Tag Archives: Reading

What are the connections between reading and writing? How best can we take advantage of those connections when planning?

I’m using the word ‘flipping’ a lot when talking to educators about literacy planning. Is it better if students are taught in a way that provides stronger connections between reading and writing?  Do students view reading and writing as separate subjects or ‘things’ we do at school? Do students make better connections when strategies are ‘flipped’ to show how the strategies are used when reading or writing?

FPwheel

For example, when viewing the Fountas and Pinnell model, one can see how easily the processing systems for reading can be flipped to the processing systems for writing. For example, inferring and summarising can be easily ‘flipped’. Therefore, should reading and writing be taught concurrently incorporating planned focus sessions for the teaching of ‘flipped’ strategies? What do you think?

Should planning base itself on the ‘read like a writer and write like a reader’ concept?

Example: Flipping – Inferring & Summarising

Inferring also known as reading between the lines requires readers to use prior knowledge and the information stated in a text to draw conclusions. Good writing enables the reader to infer as they read. 

Summarising can be taught using the Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then (SWBST) strategy when reading a text and flipped for teaching the writing structure of a narrative.

Would focussing on the same strategy when teaching reading and writing enable students to make better connections?

Below: Steve Peha – Integrated Literacy Model

Integrated Literacy

Steve Peha’s Integrated Literacy model provides an excellent framework for discussing ‘flipping’. This model enables educators to build ‘flipping’ connections under each of the six sub-headings for reading and writing when planning.

How do you plan? How do you take advantage of the connections between reading and writing when planning?

Cheers Nina

 

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Integrated Literacy: The Workshop Method improved… using Whole-Part-Whole structure.

I’ve been working this year with Steve Peha author of Be a Better Writer. I’ve actually used Steve’s material for many years and knew his book would be an outstanding resource for students and teachers. We’ve been looking at ways to structure curriculum and I can see enormous merit in Steve’s Integrated Literacy as a starting point for conversation about best practice.

The term community of learners is a meaningful descriptor for any group of students.

There is concern among educators that the teaching of literacy has moved away from an holistic approach to a segmented  approach e.g. one hour reading & one hour writing, without highlighting the conceptual links between reading, writing and oral language.

Integrated Literacy is a framework for K-12 instruction that leverages the complementary nature of reading and writing to make learning easier for kids and teaching better for teachers. Steve Peha

Integrated Literacy

Steve explains how Writer’s Workshop and Reader’s Workshop fit well into an integrated literacy approach. Our programs need to provide explicit teaching but there are many approaches to workshops to achieve this.

Workshops clearly have to meet students where they are at, often referred as ‘point of need’. Once assessment has been completed, workshops can be structured using a variety of teaching approaches depending on where a student or group of students are at e.g. modelled, shared, directed, suggested and facilitated.

Workshops

Steve’s article explains the elements of a workshop e.g. Lesson, Status, Work, Conferencing and Sharing (Reflection). Read further and Steve explains the different ways to workshop.

The workshop approach requires a detailed curriculum planning guide covering all aspects of writing and reading using our curriculum, the IB-PYP and Inquiry. The planning guide needs to cover the study of genres, strategies and punctuation.

Steve’s book covers: Better Topics, Better Ideas, Better Organisation, Better Voice, Better Words, Better Sentences, Better Punctuation and Better Fiction.  

This approach does not mean students are unable to explore writing and reading themselves, however, it is about ensuring explicit instruction is in the mix. I want students to see the interconnectedness of reading, writing and speaking.

Read like a Writer… Write like a Reader…Read as a Writer…Write as a Reader.

Steve and I are working on a curriculum framework based on the Australian Curriculum incorporating inquiry with links to material which supports explicit teaching within an holistic approach. This may take some time…

Cheers Nina

 

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Steve Peha: Integrated Literacy – Love this! Please read… ‘Integrated Literacy is a framework for K-12 instruction that leverages the complementary nature of reading and writing to make learning easier for kids and teaching better for teachers.’ Steve Peha

This document is excellent and one I think teachers should read. The diagram is simple, yet very effective. Reading and writing are being taught separately and I understand why this is happening, but believe there’s a real need to make links between reading and writing explicit and this document does. Steve’s headings below are fantastic and headings I would introduce to students.

  • Writing Community – Reading Community
  • Writing Process – Reading Process
  • Writing Strategies – Reading Strategies
  • Writing Applications – Reading Applications
  • Writing Quality – Reading Quality
  • Writing Connections –  Reading Connections

Steve Peha Integrated Literacies.JPG

steve-peha-ttms-integrated-literacy

Link to full document above… Integrated Literacy is a framework for K-12

Steve has a Facebook group called AUSTRALIA writes with Steve Peha. Steve is sharing many wonderful resources and answering teacher questions. He’s also working with teachers in Australia and actually visits classrooms via Skype. It is a closed group so you will have to join. Here is the link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/AustraliaWritesWithStevePeha/

Cheers Nina

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It took EIGHT to get going! Cengage Presentations…you grow as you go

Cengage

This term I completed eight presentations for Cengage and it took EIGHT! Each presentation improved as my knowledge and understanding grew. Anyone who reads my blog knows I’m a constructivist and it takes a constructivist to be a presenter!

Feedback is a powerful teacher and the more constructive the better. It’s like any learning experience, you grow as you go. The difference between presentation 1 and 8 is measurable but that’s what learning does and should do!

