“Stuck in the
Middle”: Helping
Students Begin
New Literacy Lives
Summary by Abbi Gee
Photo Credit: http://www.rainbowreaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/boy-struggling-reading.jpg
Article
"Stuck in the middle":
Helping students begin new literacy lives.
Barbara Radcliffe, 2007
A case study of her own
middle school classroom.

Look—she wrote a book
with Buehl!

Photo Credit: http://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Enhance-Literacy-Learning-Classrooms/dp/0205360610/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361321884&sr=1-1
Importance
 Struggling
readers are failing to gain the skills
they need to be successful.
 Due
to our use of high-stakes testing to
determine placement, promotion, and
retention of students, students are entering and
exiting middle school later.
 The
icing on the cake: students’ own perceived
inadequacy due to low test scores.
 Culminates
in unmotivated, frustrated students
who are caught in a cycle of literacy failure.
Summary
 Radcliffe
uses a five-step approach to
break the students’ cycle of failure
and help them begin what she calls
new “literacy lives.”
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
Summary
STEP ONE: ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE
 Acknowledge
the attitudes and beliefs
students hold about literacy
 Discuss
different types of literacy
 Help
students see themselves
as readers and writers—
develop a new “literacy self”
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
Summary
STEP TWO: BUILDING STRONG
TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS
 Get
to know the students personally
 Utilize
reading surveys, quick writes, &
community-building activities
 Have
students explore
their reading history &
make a reading timeline
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
Summary
STEP THREE: CREATING LITERACY-RICH
ENVIRONMENTS
 Select
content that excites students
 Find
a balance between interest
and reading level
 Introduce
them to the library
 Create
READ! posters to
foster positive attitudes
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
Summary
STEP FOUR: CONNECTING READERS TO TEXTS
 Develop
a learner profile using all your
compiled information
 Select
a text you think will speak to the
student
 Introduce
the text in a
one-on-one conference
 Keep
trying until student sees success
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
Summary
SAMPLE LEARNER PROFILE
 Radcliffe’s
learner profiles include the
following data she collects:
 name
 birth
date
 test scores
http://www.englishclub.com/images/writing/writing.png
Summary
SAMPLE LEARNER PROFILE
 The students also respond to the following:
Preferred learning style:
Multiple intelligences:
Thoughts on reading:
Reading strategies:
Reading interests:
Hobbies:
Favorite book:
Favorite form of writing:
About me:
Why do people read?
Book recommendation:
What does someone have to
do in order to be a good
reader?
How do you feel when you are
asked to read aloud in front of
your classmates?
Do you prefer to read by
yourself, in a small group, or as a
whole class?
What sort of things do you think
about when you read?
Summary
STEP FIVE: SUPPORTING READERS WITH
STRATEGIC LITERACY INSTRUCTION
 “All
readers deserve intentional and
explicit reading instruction.”
 Effective
before-, during-,
and after-reading strategies
 Socratic seminars
 Literature circles
Photo Credit: http://www.itac.org/Publications/News_Letter/2012/June/Images/Five%20Easy%20Steps.jpg
Summary
 Results:
after a year in her course, 28 out of
32 remedial eighth-grade students saw
success on the state assessment and were
able to advance to high school.
 Her
techniques align closely to our class
readings; her strategies are sound.
 Students
had a newfound love and
appreciation for reading. The cycle had
been broken!
Photo Credit: http://www.exchangesupplies.org/drug_information/campaigns/break_the_cycle/resources_break_the_cycle/sq_break_the_cycle.jpg
Take Away
 Struggling
readers need help to break
out of the cycle of failure.
 Their
own reading histories and selfreported data can be a great starting
point.
 Following
Radcliffe’s suggested five
steps helps students enjoy reading
AND learn specific reading strategies
to improve their reading.
Resources: Strategic Literacy Instruction
o
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/konigsburg.html for a
collection of information and lesson plans by author and
title.
o
http://www.readingrockets.org/articles/82 for Jim Burke's 103
ideas that students can do before, during, and after
reading.
o
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr259.shtml or
http://www.litcircles.org/ or http://www.eduref.org/cgibin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Reading
/RDG0206.html for an introduction to literature circles with
many practical advice and lesson plan ideas.
Photo Credit: http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/books-clip-art-71.jpg
Resources: Strategic Literacy Instruction
o
http://www.studyguide.org/socratic_seminar.htm or
http://www.teachnlearn.org/socratic_seminars.htm to glean
how to knowledge on using Socratic seminars to engage
and motivate readers.
o
http://www.literacymatters.org/adlit/intro.htm to learn more
about the world of adolescent literature and ideas for
activities and lesson plans.
Resources: Choice in Reading Material
o
http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/ to access a database
of book talks by interest or subject.
o
http://www.reading.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/downloads/choic
es/yac0 -bookmarks0 -2006.pdf for the most recent list of
Young Adult Choices reviewed by teenagers and published
by the International Reading Association.
o
http://www.teachersfirst.com/read-sel.cfm for appropriate
book suggestions by grade level.
o
http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/allreviewed.html for
reviewed book suggestions through grade nine.
Resources: Graphic Organizers
o
Story Map
(http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/storymap/). The
Story Map interactive is designed to assist students in
prewriting and postreading activities by focusing on the key
elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution.
o
Plot Diagram
(http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/plot-diagram/). The Plot
Diagram is an organizational tool that is used to map the events in
a story. Designed in a pyramid or triangular shape, this mapping of
plot structure allows readers and writers to visualize the key
features of stories.
Resources: Graphic Organizers
o
Literary Elements Map
(http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/lit-elements/).
Students can map out the key literary elements of
character, setting, conflict, and resolution as prewriting for
their own fiction or as analysis of a text by another author in
this secondary-level interactive.
o
ReadWriteThink Notetaker
(http://interactives.mped.org/notetaker722.aspx). Useful for
a wide variety of reading and writing activities, this outlining
tool allows students to organize up to five levels of
information using bullets, Roman numerals, or letters.
Radcliffe’s References












