SEM-R
Schoolwide
Enrichment
Model - Reading
Characteristics of
Talented Readers
• Demonstrate advanced understanding
of language
• Use expansive vocabulary
• Use reading to acquire a large repertoire of
language skills
• Use language for humor
• Display verbal ability in self-expression
• Use colorful and descriptive phrasing
• Demonstrate ease in use of language
How do we find talented
readers?
• “Parents offer a unique perspective”
• Informal, formative assessments
– Observations at work and play
– Listening for advanced literacy cues
– Talking to the child
• More formal assessments
– Presenting opportunities for choice and reading
– DIBELS
– Data collected in language arts classes
One Size Fits All
Three Goals of the Schoolwide
Enrichment Model Reading (SEM-R)
 To increase enjoyment in reading
 To encourage students to pursue
challenging independent reading
 To improve reading fluency,
comprehension, and increase reading
achievement
Goals of SEM-R
•
•
•
Three-Legged Stool
• Renzulli (1977)
– Enrichment Triad Model
• Vygotsky (1962)
– Zone of Proximal Development
• National Reading Panel (2000)
– Need for further research
The Enrichment Triad
(Renzulli, 1977)
Model
Type I
Type II
General
Exploratory
Activities
Group Training
Activities
Type III
Individual &
Small Group
Investigations of
Real Problems
SEM-R
PHASE 2
Training &
Self-Selected
Activities
PHASE 1
Exposure
PHASE 3
Interest and Choice
Components
Talented Readers
If the environment presents no
such [challenging] tasks to
the adolescent, makes no new
demands on him, and does
not stimulate his intellect by
providing a sequence of new
goals, his thinking fails to
reach the highest stages, or
reaches them with great
delay.
Vygotsky
E. M. Forster, English novelist
… the only books
that influence us are
those for which we
are ready, and which
have gone a little
further down our
particular path than
we have gone
ourselves.
Focus of SEM-R
• Joy in reading
• Reading above level
• Acknowledging and
celebrating students’
interests
• Conversations about
reading
Video
Components of the SEM-R Framework
Phase 1 - Exposure
Phase 2 - Training & SelfSelected Reading
• High-interest book hooks for
read aloud
• Higher-order thinking
probing questions
• Bookmarks for teachers with
questions focusing on
advanced thinking skills and
reading skill instruction
that is relevant to a broad
range of literature
 Training and discussions on
Supported Independent
Reading
 One-on-one teacher
conferences on higher level
reading strategy and
instruction
 Bookmarks for students posing
higher-order questions
regarding character, plot,
setting, considering the story,
and other useful topics.
Type I Activities
Type II Activities
Phase 3 - Interest &
Choice Components
 Introducing creative
thinking
 Exploring the Internet
 Genre studies
 Literary exploration
 Responding to books
 Investigation centers
 Focus on biographies
 Buddy reading
 Books on tape
 Literature circles
 Creative or expository
writing
 Type III investigations
Type II & Type III
Investigations
Phase 1
High interest read alouds
and higher order questions
Phase 1: Book Hooks
Your observations:
Teacher Read Aloud
Guidelines in Phase One
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Find a book you enjoy.
Match the book to your audience.
Use book hooks to illustrate reading
strategies
Use a range of intonations, speeds,
and volumes.
Read part of the book.
Use book chats to scaffold higher
level thinking skills.
Read selections from multiple books
by the same author.
Change genres and styles often.
Expose kids to great books on tape.
Invite special guest readers.
A Primary Focus
Before you read aloud -- Take Three!
1. Exposure: Share why or how you chose the
book.
2. Critical Thinking: Choose a question or a
theme to guide your discussion about the
literature.
3. Minilesson focus: reading strategy, literary
element, etc. Model; include active
engagement!
