Reading Strategies to Meet the Needs
of the 5TH QUINTILE
Janet Carlson
Westerville City Schools
Slideshow Adapted from a presentation at The Ohio Association For Gifted Children by:
Leanne Ross, Tollgate Elementary, Pickerington Local Schools
Essential Questions
• What can be done to ensure challenge for
our 5th quintile students?
• What strategies are available to meet the
educational needs of these students?
• Are we willing to become flexible enough
to use these strategies?
• Is it worth our time?
Strategies known to help 5th quintile
students grow and learn
• Flexible cluster grouping
• Enriched grade level content standards
• Focus on higher level interpretations and
communication
• Differentiation
• Formative assessment for appropriate and clear
learning targets
• Opportunities for authentic work
• Acceleration
Flexible Cluster Grouping
A study examined the use of cluster
grouping in two elementary graduation
classes (n=197). During the three program
years, students involved in the school
using cluster grouping were more likely to
be identified as high achieving or above
average, and all students had significant
increases in achievement test scores.
Gifted Child Quarterly, v52 n3 p183-198 2008 Marcia Gentry
Characteristics of flexible cluster
grouping
1. All students are initially placed in an ability
based cluster group using testing data.
2. Professional development is provided for
teachers based upon the group level with
which they are working
3. Students are constantly reassessed based on
achievement and moved between groups as
needed.
Flexible cluster grouping
Advantages
Obstacles to overcome
• Students receive
instruction related to
their own specific
needs.
• Teachers are better able
to direct their planning
to one or two subsets
of students rather than
five or six.
• Student placement is
fluid.
• Scheduling – the same
subject must be taught
at the same time in
multiple classrooms.
• Teacher control of “her
students” – teachers
start to share students
and are not able to be
self contained.
Defining Enrichment
• “Activities that add or go beyond the existing curriculum.
Activities may occur in the classroom or in a separate
setting”
• “Deeper coverage of content often provided for gifted
students.”
• Horizontal curriculum expansion.”
• “Extension of the regular curriculum to include higher
level thinking skills and more advanced knowledge
acquisition related to the content”
Enriching Content Standards
How to Enrich
• Teach students grade
level standards with
extensions and more in
depth activities.
• Replace skill
acquisition lessons
with higher level
thinking activities.
• Have high level
students work
collaboratively on
group projects.
•
•
•
•
How Not to Enrich
Teaching above grade
level standards.
Giving students
packets of “extra”
materials to cover when
they are done early.
Having students peer
tutor.
Giving students more of
the same.
Differentiation
“Differentiation is just a teacher
acknowledging that kids learn in
different ways, and responding by
doing something about that through
curriculum and instruction.”
Carol Ann Tomlinson
Differentiation
“Three components of differentiation
are: content – what is being taught;
process – how it is being taught; and
product – tangible results produced
based on students’ interests and
abilities. Expand the definition by
addressing the teacher’s role,
evaluation methods, and the goals of
differentiation.” Susan Dinnocenti
Best practices in differentiation
• Teachers share and collaborate to create, implement and
revise differentiated lessons.
• Teamwork (jigsaws, literature circles, centers, Socratic
seminars)
• Workshops
• Connections (graphic organizers, inquiry learning)
• Independent study
• Experiences (online projects, simulations)
• Presentations (storytelling, multimedia, skits)
• In depth projects (portfolios, research, interviews)
Formative Assessment
“Assessments must become an integral
part of the instructional process to
help teachers improve their
instruction or modify their approach to
individual students.”
Thomas Guskey
Authentic Work
• Students work with real world problems and
questions
• Students create solutions or projects that are
shared with someone outside of the classroom
• Students conduct research that includes
interviews, web and news searches, analyzing
authentic materials and exploration beyond the
classroom
Traits of Authentic Learning
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Learning is centered on authentic tasks.
Students are engaged in exploration and inquiry.
Learning is interdisciplinary.
Learning is closely connected to the world beyond the
walls of the classroom
Students become engaged in complex tasks and higherorder thinking skills.
Students produce a product to be shared with an
audience outside the classroom.
Learning is student driven with teachers and outside
experts assisting/coaching in the learning process.
