Spotlight On: Motivating Readers with Goal Setting

Several of our teams chose goal setting as a grade level priority for the 2014-2015 school year. AVID training provided a framework for students to set SMART goals for academic and extracurricular goals. To piggyback the previous post on Independent Reading, I thought I would summarize and review an article in the latest issue of The Reading Teacher that focused on motivating readers through setting and attaining personal reading goals. I was pretty excited because the teacher they work with in the article is from my hometown…I didn't know her, which was shocking due to the fact that I come from a tiny Indiana town. But I digress.

Let’s quickly review the benefits that research has revealed about setting goals:

• ·      Goals enhance motivation
• ·         Goals improve performance
• ·         Goals have an energizing result and have an effect on persistence

Of course, goals must have guidelines to be most effective. While AVID goals are SMART (specific, measurable, action-oriented, reasonable and timely), the reading goals in the article focused on specificity, proximity, and difficulty. Keeping these three attributes in mind is important when beginning to set goals with students, adding in measurable and action-oriented as you and your students become more comfortable with the process.

Kid friendly definitions of goal setting attributes (Cabral-Marquez, 215)

Guiding Students in Setting Goals

Since goal setting has been found to be most effective when some level of autonomy exists, Independent Reading is the perfect place to put reading goals in action as it provides a time for students to have a choice in what they read. Not surprisingly, students must be taught how to set goals. Below you will find an example of a procedure for teaching goal setting to students (Cabral-Marquez, 2015).

1. Ask students if they have a goal they would like to achieve.
2. If necessary, provide some examples of personal goals (i.e. rearrange bookshelves in the classroom, be more physically active, obtain a degree)
3. Explain that some goals are achieved in a short time while others take longer. Rearranging the classroom bookshelves can take a few hours, getting in shape for a race will take a few months, and obtaining a college degree takes a few years.
4. Ask students how long they think their goal will take to attain.
5. Explain that some goals can be more difficult than others. Organizing the bookshelf is easy, running a race is challenging, but obtainable...though taking more steps than a certain 2nd grade teacher in a day is nearly impossible.
6. Ask students to evaluate the difficulty of their goals.
7. Explain that goals can be general or specific. A general goal would be to get in good physical shape, while a more specific goal would be to walk 10,000 steps a day.
8. Ask students to think of one personal reading goal and the characteristics described. Goals should be specific, challenging but achievable, and attainable in a maximum of two weeks.
9. After allowing time for students to think of a personal reading goal, ask some to share.
10. Have students set four personal reading goals that meet the characteristics discussed. 
11. Conclude by having students share their goals and allowing the rest of the class to provide feedback on how the goals meet the criteria for specificity, proximity, and difficulty.

Here are some samples of reading goals for students to set: 

Cabral-Marquez 2015

Helping Students Meet Their Goals

In order to keep students on track to meet their goals, it is essential to have regular meetings to check up on their progress.  Think about starting with an initial conference to ensure the student's goals are specific, timely and attainable. Talk with students about the goal they would like to work on first, and assist them in securing the resources they will need to be successful.

Besides the initial conference, meet with students on a regular (every two weeks or so) basis to review, revise (if necessary), update, and track progress of the goals. These meetings should be brief. The intention is help students maintain focus, ensure the goal is a good fit, and assist with materials. 

I know- TIME! It would be ideal if these conferences were held one on one, but I wouldn't be shy about meeting with small groups. If you announce to everyone you know that you are going to run a marathon, you better do it. Same with reading goals- making them somewhat public has self-reinforcing effects.

How have you been successful with keeping your students motivated to read? Any success stories or strategies?

Source: Cabral-Marquez, C. (2015) "Motivating Readers: Helping Students Set and Attain Personal Reading Goals" The Reading Teacher (68:6). Pages 464-472.

Independent...Not Solitary...Reading

Who's up for some Balanced Literacy talk? As the district begins plans to roll out some training, I thought I would go ahead and do some Balanced Literacy Blogging. First up (because it is the piece I am in charge of and researching...) Independent Reading!

Don't be fooled by the word Independent! This important component of Balanced Literacy requires the teacher in order to be successful. Ready for the breakdown?

Why Independent Reading? 

Research has shown over and over that the more a child reads, the better they will be at reading. Providing a block of time for students to practice reading will help them become better readers.

When should Independent Reading take place?

