READING NOTES 1

Lisett Romero

EDU512

Chapter 1 reading notes

Book title: Visible Learning For Literacy

Chapter 1: Laying the Groundwork For Visible Learning For Literacy

Application 1: Teacher Credibility

Description of concept:

Teacher credibility is important because that is how students decide if they want to learn

from a teacher or invest their time in the classroom. Teacher credibility has an effect size of 0.90

thus it is an important factor in students learning. Teachers are considered credible if they are

trustworthy, teach content efficiently, and are passionate about teaching. Furthermore, a

teacher’s capabilities is in question when they break promises or when they don’t make the effort

to help struggling students.

Teachers can lose students interest if their dynamic is not genuine and honest. At times ,

teachers may fake enthusiasm in order to engage students, however that does not engage

students. On the contrary, students begin to question their teachers credibility and lose

enthusiasm for the class. Therefore, teachers should keep in mind that they should use excited

voices occasionally,especially during important lessons or when making important

announcements.

Application to your work/learning:

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The concept of credibility applies to my work as a perspective teacher, since I will be

expected to provide an encouraging environment for all students. I can only provide a supporting

class if students feel motivated to learn and trust me with their learning. Therefore, everyday I

will be eager to teach a lesson even if it comes with challenges. Students are more likely to

believe their teacher is credible if they are prepared. For example, to gain students trust I have to

be an efficient teacher by knowing the content well and limit errors when teaching. When

teachers make errors constantly they lose credibility and students stop trusting the teacher.

More importantly, this concept applies to my work because I work with ELL students

and they need to to trust me so learning can take place. When I first started working with ELL

students they were not motivated to challenge themselves, since they were not sure if they could

trust me. They did not know me personally nor did they know I had worked with other ELL

students in the past. However, after a couple of days of working with them, they started to trust

me because I scaffold them when they were learning new vocabulary. At first, it was hard for

the students to trust me since the prior aid would laugh when they made errors. Thus, I had to do

anything in my hands to build credibility with the students.

Application 2: General Literacy Learning practices: Challenge

Description of concept:

Challenge encourages students to work hard and try their best at school. However,

teachers should be careful when assigning extremely difficult work because that may discourage

students. Similarly, if a task is to easy students will become uninterested and will not learn
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efficiently. More importantly, teachers have to consider the different types of learners when

assigning work, because not all students need the same challenges. The best solution is to assign

tasks that are moderately difficult since students know how to navigate familiar problems. Also,

teachers should not expect students to know everything on how to complete a new task

successfully if they have not been taught how to. Students need rubrics and sample work in order

to complete a task successfully. Lastly, students are more likely to take on challenges if they

work in groups. This is true since the more students work on a question the more input there will

be for a solution.

Application to your work/learning:

This concept applies to my learning and job as a substitute teacher. As a student, I need

to include accommodations for ELL and IEP students in the lesson plans. Thus I have to be

cognizant that not all students need to be challenged the same way. ELL learners are often

discouraged since they do not acquire English fast. Giving ELL students extremely difficult work

would further discourage them. This application applies to my future career since I have to give

students the tools to succeed and understand how far I can challenge them. For example, I will

give my students rubrics so they know what they are expected to do. Having a rubric enables

students to try their best since they have clear expectations.

Application 3: Self Efficacy

Description of concept:
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Self- efficacy means a student understands he/she can learn anything as long as they work

hard. The main component of self-efficacy is confidence. When a student possesses self-efficacy

he or she understands difficult work can be completed successfully as long as they break down

tasks into smaller parts. These types of students enjoy challenging themselves and see failure as

an opportunity to learn. Furthermore, when a student possesses self-efficacy he/she does not quit

even when they encounter setbacks. On the contrary, students with low self-efficacy do not

follow through with goals and view failure as something destructive. These students often link

their failure with personal weaknesses and therefore they find it hard to believe in themselves

again. Not having self-efficacy can be detrimental since students can disengage from school and

not take academic risks. Lastly, teachers can help students gain motivation by providing

feedback and modeling examples of work.

Application to your work/learning:

I can apply this concept in my job by teaching students how to be resilient and believe in

themselves. Sometimes, students culture may affect their confidence because parents tell them

they are not capable of succeeding. For example, some parents will tell their children that college

is useless. This is a predominant theme in the english learners community. Therefore as a

perspective teacher, I will give feedback to my students and ELL learners so they know how to

improve on their academic weaknesses. This will be helpful because students will learn they are

capable of completing any task successfully. However, students have to work on their

weaknesses constantly to improve on their self-efficacy. Lastly, I will model work on the

overhead projector so students can see how I think and how I reached a solution.
 READING NOTES 5

Lisett Romero

Teaching Literacy In the Visible Learning Classroom

Chapter 4 Notes: Teacher-led Dialogic Instruction

Application 1: Effective Talk, Not Just Any Talk:

Description of concept:

Students engage in various kind of talks inside and outside the classroom. However,

classroom talk is more complex and requires students to think critically. There are five registers

that students engage in: fixed, where speech does not change or you recite a passage, formal as in

delivering a speech, consultative which is academic talk and background information is given to

the student, and intimate which is a conversation you have with friends and family members.

Fixed, formal, and consultative are taught in school and differs from social exchanges students

have at home or with friends. The most important register is consultative since students engage

in deeper learning and engage in meaningful conversation.

In class students use consultative register when they share facts and knowledge with

classmates or teacher. Students may use this type of talk when they are doing an investigation or

gathering information about a topic. Usually, teachers will start a deep discussion and allow

students to lead the talk. Therefore, students are self directed learners who take responsibility in

gaining new knowledge. Consultative talk is essential for students since students learn by

discussion and meaningful interactions.

Application to job/learning:
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Discussion that happens inside the classroom is meaningful because it teaches students

how to think critically. As a future teacher, I have to understand students do not learn by being

passive learners. When teachers talk the majority of the time, they are not allowing students to

grow intellectually. Also, if students do not participate in discussions they become disengaged

and unmotivated to learn. I will promote student discussions so students can write eloquently. If

students can express themselves proficient in spoken language, then they will be good writers.

