Literacy Now

What happens when three colleagues in a professional learning community want to talk about the same book, but live hundreds of miles apart? The answer is an event we like to call #cyberPD. This year, our now annual #cyberPD event ran through much of July.

The event began spontaneously last year when Jill Fisch of My Primary Passion, Laura Komos of Camp Read-a-Lot, and I were sharing our stacks of planned professional summer reading on our blogs. When we realized we had similar books in our stacks, we thought it might be interesting to discuss the books together. Since we do not live close enough to make coffee and conversation possible, we decided to discuss the books across our blogs. Using Twitter as our main tool for communication, we asked other colleagues if they’d like to join us. Before we knew it, we had a collaborative learning conversation growing across blogs.

This year our conversation doubled to more than 25 blogs chatting about Peter Johnston’s book, OPENING MINDS: USING LANGUAGE TO CHANGE LIVES (Stenhouse, 2012). Laura, Jill and I began by dividing the book into three discussable sections. Then we each hosted a week of conversation on our blog.

After reading each section colleagues could participate in the following ways:

• linking a blog reflection to the host blog
• leaving a comment on the host blog
• commenting on Twitter using the #cyberPD hashtag
• adding comments to our Wallwisher

Over three weeks, participants read the determined selection, shared their reflections, and then commented on one another’s blogs.

• July 11th—Chapters 1-3—Hosted by me at Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community
• July 18th—Chapters 4-6—Hosted by Jill Fisch at My Primary Passion
• July 25th—Chapters 7-9—Hosted by Laura Komos at Camp Read-a-Lot
• July 26th—Twitter Chat

Growing Conversations

In a #cyberPD reflection at Mentor Texts with Lynne and Rose, Rose Cappelli posted this comment about using this format for a professional learning conversation:

I had started reading OPENING MINDS a few months ago, but felt I really needed to talk to someone about it. Although I knew many others who were reading it, there just wasn’t time for a lingering discussion. Being able to share ideas with so many outstanding professionals and incorporate the thinking of others into my thinking has most certainly helped me to deepen my understanding of the book.

Rose’s statement caught my attention as I’ve been trying to wrap my head around why #cyberPD works. I''ve read books on my own, participated in book talks at my school, and even chatted with others informally about professional reading. There is something about participating across blogs in this learning community that brings opportunities to stretch our thinking. Maybe it''s the opportunity to really "hear" what others think and to have time to thoughtfully consider their ideas. Maybe it''s the variety of individuals from around the globe. Maybe it''s the time to think about all that we''ve read and synthesize it in a way that we can share it with others. I''m not really sure. Peter Johnston reminds us:

Our ability to think alone is substantially dependent on our ability to think together. Individual minds are nurtured in the conversations - the interactive thinking - of the community (OPENING MINDS, p. 96).

This year’s #cyberPD conversation was a collaborative learning experience that evolved because of everyone’s expertise and participation. In addition to the posts written by participants and collected at Jog the Web, a Google.doc was started by Julie Balen to collaboratively collect language suggestions for our classrooms. Carol Wilcox has offered to host a final post at Carol’s Corner on Wednesday, August 1st for participants to synthesize their reflections, plan next steps, or share links to other related information.

Why Virtual Learning Communities?

Recently I was in a professional development session. It was the typical session with a speaker, notetaking, and listening alongside other colleagues in my district. We had four real walls and a door. There was a lot of great conversation when a friend asked, “Do you find you can have these kinds of conversations in your building?”

Her question caused me to pause for a moment. There was a time when this was the main network one might develop, a network at the building level. I realized, for the first time, I have cultivated a professional learning community beyond a local level that constantly has these educational conversations. Being part of a community that shares information and pushes my thinking helps me to improve the work I do every day with children in the classroom. Though I value my local network, my learning community has grown exponentially because of connections on Twitter, blogs, virtual book talks, and other social media networks.

My virtual community is passionate about education and learning. The book discussions on #cyberPD grew out of this community and a common interest. These educators are there any time of the day or night to discuss ideas, share resources, or help with a question. It seems, by reflecting online and reading the thinking of other participants, learning is magnified.

The benefits of virtual booktalks like the ones we have in #cyberPD include:

• Convenience: professional development from your couch—or anywhere
• Flexible schedule: work at your convenience
• Time to synthesize learning
• Places to respond to thinking of others
• Equal voices in conversation
• Multiple perspectives
• Benefit from the expertise of others

When we are gathered around a table in the same room for a professional reading conversation, it is sometimes true that the conversation is dominated by a few people in the group. When thinking is shared across blogs, everyone has an equal voice. No one voice dominates the conversation. Our understandings are deepened by the multiple perspectives of participants.

