TheORAcle
Anelectronicpublica/onoftheOregonReadingAssocia/on
Volume33
In this issue:
Winter,2016Number2
Professional Development That Matters
President’s Message….2
Professional
Development …….…….3
ILA……………………..…5
Local Council
News……………………..6
———————————
Coordinator Reports:
Research and
Studies …………..….…11
Literature Connection.13
Teachers as Readers..15
Secondary Desk.…..…16
Lending Library………18
Technology in
Education…………..…19
International Projects.20
Membership…………..21
———————————
Calendar………………22
Join us for our
WINTER INSTITUTE
FridayandSaturday
February10&11,2017
SpendFridaywith
Ellin Oliver Keene
or
Cris Tovani
OnSaturdayselectfrom
20 Small Group Sessions:
StrugglingReaders
STEAM
EarlyLiteracy
Technology
SecondaryLiteracy
Moreinforma;ononpage3andatoregonread.org/winterins;tute/
TheORAclepage2
President’s Message
BarbaraLow
Barbaraenjoysreadingmanydifferenttypesofliterature–mysteries,historicalnon-ficAon,andsomefantasy.She
enjoysquilAng,cooking,andgardening.ShelovestospendAmewithfamilyandfriends.Beingagrandmotherisa
highlightandshespendsasmuchAmeaspossiblewithhergrandchildren.SheisaTitleICoordinatorintheMedford
SchoolDistrictandhastaughtfor38years.
Apprecia;onandInspira;on
Wow!WherehastheImegone?ItseemslikewejuststartedtheschoolyearandnowitisnearlyImeforour
WinterInsItute.
ThisistheImeofyearwhenwetypicallyneedaboostinourteaching.WehavebeenworkingsohardatgeRngthe
yearstarted—geRngtoknowourstudentsandtheirparents—compleIngstudentconferences—providing
intervenIonsforourstudentswhoarestruggling—acceleraIngourstudentswhoneedtomovefurtherinthe
contentareas—planningourlessonsforourcorestudents—inotherwords,differenIaIng.Butwait,wealsoare
addressingourstudents’emoIonalneeds—providingsupportforthosestudentswithbehavioralissues—
maintainingasafeandwelcomingatmosphereforourstudents...
Oh,Ialmostforgot—wealsohaveourownfamiliestotakecareofandnurture!
NowonderwemayneedaboostatthisAmeofyear!!
ORAhasagreatopportunityforyouandyourcolleagues.TheORAWinterInsItutewillbeFebruary10&11atthe
SheratonPortlandAirportHotel.OurkeynotespeakersareEllinOliverKeeneandCrisTovanionFriday,February
10th.EllinOliverKeeneistheauthorofMosaicofThoughtandTalkAboutUnderstanding.CrisTovaniauthored
ThoughQulReadingandIReadIt,ButIDon’tGetIt.BothofthesedynamicspeakerscomewithawealthofpracIcal
knowledgebackedbymeaningfulresearch.
OnSaturday,February11th,wearefeaturingsmallgroupsessionsinthefollowingstrands—EarlyLiteracy,Struggling
Readers,SecondaryReading,TechnologyintheClassroom,andSTEAM.Wehavesomegreatspeakerslinedupfor
thesepresentaIons.
TheORAWinterInsItuteisaterrificopportunitytogiveyouaboostandrejuvenateyouandyourteaching.Please
joinusinPortlandthisyearandparIcipateinthisinspiringevent.
Ialsowanttotakeaminutetothankyouforallyourhardworkwithyourstudents,theirparents,yourcommunity,
andyourstaff.TakeaminuteandremembertheposiIvethingsthatyouhavehelpedtobringabout.SomeImeswe
getfocusedonthethingsthatsIllneedtobedoneandweforgetwhatwehavealreadyaccomplished.Your
studentsareveryfortunatetohaveyouastheirteacher.
Thankyou
Barbara Low
ORAPresident
TheORAcle
page3
ORA Professional Development
Registra;onInfoatoregonread.org/winterins;tute/
The Winter Institute
February 10 & 11, 2017
Sheraton Airport Hotel
8235 NE Airport Way
Portland, Oregon
503-281-2500
Friday, February 10
Spend the Day with a National Consultant
Ellin Oliver Keene or Cris Tovani
Meet Ellin Oliver Keene
Meet Cris Tovani
K-6 Presentation
6-12 Presentation
ALL IN: The Role of
Engagement in Comprehension
DO OVERS & 2ND CHANCES:
Helping Students to Revisit and
Revise Their Reading and Writing
Participants will:
• Discuss up-to-date tactics for teaching
reading comprehension.
• Explore ways to help students deepen and
extend comprehension of text and content
area material.
• Learn to help students engage more
completely in reading and learning.
During this session, Cris Tovani will
share how she uses literacy strategies,
learning targets, matched assessments
and feedback to help students re-enter
their work to produce better products.
Saturday, February 11
20 Small Group Presentations - Turning Theory into Meaningful Practice
TheORAcle
page4
ORA Professional Development
FallIns;tute
Stephanie Harvey—isms
Teacher, author, and educational consultant Stephanie Harvey presented Reading is Thinking
at ORA’s Fall Institute on November 4, 2016.
Develop a
classroom
culture where
students are not
afraid of being
wrong. Build in daily
opportunities for
kids to interact. Support the
brain with 45/15.
45 minutes of
work, 15 minutes
of relaxation.
Model
your own curiosity.
Make thinking
audible and
visible. Comprehension
evolves while we
are reading.
Students need frequent
models of reading
strategies and time to
practice.
The more
they read
the better
they read. Celebrate the
questioning and
the learning
rather than the
knowing. The first reading
strategy is
always monitor. Interactions lead
to learning and
understanding. More Stephanie Harvey wisdom at http://www.stephanieharvey.com
Inquiry is a
way of life. Information is
turned into
knowledge
through
thinking. The more we
learn the more
we wonder.
TheORAclepage5
International Literacy Association
Annual Conference
July 15–17, 2017
Orlando, Florida
Plan today to attend this premier event.
https://www.literacyworldwide.org/about-us/news-events/ila-conference-exhibits
Stay Connected with Literacy Daily
http://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog
Recent Topics
Beyond Audio Books: Using Audio to Support Literacy Learning
Helping students to show their learning through voice recordings and using voice recordings to assess
student learning. http://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-daily/2016/11/25/beyond-the-audiobook-using-audio-to-support-literacy-learning
Digi-Versifying Our Concept of “What Good Readers Do”
Expanding our awareness of the way readers read different platforms.
2016/11/11/digi-versifying-our-conceptions-of-what-good-readers-do
http://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-daily/
TheORAcle
page6
Local Council News
CapitalReadingCouncil
ByHeatherAnderson
WhathasCapitalCouncilbeenupto...
CapitalCouncilhashadabusystarttotheyearwiththe
elecIonofsomenewmemberstoourboard.We
welcomedHeatherAndersonandMelanieMcCarleyas
co-presidentsaswellasTerriHethornastreasurer,and
MickieFrenchassecretary.Weareexcitedtohavesome
newmembersjoiningtheteamandarelookingforward
tosomefantasIceventsthisyear.
InOctober,CapitalCouncilhostedaGallagherbook
presentaIonwherethisyear’sbooksweresharedwitha
groupofteacherseagertogetthebooksinhandtoread
totheirstudents.TheGallagherbooksthisyeararea
greatsetgearedtowardavarietyofaudiences.
ComingupinDecember,wewillbesharingourloveof
bookswiththeDallascommunityatanannualbazaar.
Ourlocalcouncil,incoordinaIonwithDallasPublic
Library,willbehandingoutfreebooksandlibrarycards
tofamiliesthatabendthebazaar.Parentswillalso
receivematerialsshowcasingtheimportanceofreading
athome.
AstheyearconInuesweare
lookingforwardtopartneringwith
otheragenciestosharewith
adultsandchildrenaloveof
reading.
hbps://www.facebook.com/Capital-ReadingCouncil-194115347316767/
EmeraldEmpireReadingCouncil
ByLynnWoodworth
TheEmeraldEmpireReadingCouncilisofftoabusyyear
fullofpromise,opportunity,andallthatwecanmakeit!
