APS
DISTRICT MIDDLE SCHOOL GENERAL ELECTIVES CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK
Course Title: Literacy Strategies II
Course Number:
Department:
ADS Number:
Prerequisites:
General Electives
54002
08324200
None
Length of Course: Two Semesters Credit/PRI Area:
Elective
Grade Level(s):
6-8
Important Notes:
Each individual middle school chooses and administers an assessment instrument(s) to determine the student’s placement in this
course.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Literacy Strategies II supports the developing adolescent reader. The developing adolescent reader often exhibits many of the following characteristics: responds with some
details and one major point or event and the main idea is partially stated; makes simple or superficial interpretations or inferences with some supporting evidence from the text;
identifies basic cause-and-effect relationships; connects some ideas from text with prior knowledge and personal experiences but does not attempt to clarify or explain
inconsistencies within the text or with experiences; shows awareness of author’s style, craft, or purpose but does not explain the effect on the text, reader, or meaning; compares
and contrasts various texts and authors with support; uses strategies and comprehends grade-level text inconsistently; and requires some support in reading grade-level texts. This
course is designed to provide individual as well as small group instruction in order to meet each student’s needs. Instruction is guided by ongoing assessments. The student uses
the essential reading elements that include listening during teacher read-alouds, as well as shared, guided, and independent reading. The student has a variety of opportunities to
learn, practice, and internalize reading behaviors and strategies, developing the knowledge, skills, and strategies to support comprehension of grade-level texts through maximum
instructional support. The reading process, reading application, and personal engagement with reading are major areas of focus.
Literacy Strategies I, II, and III are developed to support student mastery of grade-level language arts standards. As the student progresses in his/her skill development, he/she is
assessed and moved to the appropriate instructional-level course.
References in parentheses following each performance standard refer to and are aligned with the New Mexico Language Arts Standards (LA).
LITERACY STRATEGIES II
8.1.10
Albuquerque Public Schools 09/05
STRATEGIES:
The “Illustrations” column in the Program of Studies provides exemplars of the performance standards, strategies, and best practices suggested by middle school language arts
teachers in the Albuquerque Public Schools.
ASSESSMENTS:
On-going assessments may include: authentic and performance-based assessment, cooperative learning, teacher observations, checklists, tests and exams, formal and informal
writing, small group and full class discussions, oral and multimedia presentations, projects, demonstrations, and protfolios. Assessments are based on approgriate rubrics.
SUGGESTED TEXTBOOKS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:
Current state adopted language arts textbooks.
SUGGESTED TITLES/AUTHORS WEB SITES:
 Allen (2004). Tools for Teaching Content Literacy. Stenhouse.
 Barton & Heidema (2002). Teaching Reading in Mathematics. – May be purchased through Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD),
 Barton & Jordan (2001). Teaching Reading in Science. – May be purchased through ASCD.
 Billmayer & Barton. (1998). Teaching Reading in the Content Areas. - May be purchased though ASCD.
 Bromely, Irwin-DeVitis & Modlo (1995). Graphic Organizers. Scholastic.
 Burke (2000). Reading Reminders: Tools, Tips, and Techniques. Heinemann.
 Center for Performance Assessment (2005). Write to Know Series. Advanced Learning Press.
 Forsten, Grant, & Hollas (2003). Differentiating Textbooks: Strategies to Improve Student Comprehension and Motivation. Crystal Springs Books.
 Fry, Fountoukidis, & Polk (2001). The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists. Prentice Hall.
 Hollas (2005). Differentiating Instruction in a Whole-Group Setting. Crystal Springs Books.
 Schoenback, Greenleaf, Cziko, & Hurwitz (1999). Reading for Understanding: A Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms. Jossey-Bass.
 Vaca & Vaca (2002). Content Area Reading. Allen and Bacon.
 Wood & Harman (2000). Strategies for Integrating Reading and Writing in Mid School and High School. National Middle School Association.
 Zwiers (2004). Building Reading Comprehension Habits in Grades 6 – 12: A Toolkit of Classroom Activities. International Reading Association.