We can now think beyond traditional ways of participating in professional development opportunities. Though, as an educator, I do not have the money to attend every professional conference I would like to attend, through social connections on the Internet I am able to learn from others at any time. While adding a virtual component to a local book discussion would provide benefits in learning, the real benefit in these learning structures is our ability to connect to others from around the world who share our interests and passions.

The real benefit is in the powerful conversations we share.

Cathy Mere is a co-host of #cyberPD, Twitter addict, literacy advocate and participant in virtual learning communities. She is the author of MORE THAN GUIDED READING: FINDING THE RIGHT INSTRUCTIONAL MIX K-3 (Stenhouse, 2005). Her virtual home is Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community.



Summer Learning...for Free!

by Thomas DeVere Wolsey (Walden University), Dana L. Grisham (National University), and Elfrieda H. Hiebert (TextProject)

For more than a decade, TextProject, a nonprofit organization, has worked to link substantive research to useful professional development tools and materials for students that challenge and support struggling and beginning readers. With the emphasis in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010) on college and career readiness, teachers will challenge students to step up their capacity to read challenging texts like never before. To help teachers meet this challenge, TextProject created the Teacher Development Series for both veteran teachers and novices. 

Because the CCSS calls for an emphasis on text complexity that transcends quantitative readability measures, we collaborated on the development of five modules that teachers (including those working on their teaching credentials) and teacher leaders, titled “Text Complexity and the Common Core State Standards,” may find particularly valuable. This set of modules provides guidance for teacher leaders, teacher educators or staff development leaders as well as activities for teachers or teachers to be as they work to meet the challenges of the Common Core. The first module is currently available online, and the next four modules will be available on or before August 16, 2012.

The first module defines text complexity and introduces the three-part model from the Common Core.

Traditional quantitative notions of readability are usually based on sentence length and word length (often by syllable count). However, the text complexity model found in the Common Core introduces broad new concepts of how complex texts might look and what teachers should consider. Text complexity includes the traditional quantitative ideas of readability, but they add qualitative data about aspects of text that are not countable. These include layers of meaning found in some texts that might otherwise appear easily readable, use and appropriateness of graphics, and so on. The new model also addresses teacher knowledge about the reading capacities of their specific students. While state standards often included references to grade-level texts, the Common Core now identifies a staircase of complexity, embedded in the Common Core State Standards (2010), that the texts students are asked to read and the tasks related to those readings are increasingly and steadily more complex and challenging.

The features of complex texts, with an emphasis on the role of vocabulary, and how beginning and struggling readers can be supported will be found in the next four modules. Each module includes concise reading resources for professional development, an opportunity to reflect and respond to other teachers and teachers-to-be, and an application opportunity wherein the principles of complexity are applied to exemplar texts typical of those that might be used in grades 2 through 12.

We look forward to seeing you on the TextProject site. Besides the free Teacher Development Series materials, you will find a plethora of materials for classroom use and a library of research resources. TextProject encourages educators to explore the website and ask questions about text complexity through the info@textproject.org e-mail address. What are your concerns about text complexity and what it means for your classroom and your own professional development? How might TextProject be of help? 

Reference

Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSS). (2010). Appendix A: Research supporting key elements of the standards; Glossary of key terms. In Common Core State Standards for English language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf

Dr. Thomas DeVere Wolsey is a literacy specialization coordinator in the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University.

 

Dr. Dana L. Grisham is core adjunct faculty at National University. 

Dr. Elfrieda H. Hiebert is President and CEO of TextProject. 

 

This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).

by Michael Henry, IRA Teacher Advisory Panel Member

Open the book. Read. Close the book. Open the book. Read. Close the book. Open the book. Read. Slam the book to the ground. No, this is not you studying for trigonometry. It is a situation I witnessed while attending a soothing classical concert with my wife and children two summers ago at a venue near Chicago.

The young man I described, however, was far from experiencing feelings of catharsis. The reason for act of frustration: his summer reading assignment, a practice deeply entrenched in the pedagogy of Chicago south suburban high schools. The book he slammed with gritted teeth: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, that most ubiquitous of American high school titles.

This young man’s apparent frustration immediately registered with me. As a reading specialist who works with struggling readers, I had seen this behavior before. Watching this young man struggle, eyes glossed over, I started to wonder why he was trying so hard to read a book that was clearly not a good match for him. In my work, my number one goal is to find ways to motivate adolescents to be lifelong readers. One way in which I have been successful in doing so is through finding the right matches for readers. With this in mind, I approached the young man and asked, “Would you mind me asking why you are trying to read that book?"

Shoulders slumped, head down, he mumbled, “Because I have to.” More interested now, I probed a little deeper, perhaps overstepping my boundaries but too curious to stop. 

“Why do you have to?” I asked with concern. 