The more students engage in academic discourse the better their writing skills will be.

Furthermore, as a future teacher I will assign group projects where students can debate. Student

interaction is beneficial for all students especially english learners. For example, english learners

can use class discussions to clarify thinking and acquire the english language faster.

Application 2: Teacher Led Tools For Dialogic Instruction

Description of concept:

Teachers use a variety of tools to engage students in meaningful conversations. These

methods are essential since they help students activate prior knowledge. For example,

anticipation guides activate background knowledge since students are encouraged to revisit

prior knowledge and students become curious about a topic. Anticipation guides are useful since

they can be used to start class discussions. Teachers can see where the students are at in terms of

understanding the topic and direct the lesson according to students knowledge. Anticipation

guides should be structured in a way that they promote thinking. First, the guide should reflect

major concepts. The guide must include major topics from a unit of study so students can

activate background knowledge. Second, teachers have to create the guide around students

knowledge. The statements in the guide should be familiar to students and they should be able to
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engage in discussion. Thirdly, an anticipation guide should include 5-10 statements about the

units topic.

Another tool for dialogic instruction teachers can use to have collaborative conversations

is adopting guided reading groups. Guided reading groups teach students the skills they need to

improve on. The students are not tracked or put in ability groups. Instead students are paired with

other students who struggle with the same needs. Usually, students are placed in guided reading

groups because they have not mastered a skill that the rest of the class has. Thus, guided reading

groups allow teachers to monitor the students strengths and weakness so they can come up with

strategies or adaptations to help students. Furthermore, in guided reading the students should do

more of the talking so they can engage in comprehension.

Guided lessons should start with a book that the students are familiar with or have

already read. Teachers should read familiar books so that students have a chance to build

fluency. If students reread the same book they are more confident and may read the story more

smoothly and accurately as mentioned by Fisher. When students read a book more than once

they are able to remember information and add new information to their existing knowledge.

This is why it is important to revisit books student have read in the past. However, before

students read a story teachers have to introduce the book. During this time teachers can help

students activate background knowledge and go on a picture walk with the students. Picture

walks are useful since they show the student the kind of vocabulary they will encounter and

students think of what they already know. Students may make connections with the story and

their lives. This is helpful because it motivates students to want to read the story and they don’t

feel intimidated by diving into an unknown story.

Application to job/learning:
 READING NOTES 8
This concept applies to my job as a future teacher since I will have to find strategies to

engage students and guide them. I will facilitate discussions between the students and I because

that is how students learn better. Teachers should not do all the talking because it does not allow

students to think critically. A way I can allow students to engage in dialogic instruction is to do

guided reading groups. When we work on reading groups I will go through a picture walk with

students so they can activate their background knowledge. This way, students will be more

motivated to discuss what the story is going to be about and improve their fluency. Furthermore,

I will use anticipation guides to help students learn more efficiently about a certain topic. For

example, I can redirect students knowledge if they have misconceptions about a concept. I can

ask students statements and see where they are at in terms of understanding a topic. Anticipation

guides will help me facilitate learning since it will help students activate background knowledge

and become curious.

Application 3: Close and Critical Reading

Description of concept:

Close reading is critical in order for students to comprehend texts. When students read

texts closely they are more likely to gain deeper understanding of the reading and improve their

comprehension skills. During critical reading, students re-read a specific passage multiple times

to really understand the meaning. Then, students begin to annotate text to understand the deeper

meaning of important information. Teachers should allow students to find the meaning of a text

on their own so students practice analyzation. Teachers should only facilitate the annotating

process and guide students. Furthermore, when students annotate text they have to look for 4
 READING NOTES 9
structures: Literal, structural,inferential, and interpretive. Literal means what the text actually

says about a topic. The structural part of analyzing is when you understand how the text works.

In inferential, student understand what the text means by reading closely. Lastly, in interpretive

the student are inspired or compelled by the text.

Older students are more likely to annotate text in class than primary students. This is

because older students are introduced to intriguing texts which inspire students to analyze.

Younger students do not have the skill set to annotate since they may not have a wide range of

vocabulary. Instead, teachers in the primary level re-read text to students and summarize what

happens in a story.

Application to job/learning:

Close and critical reading is an important skill for students to have. As a prospective

teacher I will assign engaging text so students are more motivated to analyze texts with my help.

Being able to analyze a text is important because it helps students keep track of their thoughts

and ideas. When students annotate text they are more likely to question why things occur and if

the authors point of view is biased. It is important that students engage in close reading so they

can distinguish if a text is biased or unreliable. When students read articles closely they are more

likely to understand the author’s purpose for the writing. More importantly, when students

annotate text they have the opportunity to view the world from a different perspective. Students

understand how people live and think differently compared to them.

Lisett Romero

Visible learning for literacy: Determining Impact

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Chapter 5

Determining Impact chapter 5:

Description of Concept:

Before teachers teach a lesson, they must analyze it and see if it will be impactful. A

lesson should address all types of learners and help students gain new knowledge. Cohen’s effect

size tells us if a lesson is impactful since it is a quantitative measure of a lessons strength. For

example, if a lesson has an effect size of 0.40 it signifies a student gained one year worth of

growth as argued by Cohen. All teachers should aim for this type of effect size and it can be

accomplished by creating impactful lessons. A way teachers can create effective lessons is to

spend more time planning and organizing a lesson. Secondly, teachers should consider

implementing new ideas and test new frameworks. Lastly, teachers should cooperate with staff to

analyze what is working for the students and what is not.

Lesson plans should meet a certain criteria in in order to reach students needs. When a

teacher creates a lesson plan, she/he should include learning intentions. The teacher should have

an idea of what the students should know or understand after a lesson. Another important aspect

of ensuring the lesson will be successful is to provide students with the necessary tools. For

example, teachers can provide students manipulatives, scaffolding, or modeling. Subsequently, a

teacher should have a way to determine if learning happened. There are various types of

assessments teachers can use to determine if learning happen like pre assessments and post

assessments. Lastly and more importantly, at the end of a lesson students should know how well

they performed and what to do to fix their mistakes.

