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Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association
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www.kyreading.org
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W i n t er 2 01 5
Literacy Leaders
The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association
www.kyreading.org
KR A
Pr e s id en t ’s
Mes s a g e
KRA Mission
The Kentucky Reading
Association is a
professional
organization of
educators and
individuals actively
engaged in the
development of literacy
throughout the
Commonwealth. KRA’s
mission is to be a
voice for literacy.
We are committed to
encouraging lifelong
reading for pleasure
and learning, providing
information related
to literacy, increasing
opportunities for
professional growth,
and promoting
research-based
instructional practices.
Dear KRA Members and Friends of Literacy,
Greetings to all of you as we wrap up what I hope is the last of the cold,
wintry weather as we embark on March Madness and the spring season
ahead. We have certainly experienced a challenging winter this year! I hope
the unplanned snow days provided you with an opportunity to curl up with a
good book while our state was at a standstill due to the wintry precipitation.
Check out our Book Look column contributed by Past President Diana Porter
for some suggested professional texts along with a few titles for the
classroom. If you’ve read a good book lately, please share it with our KRA community by posting
it on our Facebook page (http://www.gacebook.com/KYReading) or Twitter (@kyreadingassoc
using #KRAreads). This is one way that you can “be a voice for literacy” TODAY by sharing “good
reads” with our KRA membership, Commonwealth, and teachers everywhere.
Our advocacy efforts have truly paid off! Thanks to the efforts of our Governmental Relations
Committee under the leadership of Brenda Overturf (Committee Chair and KRA past president)
and Keith Lyons (KRA vice president), we have received the International Literacy Association
(ILA) Advocacy Award. This award will be presented to our state organization at the annual ILA
conference to be held this summer in St. Louis. Thanks to all of our KRA Board members, local
councils, and membership. We could not do this without each and every one of you making
contributions across the state.
In addition to these highlighted articles, this winter issue of the Literacy Leaders newsletter
also includes the Literacy Tech Talk column that focuses on technology tools that support literacy
and a Teacher Feature that highlights a professional development workshop that evolved out of the
Kentucky Reading Project. The Everyday Best Practices column provides our readers with a focus
on the intersection of the Next Generation Science Standards and literacy with an emphasis on
inquiry in the classroom. Together, these columns provide a wealth of information and suggestions
to support classroom literacy instruction.
Are you doing something interesting, innovative, fun, or engaging in your own classroom?
Consider submitting an article to The Kentucky Reading Journal. Contributions include featured
articles, teaching tips, or student work. The call for manuscripts can be found on page 10 of this
newsletter.
One final note…if you haven’t already heard, the International Reading Association has
changed its name to the International Literacy Association. They have also moved their annual
conference to the summer in hopes to accommodate teachers’ schedules. The ILA conference is
scheduled for July 18-20 in nearby St. Louis. You can get additional information about this great
conference from the ILA website: http://www.reading.org/annual-conference-2015
I hope you will enjoy the soon to arrive spring weather and don’t forget to Be A Voice for
Literacy each and every day!
Laurie Henry
KRA President 2014-15
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.

Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association

www.kyreading.org

Ke nt u ck y Rea d in g
A s s oc ia t i o n B oa rd
2014-2015
KRA Executive Board Members
President:
Laurie Henry: [email protected]
Immediate Past President/Parliamentarian:
Robin Hebert: [email protected]
In this issue of
President-Elect/Conference Chair:
Peggy Stirsman: [email protected]
Literacy Leaders
Vice President:
Keith Lyons: [email protected]
Winter 2015
KRA Bulletin Board
KRA BookLook
Advocacy Action
Literacy Tech Talk
Teacher Feature: PD
KRJ: Call for Manuscripts
Everyday Best Practices
Annual Conference Highlights
Recording Secretary:
Angela Ballinger:
[email protected]
3
4
6
8
9
10
11
13
Treasurer:
Christina Grace
[email protected]
KRA State Coordinator:
Laura Crafton:
[email protected]
Membership Co-Directors:
Thelma Hawkins (database)
[email protected]
Erin Wobbekind (recruitment)
[email protected]
Literacy Leaders Newsletter Editor:
Roxanne Spencer: [email protected]
Kentucky Reading Journal Editor:
Ginni Fair: [email protected]
KRA General Board Members
A book is a dream that you
hold in your hand.
~Neil Gaiman
Cherry Boyles:
[email protected]
Cris Crowley: [email protected]
Christina Grace:
[email protected]
Brenda Overturf: [email protected].
Kelly Philbeck: [email protected]
Paul Prater: [email protected]
Paige Sexton: [email protected]
Follow KRA on Social Media!
KRA Website: www.kyreading.org
Twitter: twitter.com/kyreadingassoc
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KYReading
Christine Sherretz:
[email protected]
Tiffany Wheeler: [email protected]
Rebecca Woosley: [email protected]
Literacy Partner:
National Center for Families Learning
(one-year rotation): Bonnie Lash Freeman,
retired educator: [email protected]
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
2
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Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association