“Because we have to do summer reading, and if I don’t finish this book, I won’t be able to do the assignment; I’ll start the year in huge hole.” 

“Did you pick this book or did the school?” I prodded a bit deeper. 

“No, everyone has to read this book. I don’t know why. I can’t even get through the first ten pages. It just doesn't make any sense.” 

To this I replied, “I’d like to ask just one more question if you don’t mind?” 

“Sure,” he replied as he seemed to me to be a bit more relieved, perhaps sensing I was on his side. 

“Do you like to read?” 

“I do like to read,” he said, “I read all the time, just not things like this.”

I couldn't help but wonder, was his behavior and response more of an exception or part of a larger trend?

At My School

Although I felt bad for this young man, I was comforted by the fact that in my school, the summer reading assignments had changed. The move from reading one assigned book with a reading guide and a teacher test, to reading two books of choice, providing a copy of the book or receipt, a parent signature, and completing a small project for credit was welcomed warmly by students and parents.

My school, however, I would come to learn, was in the minority in the surrounding area. That said, survey data showed success with 65% of our population reporting reading 100% or more of the summer requirement, up from 47% the previous year when titles were assigned. You can imagine my surprise this year when the English department voted to go back to the old program: assigned book, study guide, project, and test, all designed to raise the rigor of expectations. The reasoning: we need the same expectations of the other schools.

When I heard this, thoughts of that young man’s frustration that night came rushing back to me. But while I was able to negotiate a hybrid model (one assigned text, one choice text) for this year’s summer reading at my school, the comment about other schools has compelled me to explore summer reading assignments in my area greater depth.

Research on Summer Reading

To do so, first I turned to the literature. Using my access as an IRA member to Reading Research Quarterly, The Reading Teacher, and the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, I was able to locate several articles regarding reading in the summer. One, however, stood out as focusing specifically on high school students and school-sanctioned summer reading assignments, McGaha and Iago’s (2012) “Assessing High School Students’ Reading Motivation in a Voluntary Summer Reading Program” in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.

Not surprisingly, McGaha and Iago discovered a wealth of knowledge about students’ perspectives on summer reading. However, I narrowed their findings to following four critical components of summer reading assignments: (1) access to high interest books, (2) encouragement to read, (3) time to read, and (4) choice. With these findings, I began searching summer reading programs in my area.

The Region's Lists

I began by searching the websites of five surrounding high school districts for summer reading documents. In the nine programs I reviewed, four were geared toward honors students only, three were for upperclassmen only, and two had assignments for all students at all levels. The purposes, like intended audience, was varied. All nine programs, however, did have some trends: many titles were highly academic; all reading requirements were accompanied by in-depth written requirements; and almost all books were assigned by the school.

The titles listed here is a sampling of what I found: Lord of the Flies, The Pearl, The Scarlet Letter, Sophie’s World, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, The Book Thief, The Things They Carried, The Crucible, Bless Me, Altima, Catcher in the Rye, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, King Lear, Tom Sawyer, Dracula, The Hobbit, The Jungle, Beowulf, Grendel, Frankenstein, Les Miserables, The Awakening, Slaughterhouse Five, and Things Fall Apart.

High Interest?

Let’s look at the first of McGaha and Iago’s findings: access to high interest books. While I appreciate the merits of all the aforementioned literature, I wonder if these titles reflect the “high interest” to which McGaha and Iago were referring. Or are these titles more of an extension of the classroom? I also question the accessibility of the titles without teacher support. I say this because the titles are only familiar to me because of having read them in the 400 level as an English major. Furthermore, when I scour the tables of young adult literature or summer reading suggestions at the bookstore, I see none of these. As I glance over at my copy of Divergent and my Chicago Tribune, difficult enough reads with all the distractions of a Chicago summer, I can’t help but wonder how and why these titles are chosen.

Encouragement and Time

The next two findings of McGaha and Iago that I will deal with together: encouragement and time. This is what I found: all assignments were rather in-depth, most with several sections and a multitude of directions to follow with reminders of punitive consequences highlighted, bolded, and underlined, outlining, as I read on one sites document, the “severe consequences of not completing summer reading”. Assignments consisted of prompts to flag, annotate, question, connect, summarize, and infer, along with worksheets, graphic organizers, journal prompts, comprehension questions, multi-media projects, and study guides for tests.

Assignments all seemed to be in-depth and appeared to take a great deal of time to complete, time perhaps taken away from reading. This makes me wonder how different stakeholders perceive these assignments.

The Value of Choice 

This takes me to my last focus of McGaha and Iago’s findings: choice. Choice only appeared in two of the nine schools, and was only a portion of the requirement or intended for only a portion of the population in each. If students have reported, as they have in the McGaha and Iago study, that choice of reading material is a highly influential component of summer reading, then perhaps these schools could benefit from including some choice.

