Literacy Now

This year began my first year teaching at Prestige Academy, an all-boys charter school in Wilmington, Delaware. Prestige is a Title I school that serves mostly low-income families and students from an urban environment.

When teaching at a Title I school, funding can be difficult to come by. In some cases, there are needs that simply cannot be met. This often includes foregoing a classroom library.

But for me, having a classroom without a library was not an option. I have always loved reading, and from a young age, I knew that I wanted my future students to learn to love reading as much as I do. Having a classroom abundant in books was important to me. So, I had to get creative.

p: friends.sfpl via photopin

It turns out there are a multitude of ways to create a wonderful selection of books within your own classroom—and your stretched-to-the-max budget. If you’re struggling to build out your own classroom library like I was, consider trying out some of the following:

Donate some of your own books to the classroom library. Chances are, you already do this. But have you stocked the library with some of your favorite books? Students love to read books that their teachers recommend—even the classics that can be read at many ages. For instance, I made sure to include “The Westing Game”by Ellen Raskin, “The BFG”by Roald Dahl, and the Harry Potter series in my library.

A word of caution: Don’t bring in books that have sentimental value to you. They will most likely get worn quickly! This means that autographed copies and special print editions should be left at home (unless you’re completely okay with the possibility that they could become worn, ruined, or lost).

Go to garage sales and Goodwill. This is my best-kept secret! Throughout the spring and summer, pick up as many cheap books as you can at garage sales, where you can often purchase books for as little as ten cents. This allows you to not only buy a greater number of books because of such a low price, but also to expand the genres in your classroom library. Goodwill is also a wonderful resource for similar purchases year round.

Ask for donations. There are so many individuals willing to donate to teachers, and especially teachers in a Title I school. Don’t be shy! If you happen to come across a member of any type of educational, professional, or reading coalition, speak to them. Odds are that they will help you in any way they can. Plus, it’s a great networking opportunity for future events.

A wonderful resource to look into is First Book, a nonprofit organization that provides low- or no-cost literature and resources to schools that are Title I, or serve a large portion of low-income families. You can register online to determine your school or organization’s eligibility.

Create a sign-in and sign-out sheet. In my classroom, I have a specific student responsible for my classroom library. Each time a book is checked out, he writes down the title, the student who is checking it out, and notes on the condition of the book. This helps to cut down on lost books, and ensures that students do not take a new book and return it in less-than-perfect condition. After all, the fewer books you lose, the fewer books you have to replace!

Although creating a classroom library is important, it is equally as important to do something with it. Great educators use their library to inspire their students to love reading. This can mean incorporating read-alouds, excerpts during lessons, and even month-to-month features on different authors.

One thing that I recently began doing in order to instill this quality in my students is a reading group. I felt that I had many students who could be pushed to higher heights academically, and were even longing for additional engagement. About half of my current students elected to join our small “book club.” We decided to begin with “Island of the Blue Dolphins” by Scott O’Dell. Each week, students complete a reading of certain chapters, and are required to fill out a packet of discussion questions. Then, we meet one afternoon during lunch and have a low-key discussion about the story line, elements of literature used, and any other hot-button ideas brought up in their readings. If students complete their assigned chapters and discussion questions, and attend our meeting, they receive extra credit in my class.

So far, I have seen great results from my scholars. This was a simple way to encourage reading, and at the same time strengthen our class culture.

Building a great classroom library can be difficult without the budget to do so. But over time, utilizing the helpful hints above, I’m confident you’ll be able to create a well-rounded library for your students. The key is to persevere, and make the most of every opportunity.

Taylor Swalm is from Middletown, Delaware. She currently teaches 5th grade at Prestige Academy Charter School. She has her B.S. in Middle Level Education  (Spec. English & Social Sciences) from Wilmington University and is pursuing a Master’s degree in School Leadership.

Two years ago my building implemented a one-to-one technology initiative, giving kindergarten through fifth grade students their own iPad or MacBook. With this new technology in the classroom, I am always on the lookout for new ways for students to publish their writings digitally. 

