You want your learners to become more MOTIVATED, ENGAGED & ANALYTICAL.
That's your end goal, right?
You talk to your learners; you observe your learners and look over your learners’ independent reading and writing work.
You know the reading and writing standards because you've studied them, unpacked them and applied them to everything that you're doing in the classroom.
BUT...the standards are so broad and don't really get into the specifics of what proficient readers and writers need.
You have a bigger end goal.
You know you want to help your learners to become REAL READERS and REAL WRITERS and not just those learners that are compliant and only have what they need to pass a standardized test.
The Problem Is...
You want your learners to become motivated, engaged and analytical, but there are some (or ALL) of these obstacles blocking your way...
- Knowing what minilessons to teach your learners
- Knowing the right time to teach certain strategies and skills that your learners need
- Knowing how to teach the strategies and skills that your learners need
- Knowing that you don't see students as numbers and you see them as readers and writers
- Knowing how to follow your school district's pacing guide WHILE...
- Letting your UNIQUE readers and writers tell you what they really need WHEN they need it!
Ask yourself this question:
How are you organizing your lessons so that your learners are getting what they need to become more motivated, engaged and analytical?
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MOTIVATED Readers
We want motivated readers but they sure don't come to us that way. My readers didn't come to me motivated, but they sure did leave my classroom at the end of the year being readers and living the Readerly Life.
How did they get there?
Readers need...
- time during the reading instruction to LIVE LIKE READERS & DO WHAT READERS DO!
- time to look at the kinds of readers they are, the kinds of readers they want to become and look at actions they need to take to BECOME those readers.
- to be able to select texts that are important to them when learning new reading strategies and skills.
- to organize basic tools to develop the behaviors and attitudes of successful and proficient readers.
- to see that the kind of thinking they do while they read helps them to comprehend and understand the text.
- to know HOW proficient readers think about the text.
ENGAGED Readers
When readers are engaged in their reading, they know when they are drifting away from the text and daydreaming. They know when they are not bringing the most relevant schema to the text.
Readers need to have strategies, tips and tricks for knowing how they can STAY engaged with a text. When readers have a reading toolbox that is constantly growing, they will be able to choose tools that best fit their unique reading needs.
Readers need strategies and tools for knowing how to monitor their own comprehension. Proficient readers know how to stay engaged in a text and recognize the signals that show when they are losing focus on a text they are reading.
Readers need to know how to react and annotate a text to track their thinking. As readers gain new knowledge, skills, strategies and tools to use while reading a text will help them to see and understand how the process of reading works when building comprehension of a text.
Readers need to understand how to read a variety of genres. When readers can quickly determine the genre of a text before reading it, they will be able to access the right reading tools they need to navigate that type of text.
Readers need to understand the structure and elements of different kinds of texts. Knowing the structure of a text helps readers determine which tools they need to better understand that text.
Readers need strategies and tools to track characters in a fiction story so they can see how the characters affect the plot of the story.
Readers need to understand and practice the inferring process. Inferring is difficult for many readers. When readers understand how inferring works, they will be able to bring relevant schema, information and connections to the text to build comprehension.
Readers need to be able to pull the most relevant ideas and details from a text to build understanding and comprehension. Reading tools and skills specific to practicing comprehension strategies need to be added to the reading toolbox throughout the school year.
ANALYTICAL Readers
The end goal of a successful reading curriculum each school year is that your readers become more analytical based on their own unique reading level. This looks different at each grade level and each reading level. BUT...readers can revisit the same comprehension skills, strategies and tools each year and apply them to text with increased complexity. (appropriate for their age and level, of course)
Readers need
- to be able to see how the reading process works together to build comprehension and understanding of a text.
- to practice putting it all together--synthesizing the text.
to see that as they read, their thinking evolves, grows and changes and that's okay! This changing thinking needs to take readers beyond the text. - to understand that the interpretation of a text can look different from the readers around them.