Reading Strategies
Making
Connections
Determining
Importance
Questioning
Visualizing
Making
Inferences
Summarizing
Metacognition
Paris, 2004
Making
Connections
Determining
Importance
Questioning
Visualizing/
Sensory Images
Making
Inferences
Synthesizing
Making
Connections
Determining
Importance
Questioning
Visualizing &
Inferring
Keene & Zimmerman, 1997
Harvey & Goudvis, 2000
Synthesizing
Reading Strategies
• Making Connections
– Text to self
– Text to text
– Text to world
• Visualizing
• Making Inferences
• Determining
Importance
• Synthesizing/Summarizing
• Questioning
• Metacognition
Synthesizing
Synthesizing is a process of culling through
much information to describe or retell the details
as a salient whole. Often, synthesis includes
projecting knowledge into a new context or
setting as well.
Examples:
Compare the main character’s personality at the
beginning of the story to his or her personality at
the end?
If you were to visit the setting of the story, what
would you pack to help you survive there?
Making Connections
Making connections allows readers to bring
background knowledge (activate schema) and,
therefore, a deeper understanding to the texts
they read.
Examples:
How does this story relate to your own life?
Does this book remind you of another book that
you have read?
Do you think your friends would enjoy meeting the
main character?
Making Connections
Includes
Text to self
A text to self connection involves the reader making an authentic
connection between someone or something in the story to
themselves.
Text to world
A text to world connection is when the reader makes a connection
between the text and something that has happened or is happening
in the world.
Text to text
A text to text connection is when the reader can find a commonality
between two texts. In this case, a text is anything written, (i.e., a
book, a poem, or a song).
Making Inferences
Inferences are things that a reader
concludes from reading that are not
directly stated in the text.
Examples:
Why did the author write this book?
List details about the setting that might help
determine where the story takes place.
Questioning
Questioning occurs as readers ask
themselves questions about the text that
they are reading.
Examples:
What is one big question you still have after
reading this book?
What questions are you thinking about as
you read?
Visualizing
Visualizing involves making pictures in
one’s brain of what is going on in a scene
or story that is read or heard.
Examples:
Which scene would you most like to
illustrate? Why?
How do you picture the main character?
Determining Importance
Students must evaluate material to figure out
which parts are most important or valuable to
use in building understanding of the text.
Examples:
What were some of the most important parts in the
story?
How does the main character stand out from the
other characters?
Metacognition
Metacognition is thinking about one’s own
thinking. Enhancing metacognition during
reading draws the reader’s attention to the
processes they are using as they read so
that they can be more cognizant of them.
Examples:
How has the book influenced your viewpoint?
Has any part of the book confused you?
SEM-R Bookmarks
for Higher Order Thinking and Open Ended Questioning
• What are the skills and strategies being used?
• How might you use these questions?
Knowledge
Making Inferences
Making Inferences
Making Connections (T-S)
Making Connections (T-W)
Synthesis
• Jacket
– Author information
– Back cover
– illustration
• Publication
information
• Why you enjoy the
book
Planning for Phase 1
•
•
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Plan in advance
Log
Area for students to gather
The first few weeks and beyond…
Student suggested book hooks, guest
readers…
• Think of this as a minilesson…
Weekly Theme: Change
Picture Books
Non-fiction
Fiction
Weekly Theme: Freedom and
the Loss of Freedom
Sweet Clara and
the Freedom Quilt
Jip: His Story
To Be a Slave
Weekly Theme: Prejudice
Day 1
Dr. King uses interesting words in his speeches. [Give one
example] How would you have said the same thing? (MC text to self)
(MC text to text)
For what purpose should someone read these books?
Day 2
Why did Dr. King’s sister decide to write a book about her brother?
Did Marian Anderson’s personality contribute to her success or failure?
(Making Inferences)
(MC text to text)
Day 3
How do the events in the passages from these two books relate to what was
going on in the world during the stories’ time periods?
(MC text to world)
What questions do you have about the time period in which these books took
place?
(Questioning)
What kind of text could you use to find answers to your questions?
(MC text to text)
Day 4
As I read from this book, I want you to try to
picture in your mind one of the characters
and the setting in which he or she lived.
(Visualization)
DAY 5
Today’s books are
different from the
books we’ve book
talked about earlier
this week, but they
have a similar
theme. How are
they different?
