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Creating Meaningful Reading Experiences Characterized by Discovery and Joy
By Jo-An Vargo
I sometimes compare the reading process to the process of glass blowing with its many layers of materials that are transformed by heat to create a beautiful work of art. It is not something that is easily learned and requires time, perseverance, and the skill to work with many different tools. Likewise, reading contains many discrete skills and layers of understanding in order to create meaning when reading the printed word. There is an art to reading well, too.
Reading is so complex! A reader must be able to hold in memory the relationship between specific sounds and the symbols used to represent these sounds. Once children are able to blend these sounds into words and track a series of words across a line of print, they are ready to begin the process of comprehension. They must remember the basic plot of the story. They rely on previous knowledge, make predictions, gain understanding of explicit facts from their reading, and learn to draw conclusions as well as make connections and inferences to create meaning. Simple sentences transform into narrative and expository texts that contain profound thoughts that spark our imagination. Perfecting this skill brings enjoyment, knowledge and wonder.
The faculty and I are excited to reflect about literacy in all its forms this year as part of our ongoing professional development. We’re looking forward to some inspiring discussions during faculty meetings and within individual teams. Educator and author Kathy Collins inspired us several years ago when the faculty read her book Growing Readers and participated in several weeks of study and conversations. Since then we’ve developed our skill sets and, therefore, we’re ready to dig deeper and refine our professional practices further. We refueled our enthusiasm for this project by inviting Kathy Collins to Holland Hall on October 1st and 2nd to work closely with our kindergarten through third grade teachers, support service teachers, and Matt Christian, our librarian. Members of the fourth and fifth grade teams as well as MS librarian/curriculum coordinator Marion Dresser joined us for a portion of this training.
We prepared for Kathy’s visit in September by reviewing the components of a balanced literacy framework and developing specific questions and topics that we wanted to address during these two days. One must remember that if learning to read is a complex process, so too, is the teaching process we use. Balanced literacy instruction includes independent reading workshop, writing workshop, shared reading, interactive read-aloud time with accountable talk, small group instruction (guided reading and strategy lessons), word study, and interactive writing.
While our preschool teachers didn’t actively participate in the discussions, they did have some questions for Kathy. Parents often come to them and share that their child is reading. While we do occasionally have a child who is an authentic early reader, sometimes children are “reading” the book with expression, but from memory due to repeated readings or they are “reading” the pictures. Both of these are important pre-reading skills that we actually practice with children in our classrooms. You can tell that a child is ready to read conventionally by three indicators: the child knows a few sight words, the child is writing and beginning to use beginning and ending letter sounds in their writing, they can read their own writing out loud to you, and they will read it the same way every time they read it. You can see why it is so important that we have a print-rich environment in our preschool classrooms and make sure there are many opportunities for students to visit our writing centers. We currently have a highly developed language arts readiness curriculum. This year the preschool team is forming their own study group to read and discuss the book Literacy Beginnings, a Prekindergarten Handbook with a goal of determining if this resource has some other ideas that would benefit our youngest students.
On the first day of Kathy’s visit, we spent the morning quickly reviewing a balanced literacy framework and the structure of a reading workshop. She referred to Richard Allington’s work regarding the ‘non-negotiables’ for a robust reading workshop. Every child must engage in the following activities on a daily basis:
• read something the child chooses
• read accurately
• read something the child understands
• write about something personally meaningful
• talk with peers about reading and writing
• listen to a fluent adult read aloud.
Then we examined the strategies Kathy suggested to confirm that our instruction was aligned across the grade levels in order to ensure that we are teaching for breadth and depth. Kathy included some ideas for avoiding redundancy and/or gaps in our instructional practices across the grades. We will be thinking about and discussing questions about specific skills. What are the characteristics of high level usage of this skill? What does it look like/sound like? What are the tips/strategies that help a reader acquire this skill? What does it look like/sound like when a reader isn’t using this skill? What reading problems might arise? What are some fix-it strategies to help a reader use this skill to understand more deeply?
