B. Study and Explore

Use the following activities and questions to strengthen your understanding of the chapter content and to apply the chapter content to your instruction.

If you are in a study group, compare and contrast your ideas with other group members’ ideas. For “group” items, respond according to your classroom and then work with your group members to create a common response. For “individual” items, respond according to your classroom only.

If you are not in a study group, consider all items a “individual.” Find one or two other people to discuss your responses.

1. For each principle, put a check mark to indicate the degree to which you incorporate that principle when you plan reading instruction. [individual]

2. Choose one of the principles you use least often (but would like to implement more frequently), and give an example of how you might incorporate it into your instruction. [group]

Principle:

Use:

3. List the information, tools, and data you can use to determine next steps in students’ learning. Rank their value for informing instruction. Rank the most important item with #1, whether or not you use it most frequently. [group]

4. Choose a reading skill your students are expected to learn. Complete the following table to create a rubric for that skill. Level Four is the target, levels One through Three are developmental, and level Five is above expectations. For each level, list at least one or two behaviors that would indicate the student is at a particular skill level. When listing behaviors, do not use conceptual words, such as “understand” or “realize.” Instead, only list behaviors that you can observe. [group]

Skill:

5. Using the same skill as in #4 above, provide a student’s name and rate your impression of the student’s interest in learning that skill on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high). If you rate the student’s interest as 5, describe why you think the student is interested in learning the skill. Otherwise, describe a strategy you can try to increase the student’s interest. [individual]

Name:

6. What are three ways you can improve students’ interest in reading and learning to read? Write your ideas below. Then, with your colleagues make a “master list” containing all your ideas, without duplicates. Do not include more than one strategy you currently use. [group]

7. Think about all the ways you assess students’ reading abilities. What percentage of assessments are within each category below? You can add an “other” if you use a different assessment strategy. The total should equal 100%. [group]

a. Score the assessment and give a grade:    %

b. Score the assessment and review the answers:    %

c. Review the assessment and let students try again:    %

d. Integrate assessment into the instructional activity:    %

e Other:    %

TOTAL: 100%

8. Describe one of your most commonly used reading activities. Then check “yes” or “no” to indicate whether or not the activity meets the listed conditions. [individual]

Activity:

9. Using the same skill as in #4 above, design a cooperative lesson that has the minimum elements listed below. [group]

a. Preliminary Individual Preparation (optional):

b. Group Product: (what students will create, or the result of the cooperative activity)

c. Group Process: (how students will interact to create the product, and the steps they will take)

d. Product Review: (analysis of group product and learning, initial assessment phase)

e. Follow-up and Extension, Refining the Product

f. Individual Performance

C. Reflection and Discussion Questions

Reflect on the following questions. Write your responses, and then discuss your response with two or three other people.

1. To what degree do I already implement these five principles, and which principles do I need to implement more frequently to improve my reading instruction? What are the barriers to implementing those principles more regularly?
2. How can I incorporate these instructional principles within the required curriculum and reading program?
3. What do I need to know or learn in order to fully implement these principles within my reading instruction? Why?
4. What other principles do I have that influence how I design instruction?

D. Major Take-aways and Quotes to Remember

Write the critical ideas or content from the chapter that you would like to keep in mind as you plan your reading instruction. After writing them here, transfer them to individual cards and tape the cards some place where you will see them when planning instruction.

1. Main ideas or content to remember

Top quotes to remember

E. Next Steps, Future Actions, Ideas to Try

Think about new actions you would like to try, actions you want to do more frequently, actions you want to do less frequently, and current actions you want to do differently. Write them under “action.” Select whether it will be a new action, increased action, decreased action, or changed action. Explain why.