SECONDARY LITERACY COACHING AT WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL
LITERACY COACH: DR. JENNIFER B. FERGUSON - jfergus2@houstonisd.org
Mission: To provide literacy support using research-based and data-driven information to collaborate with teachers and
provide professional development that is aligned with HISD objectives in the CLEAR curriculum and the continued
fulfillment of the Literacy Commitments.
What is a Literacy Coach?
A cognitive coach that provides ongoing, job-embedded professional development and provides support for teachers in the form of:
- Collaborative resource management
- Literacy content presentations
- Focused classrooms visits
- Co-planning
- Study groups
- Demonstration lessons
- Peer coaching
- Co-teaching
Literacy Commitments, a Pathway for Developing Literate Students.
Writing:
-model a process for writing with a rubric for revising
-provide opportunity for students to write and revise one significant writing assignment
-model systematic ways to summarize text
-provide opportunities for informal writing
Speaking/Listening:
-provide daily opportunities for formal and informal facilitated classroom discussion
-provide opportunities for formal presentations at least once a semester.
Reading:
-model strategies for students to activate or develop prior knowledge and make connections
-give students a purpose for their reading and note-taking work.
-provide students the opportunity to read at their appropriate Lexile level. http://www.lexile.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?view=fa&tabindex=3&tabid=68
-provide explicit and direct vocabulary instruction in the content-specific academic language.
-model for students how to use text structure to help their comprehension.
Use Best Practices:
- Rigor Continuum- where are you on the continuum? -Is the teaching strategy you are using teacher-centered or student-centered? Find the strategy you are using on the continuum and look at the criteria for it to be student-centered.
-KWL- graphic organizer to help students predict and connect new information with prior knowledge.
-Think-Pair-Share- a discussion strategy that partners students in small groups
so that every student participates (Kagan, 1969).-Frayer Model- a graphic organizer to help students deepen their understanding
of a key concept or content-specific vocabulary term.-http://cis.uchicago.edu/outreach/resources/climatechange/3-Vocabulary
-http://cfbstaff.cfbisd.edu/eleteams/templates.htm-Summary Frames- a series of questions/stems to highlight important elements to
produce a summary.-Two-column Notes- an active reading strategy to process information
as notes are taken.-http://www.pikeschool.org/home/library/researchhelp/notetaking?
-Rubrics- a scoring tool that charts the criteria and describes the quality level of
student work.-http://edweb.sdsu.edu/triton/july/rubrics/Rubric_Template.html
-http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/rubrics.htm-Think-Aloud- helps readers think about how they make meaning from texts.
Students read a short section, stopping frequently to talk about what they are
reading.-http://www.readingrockets.org/article/102
-http://searchlight.utexas.org/content/Kinder/handouts-to-hide/k1110017.pdf-RAFT- a writing to learn strategy, identifying the role, audience, format, and topic.
-http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ELA/612/Reading/Reading%20Strategies/RAFT.htm
-http://www.iu29.org/Resources/Documents/RAFT.pdf-Graphic organizers- helps students construct meaning and organize their
knowledge before, during or after instruction.-http://www.teachervision.fen.com/graphic-organizers/printable/6293.html
-Anticipation Guide- a series of statements based on the key concepts of the
reading or lesson. Students are asked to agree or disagree in order to activate
prior knowledge.-http://www.indiana.edu/~l517/anticipation_guides.htm#How%20to%20
Use%20Anticipation%20Guide-http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/readingliterature/readingstrategies/ anticipation_guide.htm
-Informal Writing -- PowerPoint Presentation -- Informal writing is for students to reflect, identify what they know, express ideas, and identiry what they do not know. It is usually not graded, but required of students to meet standards set by the teacher.