Evaluating+the+Quality+of+Upper+Grade+Literacy+Instruction

In this Kappan article, Miami University/Ohio professors Alan Frager and Elizabeth Frye present a hierarchy of proficiency in literacy instruction for Grade 4 and above:Grade F • **Reading the whole text aloud** – Some teachers think this is a good practice because it exposes all students to important information that they might not get on their own. But Frager and Frye believe that in grade 4 and above, oral reading by the teacher is “doing for students what they should do for themselves” – it’s too passive an experience for much learning and skill improvement to take place. • **Oral round-robin reading** – This hide-bound practice is still used by some teachers because they were taught that way themselves and/or believe it helps classroom management by getting all students doing the same thing at the same time. Frager and Frye believe round-robin reading (and its cousin, popcorn reading, where each reader gets to pick the next student who will read aloud) border on educational malpractice – “only one person, the reader, is engaged in reading, while 25 others are passive listeners at best, assuming they aren’t sleeping or calculating the place in the text when they’ll have to read.” The emphasis is on pronouncing words correctly, which fills non-proficient students with anxiety; it models moving relentlessly through a text, rather than going back and thinking aloud about confusing and interesting elements, and it distracts everyone’s attention from the meaning of the text. Grade C (there’s no D in this rubric) • Having students read texts silently and answer questions shortly afterward – This can work moderately well if the texts are at students’ instructional level – challenging but not frustrating with normal classroom instruction and support. Books at students’ independent level don’t have the challenging ideas, syntax, and vocabulary to boost their reading level. Grade B • Using effective pre-reading activities – The teacher designs before-reading activities that motivate students, activate prior knowledge, introduce new vocabulary, and develop awareness of the questions, issues, and debates that frame the text, and follows up with appropriate during-reading discussion and after-reading questions. Grade B+ • Gradual release of responsibility – The teacher moves students through five stages: teacher modeling, guided practice, collaborative practice, independent practice, and application of strategies in authentic reading situations. Grade A • Making meaning – The teacher directs students’ attention to their personal interpretation of the text, anticipating a range of student responses. Student input drives the discussion – which is easy to observe because students are talking more than the teacher. A teacher who is at this level often asks these questions: - “Please read from the text to support that interpretation.” - “I would like to hear another interpretation of this passage.” - “What experience in your life relates to this passage?” Grade A+ • Involving students in critical literacy – Students are grasping “the socially constructed nature of knowledge and experience as expressed in written and spoken language,” in Kathy Hall’s words. “It is essentially about being aware of the processes that produce knowledge.” Truly outstanding reading teachers: - Are mindful of the communities in which students live and the concerns of people in those communities, and weave all that into instructional goals and methods. - Have a broad definition of text – books, articles, film, and community texts like traffic rules. - Select provocative materials to engage students in critical reflection. - Encourage multiple interpretations. - Create opportunities for students to reflect on how they arrive at their opinions, beliefs, values, and arguments. - Model their own critical process to support students as they participate in ongoing discussions. “Teachers who challenge students with these practices,” conclude Frager and Frey, “transform how students transact with text and lay the foundation for students to become active, thoughtful, literate participants in our society.”

“Focus on the Essentials of Reading Instruction” by Alan Frager and Elizabeth Frye in Phi Delta Kappan, October 2010 (Vol. 92, #2, p. 56-58); this article can be purchased at [|http://www.kappanmagazine.org]