# Presentation: 088281

## Adaptations for Struggling Readers in the Content Areas

- Dr. Shirley V. Dickson
- Archived Information

## Goals

**Consider the range or reading abilities in content area classrooms**
**Discuss research supported, effective adaptations for teaching content **
- Content for instruction
- Instructional approaches
- Comprehension strategies
**Plan for implementation**

## Skill Ranges of Struggling and Effective Readers

| Comprehension | Narrow |  | Expansive |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Vocabulary | Undeveloped |  | Proficient |
| Fluency | Disjointed |  | Effortless |
| Word Identification | Limited |  | Automatic |

## Secondary Struggling Readers

**Lack of motivation**
**Lack of engagement**

- Guthrie & Humenick, 2004
- Cohen, 1988

## Steps to Adaptations

**Know the content **
- Identify what to teach
- Prepare ways for students to organize content
**Know your Students**
**Determine instructional approaches, including co-teaching**
**Evaluate effectiveness**

- Baker, Gersten, Scanlon (2002)
- Keefe, Moore, Duff, 2004

## Determine What to Teach

**Determine important concepts**
**Identify state content standards**

## Determine What to Teach:Vocabulary

**Select key vocabulary **
- Important to understanding and discussing concepts
- Useful in reading the unit of study
- Useful in future reading

- Graves, Juel, & Graves, 1998

## Identify Vocabulary Words

- The great changes of the Industrial Revolution could not have happened without these machine tools - machines that make parts of machines. Machine tools are a key to mass production. Without them, each part has to be made **individually**, by hand, in the old way.
- As machines became more and more complicated, machine tools could make each part according to its own design. By the mid-1800s, machine tools could make the 5,000 separate parts that were needed for a 22-ton locomotive.
- American **machinists**, people who work on a machine, were some of the best in the world. They built the machines that ran the Industrial Revolution. They were the heart of the American system.
- Buckley, 2002, pp. 29

## Determine What to Teach: Difficult Words to Decode

**Select “troublesome words”**
- Typically multi-syllable words
- Important for understanding the content
**Determine **
- Words that require teaching a word analysis  strategy
- Words that require teaching as a sight word
- Words to “tell” when students come to them

## Identify “Troublesome” Words

- The great changes of the Industrial Revolution could not have happened without these machine tools - machines that make parts of machines. Machine tools are a key to mass production. Without them, each part has to be made individually, by hand, in the old way.
- As machines became more and more complicated, machine tools could make each part according to its own design. By the mid-1800s, machine tools could make the 5,000 separate parts that were needed for a 22-ton locomotive.
- American **machinists**, people who work on a machine, were some of the best in the world. They built the machines that ran the Industrial Revolution. They were the heart of the American system.
- Buckley, 2002, pp. 29

## Determine What to Teach:Comprehensive Strategies

**Examine text and tasks**
**Determine the comprehension strategies students will need to be successful**

- Scanlon, Deshler, Schumaker, 1996

## Create Purpose and Prepare Ways for Students to Organize Content

**Graphic organizers**
**Anticipation guides**
**Study guides**

## Theme: Conflicts in Colonial CanadaTopics: French and British

| (Topic A)
French | A = Alike
D = Different | (Topic B)
British |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sought wealth through fur trade and land | A | Sought wealth through fur trade and land |
| Allies with Native Americans (Huron) | A | Allies with Native Americans (Iroquois) |
| Well organized troops | D | Poorly organized troops |
| Catholic religion | D | Protestant religion |
| French language | D | English  language |

**Example: Graphic Organizer**

## Instructional Approaches

**Provide clear instruction**
**Think aloud**
**Maximize participation**
- Reduce teacher talk
- Student opportunities to discuss, engage with content
**Provide specific feedback **
**Consider co-teaching**
- Baker, S. Gersten, R., & Scanlon, D. (2002)
- Murawski & Dieker, 2004
- Keefe, Moore, Duff, 2004

## Instructional Approaches – Motivation and Engagement

**Give choices**
- Reading materials
- Inquiry
- Projects
**Small groups**
**Balance ease of access with challenging content**
- Guthrie & Humenick, 2004

## Adaptations Framework

|  | Few Adaptations | More Adaptations |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support (teacher, student, materials) |  |  |
| Amount of Reading |  |  |
| Number of Tasks |  |  |
| Practice
 |  |  |

## Poor Comprehension

|  | Few Adaptations | More Adaptations |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support (teacher, student, materials) |  | Pre-teach comprehension strategy |
| Amount of Reading |  |  |
| Number of Tasks | x |  |
| Practice
 |  | Extra practice of new strategy |

## Teach Comprehension Strategies

**Model within context of unit**
**Teach when to use**
**Teach to self-monitor**
**Provide scaffolds for using the strategy**
- Check list of steps
- Graphic organizer
**Provide guided practice and feedback**
**Provide opportunities to apply during other units of study**
- Dickson, Collins, Simmons, Kameenui 1999
- Dickson, Simmons, Kameenui, 1999
- Scanlon, Deshler, & Schumaker, 1996

## Example of a Comprehension Strategy

**Use text structure**
- Before reading – alerts students to what they will  be learning and to relationships of content
- After reading – reminds students of what they read, use to locate information
**Identify key information**
**Make graphic organizer of how key information is related**
- Dickson, Simmons, & Kame’enui, 1999
- Scanlon, Deshler, Schumaker, 1996

## Use Text Structure

**“ ****Before I read a new section in a book, I look at the headings and subheadings.  The headings are usually in larger print than the subheadings (point to headings and subheadings in the text). The headings and subheadings give me clues about the important information that I will be reading. The headings and subheadings help me organize what I am reading. After I read, the headings and subheadings will remind me of what I read. Watch me to see how I use the headings and subheadings.” **

## Use Text Structure, continued

**Place copy of text on overhead.  **
**Read the headings and subheadings aloud to students.**
**Think aloud: I think this will be about change. I might have to compare/contrast the way things were before and after changes. I also think that there is chronological order. The book does not have a time line, so I will also make a timeline. **

## The American Industrial Revolution
Engines of Change
A Revolution in England
The American Dilemma
Samuel Slater’s Incredible Memory
The Lowell Experiment
Mill Towns
Lowell Life
Inventing the Revolution
Encouraging Change
The American System
Eli Whitney’s Good Idea
From Idea to Reality

Buckley, 2002. 