I recently attended a technology conference and learned about Lucidpress.com. Lucidpress is a free, web based publisher that includes a variety of artistic, user friendly templates that when completed can be saved to Google Drive.

Signing up for teachers and students is easy! Simply go to Lucidpress and enter your name and email address. If your district is a Google Apps for Education district, students can click the “Sign up with Google” button. If your students do not have their own email addresses, they can use the Gmail +1 trick to sign in. Once logged in, click “Create” and choose “Document.” From there, students can choose from over thirty digital templates to find the best fit to support their writing.

My students enjoy using the newspaper and book templates to assemble their writings. Some students choose to type on the template the entire time, while others opt to type in Google Drive and then paste their work on the template. No matter which drafting option they choose, students find the process easy to accomplish and gratifying.

Once the Lucidpress templates are completed and saved as a PDF, students can log into another free website, FlipSnack.com, which transforms PDFs, and other files, into flipping eBooks. These eBooks can then be embedded in the students’ online portfolios as a way to document their accomplishment and growth.

The possibilities of digitally publishing student work using Lucidpress and FlipSnack are endless. Whether you are looking for a web based platform for students to publish their work, or a unique way to transform the typical typed student work into a flipping eBook, I encourage you to check out these digital publishing tools.

Stephanie Laird

You may recognize International Reading Association (IRA) member Shanne Bowie from the February/March issue of “Reading Today” in which she and Gerri Settoon wrote a lovely piece welcoming colleagues to Louisiana for the IRA Annual Conference in May. Bowie is the current President of the Louisiana Reading Association and a longtime elementary school teacher. In this “Reading Today” interview, she shares her inspirations, proudest moments, and what refreshes and renews her spirit.

When did you know you wanted to become a teacher?

I wanted to become a teacher in Kindergarten when Mrs. Frasier read to me while I sat on her lap. Later in high school, I wanted to become a teacher because I thought they got summer vacations. My first year to teach, I knew I wanted to become a teacher when my sixth grade student didn't want to leave my room on the last day, and she tearfully said, "No one will ever care about me like you." I knew then, I wanted to become a teacher.

Did any children's literature influence your decision to become a literacy educator?

I loved Hans Christian Anderson's tales as a very young child. I would make up my own tales to tell my sister. Later, I was fascinated by Caddie Woodlawn, a story of a frontier girl. I loved it because she was a tomboy just like me. I promised myself when I became a teacher, I would read Caddie Woodlawn every year, and I have done so for the last 28 years.

How did you begin your career, and what led you to your current position?

I began my career in a sixth grade classroom, but my heart was really in the lower grades where I have spent most of my time as an educator. I came to my current position the year after I completed National Board certification. My school is known for its literacy emphasis and deep commitment to helping children learn to read and write well. I knew it was the place for me.

What can literacy educators do to motivate kids to want to read?

I believe the most important way to motivate kids to read is by modeling reading. Show them reading is fun by reading books you love to them. When children see a teacher's love for the written word it opens a door to a world of which every child can be a part. The teacher can then get down to the basics of what the child needs to be able to read a good book with fluency.

Which professional development books have you found influential in your education?

I come home from an IRA conference with several new reads. Staying abreast of best practices, latest research, and cutting-edge techniques is key to continued professional development for me. “The CAFE Book: Engaging All Students in Daily Literacy Assessment and Instruction” by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser validated for me a teaching style I already used, but they modeled a way to organize the literacy block that was easily implemented. Their techniques really release the power of personal reading growth to the students. I recently read “Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading” by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp in a professional book study. The authors focus on instruction and assessment of complex texts through close readings and complex discussions. I'm currently reading “Notice and Note” by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst. IRA's website has a wonderful resources section with recommended reads.

How long have you been a member of the International Reading Association?

10 years. I learned about IRA from another teacher. She encouraged me to join. After I attended my first conference, I was hooked.

How has membership influenced your career?