How concept applies to work/learning:

 READING NOTES 11
This concept applies to my future career as a teacher since I will measure lesson impact

and make adaptations for different learners. I have to determine impact in order to establish

credibility with my students. If I teach ineffective lessons that do not teach students something

new ,then students will not be willing to learn. Moreover students will become uninterested

since they know my lessons are not worth their time. An effect size of 0.40 can only occur if my

lesson is aligned with content standards. The standards give my lesson a learning intention

because they tells me what students should be able to accomplish at the end of a lesson. If my

lessons are meaningful than I can create impact by helping students grow their knowledge.

Assessment is an important part of determining impact of a lesson since it will tell me if a

student understood my lesson and students will know what errors they have to fix. Providing

students with assessment feedback is essential so they know exactly what they have to practice in

order to get better in a certain concept.

Pre-assessments and post-assessments:

Description of concept:

Evaluating progress in important to see if students are learning a concept throughout a

lesson. It is ineffective if teachers wait to assess students until students complete a major

assignment because end projects do not measure progress. Pre-assessments should be

implemented so teachers can come up with strategies to help struggling students. When teachers

move on without checking students progress throughout a lesson, students disengage from the

lesson and the academic gap widens. Thus, pre-assessments are effective to help struggling

students grow academically. Secondly pre-assessments tell us where students are at in terms of

background knowledge. Teachers cannot be productive if they are teaching students knowledge
 READING NOTES 12
they already know or vice versa. Pre-tests help teachers create a baseline and from their they can

adapt their lessons.

On the other hand, post-assessments are also important because they demonstrate

teachers the total impact of a unit of study or in other words effect size. The effect size shows the

impact of a lesson and how students were influenced. Post assessments are more formal since

they include rubrics that show students what they were graded on and tells them what errors they

made. Rubrics in post assessments demonstrate if students used good ideas, organized their

words accordingly, and sentence structure. However, the most important component of post

assessments is to reveal the effect size of learning. Effect size is measured by determining the

average of both pretests and the average of post tests. Then, both averages are divided by the

standard deviation. If the effect size is greater than 0.40 then teachers made a great impact and

should share their strategies with other teachers since they have been tested .

How it applies to work/learning:

Assessments apply to my future job as a teacher because I will be expected to measure

students progress. Assessments are important since they will show me if students understand a

lesson or if I need to review more. Furthermore, as a teacher I will be expected to make

adaptations for different learners. Tests are a great way to spot students who need extra support

in learning a new lesson. Similarly , assessments help students learning since they get and

indication of what are their weakness and strengths. Usually, teachers give feedback to students

about their performance and errors. When students have an opportunity to fix their errors they

know not to make the same mistakes again. Students need to reflect on their learning in order to

become self directed learners and have a growth mindset. Assessments encourage growth
 READING NOTES 13
mindset because it shows students the area they need practice on instead of getting discouraged

by now knowing if they understood a lesson.

Ability Grouping:

Description of concept:

According to research, ability grouping is not effective yet it Is very common in our

classrooms. Ability grouping is known to widen the achievement gap and has an effect size of

0.12. Usually, ability groups are composed of minority students and are placed in lower ability

classes. There are two types of ability grouping: within class grouping and between class

grouping. Within class grouping puts students into groups based on how they performed in an

assessment. On the contrary, between class grouping, places students in the same classes based

on their prior academic performance. Needs based instruction is a more efficient method to help

struggling students improve in their academics. This type of instruction is more efficient since

teachers rotate groups and are not fixed. Flexible groups are known to produce better results

since students engage in student centered teaching and collaborate with students of different

abilities. Flexible grouping has an effect size of 0.49. For example, teacher A grouped students

of the same ability in a group. The teacher did not get better results in terms of students grades

since the students did not benefit from student interaction. Conversely, teacher B regrouped her

students many times a week and noticed patterns in their work. Thus she worked with various

students who needed help with things like transitions or spelling. Her method of flexible

grouping helped her students improve since students were more engaged.

How concept applies to job/learning:

 READING NOTES 14
As a future teacher I have to be aware of what works for a student and what does not

work. Ability grouping is known to cause more harm in students academic performance since

students are not challenged. As a prospective teacher I will not place students in ability groups

since it labels students and lowers their self esteem. For example, when students are placed in

low ability groups they start to believe they are “dumb” compared to the higher ability groups.

This is counter productive since it discourages students to attempt more challenging work and try

their best since they are used to being placed in low ability groups anyway. Students may think

why try if they are still going to be in the “dumb” group. Another problem of ability grouping is

students are not challenged so they can’t improve. As a future teacher I will make sure to

implement flexible grouping instead. Flexible grouping will help my students learn better since

they will be regrouped multiple times a week with students of different abilities. Instead, students

will be working with students who struggle in similar areas like spelling or reading, However,

students will engage in student interaction so they can acquire skills quicker. When students are

placed in low ability groups they rarely grow academically since they are not challenged and

stimulated by different thinking.

 READING NOTES 15

Lisett Romero

Teaching Literacy in the Visible Classroom

Chapter 2 notes: Teacher Clarity

Application 1: Make Learning Intentions Inviting and Engaging

Description of Concept:

Teachers should always be clear on what the learning intentions are for a lesson. When a

teacher is about to start a lesson she should tell students why they are learning the lesson and

how they are going to learn it. The way a teacher announces a lesson has a huge impact on the
 READING NOTES 16
students. If a teacher is negative and tells students the lesson is going to be hard, then students

will be unmotivated. However, if the teacher is positive when telling the students the learning

intentions, then students will be encouraged to try their best. There are four types of patterns

teachers use when making learning intentions known: intentionally disinviting, unintentionally

disinviting, unintentionally inviting, and intentionally inviting. First, in intentionally disinviting,

teachers are known to be negative and harsh when letting students know what the learning

intentions will be. Second, teachers who are unintentionally disinviting tend to be negative and

hopeless about their students abilities. These teachers usually have low expectations for their

students which impacts students learning. Consequently, students will start to believe they are

not smart and are not capable of completing an assignment.