Manychangeshavetakenplaceinourcouncil.Wehave
cutbackthenumberofworkshopsfortheyear.In
SeptemberMickieFrenchcamefromDallastopresent
thePatriciaGallagherbooknomineesfortheyear.Itwas
agreatpresentaIonwithImefortheaudienceto
brainstormmorewaystoincorporatethebooksinto
EmeraldEmpireReadingCouncil(conAnued)
theirclassroomwithpurposefulacIviIes.InOctober
PaulBodinfromtheUOPhilosophyDepartmentledus
throughaconversaIonandmodelingofhowto
implementphilosophical
inquirydiscussionsinresponse
toreadinganengagingbook.
Thistypeofdiscoursecanbe
usedwithsecondgrade
throughfijhgrade.He
promoteddiscussionsthatgo
beyondjustsharingideas.With
bothworkshopsabendeeslej
withnewideas,bookItlestouse,andhandoutsto
refertoastheyplannedtheirownlessons.
TomakeabeberconnecIonwithourmemberswe
previouslyestablishedambassadorsinthe4JSchool
District.Wearenowworkingtoexpandthisideato
otherschooldistrictsinthearea.Weplantospotlight
theseambassadorsthroughouttheyearanddefine
theirrolemoreclearlyastheyearprogresses.Itisan
exciIngideathatoffersthepossibilityofgrowingand
strengtheningourcouncil.Wewillkeepyoupostedon
thisendeavor.
Wearemovingforwardwith
ournewserviceprojectof
geRngbooksintothehandsof
childreninthecommunity.Last
yearwegaveawaybooksto
theWalk-InClinic,thedoctors’
officewaiIngarea,andthe
emergencyroominFlorence.Thisyearwearetaking
thatideatoourlaundromats.Wehaveselectedthree
sitestostartourproject.Withthepermissionofthe
owners,atubofbooksforavarietyofageswillbe
placedintheselocaIonsforchildrentoreadwhilethey
arewaiIngfortheirclothestogetclean.Thesebooks
willbeavailabletoborrowortakehome,thereforewe
willbecheckingintokeepthesetubsfull.Ourgoalisto
reachouttochildrenwhomissotheropportuniIesto
getbooks.
hbp://www.literacylane.org/
hbps://www.facebook.com/Emerald-Empire-Council-of-the-OregonReading-AssociaIon-EERC-133152256757874/
TheORAclepage7
Local Council News
Mid-ValleyReadingCouncil
ByAnnaMoser
Ourcouncilisfortunatetohaveastronggroupof
leaderswhohavebeenworkingtogetherforMid-Valley
Councilforquiteawhile.Thisfallwehavebeenjoined
bynewmemberswhoarebecominginvolvedinour
acIviIes,andwearelookingforwardtotherestofthe
schoolyearbeingenrichedbytheirinvolvementinour
futureevents.
OurfirsteventwasatGrassRootsBookstoreinCorvallis.
Severalboardmembersandthestore’schildren’sbook
buyerpresentedbooks,andenjoyedsnacksanda
discountastheybrowsedandpurchasedbooksforthe
comingyear.Manyofthebookspresentedwere
Teachers’Choiceswinnersfrom2016ornomineesfor
the2017award.
OurTeachersasReadersgroupisbusyreadingand
reviewingbooksfortheTeachers’ChoicesAward.Kim
FairbankshostsmeeIngsaboutonceamonthather
homewherememberscanselectbookstoreadand
review.Shehasreceivedabout650Itles,eachneeding
tobereviewedsixImes;somanyofushavebeenbusy!
Mypersonalpushhasalwaysbeenthatweneedto
remembertoaddressthoseofuswhoteachmiddleand
highschoolstudents.Ifyouworkwitholderstudents,
hereareafewTeachers’ChoicesbooksthatIhaveread
thatIwillgetformyclassroomorwillaskourschool
librariantopurchase.
• SalttotheSeabyRutaSepetys—Storyaboutthe
biggestmariImedisasterinhistory,whichmanyofus
haveneverheardabout.Toldfrom
thepointofviewoffouryoung
adults,ittellshowtheGermans
weretryingtogetpeopletosafety
attheendofWorldWarII,with
morethan9,000peopleona
cruiseshipmeanttoholdabout
2,000.ARussiansubmarinesankit
andmorethan8,000died.The
authordidextensiveresearchand
itisawell-toldstory.
Mid-ValleyReadingCouncil(conAnued)
•AStormTooSoonbyMichaelJ.
Tougias—Truestoryaboutthree
menwhoweresailingfrom
FloridatoFrancein2007ina
sailboatandwerecaughtinan
unexpectedstormabout250
milesoffthecoastofNorth
Carolina.VeryvividdescripIonof
theirImeintheirboat,intheir
liferaj,ajertheirboatsank,and
theirrescuebytheCoastGuard
in80-footwavesandextremelywindycondiIons.
•TheBoyattheTopoftheMountainbyJohnBoyne—
StoryaboutayoungboylivingwithhisFrenchmother
andGermanfatherinParis.His
dadissufferingwithmental
issuesajerbeinginWWIand
leavesandhismomdiesof
tuberculosis.Theyoungboy
livesinanorphanageunIlheis
senttolivewithanauntina
mansionontopofamountain.
Hisauntisahousekeeperfor
Hitlerinthiscountryhome.The
storyexplainshowHitlerand
theNaziswereabletoconvince
youngpeopleinGermanythat
theNaziwaywastheonlyrightwaytolive.
Ournexteventwas“Writer’sWorkshop:Cultureand
Climate,”presentedbyDianthaMollahan.Weenjoyed
appeIzersinthebeauIfullydecoratedsurroundingsat
theChildren’sFarmHome.Dianthaprovideduswith
hands-onideas.
ThispopularDecembereventbrought2016toaclose
forourcouncil.Welookforwardtoarelaxingholiday
breakandthenbeginning2017withmorereadingand
reviewing,andabendingtheORAWinterInsItutein
February.
hbps://midvalleyreadingcouncil.wordpress.com/
TheORAclepage8
Local Council News
MountainValleysReadingCouncil
ByDebbieMills
ThecityofLaGrandeoffersasafeandinclusive
HalloweentrickortreaIngeventeachyearfrom4–6
p.m.Themainstreetisclosedoff,andbusinessesnot
locatedonthemainstreet
setupboothsalongthe
vacatedblocks.Familiesand
trickortreatersofallages
abend,makingthiswell
abendedeventanexcellent
opportunitytopromote
literacy.MountainValley
ReadingCounciloffered
informaIonandtreatsat
twolocaIonsalongthe
route.InaddiIontocandy,familiesweregivenflyers
explainingthevalueofreadingto
children.Classroomteachersand
readingspecialistsdonatedtheir
Imetomeetandgreetlocal
families.
LocalmembersofMountainValley
ReadingCouncilfromIslandCity
Elementaryincludedclassroom
teachersKimberlyGarcia,Emily
Manley,andSophiaWright.LocalReadingSpecialist
SophiaThompsonalsodonatedherImeforthis
importantevent.
hbps://mountainvalleys.wordpress.com
PortlandReadingCouncil
ByJulieOwensandPennyPlavala
Ourcouncilsupportstheeffortsofourfutureeducators
byprovidinga$500LiteracyEducatorScholarship.
Eligiblestudentsarecurrentlyenrolledinateacher
educaIonprogramatanaccrediteduniversityorcollege
inourcouncilregionasajunior,senior,orgraduate
student,pursuingadegree,cerIficateorendorsement
inthefieldofeducaIonwithafocusonliteracy.
CandidatesmustexemplifythecharacterisIcsof
knowledge,professionalismandleadershipcombined
withadedicaIontopromoInglifelongliteracy.Our
PortlandReadingCouncil(conAnued)
boardreviewstheapplicaIonsinDecemberandselects
thescholarshiprecipient.
2015scholarshiprecipientSarahWileystates,“The
supportandprogramsofthePortlandReadingCouncil
havehelpedmeshapemyunderstandingofliteracy.I
abendedtheDyslexia101traininglastyearandfoundit
tobeaneye-openingintroducIontodyslexia.