One uniquely human characteristic is our ability to make choices, and our inability to choose when emotions don’t move us. It is this idea of the connection between emotion, thought, and task completion that defines humanness, a point developed by Jonah Lehrer in his 2009 book How We Decide, and separates us from all other species. Would perspectives change if students were allowed to choose their summer reading books?

Open the book. Read. Close the book. Open the book. Read. Close the book, frustration. What I witnessed that beautiful summer day was a frustrated student moving one step further from reading. To find out if he is an exception or the norm, I need to gain a better perspective of summer reading assignments. To do so, this summer I will begin by interviewing principals and reviewing summer reading documents in more depth. I will share my findings in the fall. Enjoy your summer reading.

References

Lehrer, J. (2009). How we decide. New York: Harcourt.

McGaha, J.M., & Iago, L.B. (2012). Assessing high school students’ reading motivation in a voluntary summer reading program. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(5), 417-427. doi:10.10002/JAAL.00050

 

Michael Henry is a high school reading teacher and literacy coach at Reavis High School in Burbank, IL. He is a member of the International Reading Association Teacher Advisory Panel.

 

 

A journey made through air and space is the definition of flight. People have always been fascinated and curious about things that can fly. From Greek mythology, Icarus tried to escape from Crete with wings made from feathers and wax. Leonardo da Vinci toyed with the idea of flying machines. Heroes of flight include the recently departed Sally Ride, as well as Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Beryl Markham, Eddie Rickenbacker, Chuck Yeager, and others who earned respect for their daring flights in history. Harry Potter and wizard friends could fly with the help of their quidditch brooms. Birds, insects, kites, aircraft, and space vehicles transcend earth and wind and fly into the unknown. Young readers develop this fascination with flight at an early age. The International Reading Association Children’s Literature and Reading SIG book review column this week is devoted to all aspects of flight through fact and fiction.

ReadWriteThink offers several nonfiction lesson plan ideas on various concepts of flight featuring Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, the Wright Brothers, the space shuttle, and more. ReadWriteThink salutes first woman in space Sally Ride as well. 

GRADES K-3

Bell, Cece. (2008). Bee-wigged. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Most children (and adults) dislike bees. Jerry Bee is an enormous bee who loves people. He tries very hard to make friends by giving away his honey, calling people on the telephone and chasing potential pals, but nothing works. One morning Jerry finds an old wig and a school bus driver mistakes him for a young man. This new disguise helps him finally make new friends at school. But Jerry’s helpful, generous, kind and inspiring personality help him make even more friends. One day Jerry’s wig flies right off his head and everyone notices that he is really an enormous bee. They all flee in a hurry. Thankfully one friend sticks up for Jerry and exclaims that he has never stung anyone. Learning about how Jerry makes friends, especially his kind personality, could be helpful to young students.

- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

Cecil, Randy. (2012). Horsefly and honeybee. New York: Henry Holt.

Honeybee was tired and plopped down inside a flower for a nap, but found horsefly inside. The two insects fight over the space and each loses a wing. With only one wing, neither can fly any longer and they part ways. While honeybee walks home she suddenly is grabbed from behind by a bullfrog who carries her off to a lily pad. Bullfrog is collecting insects for his dinner and horsefly is already waiting. Both insects pout and moan, fearing what will happen to them next. Instinctively they grab each other and flap a wing, up up up they go out of reach of bullfrog’s sticky tongue. Sometimes enemies need to work together to get out of messy situations.

- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

Covell, David. (2012). Rat and roach: Friends to the end. New York: Viking Juvenile.

Everyone needs a friend or two, but sometimes it’s hard work to maintain a friendship. After all, just because two individuals are friends doesn't mean they have the same likes, dislikes or personalities. When those differences almost seem insurmountable, the friends will have to decide how much they value the friendship and how much each one is willing to compromise. It might be surprising that a friendship forms between Rat and his somewhat high-strung winged companion Roach. Then again, who knows what causes friendships between a rodent and the sometimes high-flying Roach to form or to break? On the surface, the two have very little in common. Rat is smelly and enjoys passing gas, while Roach likes his air fresh and sweetly scented. They don't agree on housekeeping, cooking or the volume of music. When the two become angry at one another, they decide to quit speaking, and a quiet truce is maintained. But the silence prompts them to miss each other and their shared good times, and eventually they hug--a little too tightly for Roach's taste--and make up. The story has been told before, of course, but never in quite this fashion.  The illustrations are a treat all to themselves with one depicting Rat happily banging away on his tuna cans drums.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Hawke, Richard. (2012). Creepy critters: A pop-up book of creatures that jump, crawl, and fly. Illus. by Robin Bouttell. Paper engineering by Richard Hawke. New York: Abrams.

