Loren Van De Griek

RE 5730 / Staff Development Planning Sheet

What is the main topic?

Comprehension strategy: determining importance in nonfiction text for grades 3-5

What instructional activities will you use?

1. Determining Importance

2. Asking Questions

3. Responding to Historical Fiction

4. FQR strategy

Picture Books relating to Civil War

a. Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter

b. Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson

c. Nettie’s Trip South by Ann Turner

d. Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold

What is the theoretical perspective of your instruction?

Nonfiction reading is essential for students, because it builds background for topics they study in school including science and history. Nonfiction reading is reading to learn; readers must differentiate between less important information and key ideas that are central to the meaning of the text. Readers of nonfiction also have to decide and remember what is important in the texts they read if they are going to learn anything from them (Harvey 2007). Therefore, teachers, not only have to give students the tools, but they have to explicitly show them how to use them safely and properly when reading a nonfiction book.

List a minimum of five objectives.

At the end of my workshop, teachers will:

1. understand the importance of reading nonfiction aloud in the classroom.

2. understand that reading is about purpose, and there is a time and place for every type of reading – reading for details as well as reading for pleasure.

3. learn the Facts/Questions/Response strategy (FQR).

4. understand that we, as teachers, need to focus on supporting our kids to put information into their own words so they will more likely understand what they read

5. learn “text coding” for differentiating importance

6. have a great time collaborating and sharing ideas with their colleagues

Provide an outline for the workshop.

I. Greet teachers

A. Thank everyone for coming.

B. Explain why they are here and it won’t take too long

a. EOGs coming up – students struggle w/nonfiction

b. Extremely important to read nonfiction aloud in classroom –

builds background for our students

c. Nonfiction Strategy - FQR

II. Reading for purpose

A. ASK – what do you read at home daily? (recipes, directions, etc)

B. ASK – what do you think your students read at home?

C. Nonfiction is read much more than fiction on daily basis

III. Small group activity – FQR strategy

IV. Fiction VS Nonfiction; Important to Whom?

A. Read HF - many facts -teach students to pull facts (determine importance) out of HF & NF

B. Teach students to make distinction between what they think is most important to remember and what author wants them to know

a. 1st Label 2 columns “Important to Me” and “Important to Author”

b. 2nd Under Important to me – “What I Learned”, and underline that response THEN, under author put “The Author Said”

c. Sometimes it’s same response and sometimes it’s different

C. Finding Main idea (MI)

a. We teach that Reading is THINKING – infer, draw conclusions, predict, connect

b. But – nonfiction writers have something in mind that they are trying to convey to the reader – their thought - MI

V. Reading for Details

A. Sub plans – how many of you have come back and have had your sub do something different because they either didn’t read the details of your lesson?

B. Own words – important students put info. in own words

a. while reading fiction (RRJ)

b. while reading nonfiction (FQR)

VI. Text Coding

A. Question marks

B. Exclamation points

C. Asterisks

D. Stars

E. Sketches

F. Bracket paragraphs

G. Paraphrase

VII. Close

A. Questions

B. Pass Out Survey

C. Thank everyone

Develop at least one small group activity. Describe this in detail.

1. Explain FQR method

a. F – facts (as students read, they are to write down facts)

b. Q – questions (in the next column, students write questions they have about the facts they wrote)

c. R – response (students respond, react, or reflect to their questions or to the new knowledge after they read)

2. Hand out FQR charts and pencils

3. MODEL using Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold

a. Read aloud – stop – and model the kind of thinking you expect from students – write down important facts

b. Read aloud – think aloud

c. Write facts

d. Write questions

e. Respond

f. Continue Modeling for a little while

4. DIVIDE teachers into groups of 3 or 4 and have them continue to fill out FQR chart

5. Allow time for teachers to finish

a. Circulate

b. Watch time

6. Gain Control

7. Continue with # IV above

Develop a list of follow-up activities (3-5).

1. Challenge each teacher to read a nonfiction book aloud daily (create a contest and have the winning class get an ice-cream party).

2. Challenge each teacher to create a bulletin board using the students’ work (FQR).

3. Schedule a time to meet w/each teacher during pull-outs to discuss any problem areas.

4. Have teachers checkout a book basket of nonfiction picture books at workshop and check in with them to see how their lessons are coming along (accountability).

Describe how you will assess the effectiveness of your workshop.

I will be able to assess my workshop first and foremost by the participation and by the mood of the teachers. I will also be able to assess the effectiveness of my workshop by my follow-up visits. I pride myself in wanting to become a better teacher and wanting my students to be the best they can be. I have high expectations from my own children, from my AIG students, and from my EC students; therefore I would have high expectations from my teachers as well. I will follow through and hold my teachers accountable and meet with them during pull-outs to discuss any difficulties they are having. I will also have them fill out a short survey.

Please complete the survey on the following page.

Rate each question from 1 to 4 with:

1 = poor 2 = good 3 = great 4 = excellent

1. How would you rate the information presented at the workshop? _______

2. Based on the information you learned today, if you had to go back to your classroom and implement an FQR lesson right now and be observed by your principal, what rating would he/she give you? _______

3. Would you come to another staff development given by this presenter? yes or no

4. Please use the space provided to leave any comments or suggestions.