Furthermore,theprocessofapplyingforthescholarship
helpedmetodefinemystrengthsandgoalsinliteracy—
goalswhichIconInuetoworktowardinmyfirstyearof
teachingasafijhgradeteacherinaduallanguage
classroom.”
DuringthefallandwinterPCIRAwillconInuetooffer
opportuniIesandbenefitsforourmembership:
- ProvidebooksetsofthenominatedItlesforthe
PatriciaGallagherChildren’sChoicePictureBook
Award.
- SupportTeachersasReadersBookGroupswith$100
sIpendandopIonforPSUgraduatecredit.
- SendLiteracyShout-Outstoeducatorsdoinggreat
work.
- PostteachinginspiraIonsandeventsonFacebook
pageandmembers-onlylistserv.
Learnmoreat:www.portlandreadingcouncil.org
RogueValleyReadingCouncil
ByGretchenHamilton
TheRogueValleyReadingCouncilhastwomain
acIviIesthiswinter.WeareconInuingourSTAR
(SouthernTeachersasReaders)programusingbooks
frombothWinterInsItutespeakers.Ourprimarystudy
(conAnuedonpage9)
TheORAclepage9
Local Council News
RogueValleyReadingCouncil(conAnued)
ThreeSistersReadingCouncil(conAnued)
willbeCrisTovani’sSoWhatDoTheyReallyKnow,and
includeselecIonsfromEllinOliverKeene’sTalkAbout
Understanding.WearemeeIngonceamonththrough
February.
Hawkinsforhercrajidea.Weappreciatedourspecial
guest,andORAmentor,ReneDernbach.Sheproduceda
bookletofpoemsandfactsforustousewiththisyear’s
books.Tenteachers,fromasfarnorthastheBigMuddy
SchoolandsouthtoBend,havesigneduptoparIcipate
inthisyear’schildren’sbookaward.Weareallexcitedto
seeifourfavoritebookwins.
OurotherwinteracIvityisa
Barnes&NobleBookfairwhich
washeldonSaturday,December
3rd.Wehadtablesinthe
children’ssecIonwherechildren
andadultscouldcolorbookmarksusingwinterand
ChristmasthemesorwriteleberstoSanta.Cookiesand
conversaIonwereprovided.RVRCreceiveda
percentageofthecostofthebooksthatwerebought
byparIcipants.Wehavedonethisforaboutfiveyears
nowandhaveusedthefundstopurchasegijcardsas
prizesforourmembers.
hbps://www.facebook.com/groups/readingrogues/
ThreeSistersReadingCouncil
ByDawnAlexanderandMaryHawes
ThreeSistersReadingCouncilhadagrandImevisiIng
PaulinaSpringsBooks,in
Sisters,onOctober6th.
CynthiaClaridge,aformer
teacherinRedmondandcoownerofthebookstore,
sharedawonderfulselecIon
ofnewchildren'sliterature.
Shehadjustreturnedfroma
convenIonandhadnews
aboutafewupcomingItles.
Weenjoyedagreat
assortmentofmunchiesandbeveragesduringthisfun
eveningoftalkingaboutandshoppingforbooks.
Goodbooks,gooddiscussions,andgoodfood.Three
SistersReadingCouncilmembersfromBend,Redmond,
andMadrasmetonTuesday,November1stforthe
annualPatriciaGallagherBookAwardpresentaIon.We
sharedthereadingofthenominatedPatriciaGallagher
booksanddiscussedteachingacIviIestousewiththe
books.ManythankstoMickieFrenchforherPowerPoint
slidesofthebooksandteachingideasandJackie
hbps://www.facebook.com/3sistersreading/info?tab=page_info
UmpquaReadingCouncil
ByGailJackson-Francis
UmpquaReadingCouncilisworkingongeRngreadyfor
ourbookexchangethatwilltakeplaceattheDouglas
CountyFairgroundsonFebruary25,2017.Wehopeto
haveover600bookstoexchange.Thisisjustoneofthe
acIviIesthatAltrusaInternaIonalcosponsorswithURC
forourannualtwo-weekCelebraAonofLiteracy.The
BableoftheBooksisthefinaleventonMarch4th.
Ourtreasurer,CarolSherwood,ispurchasingboard
booksandbooksforinfantswithgrantmoneyfromthe
RoseburgElks.Carolisworkingwithpregnantandyoung
motherswhohaveinfants.Thebookswillbegivento
thenewmotherssotheycanreadtotheirchildrenright
fromthestart.Theprogramalsoprovidesbabysupplies,
plusparenIngsupportthroughachurchprogram.
OurupcomingplansaretohaveapotluckChristmas
dinneratCarol’shousefor
ourDecembermeeIng
wherememberswillbringa
booktoexchangeon
December12th.
Ournewestmember,Kathleen
Walton,hascoordinatedwiththeRoseburgSchool
Districtforustoprovideprofessionaldevelopmenttoall
thenewteachersonDialogicReadingonFebruary6,
2017.Thinkingoutsidethebox,wetriedtocomeup
withanewwaytoconnectwithteachersandaretaking
ourshowontheroad!
hbps://gjacksonfrancis.wordpress.com
TheORAcle
page10
Local Council Focus
PortlandReadingCouncilSupportsLocalCollegeStudents
ByJulieOwens,PCIRACo-President
AssociateProfessor,ConcordiaUniversity
ThePortlandReadingCouncilhasfocusedintentlyonrecruiIngcollegestudentsthisschoolyear.Werecently
partneredwiththeCollegeofEducaIonatConcordiaUniversitytoprovidestudentswiththeopportunitytoabenda
lowcost,highqualityprofessionaldevelopmentevent:Dyslexia101.ThispartnershipconInuesConcordia’seffortsto
provideteachercandidateswithaccesstoinformaIonondyslexiainsupportofHB2412.
PresenterBarbaraSteinbergfromPDXReadingSpecialistprovidedanengaging
sessionthatincludedanoverviewoftheneurologicalbasisofdyslexia,thecommon
symptoms,andstrategiestosupportstudents.
Theeventprovedsuccessfulwith55abendeesincluding30collegestudents,10
schoolofeducaIonfacultyrepresenIngeightschools,and15classroomteachers.
RegistraIonfeesincludedmembershipinthePortlandReadingCouncilandthe
OregonReadingAssociaIon.
ConcordiaMastersofArtsinTeachingcandidateJanisCampbellreflectedonherexperience.
“IabendedtheDyslexia101workshopasbothanMATgraduateschoolstudentandasamomtoa
fijhgraderwhohasreadingdifficulIes.IfoundittobeaninformaIveoverviewofwhatdyslexiais
andsomeoftheindicatorstolookfor.Itopenedmyeyestotheideaofdyslexiabeingsomething
thatexistsonaspectrumandgavemeaclearerunderstandingofthislearningdifference.Ihope
otherteachersinthefieldareopentolearningmoreaboutdyslexiaasIthinkitcouldreallyinform
teachingpracIcesandbebersupportstudentlearning.
“Severalthingsstoodouttomeasnoteworthy.FirstistheconceptofbeingfluentwithautomaIcity,orminimal
processing.Itisaprebysimpleconceptthatisnotnewtome,butitmakesalotmoresensewhenyoudigintowhyit
ishappening.Forexample,Iknewaboutsightwordsandhowknowingthosehelpfluency,buttheideaoftherealso
beingsightsoundswassomethingIhadnotconsidered.Itreallymakessensethatinordertoquicklydecode,wealso
storesoundcombinaIonsinourbrains.Decodingandre-decodingissomethingIseefrequentlywhenmysonis
readingaloud.
“Ireallyappreciatedthehands-onexercisewithunderstood.orgasaresourceandtooltohelpmebeberunderstand
dyslexia.ThesimulaIonswereaverypowerfulwaytodemonstratethedyslexiaexperience.Asafutureteacher,the
workshophasinspiredmetofurtherexplorehowIcanuIlizetechnologyandappstodifferenIateinstrucIon.Infact,
IdecidedtopursuedyslexiaasthefocusareaformyappresearchinmyWholeChildandLearningClasswithDr.Julie
Owens.ThesamplesgivenintheworkshopwereanexcellentstarIngpointforme.”