(MC text to text)
(Synthesis)
Indications of High Quality in Phase 1
 Book chats model book selection behaviors, and book choices
are effective in demonstrating the identified purpose.
 You have engaged students in discussion of genre
characteristics, including comparisons and contrasts with
other texts.
 You have performed read alouds in such a way that your
expression enhanced the listener’s connection to the text.
 Most of the students regularly demonstrate visible excitement
and/or emotional involvement with the book.
 You have modeled higher order thinking skills and encouraged
students to apply them and the literary concepts to frame the
discussion of the read aloud.
 You frequently use open-ended questions or strategies that
allow entry at multiple levels.
 Students make multiple connections (text to text, text to self,
and text to world through modeling, direct questions and
ongoing discussion.
Phase 2
• Supported
Independent
Reading (SIR)
using individual
conferences
and
differentiated
reading
instruction
Phase Two Goals
• Students will . . .
 Enjoy reading books of their own selection
 Read appropriately challenging books (1 to
1.5 above their current reading level)
 Develop self-regulation skills to enable all
students to read appropriately challenging
books for at least 25-35 minutes each day
 Have individualized reading strategy
instruction
Supported Independent
Reading
is not
sustained silent reading
Getting Started
• Organizing your classroom library
• Logs
• Book Choice and Challenge Match (30-34)
• Rules
Rules for SIR
• You must have a book to read
• If you aren’t enjoying a book and have
given it a fair chance (10 pages!), ask
someone to help you choose a new one.
• Remain in your reading area during SIR
• Only reading is happening
• Books must be appropriately challenging
• Do your best reading the whole time
I suggest that the only books that influence
us are those for which we are ready, and
which have gone a little further down our
particular path than we have gone
ourselves.
--E. M. Forster, English novelist
Differentiated Conferences
They should provide:
• Support for each student’s needs
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Enthusiasm about books
Reading skill development
Reflections about literary issues
Self-regulation/monitoring
Increasing ability to focus
• Opportunity to assess reading level and book match
and find optimal challenge level
• Thoughtful conversations about literature
Finding the Right Match
• After listening to the student read, ask yourself the following
– Does the book seem like a good fit?
– Does the book seem too difficult or too easy?
– Should the student be challenging herself more?
• If the student can easily read and understand every word, it
is likely that the book is not providing enough challenge.
• Two areas of sophistication
– Language and grammar
– Ideas and Content
The greater danger for most
of us
lies not in setting our aim too
high
and falling short;
but in setting our aim too
low,
and achieving our mark.
-Michelangelo
Interests and Reading
• Both average and talented readers
disliked being forced to read materials that
they had not chosen (Martin, 1984)
• Talented readers profit when
– teachers develop student interest in the
reading and
– teachers provide cognitive and creative
challenges with the literature
Differentiated Conferences
refer to these sections in your manual
Assessing & Improving
Fluency
Modeling Strategies
During Conferences
Using Questioning and
Conversation to Assess
Comprehension
Gauging Enjoyment of
Reading
Self Regulation
What does an individual conference
look like?
1. Begin by reviewing the
student’s log
2. Inquire about the book
3. Invite the student to read
a page or two to you
aloud
What does an individual
conference look like?
4. Ask the student a series of questions to spark
discussion and enable you to assess comprehension
a. Provide support in helping students with decoding
and fluency
What does an individual
conference look like?
4. b. Foster comprehension through strategy development integrated
and differentiated throughout conferences
i. Synthesizing
ii. Making inferences
iii. Making connections – help students make connections to
understand difficult material
iv. Determining importance
v.Visualizing
vi. Questioning – help students clarify the questions in their
mind as they read
vii. Metacognition – help students identify when they are having
trouble concentrating or understanding and why
What does an individual
conference look like?
4.c. Evaluate the appropriateness of the student’s
book selection for comprehension and
sophistication of ideas and content
4. d. Suggest possibilities for further reading and
pursuits
5. Record your meeting in the student log
Conferencing and Individualized
Instruction (5-7 minutes)
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“What book are you reading?”
“What made you interested in this book?”
