Literacy Now

I’m often asked, “How do I know if my building has a culture of literacy?” and, more importantly, “How do I build one?” 

A lasting culture of literacy isn’t about posters, it isn’t about pictures, graphs, and star charts in hallways. A lasting culture of literacy isn't created with contests and rewards, or when a principal loses a bet and has to sleep on the roof, kiss a pig, or shave a beard. It’s about an enthusiasm and a commitment by all staff—not just the English language arts teachers—to ensure that all students have a book in their hands that they are excited to read. Staff must embrace and value student choice, as well as believe in the power of reading.

The best way to tell if your building has a strong culture of literacy? Talk to the students, and use their answers to guide you. Chemists use a litmus test as an indicator, and we can do the same as educators. My favorite litmus tests to determine a culture of literacy are the following questions:

1. Ask students, “What books are popular right now? What is trending?”

In a building with a strong culture of reading, students’ responses are deep and thoughtful. Their answers aren’t stifled and forced, and students don’t look confused by the question. They don’t glance around for possible answers from which to choose. 

Responses will be similar to what I heard from Aamira, a seventh grader, as I visited her middle school with my litmus test questions in mind. She said,“I feel like in books there is a lot more diversity right now. Our teacher would say we can see more ‘mirror books.’ A lot of the books I’m thinking of have maybe somebody of a different race...a lot more strong characters like that, which can help other readers. I can relate with them.”

Aamira has read enough to know that there is a strong push among authors and publishers to represent students of all kinds, and she’s been taught how to recognize, seek it out, and celebrate it. Her teachers frequently recommend current and trending books to all their students.

2. Ask students, “What are you going to read next?”

Readers learning in a building with a strong culture of literacy have a list of books or genres in mind, based on their own preferences and recommendations from others. They don’t go to the library because they were forced to, or to avoid classwork—they go because they genuinely enjoy the time. They ask to go. 

When choosing a book, voracious readers don’t flip to the last page to see how many pages their commitment to this book would entail. They don’t stand in the book stacks staring at spines. They have a plan, a list of options, and their names are on waiting lists for new and trending titles.

When I ask, “How much do you read?” voracious readers’ eyes don’t glaze over while they automatically and without thinking respond, “20 minutes a night” (the most frequently cited time requirement for independent reading). They don’t mention pages, points, genre studies, or logs. They don’t have to lie.

They say things like this: “I read a lot. I read at every possible moment I can, almost every single day, a book every two days on my normal days, my goal is to read 40 books in three months.” While Sophie, a middle schooler, may not be typical of every student, she certainly isn’t embarrassed by her love of reading.

Jeremiah, another student in her class, describes his favorite books like this: “I like when there’s no hope coming, and the character is at the lowest point they could possibly be, and you feel like there is like NO WAY, and they won’t get back up, and then they DO find a way to do that, so then it kind of uplifts you!” Jeremiah has made connections between books, and he’s read enough to have very specific opinions about plot styles and characters.

Students who read a great deal can state analysis of genres like Madison, who said, “I usually read fantasy books, and inevitably they [the main characters] are boys, and they are really weird and different and want to be normal, or really really ordinary and dull and want to be special, and….then (she says with a laugh) they get magical powers.”

Not one of these students mentioned a required novel or a book project. Their passion for reading didn’t didn’t start there. They all want time to talk to others about what they are reading. When one person talks about their book, another will jump in and say, “Hey! That reminds me of this other book...”

3. Ask teachers, “What was the last book you suggested to a student?”

Teachers should read widely and be able to recommend current books, not just what they read themselves as middle graders. Students are intuitive, and they will know if an adult pitching them a book hasn’t read it themselves or are not likely to read it, and they also know when their teacher is recommending a book that was already on library shelves in 1982. Teachers should be dabbling in all types of books—even graphic novels—and should not belittle or forbid these choices in classrooms. Students should not have to hide their preferences and favorite genres from their teachers.

Teachers should read with the hope of connecting a book to a student. Students need to see all their teachers as readers. Not just the ELA teachers.

So, how do you know if your building has a culture of literacy? My first thought is this: If you have to ask, we have a lot of work to do together. There isn’t a quick, three-step process. A real culture of literacy requires a commitment by a group of passionate people whose reach extends far beyond the library.

