Engaging Literacy Practices to
Promote Meaning-Based Learning
Early Years
Presented By
Regional Literacy Coordinators
OSPI/ESD partnership
Introductions
OSPI
Cindy Knisely
ESD 112
Marilyn Melville-Irvine
Learning Goals
• Participants will arrive at a shared understanding about:
• Complex text - Selecting and using in early elementary
• Vocabulary – understanding the 3 tier system
• Non-fiction text – balancing it in the classroom
• Evidence- understanding the importance
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Science (Next Generation Science Standards)
Social Studies (Washington specific)
The Arts (Washington specific)
Health and Fitness (Washington specific)
World Languages (Washington specific)
Mathematics (Common Core)
• English Language Arts (Common Core)
Definition of Literacy
Washington State Comprehensive Literacy Plan (CLP)
Literacy: the ability to effectively read, write, speak, think,
create, problem solve and reflect in order to participate in a
democratic multicultural society.
Washington State, 2012
http://www.k12.wa.us/ELA/CLP/default.aspx
The Definition Expanded
The authors of the Washington State Comprehensive Literacy Plan recognize that
literacy development
• begins at birth.
• integrates listening, speaking, reading, writing, and critical thinking across all media
types.
• is the knowledge to recognize and use language appropriate to a situation.
• is the ability to think, create, question, solve problems, and reflect.
The Three Shifts
Focus of ELA Instruction
The Three ELA Shifts
Common Core State Standards
• Regular practice with complex text and its academic language.
• Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from
text, both literary and informational.
• Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction.
Text Complexity
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2109637168001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAPmbRRLk~,C5G7jhYNtifLHMZ3Mk1et94EXmm8Be9z&bctid=2469729028001
Regular practice with complex text and its
academic language
• The standards build a staircase of text complexity so that students are ready
for the demands of college and careers.
• The standards focus on academic vocabulary: words that appear in a variety
of content areas (such as ignite and commit).
Then and Now
What it used to look like:
What it should look like:
• Little emphasis on text complexity.
• Vocabulary questions often focus on
• Strong emphasis on text complexity.
• Vocabulary questions focus on the
prior knowledge rather than context;
little emphasis on tier two words.
• Figurative language questions focused
on memorizing and recognizing
literary terms.
meaning of words in context; a strong
emphasis is placed on tier two words and
those words important to the central idea
or theme.
• Figurative language questions focus on the
meaning of the text, not just the terms.
The Three Part Model for Measuring
Text Complexity
Quantitative Measure
• Word difficulty
(frequency, length)
• Sentence length and
syntax
Qualitative Measure
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Levels of meaning (literary) or
purpose (informational)
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Structure
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Language conventionality
and clarity
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Knowledge demands
Reader and Task
• Cognitive
capabilities
• Motivation
• Knowledge
Changes to the
Lexile Bands
Source: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
Quantitative Measures
Qualitative Criteria
Literary Text Complexity Rubric
Source: Office Superintendent of Public
Instruction
Qualitative Criteria
Informational Text Complexity Rubric
Source: Office Superintendent of Public
Instruction
Students at all ages should be exposed to:
• Classics
• Historically significant texts
• Contemporary works
• Cultural significance
• Rich content
Modeling
Close Reading
• Rereading for a purpose
• Metacognition
• Making sense of vocabulary
using context clues
• Examining structure
Paired Text
• Common topics and themes
• Matching text levels
• Complex to independent
Reading Aloud
Jim Trelease – The Read-Aloud Handbook
Reading aloud
• builds vocabulary
• conditions the child’s brain to associate reading with
pleasure
• creates background knowledge
• provides a reading role model
• plants the desire to read
The Read Aloud Project
• Acheivethecore.org – Edmodo
• What it is: Teachers developing and sharing free Common Core-aligned
lessons for K-2 read aloud books.
• Why it matters: These lessons can be used immediately in the classroom
and for professional development.
• Each of these lessons has been developed with an emphasis on key aspects
of the Common Core, including quality text-dependent questions, improved
tasks, and a focus on academic vocabulary.
• https://www.edmodo.com/home - /group?id=6845350&sub_view=folders
Academic Language
Three Tiers of Vocabulary
Tier Three: Domain Specific
Tier Two: Generally Academic
Tier One: Everyday Speech
Three Tiers of Words
Tier 3 – Low frequency, specialized words that appear in specific fields or content
areas. These words are best taught as needed and often defined in the text.