DuetoposiIvefeedbackfromJanisandotherparIcipantsandtheneedtoconInuesupporIngcollegestudents,the
PortlandReadingCouncilisconsideringco-hosInganaddiIonaleventthisyear:Instruc/onalStrategiesforDyslexic
Learners.
TheORAcle
page11
ResearchandStudies
CarolLauritzen
Carol Lauritzen is a “mostly-reAred” teacher of teachers of literacy. She is acAve in the Mountain Valleys Reading
Council, currently serves as ORA’s vice-president, and enjoys interacAng with readers as they use the lible lending
libraryinherfrontyard.
CloseReading
ByCarolLauritzenandJenniferCornelius
ThiscolumnprovidessomebackgroundandcurrentinformaIonabouttheresearchthatisrelevanttoclosereading.Close
readingwasanunknownconcepttomostteachersunIltheimplementaIonoftheCommonCoreStateStandards.These
standards,andparIcularlytheirrequirementfortextcomplexity,havealteredinstrucIonalpracIcesinK-12classrooms.
ThedefiniIonofclosereadingvariesslightlydependingonthesourcebutgenerallyincludescommonaspects.Closereading
involvesexaminaIonofthesametextmulIpleImesinordertoanalyzeitdeeplyformeaning,contextandeffect(Fisher&
Frey,2014;Boyles,2013).Whiletherearenoprecisestepstofollow,closereadingincludesrepeatedreadingsofshort
complextexts,classroomdiscussion,makingannotaIons,andansweringtext-dependentquesIons.Studentsareojen
requiredtoprovidespecificevidencefromthetextfortheiranswersandsomeImesproduceawribenproductasafollowuptotheirreading(Jones,Chang,Heritage&Tobiason,2014).“Thegoalofclosereadingistoenablestudentstodeeply
engagewithchallengingandhighqualitytext.Eventually,throughclosereading,studentswillbeabletoreadincreasingly
complextextindependently,relyingonlyonwhattheauthorprovidesinthetexttosupporttheircomprehensionand
evaluaIonofthetext”(Jones,etal.,2014).
Akeypointinthisquoteisthephrase“relyingonlyonwhattheauthorprovidesinthetext”.Thisviewoftextanalysisarose
intheearly1900sasNewCriIcism.Thisapproachrequiresreaderstofocussolelyonthetextwhenmakingan
interpretaIon.NewCriIcismisbasedonthebeliefthattheexactwordsfoundintheworkofliteraturedetermineits
meaning.NewCriIcsclaimthatcarefulexaminaIonofbothtextandstructure,including
languageandliterarydevicestheauthoremploys,willyieldthemeaning.NewCriIcism
holdsthatthereisone“correct”meaningofaliterarytextandthatoutsidefactorsarenot
relevant.Readerresponsetheory,basedlargelyonRosenblab’stransacIonalviewof
reading,holdstheviewthatwhatthereaderbringstothetextcannotbediscounted
(Rosenblab,1938;Rosenblab,1978).InthetransacIonalview,eachreaderrelatestothe
textdifferentlyandconstructsmeaningthatisnotsolelybasedinthetext(Serafini,2013).
Historically,NewCriIcismhasbeenpracIcedmainlyatcollegeandhighschoollevels
(Fisher&Frey,2012).(ForamorecompleteexplanaIonofNewCriIcismandreaderresponsetheoryreadHinchman&Moore,2013).
PARCC,theorganizaIoninaddiIontoSmarterBalancedthatsupportsCCSS,stated:“Asignificantbodyofresearchlinksthe
closereadingofcomplextext—whetherthestudentisastrugglingreaderoradvanced—tosignificantgainsinreading
proficiency”(2011,p.7).Thisstatementisfootnotedwitheightreferences.Areadingofeachofthesereferencesrevealed
thatnoneofthemwereresearchstudiesofclosereading.AstatementbyAchieveTheCore(undated)inanimplementaIon
guideforthestandardspresentstheresearchbasedifferently:“BecauseclosereadingwasnotawidelypracIcedmethod
priortotheadopIonoftheStandards,ithasnotbeenstudieddirectlythroughrigorousacademicresearch.Atthesame
Imetheclosereadingmethodisbasedonseveralkeycomponents,eachofwhichhasastrongresearchbase.”The
componentsarelistedasvocabulary,syntax,fluency,pracIcewithcomplextextandstandardofcoherence.Eachofthese
componentsdoeshaveatleastoneresearchstudylistedintheimplementaIonguide.Hinchman&Moore(2013)found
(conAnuedonpage12)
TheORAcle
page12
ResearchandStudies
(conAnuedfrompage11)
thatclosereadinghasn’tbeenincludedinanyoftherecentsynthesesofliteracyresearchandstate“wehavebeenunableto
locateindividualempiricalstudiesthatovertlyinvesIgateitsusewithyouths”(p.443).
SincetheadopIonofCCSSandtheimplementaIonofclosereading,somestudieshavebeenconducted,althoughonlyone
directlyinvesIgatestheeffectsofclosereading.ThisstudybyFisher&Frey(2014)comparedanexperimentalgroupthat
receivedeightmonthsofinstrucIoninclosereadingtoacontrolgroupthatreceivedanequalamountofinstrucIoninan
exisIngintervenIonprogram.These7thand8thgradestudentswereconsideredbeloworfarbelowbasiclevelofreading
ability.Thestudyfoundthatthoseintheclosereadingclassroomshadbeberabendance,developedhigherself-percepIons
asreaders,andperformedsignificantlyhigheronachievementtestsattheendoftheyear.Theseresultsfavoredtheclose
readinginstrucIonovertheotherintervenIonprograminallareasthatweremeasured.Thisappearstobetheonly
experimentalstudythatdirectlyexaminestheeffectsofclosereading.AnethnographicstudybyHasty&Fain(2014)found
thatclosereadingwascompaIblewithacriIcalliteracyapproachforEnglishlanguagelearnersreadingglobaland
informaIonaltexts.Noachievementdatawerereported.Thethirdstudyfoundwasanother
byFisherandFrey(2012)inwhichtheyobservedsecondaryteachersusingaclosereading
approach,adaptedtheapproachforelementary,andthenobservedandcoached
elementaryteachersininstrucIonusingclosereading.
ThebasicconclusionisthatclosereadingwasincludedinCCSSduetoaphilosophical
perspecIve,ratherthanbasedonaresearchedpracIce.OnlynowthatCCSSrequires
instrucIoninclosereadinghasanydatabeencollectedandthatislimitedtoonestudy.
Fisher&Frey(2012)statethatthepurposesofclosereadingareto“affordstudentswiththe
opportunitytoassimilatenewtextualinformaIon”and“tobuildthenecessaryhabitsof
readerswhentheyengagewithacomplexpieceoftext”(p.179).Withalmostnodataavailable,itisnotpossibleatthisIme
todetermineifclosereadingcanachievethesepurposes.
References
AchievetheCore.(undated).ImplementaAon–TheRoleofCloseReading.Retrievedfromhbp://achievethecore.org/page/2665/
implementaIon-the-role-of-close-readingNovember16,2016.
Boyles,N.(2013).Closinginonclosereading.EducaAonalLeadership,70(4),36-41.
Fisher,D.&Frey,N.(2012).Closereadinginelementaryschools.TheReadingTeacher,(66)3,179-188.
Fisher,D.&Frey,N.(2014).ClosereadingasanintervenIonforstrugglingmiddleschoolreaders.JournalofAdolescent&AdultLiteracy,
(57)5,367-376.
Hasty,M.M.,&Fain,J.G.(2014).Emergentunderstandings:MulIlingualfourthgradestudentsgeneraIngclosereadingsandmulImodal
responsestoglobalandinformaIonaltexts.PerspecAvesonUrbanEducaAon,11(2),10-20.
Hinchman,K.A.,&Moore,D.W.(2013).Closereading:AcauIonaryinterpretaIon.JournalofAdolescentandAdultLiteracy,56(6),
441-450.(Canbeobtainedbygoingtoscholar.google.comandentering“‘closereading’researchHinchman”inthesearchbox.)
