SPRING 2008
the Middle Grades Reading Network publishes
NetWords. Included in the current issue are the following articles:
YOUR OWN STUDENTS MAY BE THE KEY TO PREVENTING SUMMER READING LOSS
Let’s face it: to many, many middle grades students, a computer is far more appealing than a book. Vast numbers of young people have access to technology brilliantly designed to capture their interest. So how can we hope to lure them away from computers and TVs long enough to stand a chance of enabling them to discover the excitement and pleasure of reading a book? The solution is not an easy one; that’s for sure. But we have to tap into our own creativity far more than we have if we hope to solve the problem of declining reading skills over the summer vacation.
Perhaps the starting point is to involve the students themselves. Present them with the challenge of designing reading incentives that really appeal to them. There has to be a big enough pay-off for them to jump into this project with both feet. That reward should be based on the student population. What works with one group might very well need to be adapted for another. Teams of students working under the guidance of their teachers could develop ideas and then set them in motion in their schools. Special attention should be given to designing reading programs for boys because, as we all know, boys, on average, read much less than girls. If we can make male participation in creating reading incentives especially attractive, we may be able to attract enthusiastic involvement. With skillful planning, teams of students, principals, teachers, and school librarians have a chance of competing with electronic attractions and substantially increasing summer reading.
Plans to increase summer reading might include:
= Programs designed by teams of students and educators for specific grade levels.
= A visit from public librarians to reading classes to tell about their summer reading program and how to obtain a public library card.
= Book talking the 2008-2009 Young Hoosier Book Award middle grades books.
= Posters created by students in art classes that promote summer reading.
= School Web site information about the summer reading program with a link to the public library Web site.
= Promotion of summer reading to parents of incoming students.
= Providing newspapers to students and helping them to understand how to use them in their daily reading activities.
= Finding a sponsor for the summer reading program, such as a local business or the Parent Teacher Association, to provide folders and incentives.
= Recognition and enthusiastic celebration of students who complete the school
requirements.
Providing each student with a summer reading folder could occur at a special event held in the school auditorium. The folders should contain information from the public library, a list of Young Hoosier Book Award books, information from bookstores and newspapers, and a Summer Reading Log that can be printed at:<<http://mgrn.evansville.edu/ReadingLog.pdf>>. The key to increasing summer reading is the students’ collective imagination and creativity. Tap it into. Unleash it. And guide it carefully. It very well may lead to a growth in reading skills and a love for reading.
A INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY PARTNERS WITH THE INDIANA STATE READING ASSOCIATION
Bradley V. Balch , Dean College of Education
Indiana State University
It is with much excitement that Indiana State University’s College of Education pledges support for Dr. Diana Quatroche as the new Executive Director of the Indiana State Reading Association (ISRA). The strong academic credentials of Dr. Quatroche, coupled with her enthusiasm for reading is a perfect match with the College of Education’s commitment to educational outreach, community engagement, and best-practice reading licensure programming for educators. Currently, Dr. Quatroche serves as the Chairperson for the Elementary, Early, and Special Education Department. Simply stated, Dr. Quatroche has been instrumental in advancing the College’s reading and literacy identity through pre-service teacher preparation; an identity that has now gained national prominence.
The College of Education’s reading and literacy identity can be evidenced, in part, because of Dr. Quatroche and her department colleagues’ reading tutoring programs offered regularly in the Terre Haute community. Their longest running program is Reading Corps, offered in conjunction with the Vigo County Library. Another program in its second successful year is a reading initiative offered after school to second-grade students in one of our Professional Development Schools with plans for expansion.
The College of Education recently codified its mission statement—To prepare, promote, and advance educational and human service professionals for a diverse and ever-changing world. Given this mission, the College is committed to supporting and extending the efforts of the ISRA, which includes supporting local reading councils, providing conferences and programs, seeking legislation in support of sound reading practices, and providing opportunities for higher education reading faculty to work with P-12 educators.
The College of Education is excited to support the ISRA with a myriad of resources. In particular, the College is proud of its long-standing technology identity as a powerful teaching/learning tool. The College will offer Dr. Quatroche and the ISRA enhanced technology capacity for web design, on-line registration for conferences, training opportunities, and publication assistance. College graduate credit and license credit renewal units (CRUs) will also be available for select ISRA activities.