The teachers watched Kathy teach a demonstration lesson with a second grade class later in the day. It was so inspiring to watch this master teacher confer with students as they were reading in their “just-right” books. We observed her take the simple strategy of noting one’s thinking on a Post-It note and utilize it in three different ways. Her goal was to show us how to push the child’s thinking deeper. We want our second and third grade readers to begin reflecting on the material they read, so they can interpret the text and engage in thoughtful discussions with their reading partner or the teacher. Close reading holds students accountable to the text, so that they work toward fully understanding what the author is trying to say and then can develop their personal response to the material.
Kathy’s second day with us provided opportunities for her to observe a teacher and her class in each grade level. Kathy then eased into the lesson to co-teach beside the teacher. This type of professional coaching is invaluable because it involves our current curriculum and students, so the suggestions Kathy made are immediately applicable to our work in the classroom. There is nothing hypothetical about this type of professionals development, and the faculty loved it. One teacher commented, “I can’t wait to get back into the classroom tomorrow and try this! I know it will make a difference.” This professional development experience was so worthwhile for everyone who attended. We are now developing a list of topics that we want to study further based on Kathy’s work with us. Glassblowing … reading … teaching ... each stretches our thinking and our creative processes.
Demonstrated Interest - The New Buzz
By Brent Casey
If you are a parent of a freshman or sophomore student, you might have recently attended Freshman Parent College Chat or Sophomore Parent College Chat nights. I hope you attended! If not, talk to friends who did attend, and I hope they will tell you it was beneficial, greatly informative, and even fun! For those of you with junior and senior students, I'm guessing the anxiety level has increased a little in your household over the past two years. Junior students are beginning to realize that the idea of going to college is not so far away. Juniors will begin Junior Seminar in January. Junior Parent Night is Monday, January 28. For those of you with junior students, mark your calendars! Seniors are in the midst-of-it-all, and those who applied Early Action (non-binding) or Early Decision (binding) to any college or university, their wait
might soon be over. Colleges notify early applicants of admission decisions by mid December. It will be a happy holiday for some, and for other seniors, it will simply mean it's back to the application process. Once EA and ED deadlines have past, regular decision deadlines remain. These dates are typically in early January and sometimes February. Pay close attention to college websites for deadline dates – they do change, and just because you read a date in a newspaper or magazine article, even the college's brochure, doesn't mean they are still current or correct. A quick glance of websites is recommended, and a phone call to the admission representative is always best – it also serves to show
demonstrated interest. Check and double-check. April 1 is the national college admission notification date, and seniors have until May 1 to make their decision.
Allow me to quickly address
demonstrated interest. With more and more frequency, those of us in college counseling are hearing and reading these two words. In some ways, I think it is the new "buzz" in college admission. The following is an example of how it might work. The Admission Committee at ABC University is in a deadlock decision between two applicants. Both applicants have essentially identical transcripts: a solid high school curriculum, great grades, and the breakdown of ACT and SAT scores are within points of being identical. Both students deliver exceptional high school resumes, chock-full of meaningful activities with good leadership in the things the student enjoys most. The committee has two wonderful applicants, but only one position left to fill in their incoming freshman class. Applicant #1 submitted all the necessary application
materials – but did so just in the knick of time. The materials, however, are beautifully packaged and very complete. Applicant #2 submitted all the materials well before the deadline. Here is the difference: ABC University is for the first time learning of Applicant #1. There has been no contact prior to the (excellent) application. This is what colleges are calling a stealth, or phantom
applicant in college admissions. ABC University, however, is aware of Applicant #2. It was noted in the student's file that the applicant filled out the interest card at a college fair last year. The ABCU rep made notes recalling that the student had done some research about ABCU and had good, specific questions regarding a certain program of study at the university. Later in the year, the rep meets the student again during ABCU's visit to the high school. Again, noted. There is also a record where the student emailed the rep and tried to set up a campus visit; however, low finances at the time prohibited making the trip. A phone interview was coordinated at a later date. Do you see where I'm headed with this? Two highly qualified applicants. Both are essentially the same on paper. One, however, has shown
demonstrated interest. Who does ABCU eventually admit? The decision is easily Applicant #2.
