Interdisciplinary Reading
Pete Garcia
Daniel Robison
Jennifer Slater
Sartartia Middle School
Why does reading matter?
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"[L]iteracy is the most basic currency of the
knowledge economy we're living in today.
Only a few generations ago, it was okay to
enter the workforce as a high school dropout
who could only read at a third-grade level.
Whether it was on a farm or in a factory, you
could still hope to find a job that would allow
you to pay the bills and raise your family.”
--President Obama
Why doesn’t just the ELA teacher
teach reading?
Students need skills to read and
comprehend content-based text.
 Skills needed depend on the content and
text.
 Background knowledge and content
provide an essential link between what
students understand and what they read.
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(Prince George’s County Public Schools)
How do I teach reading?
Strategy Instruction
Comprehension monitoring
 Cooperative learning
 Graphic organizers
 Story / text structure
 Question answering
 Question generating
 Summarization
 Multiple strategies
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Adolescents and Literacy: Reading for the 21st Century, Kamil
How do I teach reading?
Common Reading Strategies
Read, read, read
Backwards Book Walk
Double Entry Journals
KWL
Margin Notes
Partner Reading
QAR (Question-Answer Relationship)
Read, Write, Pair, Share
SQP2RS (Survey, Question, Predict, Read, Respond,
Summarize)
 Vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary
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(Navigating the ELPS, Seidlitz)
PLAN with a Focus
 Predict
 Locate
 Annotate
 Note
Predict

Predict content and structure of the text
before reading. Students create questions
and make observations based on text
title, subtitles, and graphics. How will this
text add to the Focus Question?
Locate

Locate on the text the known and
unknown information before reading.
Students place checkmarks by known
information and list question marks by
unknown information.
Annotate
Annotate during reading.
 Explain unknowns and confirm known
information
 Look for power vocabulary words and key
concepts
 Write mini-summaries of sections
 Note “a-ha” moments
 Ask questions where confused
 Connect to previous knowledge
 Make inferences and draw conclusions
Note
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Take Note of new understanding. After
reading, students should write a summary
and answer the Focus Question.
Example of PLAN
Example of PLAN continued
Reading Strategies Resources
Inspiring Teachers
 Reading across the Curriculum
 Teaching Strategies for Reading
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Reading Resources
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/
 http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
 http://www.history.org/
 http://www.howstuffworks.com/
 http://www.newsela.com/
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Science – Fiction vs. Fact?
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"The life-enhancing potential of science
and technology cannot be realized unless
the public in general comes to understand
science, mathematics, and technology and
to acquire scientific habits of mind.
Without a science-literate population, the
outlook for a better world is not
promising.“
-American Association for the Advancement
of Science
Goals of Science Reading
Increase dialogue between students
 Increase awareness of scientific topics in
mainstream publications and/or novels
 Use critical thinking skills to evaluate the
science concept (is it possible? now?
future? constraints?)
 Prepare students to evaluate scientific
information and research studies in the
news
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Fiction Novel
(only first year)
Students groups of 3-4
 Group chooses any novel (yes, any…)
 Group meets once every 2 weeks, 3X
total
 Discuss scientific references
 Record (video, audio, or written notes)
discussion
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Non-Fiction
Same groups as fall semester
 Choose one novel from list:
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The Disappearing Spoon
The Violinist’s Thumb
Stiff
This Will Change Everything
The Proper Care and Feeding
of Zombies
◦ The Poisoner’s Handbook
Non-Fiction
No group discussions
 Book divided into thirds
 10 question per 1/3rd of book
 Questions are high-level and there are no
“canned” answers
 Turn in through www.turnitin.com
 Final group project
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◦ News Flash: Book Review
◦ Re-enact one appropriate scene critical to the
book’s purpose (a “video” clip of the book)
Example questions
The Disappearing Spoon
1. Do you agree with Kean as he asserts in the introduction
of the book that “The periodic table is an anthropological
marvel ... the history of our species written in a compact and
elegant script"? Explain why you agree or disagree.
 2. Compare how Plato’s theory of “forms” for
nonmathematical objects is similar to Maria Goeppert’s
theory of the “magic nucleus”. Give examples of both
theories in the ways they are similar.
 3. Summarize the story of William Shockley, John Bardeen
and Walter Brattain in a paragraph. Which of the 3 was least
deserving of the Nobel prize?
 4. Should Mendeleev deserve the credit he gets for
“discovering” the periodic table, even though other scientists
had the same idea before him? Support your answer with
evidence.
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Historical Fiction in Social Studies
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Benefits:
◦ Supports student literacy.
◦ Students gain an understanding of historical
events from a source other than the
textbook.
◦ Presents historical events in a way that is easy
for students to comprehend.
◦ History as a human and intensely personal
story.
◦ Students become critical readers.
Historical Fiction in Social Studies
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Difficulties:
◦ Students confusing historical fiction with
historical fact.
◦ Can present a narrow view of historical
events.
Historical Fact vs. Historical Fiction
Historical Record
Historical Fiction
Nonfiction Reading in Social Studies
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Benefits:
◦ Provide a deeper and more nuanced picture
of historical events.
◦ Source validity.
◦ Prepares students for AP level course work.
Nonfiction Reading in Social Studies
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Difficulties:
◦ Reading level can be a challenge.
◦ More detail than most students need.
What the Textbook Doesn’t Say
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Identify areas where the nonfiction texts
provides greater depth and understanding
of a historical event.
Social Studies Resources
http://www.readingquest.org/
 http://www.virtualjamestown.org/
 http://www.plimoth.org/learn/MRL/interact
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