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| Morningside Academy: What's New in Reading Comprehension? |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| CE Instructor: SungWoo Kahng, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: This symposium is one in an ongoing, annual series that provides updated information and data on the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction, and its application in our Morningside Academy laboratory school. In our lab school, we investigate promising curricula or instructional procedures, measure their effectiveness, and revise our curriculum and instruction protocols as the data suggests. |
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| A Content-Dependent Skill Analysis of a Reading Comprehension Repertoire |
| JENNIFER TESTA (Morningside Academy), Julian Gire (Morningside Academy), Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: When students enter Morningside Academy, their reading comprehension is typically two or more years behind their chronological grade level. However, instruction and practice on comprehension skills will not result in mastery if the prerequisite skills are not fluent. By conducting a content-dependent skill analysis, we can identify a hierarchy of behaviors necessary for an effective reading comprehension repertoire. Taking this bottoms-up approach to sequencing instruction and practice assures that the learners have the requisite skill repertoire necessary to understand text. This talk will analyze a hierarchy of skills necessary for success in a reading comprehension course, suggest some methods to teach foundational skills, and present some preliminary data on the effects of foundational skill instruction and practice. |
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| Applying Reading Comprehension Strategies to a Variety of Curricula Through the Use of Instructional Technologies |
| ADAM G. STRETZ (Morningside Academy), Michael P. Wolfson (Morningside Academy), Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: One of the goals of Morningside Academy is to equip students with the knowledge of and skills to apply a broad spectrum of reading comprehension strategies. This goal is achieved through the use of the Reading Success program and Fluent Thinking Skills. These programs provide explicit strategies, instruction, scaffolding, and review in order to help students become more active and engaged in their reading. Morningside takes these strategies and seeks application of them in a variety of content areas in ways that most schools do not. Delayed prompting is used as a tool to more efficiently teach application of these skills to a variety of students. Data will be presented to demonstrate comprehension skills acquisition and application from recording grids and standard celeration charts. |
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| Vocabulary Acquisition at Morningside: SAFMEDS Flashcards Versus Student-Generated Activities |
| MARIANNE DELGADO (Morningside Academy), Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: This study compares two methods of acquiring new vocabulary used in middle school literature anthologies. It asks the question, will students show more retention of skills and application of vocabulary to independent writing and to standardized tests using Steven Graf’s SAFMEDS flashcard routine, or using student word-generating activities? Students learned 2 sets of 6 words at the beginning of each selection in Holt Literature- First Course, one set taught with flashcards and a standard celeration chart, one set taught with student directed activities. Student word-generating activities include learning the connotation as well as the denotation of the word, using context clues to generate definitions as a pre-reading skill, and composing sentences using the words. Generalization to student writing was compared at the end of each selection, using 5 minute curriculum based assessments (CBAs). CBAs were scored across 3 dimensions: total words written, correct writing sequences, and number of vocabulary words used correctly. CBAs for the two groups were compared using individual standard celeration charts, and a class wide chart showing whole class trends. The results will be discussed in terms of future curriculum design decisions at Morningside. |
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| Predicting Reading Comprehension Gains Using the Scholastic Reading Inventory |
| JULIAN GIRE (Morningside Academy), Jennifer Testa (Morningside Academy), Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: Students at Morningside Academy are typically two or more years behind in their academics as compared to their same age peers. Often times their deficits in reading comprehension negatively effects their progress in other academic areas. To accelerate these children to their chronological grade level, they must make more than one year gain per academic school year. Thus, it is imperative that their academic progress be monitored closely to ensure they make the expected gains. To this end Morningside Academy uses the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) as a progress-monitoring tool to predict gains on standardized reading comprehension tests. The SRI is an adaptive computer-based test of reading comprehension that reports students’ scores using the Lexile Framework for reading. Using longitudinal data we are able to make predictions about growth in reading comprehension within the academic school year. Having early indicators of a student’s acquisition of reading comprehension skills enables Morningside to make instructional changes and implement interventions to ensure student progress. |
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