Demonstrated interest is key in so many ways. Please encourage your student to attend information sessions with the college representatives when they visit Holland Hall. The list of dates and times is always posted on the Holland Hall / College Counseling website. Note too, there are a few schools that only visit every other year, or even every third year. It's all too important for your son or daughter to attend a university's rep visit, because that particular college might not schedule a visit with us again for another year or two. Our rule: freshman and sophomores are allowed to meet with college reps only when they are not in class. If your student meets the college's admission statistics (the upper end of the middle 50th percentile) and you feel strongly that you would like for your child to meet with the college rep, please
contact the college counseling office well in advance of the representative's visit. Again, the student must be within an admissibility range to attend the visit. Junior and senior students are allowed to miss class with permission of their teachers. Another wonderful opportunity to meet with representatives is to attend local college fairs and college admission programs. There is a large college fair each September at the Tulsa Expo Center and another college fair in April at the University of Tulsa Reynolds Center. Students (and parents) need to attend these fairs! If you learn that a college of top interest is having an evening program in Tulsa, or a surrounding city, I strongly encourage you to make every effort to attend. A program in Dallas/Ft.Worth might be the closest large city to which a certain school is visiting. If the college is high on
your student's list, attending the program is highly recommended when possible. For all parents and students of Holland Hall, it is vitally important that you attend Deans' Night each year. This show of support by all of us at Holland Hall advances our good standing every year with the nation's top professionals in the field of college admission. Please plan to attend Deans' Night on Monday, February 25, 2013! Our invited guests address current trends in college admission and give great advice for navigating the application process. It is not so much about the particular university they represent, it is about the Holland Hall family making our best effort to show – you guessed it,
demonstrated interest. It is vitally important to let any special guest, representative, or dean of admission know that we appreciate his/her visit. We hope they return home and begin talking to their colleagues and other professionals in the field about how incredible Holland Hall was and how wonderful it was to visit Tulsa! Many have never visited Oklahoma.
Demonstrated interest is in all our best interest. The College Counseling department looks forward to seeing you and your son or daughter at a college event soon! It might just help your student open the letter or email someday soon that reads, "Congratulations! You have been admitted."
Middle School Support Services: Learning Support By Design
Pervasively, in independent schools across the country, academic support proves to be a challenging dynamic for schools to manage. In stark contrast to that trend, we embrace our Middle School Support Services as a critical element of our program. In fact, Holland Hall's Support Services Department is recognized on a local and national level as an exemplar program. Local public and private schools and regional independent schools approach our Middle School learning specialists, Mrs. Gina Johnson and Mrs. Jeanne Laidlow, for their perspectives on academic support as they look to develop their programs.
For this month's article, I asked Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Laidlow to provide an overview of Middle School Support. Some of the most important conversations we have with parents occur when we share our observations about their students and why we feel they may need additional services to ensure their success in our academic program. As a community, it's important we understand the role of Support Services and remove any perceived stigma there may be regarding the program.
First, let's take a look at the structure of the program.
• Our sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students know support as "Language Arts Strategies" or LAS. LAS began as LA - Language Analysis, a stand-alone curriculum that focused on reading comprehension, writing, and vocabulary development. In 2003, the decision was made to change the focus and name of the class. LAS was developed to offer curricular support for English, history/social studies, and science. Effective learning strategies continue to be modeled to students and they, in turn, use those strategies to address assignments in the content classes.
• Service delivery to our youngest students in fourth and fifth grade also changed from individual/small group pullout instruction to LAS classes designed to meet the needs of larger numbers of students.