The professional growth experiences I have received through my IRA membership are without measure. I have never attended a conference that I didn't return with techniques to implement, professional and children's books to read, new professional contacts, and a renewed commitment to my profession. IRA's website has a wealth of resources to access daily. Check it out!

What are you looking forward to doing at the Annual Conference in New Orleans?

I am looking forward to networking with other professionals and hearing the "rock stars" of education that IRA always provides at conferences. I know I will leave New Orleans motivated and energized to teach children at my school. I won't forget to enjoy some delicious food and culture of the historic city of New Orleans either.

What do you consider to be your proudest career moment?

The day I became a National Board teacher was pretty up there, but my proudest moment in my career so far was when I was a new teacher and Clinton, a struggling reader, read fluently for the first time. He smiled, and I cried.

What do you like to do when you're not wearing your educator hat?

When I'm not wearing my educator hat, I travel quite a bit. I recently went to a bookstore in Lyon, France. I quickly had to find the English section. I also read and write for fun!

What's the best advice you could offer someone new to the profession?

I would advise new teachers to find a professional teacher/mentor who is devoted to children. I would encourage them to attend professional conferences like the International Reading Association conference. They should be a part of their local reading council, too. I would invite new teachers to read professional books. Finally, I would tell them to allow relaxation time to refresh and renew their spirit, so they can return to school energized and ready to teach children to read and write well.

Sara Long is an editor/content manager at the International Reading Association.

by Nell Duke, Elizabeth Moje, and Annemarie Palincsar
University of Michigan
February 26, 2014

In Michigan, as in a number of states, the legislature has been considering a bill to mandate retention for any students who do not score above a certain level on the state's third-grade reading test. Here we share a memo we submitted earlier this year in response to this proposed legislation (legislation that continues to evolve). To learn more about recommendations for state reading policy, please see:
/reading-today/research/post/lrp/2013/10/31/nga-report-on-early-childhood.

Memorandum

To: The Honorable Lisa Posthumus Lyons, Michigan House of Representatives; The Honorable Amanda Price, Michigan House of Representatives

From: Drs. Nell K. Duke, Elizabeth B. Moje, and Annemarie S. Palincsar, University of Michigan

Date: January 13, 2014

Re: Written commentary on HB 5111

Thank you for the opportunity to provide commentary on House Bill 5111. Please note that our commentary draws in part from commentary generated by Albert Wat, senior policy analyst in the Education Division of the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices, with whom one of us (Duke) worked on the NGA Early Literacy Expert Roundtable and co-served on the Education Commission of the States Early Learning Caucus.

We share legislators’ aim to improve literacy outcomes for Michigan’s public school students. However, as discussed below, a focus on retention is not supported by research, and many research-supported policies and practices for improving literacy education are not included in the bill.

The focus on retention is not supported by research. The preponderance of research evidence from many different research fields does not support mandatory retention as an effective approach to addressing the problems of low levels of literacy achievement. Most studies find either no effect or negative effects (e.g., Jacob & Lefgren, 2009; Jimerson, 2001; Shepard & Smith, 1990). Although a few studies point to short-term gains following retention, these gains do not endure (e.g., Reschly & Christenson, 2013; Silberglitt, Appleton, Burns, & Jimerson, 2006; Wu, West, & Hughes, 2008). There is no evidence that retained students "catch up" to their peers and stay caught up (e.g., Alexander, Entwisle, & Dauber, 2003). Males, minority students, and students from low-income families are the most vulnerable, with respect to retention. In fact, there is an extensive body of research that points to possible negative long-term impacts of retention (e.g., Chen, Liu, Zhang, Shi, & Rozelle, 2010; Jimerson, Anderson, & Whipple, 2002; Pagani, Tremblay, Vitaro, Boulerice, & McDuff, 2001). Retention in grade—especially after third grade—is a powerful predictor of dropping out of school (although the mechanism for this is not well understood) (Roderick, 1994). In fact, studies conducted by economists indicate that for all demographic groups grade retention is significantly linked to lower earnings in the workplace later in life (e.g., Eide & Showalter, 2001). Moreover, recent research suggests negative impacts of retention on the classmates of retained students (Goffried, 2013). Even Michigan families whose children are not at risk for being retained should be concerned about the ill effects of a mandatory retention policy.

