Recent Changes

JZ: When learners are actively engaged,learning through reading and learning about reading- this is implementd when students are doing REAL reading.
I LOVE GJ's thoughts on #3!
IJD:I want my
Your questions
GJ: What are some ways to better incorporate the four dimensions of learning and teaching in my classroom?

GJ: Teachers must adjust the way they teach in order to reach students of diverse backgrounds. Students need to know how education can benefit them, they need to be taught strategies, and several strategies should be taught to ELL students.
JZ:We must put new systems in place because the old ones are not working. Suggestions are: motivate, help struggling readers, work effectively with ELL, teach in a culturally responsive way, assess students' progress.
JD: ELL students are diverse and therefore our teaching strategies are to be diverse. Understanding cultural differences will aid in the understanding the needs of the children.
2.Evaluate your approach to multicultural instruction using the terms in the vocabulary. What approach do you use? What approach should you use and what are a couple of ways to get to the decision-making or transformational levels.
JZ:I would say that I strive to include multi-cultural learning but I have a long way to go. So I would say CONTRIBUTIONS APPROACH TO MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING describes me.I am trying for the ADDITIVE APPROACH. Probably more time spent planning, using great literature and extending themes across the curriculum including people and holidays would lead me more in the directiopn of TRANSFORMATIONAL APPROACH.
GJ: I encounter several students of diverse background, and although I don’t think I use culturally responsive instruction like I should, I do strive to have a culturally relevant pedagogy. I use the contribution approach, just touching on cultural celebrations and holidays. One way to get to the transformational approach would be to read and study more in depth on social issues and/or events that pertain to specific cultures, and to include these in lessons.
JD: I’ve not taught any ELL students, however I feel studying on their cultural would help me understand how they think about things that are not in my paradigm.
Your questions
GJ:How do you get kids and parents to realize that education can open doors of opportunity, without putting down how they live?
JZ: What suggestions do you have for a 1st grade teacher pertaining to TRANSFORMATIONAL APPROACH?
JD: Have you had many ELL in your teaching career?

GJ: New literacies are constantly changing due to new technologies being developed. We must teach our students to use these technologies in order for them to compete in the world. The cost and the fact technology is constantly changing, makes this difficult, along with training teachers to use and teach the technology.
JZ: I can not possibly say it better tha GJ! I agree 100%!
JD: Literacies and technology are advancing at a tremendous speed. As teachers we are constantly trying to keep up with research and equipping our students with correct information to give our students for their success.
2. Evaluate your comfort zone with 5 being really comfortable with the new literacies (technologies) which are available today?
GJ: I would have to say my comfort zone would be a 2 or 3. I am fine using the internet, but that is about it.
JZ: As GJ is well aware(!) I am most likely at 1! I am trying though!
JD: Maybe a 4, I’m okay with new information, we are just receiving too much too fast.
3. Plan ways to incorporate new literacies into your classroom curriculum. What do you need to have to incorporate them? Where are you going for expertise?
GJ: I can use the internet more for reading, and use the smartboard for math and reading. More professional development in learning how to use the technologies, and how to incorporate them into my lessons would be beneficial. Our computer guy at school could help some, but other teachers will probably be able to help more.
JZ: I will soon be getting a smartboard and will focus on that. I have taken some training but if I don't do it on a regular basis, I do not really know how to use it. Luckily, I am surrounded by savvy people and one of our parents works for Microsoft...lucky me!
JD: I try to use new technology in my class as much as possible. Our school is limited for funding with the things like a “smartboard.” I would love to have one of those, all the possibilities.
Your questions
GJ: Is it best to try and use one technology well, or try to learn and incorporate others you are not as comfortable with?
JZ: In response to GJ, I say go with one until you are comfortable and then branch out.
My question is if you were me, what would you focus on doing first with a smartboard and 1st graders?
JD: How do you like instructing or facilitating an online class?

