Getting them Ready for
Success in College
English
Proficiency
2004
2005
2006
2007
Total
Freshman
94
142
105
84
Exempt from
EPT
41%
39%
32%
43%
Scored 151 or
above on EPT
24%
19%
20%
13%
Demonstrated
Proficiency
prior to
enrollment
0%
1%
0%
0%
Proficient in
English
66%
59%
53%
56%
Not Proficient
in English
34%
41%
48%
44%
English
Total Freshman % proficient
Proficiency
Linfield
24
81%
Temescal
59
69%
Canyon
Temecula Valley
70
66%
Chaparral
99
64%
Lake Elsinore
34
62%
Vista Murrieta
122
57%
Great Oak
74
57%
MVHS
84
56%
Develop in students the ability to read,
write about, and discuss challenging
texts in order to prepare them for the
rigors of academic environments.
Teachers will…
• become more skilled in analyzing texts for
pedagogical purposes.
• explore different purposes for reading and
discussing texts.
• continue to learn how to guide students into deep
learning of texts using a variety of critical and
analytical reading strategies.
• learn various ways to engage students in
academic performances.
• review current research on adolescent
literacy.
• explore the usefulness of rereading as a
literacy strategy.
• experience ways reading strategies can be
used for purposeful rereading.
• introduce templates and 3-part source/
argument statements.
High school graduates are not
ready for college freshman
reading tasks.
• The majority of students in California are reading
below grade level.
• Students enter into high school needing
remediation in reading and writing.
• Students continue to move through secondary
education deficient in reading and writing.
• Research tells us that students are collegeprepared, but not college-ready.
A List of College
Reading Tasks
• Make predictions while
reading
• Summarize texts accurately
• Comprehend ideas presented
in a variety of texts and be
able to see connections
among them
• Successfully read challenging
texts without instruction or
support
• Approach texts with a variety
of reading strategies
• Identify key claims and
evidence as it relates to the
• Differentiate between main and
subordinate ideas in texts
• Clarify challenging material
through rereading strategies
• Predict the author's purpose
using textual clues
• Argue with a text; challenge
what a text says
• Apply prior knowledge to new
ideas and information
• Develop questions while
reading and seek to find
answers
• Use context clues to understand
A List of College
Writing Tasks
• Write papers that pertain to reading
• Summarize ideas presented in non-fiction texts
• Synthesize ideas from several sources
• Analyze arguments
• Critically analyze the ideas in texts
A List of College
Reading Tasks
• Make predictions while
reading
• Summarize texts accurately
• Comprehend ideas presented
in a variety of texts and be
able to see connections
among them
• Successfully read challenging
texts without instruction or
support
• Approach texts with a variety
of reading strategies
• Identify key claims and
evidence as it relates to the
• Differentiate between main and
subordinate ideas in texts
• Clarify challenging material
through rereading strategies
• Predict the author's purpose
using textual clues
• Argue with a text; challenge
what a text says
• Apply prior knowledge to new
ideas and information
• Develop questions while
reading and seek to find
answers
• Use context clues to understand
Table Talk
How can students succeed in high school
(earn good grades, pass advanced classes,
and complete all college requirements)
yet enter post-secondary education
deficient in reading and writing? What has
caused this to happen?
What does research suggest we do to
improve adolescent literacy
instruction?
1. Provide explicit instruction and supportive practice
in the use of reading comprehension strategies.
2. Increase the number and quality of open, sustained
discussions of texts.
3. Set and maintain high standards for texts,
conversations, questions, and vocabulary.
4. Develop instructional methods that increase
student engagement with text and motivation for
reading.
5. Teach essential content knowledge so that all
Research References
ACT Inc. Aligning Postsecondary Expectations and High School Practice: The Gap Defined
Policy Implications of the ACT National Curriculum Survey® Results. Washington, DC:
ACT, Inc, 2007. Available online at
http://www.act.org/path/policy/pdf/NCSPolicyBrief.pdf.
Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senate. Intersegmental Academic Literacy: A
Statement of Competencies Expected of Students Entering California's Public Colleges and
Universities. Sacramento, CA: Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senate,
2002. Available online at
http://www.asccc.org/Publications/Papers/AcademicLiteracy/main.htm.
Olson, Booth Carol and Robert Land. “A Cognitive Strategies Approach to Reading and
Writing Instruction for English Language Learners in Secondary School.” Research in
the Teaching of English 41 (2007): 270-303.
Torgesen, J. K., Houston, D. D., Rissman, L. M., Decker, S. M., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S.,
Wexler, J. Francis, D. J, Rivera, M. O., Lesaux, N. (2007). Academic Literacy Instruction
For Adolescents: A Guidance Document from the Center on Instruction, NH: RMC
Research Corporation, Center on Instruction. Available online at
Complete the following statement with a
list of skills or abilities:
When our students read texts, we want
them to be able to…
Ex. comprehend what they are reading.
 One of the Problems:
Lack of proficiency in reading
 Part of the Solution:
professional development in
reading instruction (RIAP)
According to the CSU schools
19
1.
2.
3.
College Readiness Information and Testing at
11th Grade (Augmented CST)
The 12th Grade Expository Reading and
Writing Course (ERWC): Curriculum (a-g
approved) and professional development
Reading Institutes for Academic Preparation
(RIAP): Professional Development for
English and Content Area Teachers, 9-12
From the CSU schools website
20
“Regardless of a student’s major, the ability to
formulate and analyze arguments, both orally and
in writing, is absolutely essential to academic
success … . We can develop these skills at the
postsecondary level, but students need to get a
solid foundation in these basics when they are in
high school, or they will fall behind quickly in
college.”
--an English professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
From Ready or Not: Creating a High School Diploma that Counts. (2004). The
American Diploma Project
From the CSU schools website
21
“It is a myth that mathematics and mathdependent majors in college do not require
strong reading and writing skills. Students have
to be able to comprehend complex
informational text so they can identify which
mathematical operations and concepts to apply
to solve a particular problem.”
--An economics professor, San Francisco State University
From Ready or Not: Creating a High School Diploma that Counts. (2004). The
American Diploma Project
From the CSU schools website
22
The inseparable skills of critical reading,
writing, listening and thinking depend upon
students’ ability to postpone judgment and
tolerate ambiguity as they honor the dance
between passionate assertion and patient
inquiry.
Academic Literacy: A Statement of Competencies Expected of Students
Entering California’s Public Colleges and Universities, page 12.
From the CSU schools website
23
 RIAP + ERWC =
more than FOUR times
the rate of improvement
of all California high
schools (13.6% vs. 3%).
From the CSU schools website
24
How do we bring this to MMHS?
 What we do already:
 ERWC
 RIAP
 EAP
 What we can do now:
 Strengthen our school reading and
writing culture to help students
internalize strategies that will support
them all their lives.
Rams Read and Write – Everywhere!
 Common terminology
 Consistent Strategies
 Expectation that students will use
these strategies
 Strategies will be accessible to
students independently (via the web)
Formal
Essays
Labs
Exams
Reports
Casual
Journals
Notes
In-Class Activities
Homework assignments
Quick-Writes
How to bring this to MMHS teachers

Web Page
 Strategies
 Samples
 Tips from teachers
 Reading
Page
 Writing
Page
 Link for
each
strategy



Strategy
Handout
Example of
strategy in use
Suggestions
and uses from
content area
teachers for
each subject
Reading Strategies – Annotation
What is it?
What is it?
Annotation is basically having students think on the page as they read. In order to annotate, it is
best to actually write on the text. Unfortunately, that is not often possible in a high school
setting. When students record their thoughts, questions, predictions, observations, etc. on the
page as they read, it helps them more thoroughly understand the text, as well as their level of
understanding of it. They know what questions to ask about it, what words or phrases they
didn’t understand, and they can more easily find the main ideas and key words in the passage.
The biggest thing annotation does is help students become aware of their level of understanding,
otherwise known as metacognition - awareness and understanding one's thinking and cognitive
processes. It gets them thinking about their thinking.