Literacy achievement in Florida is often cited as evidence that a heavy focus on retention is advisable. However, Florida instituted a number of reforms aimed at literacy improvement—including reforms that do have a solid research base—thus it is unclear whether retention specifically contributed to Florida’s levels of literacy achievement. A longitudinal study of one of Florida’s largest districts determined that retained students experienced neither short- or long-term gains when compared to those who had been administratively promoted; neither retained students, nor their administratively promoted peers, reached proficiency on the reading assessment of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Further, 60% of the students retained in this study were male, 43% were Black, 31% were Hispanic, and 81% received free- or reduced-cost lunch (Dennis, Kroeger, Welsh, Brummer, & Baek, 2010).

State policymakers should be strongly discouraged from instituting retention in the face of a preponderance of evidence that retention will not, in the end, serve Michigan students and families well. They should, instead, be strongly encouraged to invest in early education, in improving K-3 instruction, and in maintaining literacy instruction through grade 12 and, specifically, in the subject areas of middle and high school.

If the legislature proceeds with a focus on retention despite contrary research evidence, Michigan policymakers should consider a more flexible use of the strategy than offered in the current version of the bill. Dr. Wat notes that in Colorado, essentially, a student not scoring at a proficient level at the end of third grade would trigger a meeting between the teacher, the parents, and any other critical school personnel, in which retention is raised as a possibility. The group would then make a decision together, which has to be approved by the school district superintendent or a designee. This approach has the advantage of involving key stakeholders and allowing local flexibility with some state-level oversight. You can read the language in Section 22-7-1207 of the legislation. At the same time, the law requires the district to track how children do whether or not they are retained and report to the state (see Section 22-7-1213). Oklahoma also has a similar provision.

Investing in early education has much stronger support in research. Prevention, for example in the form of pre-kindergarten programs, is a much more effective strategy for improving literacy (e.g., Barnett, 2001). Among other benefits, early education addresses the fact that by the time children reach kindergarten, there are already significant achievement gaps, most notably by socioeconomic status, in language and literacy development (e.g., Lee & Burkham, 2002). Moreover, early intervention can substantially reduce the need for retention. For example, here in Michigan, a state-subsidized pre-kindergarten program (formerly MSRP, now GSRP) was shown to improve literacy and math achievement at grade 4 and make it much less likely that students are retained (saving the state $11 million per year, according to a 2005 report from Lamy, Barnett, and Jung). States such as Oklahoma and Wyoming have been successful at providing universal pre-K education and have begun to see ways in which they can close the gap in the language and reading skills of children from low- and middle/high SES as they begin kindergarten. The successful pre-K programs include a home component in which parents and caregivers are provided with support to learn how to support the development and learning of young children.

Improvement of teacher preparation and professional development is strongly supported by research. There is a great deal of research evidence that improving the quality of teacher practice around literacy improves students’ educational outcomes (e.g., Darling-Hammond, 2010). Many of the states that have enacted 3rd grade reading legislation have some provisions that speak to this issue. In addition, districts such as those in Washtenaw and Livingston counties, that have invested in middle- and high-school literacy professional development for teachers and in literacy-rich subject area curricula have shown gains in their students’ overall and subject-specific literacy achievement.

Some states have focused heavily on teacher quality and teacher professional development in their legislative efforts around literacy. For example, for a subset of particularly underperforming schools, Connecticut’s law requires one literacy coach and four reading interventionists for each school. The legislation from Connecticut also requires the state education agency to devise a new professional development plan for teachers and principals around literacy instruction. New Jersey’s state education agency invested in a corps of literacy coaches as part of its strategy in the early 2000s to raise reading proficiency in the lowest-income districts in the early grades. Coaching is also part of Florida’s strategy—with this component enjoying research support.