http://www.literacymatters.org/content/readandwrite/reading.htm#tools - Information of strategic reading; several links to access classroom applications for Questioning,
Reading Expository Text, Vocabulary, How to Read a Textbook, Reading and Interpreting Diverse Materials.
http://cwabacon.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pubbooks/bacca_awl/ - Resources that build on the information and activities in Content Reading by Vacca and Vacca; online
writing prompts, a large number of links to the best content-area sites on the Web.
http://www2.corvallis.k12.or.us/teaching_learning/StrategicReaders/ - Teaching tools and strategy lessons in different content areas by grade level.
http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/%7Eelc/readingacross.html - Reading strategies for content teachers; student reading checklists for different purposes.
Approved by MSCA: September 21, 2005
LITERACY STRATEGIES II
8.2.10
Albuquerque Public Schools 09/05
STRAND I: READING PROCESS
CONTENT STANDARD: The student employs appropriate reading strategies to read and interpret increasingly complex texts for a variety of purposes.
BENCHMARK: The student demonstrates competence with reading processes to comprehend, analyze, interpret, and evaluate a wide variety of texts across content areas.
GRADE
6-8
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
ILLUSTRATIONS
NOTE: Illustrations include suggested activities for attaining each
performance standard. A check for () refers to a key feature to look
for while assessing student performance.
1.
Demonstrates phonetic [e.g., vowel/consonant blends/use of rules
(e.g., When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.)]
and structural [e.g., affixes, word parts rules (e.g., To maintain a vowel’s
short sound, double the consonant before adding “ing”.)] awareness
(LA-3.1.1).
1.
2.
Applies context clues independently to decode unfamiliar words to increase
fluency (LA-3.1.2).
1, 2. While reading, the student uses an affix log to record words
containing prefixes and suffixes. Using context clues, the student
makes a “best guess” as to what the word means. He/She then checks
the “best guess” with the dictionary definition.
 thoroughness
 accuracy
 generalization to other words containing affixes
3.
Demonstrates cognitive strategies (LA-3.1.4, 4.1.4):
 predicting
 predicting based on text structure
 summarizing
 questioning before, during, and after reading
 clarifying
 connecting
 visualizing
 paraphrasing.
3.
LITERACY STRATEGIES II
8.3.10
Using a teacher-generated list of words containing prefixes and
suffixes, the student identifies each word and describes how the
affix changes the meaning of the base word.
 accurate recognition of base word
 accurate recognition of affix meaning
As part of a small group, the student answers teacher-generated
questions related to a recently-read text. The student first categorizes
the question as being a Right There Question [i.e., words used in the
question can be found in the text (e.g., Describe the characteristics of
a mammal.)]; a Think and Search Question [i.e., answer is in the text,
but reader must analyze the passage to find out how the information
applies (e.g., Compare and contrast veins and arteries.)]; an Author and
You Question [i.e., answer is not in text; student must think about what
the author has said in order to answer the question (e.g., This passage
is about the filibuster. When, if ever, should the filibuster be used in
Congress?)]; On My Own Question [i.e., answer is not in the text;
answer is based on the student’s prior knowledge (e.g., What public
transportation do you use? Why?)]. After the student has used this
QAR (i.e., Question and Answer Relationships: Raphael, 1986)
Albuquerque Public Schools 09/05
GRADE
6-8
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
ILLUSTRATIONS
process to categorize the type of question, he/she uses the appropriate
strategy to answer the questions.
 participation
 use of QAR process
 accuracy
 reasoning skills
-ORWorking in a small group, the student collaborates and discusses
assigned text using the four strategies of summarizing (i.e., identifying
and condensing the main points in the text), questioning
(i.e., formulating questions about information you don’t know or would
like to know), clarifying (i.e., clearing up any confusion caused by
barriers in the text such as new vocabulary or concepts or unclear
referents), and predicting (i.e., using information based on prior
knowledge, genre, illustration, text structure).
 active participation in discussion
 use of strategy
-ORBefore a study of the Revolutionary War, the student brainstorms words
or ideas associated with the word revolution. He/She then examines
several features (e.g., title of chapter, illustrations, art, historical
figures, highlighted words) of the chapter to be read, making
predictions about what will be in the chapter. As the student reads the
chapter, he/she uses the information gleaned in the prior two steps.