www.kyreading.org

Greetings, KRA Friends,
It has been several months since the 2014 Fall Conference. I am sure
that we all have plodded along—giving way to the demands of our
professional lives and maintaining the routines in our personal ones.
I know some of the memories of the experience have dimmed as the
months have passed, but I hope that there is some part of the
conference that lingers in your memories or something that you can
say, “This came from the KRA Conference!” (As for me, I just finished
reading Out of the Easy. I did outbid several at the silent auction to
claim it as mine!) I am delighted to report that the plans for the 2015 KRA
Conference, “Deeper Literacy for Deeper Learning,” are well underway.
Fall 2014 was a busy time for the local councils. Always mindful of the little
things while not losing sight of the big picture, KRA’s local councils have been
striving to “build a literate tomorrow” through numerous projects and
initiatives. As we move into the latter part of the council year, we ask that you
join us in the scheduled Spring events. It is also time for local councils to be
considering a slate of officers for 2015-2016 council year.
As you may have already heard, on January 26, 2015, the International Reading
Association (IRA) became the International Literacy Association (ILA). You will
find the same resources and services at www.reading.org as before. The name
change is the Association’s first step in a) emphasizing its role as a global
professional membership association for literacy leaders, and b) reinforcing
their efforts to make literacy accessible to all. As this process continues and as
we are informed, we will pass the details on to you.
We recognize that, even after 50 years of being a voice for literacy in the
Commonwealth, the Kentucky Reading Association is “still under construction.”
We hope that you will join us in “building a more literate tomorrow” by
becoming involved today. For more information, visit www.kyreading.org.
From the Desk of Laura Crafton
KRA State Coordinator
News & Views from the KRA Board
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
3
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Literacy Leaders
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The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association
KRA BookLook: Read
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www.kyreading.org

any good books lately?
Reviewed by Dr. Diana Porter, Eastern Kentucky University
WHEN TEACHERS HEAR that the
second edition of a powerful
professional text is soon going to
be released, the initial reaction is
typically one of eager anticipation.
However, teachers who own the
first edition must consider the
amount of information that is
repeated and the amount that is
new. With that dilemma,
enthusiasm is quickly met with
reservations. For that reason, this
2004 edition
column will compare/contrast
Subjects Matter by Daniels and Zemelman. This text was
first published by Heinemann in 2004 with a second
edition released in 2014.
First of all, upon review of the Chapter titles in the two
editions, they were very similar. The two differences I
noticed were (1) an increased focus on the Common
Core as evidenced by a topic that has been added to
Chapter 1: “Content-Area Reading and the Common Core
State Standards” along with (2) an increased focus on
technology as evidenced by an additional topic in
Chapter 8: “Use Web Tools for Sharing and Publishing
When Possible.” The most significant change appeared in
Chapter 5. This chapter featured 26 reading strategies.
Fourteen of those strategies were a repeat from the 2004
edition, but twelve were new.
The next area of the two
editions I examined was a
subtitle in Chapter 1 entitled,
“The Goals of This Book.” Once
again, the differences were
minor. In the 2014 edition, the
chapters in which topics are
addressed were specified, but
much of the text was verbatim.
2014 edition
Finally, I was curious to see if the authors addressed the
similarities and differences of a second edition within
the preface of the 2014 edition. The authors stated,
In the ancient times of 2004, we published the first
edition of Subjects Matter. . .in these ten short years,
the times have changed – and how! Exciting new
research has emerged, national standards have been
adopted, and amazing teachers have stepped
forward to share even more powerful instruction in
content-area reading – in English, mathematics . . .
not to mention music, and technology.
While I applaud the 2004 edition of Subjects Matter as a
seminal text in content area reading, one who owns this
text would not benefit from purchasing the second
edition. I agree with the authors of this book that the
times have changed significantly and am disappointed to
report that, in my opinion, the second edition offers little
to reflect those changes.
To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable
that is spelled out is a spark.
~Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
4
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Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association
KRA BookLook

