Resources - Discussion Papers

A Year in Texts - A Middle Years Reading Program

K. Gehling, Highgate Primary School, Highgate, South Australia

A paper presented at the 2001 AATE/ALEA Joint National Conference

ABSTRACT

This paper deals with a year’s reading program and will be based on my book A Year in Texts - An Explicit Reading Program (PETA 2000). It will deal with

• Balanced programming
• Progression from the known to the unknown
• The use of Widerhold’s matrix and Bloom’s taxonomy
• Catering for the needs of all students
• A variety of assessment tasks, and proformas
• Embedding current theories into a year’s program

The presentation will include many practical suggestions which, with small language modifications, can be used for a wide age range of students.

A BALANCED AND DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAM

My reading program is balanced and developmental. Balanced in covering all areas of reading and developmental in moving sequentially through the year developing knowledge of different text types and how they work.

The aim is to cover all areas of a student’s reading and to engender a love of reading and enjoyment of the tasks developed. Throughout this program students show increased understanding of written material and improved oral reading. They come to appreciate the nuances of language, underlying meanings and the way that text can manipulate a reader. Different genre and purpose are investigated and students develop and use this in both their reading and writing.

A DEVELOPMENTAL SERIES OF ASSIGNMENTS

The program is based on a developmental series of assignments which include a mix of familiar and well known tasks as well as lesser known tasks, all of which develop reading, writing and critical thinking. Higher order thinking skills are included throughout and the various intelligences identified by Gardner are kept in mind while planning the assignments and tasks.

Assignments are chosen as a vehicle because

• This provides students with a big picture to work towards rather than small steps which build to an end point which only the teacher has in mind.

• Students are aware of what is on the agenda for the term and have the ability to select which tasks they want to do in which order, giving them control over their learning.
  
• Students have experience with time management in a supportive environment.
  
• Explicit teaching can be built into the structure.

The assignments build over the year from a general assignment in Term 1, through to author specific in term 2 and book specific in term 3. Term 4 deals with media texts and has a different structure.

• Term 1’s general assignment provides experience with assignment work and encourages wide reading.
  
• Term 2’s Australian Author Study investigates the books that one or more chosen authors have written and investigates an author’s life and writing.
  
• Term 3’s study of one book uses Weidderhold’s matrix to interrogate the text and Bloom’s taxonomy to set an individual study.
  
• Term 4 provides a critical study of Television Advertisements, newspaper articles and magazines in three separate units of work which have individual outcomes.

The complexity of tasks develops as the students gain more experience in working with assignments. The general assignment requires reading among fiction, both novels and picture books, as well as non-fiction books. Explicit teaching is provided in

• the use of pictures in picture books
  
• researching a non-fiction book by asking questions
  
• construction of a database
  
• direct speech, and
  
• characterisation

The Australian Author Study requires students to look closely at one author’s writing to investigate the way that characterisation, emotions and descriptive writing are developed, to investigate what makes Australian writing Australian and to write a well constructed book review. These tasks require greater investigation and interpretation of the text and the findings are used in the student’s own writing as the reading assignment is linked with the term’s writing.

The third term’s assignment uses Widderhold’s matrix to interrogate the chosen text. The use of this matrix is taught explicitly and, after completion, students have thought deeply about their chosen text and have a much greater working knowledge of the book. Using Bloom’s taxonomy guarantees that students’ self set questions contain a variety of levels of thinking and provide a variety of activities which students have chosen and which they are more than happy to undertake.

Reading develops further in term 4 as students are required to think critically about Media texts. The issues of stereotyping, gender and targeted audience are investigated in a range of involving and interesting activities which vary from surveys and focusing questions to video making and collage construction and display.

KNOWN TO UNKNOWN

Opportunities are provided for the consolidation of skills and understandings. As the program develops skills are explicitly taught then followed up with further use throughout the year. This opportunity is provided in both the unfolding reading program and in the writing program which plans for opportunities to use the models provided by authors.

• Characterisation is investigated briefly in term 1, and in more depth in term 2

• Questioning is highlighted in term 3 as students construct their own assignment and again in term 4 when they set questions for classmates to assure a high level of understanding of newspaper articles.
  
• The use of higher order thinking skills and supports for using them are provided throughout the four terms.

Moving from the known to the unknown, from the comfortable and secure to the challenging and thought provoking requires not only a developmental program, but supports and scaffolding to ensure movement in a positive direction for all members of the class.

• Models are provided, from which criteria can be developed. Book reviews are not always easy to write and are often presented as recounts. Provision of well constructed Book reviews allows classes to develop and negotiate content and construction of their own reviews. The criteria lists are displayed in the classroom for consultation and opportunity is given for students to hear each other’s developing reviews. Models are also provided from former students give a positive model and a spur to achieve a high standard.
  
• Sample questions are displayed in the classroom while students set their own questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy.
  
• Time management is an issue which is not dealt with successfully by reminding students that it is an issue they must remember. A simple time management proforma to be filled in each week and reflected upon is a start and is supported by goal setting for each lesson where students are working at their own pace. Students reflect on their achievements at the end of the lesson and are able to work out what their next step must be. A term’s time line on the board provides a further focus for this often vexing problem.
  
• Interesting tasks which entice and challenge students to read and consider the writing and to produce writing of which they are proud, is aimed for in each term’s reading challenge. The use of higher order thinking skills and Gardner’s varied intelligences gives a basis on which to build. A puppet play which encourages students, not only to make and display small puppets, but to read the text for descriptions of the characters and to work out a script to enable the production of the play, deals with many of these issues. Pop sticks and cartridge paper, coloured pencils and crayons as well as the odd box or two, soon transform into a creative performance and a greater understanding of the characterisation and plot.
  