E.g., lasso, sea-star,
Tier 2 - High frequency words used by mature language users across several content
areas.
E.g., obvious, complex, predict, verify
Tier 1- Basic words that commonly appear in spoken language.
E.g., book, run, beautiful, baby, small
Criteria For Selecting Words To Teach
 What are the barrier words?
◦ Does this word keep the student from understanding the text?
 What is the importance of the word for understanding the text?
◦ What does the word choice bring to the meaning of the text? (E.g., precision, specificity?)
 What is the general utility of the word?
◦ Is it a word that students are likely to see often in other texts? Are there multiple meanings?
◦ Will it be of use to students in their own writing?
 What is the students’ prior knowledge of the word and the concept(s) to which it relates?
◦ How does the word relate to other words, ideas, or experiences that the students know or have been
learning?
◦ Are there opportunities for grouping words together to enhance understanding of a concept?
Classifying Vocabulary From Texts
• Follow along as you listen to the text Plunky
Pumpkins. – Circle all words kids might not know.
• Identify 3 words from each of the vocabulary tiers.
• Remember – the tiers are not constant
• Student background and age are a factor
Three Column Vocabulary List
Tier One
soon
big
love
Tier Two
classify
imagine
attach
round
centralize
emergency
energy
boost
savvy
Tier Three
photosynthesis
North America
Central and South America
pilgrims
Academic Word Finder Tool
• Academic Word Finder focuses on high-frequency Tier 2
words which will be valuable to your students across a variety
of texts, (but which may not be particularly central to the
meaning of this passage).
• http://achievethecore.org/academic-word-finder/ (registration required)
Eager to learn more about how to select
and teach vocabulary?
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Check out Vocabulary and The Common Core by David Liben.
A summary of vocabulary research and practical exercises to help you learn to select and teach vocabulary.
Written by David Liben, classroom veteran and literacy researcher
Exercises will help you:
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hone your professional judgment
build your skill in the vocabulary teaching crucial to success with the Common Core State Standards.
Download the paper and exercises here:
http://achievethecore.org/page/974/vocabulary-and-the-common-core-detail-pg
Bringing Words to Life by Beck, McKeown and Kucan
What does the research say?
• Explicit Vocabulary Teaching Strategies Video
Dr. Curtis describes explicit vocabulary instruction and provides classroom
strategies that are effective across content areas.
Evidence
Justifying your thoughts….
Reading, writing and speaking grounded in
evidence from text
• The standards place a premium using evidence from both informational and literary
text(s) to present careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information.
• The standards expect students to answer questions that depend on their having
read the text or texts with care.
• The standards focus on evidence-based writing along with the ability to inform
and persuade is a significant shift from current practice.
Then and Now
What it used to look like
• Focus on simple recall or superficial
analysis.
• Little or no emphasis on using textual
evidence to support answers or
opinions.
• Use of creative writing prompts that
asked students to “make-things up”.
What it should look like
• Focus on careful reading and analysis of
text.
• Strong emphasis on using textual
evidence while answering questions.
• New writing prompts require students
to make and support claims and
inferences
Text-Dependent Questions
Tools for Writing, Evaluating, and
Modifying Questions
Close Reading
Adler and Van Doren (1940/1972) explain in their seminal
text How to Read a Book that readers should “x-ray the book”
in order to find “the skeleton hidden between its covers” (p.
75). The intent in analytic reading is to identify these deep
structures in order to plumb the explicit and implicit
meanings of the text.
Doug Fisher
Evidence is at the Core
Text-Dependent Questions
Tools for Writing, Evaluating, and
Modifying Questions
Text Dependent Questions
• give students an immediate and specific purpose for reading a
text closely and going back for a second read.
• are often in a coherent series and act as scaffolding toward a
culminating task or BIG Idea.
• activate reading strategies.
Text Dependent Questions
• can only be answered by finding evidence within the text itself.
• can be literal but must also involve analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation.
• focus on short, difficult portions of text.
• should include prompts for writing or discussion.
Text Dependent Questions are not…
• low-level, literal, or recall questions.
• focused on comprehension strategies.