Julie Scullen is a former member of the ILA Board of Directors and also served as president of the Minnesota Reading Association and Minnesota Secondary Reading Interest Council. She taught most of her career in secondary reading intervention classrooms and now serves as Teaching and Learning Specialist for Secondary Reading in Anoka-Hennepin schools in Minnesota, working with teachers of all content areas to foster literacy achievement. She teaches graduate courses at Hamline University in St. Paul in literacy leadership and coaching, disciplinary literacy, critical literacy, and reading assessment and evaluation.

The global economic downturn of the past decade has taken an especially hard toll on arts programs—not only in the United States, but across the developed world.

Faced with severe cutbacks in government funding and widespread layoffs—compounded by an increased pressure to improve standardized test scores—many schools and universities are stripping down to a bare-bones, no-frills budget. When this happens, music education, along with other subjects deemed “extracurricular,” is often among the first to go.

This decline doesn’t impact just music educators and young, aspiring musicians. A growing body of research suggests that music education enhances literacy skills that facilitate all other learning.

Christopher Venesile, assistant professor of choral music education and jazz educator at Kent State University, has spent the last 30 years transforming young lives through music. A former public school teacher and teacher educator, he’s witnessed how music education improves student performance and closes achievement gaps.

“I found that the most dramatic impact was on those students who were marginalized to begin with, but who had a deep and abiding love for music and participating in music,” he said. “I’ve seen how their interaction with music helped them to become better students.”

Language processing

Plato was right when he said that music gives “wings to the mind.”

A 2014 study published in The Journal of Neuroscience found that children who took music lessons for two years didn’t just become better at playing an instrument—they became better at processing language.

The study took place in the offices of the Harmony Project in Los Angeles, CA—an after-school program that teaches music to children in low-income communities. According to the organization’s website, 97% of Los Angeles County high school seniors with at least three years’ participation in Harmony Project have graduated from high school and have gone on to college, despite high school dropout rates of 50% in the neighborhoods where they live.

Language and music share the elements of pitch, timing, and timbre. As children become more familiar with these elements through musical instruction, their language-processing skills also improve—enabling them to distinguish nuances in speech more easily, according to Venesile.

“Science shows that when children play music, their brains begin to process these sounds that they otherwise wouldn’t hear,” said Venesile. “Neurophysiological distinction has been shown to aid in literacy.”

Vocabulary growth

Anyone who’s ever heard the song “Fifty Nifty United States” knows that words paired with music are far easier to remember.

According to child psychologist Don McMannis, music activates three different centers of the brain simultaneously: language, hearing, and rhythmic motor control. “By inducing emotions, it also creates a heightened condition of awareness and mental acuity,” he says. As students repeat and memorize a song, the lyrics become etched into their brain.  

A 2009 study in Psychology of Music journal directly compared second graders from two New York City public schools, located in nearby neighborhoods with similar demographics. Only one of the schools included music instruction as a part of the regular curriculum, beginning in kindergarten.

The students were tested for two specific literacy skills at the start and end of the school year: general vocabulary and “verbal sequencing,” or their ability to interpret short sentences and understand their meaning.

When the children were retested at the end of the school year, students who did not receive a music education performed only slightly better on the literacy test, whereas those in the music-rich school scored “significantly higher.” The difference was especially pronounced on the vocabulary test—students who studied music made significant gains on this test, “while scores in the control group remained mostly static,” according to the report.

Development of 21st-century skills

Venesile points to the a cappella movement—which challenges students to find synergy, to improvise, and to self-adjust—as an effective exercise in collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking—core 21st-century skills.

“Most of this music is not written down,” he said. “They listen to a variety of contemporary sounds and decide in a collaborative process how they’re going to flesh out the parts.”

Venesile also encourages the development of these critical skills by infusing his lessons with relevant technologies, such as MuseScore—a free, notation-based program that allows users to write music—and Garage Band—a digital audio workstation that allows users to create music or podcasts.

Although many music educators debate the utility of these apps, Venesile believes they are effective tools for learning advanced musical concepts in an engaging and enjoyable way.

“It’s one of the most exciting times in all of human history for music education,” he said.

Critical literacy

Beyond its many cognitive benefits, Venesile said the music classroom is an ideal space to enhance students’ sense of cultural identity and awareness. When students learn about music, they learn about language, culture, and history.