Soon, the College of Education and Dr. Quatroche will have a new academic home—University Hall. Known by many as the Laboratory School, the school closed in 1992 after almost 60 years of K-12 educational programming. University Hall is currently the largest state-funded project in the University’s history. The approximate $30 million renovation project is expected to be complete by March 2009. Space has been dedicated within the renovated facility to support the ISRA, the Executive Director, and an Administrative Assistant.
Indiana State University and the College of Education are indeed proud to support Dr. Quatroche and the ISRA. This bright and hopeful partnership will truly enhance reading initiatives throughout Indiana.
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READING IT TAKES THE SUPPORT OF EVERYONE
by Karen AultBrownstown Middle School
Ideally, middle school students would read because they like to. Realistically, this is not happening. Too many demands and distractions exist, even for those students who enjoy reading. After automating our library in 1999, circulation statistics revealed that eighth graders checked out fewer than four books per year. Brownstown Central Middle School (BCMS) realized reading must become a priority. After researching programs, we chose to use grant funds to implement Accelerated Reader (AR). Our eighth graders were required to earn a specified number of points to count as 10 percent of their language arts score. Overnight, circulation increased. All eighth grade teachers encouraged students to bring AR books to class. Suddenly, students were reading and discussing books on their own. As an added bonus, content teachers commented on improved classroom behavior since students now had something to do after finishing tests and quizzes. Realizing that we were not implementing AR as the highly competitive, prize -earning program that exists in many elementary schools, the language arts teachers from the sixth, seventh, and contained special education classrooms adopted the same system.
Promoting reading has become an entire school effort regardless of the content area. Many teachers have developed specialized curricular projects incorporating a reading component and utilizing AR as an element of their lessons. Our principal continuously emphasizes the importance of reading as she conferences with parents. Additional activities such as the Young Hoosier Book Award Program and a summer reading program also enhance the reading experience. With family support, about one-fourth of our students take advantage of our summer hours by voluntarily checking out books and taking AR quizzes in order to bank up to one-half of their required AR points for the next year. These efforts have resulted in two important acknowledgements. First, our superintendent and school board have increased our library book budget to allow expanded collection development that will assure continued growth and success for our program. Also, the Association of Indiana Media Educators (AIME) honored BCMS as a Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Library Media Program in 2007.
Even with our successes, we are continually looking for ways to enhance our program. Acknowledging the burden of maintaining AR, our technology department is physically and financially supportive of our commitment to reading by assisting us in planning an upgrade in the fall to the Accelerated Reader Enterprise program, giving our students access to all AR quizzes and reading records online.
At BCMS we accept AR as an accountability measure but strive to emphasize that the real value comes from reading, discussing, and analyzing books—not the number of points earned. Of course, not everyone reads as much as we would like, but we do have a greater number of students reading more books each year. Last year our eighth graders averaged 33.5 checkouts per student. More than 75 percent of BCMS students earned their required AR points. Over 35 percent of our students achieved a higher school target by individually earning 100 or more points.
Reading is essential. Encouraging reading is not the sole responsibility of the language arts teachers but rather must be promoted by the entire school community.
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READING SPECIALIST LICENSE:
THERE'S ALWAYS MORE TO LEARN
Don Herold, the late Hoosier writer, illustrator, and humorist, was a wise fellow indeed. One of his most famous lines was “The brighter you are the more you have to learn.” Anyone who has ever spent as little as one day in a classroom with young adolescents would undoubtedly confirm that teaching reading to middle grades students is a complex task. It demands that teachers know much about the characteristics of a successful reading curriculum and successful instruction as well. Middle grades reading teachers should keep Mr. Herold’s quote in mind.
Middle grades reading teachers who currently hold an Indiana reading endorsement or reading license should consider obtaining an Indiana reading specialist license. It is possible to work in courses needed for the reading specialist license while obtaining a Master’s Degree. The state has six programs approved by the Division of Professional Standards, and contact should be made as early as possible to work out schedules of classes that will lead to reading specialist licenses. The Indiana universities with approved programs are Ball State University, Butler University, Indiana State University, Indiana University-Bloomington, Indiana University-South Bend, and Purdue University. If you need to contact a reading professor for information about how to get started, go to the Director of Indiana College and University Reading Professors at: http://mgrn.evansville.edu/directrymgrn.html.