• based on a student’s background experiences.
Text Dependent Questions
Not Text-Dependent
The “Punky Pumpkin” article describes
things you can do with a pumpkin.
What is something interesting you
have done with a pumpkin?
The “Punky Pumpkin” article explains
that pumpkin seeds are small. What
other seeds are you familiar with that
are small?
Use a dictionary to look up the word
savvy. Turn to your neighbor and
explain what it means to be savvy.
Text-Dependent
The “Punky Pumpkin” article describes
things you can do with a pumpkin. What
is something mentioned in the article that
you might like to try at home?
The “Punky Pumpkin” article describes the
size of the pumpkin seed. What evidence
from the article describes the size of a
pumpkin seed?
Reread the third paragraph. The author
describes the settlers as “savvy.” What
do you think it means to be savvy? What
details in the story help you better
understand the word?
Background
Knowledge
It is important to have young
readers connect to the text,
but don’t stop there!
Content Rich
Non-Fiction
Expanding Our World
Building knowledge through content-rich
nonfiction
• The Standards recommend that K-5 students need a 50-50
balance of fiction and non-fiction
• Topics for reading, writing and discussion may come from
history/social studies, science, health and fitness, and technical
subjects.
http://achievethecore.org/content/upload/122113_Shifts.pdf
What were we doing before?
literary text
Then and Now
What It Used To Look Like
What It Should Look Like
• High focus on literary texts.
• Limited focus on the quality and
• Increased use of informational
variety of informational texts.
texts as students move through the
grades
• Greater focus on content-rich
informational texts at all grades
• Students learning from the texts
they read.
Beyond the Textbook…
From Transformational Literacy p. 30-31 “Textbooks are not sufficient - they
do not address the full range of forms that informational texts can take - nor
do they fully represent the multiple perspectives that are possible on complex
subjects, which can engage students and motivate them to keep reading. The
greatest benefit for students - in terms of their development as readers, their
engagement with and ownership of their learning, and their ability to think
critically - will result from teachers approaching text selection with a “beyondthe-textbook” mentality.”
• Ron Berger, Libby Woodfin, Suzanne Nathan Plaut, Cheryl Beck3r Dobbitin
Primary Sources
Best Practices For Teaching
Rich Non-Fiction In Primary Grades
• Kids enjoy controversy! “Reading and talking about controversial articles
may be the best and fastest way to accelerate the average student’s interest in
the world and to initiate entry into national and international adult
conversations” (Schmoker, 2011).
• Plan effective mini-lessons before, during and after reading that help students
carefully analyze the text in multiple ways with various perspectives
(Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., and Hyde, A., 2005).
Smarter Balanced Digital Library –
Resources for grades K-12
• A three-day first grade lesson where student do a close read of an
informational text and then write and revise information around an opinion.
• https://www.smarterbalancedlibrary.org/content/best-pet-primary-grade-opinionprompt
• A 3-4 week unit leads first grade students to explore informational texts and
use evidence from the text to write an informative text.
• https://www.smarterbalancedlibrary.org/content/my-report-about-frogsinformational-text-unit
Words to Ponder…
I like what I like…
Students should have regular opportunities to behave the
way adult readers do and choose their own reading.
They know the kinds of texts from which they will take
pleasure. At the same time, teachers should expand the
possibility of pleasure by introducing students to new
books they might not select on their own.
Atlantic Monthly,
Varied Reading Diet
Reading for pleasure is found to be more important for
children’s cognitive development between ages 10 and 16
than their parents’ level of education. Children also make
more progress in math, vocabulary and spelling than those
who rarely read.
Institute of Education, University of London, September 2013
The Smartest Kids in the World
“One thing was clear: To give our kids the kind of
education they deserved, we had to first agree that rigor
mattered most of all; that school existed to help kids learn
to think, to work hard, and yes, to fail. That was the core
consensus that made everything else possible.”
― Amanda Ripley, The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way
Resources
• Improving the Reading Achievement of America's Children:
10 Research-Based Principles
• http://www.ciera.org/library/instresrc/principles/index.html
• Achieve the Core
• http://www.achievethecore.org
Thank You for Attending!
• Cindy Knisely: ELA Assessment Specialist, OSPI
• [email protected]
• Marilyn Melville-Irvine
• [email protected]