**Engines of Change**
- A Revolution in England
- The American Dilemma
- Samuel Slater’s Incredible Memory
**The Lowell Experiment**
- Mill Towns
- Lowell Life
- Inventing the Revolution
- Encouraging Change
**The American System**
- Eli Whitney’s Good Idea
- From Idea to Reality
- Buckley, 2002.

**Example: Text Structure**

## Poor Vocabulary

|  | Few Adaptations | More Adaptations |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support (teacher, student, materials) |  | Pre-teach key vocabulary |
| Amount of Reading |  |  |
| Number of Tasks |  |  |
| Practice
 |  | Practice new vocabulary |

## Teach Vocabulary

**Use explicit instruction**
**Introduce in related clusters**
**Use student friendly explanations**
**Use definitions and contextual examples**
**Stress connections among related terms (charts, diagrams)**
**Engage students in dialogue using vocabulary words**
**Review periodically**
- Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002
- McKenna, 2002

## Teach Vocabulary

**Define**

**Describe**

**It is ...**

**It is not ...**

**Teach Vocabulary**

## Teach Vocabulary

- Vocabulary Strategies in *Help for Struggling Readers* by Michael C. McKenna. © Copyright 2002 by the Guilford Press. Reprinted with permission.

**Teach Vocabulary**

## Sematic Feature Analysis

|  | Invention | Production | Sales |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Patent | x |  |  |
| Interchangeable parts | X | x |  |
| Machinist |  | x |  |
| Mass production | X | x |  |

## Accurate, Slow Reader

|  | Few Adaptations | More Adaptations |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support (teacher, student, materials) |  | Model fluent reading |
| Amount of Reading |  | Reduce amount of reading |
| Number of Tasks |  | Reduce number of tasks or give more time
 |
| Practice
 |  | Reread to improve speed |

## Poor Word Identification

|  | Few Adaptations | More Adaptations |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support (teacher, student, materials) |  | Pre-teach word analysis strategy
Small group or partner reading |
| Amount of Reading | 
 | Reduce reading
(state standards, concepts) |
| Number of Tasks | May reduce |  |
| Practice
 |  | Reread 2–3 times |

## Poor Word Identification

|  | Few Adaptations | More Adaptations |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support (teacher, student, materials) |  | Pre-teach vocabulary, background knowledge
 |

## Teach Word Analysis

**Circle the word parts at the beginning of the word.**
**Circle the word parts at the end of the word.**
**Underline the letters representing vowel sounds in the rest of the word.**
**Say the parts of the word.**
**Say the parts fast.**
**Make it a real word.**

- Archer, A., Gleason, M., Vachon, V. (2000). Reading Excellence: Word Attack and Rate Development Strategies. Teacher’s Guide. Sopris West. Material used with Permission of Sopris West Educational Services, REWARDS by Anita Archer. Copyright 2000.

## Words to Sound Out: Production

**Look for the parts at the beginning and end of the word and the vowels in the rest of the word.**
- 	Pro   duc  tion
**Say the parts of the word.**
**Say the parts fast.**
**Make it a real word. **

- Archer, A., Gleason, M., Vachon, V. (2000). Reading Excellence: Word Attack and Rate Development Strategies. Teacher’s Guide. Sopris West. Material used with Permission of Sopris West Educational Services, REWARDS by Anita Archer. Copyright 2000.

## Instruction Plan: One Example

| Pre-teaching
(teacher directed) | During Teaching
(whole and small groups) | Application and Evaluation
(teacher or student directed; whole, small group or individual students |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Background knowledge
Review
(whole group) | Reading organization of content
Discussion 
(teacher or student directed) | New content knowledge |
| Vocabulary
(whole or small group) | Vocabulary activities
(student directed) | Vocabulary |
| Troublesome words
(whole or small group) | Word activities 
(student directed) | Oral reading |
| Organization supports
(whole group) | Model comprehension strategies
(teacher directed) | Comprehension strategies  |

## Small Group Management

| Teacher Directed
Instruction in vocabulary, 
word analysis,
comprehension, reading | Partner or Individual Reading |
| --- | --- |
| Student Directed Vocabulary Practice | Student Directed Comprehension Practice |

## Evaluate for Effectiveness

**Ongoing**
**Questions**
**Comprehension and vocabulary activities**
**Tests**
**Benchmarks**

## Follow-Up: Implementation in the Classroom

**Identify one strategy that you heard about today to implement in your classroom**
- The strategy for using text structure will be the follow-up activity for this institute.
**Develop a plan, needed resources, etc.**

## Implementation Plan

| What I will implement first | What I can do well | What I will need help with | Who I will ask for help |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Teach vocabulary | Identify vocabulary | Vocabulary concept map | Lead teacher
Reading specialist |
|  |  | Group vocabulary activities | Reading specialist |

## Resources for Teachers

**All components of reading**
**Vocabulary**
**Word analysis strategies**
**Co-teaching**