I met some incredible educators and thank them not only for their attendance but for their enthusiasm at the end of a long teaching day! If I can show something that can expedite assessment and provide ongoing recommendations for future learning around a student’s point of need, educators listen. If I can talk about comprehension and show Cengage reading materials which are differentiated for students’ ability, beautifully presented, rich in content and have multiple copies I’m going to.

I want all students to have quality reading material which is engaging, current and cost effective for schools. Have a look and do the maths!

Cheers Nina

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Nelson Literacy Directions Comprehension Years 3-6 Sample: Planning Reading Comprehension- Example and some questions answered!

This post has been written to answer specific questions I’ve been receiving, so I thought I’d share some ideas I’ve collected here….

Each day I’m learning something different about this resource. It’s like peeling the skin off an orange and pulling apart the segments. (What strategy?)

Explicit Teaching: Learners need substantial guidance. Below is an example of how NLDC Digital Texts for Box 5 can be planned across the year, linking the 6 comprehension skills, focus reading strategies and different text types.

First: Gather data – PM Benchmark RAR – Use Software to expedite analysis

Lesson Structure

WHOLE – Launch / Whole Class Focus

PART – Modelled / Guided/ Reciprocal Teaching /Independent Reading/ Read Aloud / Literature Circles

WHOLE – Reflection / Sharing

NLD Comprehension Box 5 example to get us thinking… ????????????????????????????????????

Term 1. Whole Class focus

EXPILICIT TEACHING OF:-

Text Type: Narrative (imaginative)

Focus Skill: Making Inferences

Comprehension Strategies Focus: Cause & Effect, Figurative Language, Main Points & Bigger Ideas & Problem/Solution

Digital Text: Amy’s Brainwave (You’ll be using other supporting texts e.g. Big Books as well )

Term Planning Outline: Text Type, Reading Skill & Comprehension Strategies Example

Term 1: Text Type Focus for Reading and Writing – Narrative

page 1

Assessment of students: Benchmark recommendations for future learning – form groups of students with similar reading ability and learning goals.

Example Group Spread: Assessed for Guided Reading – NLD9/10 These levels are correlated to PM Levels and Reading Ages

 Example Below – Part: Guided Reading- Text Selection: Reading Age 10.1-10.3

Page 3

Page 7

To add to the mix there is the NLD Directions Exemplar Cards and Big Books, levelled novels and Guided Reading Card box sets.

Hope this helps! Any thoughts?

Cheers Nina

 

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READING: Two presentations complete and I’m still learning!

This week I presented the new PM Benchmark Reading Assessment RAR for Cengage Learning and other resources which support comprehension. I’ve always loved PM for many reasons. The PM Assessment RAR impresses me because it provides ‘point of need’ information. I’ve snipped a few of my slides to share here.

My first presentation was for a small group of teachers and I thank them for coming. I enjoyed chatting to them and ‘soaking up’ their commitment and passion for what they do!

My second presentation was to a much larger audience and I had the opportunity to speak to a number of them after the presentation. They were amazing and inspiring! Some were working in special education settings and I loved the commitment they had to maximizing the potential of all students.

Teacher Judgement and Student Learning: There will always be a need for teacher judgement. We know our students! Regardless, we must have accurate assessments to plan for future learning.

Teacher Judgement

Philosophy

I love the fact that the philosophy of PM starts with success and enjoyment. We want our students to love reading and understand what they’re reading at their point of need.

Core skills

These six core skills are the main skills and I’m saying it.  We need to unpack and build a deep understanding of what each means in terms of teaching and learning.

strategies

Given how busy teachers are we need to be…

blog effective

effective definition

Allocating our time carefully to make sure what we are doing will be effective in our classrooms is vital. Being constructive, productive can mean evaluating what we are doing and making changes.

How can it be used.

What I really love! This is just an example of a few future learning goals for a student I assessed. There is so much more! And the assessment and online RAR gives me this information about the student so I can plan. This is just a snippet…

Recommendations

Planning teams

Unpacking future learning goals in teams and what it means at different stages of reading is powerful and effective use of our time. The online program can have as many students as you want – whole school data.

I’ve snipped a copy of a document I’ve printed which will guide my future planning for this student. It contains recommended learning goals for reading behaviours, retelling and comprehension and I can also add my own. I’ve also printed a document which tells me what the student is doing. Effective!

Emma RAR

There are so many amazing resources which I’m loving which support comprehension!

NLDL

Next week I’m in QLD! Above photo: Love the NLD Comprehension…

Tuesday 10/5 – Robina: Improving Comprehension Skills

Wednesday 11/5 – Camp Hill: Assessing and Teaching Reading Comprehension

Thursday 12/5 – PM Benchmark and New Digital Software

Cheers Nina

 

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Recent Presentation: Using data to plan a reading program which meets the needs of all learners.

First post for a while! Teachers in Victoria, Australia (for my international readers) return to school this Monday coming, so it seems timely that I put this post up. I’ve actually written several unfinished posts and they should be finished and posted soon.

Recently I gave a presentaion to a group of educators directed at using initial data to plan a reading program to meet the needs of all children. My presentation included an outline of the main strategies included in a balanced reading program and how my team support each other via planning. I also revisited Piaget with this group. It’s interesting that all members of this group had studied Piaget at some stage, but after having teaching experience they could understand the constructivist theory and how it underpins student learning.

I’ve included the powerpoint used for my reading presentation. My next presentation is in a few weeks to another group of educators and is focussed on using data to plan a writing program which meets the identified needs of all students. I’ll share my presentation once delivered.

Cheers Nina

P.S One ‘typo’ in the presentation! Can you find it?

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