On the other hand, unintentionally inviting teachers are known to be positive and

energetic. However, these type of teachers rarely have a plan to achieve the learning intentions

because their teaching is inconsistent. The best teacher is known to be intentionally inviting.

These types of teachers have consistent learning intentions and address student needs. Not only

do they teach students, but they also help students promote a growth mindset. Intentionally

inviting teachers tell students how they will accomplish learning and why is it important to learn

certain topics.

Application to job/learning:

This application applies to students learning since students learning depends on how

teachers voice learning intentions. As a prospective teacher, I will post standards on the

whiteboard so students see what they are learning that day. Also, I will explain to students why it

is important to learn that standard and how are we going to accomplish the learning. I think it is

important to be honest with the students when telling them how difficult or how easy a task is.
 READING NOTES 17
However, I will make sure that my students know I will scaffold them along the way and give

them the necessary tools to accomplish the task successfully. For example, if we are learning

fractions and students are nervous about them, I will say: “Boys and girls, I know we are a little

bit nervous about learning fractions. However, you should not be nervous since we will spent

plenty of time on this topic until we all get it. We will work in groups so you will have plenty of

support. We will accomplish this learning by creating posters and teaching each other.You guys

felt the same way about multiplication and now look at you guys. You guys have mastered

multiplication!” Lastly, when I am a teacher and I notice an activity is not working, I will change

the activity. Sometimes teachers have to trial and error lessons before they find the best one that

suits their class and that’s okay.

Application 2: Social Learning Intentions

Description of concept:

Meaningful lessons include student interaction not just teacher directed lessons. For this

reason, it is vital that teachers come up with a plan to set the social learning intentions at the

beginning of the class. First, teachers have to communicate intentions that will foster effective

collaboration and respect. Social learning intentions should include many rules like, ask

teammates for help, listen to groupmates attentively, explain your thinking, and provide feedback

to classmates. When teachers enact social contracts there is a positive environment where all

students and teachers feel respected and included. A great way to make social learning intentions

clear is to create a poster with the entire class. In the poster students are introduced to concepts

like learning as belonging, where students understand learning can only happen if you have

trusting and respectful relationships. Secondly, students will learn they have to engage in
 READING NOTES 18
collaborative conversations to learn from experience. Thirdly, students will understand they learn

more effectively when they are engaging in work and honoring commitments to peers. Lastly,

students will learn that they learn by challenging their views and telling their own story.

Moreover, teachers can also go over social expectation verbally. Teachers should always make

clear what they expect from students during group work. Teachers can tell student they expect

them to listen to speakers at all times and look at the speaker when they are talking. Similarly,

students should be expected to share their thinking in a respectful way. Students should not

expect everyone to think the same way. Instead ask good questions on why students think a

certain way.

Application to job/learning”

This concept applies to my future job as a teacher since I have to implement learning

strategies that work. When I’m a teacher I will assign many student-to-teacher collaboration

lessons since students learn by observation and communication. In order for students to be a well

rounded they have to learn knowledge from different perspectives. Student interaction aids

student learning since students learn how to do things differently. Often times, students gain a

new strategy to solve a concept they struggled with before. However, learning cannot be

accomplished if students do not respect other students opinions. Thus, when I am a teacher I will

create a social contract so students are aware of the social learning intentions. I will teach

students that they have to respect students by taking turns in sharing their thoughts. I will tell

students its okay to disagree. However, they have to be respectful when addressing other students

in why they disagree with a point of view.

 READING NOTES 19
Application 3: Success Criteria Are Crucial for Motivation:

Description of concept:

Successful teachers create successful students when they give students a criteria.

However, criteria should be in friendly student terms so they understand the expectations.

Furthermore, students are more likely to meet the criteria of a project if the teacher took the time

to make expectations clear. Students are more likely to complete a task correct if they have a list

to compare their work and make sure they are on the right track. Having a checklist or rubric is

important since grades do not tell students what they did wrong it only shows them how good or

bad achievers they are. Therefore, goals should be measurable and should be described before

students begin an assignment. More importantly, having a criteria is important so teachers

understand what type of learning occurred. Criteria should always be proximal or not to far from

the future. Everyday students should be reminded of what they are expected to accomplish and

how they can accomplish it.

Application to job/learning:

As a future teacher I will have to provide feedback and directions to students. When I

assign projects I will verify that students understand how they will be graded and what they are

expected to include in their projects. Furthermore, I will remind students daily to see if they have

accomplished some parts of the criteria. For instance, if the class is working on a science project

they will be expected to complete one part of the criteria. One day they will work on forming a

hypothesis. I will write on the board what a hypothesis should include. The criteria they will be

required to have is that their hypothesis should be testable. Also, I will give each student a print

out of the checklist and rubric so they have an idea of how they will be graded.To conclude, I

will always try to make my learning intentions clear and give students the tools to succeed.
 READING NOTES 20

Lisett Romero

Chapter 5 notes (second set): Student-led Dialogic Learning

Teaching Literacy in The Visible Classroom

1. The Social And Behavioral Benefits of Peer Assisted Learning:

Description of application :

Peer assisted learning has been shown to be beneficial for young children. When students

engage in peer assisted learning, students practice how to interact in various group dynamics.

Children in the primary level gain a lot of practice in social interactions such as learning how to

enter and exit conversations, take turns, as well pose questions. Thus teachers should allow and

encourage peer interactions to improve students communication skills. However, teachers should

not interfere in student interactions and allow students to lead group discussions. This allows

students to practice their listening, practice gestures, and asking questions. A way teachers can

encourage communication is to support students with language frames, where teachers write a

sentence with fill in the blanks. The students job will be to finish the sentences and initiate

discussion on the topic. Teachers can give student 4 chips to ensure that each student in a group is

participating. When a student discusses a topic they put their chip inside a cup at the center of the

table. This technique holds each student accountable.

