Can you read this diagram?

So can you understand any of these diagrams? I bet you are having a little bit of trouble right now.

You are probably thinking I chose diagrams that are too hard and that this is an unrealistic example. However, these diagrams contain complex information with content specific vocabulary and no instructions on how to read them. This is what young students deal with in science all the time. They are expected to look at a diagram and develop some sort of understanding when no instructions have been provided. In diagrams, there are arrows that could mean a thousand different things, there are pictures that could be flat or 3-D or from a birds eye view, there are objects that are not represented to scale, there is movement that is unspecified, and on top of that there are a whole bunch of words that are difficult for students to understand. Reading diagrams is no joke.

So how do you teach visualization?

Well let me tell you that teaching students to read a visual representation is not easy. I have found that the best way to tackle this medium is to have students create their own diagrams from topics being covered in class or from a specific reading. As students start to make their own diagrams, they begin to understand the structure of diagrams a little bit better. However, this too takes a lot of guidance. You can't just hand a kid a blank piece of paper and expect them to produce some amazing diagram. Honestly, there actually has to be lessons on making a diagram. For instance, you can take a really simple topic such as a daily routine and make a diagram out of it as a whole class. Maybe if you wake up early, you will be tired or energized and both of those should be portrayed on the chart. As students start using different diagrams to represent different things, they will start to understand why certain diagrams are set up the way they are. Understanding that structure will help them to understand diagrams a little bit better.

I know that this is just an introduction into a very large skill, but you have to start somewhere. Once, I started building these skills I was able to see some change in concept understanding. Also, if they are making their own diagrams it is easy to assess where any misconceptions may be. For example, one of my students always thought that arrows meant that the object is moving that direction. So in a food chain diagram, she thought all the animals were just moving around rather than energy being moved around. When she drew her diagram and the animals were ending up in different places, I understood why she was having difficulties with the food chain. Also, while I was able to clear up a misconception with the food chain, I was also able to clear up a misconception that she had with arrows. I mean, it is no quick fix, but it helpful to understand where the material is getting tricky. As I continue to research, I am finding new ways to teach these skills. However, I have learned a lot through trial and error so I hope to continue to strengthen my instruction in this area.

Literacy in math class?

Usually when you think about walking in a math classroom, the thought is that you will see numbers and drilling. I mean math doesn't involve any reading right? Besides a few word problems, math teachers do not need to address literacy at all. WRONG! Aside from the obvious literacy challenges presented in a word problem such as understanding complex vocabulary and extracting relevant information, "reading" equations and algorithms may be just as difficult. To make matters worse, most students struggling through math class do not even understand why they are made to do this kind of math in the first place.

In my own education, math was rarely presented in a contextual manner and little skills were given that addressed the organization of mathematical equations, word problems, and graphs. Luckily, math and science come easy to me, and honestly sometimes I welcome the objectivity involved with these subjects. On the other hand, I have always had great struggles with ELA. In ELA classes, I was always confused and couldn't really understand why I needed to read a certain novel or write some stupid poem about a memorable experience. Obviously, I understand now that it is important to be able to communicate with the world in various ways and be able understand the world around me. However, at the time I found it extremely difficult to do those things. Also, after basically spending my whole life in school, I realize that I am an extreme visual and auditory learner, so reading alone is kind of a daunting task.

Being forced to learn about something is no easy pill to swallow, and I have found that only 2 things ease the pain. First and foremost, we as teachers must sell it to the students. Its almost as if we have to create some sort of sales pitch to a client. It seems like an idea that gives the students a little too much power, but as a learner myself I can see where they are coming from. Whether it be by generating interest or simply applying it directly to their lives, they have to be emotionally involved to give a damn. Secondly, the way the material is addressed must be in a manner that is understood to them. If you give me written directions on how to build something, I will fail over and over, but give me a picture and I will put it together on the first try. These two things are extremely difficult for teachers, but if executed really make a difference in the classroom.

Last year, I taught a 6th grade math class and struggled on a daily basis to create ways to generate interest in the material. Finally, I saw a video from the TED conferences by Dan Meyer, which completely changed my thinking. I am not going to give a summary of this video because I think you should watch the video and because I think Dan Meyer can explain it better than me. In short, it is about creating video word problems, which I started doing every Friday and it made my life better. At the end of the year, the kids were excited for Friday because it was word problem day, which is not something you hear very much from a student.

Here is a link to the TED talk <-----By the way, the TED talks are awesome. Just saying.