All children are fascinated with creatures that jump, crawl or fly. The opening page notes that there are more than a million different types of bugs in the world. This book highlights six amazing creepy critters with a large pop-up of the creature along with interesting facts and information about their life cycles, where they live, what they like to eat and much more. For example, did you know that there are around 18,000 species of grasshoppers? Kids will want to keep reading to find out that grasshoppers are usually green or brown to camouflage themselves in grass. Surprisingly they can jump up to 20 times their body length and their ears are located on their stomach or knees. In addition, grasshopper blood does not contain any oxygen, so it appears green. Children will fondly pore over this book and read every single detail.

- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

Lawrence, Ellen. (2012). A butterfly’s life. New York: Bearport.

Written in a science journal format, this information picture book will pique young children’s interest about butterflies. Sam keeps track of each butterfly he sees and chronicles what they are doing. Full-page photographs accompany the journal entries along with text boxes, small illustrations and labels. One day Sam finds over 50 monarch butterfly eggs under the leaves of milkweed plants. The supplementary text box states that female monarchs lay about 400 eggs. In addition, the book includes a table of contents, index, more information about butterflies, science vocabulary and a science lab. This is the perfect text to share during a science unit on butterflies or to have available for silent reading. Children will enjoy viewing and reading this book to learn more about our world.

- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver

Lund, Deb. (2012) Dinosoaring. Illustrated by Howard Fine. Harcourt Children’s Books.

Written in rhyming couplets, this soaring story explains how six dinofliers end up in an airshow, which is not an easy thing to do as dinofliers get into their dinogoggles and try to take off to fulfill their dinoplan. The crowd below cheer as they watch the dinofliers Dinodance on the wings and pull several aerial antics until they get dinosick and have to bail out on dinochutes. Fine’s watercolor and gouache paintings create the image of huge animals with many double page spreads to expand the hilarity of these silly dinosaurs. The interesting vocabulary will make for a fun read aloud and the author/illustrator leave a hint of another book in this series (Dinosailors, 2003 and All Aboard the Dinotrain, 2006) when the plane crashes into a cow pasture and questions, “What comes next?” Visit the author’s FaceBook page.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Mayo, Margaret. (p2012, c2011) Zoom, rocket, zoom! Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Walker & Co.

Fun, rhythmic language combined with typography that reflects the dynamics and action of space travel make this a perfect introduction to space travel and information about outer space for the very youngest readers. Boldly colored cut-paper collage illustrations add to the childlike appeal and energy of this introduction to space while the rhymed language fills in the details. Space stations, space vehicles, robotics, lunar modules, and satellites are just a few of the objects the author and illustrator zoom into view for children. The book ends with a child in pajamas looking into the night sky wondering what secrets are out there in the universe.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

McReynolds, Linda. (2012) Eight days gone. Illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke. Charlesbridge.

Linda McReynolds makes her debut into the children’s book world with this nonfiction book about the Apollo 11 moon flight and landing. As crowds gather in 1969 at Kennedy Space Center to watch the moon landing, the book opens with “Hundreds gather/ Hot July/ Spaceship ready -/ set to fly.” These short rhymed verses do an excellent job of describing the moon launch on that historic day for young readers. Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong are featured in verse and the part they played is described when they landed on the moon. In the author’s note at the end a photograph of the lunar module is provided with more details about the moon landing in addition to a bibliography and websites for further reading.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Metzger, Steve. (2012). Pluto visits Earth! Illus. by Jared D. Lee. New York: Scholastic/Orchard Books. 

When former planet Pluto hears the news that he has been demoted and is no longer considered a planet, he is understandably upset and ready to fly across the galaxy for an answer. Across the universe he zooms toward Earth, passing by some of his fellow planets on his hasty flight, but none of them have any idea what to tell him. After all, they are preoccupied with their own issues, such as keeping their moons in orbit. Upon arriving in the sky above an observatory, Pluto finds solace in the words of a boy who tells him that size doesn't matter; after all, Pluto is still his favorite. Blending fantasy and facts about the planets works here, especially since the text offers reasons for why Pluto is no longer considered a planet. While Pluto fits two of the three requirements for an object to be considered a planet, it doesn't fit the third requirement. Young readers will enjoy learning facts about Pluto and its three moons and noting Pluto's personality through the illustrations created by Radiograph pen and Luna dyes.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

North, Sherry. (2012). Because you are my teacher. Illus. by Marcellus Hall. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

An imaginative teacher apparently spins stories in her lessons that are so vivid that her students feel as though they are traveling across the world in various ways, including flying over a volcano in a helicopter and traveling on a schooner, on camels, and even on skis, among other modes of transportation. As the teachers' young charges tour the world in their imaginations, the text repeats the phrase "If only..." (unpaged) while also employing interesting word choices to describe the scenes.  Throughout the book’s pages, the students explore some of the world’s most astounding natural spots, including Antarctica and the Grand Canyon. A loving tribute to creative teachers who are able to captivate their charges through their own words, this title refreshingly makes no mention of high-stakes test preparation or the Common Core State Standards. The watercolor illustrations feature eager expressions on the children's faces and a mouse who seems to appear wherever they travel.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Young, Diane. (2012) Dear Flyary. Illustrated by John Martz.  Kids Can Press.

