HOW IT WORKS |
Why do we need to scaffold our instruction and lesson design?
According to author L.Spear-Swerling (2016), students should not be defined or labeled as a “struggling reader” because this label states that they have difficulties in all areas of reading which is not necessarily true. A difficulty may arise for students when they are reading or completing literacy based activities but this simply means that they may need more guided, or scaffolded support. This instructional support may be in a particular genre, content area, context, or in a language comprehension or word recognition skill set. As teachers, we must first assess students to find the specific areas they need support in so that we can deliver explicit, and systematic instruction. Then we can gradually release them into practicing these literacy skills with the appropriate scaffolds so that they can ultimately be successful in their independent literacy activities. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) shares this exact type of lesson delivery. Please look at the graphic below to see the exact student and teacher responsibilities for each section of this lesson design.
Universal Design for Learning |
Diagnostic Reader Profile
As I have mentioned above, when preparing literacy instruction for students it is important to first assess what their instructional needs are. By doing this, a teacher can place specific interventions and scaffolds into place and those students can eventually completed independent practice activities. In this example, I administered a multitude of diagnostic assessments to determine the instructional reading level of the child, their spelling stage, their overall motivation to read, and many more components. As a literacy instructor, this allowed me to accurately design my intended instruction to best fit her educational goals and needs. By interviewing this student, I was also able to learn about things she enjoyed reading about and activities she is apart of outside of the classroom. When teachers connect with their students, they can create literacy activities that are relative to their lives and excite them about learning!
*Below you will see three additional diagnostic profiles that are based on student assessments from the Wolfpack Readers program.*
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Modeling Think Alouds
Demonstrating think alouds helps students gradually build their confidence and independence with comprehending a variety of texts. They also "provide an effective means of modeling a complex process" (McKenna & Robinson, 2014). During a think-aloud, a teacher can model their thinking to students by verbally explaining their connections to the text they are reading aloud. In order to increase students' abilities to complete thoughtful think alouds while they read independently, teacher modeling and partner practice should occur before. This again tailors to teachers effectively using the gradual release of responsibility method. Take a look at this example of a model think aloud session using an informative text titled "The Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery From History", written by: Jane Yolen & Heidi Elisabet Yolen Stemple.
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Scaffolded Reading ExperienceThe "B-D-A" instructional framework includes an instructional sequence to promote engaged reading. This approach includes before reading, during reading, and after reading activities. In this scaffolded reading lesson plan, I address the content literacy needs of English Language Learners by providing modeled think alouds and time to discuss possible theories to solve the historical mystery that is presented. This is a perfect demonstration of the UDL lesson plan while guiding students to feel confident during the independent practice and application portions of their assignments.
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Writing Lesson Design
Helping students revise their writing can become more intentional with instruction on the seven traits of writing, described in Ruth Culham's text, Teach Writing Well: How to Assess Writing , Invigorate Instruction, and Rethink Revision (2018). I designed this lesson to help 3rd grade students edit a final written assessment about the lesson presented from a text they had been reading. I provided direct instruction on how to determine the theme or "lesson" of a text and reviewed the assessment guidelines students were to follow. I then walked students through a guided discussion and activity to help them revise a sample paragraph for organization based on the rubric Culham (2018) provided in her text. I further scaffolded this lesson by having students listen to another read aloud of the text, before working in small groups. In these small groups, students were tasked with using student-friendly organization rubrics to revise their work, before independently making their revisions for a final draft.
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Lights, Camera, Action!While implementing this lesson, I was able to circulate the classroom and see kids in action. After going through the guided lesson, I tasked students to use the organization scoring guides on their own with partners. They were able to reread their writing draft from the assessment, give themselves a score based on the rubric, and work with partners to revise their paragraph to show more organization. Finally, students then took their partner revisions to create a new polished final draft. Take a look at this quick video!
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Why incorporate writing instruction in the content areas?
Incorporating writing in the content areas increases students engagement and overall understanding of the material during whole group and small group learning activities. There are a variety of ways to use introduce writing during direct instruction times that can then be scaffolded into meaningful pieces students can collaborate with or work on independently. In the following sample, you will see a letter written to a potential administration team that showcases the positive research and personal experiences that come with writing instruction in the content area classes.
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"Top 10" Synthesis of Literacy Instruction Components
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References:
Beers, G. K., & Probst, R. E. (2017). Disrupting thinking: why how we read matters. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Blackshear, J. (2012). BDA Approach - Bridging Words and Understanding. Retrieved 2020, from https://sites.google.com/site/bridgingwordsandunderstanding/bda-approach
Culham, R. (2018). Teach writing well: how to assess writing, invigorate instruction, and rethink revision. Portsmouth, NH: Stenhouse Publishers.
Ehrenworth , M. (2016). On developing readers: readings from Educational leadership. (M. Scherer, Ed.). Alexandria, VA USA: ASCD.
Gang , L. (2011). Guided Instruction. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.grahnforlang.com/guided-instruction.html
Leslie, L., & Caldwell, J.S. (2017). Qualitative reading inventory-6. Boston, MA: Pearson.
McKenna, M. C., & Robinson, R. D. (2014). Teaching through text: reading and writing in the content areas. Boston: Pearson.
McKenna, M.C., & Stahl, K.A.D. (2015). Assessment for reading instruction (3rd edition). Guilford: New York.
Pressley, M. and Allington, R. (2015). Reading instruction that works. 4th ed. New York: The Guilford Press.
Spear-Swerling, L. (2016). Common Types of Reading Problems and How to Help Children Who Have Them. The Reading Teacher, 69(5), 513–522.
Vacca, R. T., Vacca, J. A. L., & Mraz , M. (2017). Content area reading: literacy and learning across the curriculum (12th ). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Yolen, J., & Yolen- Stemple, H. E. (2002). The Mary Celeste An Unsolved Mystery from History. Aladdin Paperbacks.
Blackshear, J. (2012). BDA Approach - Bridging Words and Understanding. Retrieved 2020, from https://sites.google.com/site/bridgingwordsandunderstanding/bda-approach
Culham, R. (2018). Teach writing well: how to assess writing, invigorate instruction, and rethink revision. Portsmouth, NH: Stenhouse Publishers.
Ehrenworth , M. (2016). On developing readers: readings from Educational leadership. (M. Scherer, Ed.). Alexandria, VA USA: ASCD.
Gang , L. (2011). Guided Instruction. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.grahnforlang.com/guided-instruction.html
Leslie, L., & Caldwell, J.S. (2017). Qualitative reading inventory-6. Boston, MA: Pearson.
McKenna, M. C., & Robinson, R. D. (2014). Teaching through text: reading and writing in the content areas. Boston: Pearson.
McKenna, M.C., & Stahl, K.A.D. (2015). Assessment for reading instruction (3rd edition). Guilford: New York.
Pressley, M. and Allington, R. (2015). Reading instruction that works. 4th ed. New York: The Guilford Press.
Spear-Swerling, L. (2016). Common Types of Reading Problems and How to Help Children Who Have Them. The Reading Teacher, 69(5), 513–522.
Vacca, R. T., Vacca, J. A. L., & Mraz , M. (2017). Content area reading: literacy and learning across the curriculum (12th ). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Yolen, J., & Yolen- Stemple, H. E. (2002). The Mary Celeste An Unsolved Mystery from History. Aladdin Paperbacks.