Application to Job/learning:
 READING NOTES 21
This application applies to student learning since students are practicing their knowledge

by discussing new learned material. Being able to communicate effectively is an important skill to

process since a young age. For example, Peer assisted learning helps students learn effective

communication strategies like ways to show respect when someone is speaking and students learn

how to pose questions. By practicing various types of dialogues students are sharpening skills they

will need in college. Furthermore, there are topics that are learned more effectively if they are

taught through student interaction. For example, students gain different insights about different

ways to think about an idea or answer since all students share their unique thoughts. Another reason

why students learn better by peer tutoring is they are transferring knowledge. When students teach

a topic they are more likely to master the subject and build upon it more through student input.

2. Teach Children to Develop Their own Questions:

Description of application:

Children learn by connecting their lives to text and finding relationships between questions.

Therefore it is vital that teachers encourage students to develop their own questions when reading

a text. Teachers can model and think aloud to teach students how to formulate their own questions.

For example, teachers can read a small segment of text. Then, the teacher can ask students a

question about what was read and reflect aloud. Next, teachers identify what kind of question it is

and the source of the answer like “Think and search”. Classifying questions is important so

students understand that comprehension is impacted by the reader and text. Forming questions is

the foundation of comprehending a text since students engage in meaningful discussions and

students use evidence from text to answer student questions. Student led questions can be applied

in any classroom setting as students can use any text to create questions. For example, students
 READING NOTES 22
can ask each other questions about a chapter they just read. Children must take turns in order for

all students to learn more deeply. Each student must present evidence to their responses and other

students from the group can add input to the speaker thoughts. For instance, a student can say : “

Could this really happen? Could a boy live alone after a plane crash (Fisher et.al p.112)?” Then

another student can respond his or her reasoning to why they think it is possible for a boy to live

alone. The student should provide evidence from the text or other sources in order for the

discussion to be meaningful.

Application to job/learning:

This strategy applies to student learning since students take an extra step to explain their

reasoning. When student use various sources and texts to respond to a question, students learn

content in a deeper level. Usually, when students read various sources and quote text they retain

information longer and learn new information. As a future teacher I will assign group work and

require students to come up with their own questions about a text. It is important student come up

with their own questions since it is a skill they will use in higher education eventually. Students

should be able to question texts and validity in order to be a critical thinker.

Asking questions is also important since students construct meaning through questioning.

Since a young age students begin to ask questions to gain new knowledge and understand how the

world works. Thus questioning text is an important skill so students fully understand a topic or

idea. Another important aspect of why questioning is important is that it teaches students to become

active listeners. When students listen to others questions, they practice how to respond and how to

use gestures to agree or disagree. Being able to use gestures and listen attentively is an important

skill that children should master since that is the mode through which they learn.

3. Literature Circles:
 READING NOTES 23
Literature circles are the most popular student led dialogic learning. In this student

grouping dynamic, students are organized around a large theme and each group of students chooses

what book they want to read. Usually, students are grouped based on their interests or reading level

which motivates students to participate. It is better if teachers allow students to choose what book

they want to read so students can be motivated to engage in discussion and write. The students

responsibilities in their groups are to decide how much they will read each day and how many

times they will meet to discuss the book. Also, students are to discuss main points and the plot of

the story in their groups and make sure each student understands the text. If a student is struggling

to understand the plot, then the group will scaffold the student and tutor him. In student led

literature circles students focus on many aspect of a book. For example, students may be asked to

analyze characters motives. Similarly, students often talk about “golden lines”. “Golden lines” are

important sentences in a text which have an effect on students. After students read their daily

reading they start writing about their thoughts about the story in their journal. Literature circles are

effective because they encourage students to engage in critical thinking and collaborate with peers.

Application to job/learning:

As a future teacher I will definitely use literature circles to make learning of a text more

meaningful. I believe literature circles are effective since students have freedom to choose what

book they want to read. When students have a choice they are more likely to be interested to write

about the book and retain information. Furthermore, as a future teacher I will use this type of

student grouping to differentiate instruction. I can group students with low reading agility and

students can support each other. When students are grouped with students of the same reading

level they are more inclined to participate since they dont worry their answers will be viewed as

“dumb” by the more advanced students. In some cases english learners may be made fun of by
 READING NOTES 24
more advanced students. Thus grouping them together may encourage them to participate more.

Another way I can pair groups to aid english learners is by pairing them with strong students. At

times students know how to explain text in student friendly terms better than teachers. Thus english

learners will benefit from literature circles since they will be scaffolded along the way by peers.

Lisett Romero

Chapter 6 notes: Independent Learning

Teaching Literacy In the Visible Classroom

Adaptation 1: Learning Words Independently

Description of term:

Students have to be interested in literacy in order to be motivated to learn new vocabulary

and become independent learners. Teachers can instill love for words by modeling their interest

for words and teaching students word-solving strategies. Another way to motivate students to

learn new terminology is to assign collaborative activities, where students can discuss

vocabulary. Discussions are more meaningful and information tends to stick more in children’s

mind. More importantly, it is vital that students read everyday so they can achieve more

academically. When students read extensively, they acquire new vocabulary and comprehend

stories better. Teachers can facilitate learning by involving students who need help learning new

terms, encouraging students to keep track of the words they learn, and collaborate with other

students. However, before teachers begin teaching new vocabulary it is beneficial if they assess

students first. Assessment show teachers how much a students knows about specific terms and

what the student still needs to learn.

 READING NOTES 25
Teachers can promote independent learning by first scaffolding students in acquiring

new vocabulary. For example, teachers can introduce vocabulary terms before they begin to read

a new story. Then, students can write vocabulary terms they understand and don’t understand in

a notebook. This strategy helps students be aware of their learning and what they need to work

on. As students begin to comprehend new words they can write them down in their notebook and

write the date when they learned the word known as vocabulary self awareness. Another

strategy to promote self awareness is to ask students to engage in vocabulary self selection. In

this strategy, students choose words they believe are important from their reading books or from

magazines. Then, students will write where they found the new word. This strategy encourages

collaboration since students are excited to share the new word they learned. Lastly, scavenger

hunts and realia are helpful strategies to teach literacy. In this strategy students search for

vocabulary terms that are related and search for realia. This kind of learning is meaningful since

they relate words with objects or magazine clippings.

