A Model Program to Integrate
Effective Reading Strategies into
CTE Instruction
Presenter: Betty R. Ware
Supervisor of Career and Technical Education,
Fine Arts & Health/Physical Education
Presented at ACTE Convention by Chester P. Wichoski,
Project Director , Temple CTE Reading Project Temple
University
Chet.w@Temple. Edu
• Developed in response to a concern with low
reading skills of many Career and Technical
Education (CTE) students
• Selected because of their proven
effectiveness with students in CTE programs
in Pennsylvania through a research and
development project conducted by Temple
University Center for Professional
Development in CTE
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
• Reading is a fundamental skill
• Central to all learning
• According to NAEP data, the reading levels of
high school age students are alarmingly low
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
• Ability to read at an early age is an accurate
predictor for later success in school
• Been known to predict
Academic success
Academic difficulty
Discipline problem
Drop out rates
Early elementary grade reading scores
(first, second, third grade) predict prison
populations 15 years later
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
• Traditionally, the teaching of reading ends at
sixth grade
Unless student has severe reading problems
• Almost all teachers, including English teachers
and most academic and CTE teachers have not
been professionally prepared to use reading
strategies
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
• Most CTE students are motivated because
they elect to be in a CTE program
Creates a window of opportunity for teachers to
integrate proven reading strategies
Many strategies can be incorporated into the delivery
of CTE content
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
• These reading strategies are not attempts to
make the CTE teacher a reading teacher nor
change the focus of the CTE instructional
content
• It is an opportunity for CTE teachers to
enhance the teaching and learning process by
incorporating proven reading strategies
• Three major categories of reading strategies
1. Reciprocal Teaching
2. Scaffolding
3. Journaling
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
Reciprocal Teaching (RT)
A reading comprehension strategy readers use
to increase their understanding and retention
of text passages
Students learn and apply four reading
strategies:
 Predicting text outcomes
Clarifying confusing text
Questioning key concepts
Summarizing text information
Advantages of RT
Promotes strategic readers
Increases meaningful classroom discussion
and dialogue
Addresses the comprehension challenges of
many teachers
Applicable for primary through college levels
Scaffolding Instruction
• A temporary learning aid designed to help the
student grow in independence as a learner
• Once the skill the scaffold is intended to help
has been mastered, the scaffold should be
withdrawn
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
What is Scaffolding Instruction?
• A set of pre-reading, during-reading and postreading activities specifically designed to
assist a particular group of students in
successfully reading, understanding, learning
from and enjoying reading passages
(Groves & Groves, 2003)
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
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Advantages of Scaffolding
A temporary support to assist the students’
comprehension of text
A support structure that allows students to
complete task and gain knowledge
Activities which can be used to self-monitor
and internalize reading
Activities which provide ways for students to
discuss and write about reading passages
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
Journaling
• A reading comprehension strategy integrating
structured writing activities that are used to
monitor learner understanding of reading
passages
• Readers collect data, reread, and analyze the
findings in order to discover what they mean
or how they can be used
• Can take many forms: note-taking, memos,
learning logs, paragraph summaries, and
reflection writings
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
Why Journal in Content Areas?
Writing is the most disciplined form of
thinking (Murray, 1984)
Journaling is integral to the thinking process
Allows processing and retaining of key ideas
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
Advantages of Journaling
Summarize ideas
Organize processes and sequences
Explore ideas from the text
Draw conclusions and reactions
Self-evaluate learning
Discover vocabulary and develop meaning
Temple CTE Reading Project
D. Garnes, FRA
Questions or Comments??