Certification is a method of assuring that an individual is qualified by knowledge and skills to practice within the profession. After earning initial reading certification, middle grades reading teachers need to continue studying and updating their knowledge and skills. Most reading specialists choose to continue to teach reading classes. Others might supervise a corporation’s reading program, work as a Title I teacher or reading coach, teach college reading classes, or provide in-service training for other teachers. Having a reading specialist’s license affords you the opportunity to learn much more about the area that is so important in your life and your students’ lives as well.
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Taylor University
By
Elise Knapp
I am obsessed with children’s and young adult literature. It is not uncommon to see me sneaking a few pages of a children’s book in during breakfast or between classes. When I received a box of 50 books to share with my students, I got busy reading right away. I walked into my seventh grade classroom on my first day of student teaching with high hopes for the box of books I was holding in my arms. My love for literature was overflowing, and I was ready to share it with my students. I envisioned creating a classroom library for my students and opening their eyes to the wonderful world of books.
Imagine my surprise when I found an extensive
school library instead of classroom libraries. It was stocked with current
books and used frequently by students, who needed books to read during SSR time
each day. Of course, I wondered what kind of impact I could make with the books
I had been given, and the answer soon became clear. I discovered that many
students had been stuck reading one genre or series for months, and many
students did not have the privilege of owning their own books to read at home.
Determined to address these two problems, I devised a plan.
After generating interest in the books by leaving them
on display for several days, I introduced the students to a “book pass.” I
gave each student a sheet of paper with columns labeled “Title,” “Rating,” and
“Comments.” Each student chose a book from the shelf and was given three
minutes to read any part of it—beginning, middle, or back cover. After
three minutes, the students recorded their thoughts about the book and passed it
on to another person. After repeating this procedure
several times, the students shared aloud
which books seemed
particularly interesting to them. This activity was especially beneficial
for my class of seventh graders because they were able to get excited about
reading genres, authors, or series that they might not normally read. It
was very rewarding and encouraging to see them picking up different kinds of
books off the shelf after our book passes.
At the end of student teaching, I decided to have a
drawing to determine which students would get to keep the books. With smiling
faces and shining eyes, five students in each class chose a book to read and
keep. By that time, we had discussed and shared many of the books with one
another. What a delightful surprise it was for me to find out I could keep for
myself some of the books I was excited about reading. I am very grateful to the
Middle Grades Reading Network for giving me the opportunity to open my students’
eyes to the diverse world of literature and to provide them with their own
books.
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle
Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue by Julius Lester
Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams
Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
Gentle’s Holler by Kerry Madden
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Heat by Mike Lupica
Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks
La Linea by Ann Jaramillo
The Legend of Bass Reeves: Being the True Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West by Gary Paulsen
The Lighthouse Land by Adrian McKinty
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan
Outbreak! Plagues That Changed History by Bryn Barnard
Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
Yellow Star by Jennifer Rozines Roy
YOUNG HOOSIER BOOK AWARD PARTICIPATION:
MAKE IT A REALITY
To excel in reading, students need to first learn the skills and then practice them. It’s no secret that one of the reasons for the decline in middle grades reading scores is the lack of practice in reading. The challenge before us is formidable. How do we convince middle graders to set aside their computer games long enough to discover the almost endless adventures open to them if they give themselves a chance to journey into the creative minds of writers? How do we convince middle graders to realize that there is an alternative to the expensive technology? How do we convince them that the most marvelous wizardry of all resides within their heads? All they need to tap into it is a book and a good light source. Oh, but that’s so much easier to say than to accomplish. We have to provide young people with enough motivation to want to open the pages of books they truly want to read.
One of the ways many states provide that motivation is through book award programs that encourage and celebrate independent reading. The programs involve students from primary grades through high school, affording all students an opportunity to participate in the program and to vote for their favorite books. Arizona has the Grand Canyon Reader Award, Connecticut the Nutmeg Children’s Book Award, Kentucky the Bluegrass Award, North Carolina the Children’s Book Award. Indiana has the Young Hoosier Book Award. It is a program that should be available to all Indiana middle grades students.
