Diane Lapp

Interactive read-alouds: Is there a common set of implementation practices?

Read-alouds are a common component of literacy instruction. However, research on the method for providing read-alouds is limited. To determine if there was a common set of implementation practices, the authors examined the read-aloud practices of 25 teachers who were nominated by their administrators as experts. From these data, the authors identified several factors common to read-alouds. The authors then observed 100 additional teachers to determine how common each of these factors were in read-alouds.

Shared Readings: Modeling Comprehension, Vocabulary, Text Structures, and Text Features for Older Readers

A study of 25 expert teachers and their shared reading lessons in grades 3–8 suggests that teachers focus their modeling during shared reading in four categories: comprehension, vocabulary, text structures, and text features.

“You Can Read This Text—I'll Show You How”: Interactive Comprehension Instruction

Interactive comprehension instruction through think-alouds based on shared readings can contribute to the success of students, providing them with tangible and authentic experiences for reading.

USING MULTIPLE TEXT FORMATS TO EXPLORE SCIENTIFIC PHENOMENA IN MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSROOMS

Knowledge of science and technology has become increasingly important in American society. As the need for technical and scientific information increases, educators must examine a variety of curriculum practices that will enhance student learning. How tradebooks, newspapers, magazines, and other supplemental reading materials can be used to enhance textbook reading in the middle school science classroom is examined. An integrated literature and science curriculum is proposed that expands the definition of literature to include all narrative and nonnarrative materials that support textbook reading. The tenets of an integrated literature and science curriculum are outlined, and several examples of them are provided.

Envisioning New Literacies Through a Lens of Teaching and Learning

What are new literacies and how do they mesh with core curriculum? Classroom teachers who find their students’ interests and bases of knowledge about new technologies expanding exponentially often ask this question. While broadening the definition of new literacies beyond internet literacy this article explores the history of new literacies and offers an answer to the question of how to blend new literacies while not losing the focus of the core curriculum. An example of how one teacher remixed new literacies, core curriculum, and intentional instruction to support critical literacy is shared to illustrate the reality and possible process of weaving new and existing literacy instruction.

COACHING MIDDLE-LEVEL TEACHERS TO THINK ALOUD IMPROVES COMPREHENSION INSTRUCTION AND STUDENT READING ACHIEVEMENT

In an effort to improve student achievement, a group of middle-school teachers at an underperforming school developed a schoolwide literacy plan. As part of the plan, they agreed to model their thinking while reading aloud. Eight teachers were selected for coaching related to think alouds in which they exposed students to comprehension strategies that they used while reading. The achievement of their students was compared with the achievement of students whose teachers participated in the ongoing professional development but who were not coached. Results indicate that the coached teachers changed their instructional practices and that student achievement improved as a result.

Focusing on the Participation and Engagement Gap: A Case Study on Closing the Achievement Gap

In this case study, we focus on 2 variables often neglected in conversations about closing the achievement gap. Most recommendations for closing the achievement gap center on extending learning time, including afterschool programs, extended year programs, and supplemental instruction. Our school focused on attendance and student engagement in our effort to close the achievement gap. By developing a schoolwide plan that ensured that attendance was noticed, corrected, and celebrated, students at our urban school began attending on par with their suburban counterparts. In addition, we focused on student engagement once they were at school. Through a number of schoolwide instructional routines, including teacher modeling and productive group work, students became involved in learning and their achievement improved. Together, these initiatives further closed the achievement gap.

Forms of Discourse in Basal Readers

Although claims have been made that contemporary basals include a variety of types of writing, a thorough analysis of eight reading basals shows that their content is almost exclusively literary. 65% of the selections and 72% of the pages in these eight programs are either narratives or poems. Expository and nonfiction selections are rarely included. Basal readers of the future need to include more varied discourse forms to ensure exposure to and instruction in various writing types before students are asked to read complex content-area textbooks. Furthermore, the designers of content-area texts need to include provisions in their texts for helping students to develop and extend the reading skills they learned in their basal reading programs.

Learning to Talk Like the Test: Guiding Speakers of African American Vernacular English

In this article, we focus on instructional support for 91 students who speak African American Vernacular English and who are at high risk for not passing the required state exams. We profile the instruction that was provided and the results from that instruction, providing examples of how students’ language was scaffolded such that they could code switch between test language (standard academic English) and the languages of their homes.

Students' and Teachers' Perceptions: An Inquiry into Academic Writing.

Academic writing is a mainstay of expression in secondary schools. However, many students think of academic writing in terms of local operations that include spelling, punctuation, use of third person, and so on. Teachers may expect mastery of local operations, but often they want students to navigate the terrain of the content area or discipline by integrating sources, taking up academic vocabulary, synthesizing concepts, or creating new understanding. This article describes the expectations that students in one 10th-grade class hold about their academic writing tasks as compared with that of their teachers. Length of writing tasks, features of academic register in written work, and purpose in writing assignments are explored, and recommendations are provided based on the data.