After the chapter has been read, the student revisits predictions to
discuss those that were confirmed, those that were revised based on
information learned from the reading, and those predictions that still
require more reading before confirmation and revision are possible.
 participation
 use of process
4.
Summarizes the main idea(s) from text using supporting details (LA-3.2.7).
4.
The student creates a storyboard illustrating the main points of a text.
 accuracy
 ample details
-OR-
LITERACY STRATEGIES II
8.4.10
Albuquerque Public Schools 09/05
GRADE
6-8
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
ILLUSTRATIONS
The student outlines a text to represent the main ideas.
 accuracy
 details
-ORThe student reads the first section of the text and writes the most
important ideas about the topic. He/She continues this process for
subsequent sections, limiting the summaries to two or three sentences
if possible. After summarizing the selection, the student reviews what
has been written, reciting the content in his/her own words.
 thoroughness
 participation
 accuracy
5.
Practices new vocabulary through reading, listening, and interacting in a
variety of situations (LA-3.1.7).
5.
The student participates in a capsule vocabulary lesson on metric
measurement of length, defining vocabulary (e.g., meter, kilometer,
decameter) as it is presented. As part of a pair, the student uses the
vocabulary while conversing (e.g., “You’d measure the distance from
my house to yours in kilometers.” “I guess you could use decameters to
measure the length of our driveway.”). Finally, the pair of students
compose a short paper on the topic.
 participation
 accuracy
 effective communication
-ORPrior to reading a text, the student receives a teacher-generated list of
new words and phrases in the text. As part of a small group, the student
predicts possible meanings for these phrases based on his/her
background knowledge. As the text is read aloud by the teacher/peer,
the reader stops at the end of the sentence where the phrase appears.
The student and his/her group try to figure out the meaning of the
phrase using clues in the text. As the group collaborates, the student
articulates which strategies are being used to discover the meaning of
the phrase. These strategies may include:
 using the rest of the words in the sentence,
 reading past the phrase and using the rest of the text,
 engaging background knowledge,
LITERACY STRATEGIES II
8.5.10
Albuquerque Public Schools 09/05
GRADE
6-8
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
ILLUSTRATIONS


6.
Demonstrates self-correction strategies (LA-3.1.3).
LITERACY STRATEGIES II
6.
8.6.10
examining word parts, and
determining key words to assist in understanding.

participation

use of strategy

clear articulation
During independent reading time, the student uses sticky notes to
identify any problem areas. After using self-correcting strategies
(e.g., read ahead, reread, self-questioning), he/she checks with a
peer/teacher if any further clarification is needed.
 participation
 use of appropriate self-correcting strategies
Albuquerque Public Schools 09/05
STRAND II: READING APPLICATION
CONTENT STANDARD: The student applies reading skills and knowledge to respond to, examine, and critique a variety of texts.
BENCHMARK: The student reads, listens to, responds to, and makes connections to a variety of work from a diverse collection of texts.
GRADE
6-8
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
ILLUSTRATIONS
1.
Recalls and responds to story details and characterization (LA-3.2.8).
1.
The student uses a story map/story matrix (i.e., story title, main
characters, setting, problem, solution) to retell a story. He/She
compares own matrix with that of a classmate, discussing any
differences.
 all matrix components present
 detailed information
 participation with a partner
2.
Draws conclusions, makes generalizations, and gathers support for answers
by referencing text (LA-3.2.9).
1, 2.
After student reads a piece of informational text, the teacher provides
ten provocative statements based on the reading. The student records
whether he/she agrees or disagrees, giving reasons for beliefs.
STORY DETAILS/QUOTE
1.
2.
3.
.
.
.



3.