If your school is like most Indiana middle grades schools and participates in the Young Hoosier Book Award, compare the number of students who read five or more of the books and participated in this year’s school’s recognition program with a realistic goal that you would like to achieve in the 2008-2009 school year. Use this information to expand the program. The results will be better readers, higher reading scores, and a larger percentage of your students completing high school. If your school does not allow its students to participate in the state’s important Young Hoosier Book Award, then something vital is missing in the school’s reading program. To get involved, see <<http://www. ilfonline.org/AIME/YHBA/YHBA.htm>>.
Let’s assume that reading is important in your middle grades school. Next, let’s assume that your school of 500 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students provided ample copies of the 20 Young Hoosier Book Award books included on the 2007-2008 list. Finally, let’s assume that the school provides a recognition program for the students who read five or more of the books and were eligible to vote for their favorite books. How would you know that the program was successful? Is it realistic to believe that all 500 of your students will read at least five of the books and attend the recognition program?
The first step in a successful Young Hoosier Book Award program is, of course, providing access to the books. Consider the following to ensure enthusiastic
participation:
= Promoting the books on the school Web site;
= Involving the principal and teacher in schoolwide activities;
= Keeping parents informed of the program starting in the summer;
= Purchasing posters from the Indiana Library Federation for displaying names of students and books read; and
= Using older students who have voted in past years to help provide motivation to encourage the middlegraders to read the books.
Certainly one measure to evaluate the success of the program would be a steady rise in the number of students who participate in the recognition program. If your school has 500 students, would it be realistic to have 50 percent of the students read five of the books? That would be 250 students. Would it be 5 percent or 25 students? Even 5 percent would be better than the state average of 1.2 percent that voted in 2007 for their favorite middle grades Young Hoosier Book Award book. What if 25 percent or 125 of your students now vote? What if you increased the percent of participation to 35 percent or 175 students? The additional 10 percent would mean that you increased the number by 50 more students who were recognized because of their reading of at lease five of the books on the list. Now that would be something special for your school.
The big question is, of course, how are you going to motivate your middle grades students to participate in the Young Hoosier Book Award Program? The answer is not an easy one. No one knows your students better than you do. Consider what it would take to get them involved. Perhaps a group of students from each grade could design a plan to increase involvement. Working as a team, you and your students could commit yourselves to making school-wide participation a reality.
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MIDDLE GRADES TEACHERS NEED A READING TOOL KIT
Look in a carpenter’s toolkit. Do you see one tool for all jobs or a variety of
tools a carpenter can select to match a particular job? Of course, there are
many tools in the kit. It stands to reason that if a carpenter has many choices
at his or her disposal then a reading teacher should also have a wide selection
of materials to use in the classroom.
ISTEP, standardized reading tests, grades, and teachers’ knowledge all provide
ample evidence that every middle grades reading class has reading levels ranging
from primary to high school. A reading toolkit for middle grades reading
teachers, therefore, should first contain standardized reading test information
administered either by counselors for all students or by classroom teachers.
The kit should also contain textbooks as well as various reading skill materials
suitable for all students.
Some instruction should involve textbooks written at grade level, but time
should also be spent with a variety of supplementary reading materials. These
materials provide comprehension and vocabulary content written at a range of
reading levels. Since many of these materials do not have to be consumed, they
can be used for many classes year after year.
Many publishers provide supplementary reading materials. Teachers and
principals who attend the Indiana State Reading Association and the
International Reading Association conferences can visit exhibit areas where all
the new materials are displayed. Middle grades reading materials can also be
found at Ball State University, Indiana State University, Indiana University
Purdue University Fort Wayne, Indiana University Southeast, Purdue University
North Central, and the University of Indianapolis. See <http://mgrn.evansville.edu/cc.htm>
for more information.
Schools seeking to increase reading proficiency for their students will allocate
adequate funds for all teachers responsible for teaching reading. But the big
question is: what materials should be selected? Scarce funds need to be
carefully spent to ensure that they will provide the best supplementary reading
materials. Careful planning, therefore, is needed to provide the best possible
toolkits for reading teachers.
