Welcome
Literacy for Learning
Effective Literacy Instruction,
Grades 4 to 6
The team:
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Catherine McVie – Superintendent of Program
Donna McMillan – Education Coordinator
Alison Craig – Vice Principal, Chimo
Melody Stanton – Teacher, Front of Yonge
Lianne Swann – Teacher, Linklater
Judy Wilson – Teacher, Plantagenet
Patricia Baker – Teacher, Maynard
Tracy Staples – SAT Rideau Education Centre
Overview
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Day 1 (lead teacher)
One day collaboration at school
Day 2 (lead teacher & junior teacher DECEMBER 1 or 2)
One day collaboration at school
Day 3 (lead teacher & junior teacher FEBRUARY 8 or 9)
October
December
Gradual Release Model
Carousels:
Critical Literacy
Comprehension
Strategies
Read Aloud
Mining the Text
Shared Reading
Literature Circles
Reader’s Theatre
Guided Reading
Literacy for
the 21st Century
Independent Reading
Comprehension
Strategies
February
Junior Writer
The Junior Learner
Multi-literacies
Reciprocity of Literacy Processes
Knowing Ourselves as
Learners (MI)
Assessment &
Planning
Speaking & Listening, Reading & Viewing, Writing & Representing
Shared Writing
Lesson
4 Roles of the Literacy Learner
Meaning Maker, Text User, Code User, Text Analyzer
In School
Collaboration
after Day 1
Critical Literacy
Knowing the Learner
Assessment informing instruction
The Learning Environment
Effective Literacy Instruction
Guided &
Independent
Writing
Gradual Release of Responsibility, Instructional Approaches
Teacher Collaboration
Visual Literacy
Activities
In School Collaboration after Day 1
Word Work
(spelling) &
Vocabulary
Development
In School Collaboration after Day 2
It’s finally our turn!!!
These training sessions will:
 validate;
 challenge;
 stretch; and
 support.
These training sessions:
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are based on Literacy for Learning The
Report of the Expert Panel on Literacy in
Grades 4 to 6 in Ontario; current research
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and best practice;
reflect the information in the junior Guide
to Effective Literacy Instruction; and
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present material designed with the target
audience in mind.
So much to share…
So little time…
During these training sessions, we will
examine
 literacy in the 21st century
 the junior learner, and context
 effective literacy instruction
 resources
That’s Me/That’s Us
Activity
Building a Community of Learners
That’s Me/That’s Us
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A number of criteria will be read (e.g., Like
to write poetry.)
If the criteria fits an individual stand and
respond “That’s Me”.
OR
If the criteria fits the group, members stand
and respond with “That’s Us”.
Determine your similarities and differences.
What It Means to Be Literate
“Literacy is defined …as the ability to use language and
images in rich and varied forms to read, write, listen,
speak, view, represent, and think critically about
ideas. It enables us to share information, to interact
with others, and to make meaning. Literacy is a
complex process.”
(Literacy For Learning, The Report of the Expert Panel on Literacy in
Grades 4 to 6 in Ontario, 2004 )
Activity:
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What does it mean to be literate?
Working in groups of 3 or 4.
Write 3 ideas on chart paper to
complete the sentence stem, “Being
literate means…”. (5 minutes)
Table share
What It Means to Be Literate
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Debriefing the activity “What it means
to be literate...”
Seven Guiding Principles (refer to
handout in package)
Guiding Principles:
•
Literacy learning in the junior grades can transform children’s lives.
•
The goal of all literacy instruction is to enable students to make
meaning from and in the wide range of texts they will encounter and
produce at school and in the world.
•
All junior students can develop as literate learners when they receive
scaffolded support that prepares them for higher learning and growing
independence.
•
Students are motivated to learn when they encounter interesting and
meaningful texts on topics that matter to them.
•
Teachers continually assess the literacy learning of their students in
order to design classroom activities that will promote new learning for
each student.
•
Teachers continually develop their professional knowledge and skills,
drawing on lessons from research to improve their classroom practice.
•
Successful literacy learning in the junior grades is a team effort,
acquiring the support of the whole learning community – including
teachers at all grade levels, school administrators, support staff, the
board, the parents, and community members.
What It Means to Be Literate
“Literacy is about more than reading and writing – it is
about how we communicate in society. It is about
social practices and relationships, about knowledge,
language and culture. Literacy…finds its place in our
lives alongside other ways of communicating. Indeed
literacy itself takes many forms: on paper, on the
computer screen, on TV, on posters and signs. Those
who use literacy take it for granted – but those who
cannot use it are excluded from much communication
in today’s world. Indeed, it is the excluded who can
best appreciate the notion of literacy as freedom.”
(UNESCO)
Big Ideas - Overview
Multi-literacies
Reciprocity of Literacy Processes
Speaking & Listening, Reading & Viewing, Writing &
Representing
4 Roles of the Literacy Learner
Meaning Maker, Text User, Code Breaker, Text Analyser
Critical Literacy
Knowing the Learner
Assessment informing instruction
The Learning Environment
Effective Literacy Instruction
Gradual Release of Responsibility, Instructional Approaches
Teacher Collaboration
Activity: 4 Roles of the Literate Learner
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Using the puzzle pieces in the
envelope, construct the four
roles of the literate learner.