GJ: Research has shifted through the years from being skills based to the cognitive and metacognitive processes. It seems whatever they want research to say, they can find a test subject that validates it. But, teachers can help students in content areas by using explicit instruction in teaching reading skills and strategies.
JZ: Content area reading is a matter of good teaching! Teachers must reflect on the strategies needed by their students so they can be successful in academics.
JD: Reading disabilities has caused educatorsResearch says that readers learn with text not from text. They can begin to provide interventionsinternalizing content text and preventions in the classroom setting. Research-based instruction is provided ifread for meaning. When this instruction is not successful in the classroom, more intensive instruction is needed, either by a reading specialist or by a special education teacher.occurs comprehension blossoms.
2. Why is adolescent literacy more critical than ever?
GJ: More jobs require reading and writing skills than ever before. People have to have literacy skills in order to use technology that is required in our personal lives, jobs, and homes.
JZ: I totally agree with GJ. The times they are a changin' and we better prepare our students for the global world!
JD: Our school used to have Tier I, IIThere are more and III intervetions, but after our Reading First Grant was over, we don’t utilize the Tier III as needed. Not havingmore standards set that are requiring adolescents acquire mastery. These concepts are being assessed at a reading specialist the school< I feel has limited us to providing the necessary interventions for our students.state and federal level.
3. Content area reading starts any time teacher reads expository text to a classroom. How can you improve your content area instruction in your class?
GJ: By implementing reading strategies that are necessary to help students understand the text. Not assuming students already know how to use reading strategies,but teaching them the strategies and how to use them. Making strategies a part of content area instruction.
JZ: YES! Strategies are instrumental! One example is the KWL chart.
JD: Intervention and prevention should be a part of both RTI and Reading disabilities. Many schoolsI need to implement for expository text into the classroom. Children are using RTIwanting to learn from information that is real and found that less students are being placed on an IEP.makes sense to them.
Your questions
GJ: The $64,000 question. How do you get content area teachers to use reading strategies in their class?
JZ:Why is that only the $64,000 question?! Seriously-I would like to know what YOU would say to the question" What should an ideal literacy program look like in junior high?"
JD: Will RTI go away or isWhen does reading readiness development begin, would be sometime when it hereis just too early to stay? teach our students who are just entering the emergent stage ?

GJ:Most kids who have difficulty in reading are now being diagnosed as learning disabled. Interventions used by schools have limited outcomes and are not seen as really helping kids acquire literacy skills that help them to become better readers. Prevention programs such as preschool and kindergarten, smaller classes, and phonological awareness interventions helped children do better in reading.
JZ:There is a need for a reconceptualized notion of reading/learning disability. We must restructure our programs/resources to achieve more powerful interventions. there is not "one best method" of teaching children to read.
JD: Reading disabilities has caused educators to provide interventions and preventions in the classroom setting. Research-based instruction is provided if this instruction is not successful in the classroom, more intensive instruction is needed, either by a reading specialist or by a special education teacher.
2. Share the types of interventions that your school does use.
GJ: Most kids who have difficulty in reading are now being diagnosed as learning disabled. Interventions used by schools have limited outcomes and are not seen as really helping kids acquire literacy skills that help them to become better readers. Prevention programs such as preschool and kindergarten, smaller classes, and phonological awareness interventions helped children do better in reading.
JZ: We are very small and with heavily limited resources. It seems because of this we have to piece-meal interventions. Mostly, the regular classroom teachers have to do the best they can. We have a few teachers who tutor after school and we do have a very knowledgable Speech/Language Pathologist who works part- time.
JD: Our school used to have Tier I, II and III intervetions, but after our Reading First Grant was over, we don’t utilize the Tier III as needed. Not having a reading specialist the school< I feel has limited us to providing the necessary interventions for our students.
3. How does this area relate to RTI that you read about already?
GJ: I think the school could be doing more and better targeted interventions. Some kids are just slow learners and need some extra time and help. I do know that RTI at my school has drastically cut back the number of students referred for special ed. testing.
JZ: I agree. I feel I need more information on RTI- I am a little confused about it all.
JD: Intervention and prevention should be a part of both RTI and Reading disabilities. Many schools are using RTI and found that less students are being placed on an IEP.
Your questions
JZ: Can you explain RTI in a nutshell?
HowGJ:How does a class time?
JD: Will RTI go away or is it here to stay?