- to be able to support their thinking and interpretations with evidence from their reading.
- tools for putting their thinking, reactions and annotations together into an analytical written response to reading.
- to be able to take their reading toolbox of strategies, tools, tips and tricks and apply that work to standardized reading tests (because we know they have to take them). This shouldn't be the reading curriculum for the year but a few weeks near standardized testing time to see how their reading strategies can be applied to a test.
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Now let’s pivot and take a look at MOTIVATED, ENGAGED AND ANALYTICAL Writers.
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MOTIVATED Writers
We want motivated writers but do they come to us that way? Probably not. It’s important for our learners to leave our classrooms being writers that are living the Writerly Life.
Writers need
- time during the writing instruction to LIVE LIKE WRITERS & DO WHAT WRITERS DO!
- time to look at the kinds of writers they are, the kinds of writers they want to become and look at actions they need to take to BECOME those writers.
- to be able to examine and evaluate texts that provide examples of writing strategies and skills used by published writers.
- to organize basic tools to develop the behaviors and attitudes of successful and proficient writers.
- to see that the writing process will guide them through creating and composing a text that conveys a clear message.
- to know HOW proficient writers think about putting a text together that conveys a clear message
ENGAGED Writers
When writers are engaged in their writing, they know when they are drifting away from their intended message. They know when they are not bringing the most relevant ideas to their text.
Writers need to have strategies, tips and tricks for knowing how they can STAY engaged with a text. When writers have a writing toolbox that is constantly growing, they will be able to choose tools that best fit their unique writing needs.
Writers need strategies and tools for knowing how to monitor their use of the writing process.
Writers need skills, strategies and tools to use while writing a text that will help them to see and understand how the process of writing works when building constructing a text with a clear message.
Writers need to understand how to write in a variety of genres. When writers can determine the features of different genres of writing, they will be able to access the best writing tools needed to guide them through composing a piece in that particular genre.
Writers need to understand the structure and elements of different kinds of texts. Knowing the structure of a text helps writers determine which tools they need to better compose that text.
Writers need strategies and tools to build and develop characters in a fiction story that will affect the plot of the story.
Writers need tools and strategies for revising writing pieces to better convey their message to their readers.
Writers need strategies and tools for editing and polishing a piece of writing before presenting it to the public.
Writing tools and skills specific to developing writing pieces need to be added to the writers’ toolbox throughout the school year.
ANALYTICAL Writers
The end goal of a successful writing curriculum each school year is that your writers become well versed in their own unique writing style. This looks different at each grade level and with each writer. BUT...writers can revisit the same genres of writing, the same strategies and tools each year and apply them to their writing pieces with increased complexity. (appropriate for their age and level, of course)
Writers need
- to be able to see how the writing process works together to build cohesive pieces of text
- to practice putting it all together—developing a piece of writing from beginning to end
- to see that the more they write and examine published authors’ writing, their thinking evolves, grows and changes and that's okay! This changing thinking will take their writing to another level.
- to understand that the interpretation of a text can look different from the writers around them.
- to be able to discuss their thinking, skill use, strategy use and interpretations with evidence from their own writing.
- tools for putting their thinking and ideas together into a well-written response that conveys a clear message.
- to be able to take their writing toolbox of strategies, tools, tips and tricks and apply that work to standardized writing tests (because we know they have to take them). This shouldn't be the writing curriculum for the year but a few weeks near standardized testing time to see how their writing strategies can be applied to a test.
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When the end goal is for your learners to become more MOTIVATED, ENGAGED & ANALYTICAL, they will become REAL READERS & REAL WRITERS.
How will you...
- plan for your learners to Live Like Readers & Live Like Writers?
- organize your lessons so that learners are getting what they need to become more motivated, engaged and analytical?
- provide readers with tools to engage in text and analyze to build comprehension?
- Provide writers with tools to engage in creating texts that convey a cohesive and organized message?
Until next time...
