Consider This:
Best Practice
to Inform Our Planning
The Next Chapter
Session 4
Barb Mick - COOR ISD
Jackie Fry - COP ESD
Let’s check our roadmap…
 We’ve introduced assessment, thought about our literacy
histories and those of our students, looked at the
developmental progression of readers and how to determine
the level of our students, and begun to look at
comprehension.
Goals for Session 4
1. Understand how to use UDL when planning
2. Consider what it means to RESCUE vs SCAFFOLD
3. Understand deeper comprehension through close
reading
4. Begin to understand how to assess comprehension
Your Turn…
1. Appoint a time-keeper at your table.
2. Spend time with your table group talking about your Close
Reading lessons. How did the lessons go? How did each of
your case study students do? What evidence do you have of
NEW understanding? What was hard? What was successful?
(15 minutes)
3. Share your Retelling Rubric scores and talk about how that
went. (5 minutes)
4. Share your Summary Rubric scores and discuss what you did
to move your students into Summary from Retelling. (5
minutes)
Let’s turn our attention to some
foundational best practices…
 Look at “the list” of what we need to know to teach reading.
 If we want the optimum success for all of our students, we
must start by designing our instruction to support success.
 Practices to consider:
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Scaffold vs Rescue
Let’s make sure we all know what these mean.
What is UDL?
Not one size fits all – but alternatives for everyone.
Not added on later – but designed from the beginning.
 Not access for some – but access for everyone.
Universal Design (UD)
The design of products
and environments to be
usable by all people, to
the greatest extent
possible, without the
need for adaptation or
specialized design.
Doylesaylor. (2007, September 17). Afternoon sun raking curb cut.
In Flickr [Photograph]. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from
http://flickr.com/photos/doyle_saylor/1399859064/
*See Connell, et al. (1997, April 1).
What is Universal Design?
 Drawbacks of Retrofitting
 Each retrofit solves
only one local
problem
 Retrofitting can be
costly
 Many retrofits are
UGLY!
What is Universal Design?
A Universal Design approach is simply more practical, elegant
and effective, since it is always better to build in flexibility from
the beginning, rather than try to add it on later.
What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
The process of building in (rather than adding on)
accessibility and achievement supports for diverse learning
needs is known as Universal Design for Learning
“Consider the needs of the broadest possible range
of users from the beginning”
-- Architect, Ron Mace
What is Universal Design?
Ramps
Curb Cuts
Electric Doors
Captions on Television
Easy Grip Tools…
One Simple UD
Example
Automated Door
Can be used by:
•
•
•
•
People carrying things
People in wheelchairs
People with service animals
Everyone!
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
“The burden of adaptation should be first
placed on the curriculum, not the learner.
Because most curricula are unable to adapt to
individual differences, we have come to
recognize that our curricula, rather than our
students, are disabled.”
*See Center for Applied Special Technology (2008). Universal design for learning guidelines version 1.0 (p. 4).
Universal Design for
Learning
 UDL Guidelines have three primary principles:
WHAT? (Recognition)
HOW? (Strategic)
http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines
WHY? (Affective)
So…if we use UDL, we need to make
sure we aren’t enabling students.
 Don’t forget that we always have AGENCY in mind.
 Ask yourself, “Am I RESCUING or SCAFFOLDING?”
Who do we typically RESCUE?
 Struggling readers and writers
 Unmotivated learners
 English Language Learners
 “hard to accelerate” students
Possible learned helplessness…
When do we rescue?
 Working with needier students
 Randomly (in the moment)
 Need to feel effective
 Low energy or bad day
 Uncomfortable with the instructional goal
 Unplanned lessons
 Pressures of time, tests, curricula
 Skip steps in the scaffolding process
Scaffolding
 Occurs in the ZPD
 Utilizes the Gradual Release of Responsibility
 Debbie Miller reminds us to “TRUST AND WAIT”
Guided Highlighted
Reading
Comprehension
Big Idea:
COMPREHENSION
Keep at the heart of our thinking:
4 QUESTIONS
To Get to Deeper Comprehension:
CLOSE READING
Some Strategies for Close Reading:
GUIDED HIGHLIGHTED READING
THINKING STRIPS…
Your Turn…
1. Work at your table teams
2. How would you take this hard article and help us understand
it better (without just telling us what it is)?
3. Read the selection together, annotating as needed, and
deciding what makes it “hard”.
4. Your job: work together to create the scaffold (GRR) for
students to be able to respond to the prompt: Write a 1-2
sentence summary of this selection.
5. Be ready to share your lesson/framework with the group.
Your Assignment
1. Select a text that you will use to create a Close
Reading lesson. Be ready to share your reasons
for choosing it, and what makes it “hard”, at the
next session. Bring the text with you to the next
session so you can talk about it. (We do not
expect you to create and teach the lesson at this
time.)
2. Fill out the Reflection for Session 4.
Ticket Out the Door &
Wrap Up
 Make sure to clean up your area and recycle your water
bottles.
 Please complete your Exit Ticket and turn it in as you
leave.
 Our next meeting will be: Getting on the “Write” Road:
Assessment, Fluency, and Workshop
 Thank you for your hard work, thoughtful
contributions, and professionalism.