www.kyreading.org

(con’td)
In the Spring 2014 Literacy Leaders newsletter, I shared
two French books that had been selected for the United
States Board on Books for the Young (USBBY) 2014
Outstanding International Booklist. As a reminder,
international literature is defined as books published in the
United States that originated in another country. USBBY is
a partner organization with the International Reading
Association (IRA) whose goal is for children to use
literature as not only a mirror for building a better
understanding of themselves but also a window for
building an understanding and respect of others.
With this background, I’d now like to invite you to
accompany me on a journey down to the Outback region of
the world where the next pairing was written by Australian
authors. The first book is The Silver Button, a 2014 PreK-2
Outstanding International Book written and illustrated by
Bob Graham. The second book is Sadie and Ratz, a 2013
Grades 3-5 Outstanding International Book, written by
Sonya Hartnett and illustrated by Ann Jones.
The Silver Button
By Bob Graham
Candlewick, 2013.
ISBN: 978-0-76366-437-4
In The Silver Button, Graham
captures the significance of a
single moment. Just as a little
girl is about to color in the last
button on the duck she has
drawn, her little brother takes
his first step. Through a wide
angle lens, the reader then views events around the world
that, at first glance, seem disconnected. At the same time
that this child is taking his first step, across the world other
universally important events, such as a baby is being born,
a dad is tying his son’s shoe, and a soldier is saying goodbye
to his mother are taking place. The story eventually circles
back around to the little girl’s picture, and she colors in the
last silver button. This book sheds light on the
commonalities we all share and is a beautiful reminder to
appreciate the wonder of the extraordinary ordinary
events of life.
Sadie and Ratz
By Sonya Hartnett. Illus. by
Ann James
Candlewick, 2012 (reprint)
ISBN: 978-0-76365-315-6
Sadie and Ratz are the names that
Hannah uses to personify her hands –
hands that are prone to mischief.
When Hannah’s four-year-old baby
brother annoys her, Sadie and Ratz
wake up, jump on his head, and try to rub his ears off! Sadie
and Ratz like doing bad things. One Saturday morning,
however, all changes. Someone has written on the wall and
spilt milk on the carpet. When Hannah’s parents ask her
baby brother about these happenings, he blames them on
Sadie and Ratz. Sadie and Ratz do not like getting blamed
for evil acts they did not commit, so Hannah decides they
better go on vacation. When her parents’ clock gets broken
a couple days later, and Sadie and Ratz are not in town to
take the blame, Hannah’s parents realize that there’s a new
set of culprits: Colin and Scraps! Can you guess who
invented these two imaginary friends?
While these books are written to different levels of learners
(PreK-2 and 3-5) and were originally published in another
country (France), the messages they deliver are both
timeless and universal. These books are two quality
examples of global literature that can be used to teach
young people that differences need not be feared but
instead celebrated and that people of varying colors and
cultures have a great deal in common, including the joys
and frustrations of siblings. These powerful feelings are not
lost in translation! 
Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.
~Margaret Fuller
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
5

Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association

www.kyreading.org

Advocacy Action: “Being a Voice for Literacy”
Contributed by Brenda J. Overturf
Chair of the KRA Governmental Relations Committee
T
Kentucky Reading
Association is “to be a voice for literacy.” To
be a voice means to be an advocate. The
word “advocacy” does not always mean working with
legislators, although it certainly can mean that. At the
grassroots level, advocacy represents a more
comprehensive idea—that of defending the rights of
others. It means standing up for literacy education for
children, teens, and adults. For example, teachers
practice literacy advocacy when they talk to
administrators about what their students need, or give
a presentation to a school board defending the need
for programs for struggling readers. Principals practice
literacy advocacy when they create a school schedule
that recognizes the literacy needs of students.
Advocacy can also mean recognizing the efforts of
district, community, and state leaders to support
students’ literacy rights.
HE MISSION OF THE
The Kentucky Reading Association has once again
applied for the International Reading Association 20132014 Advocacy Award. This is an award given annually
at the IRA convention to recognize advocacy actions in
states and provinces (the 2015 IRA convention will be
held in St. Louis, July 17-20). For the IRA application,
we needed to focus on a legislative issue. This year,
KRA focused on the implementation of Kentucky
Senate Bill 1 (http://education.ky.gov/comm/UL/
Documents/SENATE%20BILL%201%
20HIGHLIGHTS.pdf), which is the piece of legislation
that brought us the Kentucky Core Academic
Standards, the Professional Growth and Evaluation
System, and professional development in literacy as
well as other areas. We then needed to show
document evidence in three areas: Educate, Organize,
and Activate. As we put together the application, we
were excited to think about what we had
accomplished this year!
“Educate” encompasses KRA’s efforts to educate
legislators and the general public about Senate Bill 1
and other literacy issues in the state. For this area, we
provided evidence such as our KRA conference
sessions focused on KCAS, our journal, the Advocacy
page on our website, attendance at Kentucky
legislative sessions, and national conference
presentations to share Kentucky’s literacy efforts.
“Organize” means planning for advocacy efforts.
We created an action plan for advocacy, established an
advisory board, and sent representatives to this year’s
virtual IRA Legislative Workshop. We also
collaborated with the Collaborative Center for
Literacy Development (CCLD), the Office of the First
Lady, the Kentucky Council of Teachers of English, the
Kentucky Education Association, and the Kentucky
Department of Libraries and Archives to celebrate
literacy efforts across the state during the Kentucky
Literacy Celebration Week in March. KRA was
instrumental in First Lady Jane Beshear’s visits to
numerous school districts, community organizations,
libraries, and universities to discuss literacy issues
related to Senate Bill 1.
“Activate” describes how we have implemented
advocacy efforts. This year, KRA members invited
legislators to visit classrooms to see literacy
instruction in action and gave awards to key officials in
local communities. We co-hosted a luncheon focused
on early childhood literacy needs and the impact on
the state at the 2013 KRA conference. Other
organizations such as CCLD, the Kentucky
Department of Education, the National Governor’s
Association, and the Kentucky Governor’s Association
for Early Childhood were part of this important day.
The “Feed the Mind-Kentucky” event in April brought
over 3500 fourth-graders from sixteen school districts
to Rupp Arena to celebrate literacy efforts. This
collaboration with Arby’s Foundation provided lunch,
books, and excitement about literacy to kids and was
covered widely in the media.
KRA’s advocacy efforts for 2014-2015 again
focuses on the continued implementation of Senate
Bill 1. How can you be an advocate for literacy rights
where you live and work? “Be a voice for literacy”
throughout the rest of this school year and the 2015
legislative session as you stand up for students across
Kentucky!
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
6

Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association
Literacy TechTalk:

