Objective 9 Vocabulary Flashcards
Motivation
We are realizing more and more the power of motivation and its relationship to literacy success, especially comprehension. If you want to learn about a topic, your comprehension will improve
ELA anchor standards
The Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks English Language Arts strands include WHAT each grade of MA students are required to learn. They are divided into Reading Literature, Reading Informative Text, Reading Foundation Skills (such as phonics), Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language
Flexible grouping
No child should feel as though s/he is stuck or stereotyped as a fast or slow learner. Teachers need to change up groupings based on interests or social interactions in addition to academic need (such as reading level) so that all children get to learn with each other and do not feel stuck. Teachers also need to use progress monitoring/ formative assessments to move students from group to drop as they progress
Grouping for Guided Reading vs. Grouping for Reading in the Content Areas
In guided reading, students are grouped (in 3 or more groups) to read (with teacher support) “just right”- instructional level text. They do not read texts in guided reading groups that are too easy (the independent level) or too difficult (the frustration level). In reading in the content areas (where there are often only one textbook for the grade) teachers must scaffold (model, guide, teach) the text for everyone so they can learn to read closely and comprehend
Independent, Instructional and Frustration Level Text
At the independent level students read texts with 95-100% decoding accuracy.
At the instructional level students read texts with 90-95% decoding accuracy
At the frustration level students read with less than 90% decoding accuracy.
Students can retell or answer comprehension proficiently at the independent and instructional levels
SfSS (Strategies for Student Success)
A model for delivering RTI effectively in schools including shared decision making among school professionals, research based assessment and instructional methods, and progress monitoring to make decisions about how to group and regroup students or to individualize instruction to promote learning and progress
Massachusetts DESE beliefs about teaching literacy to ELLs and Sheltered English Immersion (SEI)
Currently any use of the first language (after the first year) including using text in the first language is discouraged. Teachers learn in SEI courses how to scaffold learning IN ENGLISH ONLY. Teachers directly teach language objectives along with content objectives to provide students with the background, vocabulary and metacognitive strategies needed to learn and to make texts comprehensible IN ENGLISH
Teaching Strategies for students with diverse learning, cultural or linguistic needs
Using the best research-based teaching methods, focusing on key skills, re-teaching when necessary, providing additional practice, individualizing instruction when necessary, proving the best SEI strategies for ELLs, using all modalities (visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic supports) when deemed effective
Factors that contribute to text complexity
What makes a text more difficult to decode or comprehend?
Quantitative factors: length of text, length and complexity of sentences, length of words, picture supports, number of high frequency and decodable words
Qualitative factors: familiarity of vocabulary, complexity of ideas
Reader factors: background knowledge, decoding ability, fluency and comprehension proficiency, reading level, knowledge of metacognitive strategies
Task Factors: what is the reader required to do? Comprehend at a liter level? Compare text to other texts? Critical thinking? Create an outcome?
