Texas Focus 2007
The World on a String:
Connecting through the
Expanded Core Curriculum
I Read It But I Don’t Get It:
Literacy and the ECC for Students in the Intermediate Grades
Frances Mary D’Andrea
NCLVI Fellow, University of Pittsburgh
Wednesday, June 20th
1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Have you heard your students say any of these statements?
•“I’m just not a very good reader.”
•“I read it but I don’t get it.
•“It takes too long to read.”
•“I’m an OK reader, I am just not interested.”
•“I like to read sometimes, but there isn’t anything good to read.”
•“Reading is boring.”
What Do Good Readers Do?
• Automatically recognize words as they read
• Use strategies when encountering unfamiliar words
• Comprehend as they read
• Read different kinds of texts in different ways
• Monitor themselves as they read
• Read for pleasure and to get information
• Have goals for reading
• Read aloud with expression
• Connect ideas as they read
• Ask questions as they read
• Remember things from what they read
In short, good readers are active readers.
“I’m just not a very good reader.”
•As a teacher ask: why not? What specifically are the issues?
•determine specific areas of need: ongoing assessment
•sufficient time for practice in reading (and writing)?
•automaticity & fluency
•vocabulary
•comprehension
•motivation
Automaticity & Fluency
•Automatic processing and identification
•Fluency: accuracy, speed, prosody
•Related to comprehension of text
•Works at many levels
•Strategies to increase fluency
Vocabulary
•Vocabulary has substantial influence on text comprehension
•Relation to background knowledge & experiences
•A reciprocal relationship between vocabulary and comprehension
Comprehension
•The importance of background knowledge!
•Reading amount predicts comprehension.
•Self-efficacy predicts comprehension.
•Strategies to increase comprehension
“It takes too long to read.”
“This is boring!”
“Can’t I just listen to it on disk?”
•Conduct an LMA
•What’s missing from audio?
•Relevance
•Interest
“There isn’t anything to read.”
•Access to materials in the right format
•Use of different genres
•Access to many different texts at an independent reading level
Motivation
Intrinsic Motivation
• Engages in activity intentionally, to acquire knowledge or skill
• Relates to personal interests and enjoyment
• Relates to goals and beliefs about reading
Extrinsic Motivation
•Grades
•Contracts
•Contests
–Braille Readers are Leaders
–National Braille Challenge Invitational
•Book clubs
References:
Adams, K. (2005). The sources of innovation and creativity. Paper commissioned by the National Center on Education and the Economy for the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce.
Allington R.L. & Cunningham, P.M. (1996). Schools that work: Where all children read and write. New York: HarperCollins
Baker, L. & Wigfield, A. (1999). Dimensions of children’s motivation for reading and their relations to reading activity and reading achievement. Reading Research Quarterly, 34(4), pp. 452-477.
Beck, I.L. & McKeown, M.G. (2006). Improving comprehension with questioning the author: A fresh and expanded view of a powerful approach. New York: Scholastic
Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G., Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York: The Guilford Press
Beers, K. (2003). When kids can’t read what teachers can do: A guide for teachers K-12. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann
Brophy, J. (1987). Synthesis of research on strategies for motivating students to learn. Educational Leadership, October, 40-48.
Ciardiello, A. V. (2007). Puzzle them first! Motivating adolescent readers with question-finding. Newark, DE: International Reading Association
Edmunds, K.M. & Bauserman, K.L. (2006). What teachers can learn about reading motivation through conversations with children. The Reading Teacher, 59(5), 414-424.
Farstrup, A.E. & Samuels, S.J. (2002). What research has to say about reading instruction, 3rd edition. Newark, DE: International Reading Association
Fink, R. (2006). Why Jane and John couldn’t read—And how they learned: A new look at striving readers. Newark, DE: International Reading Association
Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (1999). Matching books to readers: Using leveled books in guided reading, K-3. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann
Gompel, M. van Bon, W.H.J., Schreuder, R. (2004). Reading by children with low vision. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness.98(2), 77-89
Gompel, M., van Bon, W.H.J., Schreuder, R., Adriaansen, J.J.M. (2002) Reading and spelling competence of Dutch children with low vision. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness.96(6),
Guthrie, J.T. (2007). Contexts for engagement and motivation in reading. Available from Reading Online:
Guthrie, J.T., Wigfield, A., Metsala, J.L., Cox, K.E. (1999). Motivational and cognitive predictors of text comprehension and reading amount. Scientific Studies of Reading. 3(3), 231-256.
Kaye, P. (1984). Games for Reading: Playful ways to help your child read. New York: Pantheon Books
Layton, C.A. & Koenig, A.J. (1998). Increasing reading fluency in elementary students with low vision through repeated readings. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness.92(5), 276-292
Leffort, S.W. & Jackson, R.M. (1998). The effect of the home environment on the reading achievement of children with low vision. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness.92(5), 292-301
Legge, G., Ross, J.A., Isenberg, L.M., LaMay, J.M. (1992) Clinical predictors of low-vision reading speed. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 33(3), 677-687
Pressley, M. (2002). Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching. New York: The Guilford Press
Stanovich, K. E. (1986). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 360- 407.
Wilhelm, J.D. (1997). “You gotta BE the book: Teaching engaged and reflective reading with adolescents. New York: Teachers College Press
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2007 Texas Focus – D’Andrea – I Read It But I Don’t Get It