GJ: Research has shifted through the years from being skills based to the cognitive and metacognitive processes. It seems whatever they want research to say, they can find a test subject that validates it. But, teachers can help students in content areas by using explicit instruction in teaching reading skills and strategies.
JZ: Content area reading is a matter of good teaching! Teachers must reflect on the strategies needed by their students so they can be successful in academics.
JD: Reading disabilities has caused educators to provide interventions and preventions in the classroom setting. Research-based instruction is provided if this instruction is not successful in the classroom, more intensive instruction is needed, either by a reading specialist or by a special education teacher.
2. Why is adolescent literacy more critical than ever?
GJ: More jobs require reading and writing skills than ever before. People have to have literacy skills in order to use technology that is required in our personal lives, jobs, and homes.
JZ: I totally agree with GJ. The times they are a changin' and we better prepare our students for the global world!
JD: Our school used to have Tier I, II and III intervetions, but after our Reading First Grant was over, we don’t utilize the Tier III as needed. Not having a reading specialist the school< I feel has limited us to providing the necessary interventions for our students.
3. Content area reading starts any time teacher reads expository text to a classroom. How can you improve your content area instruction in your class?
GJ: By implementing reading strategies that are necessary to help students understand the text. Not assuming students already know how to use reading strategies,but teaching them the strategies and how to use them. Making strategies a part of content area instruction.
JZ: YES! Strategies are instrumental! One example is the KWL chart.
JD: Intervention and prevention should be a part of both RTI and Reading disabilities. Many schools are using RTI and found that less students are being placed on an IEP.
Your questions
GJ: The $64,000 question. How do you get content area teachers to use reading strategies in their class?
JZ:Why is that only the $64,000 question?! Seriously-I would like to know what YOU would say to the question" What should an ideal literacy program look like in junior high?"
JD: Will RTI go away or is it here to stay?

GJ: Students who are actively engaged in the reading process are better readers. They use a variety of strategies while they read, and other students can be taught these strategies and how to use them. Studies found that students who employed reading strategies while reading, scored better on comprehension and remembered the text better than students who did not use the strategies.
JZ: If we will teach comprehension strategies, we will see improved comprehension as well as as an increase in metacognition.
JD: Student who exhibit good metacognition skills can comprehend and have specific knowledge of the reading text. They will self-monitor and are motivated when it comes to reading skills.
2. In what ways does strategically active reading affect metacognition?
GJ: It causes students to be aware of what they have read, and if they understand it or not. It also allows students to be thinking about what strategies they need to employ to better understand the text - rereading, predicting, summarizing, questioning, and clarifying.
JZ: It seems like a no-brainer...if you are employing various strategies, you are more focused and so it is only logical that you will be thinking about thinking/learning!
JD: It demonstrates the process of metacognition. If teachers are implementing and modeling the appropriate reading strategies.
3. Plan ways to have students become active readers within your classroom.
GJ: Provide good books for my students to read in order for them to build background knowledge. I need to explain and model for my students the strategies I want them to learn, and they need to be able to practice the strategies with my help.
JZ: I really need to spend much more time teaching/modeling strategies! Practice makes perfect-right?!
JD: Nonfiction magazines, nonfiction stories for boys, wide variety of reading levels and interest.
Your questions
GJ: With so many strategies, how do you know which ones to start with?
1st graders?
JD: Do you feel comprehension is the utmost that we as teachers are striving for.

GJ: Research indicates that students can be taught comprehension strategies to use before, during, and after reading. These along with motivation, have led to increased comprehension for the student. Students seem to have better comprehension scores when teachers are trained to teach comprehension strategies.
JZ: Comprehension instruction is best when it focuses on a few well taught & learned strategies. Intensive instruction of teachers can prepare them to teach reading comprehension which can help students understand how to use strategies which will equal improved comprehension hopefully.
JD: Research says that comprehension strategies must be implemented to
in a reading program. Comprehension is one of the five components of reading instruction.
2. Why must teachers go through extensive preparation to teach comprehension?
GJ: There is so much involved in teaching the strategies. There are so many strategies to choose from, then deciding if it is a before,during,or after reading strategy you are going to teach. Most teachers don't know what the strategies are, or how to teach them. They need to practice the strategies before standing in front of a class.
JZ: I agree. When I was in school we were hardly taught about strategies!
JD: Comprehension takes every reading strategy aspect and puts it all together. If a student is weak in sertain areas, this could hinder their comprehension abilities. Phonics, Phonemic Awareness, Vocabulary, and fluency contribute to the comprehension process.
3. Why has the pendulum changed to balance comprehensive instruction?
GJ: Students learn more when they are taught specific comprehension strategies along with the chance for reading, writing, and discussing the text.
JZ:It just makes sense that if you pull from different areas you will have a better chance of success.
JD: According to research, good comprehension strategies includes both explicit instruction and opportunity for reading,writing, nad discussion of text.
Your questions
GJ: How do you convince your principal that all teachers need to be trained in how to use reading strategies?
1st graders?
JD: What is your favorite model of comprehension instruction?