States can also use the teacher certification and literacy specialist certification processes to increase the rigor of teacher preparation and professional development. The literacy standards for teachers and reading specialists in Michigan are out of date and not aligned with the International Reading Association Standards for Reading Professionals (2010). Massachusetts is one example of a state that has engaged in legislative efforts to increase the rigor of requirements for educator licensure and preparation program approval. “Performance based” certification requirements, in which candidates demonstrate their knowledge and skills in real classrooms, are also an avenue some have identified as promising.

Policies should be sensitive to the distinct knowledge and skills that teachers need with different age groups of students. Effective teachers of early elementary-age students need expertise that is different from expertise necessary to successfully support adolescent students’ literacy learning.

Research supports attention to continued and subject-specific literacy development across the grade 4-12 span. Many sources erroneously imply that there is something magical about third grade, but a robust body of evidence indicates that it is ineffective to attend only to reading development in the early years with the hope that students can apply those early literacy skills to increasingly complex texts and literacy tasks.  Continued support for learning to read even after students have demonstrated basic word reading and comprehension skills is essential. Indeed, many specific approaches to improving literacy after third grade have been shown to be effective (e.g., Greenleaf, Schoenbach, Cziko, & Mueller, 2001; Guthrie et al., 2004; Pearson, Moje, & Greenleaf, 2010; Romance & Vitale, 1992; 2001; Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2012; Snow, Lawrence, & White, 2009).

Some sources argue that reading by the end of third grade is so important because after third grade, students “read to learn” rather than “learn to read,” but this is an outdated notion that no longer describes education in the United States. With the Common Core State Standards, students are expected to read to learn from kindergarten. First they learn through teacher read aloud and then, by the end of first grade, by reading informational texts themselves. And to meet rigorous expectations for end-of-12th grade literacy skills, students will need continued instruction in reading throughout their school career. Similarly, while some have thought that instruction in K – 3 should focus on learning to read words, and instruction in grade 4 and above on comprehension and learning from text, a federal panel reached a consensus that comprehension instruction, including instruction in reading to learn, must occur in K – 3 (Shanahan, et al., 2010). Further, some students will need instruction in word reading even in grade 4 and beyond (e.g., Biancarosa & Snow, 2006; Carnegie, 2010; Snow et al., 2009). Unfortunately, in policy and practice K – 3 often sees more attention to contributors to word reading, such as phonics, alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness, at the expense of meaning-based skills, including oral language development (speaking and listening), comprehension, and vocabulary (e.g., Duke & Block, 2012). This may partially explain poor performance on the MEAP, which requires not only word reading but comprehension as well. Many states thus include definitions of reading that entail comprehension as well as word reading skill (see, e.g., the language from Massachusetts bill, lines 28-37).

Moving forward in state literacy policy
The National Governors Association is actively working with states on policies to support early literacy (http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/2013/1310NGAEarlyLiteracyReportWeb.pdf) and would be very happy to provide assistance in the further development of policy in this area (although the governor’s office would need to be involved in the request). The three of us are each called on to inform literacy policy in other states, and would also be happy to contribute to the development of policy initiatives here in Michigan. As policymakers continue to shape the state strategy, some of the questions that may be worth considering include the following:

• Can changes be made to state policies related to child care subsidies or licensing to enable more quality services and instruction in child care settings?
• Is there a way to expand pre-K services? In Minnesota, they offer matching funds and technical assistance to targeted school districts to use Title I money for pre-K.
• Can the state further invest in home visiting programs to increase parents’ capacity to support literacy and language development at home?
• Can the state increase attendance in full-day kindergarten programs? (The Education Commission of the States paper on kindergarten could be helpful in considering this.)
• Michigan law requires that every student who does not show proficiency on the reading portion of the MEAP in 4th or 7th grade shall receive “special assistance reasonably expected to enable the pupil to bring his or her reading skills to grade level within 12 months.” MCL 380.1278 (8). Can the state do more to implement this existing law?
• Can summer reading programs, which have been shown to improve and help close gaps in literacy achievement, be encouraged from the state level?
• Can adolescent and subject-area literacy development be foregrounded and supported with requirements for more course work in teacher education and for sustained professional development on adolescent literacy for academic subject-area teachers?
• Can middle- and high-school curricula and course offerings be developed to better support adolescent students’ continued literacy skill development?
• Can better and more plentiful text materials be made available throughout all schools in the state to ensure that our children and youth are provided opportunities to read high-quality, challenging, and engaging texts in a range of subject areas?

