Using this toolkit to make small additions or shifts to what you are already doing can make a big difference. Dont be afraid to try out using the focus practices, make mistakes, and continue to learn from each other. HELI Focus Practice Toolkit Who is it for? : Any HELI Instructional Partner including student teachers, after school program staff, teaching artists, and classroom volunteers/tutors. What is it?: An electronic resource to accompany the Focus Practice Alignment Training Thank you for being a part of this important work to improve literacy practices in Holyoke! Whether you come once a week or every day, you are making a critical impact. Culture of Student Discourse and Context for Our Best Practices Helps fill the huge gap in oral language Ensures ALL students are thinking, held accountable, and engaged Strategy for Checking to Understanding to inform instruction We remember 20% of what we hear and 70% of what we discuss Why is this important? WHY WHAT HOW Our best practices offer opportunities to engage in discourse. Free time: Snack time Clean up Transition from one activity to the next Work time Use the standard protocol with premade flashcards Any time a student asks you what a word means Whole group activities Whole group story discussion or literacy circle Watching films Jeopardy What do the 3 different types of time look like in my setting? Types of Time Vocabulary: Develops naturally and through explicit instruction Close Reading: Allows students to access and understand grade level texts. Text Based Questions: These are the kinds of questions that students will be asked in order to be college & career ready. Why is it important that my setting (student teacher or after school program) incorporates the focus practices? What is a unique opportunity that my particular setting provides to reinforce those practices? Our Three Focus Practices Focus Practice #1 Vocabulary Vocabulary development is CRITICAL to becoming literate. Vocab development happens 2 ways naturally, in language-rich environments and through explicit instruction. Why is this important? We use 5 steps to explicitly teach vocabulary STEP 1: Adult says the word STEP 2: Students repeat the word STEP 3: Adults reads/gives a kid friendly definition STEP 4: Adult reads/says a sentence with the word STEP 5: One Activity (examples below) Adult tasks students with 1 activity to engage with the word a. In pairs, give an example b. In pairs or small groups, put the word in a sentence c. Act the word out d. Visualize the word Vocabulary Flash Cards Vocab Rock and Roll SAMPLE SCRIPT to ILLUSTRATE APPLICATION of FOCUS PRACTICES into CLASSROOM or AFTER-SCOOL SETTING Focus Practice (please check one) Type of Time (please check one) Vocabulary Protocol Work Time Close Reading Free Time Text-based Questions Large Group Activity Objective: Students will be able to appropriately use vocabulary in their speaking and writing. *Choose word(s) based on student need for comprehension of the task. The word chosen for this model is connected to a character trait that is valuable when facing challenging tasks. SCRIPT Adult: We are working to build the vocabulary that we understand and that we use when we are speaking and writing. This will help us understand and use more language and be better communicators. Today I want to introduce a word that will help you understand an important character trait that hard workers have. Adult: There are some things we have to do that can be really challenging, but we still need to do them. There is a word that we are going to use to help us focus on tackling challenging tasks. The word is persistence. Say persistence. Student(s): persistence Adult: Persistence means, dont give up. Here is sentence with the word persistence. Even though the race was really long and hard, Abbey had persistence and felt good when she finished. Take about 15 seconds to think of a time when something was hard for you but you had persistence and didnt give up. You can start like this: I had persistence when Student(s): (Think) I had persistence when Adult: Having persistence is really important in everything you do, especially when tasks are challenging. Lets be sure to think of using the word persistence in our speaking and writing when its appropriate. Focus Practice #2 Close Reading Close reading allows students to access and understand grade- level texts! Why is this important? This is a chart that students see at HPS to outline the 3 steps. SAMPLE SCRIPT to ILLUSTRATE APPLICATION of FOCUS PRACTICES into CLASSROOM or AFTER-SCOOL SETTING Focus Practice (please check one) Type of Time (please check one) Vocabulary Protocol Work Time Close Reading Free Time Text-based Questions Large Group Activity Objective: Students will be able to understand the most important ideas in a piece of text. *Some key understandings to have about close reading: Every text would not be closely read. It is best to break down the text for close reading, rather than read the whole text for the flow and then rereading to annotate. See a sample breakdown below with a short piece of text and a math word problem. We read so that we understand the text. We do not read so that we can answer questions. SCRIPT Text example: A Brush with History; Skim the text for vocabulary students should understand in order to speak and write about the text. Use the vocabulary protocol to introduce the vocabulary. Vocabulary you may choose for this text: invented, bristles Adult: This is a really interesting article about the history of toothbrushes. Lets read the article for the flow. Based on what you know about the students, you may choose to read together for the flow (choral reading, not one student at a time). Student(s):(Read for the flow - read through text either independently or together with adult). Adult: What is one thing you understand about toothbrushes after reading for the flow? Student(s):I understand that Adult: Now lets look really closely to understand even more detail about the history of toothbrushes. Reread the second paragraph. Underline the key details of the second paragraph and jot the gist in the margin. Student(s): (Reread the second paragraph) Students may underline tooth cleaners, twigs called chew sticks, and rubbed chew sticks against teeth. Gist may be: Long ago, chew sticks were twigs used to clean teeth. Adult: Lets share out what you underlined and your gists. Student(s): (Share underlining and gists) Adult: Now lets look really closely to understand even more detail about the history of toothbrushes. Reread the third paragraph. Underline the key details of the third paragraph and jot the gist in the margin. Student(s): (Reread the third paragraph) Students may underline two hundred years ago, collected thick animal hairs, bristles, attached to handle made from animal bone. Gist may be: 200 years ago thick animal hairs bristles- attached to a handle made from animal bone was used to clean teeth. Adult: Lets share out what you underlined and your gists. Student(s): (Share underlining and gists) Script Adult: Now lets look really closely to understand even more detail about the history of toothbrushes. Reread the forth paragraph. Underline the key details of the forth paragraph and jot the gist in the margin. Student(s): (Reread the forth paragraph) Students may underline animals did not feel great, man-made bristles were created, nylon, plastic handle, made quickly and cheaply. Gist may be:Man-made nylon bristles and plastic handles made toothbrushes quick and cheap to make and more comfortable. Adult: Lets share out what you underlined and your gists. Student(s): (Share underlining and gists) Adult: Now lets look really closely to understand even more detail about the history of toothbrushes. Reread the fifth paragraph. Underline the key details of the fifth paragraph and jot the gist in the margin. Student(s): (Reread the fifth paragraph) Students may underline 50 years ago, electric toothbrush invented, great job cleaning, soft or hard bristles, special sizes Gist may be: Now there are soft and hard bristles and special sizes for adults, children and babies. Adult: Lets share out what you underlined and your gists. Student(s): (Share underlining and gists) Adult: Lets reread the gists that you wrote to help us figure out the main idea of the text. So we will do 3 things: 1. Reread (gists) 2. Think (about what the main idea is) 3. Tell (the main idea) Student(s): (Students reread gists, think about the main idea and tell main idea) After sharing main idea, write main idea. Focus Practice #3 Text-based questions Students need to be thinking about the text they are reading. These are the kinds of questions that students will be asked in order to be college & career ready. Why is this important? Text-Based questions are questions that can only be answered with evidence from the text. Text-Based questions: Can only be answered with evidence from the text A question can focus on a word, sentence, or paragraph, as well as larger ideas, themes, or events. A question can focus on difficult portions of text in order to enhance reading proficiency Text-based questions require answers that refer back to the text for evidence. NOT text-basedText-based In Casey at the Bat, Casey strikes out. Describe a time when you failed at something. What makes Caseys experiences at bat humorous? In The Gettysburg Address Lincoln says the nation is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Why is equality an important value to promote? The Gettysburg Address mentions the year According to Lincolns speech, why is this year significant to the events described in the speech? SAMPLE SCRIPT to ILLUSTRATE APPLICATION of FOCUS PRACTICES into CLASSROOM or AFTER-SCOOL SETTING Focus Practice (please check one) Type of Time (please check one) Vocabulary Protocol Work Time Close Reading Free Time Text-based Questions Large Group Activity Objective: Students will be able to use evidence from a text to support their thinking. *Key Understanding: Its important that students understand that we read to understand, not to answer questions. Once we understand what we read, we should be able to show what we understand by responding to questions. SCRIPT Adult: We just read about how toothbrushes have changed over time. Lets use some text- based questions to help us think and discuss more about what we understand about how toothbrushes have changed over time. Remember, text-based questions can only be answered with evidence from the text. So, all of the information we need is in the text. Remember too that we already read and jotted our understandings. (If students did the close reading on another day, be sure to go back and reread the annotations and gists.) Students: Students reread annotations and gists. Adult: Okay, lets think more about what the author wants us to understand about how toothbrushes have changed over time. We have a few questions that we can use to help us think more about what we understand. What were chew sticks and how did people use them to keep their teeth clean? Now you read that text-based question. Students: What were chew sticks and how did people use them to keep their teeth clean? Adult: What is the question asking you to think about? Students: The question is asking me / us to think about how people used chew sticks to keep their teeth clean. Adult: Great! Everyone point to the part of the text that talks about chew sticks. Students: (all point to the second paragraph) Adult: (Confirm that students are point to correct part of text.) Reread that part of the text. Reread your underlining and your gists by yourself first. Students: (reread paragraph 2 and gists) Adult: So, reread the question to remind yourself what the text-based question was. Students: (all reread softly) What were chew sticks and how did people use them to keep their teeth clean? Adult: How would you begin your answer to that question? Students: Chew stick were , Adult: Turn to your partner and tell your partner what chew sticks were and how people used them to keep their teeth clean. You can begin your answer like this, Chew sticks were Students: (Students turn and talk to partners using the text to explain what chew sticks are and how people used them to clear their teeth.)Chew sticks were My Early Literacy Programs Key Activities (take from your Alignment Grid) Focus Practices Student Discourse Close Reading Vocabulary Protocol Text-based Questions (List the key activities of your program) Choose a focus practice to embed in your key activity. Focus practice alignment Grid Appendix 1: Example Text