Jones,B.,Chang,S.,Heritage,M.,&Tobiason,G.(2014).SupporAngstudentsinclosereading.Fromthecommoncorestatestandardsto
teachingintheclassroom:Aseriesofresourcesforteachers.NaIonalCenterforResearchonEvaluaIon,Standards,andStudent
TesIng.LosAngeles:TheRegentsoftheUniversityofCalifornia.
PartnershipforAssessmentofReadinessforCollegeandCareers.(2011).StructureofthemodelcontentframeworksforELA/literacy
grades3–11.Retrievedfromhbp://www.parcconline.org/search?q=Structure+of+the+model+content+frameworks+for+ELA
%2Fliteracy+grades+3–11&SearchNovember16,2016.
Rosenblab,L.(1938).LiteratureasExploraAon.LiteratureasExploraIon.NewYork:Appleton-Century.
Rosenblab,L.(1978).TheReader,TheText,ThePoem:TheTransacAonalTheoryoftheLiteraryWork,Carbondale,IL:SouthernIllinois
UniversityPress.
Serafini,F.(2013).Closereadingsandchildren’sliterature.ReadingTeacher,67(4),299-301.
TheORAcle
page13
LiteratureConnecIon
ShariFurtwangler
ShariFurtwanglerrecentlyreAredasprincipalofTwoRivers-DosRiosElementarySchoolinSpringfield,Oregon.She
hasbeeninvolvedwiththeOregonReadingAssociaAonforthepast25yearsasamember,andatoneAmeasa
councilofficer.Currentlyshereviewschildren’sliteratureandspendsAmewiththreeamazinggrandchildren.
OnewouldthinkthatI’dhavetonsofImetoreadnowthat
IamnotafullImeprincipal.Itisfunnyhowfolkshave
thingstofillupyour“free”Imeoncetheyfindoutyouhave
reIred!IdosIllfindImetoread,butneverenough;which
isn’tmuchdifferentthanithaseverbeen!
Thereare,asalwaysitseems,somegreat
booksbeingreleasedforkids.Idon’tojen
noIce‘great’poetrybooks,butthereare
acouplethatIhavereallyenjoyed.Wet
Cement:AMixofConcretePoemsbyBob
Raczka,publishedbyRoaringBrookPress,
isonesuchcollecIon.Ifyouareunfamiliar
with‘concrete’poems,theyarewribento
illustratetheideastheydescribe.The
concretepoemsinthiscollecIonarewonderfulmodelsfor
studentswhoshowaninterestinwriIngconcretepoems.
Withsubjectssuchasdominoes,icicles,
sunset,andlightning,thesearefunand
certainly‘doable’byelementary
students.Theotherpoetrybook,When
GreenBecomesTomatoes:PoemsforAll
SeasonsbyJulieFogliano,alsopublished
byRoaringBrookPress,doesagreatjob
ofnotonlyaddressingthefourseasons,
starIngwithspring,buthaspoemsfor
specificdaysineachmonth,ofeach
season.Eachseasonisaddressedandthereisaspecific
poemforthefirstdayofeachseasonchange.InteresIngly,
theenIrebook,Itlesandpoetryarewribeninlowercase
textandtradiIonalholidaysarenotaddressed!Thebook
offersagreatwaytoexploreseasonsthroughoutthethree
monthsofeachseason.
Severalyearsago,Craig,Juliana,andIsabellaHatkoffwrote
aseriesofnonficIonbooksforchildren,beginningwith
OwenandMzee.I,forone,wasdisappointedthepastfew
yearswhentheydidnotpublishanewbookintheirseries.
Astextheavyasthebookshavebeen,evenfirstgraders
haveabsolutelylovedthesebeauIfulnonficIonbooks.I
wasthrilledthisyeartoreceivetheirnewestpublicaIon,
Cecil’sPride:TheTrueStoryofaLionKingtoldbyCraig
Hatkoff,JulianaHatkoff,andIsabellaHatkoff,publishedby
ScholasIcPress.ManypeopleheardofCeciltheLionwhen
adenIstonahunIngexpediIoninZimbabwekilledhim.
Thisbook,detailsthelifeofCecil,a“real”lionking,inaway
thatisparIcularlyappealingtochildren.Infact,twoofthe
authors,JulianaandIsabellaarethedaughtersofCraig
Hatkoff.Thisfactisagreatthingtosharewithstudents,
especiallythosewhomaybe
aspiringwriters!Oneofthe
thingsthatIfindmostappealing
aboutthisnewbookisthatitis
lesstextheavythantheearlier
Itles,makingitmoreaccessible
foryoungerreaders.
InaVillagebytheSea,wribenbyMuonVanandpublished
byCrestonBooksLLC,isremarkableforanumberof
reasons.Thestory,whichisoneIcalla“progressive”story
beginswith,“Inafishingvillagebytheseathereisasmall
house”.Thereaderthenentersthehouse,thenthekitchen,
toadustyhole,eachareawith
specificdetailsthatarebeauIfully
illustratedbyAprilChu.Asthestory
progresses,thereadergoesdeeper
anddeeperintothehouseunIlit
circlesbackaroundtoavillageby
thesea.Theauthor,MuonVan,born
inVietnam,wasapartofthe“boat
people”massexodus.She
immigratedtotheUnitedStatesfromHongKongandhas
livedbothinGalvestonandHonolulu.Thisbookprovides
notjustabeauIfulstory,butwithabitofresearch,could
shareinsightsfromrecenthistoryandgeographyanda
differentcultureaswell.
Ihavealovefor“wordless”books.A
newwordless(oralmostwordless)
book,Fish,byLiamFrancisWalsh
andpublishedbyRoaringBrook
Press,hasbeenadelight.Donein
mostlyblue,black,andwhite
illustraIons,thestoryfeaturesa
youngboyandhisdogfishingina
rowboat.Whilefishing,theypullupredlebers(theythrow
back‘Q’)andgetcaughtbyan‘H’thatdragstheboyunder
thewater.Whilecatchingthe‘H’,(conAnuedonpage14)
TheORAclepage14
LiteratureConnec;on
(conAnuedfrompage13)
therearesomeunexpectedstorms,butintheend,allends
well...withabitofasurprise!
Ihavealwaysbelievedthatwehaveto“understandthebig
pictureinordertoseewhatyousIllhavetolearn”.PloPed:
ALiteraryAtlasbyAndrewDeGraff,publishedbyPulp,
providesjustsuchacontextforsome
wellknownpiecesofliterature.WhileI
supportusingourimaginaIontocreate
theseRngandcharactersinwhatwe
read,themapscreatedinthisbookhelp
tounravelsomemorecomplicated
texts.DeGrafexploresnineteenItles
rangingfromTheVoyageofOdysseusto
HuckleberryFinntoAWrinkleinTime.
ThereisabriefsynopsisandhistoryforeachItle,thena
twoormorepagespreadthatshowsthe‘travels’andscenes
oftheplotandmajorcharacters.Ifoundthisbook
fascinaIngandbelieveitwouldbefuntochallengestudents
tocreatesimilarmapsforworkstheyread.
Myageisshowing,butIhavealwayslovedtheworkofEzra
JackKeats.IwasdelightedtofindA
PoemforPeter:TheStoryofEzraJack
KeatsandtheCrea/onofTheSnowy
DaybyAndreaDavisPinkney,
publishedbyViking.Thelyricaltext
describesthecreaIonofKeats’book,a
Caldecobwinnerandthefirst
“mainstream”booktofeaturean
African-Americanchild.Keats’later
bookswentontofeaturePeter,themaincharacterofThe
SnowyDay,andotherchildrenofhisandKeats’
neighborhood.WhileIdorealizethebooksaresomewhat
dated(orsoIamtoldbysomeoftheyoungerteachersI
know),thiswouldbeagreatintroducIontoEzraJackKeats
aswellasanintroducIontoadiverseneighborhoodin
Brooklyn.Iencourageeachreadertogiveitachance!
AsItransiIonedfrommyofficelibrarytomyhomelibrary,I
hadtotrimdownmyownpersonallibrary.WhatIamlej
witharethreedifferentcollecIons;booksthatIfindIam
constantlydrawnto.IconInuetocollectABCbooks,
Wordlessbooksandfracturedfairytales.Mylastbookfor
thisediIonoftheORAcleisinthislabercategory,fractured
fairytales.LiPleRedandtheVeryHungryLionbyAlexT.
