Engagement
“Good teaching that improves literacy will
take care of the scores, because those who
read a lot of many kinds of text read
fluently, and reading with understanding
results in higher scores.”
- Gay Sue Pinnell and Irene Fountas, 1995
The Year of Miss Agnes
by Kirkpatrick Hill
Miss Agnes - culture
• Differentiated – NO one size fits all
• Meaningful
• Repetition – interesting
• Knows her students
• Gradient of learning
• Community
• Equality
• Access
• Expectation – successful
• Connectedness – concern/interest
Engagement
Keys
to Reading
Practice Improvement
Access
•Comprehension
•Writing
(Wide Variety)
•Word Study/Vocab
•Fluency
Practice Cycle
More Practice
More Practice
Practice
•Comprehension
More pleasure •Writing
in reading •Word study/Vocab
•Fluency
Independent Reading Program
• Immersion ~ print rich environment
• Demonstration ~ you are the model
• Expectation ~ expect that your students can and
will do lots of reading
• Choice ~ must allow kids to choose books
• Time ~ need large amounts of reading time
• Risk Free atmosphere
• Response ~ need various ways to respond (not a
book report)
Reading is Thinking!!
The reader can make value judgments about
text, understand and question the author,
read as a writer and write as reader.
-Ken Stamatis
Classroom Environment
• Know the books in your library
• Physical space:
– Inviting, cozy seating
– Soft lighting
• Books displayed: “read me!”
• Bulletin board recommendations
– Ask:
• “What are you reading good?” and
• “What are you going to read next?”
Websites
• Google “recommended reading lists”
www.ala.org
www.haisln.org/HAISLN%20grades%203-
4%202008.pdf
www.ucalgary.ca/~dKBrown/lists.html
www.nancykeane.com/booktalks/
www.proteacher.net