Beers, K. (2002). When kids can't read: What teachers can do. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Biancarosa, G., & Snow, C. E. (2004). Reading next-A vision for action and research in
middle and high school literacy: A report to Carnegie Corporation of New Tork.
Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Brashares, A. (2001). The sisterhood of the traveling pants. New York: Delacorte.
Buehl, D., & Stumpf, S. (2005). The 6-8 literacy notebook. Madison, WI: Madison
Metropolitan School District.
Burke, K. (2000). Reading reminders: Tips, tools, and techniques. Portsmouth, NH:
Boynton/Cook.
Daniels, H. (1994). Voice and choice in the student-centered classroom. York, ME:
Stenhouse.
Grimes, N. (2002). Bronx masquerade. New York: Dial.
Guthrie, J., & Wigfield, A. (1997). Reading engagement: Motivating readers through
integrated instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Hinton, S.E. (1967). The outsiders. New York: Penguin.
Langer, J. (2002). Effective literacy instruction: Building successful reading and writing
programs. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Lewis, C. S. (1950). The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. New York: Macmillan.
McCombs, B., & Barton, M. (1998). Motivating secondary school students to read their
textbooks. NASSP Bulletin, 82(600), 24-33.
Radcliffe’s References













Mikaelsen, B. (2001). Touching spirit bear. New York: Scholastic.
Myers, W. D. (1992). Somewhere in the darkness. New York: Scholastic.
Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster. New York: HarperCollins.
National Middle School Association. (1995). The developmentally responsive middle
school: This we believe. Columbus, OH: Author.
Pelzer, D. (1995). A child called It. Omaha, NE: Omaha Press.
Plumb, B., & Ludy, J. (2002). Seminars and self-assessment. In J. Holden & J. Schmit
(Eds.), Inquiry & the literary text: Constructing discussions in the English classroom
(pp.161-172). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Rudell, R., & Unrau, N. (1997). The role of responsive teaching in focusing reader
intention and developing reader motivation. In J. T Guthrie & A. Wigfield (Eds.),
Reading engagement: Motivating readers through integrated instruction (pp. 102-125).
Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Shakur, T. (1999). The rose that grew from concrete. New York: MTV Books/Pocket
Books.
Spinelli, J. (1990). ManiacMagee. Boston: Little, Brown.
Strasser. T. (2000). Give a boy a gun. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Tovani, C. (2000). I read it, but I don't get it: Comprehension strategies for adolescent
readers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
Tyree, O. (1993). Flyygirl. Washington, D.C.: Mars.
Woodson, J. (1998). If you come softly. New York: Penguin Putnam.
Bibliography
Radcliffe, B. (2007). "Stuck in the middle": Helping
students begin new literacy lives. Voices from
the Middle, 15(2), 18-29. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu
/docview/213930808?accountid=39473