Smith,publishedbyScholasIc,isyetanotherrendiIonof
LibleRedRidingHood,withabitofajungletwist.When
AunIeRosiewakesupcoveredinspots,itisLibleRedtothe
rescuewithherspotmedicineinherbasket.LibleRed
makesherwaypastanumberof
interesIngjunglecreaturesbut
whenshesitsdowntorest,the
veryhungrylionappears.He
makesaplanandiswaiIngfor
LibleRedwhenshearrivesat
AunIeRosie’shome.LibleRedisa
clevergirlwhodecidestoteach
thelionalesson(whichIwon’t
sharehere).Withoutgivingtoo
muchawayIwillsharethattheydoalllivehappilyeverajer
andnooneiseaten.
Mywishforyou,dearreader,isthatyouwillfindyour
favoritereadandshareitwithyourstudentssoyoutoomay
know,HappilyEverAjer!
Shari
From The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats
TheORAcle
page15
TeachersasReaders
StephanieHiggins
Stephanie Higgins has taught elementary and middle-school students as a classroom teacher and Title I reading
specialist.ShehasbeenpresidentofherlocalcouncilandoftheOregonReadingAssociaAonandpresentlyservesas
coordinatorforTeachersasReaders.ForinformaAononjoiningaTARgroupinyourcouncil,contactStephanieat
[email protected].
TeachersasReaders(TAR)Groups:
SomethingForEveryone!
MybookclubismeeIngnextweekandthee-mailshavebeenflying.LogisIcs.ConfirmaIonofchapterassignments.Food.But
there’ssomethingelse,too.There’sanundeniableenergybuildingaswesharetheanIcipaIonof“talkingbooks”together.We
areteachersasreaders,andsomeprebysocialonesatthat!WereadacuriousrangeofficIontemperedbyanon-ficIon
selecIonfromImetoIme.Thisgroupwasstartedfijeenyearsagoforthesimplejoyofsharingbooks.
SeveralTeachersasReaders(TAR)groupsenjoysimilarformats,butwhataboutmembersseekingaprofessionaldirecIon?TAR
providesaperfectbackdropforengagingdiscussionsoneverythingfromchildren’sliteratureintheclassroomtoauthorstudies
toagroup-studycenteredonprofessionaldevelopment.AligningaPDchoicewithanupcomingInsItutespeakerisa
parIcularlypowerfulwaytodeepenunderstandingandenhancetheInsItuteexperience.
AddiIonalbenefitsofreadinganddiscussingbookswithinaTARgroupincludetheopportunitytoearngraduatecredit.Your
localuniversitymayofferthisopIonthroughtheir“creditoverlay”programs.Typically,agroupleaderwouldsubmitfor
approvalacourseproposalwhichmightincluderequirementsforseat-Ime,assignedreadings,parIcipaIon,reflecIonpaper,
etc.Oncethegrouphasbeenestablishedandgrantedapproval,membersmeetasusual,pertheiragreementwiththe
university.Checkpolicies,asprogramsmaynotcountgraduatecreditsearnedviathisopIontowardgraduatedegrees.
Inthepastseveralmonths,PortlandReadingCouncilhasrefinedandestablishedacontractwithPortlandStateUniversityfor
councilmembersinterestedinearninggraduatecredit.Groupswithinothercouncilsareencouragedtocontacttheirlocal
universiIeswithinquiriesaboutthecreditoverlayopIon.Ifestablishingapartnershipwithalocaluniversityisofinterestto
you,IammorethanhappytoassistyouinyoureffortstowardpursuingthisopIon.
WhetheryouaresomeonewhoenjoysthebenefitofbroadeningyourreadingwithinagroupseRng,honingyourpracIces
andphilosophythroughthestudyofprofessionalliterature,orearninggraduatecreditviaparIcipaIoninaTARgroup,
TeachersasReadershassomethingforyou!
HappyReading!
Stephanie
[email protected]
Have you met Desiree Kiesel?
Desiree Kiesel is a new ELA Specialist for the Oregon Department of Education.
She introduced herself to ORA at a recent ORA General Board Meeting.
She is eager to serve the teachers of Oregon in helping them to meet the Language Arts
needs of their students.
https://sites.google.com/a/oregonlearning.org/ode-ela-teacher-support/home
TheORAcle
page16
TheSecondayDesk
AngelaLaSn
Angela Laon is a middle school reading teacher in Eastern Oregon with a Masters of EducaAon in
Literacy and Curriculum & Development from Eastern Oregon University. Angela is a proud member of
both ORA and ILA and currently serves as her district 5-12 ELA PLC Chair as well as on two ODE
commibees.ShelovessharinghermiddlelevelArAclesoftheWeekwithteachersacrosstheU.S.andis
constantlyonthelookoutforideasandstrategiestohelpmiddlelevellearnersbuildliteracyskills.
‘TistheSeason...
...forteacherstostartthinkingaboutstateassessmentsandwriIngperformancetasks.Likeitornot,weallknowit’scoming
andwanttohelpourstudentsdotheirbest.We’veallbeenworkingonavarietyofreadingandwriIngtasksintheclassroom
asweencourageourstudentstolovereadingandbequalifiedconsumersofliteracyyetalsopreparedforupcomingspring
assessments,mostnotablytheSBACperformancetask.SharingresourceswithotherteachershasbecomeamajorIme-saver
inmyownclassroom.
AmajortaskformyselfisfindingarIclespresenIngbothsidesofanissuethatareinteresIng,ontopic,andunbiased.An
excellentresourceforsecondarylevelteacherscanbefoundatwww.procon.org.OperaIngasanon-profit,procon.orghas
beenaroundsince2004andclaimsover50differenthottopicswithargumentsfrombothsidesallowingstudentstogenerate
theirownclaimsandarguments.Forteacherslikemyself,thisisamajorIme-saverwhendevelopingargumentaIvepracIce
performancetasksfortheclassroom.ExamplesoftopicsatthetopofthelistcurrentlyincludethepresidenIalelecIon,
uniforms,thedeathpenalty,animaltesIng,andsocialnetworking.
Forthelastseveralyears,I’veusedKellyGallagher’s(Readicide)conceptofArIclesoftheWeek(AoW)adjustedtomiddle
schoollevelasameansofintroducingnon-ficIonnewsandinformaIonintheclassroomaswellastoprepforassessments.
OverIme,I’vealignedtheAoWstoCCSSanddesignedquesIonslikethosethatmaybeseenonSBACassessments.Educators
willfindtheciIngandclaimwriIngonnearlyeveryassignment.Anewcomponentoftheassignmentincludesamath/wriIng
pieceweekly.SharingtheAoWshasbecomeanamazingprofessionalbonusformeasteachersfrom32statesandCanada
borrowtheassignmentweekly.
JoseSwanson,an8thgradeELAteacherinTintonFalls,NewJersey,whoborrowsfromtheAoWs,recentlysharedher
assignment“MusicVideoFriday”withme.Usingthelyricsandvideoofasong,studentsareaskedtowriteclaims,cite
evidence,supporttheirchoiceofevidence,andansweracriIcal-thinkingquesIon.WithonlytwodaysbeforeThanksgiving
Break,Itriedoutmyownversion:“MusicVideoMonday”.Theoverallbuy-infrommystudentsborderedontheepiclevel.
(When8thgradeboysasktodotheassignmentagain,youknowyouareontosomething!)Usinglyricstodeterminethetheme
andbackingthatclaimwithevidenceisexactlywhattheperformancetasksareaskingofourstudents.ThesecondporIon
requireswatchingthevideo,determiningthevalidityoftheoriginalclaim,andciIngsupporttobackthevalidity.The
assignmentendswithanopen-endedquesIonanddemandsaparagraphresponse.Ifyou’relookingforafun,interacIve
methodtogetstudentswriIngclaims,ciIng,andsupporIngclaimsinwriIng,Ihighlysuggestthisassignment.(IusedTim
McGraw’s“HumbleandKind”forthefirstabemptatthisassignmentasitconvenientlymatchedtheholidayseason.)