One day, the author Diane Young, came up with the phrase “boink-piffle-piffle-hum-tick-tick” and that launched her idea for this book about Frazzle Pattzer, a one-eyed, four-eared alien. Frazzle has just purchased his first spaceship, a Model 7. The author has created a whole vocabulary for her creature and various terms like big heart (for love) or gladdy (for happy), Oldpop (for Grandpa) and when Frazzle gets a flyary (for diary) for his dropday (birthday) he writes all about his travels in his Model 7. As time passes, however, his spaceship is getting older and it starts to make strange noises. He takes his spaceship to Wurpitz Hoolo who is a ship-fixer and a mechanical genius. Frazzle is loyal to his beloved Model 7 and determined to get it fixed. After an entire new engine is built, even though the new Model 8s have arrived on the market Frazzle is totally gladdy to have his old friend back and in good repair. The numerous made up words could make this a challenging read aloud but also lots of fun. Cartoon like illustrations add to the humor. Read the author interview for the inside story.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

GRADES 3-6

Armstrong, Alan. (2012) Racing the moon. Illustrated by Tim Jessell. Random House.

It is 1947, World War II has just ended, and eleven-year-old Alex and her older brother Chuck have a penchant for science, especially rockets which are a fairly new concept at this time. Chuck’s interests also include gizmos like radios and radars, aviation and space and sometimes he gets himself into trouble as he pursues those interests, like climbing a radio tower to see how those radio signals are sent through the air. They even make plans to build a moon station in a tree and would like to build a rocket of their own using gunpowder. Alex discovers that her neighbor, Captain Ebbs is a military scientist and develops food for the space program and space travel. She also owns her own sailboat. As Capt. Ebbs gets to know Alex and Chuck, she recognizes their sincere interest in science but they need a bit ofhttp://bobbymercerbooks.com/insidefart.htm direction and guidance. She uses her connections to get them an introduction to German scientist Wernher von Braun, creator of the V-2 rocket, and also takes them to see a rocket launch. The actual Joan Cotton Ebbs inspired this story.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Lorenzi, Natalie Dias. (2012) Flying the Dragon. Charlesbridge.

Life suddenly changes for cousins Skye and Hiroshi, who have never met, when Grandfather’s cancer needs to be treated in the U.S. where Skye and her family live. Skye’s father is Japanese but moved to Virginia when he married her mother. Now Hiroshi and his family are coming the Virginia to be with Grandfather during his illness. The two cousins are strangers to each other neither one is happy to be thrown together resentfully causing them to give up parts of their former lives. Skye now must attend Saturday Japanese school that risks the chance of her playing on the All-Star summer soccer team. Hiroshi was a contender for his first rokkaku kite battle in Japan where Grandfather had been a champion and master kite-builder. As Grandfather’s cancer takes a turn for the worse, both of these young kids want to spend time with him and their shared love of their grandparent and interest in kites, draws the two cousins together in a natural atmosphere of caring. Though this book, by debut author Natalie Dias Lorenzi is about bringing two diverse cultures together, the love and fascination of kites is the bridge that allows them to cross into understanding. Learn more about the history and construction of the Rokkaku kites at this website. 

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Mercer, Bobby. (2012) The flying machine book: build and launch 35 rockets, gliders, helicopters, boomerangs and more. Chicago Review Press.

The dedication page reads, “To teachers everywhere, thanks for inspiring children every day.” Author and physics teacher Bobby Mercer’s writing career has been about making science fun and this book is all about flight and fun but in an instructional way. Through text and photographs, he gives step-by-step instructions on how to create these aerodynamic miniature flight machines. Using inexpensive and easily acquired household items, he demonstrates how to build a grape-shooting bazooka or pressure launcher made from a water bottle, ways to make Frisbees, gliders, boomerangs and more using old greeting cards, paperclips, drinking straws, and of course, duct tape. His opening chapter discusses the concepts flight of lift, thrust, drag and weight and also explains the Bernoulli principle. This book will be enjoyed by kids who like hands-one activities to try or for teachers who want those hands-on lessons. Teachers might also like to try some of the flight videos found at HowStuffWorks.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Reedy, Trent. (2012) Stealing air. Arthur A. Levine Books. (to be released Oct. 1, 2012)

Brian’s father has a new job and the family moved to Iowa where Brian is now faced with a new school and making friends, not an easy task for a sixth grade boy. He has always enjoyed skateboarding and flying his dad’s Cessna, which had to be sold for his father’s new business venture. Things go awry on the very first day of school and instead of making friends he makes an enemy of the class bully, Frankie Heller. Eventually, Brian finds Alex and Max and the three boys become friends and begin a flying adventure that could lead to real trouble as they decide to build a plane and actually fly it. This story is a bit daring on the aerial side and poignant on the human side of schools and making friends.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

GRADES 6-12

Fleming, Candace. (2011). Amelia lost: The life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart. New York: Random House.

