Slip N Slide Into Summer Reading
Is 27 too old for the slip n slide? Apparently, not! Our oldest daughter, who is visiting us in Reno took a break from the heat and jumped on the slip n slide the golf course crew set up for the local kids. (See my Instagram post for a quick video) Summer certainly is for fun! It is a time to recharge as educators. Hopefully, that means summer reading as well. Finally, we can dig into that stack of books piled up by our beds! Let’s practice what we preach, and read all summer long.
Is 27 too old for the slip n slide? Apparently, not! Our oldest daughter, who is visiting us in Reno took a break from the heat and jumped on the slip n slide the golf course crew set up for the local kids. (See my Instagram post for a quick video) Summer certainly is for fun! It is a time to recharge as educators. Hopefully, that means summer reading as well. Finally, we can dig into that stack of books piled up by our beds! Let’s practice what we preach, and read all summer long.
Reading is actually good for you on many levels. Studies show that readers have better physical health, empathy, and are often happier! (University of Sussex, published in The Telegraph, March 2009) The same study out of Sussex found that reading for just six minutes reduces stress by 60%, slows your heartbeat down, eases muscle tension, enhances social skills, and alters your state of mind. Other benefits of reading include better sleep and slowing of cognitive decline.
It is also important for us as educators to read- to experience firsthand not only the reading strategies we teach, but most importantly the JOY of lifelong reading for pleasure. Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer (Jossey-Bass, 2009) suggests the power of sharing your reading life with your students by explaining what you find interesting or challenging. She says it is important for students to trust us not only as their teacher but as a fellow reader.
Here are my summer reads so far. This list shifts constantly especially if a friend hands me a book at a dinner party or if my daughter gifts me the title she can’t carry on the plane back to San Diego, or if I find a title that looks inviting in our neighborhood book exchange!
If you tell me what YOU are reading, I may change my mind and read your book suggestion first!
My Summer Reading For Pleasure
Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say by Kelly Corrigan
Whenever Kelly Corrigan writes a book, I run to the nearest local bookshop to grab a copy.
I absolutely love her work! She writes some memoirs as well as essay advice books like this one.
Corrigan shares personal stories and insights about the 12 hardest things to say with chapters titled, No, I Was Wrong, and even No Words At All. I read it quickly once through already. I will read again this time with a pen in hand to “close read” and mark it up. One of my favorite lessons Corrigan shares is that sometimes when talking to your people simply by asking your kids, spouse, friends to “Tell me more.” yields amazing results. Another tidbit I enjoyed is the idea that no words at all work best sometimes. For example, the Steph Curry (my FAV!) finger gesture giving God thanks after a three pointer, or a music director, or just a litany of dance moves, cheers, high fives, embraces and even emojis. She is a breath of fresh air always that Kelly Corrigan. If you’ve never heard her read her essay Transcending here it is.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
I decided to read this because my husband’s family is from Alaska and this saga takes place there.
We are headed to Alaska for a memorial this Summer, so I wanted to get in the Alaska mood. Sometimes the setting of a story deeply impacts your comprehension depending upon your experiences and travel wish list. This was a hard read for me. The characters make their way to the wilderness and a long dark winter with an abusive father/husband. I got through it and won’t forget it. But I will be glad when it is over. Sometimes we have mixed feelings reading a book like this.
This is my first Kirstin Hannah book. She has many others, and I will try her again. I have friends who devour her work. Maybe I just didn’t connect with the storyline.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Okay so this is a “Read with Jenna” book club selection. Sometimes I do let the celebrities guide my reading list including Reece Witherspoon. (Remember when we relied on Oprah?)
Since its another Kristin Hannah and I am a huge fan of historical fiction. I will give this one a go!
Becoming by Michelle Obama
I am so excited to read this version with a new introduction by Michelle herself. I just love this gutsy fabulous woman. For those of you who’ve read this a while ago, what did you think? Besides historical fiction, I also absolutely enjoy any kind of memoir, autobiography, biography, or book of essays. This book boasts sales of 14 million copies sold worldwide. Now its 14 million and one!
Honorable mentions- I might also read Daisy Jones and the Six!
My Summer Reading For Professional Development
Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Happiness by Don Vu
I am cheating in a way because I wrote a review for Scholastic for this book. So, I read it once.
This is a two-time read and then I plan on keeping it on my desk all marked up so I can refer to it during my trainings. Don Vu is an award-winning principal who shares his six conditions of a school’s culture of literacy (Commitment, Collection, Clock, Conversation, Connection, and Celebration) and how ways to create an environment where all students especially immigrant children survive. What I love most about this book is Don’s personal stories about his family who came from Vietnam in the 70’s. I laughed and cried. Not sure when I’ve ever been so touched by a professional book. This is a must read! Plus, there are many practical strategies to use to boost reading in your classroom and school.
A History of Literacy Education by P. David Pearson and Robert Tierney
This is a commitment that I am so excited to make! Two absolute Hall of Famers in our field have taken on the history of literacy through the ages. I have heard P. David give various talks over the years highlighting the history of education so reading about it will be great. I am sure I will be referring to this one for years to come. What an undertaking for these two greats! Thanks in advance to them!
Honorable Mentions
The Fab Four Comprehension Strategies: Accelerating Reading NOW!