www.kyreading.org

A column focused on technology tools
that support literacy
Contributed by Roxanne Spencer
Check out this weblog about the latest trends, ideas, and
tools for using new technologies in your teaching
practice and sign up for regular email tips and news:
www.emergingedtech.com/
LearnZillion offers resources for teachers to implement
Common Core State Standards without reinventing the
wheel for each grade or unit plan. There is a free
membership, which recently released hundreds of lesson
plans, teacher tutorials and student practice problems,
and student assignment tracking capabilities. The
impetus to create LearnZillion came from co-founder
Eric Westendorf, who wondered “could powerful
learning experiences be captured so that teachers didn't
have to re-invent the wheel every time they taught a
standard?” For more information, browse the site, or
sign up for a free account: learnzillion.com
EmergingEdTech’s Kelly Walsh, an educational
technology advocate in White Plains, NY, developed this
site to answer the crucial question: “How can Educators
use Technology to Improve Learning Outcomes (Today
and Tomorrow)?” Take a look at these great, brief
videos that offer quick introductions to getting started
with numerous different tech tools and resources for
teaching and learning:
www.emergingedtech.com/3-minute-teaching-withtechnology-tip-video-tutorial-series/.
Still wondering about whether a flipped classroom is for
you? Take a look at some of the different perspectives:
The Flipped Class: Myth vs. Reality: What it Is and What
it Is Not: hwww.thedailyriff.com/articles/the-flippedclass-conversation-689.php. For a cautious take on
the practice, see Five Reasons I’m Not Flipping Over
Flipped Classrooms:
theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/10/fivereasons-im-not-flipping-over.html; The EDUCAUSE
Learning Initiative has one their helpful “7 Things You
Should Know about…” overviews on flipped classrooms,
here: net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7081.pdf.
Here is a lengthy infographic to help you decide, from the
We Are Teachers site: www.weareteachers.com/blogs/
post/2014/08/11/the-flipped-classroom-infographic.
Learn more about flipped learning at the Flipped
Learning Network: flippedclassroom.org/.
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
7

Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association

www.kyreading.org

Teacher Feature! Exploring Professional Development:
Literacy Shoplifting Sisters
Contributed by Catherine Rush, Bluegrass Council
Amy Keadle working with a young student
L
iteracy Shoplifting Sisters evolved into
a professional development workshop via
the Kentucky Reading Project—Alumni
Leadership Presentation PD offered at Morehead
State University during the summer of 2013. Our
longtime literacy mentors, Dr. Melinda Willis,
Belinda Hitch, and Delinda Dent, created the idea of
this alumni project because they knew of the unique
and effective literacy teaching strategies that were
taking place in the classrooms of their previous KRP
students. They collaboratively generated an avenue
through which we could learn how to professionally
present what we were doing and to share our
successes across the state.
Over the years, Melissa and I had always shared
ideas for teaching literacy, based on the latest
research, best practices, and things we “shoplifted”
from other teachers and professional journals. This
sharing evolved into a vertical, K-1, teacher-built
literacy curriculum, which not only addressed the
literacy standards, but also created an authentic
learning community where students were
independent in their learning, celebrated for their
Melissa Fickey with kindergarteners
work, and were naturally learning to develop all
aspects of becoming literate: speaking, listening,
reading, and writing. It was hands-down amazing to
see what our students where able to do
independently when given the proper tools,
effective scaffold instruction, and gradual release of
governance. Students begged to produce
independent and shared writings and voted for
extended reading time. We witnessed our students
leaving our classrooms with the sense of autonomy
they needed to continue to be successful learners
across the content areas and throughout their
educational years. We heard from their next-year
teachers how enthusiastic, independent, and
confident our students were in their learning.
Melissa and I looked to each other when
presented with the opportunity to share our
experiences. We felt that what was taking place in
our classrooms was too good to keep to ourselves.
So we decided to take our professional leadership to
the next level, presenting how we were
fostering literacy in our classrooms with
teacher colleagues across the state.
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
8

Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association

www.kyreading.org

Teacher Feature! Exploring Professional Development:
Literacy Shoplifting Sisters
After our initial presentation at the Kentucky
Reading Association Annual Conference, teachers
and administrators alike came to us with questions
and comments, wanting to know more. This initial
presentation spawned other opportunities to share
and so we have enthusiastically packed up our
“shoplifting bags” and traveled to districts and
co-ops to present our “literacy shoplifting” secrets.
Teachers and administrative colleagues have sent
us examples of student work and shared how they
(cont’d)
are using ideas from “literacy shoplifting” in their
classrooms and schools to foster authentic writing
communities and independent learning.
When we as educators foster independence and
strive to instill a hunger for learning in all children,
that independence and hunger will last a lifetime.
Melissa and I are already in the process of testing
new strategies in the classroom to share in the
future—because somewhere in our lives, a teacher
planted the seeds of hunger for knowledge in us. 
Information about our PD
“Literacy Shoplifting” is a 3-hour Professional Development geared towards Kindergarten-2nd grade
teachers but can be adapted to higher grade levels. We share that shoplifting is not a crime (not if
you are a teacher anyway!). We show teachers how we teach students to shoplift using model texts,
to develop independent writers who enjoy creating and sharing their very own original picture
books. We share with teachers how we create an authentic writing environment where all students,
no matter what their level, can find success as a writer. We also share a variety of research-based
strategies that we have found useful in our own literacy instruction.
About the “Literacy Shoplifting Sisters”
Amy Keadle: I am a veteran teacher of 15 years. I am employed with the Rowan County school system but am
currently on “loan” to Morehead State University where I am teaching reading and language arts methods courses to
pre-service teachers and working with a National Board Certification graduate program initiative. Teaching all aspects
of literacy is my passion. I believe that teaching reading and writing, as well as making sure that all students are given
the oppportunity to become developed readers and writers, is a great responsibility. It is one of the most critical tasks
an elementary teacher faces.
I hold a Masters of Arts in Reading and Writing, an Education Specialist Degree in Curriculum & Instruction, and a
National Board Certification in Literacy: Reading-Language Arts: Early and Middle Childhood.
Melissa Fickey: I am currently in my sixth year of teaching kindergarten at Tilden Hogge Elementary in Rowan
County. Teaching reading is my very favorite thing to do! I love all aspects of literacy. I can’t imagine a greater joy than
helping a child learn how to read.
I received my Masters as a Reading Specialist (K-12) from Morehead State University in 2012. Since then I have
obtained my National Board Certification in the area of Literacy: Reading-Language Arts: Early and Middle Childhood.
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
9

Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association

www.kyreading.org

The Kentucky Reading Journal: Call for Manuscripts
The Kentucky Reading Journal welcomes articles that are both scholarly and practitioner-focused as well as other
original contributions addressing literacy and/or literature across all grades and content areas. Classroom teachers,
reading specialists, and other reading professionals are encouraged to submit manuscripts according to the
guidelines indicated below.
TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS - Submissions may fall under the following categories:
Feature articles should be approximately 10-15 pages (2500-3500 words), including references, and may
include original research in literacy and/or literature, reflect the current research interests of Kentucky
educators, or review best practices for multiple literacies (i.e., visual, digital, textual, or technological).
Teaching Tips for engaging readers and writers should be approximately 3-5 pages and may include practical
ideas for teaching literacy and/or literature. These also may include teaching vignettes that describe
especially poignant or humorous classroom moments. While not required, such submissions are
strengthened by the inclusion of digital components that demonstrate students’ success and
engagement with the teaching tips.
Kids’ Korner submissions may be much shorter. These submissions come from things that students have
written, created, or reviewed. Audio submissions of kids reviewing literature or promoting technology
tools are ideas to consider.
GUIDELINES FOR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION – Submissions must apply the following:
lSubmit the manuscript/video electronically. Please use separate email attachments for text and each
digital, audio, or video file.
lInclude a cover page with the following information: the title of the article; the author’s full name, position,
school/library affiliation, phone number, fax number, e-mail address, complete mailing address; and a
50-100 word abstract for the article. Please include the title on the first page of the manuscript text;
however, the author's name should not appear anywhere else in the manuscript to insure impartial
review.
lUse Microsoft Word and double space in 12 point font with 1” margins.
lInclude charts, graphs, bulleted points, and/or figures wherever possible to vary the format and enhance
the content of the article.
lPrepare reference lists and text citations according to the style specified in the most recent edition of the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
lSubmit digital images as separate email attachments in .jpg format. Notations should appear in the text for
proper placement of digital images (e.g., “insert photo 1 here”). Include captions or bylines for each
image.
lSubmit audio/video files with captions or bylines and include a written summary of the audio/video. Audio/
video files should be no longer than 5 minutes but may be as brief as 1-2 minutes.
MANUSCRIPT REVIEW - Manuscripts are evaluated on the basis of content, interest, organization, clarity, and
style. If accepted, revisions may be requested. Manuscripts must be original works, should not have been previously
published, and should not be undergoing simultaneous review for another journal. Preference is given to Kentucky
authors. If an article is accepted, the editor reserves the right to make appropriate stylistic editorial changes.
Authors wishing to use substantive portions of their articles accepted for publication in KRJ must give credit to KRJ
for original publication.
Submit all manuscripts by March 31, 2015, to:
Ginni Fair, Editor
Kentucky Reading Journal
Eastern Kentucky University
[email protected]
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
10

Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association

www.kyreading.org

Everyday Best: Best Practices in Literacy:
Introducing Inquiry through the
NGSS Scientific and Engineering Practices
Contributed by Roland O’Daniel
T
he Next Generation Science Standards do not mention
inquiry, so is it in the new standards? Because the term
was considered loaded with so many definitions, the
writers chose not to include the term inquiry (Yager, 2012);
however, the 8 Scientific and Engineering Practices provide a
strong framework for inquiry. Key features include:
 Students engage in scientifically-oriented questions;
 Students are expected to provide evidence in response to
questions;
 Students formulate explanations from evidence;
 Students make connections between explanations and
scientific knowledge; and
 Students communicate and justify explanations.
In addition to developing the skills of the scientific method,
these features also engage students in rigorous learning.
Research indicates that student engagement is critical for
learning to be rigorous. So how do teachers use the Scientific
and Engineering Practices to develop students’ capacity to
persevere in answering scientific questions?
There is no one right answer, but I have been working with
teachers to examine their instruction in light of the 8 Practices
and to think about how to shift the cognitive demand from
teacher to student. For instance, posing complex problems
increases student interest and promotes student engagement.
Simple shifts in questioning can illicit greater interest and
promote critical thinking. Instead of providing students with a
preset list of questions, why not have students think of
questions they have as a result of reading a section or some
other entry event? This simple shift in process causes students
to interact with content rather than being passive recipients. As
students gain more experience generating their own questions,
teachers can revisit this skill with the intention of refining it
according to the characteristics of scientific questions. Asking
questions and defining problems is the first of the eight
practices, and is a great place to start with students. When they
are asking their own questions, they are more likely to be vested
in finding the answers.
Along with a shift in questioning goes a shift to having
students provide more input in carrying out and planning
investigations. As many curricula provide recipe-like scientific
investigations that have students carrying out prescribed steps
for predetermined results, this is a significant shift for many
teachers. However, if the goal is to develop student
understanding, then these prescribed experiences do not
provide students the experience necessary to develop their own
investigations. Shifting to activities that have students provide
input into specific aspects of the investigation can still achieve
the goals of the curriculum, while providing students deeper
understanding of how to plan and carry out scientific
explorations. For instance, if a teacher is looking to help
students understand the importance of a strong procedure, he/
she might have the students work in groups to come up with
their own procedure for part of the lab. Then, have students
share their examples, compare with other groups, and work to
refine their own or come up with a whole class generated list.
Making these kinds of shifts takes practice. I encourage
teachers to look through the lab experiences in their curriculum
map and identify shifts they could make to each lab to increase
the cognitive demand for students, keeping in mind that the goal
is for students to have multiple opportunities throughout the
year to have influence over each component of an investigative
lab. Early on, students might work through a “recipe” lab that
helps them gain background knowledge about scientific
investigations; as a follow up, they would be equipped to design
their own investigations of more complex questions. If the goal
of the lab is to have students understand experimental design,
the teacher might have them redesign the initial experience,
changing one of the variables. This scaffolded approach
promotes the building of student skills in a controlled way
and allows the teacher to map out the skills across multiple
units and the entire year. In order for this type of instruction
to be successful, teachers must have a clear understanding of
the scientific process and be willing to turn
over more control to students, which can be
daunting and a little scary for many.
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
Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association