Linktoover100ArIclesoftheWeek:hbp://vms.vale.k12.or.us/arIcles-week
LinktoMusicVideoFridayassignment:hbps://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_63Pq--VVK3LWRpcFJzcHF2T3c
Lastly,educatorsacrossOregonshouldbeawarethattheofficialOregonWriIngScoringGuidehasbeenrevised.Duringthe
2016-17schoolyear,eitherversion,thecurrentorrevised,canbeusedforofficialscoringtomeetgraduaIonrequirements.
Useoftherevisedguideofficiallybeginsnextyear.Changesincludetheuseoftwoseparaterubricsforexplanatory/
argumentaIvewriIngandnarraIvewriIng,languageadjustmentsmainlyoccurinideas/contentandorganizaIon,andother
minorchangesare,forthemostpart,inhigherpointareasofthescoringguides.ODEhaspostedarecordingofarecent
(conAnuedonpage17)
TheORAclepage17
TheSecondaryDesk
(conAnuedfrompage16)
webinarabouttherevisedguides.ThatwebinarcanbefoundontheODEwebpageatthislink:hbps://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=dauut01_pw0&feature=youtu.be
Drajversionsofthestudentlanguagescoringguidesforgrades6-8and3-5arepostedontheClackamasESDwebsite.
Educatorsareurgedtoreviewthesedrajsandrespondtothefeedbacksurveys.AsOregoneducators,itisimportanttomake
ourvoicesheard.Thedrajscoringguidesandlinkstothefeedbacksurveyscanbefoundhere:
hbps://www.clackesd.org/departments/school-improvement/school-improvement-and-instrucIon-services/schoolimprovement-and-instrucIon-services-dept-cie/
Enjoytheholidayseasonandresources.IlookforwardtosharingwithOregoneducatorsthroughouttheyearandwelcome
yoursuggesIonsandfeedback.HappyHolidays!
“Youlearntoreadbyreading.”
(StephenKrashen)
MoreSnow
Icicles
Crystal
pendants
slowly
grow
from
;ny
drops
of
melted
snow.
ByJohnFrank
AChillintheAir
Listen!
Thewind
is
whispering
athousand
;ny
promises.
ByMaryQua\lebaum
WinterFriends
TheORAcle
page18
ProfessionalLendingLibrary
TerriHethorn
TerriHethorniscurrentlytheK-5EnglishLanguageDevelopmentTeacher/CoordinatorfortheDallasSchoolDistrict.
SheistreasurerfortheCapitalReadingCouncilandhasbeenamemberofORAfortenyears.
YourProfessionalDevelopmentandORA’sWinterIns;tuteSpeakers
Areyouteachingcomprehensionorassessingit?That’saquesIonintroducedinEllinOliverKeene’sTo
Understand.InmyworkwithEnglishLanguageLearnersIspendafairamountofImespeakingwiththeir
teachersandcheckingupongrades.Itwasquiteaneye-openerformetofindoutthemajorityofmy
studentswerefailingreading.AjersomeinvesIgaIngIcametorealizethatthosegradeswereacompilaIon
ofcomprehensionassessmentsbasedongradelevelCCSS.MyheartsunkandIknewIhadsomeworkcut
outforme.IpulledEllinOliverKeene’sMosaicofThought,ToUnderstand,andTalkAboutUnderstanding
offtheORAProfessionalLendingshelfinmyoffice.IreadthefirstediIonofMosaicofThoughtagesagobut
hadforgobentherichnessofthisbookandediIonnumbertwo.Therearewonderfulexamplesoflanguage
tousewithchildrentohelpguidetheirabilitytothinkdeeplyaboutatextwhethernarraIveor
informaIonal.IfyouwanttoseesomeofherideasinacIon,checkoutTalkAboutUnderstandingand
watchthevideoclipsthataccompanythechapters.IamhopingtoenIcesometeachersintoastudygroup
torevisitorperhapsvisitforthefirstImetheworkofEllinOliverKeene.OurORAWinterInsItute
elementaryspeakerhappenstobeEllin.Iamlookingforwardtohearingherspeakandhopemanyofyou
areabletomakeitandbeinspired!
OursecondaryspeakerisCrisTovani.ThelibrarycurrentlyhasDoIReallyHavetoTeachReading?andI
ReadIt,ButIDon’tGetIt.IlovethatCrisTovaniwasinvolvedinaprofessionaldevelopmentgroupledby
EllinOliverKeenandSusanZimmerman.(I’msensingathemetotheWinterInsItute!)Ifyouareasecondary
ELAteacheryoumightbeinterestedinthefirstbookmenIoned.Sheincludessevenstrategicreading
supportsandthreedifferenttoolstohelpstudentsaccesstext.DoIReallyHaveToTeachReadingisatext
forcontentareateachers.Iloveherchapterondevelopingtextsetsthathelpstudentsaccessconcepts
withoutsacrificingrigor.ShealsoendseachchapterwithawhatworkssecIonthatincludesateaching
point.Greatwaytogetstartedtryingsomethingalibledifferent.
Onewaytodevelopthinkingreadersatanylevelistostaycurrentwithprofessionallearning.AneffecIve
andnocostwaytodothatistoborrowbooksfromourProfessionalLendingLibrary.Theeasiestwaytodo
[email protected].
TheORAcle
page19
TechnologyinEduca;on
ElizabethRossmiller
Elizabeth is an InstrucAonal Technology Coach in Oregon. She enjoys sharing her passion for teaching, curriculum
design,andtechnology.ElizabethhasbeenafeaturedpresenteratnaAonalconferences,inaddiAontopresenAngat
theORAWinterInsAtutes.ShehasjoinedtheORAExecuAveBoardastheTechnologyDirector.
10WaystoGoDigitalintheClassroomthisSchoolYear
Asschoolsaddmoreandmoretechnologyintheclassroom,it’seasytofeeloverwhelmed.Thepressureisontoseamlessly
integratetech,whilestayingtruetorigorousstandards-basedteaching.ThegoodnewsisintegraIngtechnologyiseasierthan
youmightthink!Readontolearn10funandengagingideasthatyoucanusetointegratetechnologyinyourclassroom:
1.BlogAboutIt
Websiteslikekidblog.orgallowstudentstowriteforalargeraudience.StudentslovethattheirwriIngcanbepublishedfor
classmatesandothergueststosee,andthecontentiseasilymoderatedbyyou.
2.Student-CreatedAudioBooks
Websiteslikevocaroo.comallowstudentstomakearecordingthatcaneasilybesharedonline.Produceaninstantlistenfor
readingcentersbyhavingstudentsrecordthemselvesreadingthebooksinyourclassroomlibrary.Onceyourstudentscreate
theirvoicerecording,VocarooinstantlygeneratesaQRcodethatcanbeabachedtoabookandscannedforstudentstolisten
tointhefuture.
3.MapitOut
ReadingabookthattakesplaceinmulIplelocaIons?Createadigitalmapand“pin”wherecharactershavetraveledto.When
creaIngadigitalGoogleMap,textcanbeaddedtoeachlocaIonpin,allowingyouoryourstudentstotakenotesastheytrack
acharacter’sjourney.
4.CreatePicCollages
ThereareseveraliPadappsthateasilyallowyoutocreatepicturecollageswithmulIpleimages.Studentscancreateacollage
withpicturesthatrepresentthedifferentplotpointsinastory.
5.EasilyCreate&ShareDigitalMovies
AdobeSparkisauser-friendlywaytomakedigitalmovies.Simplyaddphotosandtext,thenrecordyourvoiceovereachslide.
AdobeSparkevenallowsyouoryourstudentstoaddbackgroundmusic.Visitspark.adobe.com.
6.StudentAuthorsofeBooks
Studentslovetocreateandsharetheirowndigitalbooks.AppslikeBookCreatorallowstudentstocreatetheirownebook
pages,whileaddingphotos,text,andvoicerecordings.Ifyoudon’thaveiPads,GoogleSlidesisaneasyalternaIve.
