Leigh A. Hall

Authentic literacy activities for developing comprehension and writing

Authentic literacy activities in the classroom replicate and reflect literacy activities that occur in peoples lives outside of school and instructional contexts. A growing body of research supports use of such activities in teaching and learning. The authors elaborate on the definition of authentic literacy, describe supporting research and theory, and give examples of authentic literacy activities documented in a research study. They identify strategies teachers can use to implement these activities for reading and writing, focusing particularly on science instruction.

Understanding the Silence: Struggling Readers Discuss Decisions About Reading Expository Text

The author examined the techniques of 3 middle school struggling readers to use silence to protect or promote their specific identities as readers in and out of school. J. Gees (2002) theory of discursive identity framed this article. Results challenge the ways that teachers and researchers typically think of struggling readers. Rather than being unmotivated to read and learn, each participant demonstrated that she was interested and cared about learning information presented in the texts. However, when trying to promote an identity, the students sometimes had to forgo comprehending text and learning content rather than risk being viewed unfavorably by peers.

The Role of Reading Identities and Reading Abilities in Students’ Discussions About Texts and Comprehension Strategies

The present study examines how sixth grade students’ discussions about texts and comprehension strategies looked similar and/or different based on their identities as readers and their reading levels. Findings indicated that students who self-identified as high-performing readers talked about texts and strategies in ways that were different from students who self-identified as being average or low-performing readers. These differences remained regardless of students’ assessed reading levels. Students who identified as high-performing readers discussed using comprehension strategies as a way to clarify or deepen their knowledge of content and to support their interpretations of text. They also selected strategies based on what they believed would best help them address their specific comprehension problems. By comparison, students who identified as average or low-performing readers separated their talk about strategies from their talk about the texts and tended to have one or two favorite strategies that they repeatedly used regardless of their success.

Rewriting Identities: Creating Spaces for Students and Teachers to Challenge the Norms of What It Means to Be a Reader in School

In this commentary, I discuss what reading identities are, and how they are defined, created, and enacted in schools by teachers and students. I then consider the positive and negative consequences associated with asking students to take up institutionalized norms around reading. Finally, I share how we can create spaces for students to talk back and rewrite the identities that are often forced on them by schools. I conclude by discussing the importance of creating reading partnerships between teachers and students.

How Popular Culture Texts Inform and Shape Students' Discussions of Social Studies Texts.

In this article, I examine how 6th-grade students used pop culture texts to inform their understandings about social studies texts and shape their discussions of it. Discussions showed that students used pop culture texts in three ways when talking about social studies texts. First, students applied comprehension strategies to pop culture texts to help them interpret social studies texts. Second, students used pop culture texts as evidence to support their arguments about social studies texts. Finally, students used pop culture texts to shut down interpretations of social studies texts that they did not agree with and silence students who expressed alternative ideas.

The Role of Identity in Reading Comprehension Development

The purpose of this year-long project was to examine an instructional framework intended to help middle school teachers create instruction that responds to students’ reading identities while also helping students learn the skills they need to be successful readers. The project used a formative design approach in order to achieve 3 pedagogical goals with middle school students: (a) examine and positively change their involvement with classroom reading practices, (b) improve their reading comprehension abilities, and (c) allow them to progress in who they want to become as readers.

Bringing television back to the bedroom: Transactions between a seventh grade struggling reader and her mathematics teacher

Abstract This year long case study examined: (a) how a seventh‐grade struggling reader transacted with the reading task demands of her mathematics classroom and (b) how her teacher responded to her in regards to these reading task demands. The results suggest that struggling readers may engage in behaviors that are designed to help others construct specific beliefs about them as readers or students. Teachers may not be aware of the beliefs struggling readers are trying to promote about themselves. While content area teachers may draw on a number of strategies to help improve their students’ reading abilities, the results of this study suggest that such instruction, no mater how effective it is, may not be enough.