Almost a century after her death, pilot Amelia Earhart continues to intrigue readers. This title takes readers back to the day in 1937 when Earhart and her plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during her attempt to fly around the world. The narrative shifts from the day she went missing to vignettes describing reactions from others hoping to hear a message from Earhart and then moving to biographical pieces describing her formative years filled with moves and coping with her father’s financial woes. The author describes how Earhart traded on her name and fame to finance her flights. There are several photographs included in this insightful, well-written biography.

- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

GRADES 9-12

Bodeen, S.A. (2012) The raft. Feiwel & Friends.

Fifteen-year-old Robie lives in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on Midway atoll with her research scientist parents. However, she has been vacationing at her aunt’s home in Honolulu. When her aunt Jillian is called to the mainland, Robie needs to cut her visit short and go home. To get back to Midway, she is able to catch a ride on a cargo plane loaded with supplies for Midway, a ride she has taken many times before. This time a new co-pilot, Max, is in the cockpit. During a terrible electrical storm, the plane goes down. Before the crash Max is desperately getting a life raft ready and when Robie finds herself in the water after the crash it is Max that pulls her into the raft and saves her life. Max is seriously injured and is in and out of consciousness as the two of them begin their journey for survival in the raft. Having lived in the Pacific for many years Robie has a working knowledge of ocean life and that proves to be good and bad. She knows the dangers and the lack of fresh water becomes a daily threat. Her choices throughout the story are the crux of the plot as Max lays unconscious most of the time and the survival decisions are Robie’s alone. Bodeen has created a desperately realistic survival story that will leave readers exhausted.

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

Rossetti, Rinsai. (2012) The girl with borrowed wings. Dial Books.

Debut author Rinsai Rosetti has brought a powerful new dystopian novel to young adult literature. Frenenqer, whose name means “restraint”, is living on a desert oasis with her expatriate parents in the Middle East. Her father is a cruel and controlling parent and shows her no affection. Her life is confined to three boxes: the family apartment, her school, and the car that takes her there. Her isolated existence is solitary and lonely until the day she finds a large cat in a cage at the souk (marketplace), releases him and brings him home much to her father’s anger. It turns out that the cat is actually a winged shape-shifter, a Free person, who lives without rules. The shape-shifter is named Sangris and his wings can take him anywhere in the world. Now each night, Sangris takes Frenenqer into his arms and they travel the world, places where she has been in her childhood and other places that are magical. The relationship between Frenenqer and Sangris deepens and readers will begin to feel the emotional bonds developing between the two as their romance begins. This new love brings problems for her as her attitude with this newly found freedom builds toward a confrontation with her father. Frenenqer’s character development within the novel is strong and hopeful as the love story unfolds. Follow this book on Facebook. 

- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant

We know that each content area or discipline has a unique structure, goals, texts, language, and ways of developing knowledge. Mathematics courses are different than history courses; the texts are different; the ways in which teachers and students talk about knowledge in each content area are different. We do not read a science text and an English language arts text the same way. So, if we are knowledgeable about the distinct differences among content areas why are we using generic literacy strategies across the content areas? Generic literacy approaches across the content areas have not produced the results we have been looking for in our students’ literacy or content knowledge, skills, and performance. In addition, how are we planning to address the complex content and literacy demands of each content area in an era of Common Core State Standards (CCSS)? According to the CCSS, close reading of complex texts, deep understanding, collection of evidence across sources, an inquiry approach to learning, collaborative inquiry, and reflection are necessary instructional elements across grade levels and in each content area (Zygouris-Coe, 2012). 

What is Disciplinary Literacy? 

“Disciplinary literacy involves the use of reading, reasoning, investigating, speaking, and writing required to learn and form complex content knowledge appropriate to a particular discipline.” (McConachie & Petrosky, 2010, p. 16). Disciplinary literacy is not a new term for reading in the content areas (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2012); instead it emphasizes the knowledge, skills, and tools of the experts in each discipline--the mathematicians, historians, authors, and scientists who communicate, use, and create knowledge in their respective discipline. Disciplinary literacy is not about a set of strategies we can use to help students organize text or make connections among words; it is referring to the ways of thinking, knowing, and doing that are consistent with each discipline. 