After a mini-lesson, in which students are given a purpose and the teacher has modeled the expectations (be it a ritual/routine, reading strategy, etc.).

What are the important elements of Independent Reading?

• Choice in text selection: Studies have shown that students who are able to select their own reading material are more motivated to read and engaged in reading 
• On level reading material: Students who are practicing in books that are too hard or too easy do not show the same gains as those who read on level texts.
• Independent from adult assistance with solving reading problems: This is an opportunity for students to test their wings with reading.
• Accountability: Students can keep reading logs, participate in book talks, or write about the strategies they used during independent reading.

How do I support my students during Independent Reading?

Despite the title "Independent Reading," teachers play a very important, hands on role. 

• Choice: While students should have choice when it comes to book selection, they must be taught HOW to pick just right books. In addition, teachers should encourage/require students to read from a variety of genres and provide suggestions.
• Behavior Support: Teachers should explicitly teach what Independent Reading should look and sound like- from choosing a reading spot to monitoring comprehension and even what they should do if they need to use the restroom.
• Conferring: Listen to individuals read to ensure they chose an appropriate leveled text, have conversations about the text and what it means, make note of how students solve reading problems, and discuss the student's goals and growth as a reader.

Check out these resources for further Independent Reading support:

Lesson Plan: Choosing the Right Book-Strategies for Beginning Readers

Article: Independent Reading

Professional Book Chapter: Plan for and Monitor Independent Reading

What are some strategies you have for keeping students engaged and motivated during Independent Reading? 

What's Your Number?

I recently stumbled upon this list of the 100 books everyone should read before they die.

It was fun to look through the list to see which I had read (The Thorn Birds, The Time Traveler's Wife), which I will probably never read (The Hobbit, The Odyssey), and which to add to my summer reading list (The Poisonwood  Bible, The Handmaid's Tale).  My total number is 61/100.

What's your number??

Challenge Accepted: Science in the Literacy Block

There is not enough time in the day to teach every subject with the rigor and fidelity that is expected. So what are classroom teachers to do?? That's right- integrate. Integrating Science and Social Studies into the literacy block can be a challenge. Luckily, The Reading Teacher once again came to the rescue with an article titled Instructional Challenges in Developing Young Children's Science Concepts: Using Informational Text Read Alouds (Hoffman, Collins, Schickedanz, 2015).  In the article, the authors discussed why informational text is more appropriate to use during the read aloud, and four guiding principles/practical challenges for teaching science concepts in read alouds.

First off, why not use narrative texts? I found their explanation interesting. The point of narrative texts are to relate to human experience. The focus is on character thoughts and emotions, events and plot, which just does not mesh with teaching scientific concepts.  If the focus is on the scientific concept, comprehension of the story breaks down.  Without understanding the story, students cannot fully grasp the scientific concept. In addition, narratives rarely provide enough information about the science concept to fully teach it to the students. Informational texts, on the other hand, are suited well for science concepts since their main purpose is to relay information. For the record, I'm not saying "never use narratives to teach science or social studies concepts..." I'm just relaying the authors' ideas. ;)

When choosing informational texts, don't do it willy nilly. The authors suggest the following four guiding principles.

Select high quality informational texts.

Supporting Informational Text Literacies- teachers should intentionally and skillfully guide students' understanding through discussion...and stay focused on the science concept. This is done through identifying:

• Vocabulary integral to understanding key concepts
• Areas of the text difficult to comprehend due to content or language segments
• Text structures and how they will affect comprehension
• Text features and how they will affect comprehension
• Discussion, discussion, discussion to guide students' understanding

Connections to the Content Area Curriculum- informational text should complement hands-on science investigations and not be a replacement for these experiences. Also, no need to read an entire text to explain a concept- feel free to focus on just the parts of the text that apply to the what you are teaching.

Teacher's Conceptual Knowledge. Obviously, the more the teacher knows about the concept, the better she will be able to teach it. The authors suggest building your background knowledge by reading books on the subject, watching documentaries, visiting science exhibits, talking to local experts, and creating hands-on experiments for yourself...you know, in all your spare time.

My take aways? While some of these seem like common sense (ahem, teacher's conceptual knowledge and choosing high quality text), I appreciated the author's breakdown for picking high quality text. Also, I like the point that the books should complement the hands-on projects being completed in science class. You cannot rely on text alone to teach the concepts if you want students to really have a deep understanding.

How have you been integrating science and social studies into your literacy block? Any tips? Struggles?