www.kyreading.org

Everyday Best: Best Practices in Literacy:
Introducing Inquiry through the NGSS Scientific
and Engineering Practices
(cont’d)
Beyond the design of and carrying out of investigations is
the analysis and interpretation of data, which is critical to the
scientific process. This practice, combined with Using
Mathematics and Computational Thinking, is critical to students
understanding the implications of more control over
experimental design. Once students are asking more complex
and compelling questions of their own, teachers need to make
sure to provide students the expectations to answer those
questions or at least to inform the answers from their
experiences. By engaging students in the processes, data
gathered becomes more interesting to students. Because they
have a better understanding of what the data means, they have
a better opportunity to offer explanations for what it means. If,
for example, students design the procedure for measuring the
height of a plant, they better understand how the plant changed
and can therefore interpret the data more effectively. When
they calculate an average rate of change that comes out as a
rational number, they are better able to interpret the meaning
of the value.
ask probing questions based on data (Practice 7- Engaging in
Argument from Evidence). Presentations are often just students
reading from a generic PowerPoint, but expecting the audience
to work together to analyze findings and interpretations and to
develop probing questions teaches students that they need to be
informed consumers of information, as well as be responsible
for understanding the information they are conveying.
There are lots of ways to give students more control over
data analysis: selecting what tools to use for measurement,
choosing how to represent data, and analyzing data for
precision and accuracy. One of the key differences between
science and mathematics is that science uses real results, which
always have some dimension of error in them. This is a strength
that many students do not realize. They are often charged with
finding a specific outcome that is predetermined and do not
realize the importance of analyzing a process for errors in
execution, as well as design.
Next Generation Science Standards. (2014).
http://www.nextgenscience.org/
The last three practices are perhaps the most important,
but are often forsaken in an attempt to meet time commitments.
Practice 6, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions,
involves having students use the data discussed as central
components of their analysis. It also incorporates the testing
and retesting of findings to refine findings. Designing solutions
involves testing and retesting which takes time, but shows
students what real scientists do when they are trying to answer
real, complex questions and solve real complex problems.
Shifting from having students merely write a lab report that
has specific, detailed characteristics (often a checklist of
components) to communicating findings to a broader audience
is more than just expecting students to do a presentation of
findings. It means being held accountable for their findings, and
being able to communicate those findings effectively. This is my
favorite practice because it provides teachers the opportunity to
develop student capacity to present, as well as their capacity to
All of these subtle changes add up to students experiencing
science in the classroom as opposed to reading and reciting
science content that others have experienced. Incorporating the
8 Scientific and Engineering Practices allows teachers to
incrementally increase the expectations for students in science
classes. Initially, this will mean an increase in the planning
process for teachers; in the long run, it will mean a shift to
student-centered, rather than teacher-centered, scientific
inquiry and investigation.
References
Next Generation Science Standards. (2013). Appendix F: Science
and engineering practices in the NGSS. http://
www.nextgenscience.org/sites/ngss/files/Appendix%
20F%20%20Science%20and%20Engineering%
20Practices%20in%20the%20NGSS%20-%20FINAL%
20060513.pdf
Yager, R. (2012). Issues regarding use of “Inquiry” vs.
“Practices” for the Next Generation Science Standards
(NGSS) http://nstacommunities.org/
blog/2012/06/29/issues-regarding-use-of-inquiry-vspractices-for-the-next-generation-science-standardsngss/.
Vasquez, J. (2013). The NGSS Science and Engineering
Practices—An “8-point booster shot” for Inquiry!
https://www.mheonline.com/assets/pdf/ngss/
white_papers/the-ngss-science-and-engineering%20practices.pdf .
Roland O’Daniel is the Director of Programs at the Collaborative
for Teaching and Learning in Louisville, KY, and a math/college
readiness specialist. You can follow him on Twitter @rodaniel and
subscribe to the Rodaniel Daily at paper.li/rodaniel.
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
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
Literacy Leaders

The Newsletter of the Kentucky Reading Association

www.kyreading.org

Lucy Maples, bidding on
fun and useful items at
the Silent Auction
Student Growth Goals session
Featured speaker Linda Gambrell
with Stacey Noah
KRA’s mission is to be a voice for literacy.
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