Reading
Okemos High School
School Improvement Goal
Reading Goal
• All students will increase their
reading retention and enhance their
reading strategies across the
curriculum.
• At Okemos High School we support
life long reading and we nurture a
culture focused on the importance
of being a reader.
Steps of the Reading Goal
•
•
•
Surveys of teachers, parents, students in 07-08
(lead by Andrew Saultz)
Surveys identified need to discuss reading in
content areas and common vernacular when
discussing reading strategies
Beginning Steps
– Reading as one of the three goals for NCA as
identified by students, faculty, and parents
– Reading goal sub-divided into community
book committee and reading strategies
committee
– Focus specifically on content specific skills
– Identify ways to develop a consistent
message about reading throughout the school
for students
Steps of the Reading Goal
Spring 2009 goals identified and start of the plan
• Community book or school-wide read and
reading strategies with focus on content
specific skills
• Develop a consistent message about reading
throughout the school
Fall 2009 goal and plan revisited
• Message about reading, making reading
visible and emphasizing a culture of reading
led to reading profiles
• Community book steps and extending the
consistent message led to DEAR
• Reading in the content areas
Reading Steps 2009-2010
1. Reader Profiles: visibility of readers in the
school as role models and emphasis on the
importance of a variety of reading, creates a
message about the importance of reading
2. DEAR: continues the emphasis of the
importance of reading, visibility of the value of
reading, supports reading for pleasure and
lifelong reading, extends beyond curriculum,
models and demonstrates active reading
community
3. Reading in our content areas
Reading Profiles Reminder
• Update: Sandy Fields
– Posters around the school
– Reading Recommendations Table
– Reading Recommendations / Profiles online
– Display at P/T Conferences
• Profile Picture & Video Day
– TODAY! Feb 16th 7:30 – 8:00 before PD and
during lunch break, after PD until 3:30
– Feb 17th 7:30 – 7:45, during conference
period
• bring book and smile :)
• prepare for video recording on book or
importance of reading
• email Sandy your reader profile
Drop Everything And Read
(DEAR)
At Okemos High School we support life long
reading and we nurture a culture focused on the
importance of being a reader. In order to provide
time to read and celebrate pleasure reading OHS
offers Drop Everything And Read (DEAR).
During our OHS scheduled DEAR time everyone
in the building participates in pleasure reading.
Faculty and staff model reading for our students,
by reading during DEAR time with students.
Students are provided time to read a text of their
choice that is not for a class, so that students are
reading beyond the curriculum to develop an
appreciation for diverse texts.
Drop Everything And Read
(DEAR)
Student Expectations:
• Read silently during the entire time of DEAR
• Bring reading material of your choice, or one will
be provided for you
• You may not read material for your classes, as it
is important to become a lifelong reader and we
encourage reading beyond the curriculum to
develop an appreciation for diverse texts
Drop Everything And Read
(DEAR)
Teacher/Staff Expectations:
• All staff and faculty read silently during DEAR
• Teachers will have materials in their classroom
to provide for students without something to
read
• Teachers are reading too, therefore, they are
not reading for classes, grading, or planning
• Teachers and staff without a classroom of
students join a class to read with a community of
readers and role model their own involvement in
reading
Drop Everything And Read
(DEAR)
First DEAR Friday, February 19
• Remind students to bring books for pleasure on
Friday!
• Schedule: DEAR in 2nd hour, first 20 minutes (time
comes from passing and 5 minutes of second hour)
• DEAR video will play at the beginning of second
hour
• An announcement will come on the PA to explain
MEA & Piston’s reading program. At this time
please distribute book marks and handouts to
students in your second hour. At the end of the
announcement we will begin DEAR. It’ll be shorter
for our first DEAR, but at least 15 minutes of
reading.
Drop Everything And Read
(DEAR)
Spring 2010 DEAR dates:
• Friday, February 19
• Friday, March 26
• Friday, April 30
• Friday, May 28
Drop Everything And Read
(DEAR)
• Reminders
– Follow school policies
• no audio
• reading time
• appropriate reading
– If you do not have a 2nd hour class, join a
class.
Drop Everything And Read
(DEAR)
Survey Update
• Current result breakdown
• Team will revisit survey to show more of
the breakdown with grade level
• Survey follow-up for teachers
Drop Everything And Read
(DEAR)
Reading materials for your classroom
• Thank you for bringing in materials
• Sorted for high school
• Reading materials for your classroom
– Pick up in professional library starting
today
– You may also check out books from the
IMC
Reading at OHS
1. Reading Profiles: photos, webcasts,
recommendations to make reading
more visible in our school
2. Drop Everything And Read: time to
read beyond the curriculum with
faculty/staff modeling of reading
3. Reading in the content areas
Spring 2009 Survey Results
Student Survey:
• A significant percentage of students (about 4/5)
report consistently, across the grade levels, that
after completing reading assignments they do not
always remember what they have read.
• As students progress through high school, they
are LESS likely to report that they always
remember what they have read.
• As students progress through high school, they
report that they are LESS likely to complete
reading assignments.
• A significant percentage of students (about 95%)
report that their teachers do not always show
them how to read their textbooks.
Spring 2009 Survey Results
Teacher Survey Results:
• 74% of teachers report that they do not
consistently evaluate students’ reading retention.
• 81% of teachers report that they do not
consistently teach students’ reading retention
strategies.
Spring 2009 Survey Results
What does this mean across the
board? (What is the real message?)
• The data clearly indicates the necessity of
addressing reading throughout the
curriculum by enhancing reading strategies,
focusing on how to read specific to each
content area and improving retention.
Reading Activity
1. Read the passage and rate your
understanding in box 1.
2. Reread the passage and rate it again in box
2.
3. Read and write in the space below what you
think the passage means. Then, rate your
understanding in box 3.
4. Talk about the passage with someone near
you. Then rate your understanding in box 4.
Department Conversations
•
Follow the handout guidelines to discuss reading in your
content area. This is only the start of the conversation.
Please take notes, so that they may be used to build onto
your conversation and help prepare further
resources/professional development in this area.
Some discussion questions (more are on the printed sheet):
•
What are the types of reading in your content area?
•
What are the ways you purposefully teach reading in your
content area?
•
What questions do you have about reading in your content
area or topics you’d like to explore?
•
What do we believe about reading in the content areas?
•
What would you find helpful to guide your thinking in this
topic?