• In addition to an internal support class, testing support is also offered. Students are given direct instruction in test-taking strategies in real time - when it has the greatest impact. Our learning specialists provide assistance that bypasses weak reading comprehension, supports weak memory retrieval, alleviates some test anxiety, allows students the opportunity to read aloud, discuss test questions, ask clarifying questions, and have extended time when needed. When students struggle to demonstrate their understanding through writing, the accommodation of a scribe is provided.
• We offer a prescriptive after-school study hall two days each week that is supervised by our learning specialists. In order to keep numbers manageable, classroom teachers refer students to this study hall.
Our most consistent questions we receive from parents center around how their students were identified as needing support. Decisions to place students in LAS class are made primarily by the grade-level educational teams. Considerations for placement may include evidence of the following.
• Difficulty with in-class work
• Difficulty with homework understanding and completion
• Difficulty with assessments that require the student to demonstrate higher-order thinking
• Chronic difficulties with organization skills
• Chronic difficulties with attention control or processing in content classes
By design, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students placed in LAS take this class in lieu of a world language. Some concerns are expressed, at times, from parents about whether this will hinder their students. It's reassuring to note the structure of the world language curriculum at Holland Hall makes it possible for students to acquire all necessary credits for graduation at the Upper School. Also, we feel that reinforcing the necessary skills for students to be successful across the curriculum needs to take priority in the Middle School.
A concerted effort is made to integrate support into the culture of the Middle School. Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Laidlow attend all grade-level team meetings and communicate daily with teachers throughout the building. Very early in the school year, they provide Learning Assistance Plans (LAPs) for students receiving support in the MS. These LAPs serve two functions. As an internal document, they support the teacher in focusing their efforts with students needing support. The LAPs also provide documentation of students' academic/educational needs and use of accommodations as required by College Boards.
Other important responsibilities our learning specialists hold include the coordination and administration of all standardized tests. They provide periodic in-service for faculty regarding the interpretation of test results and curricular implications. They also maintain relationships with outside professionals for referral purposes.
While I spout the positive outcomes of our academic support program often, a parent's testimonial to the benefits observed in their own children are most poignant. Current Upper and Middle School parent, Tracy Salisbury, offers the following.
"One of the biggest benefits we have received from our experience at Holland Hall Middle School has been the Support Services Program. I feel very lucky that when two of our children had the need for learning assistance, Gina Johnson and Jeanne Laidlow were both there to help guide us. We learned so much about how our children learn and what tools they could use to give them the most assistance. Gina and Jeanne really know our children's strengths and weaknesses that impact their learning and confidence. Where it really pays off is how they are both so much stronger going into the Upper School with all these great study skills. They have wonderful habits now because they have learned how to read and study with tools they have learned through Support Services. I can't imagine where we would be if we had not had the help. I know Morgan and Laurel would have been fine without the program, but there is a different level of confidence because of the program."
Certainly, as parents, it can be an anxious time when you observe your child experiencing academic challenges or not achieving to their abilities. We understand how important it is for us to walk alongside parents in these situations. In these conversations, we consider this partnership to be most critical. While we have observations to share that are sometimes difficult to hear, we cherish the opportunity to learn more about our students and how to support them. It's important to note, also, that our experience with students can be different than parents' experience with their own children. When that occurs, we work in concert with parents to determine why. Always, we recognize parents as the experts on their children.
If you have any questions regarding Middle School Support Services, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Johnson or Mrs. Laidlow by phone at 918.481.1111, ext. 206, or by email at gjohnson@hollandhall.org or jlaidlow@hollandhall.org. As always, I am available to discuss any element of the Middle School program. Together, we can provide a supportive environment for our students to accomplish more today than they did the day before.
In service, always,
Joel R. Bicknell
Head of Middle School
Reader of the Month: Mr. Bert Bibens
Bert Bibens's favorite reads:
For PS/MS - The Giving Tree
For 4th/5th Graders - A Wrinkle in Time
For MS & older - To Kill a Mockingbird
For US & adults - A Prayer for Owen Meany
(Each month leading up to the 53rd Book Fair on February 23, a person in the Holland Hall community will be featured along with a list of their favorite books to read.)