Literacy at the 9th Grade Level

1
Literacy at the 9th Grade Level

• How can we teach Shakespeare, Homer, and Dickens
  to 14 year old students with a 3rd grade reading
  level?

2
Problem of Practice

• 9th Graders with low reading comprehension skills
• Mainstreamed classrooms
• 20-40 special education students
• Majority of these students are non-readers
• Differentiation for higher level readers

3
9th Grade English Curriculum

• Literary Analysis
• Grammar and Usage
• Vocabulary
• Writers Craft
• Outlining
• 5 Paragraph Essay Format

4
Reading Pedagogy
Students are expected to read when they begin the
9th grade English Class.

• Reading is not part of the 9th grade curriculum.
• Language Arts teachers naturally use techniques
  such as
• Questioning
• Predicting
• Inferencing
• Summarizing
• Synthesizing

5
Solution

• Text to Speech Software (TTS)
• Universal Reader available on Howell server
• Natural Reader can be downloaded at home for free
• This software reads text from any source out loud
  to a student.

6
Assessment

• Reading Comprehension Assessment for all students
  in mainstreamed 9th grade English classes.
• Baseline pre-test in September
• Midyear post-test to evaluate progress
• End of year post-test to evaluate success
• End of year survey of teachers and students to
  assess results

7
Parents

• Special education and regular English teachers
  need to contact parents of students that scored
  below average on the baseline assessment.
• What is TTS software?
• How to download free software at home
• Need to spend time after school

8
Implementation

• Coordinate computer lab time
• Coordinate special education teacher schedule
• Introduce TTS software to all students
• Use TTS when reading is assigned

9
Research

• Many studies have been conducted to show the
  benefits of TTS software.
• Microsoft
• Jumping off the Page by Bart Pisha and Peggy
  Coyne
• Hecker, Burns, and Elkind looked at the benefits
  of Text-to-Speech with Synchronized Highlighting

10
Potential Set-backs

• Requires advance planning to get computer lab
  signed out.
• Possible stigma connected to using a technology
  designed to give access to people with special
  needs.
• Lack of parent support at home.
• Lack of agreement among teachers at school.

11
Michigan Standards

• STANDARD 2.1 Develop critical reading, listening,
  and viewing strategies
• STANDARD 2.2 Use a variety of reading, listening,
  and viewing strategies to construct meaning
  beyond the literal level (e.g., drawing
  inferences confirming and correcting making
  comparisons, connections, and generalizations
  and drawing conclusions).
• STANDARD 2.3 Develop as a reader, listener, and
  viewer for personal, social, and political
  purposes, through independent and collaborative
  reading

12
Sources

• Baad, Amy. Clinton County Intermediate School
  District.
• Brophy, Jere. Teaching. Educational Practices
  Series-1. International Academy of Education.
• Hecker, L., Burns, L., Elkind, J. (2002).
  Benefits of assistive reading software for
  students with attention disorders. Annals of
  Dyslexia, 52, 243-272 http//nimas.cast.org/about/
  resources/papers/anno_research.htmlsr_ttsh
• Pisha, B., Coyne, P. (2001). Jumping off the
  page Content area curriculum for the Internet
  age. Reading Online, 5(4). http//www.readingonlin
  e.org/articles/pisha/
• Tonge, Chris. Livingston Educational Services
  Agency.
• http//www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-28753_332
  32---,00.html
• http//www.microsoft.com/enable/news/default.aspx