"Step" up to the Challenge

While meeting with a few new teachers this afternoon, I heard myself encouraging them to design procedures, to break reading challenges into small "steps" in order to support their struggling readers. Sometimes, I feel like the "Queen of Acronyms". Over the years, I have developed easy ways to segment reading so that it becomes more manageable for students. For example, PCQC, an acronym developed a few years ago, provides a way for students to navigate those difficult PSSA passages.
P - Preview the text.
C- Chunk the text, reading small bits and clarying information.
Q - Answer the questions.
C - Check your work.
There now, that wasn't so bad after all! Can you create a short procedure to simplify some aspect of reading for your students? Bet you can. Step up to the challenge!

Conferencing Tips

Last week, we were fortunate to have one of our district's staff developers discuss conferencing with writers at our faculty meeting. Kelly, our presentor, focused on the work of Carl Anderson, renowned for his books on conferencing. In my role as reading specialist, I no longer do writing conferences. However, the presentation reminded me of both the struggles and successes I experienced in this area when I ran a Reading/Writing workshop in my own classroom. I thought the tips provided in this presentation were worth passing on and I wanted to add one of my own. So here goes...

According to Carl Anderson, the conference should have four distinct parts:
1. Research - This is when the teacher queries the student in order to discover student needs. Some samples questions would be:
Why did you decide to write about this?
What do you want the reader to know?
What are you doing well in this piece?
What are you focusing on?

2. Decide - The teacher then must decide what he/she is going to teach. Try to focus on just one thing.

3. Teach - One of the main points of the entire presentation was the importance of using conferencing time to do explicit teaching on a individual basis. After you've decided on a student's need, talk them through it, using mentor texts if possible.

4. Commit - This final part asks teachers to get a definite commitment from the student to apply learning to the writing piece. For example, "I want you to start the scene over from... and use...(action, dialogue, thoughts, etc. Be specific and be sure the student knows you will check back with him.

Finally, my own tip is to take home the writing of the students you expect to conference with the following day. If you read through the pieces ahead of time, it will give you a chance to think more carefully about what the child needs you to teach and also to find an appropriate mentor text that might be helpful.

I walked away from this meeting with a wistful feeling. I loved teaching writing and missed the potential to support student writing the way a classroom teacher can. However, I think much is applicable to reading conferencing as well and this presentation gave me food for thought. I also have obtained a copy of Carl Anderson's book, "How's it going?" which I'm anxious to read.

It was suggested that classroom teachers conference with three students a day. This equates to roughly twenty times per year that the classroom teacher provides an individual lesson for each student. Now that's powerful! What are waiting for?

A Child's Wish

Each day I work one on one with first grade students using an intervention program called, "Reading Recovery". Part of the lesson involves conversing with the student and having them tell you a "story" then write it down. Yesterday, a very sweet little first grade girl shared her Christmas wish with me. "I think I've been good and I really hope that Santa will bring me an American Girl Doll. I know my parents don't have the money to buy it, but I think maybe Santa will bring it because I've been good." What a beautiful example of faith, hope, and innocence. I explained to this little girl that even if Santa doesn't bring her doll, she is still GOOD! Sometimes, I told her, Santa might need to give a toy to someone else who needs it more, but that doesn't mean you aren't GOOD. I certainly hope Santa hears her wish and grants it. Let's all remember that all children are always "good"...They might misbehave, but their goodness is innate. As the adults in their life, it is our job to be sure they believe that.

Begin with the End in Mind

Although the weather still cries "summer", as an educator it is difficult to ignore the school spirit that permeates the air and reminds us that fall is around the corner and the school year has begun. After too many years to count in education, I am stillam unable to sleep soundly the night before school begins. For me, it has always been more of a New Year than the one we celebrate on January 1st. As plans and ideas percolate in my head, I am reminded of Stephen Covey's sound advice in his best seller, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. That is, "Begin with the end in mind". It is so easy to get caught up in our daily "to do" lists and multiple demands. Let's remember that to be truly effective educators, we need to begin with a few well-chosen goals and chip away at meeting them each day. Consider where you want to take your students this year. Consider steps you can take to streamline your life and reduce the stresses that creep up throughout the year and prevent you from being your best self. Consider why you became a teacher in the first place and be sure to incorporate your vision of education into a workable goal. Truly, "the unrelected life is not worth living". To take this a step further, perhaps the unreflective teacher is not worth having. As you enjoy the excitement of a new beginning, remember to carve out time for reflection and relaxation. Keep your eye on the big picture and have a wonderful year!