Application to learning/career

These learning strategies apply to my career as a future teacher since I will teach

vocabulary. Teachers should always be present to scaffold students during learning. However,

teachers should teach students strategies to become independent learners. As a substitute teacher,

I teach vocabulary to english learners. One of the strategies I use to encourage students to

become independent learners is to teach them to look at the pictures and vocabulary in a story

first. First, this strategy helps students get rid of reading anxiety since they realize the story will

not be as “hard” as they think. Second, I have the opportunity to assess the students informally.

If I notice students don’t know most of the words in a story I will go over them first or move on
 READING NOTES 26
to an easier book. Another useful strategy I can use to teach students to be independent learners

is, to write words they don’t know in a notebook. Then, students search for the definitions on an

online dictionary. This strategy teaches students that they have to accountable for their learning

not just teachers. If students are emerging learners then they will need more support. For that

reason, the strategy of vocabulary self awareness should be applied mostly to average to gifted

students.

Application 2: Spelling words

Description of application

Since a young age, students begin to absorb language they hear at home. However,

children are not aware that print is connected to speech and that is known as formal language.

When children enter school they learn that letters represent sounds and learn how to segment

letters. When children start school they are taught three elements that make up speech-to-print

connections. The first connection children learn is phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is

the mastery of manipulating sounds and segmenting sounds. The second connection to speech is

letter knowledge. Letter knowledge is the ability to recognize the names and forms of letters in

the alphabet. Lastly, if a student is knowledgeable of sound/symbol relationships , then he can

match sounds to letters and letters combination. All these connections of speech-to-print should

be mastered so children learn how to spell.

However, some words are not spelled based on sound and symbol relationship. Instead,

words are spelled according to the meaning of the word. A way teachers improve students

spelling is moving from surface knowledge to deep learning. Spelling tests are a great way to see
 READING NOTES 27
if students memorized words or if they studied. However, spelling tests do not help students

remember the words permanently. In order for students to authentically learn spelling words

students must acquire the word, retain the word, and build automaticity. This is why it is

important teachers set the foundation for sound and symbol relationships before moving on.

Application to learning/job:

This application applies to my future career since I will teach letter and sound

relationships. To ensure my students do not struggle with reading and spelling words I will spend

time teaching phonics. For example, I will use flash cards to teach phonics by helping students

map out sounds onto spelling. When students can map out sounds they can decode words and

read words. More importantly, I will teach explicit lessons rather than implicit lesson. Explicit

lesson are helpful since I guide students in their learning and I do a lot of modeling. First, I will

teach students that each letter represents a sound. I will practice with the whole class every

morning so that students become familiar with all the letters. Also, I will assign students

independent reading so they have a chance to practice reading stories

Application 3: Building Fluent Readers

Description of application:

Fluency is known as the ability to read quickly, accurately, and with proper expression.

When a student is fluent he comprehends what he is reading and can read with expression.

Fluency consists of many characteristics not just the ability to read fast. For example, a good

reader reads at a constant rate. Rate is the speed at which a reader reads which has a huge impact
 READING NOTES 28
in students comprehension. If a student reads to slow, he will not comprehend what he read since

he is more likely to disconnect the ideas. Another important aspect of fluency is prosody. When

students have prosody they adjust their tone, rate, and pitch to read with expression and

understand the idea of a story. Lastly, a fluent reader should read accurately in order to

understand the true meaning of a story. When students have been exposed to reading for a while

they start to develop automaticity. Automaticity is the ability to comprehend and read words with

minor attention. Thus, students focus more on meaning than trying to figure out how to

pronounce a word. If a student can understand words automatically than he is excellent at

decoding and spelling.

There are many strategies to help build fluency in children like reading into a recorder,

neurological impress model, and independent reading. For example, teachers can ask emergent

readers to read into a recorder to motivate children. First, students will read a short passage that

is about 100 words long and record their voice while reading out loud.Then, students will repeat

the same passage and record themselves again reading. This strategy is extremely helpful since

students practice reading and they get to see how much they have improved. Not only do

students improve but they learn that they can improve in anything as long as they continue to

practice. Another strategy teachers can implement to improve children’s fluency is the

neurological impress model. In this strategy the teacher reads directly into students ear and the

student reads along with her. During this time, the teacher does not correct students errors.

Instead, she is more focused in helping the student read at the same speed as her to build fluency.

This activity can be practiced multiple times a week until the teacher sees improvement in

student. Lastly, independent reading is another technique that improves fluency. Independent

reading improves fluency because students have the opportunity to build their background
 READING NOTES 29
knowledge and vocabulary. Thus students can become automatic readers if they know many

sight words and knowledge about various words.

Application to learning/job:

As a future teacher, I will have to make sure students read fluent. It is vital students read

fluently in my class because if they struggle in my class, they may struggle in the next grade. A

strategy I will use to improve fluency is asking students to read into a recorder. This strategy

will be helpful since students think it’s fun to listen to their voice and they are learning at the

same time they are having fun. When students read passages multiple times, they become

familiar with words and know how to spell words. This is important since students begin to build

automaticity and can move on to more complex readings.

Similarly, I will create small group instruction groups to help students with their fluency.

When teachers take the time to work with struggling students, they show the students they care

for their success. A great way to practice fluency is to implement the neurological impress

model. I will read passages to the students near their ear so they can read along with me. When I

do that, it helps students read at the same rate I am reading and they learn how to pronounce new

words as they hear me read. Finally, I will assign independent silent reading to the whole class.

Independent reading is essential so students can practice their fluency. When students read

independent they have the chance to reread material they struggle with and practice. During

silent reading students are able to comprehend what they read since they are reading at their own

pace. When students do independent reading I will require them to write vocabulary words they

don’t know and search them up. Overall, all these strategies apply to students learning since they

will practice reading and become self aware of their needs.