INDIANA STATE
APPROVED COURSE TITLES AND DESCRIPTIONS, 2008
by Earlene Holland
The Indiana
English/Language Arts course descriptions have been revised many times
throughout the years including the most recent revision this year. Except for
one time, reading has been emphasized as a separate subject. Look at the course
descriptions from kindergarten through grade eight. Reading skills should build
at each grade level and summarize the skills specified in the Indiana Department
of Education Reading Standards. These course descriptions, as periodically
approved by the State Board of Education, should be followed as a guiding
summary and used to accompany the Indiana State Standards for Reading. To be
sure, if reading skills are not taught and reinforced consistently through the
eighth grade and extended into high school, the alarmingly high rate of
secondary school drop outs will surely continue since almost everything we do is
based on the ability to read and comprehend the written word. Reading well
opens the door to success. However, the necessary reading skills must be taught
as a continuum throughout the total reading and learning process to ensure that
success.
READING AND
LITERATURE, GRADE 5
0480
(READ 05)
Reading and Literature, Grade 5,
a course based on Indiana’s Academic Standards for English/Language Arts,
is integrated instruction emphasizing reading (Standards 1, 2, and 3), in
interest- and age-appropriate content. Students increase their vocabulary and
their ability to understand and explain words, including those that convey ideas
and images. They use word origins to determine the meaning of unknown words or
phrases. They
increase their
use of complex reading comprehension strategies. They begin to do literary
criticism by evaluating what they read and locating evidence to support what
they say. They read and respond to fiction selections, such as classic and
contemporary literature, historical fiction, fantasy or science fiction,
folklore or mythology, poetry, and plays, and nonfiction selections, such as
subject-area books, biographies or autobiographies, children’s magazines or
periodicals, various reference and technical materials, and online information.
Students self-select books and read independently for enjoyment.
READING AND LITERATURE, GRADE 6
0480
(READ
06)
Reading and Literature, Grade 6,
a course based on Indiana’s Academic Standards
for English/Language Arts,
is integrated instruction emphasizing
reading (Standards 1, 2, and 3), in content that is interest- and
age-appropriate. Students apply skills they learned in earlier grades to make
sense of longer, more challenging text. They interpret figurative language and
words with multiple meanings. They examine an author’s choice of words and
reasonableness of statements in nonfiction works. They critique the
believability of characters and plots in fiction works. They begin to read
autobiographies. They read and respond to fiction selections, such as classic
and contemporary literature, historical fiction, fantasy or science fiction,
mystery or adventure, folklore or mythology, poetry, short stories, and dramas,
and nonfiction selections, such as subject area books, biographies, magazines
and newspapers, various reference or technical materials, and online
information. Students self-select books of interest and read independently for
enjoyment.
READING AND LITERATURE GRADE 7
0480
(READ
07)
Reading and Literature, Grade 7,
a course based
on Indiana’s Academic Standards for English/Language Arts, is integrated
instruction emphasizing reading (Standards 1, 2, and 3), in content that is
interest- and age-appropriate. Students develop advanced skills and strategies
in reading. They understand comparisons, such as analogies and metaphors, and
they begin to use their knowledge of roots and word parts to understand science,
social studies, and mathematics vocabulary. They begin to read reviews, as well
as critiques of both informational and literary writing. They read and respond
to fiction selections, such as classic and contemporary literature, historical
fiction, fantasy or science fiction, mystery or adventure, folklore or
mythology, poetry, short stories, and dramas, and nonfiction selections, such as
subject area books, biographies or autobiographies, magazines and newspapers,
various reference or technical materials, and online information. Students
self-select books of interest and read independently for enjoyment.
READING AND LITERATURE, GRADE 8
0480
(READ
08)
Reading and
Literature, Grade 8, a course based on Indiana’s Academic Standards for
English/Language Arts, is integrated instruction emphasizing reading (Standards
1, 2, and 3), in content that is interest- and age-appropriate. Students begin
to study the history and development of English vocabulary. They begin to
compare different types of writing as well as different perspectives on similar
topics or themes. They evaluate the logic of informational texts and analyze
how literature reflects the backgrounds, attitudes, and beliefs of the authors.
They read and respond to fiction selections, such as classic and contemporary
literature, historical fiction, fantasy or science fiction, mystery or
adventure, folklore or mythology, poetry, short stories, and dramas, and
nonfiction selections, such as subject area books, biographies or
autobiographies, magazines and newspapers, various reference or technical
materials, and online information. Students self-select books of interest and
read independently for enjoyment.
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