Students have opportunities for social discourse.
Resources are available.
Vocabulary Competition
WordMasters Challenge
1.
2.
3.
Vocabulary and Analogies for Elementary Students
This competition addresses higher-level word-comprehension and
logical abilities and helps student learn to think both analytically
and metaphorically.
It challenges students to solve analogies based on relationships
among words they have learned, and
It draws these analogies from special vocabulary lists, which
students have two weeks to study before each meet.
There are two divisions:
The Blue Division is suitable for students of average to above-average
reading and reasoning abilities
The Gold Division is for students (such as those in Gifted and Talented
programs) who have clearly superior abilities.
WordMasters Challenge
Within each Division, there are three meets per year -– held at your school during December, February, and
April. I will send word lists at least three weeks
before each meet.
– At the end of the year all students who participate, will
receive certificates of participation. Students do not
need to be identified as gifted to participate.
WordMasters Challenge
Grade 3 Blue Division
Sample
Words
prairie
rural
scarlet
soil
urban
vein
Sample Analogies
WOODS:ACORN::
ORCHARD:________________
(a. peach/ b. prairie/ c. pinecone/
d. apple seed / e. orange)
RURAL:SOIL::
URBAN:__________________
(a. prairie/ b. apartment/ c.
pavement / d. bus/ e. tractor)
Grade 3 Gold Division
Sample
Words
remote
astronomer
ebb
native
alien
wane
Sample Analogies
TIDE:EBB::
MOON: ____________________
(a. flow; b. astronomer/ c.
shine/ d. wane/ e. remote)
NATIVE:ALIEN::
NEARBY: __________________
(a. odd/ b. remote/ c. Martian/
d. unfriendly; e. stranger)
Suggestions For Practice
•
•
•
•
•
Jigsaw the words
Have students illustrate the words
Play charades
Play Jeopardy
WordMaster Bonus Board- find their words in
print and post them on the board
• Play Password using antonyms and synonyms
• Play Go Fish use two decks of index cards, one
with the words and the other with their
definitions.
Jacob’s Ladder Reading
Comprehension Program
Targets reading comprehension skills in
high-ability learners by moving students
through an inquiry process from basic
understanding to critical analyses of texts,
using a field-tested method developed by
the Center for Gifted Education at The
College of William and Mary. Students will
learn to comprehend and analyze any
reading passage after completing the
activities in Jacob’s Ladder, Level 1
Jacob’s Ladder, Level 1
• Increased Reading Comprehension
• Increased Critical Thinking
• Increased Interest in Reading
Provides teachers with an explanation of the nature and substance of
supplementary tasks in reading comprehension that will help repare
students for their state assessment tests. At the same time, these tasks will
move them from basic reading comprehension to more critical reading
behaviors. Pre-tests and Post-tests are included.
The program includes quality short stories (Myths and Fables), poetry, and
non-fiction
Differentiated Lesson Examples Packet
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Literature Circle
List menu
Tic-Tac-Toe Menu
2-5-8 Menu
Game Show Menu
Research Famous Authors
Learning Contract
Tiered Lesson
Engine-Uity Packets Available to
Borrow
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Beverly Cleary Author Study:
Beezus and Ramona
Ramona the Pest
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Ramona Forever
Ramona and Her Father
Muggie Maggie
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Engine-Uity Packets Available to
Borrow
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Chocolate Touch
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Shiloh
The BFG
The Little House in the Big Woods
Misty of Chincoteague
The Castle in the Attic
There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom
The Hundred Dresses
Math Curse
Bibliography
• Differentiation That Really Works – Grades 3-5; Cheryll
M. Adams & Rebecca L. Pierce; Prufrock Press Inc.
• Activities for a Differentiated Classroom- Standards and
Research Based; Wendy Conklin; Shell Education.
• Charlotte’s Web; Engine-Uity, Ltd.
• Differentiating Instruction With Menus – Lanaguage Arts;
Laurie E. Westphal; Prufrock Press
• Jacob’s Ladder- Reading Comprehension Program Level
1- Joyce L. Vantassel-Baska and Tamra Stambaugh;
Prufrock Press Inc.