Cloudy with a Chance of Comprehension

Last post, I discussed the importance of prompting students to pay attention to the confusing parts of text. It reminded me of a bookmark that I made and used for students in the past. The bookmark was comprised of weather symbols: A bright, sunny day, a cloudy day, and a dark, stormy day. As students read, they could choose a symbol to track their comprehension. I advised students to put their finger on the sunny day block if they were reading with understanding, to touch the cloudy block if comprehension was starting to break down, and lastly, to finger the stormy block if they were "in the dark" about what they were reading. This allowed me to circulate through the room and stop to help children whose comprehension was falling apart or those who were totally stuck. It also served a a wonderful self-monitoring tool. Sometimes, the simplest devices help to focus a reader and motivate them to pay attention to the meaning-making process of reading. Try it!

What don't you know?

Since I was not in yesterday, the first thing I did today was distribute the Article of the Week to my students. Typically, I preview the article with my students and they have until next Monday to read it three times (rating their comprehension after each read) and develop a written response. Knowing that spring is in the air and students extracurricular activities are on the rise, I decided to simplify the original response requirements and create a series of prompts for them to use instead. I also decided that we would use today's class to do the actual reading of the article. I planned to give the students time to discuss the articles with a partner after the second reading.

When my first group of student had read the article twice, I told them to discuss it with their partner, summarizing key points and also parts that they found confusing. When they were finished, only one of the three pairs admitted to finding anything confusing in the article. Consequently, I asked one of the students with no confusion to clarify that portion of the text for the ones that did not understand it. Surprise, surprise! No one could explain that portion of the text. Ahh...the priceless "teachable moment" was obvious. "Good readers know what the know AND what they DON'T know," I quipped. With that, I launched into a brief (really!) discussion of the importance of recognizing confusions, lack of background knowledge, and words you don't know when you read. I used myself as a example and shared with the students that often, when my husband and I are both sitting around reading the newspaper, I need him to clarify something for me, especially in the areas of business, finance, or sports. I wanted my students to realize that it is okay to be confused, but as a reader, it is not okay to stay confused!

At that point, I sent my students back to the text to consider parts that were "cloudy" for them. How can we begin to make meaning when we aren't willing to consider what is unclear and work through it or ask someone for help? As teachers of reading, we often fail to help our students realize they don't have to know it all. Challenging text poses problems, but challenging text can also provide an excellent chance for us to hone our reading skills and use strategies to decrease our confusion and make sense of what we read. Let's stop simply asking, "What do you know?" and start prompting students to navigate through text successfully by asking,"What don't you know?"

PCQC

As educators across the state turn the calendar to the month of February, our thoughts also turn to the dreaded PSSA test. Have I done enough? Will my students succeed? What if many are below proficient? Should I forego that wonderful new unit in reading or writing and concentrate on "practice tests"? These and a million other similar questions seem to attack us with the vigor of the February wind. Apparently teachers, as well as students, would find a tangible strategy helpful as they prepare students for the state reading assessments. With this in mind, I created PCQC.

For most people, progressing through a series of steps when confronted with a challenging task is advantageous. Consider how you learned (or teach) long division. If you follow the proper sequence, not only will you arrive at the correct answer, you will have a fairly easy time getting there. When we use this same concept and provide steps that will facilitate our students' approach to the PSSA reading test, we are setting them up for success. Here are the steps of PCQC:

PREVIEW
-Carefully read the title and author.
-Read the header
-Examine any text supports: pictures, captions, charts, graphs, maps,
vocabulary, bold words, etc.
-Read all questions carefully

CHUNK
-Break passage into manageable chunks.
-Stop after reading each chunk of text and think about what it means.
-Reread if necessary.

QUESTION
-Read each question and the answer choices carefully.
-Consider what kind of question it is (Based on QAR strategy)
-Think about possible answers.
-Choose the best answer.
-Return to text to find support for your choice.

CHECK
-Reread all questions and the answer you chose.
-Ask yourself...Does my answer make sense?
Why did I chose that answer?

If students habitually use this PCQC strategy, they will have the tools to successfully navigate any reading assessment.