Identifies key words and discovers their relationships (LA-4.1.2).
LITERACY STRATEGIES II
8.7.10
3.
STUDENT REACTION
completion
thoroughness
logical reasoning
As the student reads a passage, he/she highlights/points out words and
phrases that are key (i.e., necessary) as opposed to those that are
extraneous information. In a small group, the student discusses
choices, justifying when necessary.
 accuracy
 participation in discussion
 logical justification
Albuquerque Public Schools 09/05
GRADE
6-8
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
ILLUSTRATIONS
4.
Distinguishes between figurative and literal phrases (LA-4.2.6).
4.
5.
Distinguishes between fact and opinion (LA-3.2.10).
6.
Identifies author’s purpose (LA-4.2.9).
5, 6. Using different newspaper sections including the editorial pages, the
student determines if a selection is fact or opinion, giving reasons for
his/her decision. He/She then determines if the author’s purpose is to
inform, entertain, or persuade, giving reasons for decision.
 accuracy
 logical arguments
LITERACY STRATEGIES II
8.8.10
Using excerpts from a text, the student creates a table/chart of
language and meanings.
 accuracy
Albuquerque Public Schools 09/05
STRAND III: PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT
CONTENT STANDARD: The student explores various reading strategies to develop autonomy and connections with text in order to become a life-long reader.
BENCHMARK: The student employs the strategies of a competent reader by reading critically, asking questions, and succeeding in comprehending more challenging text to
make connections to the real world.
GRADE
6-8
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
ILLUSTRATIONS
1.
Develops strategies to monitor one’s own reading (LA-4.1.4):
 thinks ahead,
 makes connections,
 relates new to prior knowledge,
 questions to clarify meaning,
 makes predictions,
 uses context clues,
 summarizes,
 visualizes.
1.
The student reads a small but challenging text. He/She stops reading
every two or three sentences and makes a comment about what has been
read, commenting how the text relates to him/her. If applicable, he/she
also connects this text to another text or to the world, reflecting on what
is happening in the world as it relates to the text. The student shares
aloud any text-related questions or misunderstandings so teacher/peers
can help clarify meaning. The student continues reading aloud,
predicting what will occur next in the text and sharing how this
prediction was reached. The student also describes any visual
interpretation made about the text. After completing the text, the
student summarizes what was read, using as few words as possible.
 process utilized
 logical connections articulated
 accurate, concise, complete summary
2.
Discusses similarities/differences and cause/effect in increasingly
difficult text (LA-3.2.3, 3.2.6).
2.
After reading two or more texts, the student answers the question,
“How are the two alike/different?” He/She completes a Venn diagram
indicating similarities/differences.
 accuracy
 reasoning
Was not
the best
scholar
NO GUMPTION
LITERACY STRATEGIES II
8.9.10
Had a
difficult
childhood
Tried hard
in school.
BARRIO BOY
Albuquerque Public Schools 09/05
GRADE
6-8
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
ILLUSTRATIONS
3.
Identifies and gives examples of text features that make text accessible and
engaging to readers (LA-3.2.2).
3.
The student completes a teacher-generated worksheet that includes
different examples of text features [i.e., conventions of text (e.g., titles,
headings), conventions of print (e.g., bold, italics), and conventions of
genre (e.g., fairy tales, textbooks)]. The student identifies and explains
why/why not the text features are appealing and engaging for readers.
 completion
 logical arguments
4.
Selects and reads text at independent reading level (LA-4.1.7).
4.
After selecting a text that interests him/her, the student reads the title,
looks at the cover and any visuals in the book, reads the back cover and
inside sleeve, and, if possible, notes the reading level of the book. The
student reads the first five pages of the text to ascertain its meaning. If
the student finds five or more words on a page that he/she does not
understand, this might indicate that the book is on the student’s
frustration level; the student chooses a different text and follows the
above process to determine if the text is appropriate for him/her.
 participation
 completion of process
 selection of appropriate book
LITERACY STRATEGIES II
8.10.10
Albuquerque Public Schools 09/05