Lisett Romero
 READING NOTES 30
Chapter 6 notes: Independent Learning

Teaching Literacy In the Visible Classroom

Adaptation 1: Learning Words Independently

Description of term:

Students have to be interested in literacy in order to be motivated to learn new vocabulary

and become independent learners. Teachers can instill love for words by modeling their interest

for words and teaching students word-solving strategies. Another way to motivate students to

learn new terminology is to assign collaborative activities, where students can discuss

vocabulary. Discussions are more meaningful and information tends to stick more in children’s

mind. More importantly, it is vital that students read everyday so they can achieve more

academically. When students read extensively, they acquire new vocabulary and comprehend

stories better. Teachers can facilitate learning by involving students who need help learning new

terms, encouraging students to keep track of the words they learn, and collaborate with other

students. However, before teachers begin teaching new vocabulary it is beneficial if they assess

students first. Assessment show teachers how much a students knows about specific terms and

what the student still needs to learn.

Teachers can promote independent learning by first scaffolding students in acquiring

new vocabulary. For example, teachers can introduce vocabulary terms before they begin to read

a new story. Then, students can write vocabulary terms they understand and don’t understand in

a notebook. This strategy helps students be aware of their learning and what they need to work

on. As students begin to comprehend new words they can write them down in their notebook and

write the date when they learned the word known as vocabulary self awareness. Another
 READING NOTES 31
strategy to promote self awareness is to ask students to engage in vocabulary self selection. In

this strategy, students choose words they believe are important from their reading books or from

magazines. Then, students will write where they found the new word. This strategy encourages

collaboration since students are excited to share the new word they learned. Lastly, scavenger

hunts and realia are helpful strategies to teach literacy. In this strategy students search for

vocabulary terms that are related and search for realia. This kind of learning is meaningful since

they relate words with objects or magazine clippings.

Application to learning/career

These learning strategies apply to my career as a future teacher since I will teach

vocabulary. Teachers should always be present to scaffold students during learning. However,

teachers should teach students strategies to become independent learners. As a substitute teacher,

I teach vocabulary to english learners. One of the strategies I use to encourage students to

become independent learners is to teach them to look at the pictures and vocabulary in a story

first. First, this strategy helps students get rid of reading anxiety since they realize the story will

not be as “hard” as they think. Second, I have the opportunity to assess the students informally.

If I notice students don’t know most of the words in a story I will go over them first or move on

to an easier book. Another useful strategy I can use to teach students to be independent learners

is, to write words they don’t know in a notebook. Then, students search for the definitions on an

online dictionary. This strategy teaches students that they have to accountable for their learning

not just teachers. If students are emerging learners then they will need more support. For that

reason, the strategy of vocabulary self awareness should be applied mostly to average to gifted

students.
 READING NOTES 32

Application 2: Spelling words

Description of application

Since a young age, students begin to absorb language they hear at home. However,

children are not aware that print is connected to speech and that is known as formal language.

When children enter school they learn that letters represent sounds and learn how to segment

letters. When children start school they are taught three elements that make up speech-to-print

connections. The first connection children learn is phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is

the mastery of manipulating sounds and segmenting sounds. The second connection to speech is

letter knowledge. Letter knowledge is the ability to recognize the names and forms of letters in

the alphabet. Lastly, if a student is knowledgeable of sound/symbol relationships , then he can

match sounds to letters and letters combination. All these connections of speech-to-print should

be mastered so children learn how to spell.

However, some words are not spelled based on sound and symbol relationship. Instead,

words are spelled according to the meaning of the word. A way teachers improve students

spelling is moving from surface knowledge to deep learning. Spelling tests are a great way to see

if students memorized words or if they studied. However, spelling tests do not help students

remember the words permanently. In order for students to authentically learn spelling words

students must acquire the word, retain the word, and build automaticity. This is why it is

important teachers set the foundation for sound and symbol relationships before moving on.
 READING NOTES 33
Application to learning/job:

This application applies to my future career since I will teach letter and sound

relationships. To ensure my students do not struggle with reading and spelling words I will spend

time teaching phonics. For example, I will use flash cards to teach phonics by helping students

map out sounds onto spelling. When students can map out sounds they can decode words and

read words. More importantly, I will teach explicit lessons rather than implicit lesson. Explicit

lesson are helpful since I guide students in their learning and I do a lot of modeling. First, I will

teach students that each letter represents a sound. I will practice with the whole class every

morning so that students become familiar with all the letters. Also, I will assign students

independent reading so they have a chance to practice reading stories

Application 3: Building Fluent Readers

Description of application:

Fluency is known as the ability to read quickly, accurately, and with proper expression.

When a student is fluent he comprehends what he is reading and can read with expression.

Fluency consists of many characteristics not just the ability to read fast. For example, a good

reader reads at a constant rate. Rate is the speed at which a reader reads which has a huge impact

in students comprehension. If a student reads to slow, he will not comprehend what he read since

he is more likely to disconnect the ideas. Another important aspect of fluency is prosody. When

students have prosody they adjust their tone, rate, and pitch to read with expression and

understand the idea of a story. Lastly, a fluent reader should read accurately in order to

understand the true meaning of a story. When students have been exposed to reading for a while

they start to develop automaticity. Automaticity is the ability to comprehend and read words with
 READING NOTES 34
minor attention. Thus, students focus more on meaning than trying to figure out how to

pronounce a word. If a student can understand words automatically than he is excellent at

decoding and spelling.

There are many strategies to help build fluency in children like reading into a recorder,

neurological impress model, and independent reading. For example, teachers can ask emergent

readers to read into a recorder to motivate children. First, students will read a short passage that

is about 100 words long and record their voice while reading out loud.Then, students will repeat

the same passage and record themselves again reading. This strategy is extremely helpful since

students practice reading and they get to see how much they have improved. Not only do

students improve but they learn that they can improve in anything as long as they continue to

practice. Another strategy teachers can implement to improve children’s fluency is the

neurological impress model. In this strategy the teacher reads directly into students ear and the

student reads along with her. During this time, the teacher does not correct students errors.