Again, thank you for the opportunity to comment on this bill and for all you are doing for Michigan’s children. If you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

References

Barnett, S. W. (2001). Preschool education for economically disadvantaged children: Effects on reading achievement and related outcomes. In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 421 – 443). New York: Guilford.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education: How America’s commitment to equity will determine our future. New York: Teachers College Press.

Dennis, D. V., Kroeger, D., Welsh, J., Brummer, R. and Baek, E. (2010). The road thus far: Long-term academic outcomes of Florida's third-grade retention policy. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Literacy Research Association, Fort Worth, TX. 

Duke, N. K., & Block, M. K. (2012). Improving reading in the primary grades. In I. Sawhill, R. Murnane, & C. Snow, (Issue Eds.), Future of Children, 22(2), 55–72.
Eide, E. R., & Showalter, M.H. (2001). The effect of grade retention on educational and labor market outcomes.  Economics of Education Review 20, 563–576. 

Gottfried, M. A. (2013). Retained students and classmates' absences in urban schools. American Educational Research Journal, 50, 1392–1423.

Greenleaf, C., Schoenbach, R., Cziko, C., & Mueller, F. L. (2001). Apprenticing adolescent readers to academic literacy. Harvard Educational Review, 71(1), 79-129. 

Guthrie, J. T., Wigfield, A., Barbosa, P., Perencevich, K. C., Taboada, A. M., Davis, H., Scafiddi, N. T., & Tonks, S.  (2004). Increasing reading comprehension and engagement through Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction, J Ed Psych, 96.

Lamy, C., Barnett, W. S., Jung, K. (2005). The effects of the Michigan School Readiness Program on young children’s abilities at kindergarten entry. The National Institute for Early Education Research Rutgers University. nieer.org/resources/research/multistate/mi.pdf

Lee, V. E., & Burkham, D. T. (2002). Inequality at the starting gate: Social background differences in achievement as children begin school. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.

Pearson, P. D., Moje, E. B., & Greenleaf, C. (2010).  Literacy and science: Each in the service of the other." Science 328: 459-463.

Romance, N. R., & Vitale, M. R.  (1992). A curriculum strategy that expands time for in-depth elementary science instruction by using science-based reading strategies: Effects of a year-long study in grade four. J Res Sci Teach, 29(6), 545-554.

Romance, N. R., & Vitale,M. R.  (2001). Implementing an in-depth expanded science model in elementary schools: Multi-year findings, research issues, and policy implications. Int J Sci Ed, 23(4), 373-404.

Schoenbach, R., & Greenleaf, C. (2012). Reading for understanding: How Reading Apprenticeship improves disciplinary learning in secondary and college classrooms San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 

Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade: A practice guide (NCEE 2010-4038). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from whatworks.ed.gov/publications/practice guides.

Snow, C. E., Lawrence, J., & White, C. (2009). Generating knowledge of academic language among urban middle school students. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2, 325-344.

(For biographical information on the authors of this report , http://sitemaker.umich.edu/nkduke/home; www.umich.edu\~moje; http://www.soe.umich.edu/people/profile/annemarie_sullivan_palincsar/)

This article is from the International Reading Association’s Literacy Research Panel. Reader response is welcomed. E-mail your comments to LRP@/

I have been a teacher for quite a while. I truly love working with my kindergarten kids. Every year there are new challenges to teaching, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are definitely one of these challenges. But not in the way that many people think.