Venesile believes the increasing diversity of today’s student bodies presents a need to teach a wider variety of musical genres. Looking ahead, he hopes music education programs will embrace more contemporary and vernacular styles that reflect all backgrounds.

“It’s time to invite more than just the model of the marching band, orchestra, and choir to the table.”

To learn more about Kent State University’s School of Music, visit kent.edu/music.

Alina O’Donnell is the communications strategist at ILA and the editor of Literacy Daily.

The holiday season is a great time for educators and students to explore how different cultures express their values, beliefs, and customs. Celebrating classroom diversity, especially around the holidays, helps students to build an understanding and awareness of other cultural practices and to reflect on their own. Following is a list of 10 ways to embrace this time of a year in a culturally responsive manner:

• Encourage students to bring in a dish related to a holiday they celebrate. Ask them to write a recipe card to share with the class.
• Discuss similarities between different holidays. For example, many traditions incorporate the motif of light. Ask students to research the cultural significance of these themes.
• Invite students to create their own holiday. This allows them to contemplate what values and customs are most meaningful to them.
• Connect globally. Contact schools in other countries ahead of time to establish a relationship and form pen pals so students can share traditions around the world.
• Stock your classroom library with books that introduce students to different end-of-year celebrations across the world. Check out this list of multicultural titles for ideas.
• Incorporate a geography and history lesson. Teach students about the origins of modern-day holiday traditions.
• Follow this lesson plan that introduces students to five different countries and the winter holidays they celebrate.
• Ask students to create a Venn diagram comparing their winter traditions to those of their classmates.
• Present students with the writing prompt: If you could give a gift to everyone in the world, what would it be?
• Visit TeacherVision’s list of “Diversity Resources for Holidays” for printable worksheets, activities, and crafts that enhance students' understanding of the various holidays different from their own.

The idea of reading for pleasure is often lost among the various assigned readings and increased emphasis on test preparation. However, strong readers are those who can read and analyze a diverse range of texts. It is important for a student to be able to indulge in independent, self-selected reading both in and out of the classroom. Below is a list of ways to encourage students to read for pleasure as well as tips on facilitating an independent reading culture in your classroom.

1. Host a book club. Book clubs are a great way to cultivate a community of readers that fosters connectivity through shared reading and discussion. Let the club members choose the books collectively—this encourages students to step outside their comfort zone and explore new genres.
2. Collaborate with your local library. Invite staff from the local library to your school to introduce students to the many books, programs, resources, and services available to them. Help them obtain a library card and demonstrate all the ways they can use the nearest public library to their advantage.
3. Host a young author read-aloud. Invite students to read an original story aloud to their peers, educators, and parents. This gives students a platform to showcase their work while helping to build confidence. 
4. Reenact favorite books. Ask students to create a movie version of their favorite book. This is an opportunity for them to display how they envisioned the characters and events. Allow room for interpretation—let students decide a new ending or a twist in the plot they would’ve liked to see.
5. Mystery check-outs. Wrap books in wrapping paper and encourage students to blindly choose a “mystery book.” This is a fun way to help students venture out of their comfort zone with a new author, genre, or series.
6. Make time for independent reading. Set aside around 15–20 minutes per day for independent reading of self-selected books. Encourage discussion afterward to measure students' progress.
7. Lead by example. Join students’ independent reading time! Make sure they see that you put everything else aside to focus on reading. Share your thoughts on the book you’re reading, and model any close reading or comprehension strategies you employ.
8. Host a reading-related event. Host a book fair to promote reading as a passion, not an assignment. Invite parents to visit, encouraging at-home reading as well.
9. Assign a reading log. Ask students to keep track of what and how much they’ve read. Encourage them to write down any questions or comments that may arise, so they can revisit them upon completion.
10. Get parents involved. Remind parents that the time spent fostering literacy outside of the classroom is just as important as time spent inside the classroom. Check out these tips on ways you can support family literacy. 

There is no one right way to successfully inspire independent reading, but establishing a strong classroom culture of reading is an important first step. Visit TeachThought's "25 Ways Schools Can Promote Literacy And Independent Reading" for more ideas.

Samantha Stinchcomb is an intern at the International Literacy Association.           

Five high school students just spent six weeks teaching me how to be a better teacher.

It started in the usual way. I thought I was teaching them. 

As a reading intervention specialist, I spend much of my time in a cubicle, in a space that used to be a classroom but is now repurposed as our district office. In my cubicle, I fill out forms, answer emails, plan professional development, write SMART goals, and perform “other duties as assigned.”