Instead, she is more focused in helping the student read at the same speed as her to build fluency.

This activity can be practiced multiple times a week until the teacher sees improvement in

student. Lastly, independent reading is another technique that improves fluency. Independent

reading improves fluency because students have the opportunity to build their background

knowledge and vocabulary. Thus students can become automatic readers if they know many

sight words and knowledge about various words.

Application to learning/job:

As a future teacher, I will have to make sure students read fluent. It is vital students read

fluently in my class because if they struggle in my class, they may struggle in the next grade. A

strategy I will use to improve fluency is asking students to read into a recorder. This strategy
 READING NOTES 35
will be helpful since students think it’s fun to listen to their voice and they are learning at the

same time they are having fun. When students read passages multiple times, they become

familiar with words and know how to spell words. This is important since students begin to build

automaticity and can move on to more complex readings.

Similarly, I will create small group instruction groups to help students with their fluency.

When teachers take the time to work with struggling students, they show the students they care

for their success. A great way to practice fluency is to implement the neurological impress

model. I will read passages to the students near their ear so they can read along with me. When I

do that, it helps students read at the same rate I am reading and they learn how to pronounce new

words as they hear me read. Finally, I will assign independent silent reading to the whole class.

Independent reading is essential so students can practice their fluency. When students read

independent they have the chance to reread material they struggle with and practice. During

silent reading students are able to comprehend what they read since they are reading at their own

pace. When students do independent reading I will require them to write vocabulary words they

don’t know and search them up. Overall, all these strategies apply to students learning since they

will practice reading and become self aware of their needs.

Lisett Romero

Teaching Literacy In The Visible Learning Classroom, Direct Instruction

Chapter 3

Application 1: Relevance

Part 1:
 READING NOTES 36
Relevance is the reason why students decide to to learn something new. In most cases,

students want to understand why learning a new concept is important to their lives and how

they’re going to use it in the future. Adults and children are more inclined to learn something if

it affects their daily life or if they wish to learn by internal motivations. Similarly, when a topic

relates to a student they become more motivated and determined. Thus, even if a student faces a

challenge they will more likely continue to practice a concept more or ask for help. Teachers

should incorporate relevance in all their lesson plans in order to engage students and make the

lesson more meaningful.

Part 2:

As a future credentialed teacher , I will be expected to connect subject matter to real life

experiences known as relevancy. Connecting lessons to real life situations engages students and

encourages them to further their knowledge. When lessons are related to students life they are

more likely to be determined even if they face academic challenges. Applying relevancy to my

professional practice is helpful, since I have to know how to make the content standards relevant

to all types of learners. As a substitute teacher, I have to introduce the standards that we are

going to focus on a certain day. At times, I will have students ask me why they have to learn

about a certain topic. I tell students that learning about a specific standard is important since it

affects our daily lives. For example, I had a student ask me why she has to learn about fractions.

I told the student that fractions are important because we use them when we are cooking and

when we want to know what score we got in a test. When I explained to the students the

importance of learning the standard, she immediately become more interested. Thus relevancy

should be included in any lesson plan.

 READING NOTES 37

Application 2: Think-Alouds

Part 1

The concept think-aloud is when teachers explain their thinking or reasoning

in a more comprehensible way for students. It is useful when teachers translate their knowledge

into simpler terms because students can engage in similar thinking as the teacher. When students

listen to theirs teachers speak in think-aloud they are more likely to think the same way

cognitively. Research argues that when teachers use the pronoun “I” the brain is stimulated and

motivates students to learn by imitation. Furthermore, it is essential that teachers use the word

“because” to explain their thinking since it teaches students how to think about a concept. Also,

using “because” engages students in more advanced thinking. Students should be required by

teachers to think aloud so they can accurately explain how they came up with a solution or idea.

For example, students can use context clues like loaded language in order to understand the

mood of a story or feelings of a character.

Part 2:

This research is worth applying to my future class to facilitate learning for ELD and ELL

learners. As a future teacher I will read stories to my students and teach them how to infer

characters feeling , themes, and moods. English learners often have a hard time inferring a

character's feeling because they do not have a big range of vocabulary understanding. Therefore,

I have to use gestures and facial expression when I read a story so students understand what

emotion or mood a character is feeling. Think aloud is an effective strategy to use in my future

class so students can acquire English quicker. When teachers use facial expressions when
 READING NOTES 38
reading vocabulary, students match the gestures with the new word. Another way I can engage

students is to repeat and elaborate characters emotions. For example, I will use an exaggerated

voice when I’m talking about a happy character. Consequently, students make an inference that

the character is happy.

Application 3: Modeling

Part 1

The concept of modeling is based on observing a person and learning from them through

observation. Research argues that when a person observes another person do an action, the

observer may use the same neural pathways as the person doing the action. For this reason,

modeling a lesson is extremely important so that students can understand a topic and in essence

think similar as the teacher. Furthermore, when teachers model a lesson they teach students how

to analyze their thinking and how to solve a problem. Modeling a lesson is essential in order to

help students develop strong metacognitive skills. Another crucial component of this concept is

teachers have to explain how they think and what strategies they used to attain a solution.

Part 2:

I will apply modeling in my future job to show students what I expect from them. If I

want students to turn in their best work I first have to show them how to do the work. Auditory

directions are not always as effective as showing visual representations of desired work. For

example, I cannot simply assign a major science project and expect students to know what to do.

Students need to see sample work in order to replicate the work. Similarly, students need rubrics

so they are aware of what components they should include in their science project and

understand how they will be graded. Modeling is vital for younger students since it helps them

think for themselves. Usually, when teachers show a class how to do a science project, they will
 READING NOTES 39
likely retain that information and use it in future projects. Lastly, I will use technology to model

lessons since ELL students learn best when they see a lesson. This is because english learners

learn by transferring information from pictures.