develop knowledge through text, both narrative and informational, within specified difficulty ranges at each grade level. Informational text, in particular, is likely to have a greater density of conceptual language and academic terms than typical storybooks or narrative texts. Consequently, these texts will place increasing demands on children's prior knowledge, further attenuating other risk factors.

Without greater efforts to enhance background knowledge, differences in children's knowledge base may further exacerbate the differences in children's vocabulary and comprehension. The imperative to foster children's background knowledge as a means for providing a firm foundation for learning, therefore, is greater than ever.

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To comprehend a story or text, young readers need a threshold of knowledge about the topic, and new, tougher state standards place increasing demands on children's prior knowledge. This article offers practical classroom strategies to build background knowledge such as using contrasts and comparisons and encouraging topic-focused wide reading.

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Frontloading

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I'll never forget reading Mosaic of Thought by Ellin Oliver Keene & Susan Zimmerman in college. While studying the benefits of strategy-based comprehension instruction, I was astonished to learn activating prior knowledge or schema was something that needed to be taught.

As a college student, I couldn't believe that wasn't something that was just common sense. Now as an educator, I know that activating prior knowledge is not common sense, but rather an important skill that needs to be taught to students.

STRATEGIES FOR HELPING READERS WITH SCHEMA
Like many teachers, I describe schema to my students as a filing cabinet in their heads.
As we get new information about a topic, we either add it to a folder of pre-existing information in our brain, or we create a new folder that we will continue to add information to as we get it.

It is important before we begin to read about a topic to go into our filing cabinet in our brain to activate our prior knowledge of the subject.

That background knowledge can help us better process new information and build upon what we already know.

Before reading, I teach my kids to activate prior knowledge by making a list about what they already know about a topic, creating a KWL chart, doing a turn and talk, brainstorming, or simply taking a moment to think silently.

During reading, I teach my students to make meaningful connections with the text to themselves, other texts, and the world. I also model how to make meaningful connections with think-alouds whenever I am reading to my students.
Activating prior knowledge is not only an important reading strategy for empowering students to be able to independently comprehend a text, it also serves as a confidence booster for those students that typically give up before even trying.
After reading, we discuss how our prior knowledge helped increase our understanding of the text.

By linking instruction to familiar topics, prior experiences, or students' interests, students will learn more effectively.

I also find the process of activating prior knowledge with my students useful for guiding my instruction. It helps me determine how much or how little they know about a topic, which will guide the amount of support I need to provide.

LESSON PLANS FOR ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Here are two lesson plans you can use with your third- and fourth-grade students to learn or review the reading strategy of activating prior knowledge.

I use the first lesson plan with my third-grade students. It's a four-day strategy lesson that uses multiple texts featuring bats. In this lesson, I use two picture books: Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies and Stellaluna by Janell Cannon. I also incorporate two nonfiction articles about bats from the San Diego Zoo.

I use the second lesson plan with my fourth graders. I use a similar format, but different texts. The nonfiction article is about Hyenas from National Geographic and the fiction texts are Pinduli by Janell Cannon and Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull.

Download the two lesson plans now.

5 Tips for Choosing Nonfiction Texts Using the Six Signposts from Notice & Note
Related Articles:

photo © iStockphoto

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Strategies for Helping Readers: Activating Prior Knowledge

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I'll never forget reading Mosaic of Thought by Ellin Oliver Keene & Susan Zimmerman in college. While studying the benefits of strategy-based comprehension instruction, I was astonished to learn activating prior knowledge or schema was something that needed to be taught. As a college student, I couldn't believe that wasn't something that was just common sense.