GJ: The notion of fluency has changed from automatic word recognition to also include comprehension. Beginning readers spend processing space on decoding and have less processing space for comprehension. Research also found that repeated readings helped students show improvement in word recognition, reading speed, and oral reading expression.
JZ:Repeated reading is very beneficial in improving reading speed, word recognition, and oral expression.*The total amount of reading done in the beginning stages has a powerful effect on the development of reading skills.!
JD: I believe fluency is a major component in the five essentials. If fluency is taught correctly is can increase comprehension, rate, prosody. If not, reading for meaning has not effect. Students are reading to see how many words per minute they can get.
2. Rank order the following fluency, comprehension and vocabulary in importance in the reading process. Give reasons for the ranking.
GJ: Vocabulary, Fluency, Comprehension – You have to automatically recognize words or you don’t have fluency or comprehension. I put fluency second because when you are reading smoothly, have automatic word recognition, use expression and tone correctly, you are more likely to have comprehension of the text. Without the first two, you probably won’t have good comprehension
JZ:Fluency, vocabulary,comprehension. I feel you first must be able to read easily instead of struggling through. Next, you have to understand the vocabulary so that the end result is comprehension!
JD: Vocabulary, Fluency, comprehension: I feel vocabulary is essential to comprehension. If a Student can reading with fluency and does not know a mean of a word, comprehension is not happening. They all have to develop a good reader.
3. The NPR is different from the textbook in the fluency matter ... Why? Which position do you like better and why?
GJ: The textbook states that automaticity and fluency is the same thing, while the NPR states they are different. I have to side with the NPR, because I too think of automaticity in terms of automatic word recognition and not with reading with expression.
JZ: I am on the fence about this one but what GJ says makes sense.
JD: The text book states that fluency can be attained in the automatic stage. The NPR states that fluency changes depending on the reading, familiarity of words, amount of practice with the text. The NPR states the fluency many not be reached when reading technical material.
Your questions
GJ: Why is there confliction between the NPR and the textbook on one stating automaticity and fluency are the same, and the other stating they are different? Who are you to believe?
question #3?
JD: Do you agree with the NPR, their research may be more recent?

JZ: Research says that vocab knowledge is 1 of the best indicators of verbal ability, disadvantaged students are likely to have smaller vocabularies and lack of vocab can be a crucial factor underlying school failure. * Maybe the most important factor is"The task of learning vocabulary is huge."(p.141 text)
GJ: Strategies have been proven to help increase vocabulary, which in turn leads to increases in comprehension. Also we know that the more student read, the more they increase vocabulary. Growing up in poverty leads to a limited vocabulary, but there are things that are proven to increase vocabulary.
JD:Research says that promoting word consciousness in the reading instruction will enhance a student’s vocabulary and they will increase their knowledge of words. Word consciousness is an on-going strategy because of the vast amount of words.
2. How can you apply the Isabel Beck's three levels of word consciousness in your classroom? (Look in External Links to view slides 51-68 for information)
JZ: Currently I am having trouble finding this. GJ can you help?!
GJ: I cannot find it either. I have emailed Eeg for help in locating them.
JD: It was not there.
3. Define these terms of complexity of word knowledge into application ideas: level of word knowledge, multidemensionality, polysemy, and heterogenity.
JZ: Levels of word knowledge can be raised by substantially increasing students' reading. Multidimensionality can be applied through teacher modeling and a variety of activities such as word play, word of the day, teaching idioms, expressions and puns,etc.Polysemy- words having multiple meanings- could be applied through making personal dictionaries and illustrating words with more than one meaning, after defining them. Heterogenity-"What it means to know a word is dependent on the type of word in question."text p.157 Having students define and illustrate various examples of words would be a good application of this.
the story.
JD: Levels of Word Knowledge: word learning is incremental; Multi-dimensionality: it involves the depth of meaning of words. There is no single dimension of word knowledge;polysemy: many words have multiple meanings, the more a words is used the more likely of multiple meanings.
Heterogenity: knowing a word independentl y of the type of word in question.
||
Your questions
JD: How do you help a student know how to spell or read a word they know the meaning to?
JZ:How would YOU teach word consciousness to 1st graders?
GJ: That is similar to my question, what is the most effective way to teach vocabulary strategies to kids in special ed. who can barely read?