So, why keep an eye on disciplinary literacy? In my view, because we must; we have to if we are to prepare our students to learn and succeed in secondary school, in college, career, and beyond. We need to move content instruction from an emphasis on generic strategies for reading, vocabulary, and comprehension toward an emphasis on practices and pedagogical frameworks for disciplinary inquiry that will support content and literacy learning.

Disciplinary Literacy in Secondary Grades

Reading in secondary grades “feels, sounds, and looks” different than it does in earlier grades. We know from research that many adolescents struggle with a) engagement with reading (especially expository text) and motivation to read, b) vocabulary, c) comprehension, and d) self-regulating their own comprehension. Many adolescents face challenges with reading and comprehending the texts of each content area (Lee & Spratley, 2010; Moje, 2002, 2008). Reading in the content areas places many demands on the reader and the teacher. Content instruction and literacy development in the secondary grades should be taking place in tandem (Shanahan, 2008, 2012). 

How can adolescents think and learn like mathematicians, historians, or biologists if we do not teach them how to read, comprehend, and think deeply about the texts of each discipline? To teach students to think like historians, we have to teach them how to identify the author, the audience, the context, whether others agree, or whether information is credible. According to Lee and Spratley (2010), adolescents need more targeted, comprehensive, and even tailored support for reading in the academic disciplines because of the different structure, goals, and literacy demands of each discipline. We need to prepare students to successfully deal with the reading, writing, and learning demands of each discipline. We need to teach students how to engage with, read, build their background knowledge, comprehend text, and write in a way that is consistent with each discipline. Comprehension and deep learning are not natural outcomes of teaching students a few effective comprehension strategies; they require rigorous, specialized, and multifaceted teaching and learning. Key factors for successful content area instruction also include developing a classroom culture of high expectations (Lee, 2007) and delivering instruction that is purposeful, authentic, relevant, and critical. Teachers need to organize instruction in engaging ways, provide guided support in small and whole group work, sequence discipline-specific tasks, include reading of content area texts that will help build background knowledge, teach students how to access texts, develop discipline-specific vocabulary and classroom discourse (Michaels, O’Connor, Hall, & Resnick, 2002), and build students’ self-efficacy as readers. 

Developing a Disciplinary Literacy Learning Framework 

Discipline-specific teaching and learning is complex, demanding, rigorous, specific to each discipline, interactive, and collaborative. For the purpose of this section, I will use history as an example to illustrate disciplinary literacy learning framework principles. I invite you to reflect on the attached questions and discuss them with your colleagues; these questions could be used as “conversation starters” in department and professional learning community (PLC) meetings, as part of collaborations between literacy coaches and content area teachers, and in planning for school-wide literacy efforts in secondary grades.

If we are to bring about positive change in student learning, we have to change our perspective and practices about the role of literacy in each discipline. Consider developing a teacher study group (or a PLC) at your school where you can discuss these issues and learn about ways to help students develop content and literacy knowledge and skills that are consistent with each discipline’s structure, goals, demands, texts, and ways of knowing, reading, writing, speaking, and learning.  

References

Lee, C. D. (2007). Culture, literacy, and learning: Blooming in the midst of the whirlwind. New York: Teachers College Press.

Lee, C. D., & Spratley, A. (2010). Reading in the disciplines: The challenges of adolescent literacy. New York, NY: Carnegie Corporation of New York.

McConachie, S. M., & Petrosky, A. R. (2010). Content matters: A disciplinary literacy approach to improving student learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Michaels, S., O'Connor, M. C., Hall, M. W., & Resnick, L. (2002). Accountable talk: classroom conversation that works. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh. 

Moje, E. B.  (2002). But where are the youth?  Integrating youth culture into literacy theory. Educational Theory, 52, 97-120. 

Moje, E. B. (2008).  Foregrounding the disciplines in secondary literacy teaching and learning: A call for change.  Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 52(2), 96-107.

Shanahan, T., & Shanahan. C. (2008). Teaching disciplinary literacy to adolescents: Rethinking content-area literacy. Harvard Educational Review, 78(1), 40-59. 

Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2012). What is disciplinary literacy and why does it matter? Topics in Language Disorders, 32(1), 7–18.

Zygouris-Coe, V. (2012). Disciplinary literacy and the common core state standards. Topics in Language Disorders, 32(1), 35-50.

Vassiliki (“Vicky”) Zygouris-Coe is an associate professor at the University of Central Florida, College of Education, Vassiliki.Zygouris-Coe@ucf.edu.

This article is part of a series from the International Reading Association Middle School Reading Special Interest Group (MSR-SIG).