How to do it
When reading a text upon which they can write:
Before they read, have them take out a pen and a highlighter. They can use multiple colors of
either or both, if they like. As they read, ask them to do any of the following on their paper as
they read.
How to do it
What to do




circle
highlight
underline
or star
 write in the margins
Variations








What to do it to
main ideas
key words
words or phrases they don’t understand
words that have strong connotation or
significance to the passage
summaries
reflections
observations
questions
Variations
When reading a text upon which they cannot write:
Before they read, have them take out a pen and a pack of small post-its. Again, they can use
multiple colors of either or both, if they like. As they read, they can use the post-its to mark as
many of the above items as possible.
Summaries:
At the end of each section, chapter, page (it’s up to you or the student), it is often very helpful to
write a brief summary of that piece based on the annotations. It helps support and solidify the
students’ metacognition of their reading.
 Key words
 Labels
 Questions
 Comments
 Reflections
 Connections
Reading Strategies – SOAPSTone
What is it?
SOAPSTone is a reading strategy that helps students clarify the context of a piece of writing. It
is especially useful with non-fiction – articles, essays, speeches, letters, etc. It is a simple
acronym that reminds them to identify the following elements of the piece.
 Subject – What the piece is about? The topic.
 Occasion – What prompted the author to write it? What event in the world or in the life of
the author caused him or her to want to share these thoughts through their writing?
o Note that this can be phrased as “why the author wrote it,” but students need to
understand the distinction between Occasion and Purpose – they often get them
confused. Purpose can also be why the author wrote it, but they are very
different.
 Audience – For whom is this piece intended? Whom is the author trying to reach with it?
There can be multiple answers here, for example: A person writing about a bad experience
they had with a bully might be trying to reach other people who have had similar
experiences, as well as readers who might be bullies themselves. This ties in directly with
the purpose. Often, for each audience, there is a completely different purpose.
 Purpose – What result is the author hoping will come of this piece? What is he or she trying
to achieve by writing it?
 Speaker – What can you tell me about the author? Many students will stop with their name,
but encourage them to go into details about the author’s personality, beliefs, values. Who is
the person who wrote this? Describe him or her in as much detail as you can based on what
you read.
 Tone – What is the author’s attitude toward the subject of the piece? How does he or she
feel about it? Also, how does he or she feel about the audience? All of this is part of the
tone.
By identifying all six of these characteristics of the piece, students will develop a much more
thorough understanding of its context, importance, and complexities.
How to do it
Explain each step of the process to the students – remind them what each letter of the acronym
stands for. If it is their first exposure to the technique, it helps to give them an easy example,
like the morning announcements.
Make sure that they know before they read that they will need to SOAPSTone the piece.
Encourage them to annotate it as they read, if they can. This helps later when they have to go
back and finish the SOAPSTone.
Provide a chart, like the one on the back, if you like, for them to record what they find about
each letter. Once they know how to do it, they can do it on their own paper.
What is it?
Reading Strategies – SOAPSTone
Name: ____________________________________ Course: ___________________________
Reading: _____________________________________________________ Date: __________
S
O
A
P
S
T
Subject:
Occasion:
How to do it
Audience:
Purpose:
Speaker:
one:
Generic Graphic
Organizer
Learning to Read
Carefully and Critically
 Reading should not be:
 a series of facts
 “Is this going to be on the test?”
Use the acronym S.O.A.P.S to
begin.
S = Subject
O = Occasion
A = Audience
P = Purpose
S = Speaker
 General topic
 General Content
 Overall Idea
 Should be stated in a few words or
short phrase
 Time
 Place
 Current Situation
 What is the context that inspired
the writing to happen???
 To whom is the piece directed?
 May be one person, a small or
large group
 May be a specific person/group
 What is the reason behind text?
 What is the author’s
message/point?
 So what??????
 Who is telling the story?
 What do we know about the
author?
 Male? Female? Age? Race?
Personality? Beliefs? Values?
 What is the authors attitude
towards the subject of the piece?
 How does he or she feel about it?
 How does he or she fee about the
audience?