What are the implications of
the four roles for teachers and
students?
4 Roles of the Literate Learner
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Students must learn to make meaning of texts,
Text
Text
Analyser
User
Meaning
Maker
Code
User
break the code of texts, use texts functionally
Understands
Understands
that
that
the
texts
purpose
aretexts.
notand
neutral,
that
and to analyze
and
critique
Recognizes
and
uses
the
features
and
structures
Uses prior
knowledge
and
of
written,
visual,
and
spokenviews
texts,
including
audience
they
represent
help toparticular
determine
the way
and
a textthe
is
experience
to
Students
integrate
all
four
rolesand
as that
they
alphabet,
sounds
inconstruct
words,
spelling,
structured,
perspectives
themay
tone,
be
the
missing,
degree
and
of
theread,
conventions,
sentence
structure,
text
communicate
meaning
when
formality,
designspeak,
and
and
messages
theview
sequence
of
texts
of
components,
can be
write, listen,
and
represent.
organization,
graphics
and
visuals
to and
break
and
critiques
uses this
and
knowledge
alternatives
to
considered.
read,
write
reading,
writing,
andother
speaking.
the “code” of text.
speak.
Literacy For Learning,
The Report of the Expert Panel on Literacy in Grades 4 to 6 in Ontario,
2004, p. 9
Reading
(and viewing)
Thinking
Writing (and
Representing)
Making
Meaning
Thinking
Thinking
Talking
And Listening
Literacy For Learning,
The Report of the Expert Panel on Literacy in Grades 4 to 6 in Ontario, 2004, p.14
4 Roles of the Literate Learner
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Implications for teachers:
explicit and systematic teaching of the 4 roles;
appropriate resources to demonstrate the roles.
Implications for students:
multiple opportunities to practise the 4 roles;
exposure to texts of many types.
Activity: Code Breaker
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Read the text entitled “Meager Maroon
Capuchin”.
Note (record on sticky notes) the
strategies you used to help “crack the
code”.
Code Breaker
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Draws on a repertoire of known words
Continuously develops a reading
vocabulary
Uses word-solving strategies
Uses language conventions and text
features
Recognizes and uses visual information
Activity: Meaning Maker
Say Something
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Work with a partner.
Listen to the text being read aloud.
When reading stops, say something to
your partner about what has been read
(make connections, predictions,
inferences).
Rules for Say Something
1. With your partner, decide who will say something first.
2. When you say something, do one or more of the following:
make a prediction
ask a question
clarify something you had misunderstood
make a comment
make a connection
3. If you can’t do one of those five things, then you need to reread.
Source: When Kids Can’t Read - What Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers p. 107, 108
Say Something
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Make a connection
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text-to-text
text-to-self
text-to-world
Make a Connection
• This reminds me of...
• This part is like...
• This character (fill in name) is like (fill in name) because...
• This is similar to...
• The differences are...
• I also (name something in the text that has also happened to you)...
• I never (name something in the text that has never happened to you)...
• This character makes me think of...
• This setting reminds me of...
Make a prediction – What do you think is the cause
of Sergei’s change?
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Make a Prediction
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I predict that...
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I bet that...
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I think that...
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Since this happened (fill in detail), then I bet the next thing that is going to
happen is...
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Reading this part makes me think that this (fill in detail) is about to happen...
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I wonder if...
Meaning Maker
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Recognizes that reading always involves
a search for meaning
Knows and applies a variety of
comprehension strategies
Self-monitors when reading, recognizes
when comprehension breaks down and
takes steps to restore it
Meaning Maker Continued
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Sustains comprehension and maintains
interest over extended periods of time
Demonstrates a continuous awareness
of personal reading strategies and
processes (metacognition)
Responds to texts in a variety of ways
Activity: Text User
Use your knowledge
of the comic strip format
to generate a thought that
could be running through
the teacher’s mind.
Text User
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Recognizes and understands the structures of
a variety of text forms
Writes for a variety of purposes
Matches the text form to the audience and to
the purposes for writing
Effectively uses the language features and
conventions of a variety of text forms
Recognizes and conveys voice
Activity: Text Analyser
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While viewing the video-clip, consider
two perspectives to analyse.
Video-clip
Activity: Text Analyser
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Draw two head silhouettes.
Represent one perspective in the first
head and another perspective in the
second head.
Share your mind and alternative mind
portraits with a partner.
Activity: Text Analyser
Mind and Alternative Mind Portraits
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This technique allows readers/viewers
to examine two different points of view.
Each perspective is represented on a
“mind” graphic organizer through
words, drawings or collages.
Text Analyser
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Is aware of and can identify how texts
are crafted to represent the views and
interests of the writer.
Understands that information, ideas and
language in texts influence the reader’s
perceptions and texts empower or
disempower certain groups
Text Analyser:
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applies higher-order thinking skills to
deepen understanding and to
deconstruct the author’s message
analyses ideas, information and
perspectives in texts
engages in critical literacy/inquiry
recognizes bias, omission and multiple
perspectives.
Wrap up
Text User
Code User
Meaning Maker
Text Analyser
Break
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Snacks and washroom break…
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Be back on time for a door prize!