I find, however, that every now and then, I need to surface to work with students and teachers. If I don’t, I forget why I’m in the cubicle: to make certain every one of our students sees success. 

In an effort to try out some reading strategies I’d recently read about in education journals, I asked a fellow teacher if I could borrow a small group of students a couple times a week during her reading intervention class. I asked for her reluctant readers, the ones who consistently neglected to remember their book and take the longest to get on task. Masterful avoiders. Strangely, she was incredibly willing. She provided me with five names and asked how soon I could start. 

I thought that if I brought in truly authentic and interesting reads, they’d devour them, instantly discover the joy of reading, and go on to share that joy with all their friends. No problem. I forgot that these boys didn’t read the journals I did, so they didn’t know how great these ideas were.

The first day I just attempted to get to know them. I was not the first person to attempt to “make them like reading.” I was met with eye rolls and snickers when I asked what they liked to read. One young man even retreated into his hoodie like a turtle into his shell and yanked the strings tight so that only his nose was visible. Another informed me, “Just so you know, I have an attitude problem.”

Lesson one: what I find meaningful is not necessarily what they find meaningful

The second day I brought in Terrible Things by Eve Bunting, an allegory of the Holocaust, depicted by animals. I started in confidently, asking them what they would do if they witnessed someone treating others poorly. Would they step in? “It depends. Do I know them?” It was an interesting conversation, but not as life-changing as I had envisioned. After we finished, one of the students asked why I made them read a story about fish, birds, and bunnies. Clearly, he had missed the point of the book.

Lesson two: cool toys and strategies don’t make reluctant readers want to read

Frustrated, I tried something different. Rather than use the authentic and interesting books, I brought in informational texts and tried to infuse useful reading strategies. Who wouldn’t enjoy a strong informational text when they had cool, colored sticky notes to track their thinking? They were bound to engage, right? Wrong. We read, they dutifully put their sticky notes in the appropriate places, they were compliant. But they didn’t engage or have any type of animated conversation. No one asked for more. I was still headed in the wrong direction.

Lesson three: they will engage, if you ask the right questions

Then something horrifying and wonderful happened. I brought in an article about issues facing youth, but it wasn’t long enough to fill the block of time we had that day. I had to figure out what to do with five disengaged students for 15 minutes until lunch. Panicking on the inside, I stalled. “So, what do you think? Was the author right?” Blank stares. “What do WE think? Do WE think he’s right? I don’t get it.” I carried on. “Yes, tell me what YOU think.” After a few tense moments, one of them spoke. From across the table, someone agreed. Then someone disagreed. I let them talk. And talk.

And then, miracle of miracles, one of them pointed to the article and said something that made my heart skip a beat. “Yea, right here he says that, but I don’t think that’s what he MEANT.” More talking.

The next week, I came prepared with more short texts and very little planned.  I let them lead me.

Lesson four: if you build trust, they will come

I realized what I needed to ask “What do YOU want to read about next? I’ll bring that next time.” And we started a list. 

I had one rule: no politics. Otherwise, we could read and talk about whatever they wanted. They wanted to know more about materialism. Time management. World hunger efforts. Stereotypes.  

In this small group, I could probe deeply. Why are you so sure? How do you know that? What makes you so certain? Now, with trust that comes from consistency and without the pressure of a grade, they could call each other out. “Bro. Seriously, what does this have to do with race? You are so wrong, man.”

Unfortunately, things got busy, and I had things that needed to be accomplished back in my cubicle. I had to stop meeting with the students.

On my last day, we read an article together and had our final conversation. The group went to lunch, except one. He was still reading, and he held up his hand so I didn’t interrupt.

Then, he said the most amazing thing: “Am I allowed to have this article? I want to take it home and finish it.”

And I was able to say, “Yep, it’s yours. And I can show you how to find more on your own just like it.”

They taught me well.

Julie Scullen, an ILA member since 2005, is a teaching and learning specialist for secondary reading in Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota, working with teachers of all content areas to foster literacy achievement. She teaches graduate courses at Hamline University in St. Paul in literacy leadership and coaching, disciplinary literacy, critical literacy, and reading assessment and evaluation.

This piece originally appeared in the November/December 2017 issue of Literacy Today, ILA's member magazine.