“Would you read a few pages/paragraphs to me?”
What do you do when you encounter a word you do
not know?
• What strategy are you using to help you interpret
the meaning of this section of text?
• Example of critical thinking question: How would the
book be different if the main character was a woman
instead of a man?
Questioning Techniques
• Bookmarks: higher order, open-ended
questions
• Model answers
• Model comprehension strategies through
think-aloud
• Consider different ideas
Knowledge
Making Inferences
Making Inferences
Making Connections (T-S)
Making Connections (T-W)
Synthesis
Conferencing on:
• What are some similarities
between you and Clementine?
MAKING TEXT-TO-SELF CONNECTIONS
•
How would you rewrite this story to
include one of your friends as a
character?
SYNTHESIS
Independent Conferences
• If the student struggled with the reading:
– Help student identify words that may have been difficult and
discuss whether this selection may be too difficult.
– “Have you read other books about this topic/by this author?”
– “Do you have any questions about what you read?”
– Use bookmark questions to probe comprehension
– Engage in a conversation about appropriate book level
• If the student is reading at an appropriate level:
Bookmark questions can be used and:
– “What questions do you have about what you are reading?”
– Do you think that this is an appropriate level of reading challenge for
you?
– What future reading selections are you considering?
Self-Regulation
• Compared with low achieving students,
high achievers more frequently:
– Set specific learning goals
– Use a variety of learning strategies
– Self-monitor
– Adapt their efforts systematically
www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/selfregulation/section4.html
Self-Regulated Learning
• Self-regulation of behavior
– Control of resources and environment
• Self-regulation of motivation and affect
– Control of motivational beliefs
• Self-regulation of cognition
– Control of various cognitive strategies for
learning
Zimmerman (1989)
Indications of High Quality-Phase 2
 Most students start to read without any reminders
beyond initial direction.
 The teacher conducts conferences without
interruption throughout Phase 2.
 Teacher communicates a purpose for each student’s
oral reading prior to listening to the student read.
 Teacher extends discussion beyond student’s next
book choice to address book selection habits in
general.
 Teacher uses questions at multiple levels across
conferences and uses one or more higher-level
question in every conference.
 Teacher diagnoses individual needs from student’s
oral reading and integrates strategies clearly
connected to demonstrated reading behaviors.
Phase 3
Self-selected interest and
choice components
Top Strategies For Phase 3
Books on CD
Group Projects
Buddy Reading
Book Clubs/Literature Circles
Creativity Activities
Investigation Centers
Independent Projects
SEM-Xplorations
Renzulli Learning
Reading with a buddy
A Time for Inquiry, Research, and
Exploration
• “As they become more fluent readers and
writers, students find out that reading a
writing give them power: the power to take
control of their learning.” (Open Court Teacher’s
Edition, Level 3, Book 1, pg. 19)
• How can you structure your Phase 3 time
to encourage students to tap into this
power?
Interest Development Center
• Allows opportunity for study in greater
breadth and depth
• Allows introduction of topics not in the
regular curriculum
• Can satisfy curiosity—explores hows and
whys
• Allows student choice
• Draws on ability to make connections
between fields and topics
• Opportunity for hands-on exploration
E-books:
Books available to read online
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
CHAPTER ONE
"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents,"
grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. "It's so dreadful to be poor!"
sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress. "I don't think it's
fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other
girls nothing at all,“ added little Amy, with an injured sniff.
Indications of High Quality-Phase 3
 Most students start work without any reminders beyond
initial direction.
 The activity choices offered include open-ended options and
complexity to extend the challenge of previous phases.
 The activity choices offered demonstrate a responsiveness to
specific student interests and varied expression styles in
product development.
 The teacher provides verbal guidance and/or environmental
reminders of self-regulation strategies for activities (verbal
reminders at start, strategies posted); and all students selfregulate their behavior throughout Phase 3.
 Most students demonstrate visible enthusiasm and task
commitment for their chosen activity in Phase 3.
 The teacher enhances Phase 3 activities through existing
physical organization and ease of student access to resources.