7.ScreenshotsforEvidence
Wanttomakesureyourstudentsareusingtheirdeviceslikethey’resupposedto?Haveyourstudentstakeandsend
screenshotstodocumenttheirlearning.Studentscanevenrecordwhatisontheircomputerscreenwithscreencastappsor
extensions.
8.HaveaHangout
Thebeautyoftheinternetisthatitallowsyoutocommunicatewithpeoplefromvirtuallyanywhere!Thereareclasses
allovertheworldlookingtofindabuddyclassforaGoogleHangoutsession.Thereareseveralgroupsonlinededicated
tofindingandpairingclassestogetherforGoogleHangouts.
(conAnuedonpage20)
The ORAcle
page 20
Interna;onal
Projects
TechnologyinEduca;on
(conAnuedfrompage19)
GretchenHamilton
Gretchen Hamilton taught English and reading
coursesfor25yearsintheMedfordSchoolDistrict
atthemiddleandhighschoollevels.AqerreAring
in 2004 she began teaching at Rogue Community
College in the GED program where she totally
enjoysteachingadults.ShehasbeenanacAveand
commibed member of the Rogue Valley Reading
Council,ORA,andILAforover30years.
ORAInterna;onalProjects
ToabainILAHonorCouncilstatus,ORAcouncilsare
requiredtocontributetointernaIonalliteracy.Most
Oregoncouncilsdonatetothe
GuatemalaProject.Sponsoredby
theNassauReadingCouncilofNew
York,itisinits27thyearof
educaIngGuatemalanteachersas
wellasprovidingbooksforschool
libraries.
Inalternateyears,theGuatemala
ReadingCouncilhostsaconference
theweekofPresident’sDay.This
yearitisFebruary22–24inAnIgua,thebeauIfulcolonial
capitalofGuatemala.SchoolvisitaIonsandsightseeing
opportuniIesareavailableallweek.Twoyearsago,66
Americanliteracyeducatorspresentedtothe300
Guatemalanteacherswhoarenotwidelytrainedinliteracy
butareveryappreciaIveofnewknowledge.Thehour-long
sessionsaredeliveredinSpanish,andtranslatorsare
providedforEnglish-speakingpresenters.
9.TakeaSurvey
GoogleFormsallowstudentstocreateandsharesurveys
withclassmatesandanalyzetheresults.Teacherscanuse
GoogleFormstocreatequickonlineassessments.Theapp
Flubaroowillevengradeyouronlineassessmentforyou!
10.GoPaperless
SaveImeatthecopymachinebyassigningstudentwork
throughGoogleClassroom.Teacherscaneasilycreateand
sendassignmentsenIrelydigitally!Simplyaddstudentsto
yourclassroom(orhavestudentsaddthemselveswitha
uniqueclasscode)andcreateanassignment.Youcaneven
assignquizzesandvideos.
Looking for more ideas on how to ease into going
digital?APendtheORAWinterIns/tute!I,alongwith
otherteacherexperts,willshareengagingandhandsontechnologyintegra/onideasthatyouwillbeableto
takerightbackintoyourclassroom!
WinterInside
Winteriscold.
Winterisice.
Butwinterinside
Iscozyandnice.
RegularparIcipantsincludeOregoniansSusanLenskiand
CarolBrown;GretchenHamiltonandseveralPortland
educatorshaveabendedatleastonce.KenandYeba
Goodman,DonnaOgle,andseveralothernotableliteracy
educatorsareregularabendees.
Winterissnow.
Winterissleet.
Butwinterinside
Isfireplacefeet.
ItisanopportunityofalifeIme!Besideshelping
Guatemalanteachers,onecantourlocalschools,Mayan
ruins,volcanicregions,coffeeplantaIons,andbackstrap
weavers’cooperaIves.Theweatherisperfect;Guatemalais
calledtheLandofEternalSpring.Unfortunately,itistoolate
topresentthisyear,butifyouareinterestedinabending
thisFebruaryorinpresenInginfutureyears,contact
[email protected]
Winterisbi\er.
Winterisbi;ng.
Butwinterinside
Isveryinvi;ng.
(OtherInternaIonalProjectswillbesharedinthenextORAcle.)
ByDouglasFlorian
WinterEyes
TheORAclepage21
Membership
DennisHickey
Dennis Hickey was a teacher and administrator in Oregon Schools for over 40 years. He currently coordinates the
PrecollegeProgramsforTalentedandGiqedStudentsatOregonStateUniversity.HehasbeenamemberofORAand
ILAforover30years.
It’sYourORA
AsamemberoftheOregonReadingAssociaIonyouarealsoa
privilegedmemberofalocalORACouncil.
Besuretotakeadvantageofyourmembershipbenefits!
ORAMemberBenefits
LocalCouncilMemberBenefits
• Accesstohighqualitystateprofessional
developmentopportuniIes,withnaIonal
speakers,atareducedcost.
• Accesstohighqualitylocalprofessional
developmentopportuniIestailoredtothe
needsofyourcommunity.
• Accesstoawealthofprofessional
developmentmaterialsfromORA’simpressive
ProfessionalDevelopmentLibrary.
• OpportuniIestoparIcipateinlocal
communityserviceacIviIesthatpromote
literacyinyourarea.
• OpportuniIestoapplyforLiteracyGrantsto
fundclassroomprojects.
• OpportuniIestojoinTeachersAsReadersbook
clubssupportedbyyourlocalcouncilandORA.
• AccesstoTheORAcle,ORA’sprofessional
e-newsleberpublishedthreeImesayear.
• Accesstobooksetsofthefivebooks
nominatedeachyear,byORA,forthePatricia
GallagherChildren’sChoicePictureBook
Award.
• OpportuniIestonetworkwithcolleagues
throughoutthestatetobuildsuccessful
literacyprograms.
• OpportuniIestobealiteracyleader.
• OpportuniIestonetworkwithcolleagues
throughoutyourlocalcouncilareaandservea
greatorganizaIon.
Membership in ORA
• ProfessionalMembershipsremain$25.StudentMembershipsarejust$15.(Bothmakelovelygiqs!)
• ORAisalsowelcomingallgradua;ngteachers,withcurrentORAStudentMemberships,torenewwith
ORAforthreeyearsatthereducedStudentMembershiprate.
hbp://oregonread.org/ora-membership/
MembershipDirectorDennisHickey<[email protected]>
TheORAcle
page22
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
December 15, 2016…….…………..…Honor Council Report Due to ILA
[email protected]
January 7, 2017…………………ORA General Board Meeting in Albany
[email protected]
February 10 & 11, 2017…………..ORA Winter Institute: Cris Tovani & Ellin Oliver Keene
http://oregonread.org/winterinstitute/
April 8, 2017……………………………………………ORA General Board Meeting in Albany
[email protected]
May 1, 2017………………………………Patricia Gallagher Picture Book Award Votes Due
[email protected]
June 30, 2017……………………………………..Council of Excellence Report Due to ORA
[email protected]
July 15 - 17, 2017………………………………..……..…ILA Conference in Orlando, Florida
http://literacyworldwide.org/about-us/news-events/ila-conference-exhibits/
Visit the Oregon Historical Society’s New Permanent Youth Exhibit–History Hub
http://www.ohs.org/museum/exhibits/history-hub.cfm
2016-2017
OregonReadingAssocia;onExecu;veBoard
President………………………………..……..……..…BarbaraLow
[email protected]
The ORAcle
An electronic publication of the
OREGON READING ASSOCIATION
PresidentElect……………………………….…..NanciStrickland
1880 Tabor St.
Eugene, OR 97401
Vice-president……………………………….…..…CarolLauritzen
Volume 33 • Winter, 2016 • Number 2
StateCoordinator…………………………………..…CarolBrown
Editor ………………. René Dernbach
Prof.Development/Membership………..….DennisHickey
[email protected]
The Oregon Reading Association is a non-profit organization
for teachers, administrators, parents, specialists and others
who are interested in reading instruction and promotion of
lifetime reading habits.
Treasurer……………………………………………KatherineInman
Secretary……………………………………………….……SueFowler
Technology/Marke;ng………………….ElizabethRossmiller
ORAcleEditor………………………………….…..RenéDernbach
Visit the ORA website at www.oregonread.org
and like us on Facebook.
ORA is affiliated with the
International Literacy Association