This video is an example of a video word problem I did. Obviously, it would need to be stopped at the appropriate times to allow for group discussion. The answer is below :)

hint: A roller derby track is 180 ft in length (I would only tell this to them once they realized they need to know the length of the track to find the answer)

In my next post, I want to explore literacy in math and science a little more! Stay tuned!

answer: approximately 16,500 meters, if you answered 54,000 feet you didn't answer the question being asked. (The answer is approximate because students may have chosen to round differently)

Is there enough time?

When thinking about incorporating literacy skills into everyday instruction I know what needs to be done, but I do worry about the time it will take to effectively teach these skills. For instance, last year my co-teacher and I taught a lesson in which students recorded various weather facts for week and then were asked to write about their findings. What was supposed to last a double period turned into over a week’s worth of instruction. In the original packet we broke down the material into examining one fact at a time and then putting the information together. We found that the students did not have the language to properly express their knowledge. We ended up having to write up model packets, introduce science sentence starters, and teach the students how to incorporate data into the written form. We ended up falling behind on the unit we were teaching and then had to rush to finish in time.

When looking back, I know it was a frustrating experience but it was something that needed to be done. Also, we gained some skills in teaching students scientific writing and definitely had some assumptions shattered. As teachers, I think we assume that our kids have learned the skills needed to write a simple examination of facts, but they haven’t. We forgot that our students are only in 6th grade and have had little science experience prior to middle school. If we had failed to teach some of these skills in 6th grade, it is likely that in the 7th grade they would struggle with these skills as well. In fact, if they do not continue to work on these skills in the 7th grade it is likely they will struggle in the future. Basically, we need to continue to build these skills all throughout a students’ education. Time will always be an obstacle, but we have to push through if we want to properly set our students on a path of success.

How can we incorporate literacy into every subject?

Inserting literacy instruction into non-ELA curriculum may seem daunting, but sometimes the trick is to simply consider it while planning. One method that can be used is the SIOP model (The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol). In this model, literacy is considered in all stages of the planning in order to better instruct ELLs. However, if this method has proven to be effective for ELLs than it seems that all students could benefit from this type of instruction. Basically, when using the SIOP method, you explicitly state literacy objectives, develop the background knowledge of students, and emphasize academic literacy practice. These are exactly the kind of skills that will make students better learners and more able to be successful throughout their education.



Another way to incorporate literacy into any lesson is by directly attaching the curriculum to its appropriate discipline. I recently viewed the Mojoe talk, in which teaching literacy in a more contextual manner is addressed. Instead of only considering the curriculum, the actual discipline is the focus. For example, when a historian is writing about history it is usually to solve a particular problem. In order to solve the problem, a certain type of writing is used and specific language is implemented. Textbooks are not usually written in this manner so our students are often learning about a certain topic out of context. A way to tackle this problem is by using materials that are more on par with actual materials within that discipline. In science, it might be a research article about the findings of an experiment. In math, it might be a statistical review. Either way, the material should be explicitly explored by asking students why they think the author chose the manner they presented the material. There is a reason why information is organized the way it is and students should be aware of why we are asking them to organize their information in this way.

To view the Mojoe talk go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id4gkJ-wGzU

Literacy beyond ELA

It should be noted that literacy goes far beyond the scope of the ELA classroom. It should not be the responsibility of one teacher to provide a students' entire literacy experience. With different subjects there comes a whole new set of demands and skills that need to be addressed in the context of the subject. As a collaborative science teacher, I see a variety of struggles in the classroom that can not be left to ELA teacher to "fix." In science, students struggle with non-fiction writings and decoding various concept representations such as diagrams, charts, graphs, and maps. It's funny because I used to think literacy was confined to simply reading books, but now I think that any sort of communication should be considered literacy. If students are unable to communicate their knowledge or understanding about the curriculum in the forms accepted by a certain discipline we must ask ourselves if they are really learning. Most definitions of literacy include having the ability to use language proficiently; so if a student understands why the sky is blue but cannot communicate this knowledge, is that student really proficient in that subject? If this is the case, how can we incorporate literacy in the classroom so that we can effectively teach our students but still have time to actually teach the curriculum?

In this blog I hope to find strategies that will help teachers address literacy in every classroom. The ability to communicate knowledge is an invaluable skill and should be made a priority. Additionally, most literacy skills will help students in a variety of subjects and carried into later grades. We want to create great learners that will enter the world with a range of skills that will help them to get jobs. Obviously it is great to have a student be the master of a 6th grade science curriculum, but is this going to get them a job when they graduate. It is not that the curriculum should be swept aside, its just that literacy should be considered when planning a lesson or unit. I know its scary but lets try to think outside the box.