I read the CCSS the first time they were accessible for public review. I have now been teaching kindergarten with the new standards for a couple of years. I don’t really find the standards to be much different than what I have been teaching for many years. I believe the difficulty is in the approach to teaching and the expectations that may be put on teachers to deliver these standards.

p: woodleywonderworks via photopin

As I review the CCSS again I think it is important to pay attention to the language used in the standards. Many of the standards insert “With prompting and support” before the focus of the standard. When I read “With prompting and support” I interpret that to mean that one should, as I have always done in my class, teach students the concept, provide them opportunities to practice the concept and give support through the entire process. 

One of the reading standards for literature states, “With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.” I have always expected my students to be able to do that. As far back as 15 years ago I asked my students to provide key details in a text. Some students did this easily and others required prompting and support.

One area of the standards that have been hotly debated in education forums, faculty meetings, PLCs, and even happy hour discussions at a local restaurant, has been close reading. Everyone seems to be asking, “What does it mean?” The CCSS state “Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.” When I read this it sounds like an awful lot for a 5 year old. But let’s look at what close reading should mean in kindergarten.

Close Reading in Kindergarten:

• Rereading (having text read to them) over several days
• Exploring key vocabulary in the text and discussing vocabulary in the context of the text
• As students listen to the story they are asked text-dependent questions.

That’s a lot, right? The truth is most of us have done this for years. There are many texts that we read multiple times in the classroom over the course of a year. We explore texts repeatedly to gain meaning from the text. When I read a text that has academic vocabulary that may be unknown or challenging we discuss it in the context of the book.

I ask my students what the author tells us to help understand the meaning of the word. For example, if I am reading an informational text on bears that uses the word hibernate, I may first ask students if they are familiar with the word. If a student can provide a definition we will write it on a chart for that book. If no one can define the word then we will reread the section and see if we can get a definition from the context. If not, then I may either look it up in a dictionary with the students or simply provide the definition and use it in a sentence. If I am reading a challenging text I will often provide some vocabulary before reading the text to the students.

After reading the text at least once I will usually have students use their reading notebooks or sticky notes as they listen to the text again to write down a key detail. What does this look like in kindergarten? It may be a picture of a bear, a cave, or just a few letters from a word. Of course there are some students that will be prepared to write about the key detail. My purpose for this activity is not to see how much they can write, but to trigger their thoughts about the key details in a text. And yes, this takes practice.

The CCSS ask students to be able to retell key details from a text. As I ask text dependent questions throughout reading, the students are asked to jot down their thoughts about what is happening in the text. I might ask “What important details did the author use to support why bears hibernate in the winter?” The students can draw a quick sketch to show the lack of food, they may write a word or two about the lack of food or write a complete sentence about a fact taken directly from the text. Any of these responses shows me that the student is able to identify a key detail. We then turn and talk about these facts or have students come up and share their sticky notes on a chart.

When I am finished with reading this text over several days I will ask students to complete some form of performance task to demonstrate their understanding of the texts. This is the part that we have done well in kindergarten. I don’t always have to ask students to go to their seats and write about what they learned. In this example of an informational text on bears, I might break my students into groups and have each group create a poster that represents a different season (which was discussed in the book) and what they know about how bears survive during that season.

Anytime we get out chart paper, markers, glue, construction paper, even glitter, my students are highly engaged and they can certainly show me in a creative way that they are able to identify key details from a text. If you are interested in checking out some of the other creative ways to address close reading check out my website at www.sharpenyoungminds.org.

I really want to challenge my fellow kindergarten teachers to explore the standards. Reread them and remember that many of these standards are asking us to do the things that we have always done. It may just be the language is a little different. And don’t forget those words, “With prompting and support!”

Sam Williams is a kindergarten teacher in Tampa, Florida. He is also a published author, and is a professional development writer and trainer. He owns an educational resource company that supplies resources and professional development for teachers around the country.  You can find Sam at www.sharpenyoungminds.org.