Summer reading loss is real! We know that many students lose anywhere from two weeks to two months when they don’t read much in the summer. Couple that with the months of learning loss due to Covid 19 and researchers estimate that students could fall as much as 30% behind in their reading this school year. (NWEA, 2020) Our students desperately need a boost in their comprehension and engagement to catch them up in reading now and in the fall.
July 1, 2020
Summer reading loss is real! We know that many students lose anywhere from two weeks to two months when they don’t read much in the summer. Couple that with the months of learning loss due to Covid 19 and researchers estimate that students could fall as much as 30% behind in their reading this school year. (NWEA, 2020) Our students desperately need a boost in their comprehension and engagement to catch them up in reading now and in the fall.
My favorite go-to strategy to accelerate reading, is reciprocal teaching (Palinscar & Brown, 1984), or the “ Fab Four” (Oczkus, 2018) Reciprocal teaching is a scaffolded discussion technique based on four of the strategies good readers use; predict, question, clarify, and summarize (Oczkus, 2018). Reciprocal teaching is backed by over 30 years of solid research with consistent gains of .74 or nearly two years in one year. (Hattie, 2008) An added bonus is that the Fab Four easily adapts to a digital setting at any grade level with any text.
In my travels to schools around the globe, I collaborate with teachers and work in classrooms to find ways to engage students in reciprocal teaching while raising reading scores. Here are some tips, pointers, and my “go to” lessons to get you started. In February I will present more ideas at CCIRA 2021. I can’t wait to return to Colorado to meet more fabulous colleagues and to visit my “home” state where I grew up!
Best Pointers to Yield Results
Teach the Fab Four Package
Teach all four strategies in ONE lesson! Represent them in a poster to ensure you cover them all. Designate one student as the “checker” who checks off each strategy as the class discusses it. Students predict what they will learn; clarify tricky words and discuss how to figure them out; ask questions for the group to answer; and summarize what they read. Try color coding the four strategies live and in online discussion boards.
Follow a Gradual Release Model with Discussion
Ensure success with a gradual release model of teaching by modeling the strategies. Then provide opportunities for students to discuss the reading and the strategies in pairs and teams. Students may take on roles -predictor, questioner, clarifier, summarizer. Try using chat rooms in Zoom or Google Meets or responding to one another on Flip Grid or Google Docs.
Teach Metacognition
Teach students to become metacognitive when using the strategies by making them their own. Students and the teacher record demonstrations and explanations of the strategies for each other on a platform such as See Saw.
Close Reading with Informational Text
One of my favorite ways to introduce the “The Fab Four” is with informational articles. In this demonstration I use an article from my series Close Reading with Paired Text k-12 co-authored with Dr. Rasinski (Shell, 2015) In my project schools we also use Newsela, Scholastic News, and other short articles once the class is familiar with the method. The students and the teacher each have copies of the text that they mark up using either on a device or a hard copy with colored pencils or highlighters. The teacher and students reread the text at least three times to discuss; what they will learn, words to clarify, questions to ask, and important points to summarize the reading. Here is my 7-minute video for educators and parents explaining how to participate with students in a Fab Four discussion. Scroll down for the bookmark lesson plans, question and answers for parents, and parent letter. How to Boost Reading Comprehension with the Fab Four https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9mkv8f6Hxo
Fab Four Poetry Lesson for Comprehension and Fluency
Here is a comprehension lesson that includes predicting what the poem is about, clarifying words, phrases, and visual images, asking questions, and summarizing by sharing favorite lines and parts. The result is a peppy and engaging student-centered discussion. Students then reread the poetry to perform live in class or record on a digital platform. The demonstration here is from my series Close Reading with Paired Texts co- authored with Dr. Tim Rasinski. Here is a 7-minute video to show how to conduct a Fab Four poetry lesson for parents and teachers. Scroll down for bookmark lesson plans.
How to Improve Comprehension & Fluency with Poetry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt7h9RGtAKU
See you at CCIRA! The research behind reciprocal teaching consistently delivers results in just a few months. For high-yield/ low prep strategies refer to my books and resources listed in the bibliography below for more information and follow me on twitter @LoriOczkus or contact me at loczkus52@earthlink.net and let’s connect. See you at CCIRA in February 2021! Please join me for one or all of my 3 CCIRA sessions on reading and writing
Reading Rescue with the Fab Four: Comprehension Strategies to Accelerate Learning Now!
Literacy Strong All Year Long!
Teaching Guided Writing For Success
Lori Oczkus is a literacy coach, author, and popular speaker across the United States and internationally. Tens of thousands of teachers have attended her motivating, fast paced workshops and read her practical, research-based professional books. She is the author of the best-selling book Reciprocal Teaching at Work (ASCD, 2018) with the foreword by John Hattie. Lori has extensive experience as a bilingual elementary teacher, intervention specialist working with struggling readers, and staff developer and literacy coach. She works with students in classrooms and really knows the challenges that teachers face in teaching students to read! Lori has been inducted in the California Reading Association Hall of Fame for her many contributions to the field of reading in California and internationally.
Some of Lori’s Books and Resources:
Teaching Guided Writing: Scaffolding for Success QRG (NCTE, 2020)
Close Reading with Paired Texts k-12 Series co-author Tim Rasinski (Shell,2015)
Fabulous Four Comprehension Puppets ( Primary Concepts, 2008)
Check out CCIRA's website today at ccira.org