• The appeal of computers and recording on a database provides interest and new skills while the use of word processing for the presentation of assignments gives a polished finished product and work to be proud of.

CATERING FOR THE RANGE OF STUDENTS

This program caters for the needs of the range of students in a class

• The variety of tasks provides interest and enthusiasm. The SHIP students comment on the enjoyable change from written work that is brought by the construction and modelling. The students who find learning difficult achieve more written work than usual because of the support that is provided by these activities.
  
• Setting of an assignment for themselves is a challenge, but one that is relished by all students. They are urged not to set something which they do not want to do, but understand that some written work is required. With the models of the first two terms in mind, they are supported to set assignments which are enjoyable and individually challenging
  
• The practice and consolidation which is built into the year enables students to make links to previous learning and supports students to take risks in their learning.
  
• Explicit teaching which provides models, prompts, criteria lists and targets to aim for supports all children in developing their learning and pushing their knowledge further as they have a clear knowledge of what is required of them and they feel confident in their skills base.
  
• The texts used are chosen by the students. I take care to help with selection to ensure that all students are reading at their own ability level. I always ask for assistance in this area from the Teacher Librarian and also from parents. In class I talk about the suitability of books that are chosen As a class we discuss books that are enjoyable, ones that make us think and, especially in the third term, books which have interesting issues and themes. As in all classes I have a wide variety of reading abilities which are catered for if books are chosen carefully with the particular child in mind. I try, personally to read some of the new books each year so that I can make recommendations.
  
• Graphic organisers are used extensively, enabling students to organise their thinking and as clear pictures and reminders of my instructions.

CRITICAL THINKING

During the first three terms students have been introduced to

• Book reviews which comment on the style of writing, setting, plot and characterisation. They are expected to have an opinion about the text and to express that opinion.
  
• Themes and issues in books which they choose.
  
• Investigating identified themes in real life settings.
  
• Interrogation of text as they set their own assignment questions.

In the fourth term many of the understandings are further developed as media texts are investigated.

• Appeal, purpose, information and action are discussed and used in the presentation of a television advertisement.
  
• Stereotypes, format and targeted audience are investigated as the magazines’ reality is compared to the reality of students’ lives.
  
• Targeted audience, exclusion and further investigation of stereotypes are discussed and conclusions drawn as Newspaper sections and writing is investigated. Articles are read and discussed and student set comprehension is developed.

ASSESSMENT TASKS

A significant aspect of my program is the variety of assessment tasks and formats. This variety provides students with challenges and interest and allows for the developmental building of skills and different abilities to shine. I use Portfolios to file the variety of assessment tasks completed at the end of each unit of work. Each assessment contains an outline of the task, the assessment, teacher comment, student comment and provision for parent comment and some entries have peer comment or assessment. Each term’s reading uses a different assessment format.

• Term 1’s assignment uses assessment which is based on comments. As each task is completed the teacher reads it and enters a comment on the assessment sheet.
  
• Term 2’s assessment is a rubric which is negotiated with the students. This provides authentic assessment with targets to aim for in both information and presentation and provides parents with an outline of the tasks as well as a continuum on which their child is placed.
  
• Term 3 requires a presentation of the assignment to the class and a significant adult. The student is required to present all the term’s work in a cohesive presentation which is commented upon and graded. The teacher, the significant adult, the parent and peers comment on the outcomes and presentation.
  
• Term 4 includes a self assessment, video production which is assessed with teacher and peer comment, group reports to class and comprehension which includes student devised questions with scaffolding for question setting.

EMBEDDED CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES

As this program is reflected upon, it becomes clear that a number of theories underpin the work and ensure that all areas of reading are covered and provide a solid base for the reading process.

• Freebody and Luke’s ‘Four Roles of a Reader’ (1990) are a firm premise to build upon. Checking to see that all four identified roles - Code breaker, Text participant, Text user and Text analyst - are addressed throughout the year ensures a balanced reading program.
  
• Interactive Trouble, so called by Peter Freebody (1995), is a convincing argument for the necessity of explicit teaching which is a lynch pin in all of the assignments. Ensuring that the communication between student and teacher is a two way process which is fully understood, is vital in the development of understandings and skills.
  
• The thinking and questioning approaches of DeBono (1988), Weiderhold (1995), and Bloom (1956) provide scaffolds for students’ thinking and enable questioning and depth of inquiry.
  
• Critical literacy is supported by the work of both Hilary Janks (1993) and Jennifer O’Brien (1994) and enables students to question texts and to form their own points of view.
  
• Authentic assessment - that which is relevant to the student - is vitally important and has been the basis for all the assessment as it develops throughout the program.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bloom, B (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The classification of Educational Goals. Longmans , London

DeBono, E (1988) Six Thinking Hats. In Master Thinker 11 (kit). International Centre for Creative Thinking, New York.

Freebody,P, Ludwig,C & Gunn,S (1995) Everyday Literacy Practices in and out of Schools in Low Socio-economic Urban Communities. Curriculum Corporation, Melbourne.

Freebody, P & Luke, A, (1990) "Literacies" Programs: Debate and demands in Cultural Context. prospect Vol 5 No 3

Janks, H (1993) Language, Identity and Power. Hodder & Stoughton in assoc. with Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg

O’Brien, J (1991) Reading and Writing years 4-7 Education Department of South Australia, Adelaide

Weiderhold,C with Kagan,S (1995) Cooperative Learning and Higher Level Thinking : The Q-matrix Kagan Cooperative Learning, San Juan Capistrano, California.

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