Michael+Portas

All teachers are teachers of literacy. As such, we share in the responsibility of teaching students how to write in a variety of formats and for myriad audeinces.

Purpose: The focus of this Wiki is to enable stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, administrators, board members and community members) at Pequannock Township High School to work together to improve our students’ literacy skills. Long considered the domain of language arts instruction, literacy is a skill that must be included in all areas of instruction. In his book //Results Now//, Mike Schmoker contends that literacy is comprised of three essential skills: reading, writing, and speaking. As those skills are essential for both college and workplace readiness, we all must contribute to the learning process. Setting:   We are faced with the reality that there will likely be more of an emphasis on standards and high stakes testing. Rather than fighting against the inevitable, I recommend we make the best of the circumstances we are dealt. NCLB is under consistent revision, even with a lame duck administration in the White House. A recent article available though ASCD not only highlights recent changes, which include holding states to similar-to-identical standards, but also encourages you to post your reactions. http://ascd.typepad.com/blog/2008/10/changes-announced-for-nclb.html We also live in an era in which the ability to think critically has become even more important in order to help stem the ever-widening economic gap. To that end, teachers need to be better prepared to ask engaging, challenging and thought-provoking questions. Simple rote responses should become a thing of the past. We need to create, instead, opportunities for students to be able to develop, express and expand upon their learning through articulate speaking and writing. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/summer08/vol65/num09/Asking_Good_Questions.aspx Language Arts:   There are certain expectations of a language arts program. The recent curriculum revision at PTHS placed a premium on specific skills and literacies, and has mapped out an articulated 9-11 program, with more revisions expected to produce a K-12 articulation. The assumption, moving forward, is that the curricula used in the language arts courses are cogent and effective. What this portion of the Wiki aims to do is explore opportunities for language arts instruction to be integrated in various areas. Rather than being solely responsible for literacy education, English teachers can branch out into other content areas; using PLC time and shared planning time, English teachers and teachers in all disciplines can work together to develop lesson and unit plans, and even curricula, that encourage students to explore learning opportunities that are relevant, can be assessed for meaningful learning, and allow students to foster better reading, writing and speaking skills. So how exactly does the state define good writing? The following link should guide you around the different expectations for longer writing pieces and the open ended responses. While the rubrics are hardly comprehensive for all that needs to be taught in high school, they certainly can guide instruction and curriculum towards what needs to be taught. Regardless of philosophical differences with standardized testing, we must teach our students what will be assessed. These are the standards to which our students will be held and we must work within these parameters. http://www.state.nj.us/education/njpep/assessment/hspa/hspa_la/writing_assistance.html The SAT looms over most students who hope to attend college. The College Board offers some guidance for how we can prepare students for the test. Testing skills are not necessarily the focus; rather, the specific reading and writing skills are explained. Worth teaching is the 6-point rubric used to assess the 25-minute essay. http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-reasoning/prep This article, titled “Leading to Change / Academics and the Arts,” appeared in the February 2007 edition of Education Leadership encourages schools to model reasonable curricula that allow for meaningful learning opportunities. In the Grant Wiggins “inch-wide, mile-deep” mindset, each curriculum should challenge students, but not sacrifice understanding for coverage. An important point in the article is that “Proponents of the arts claim with equal vigor that by exposing students in some schools to a rich, varied curriculum and consigning students in other schools to endless reading and math drills, we are only exacerbating opportunity gaps based on race and economics.” While PTHS does not fall into an at-risk grouping, we must consider what the research proves as relevant to any district. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/feb07/vol64/num05/Academics_and_the_Arts.aspx This article from the November 2002 edition of Education Leadership explains that integrating language arts with other content areas need not be limited to elementary school. This quote essentially sums up my whole point of producing this Wiki: “Friend (2000/2001) observed powerful results with high school and college students who were instructed to include written summaries in their content-area reading.” One of the most important language arts skills, according to NCTE, is the ability to summarize what one has read. Obviously that will help to eliminate the painful Q&A of “Did you do the reading?” followed by “Yes” and then, “What did you understand?” with the deflating caboose of “Nothing.” Finally, this article really sums up all that I hope to accomplish in this Wiki: “This approach produces stronger readers who possess a greater understanding of content knowledge.” Students who are more fluent in reading science, as well as other content areas, texts are better able to speak and write about them. Their literacy need not be augmented by the sciences, but can actually emerge from the sciences. In the inimitable American idiom our students have of saying, “I’m good at science, but I’m not good at reading,” we can harness their interest in a topic to help them learn the skills they need to exists as literate Americans. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/nov02/vol60/num03/Integrating_Literacy_with_Content.aspx Math: From the ReadWriteThink program is an excellent plan for teaching students to write clearly worded survey questions. In an era in which data collection has become pivotal in so many fields it is imperative that our math students know how to write clearly so that the data with which they work is relevant and accurate. __ [|http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1084] __ A simple little article with a big message. Make math meaningful and children will learn more and they’ll retain it better. If they can articulate thoughts about scientific and mathematical learning, they will internalize it and recognize its importance. Too simple? http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/feb04/vol61/num05/Love_and_Hate_for_Math_and_Science.aspx Interestingly the article points out that math is comprised of principles that build on one another as a point of contrast against which one can see that literacy is recursive. Yet, the flow chart one page 3 and the series of examples on page 2 are directly applicable to how math literacy links into a whole-child literacy. http://www.ncte.org/library/files/Publications/Newspaper/Chron0907ResearchBrief.pdf?source=gs One of the few articles I’ve found that speaks directly to how math informs literacy and thinking (which are considered synonymous in the article. Points out that stronger thinking, often reflected by the skills required in algebra, empowers young people; to deny them the ability to develop their thinking is to deny them opportunities. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/feb08/vol65/num05/Thinking_Is_Literacy%2c_Literacy_Thinking.aspx This article, “A Vision for Mathematics,” emphasizes the need to address curriculum first and then to have the right people in place to deliver the instruction. Do our curricula include opportunities for reading and writing? Do they factor the philosophy of the article that, “Mathematics is a formal body of knowledge defined by axioms and derived theorems. School mathematics should reflect that structure and the ways in which mathematical topics intertwine”? Is the English department doing enough to help students learn how to write about theorems? What can be done to help students understand the challenges first approached in algebra? http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/feb04/vol61/num05/A_Vision_for_Mathematics.aspx To tout “Literacy Coaching: Coming Out of the Corner,” NCTE lists this précis: “Being a literacy coach is demanding and can meet with resistance and challenge when a clear understanding of the job’s purpose, approach, and need for ongoing support are not clearly defined and understood by all parties. Ideally, a literacy coach listens and observes, then asks just the right questions to help a classroom teacher or inexperienced literacy coach reflect on the why of classroom practice and individualize instruction based on student needs. Resources, including Web resources, are suggested.” http://www.ncte.org/pubs/journals/vm/articles/124473.htm Science:   We should be able to use PLC time within and beyond the science department to help to determine what will be our articulated standards for writing in the science curricula. While these standards will differ in some ways from other content areas, there must be shared strands that run through math, history, science and language arts. That reading become a skill that is taught must also be considered, particularly as it should lend itself to helping students craft intelligent arguments. With that in mind, there should be consideration for science in our summer reading program not only with science journals in mind, but also works of fiction that center on science-based themes. For example, the novel //Jurassic// //Park// focuses on the ethics and morality involved in bio-engineering. Based on their reading of the novel, students would be able to justify an argument inspired by the implications of the story. This reading could also lend itself to greater inquiry and an ability to articulate oneself better about the realities of science. From conversations with members of the science department and community members who have been involved in research and publications, I have comprised a list of points to emphasize in science writing:  q  Content-driven writing with little ornamentation  q  Follow very specific instructions (explain, define, give examples of) precisely  q  Students must be able to “coherently say what they’re thinking” – get to the point and make it clearly  q  Be concise and clear (interestingly the SAT Writing section emphasizes both skills along with consistency)  q  Outline what you want to say and then apply an organized analytical argument  q  Do not restate the question (this one differs from the humanities)  q  Think it through – consider the process and all possible pieces of evidence  q  State your conclusion clearly. Don’t muddle the process with anecdotes or anything other than exactly what is needed. To quote an area doctor who reads medical publications extensively, “Tell me what you found and how you found it.” This link provides an example of the HSPA rubric used to score the end-of-year biology assessment. The rubric makes clear what constitutes effective writing in science and helps us recognize what matters most, in order: content, process and format. The state has also posted a sample HSPA biology test, but it lacks the rubric. http://www.btanj.org/Biology_Student_Report_TraitSpec_103107%5B1%5D.doc http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/science/bio_response.pdf To assist all stakeholders to students develop their developing literacy skills Verizon launched thinkfinity.com. The site allows educators to find lesson plans and offers free assistance to parents and students. The program could essentially become a free online tutoring or skills reinforcement program. And it’s fun to navigate. http://www.thinkfinity.com/ Bayer was recently recognized for its work in developing science literacy. The pharmaceutical giant launched Making Science Make Sense (MSMS) and recognizes that our emerging workforce needs to develop training and thinking skills prior to entering the professional world. Pre-college initiatives help students develop skills that can be honed and inspired in college. The company’s press release speaks to the importance of educators involving students in being able to articulate science-based thinking and communication. http://www.smartbrief.com/news/ascd/industryPR-detail.jsp?id=EFC11B14-33F8-4C10-888E-C03C52BCBAC3 According to its website “The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) founded Project 2061 in 1985 to help all Americans become literate in science, mathematics, and technology.” The website is easy to navigate and helps teachers and students find helpful materials that make science learning precise and measurable. There is a link to Learning Goals that offers clear ideas about what should be learned and how. http://www.project2061.org/research/goals.htm