{"title":"Negotiating the Demands of High-Stakes Testing: Graduate Students' Experiences as Teachers Preparing Students for Standardized Assessments in Reading and Language Arts","authors":"Andrew Huddleston","doi":"10.56887/galiteracy.68","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.68","url":null,"abstract":"This qualitative interview study examined the experiences of four language and literacy education Ph.D. students, as classroom teachers, preparing students for high-stakes testing in public schools. Two of the participants taught in a western U.S. state while the other two currently teach in a southeastern state. The findings revealed that the participants supported progressive education practices. However, the teachers in the in the western state indicated that their state's lower-stakes testing program coincided with their beliefs about teaching and furthered their teaching goals while the teachers in the southeastern state felt that their state's higher-stakes testing program conflicted with their beliefs and hindered their teaching. Participants' approaches for negotiating the demands of testing with their pedagogical beliefs are described.","PeriodicalId":111992,"journal":{"name":"Georgia Journal of Literacy","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115027273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Power of Critical Media Literacy to Enable Middle Grade Students to Understand Poverty","authors":"L. Soares, J. Price","doi":"10.56887/galiteracy.66","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.66","url":null,"abstract":"This research sought to understand how the use of critical media literacy enables middle-grade students to understand poverty as a real and present issue. The study was conducted in one seventh-grade classroom in which the students viewed poverty from the perspective of children similar in age to them. The realities of poverty were presented to the students through the \"Invisible Children\" film. Afterward, the students wrote reflections on the experience. Findings show that critical media literacy enabled the participants to develop a heightened awareness and to empathize with children of poverty so that the feeling dimension of learning became evident.","PeriodicalId":111992,"journal":{"name":"Georgia Journal of Literacy","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134296112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reading in Rural Georgia","authors":"Vikki K. Collins","doi":"10.56887/galiteracy.64","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.64","url":null,"abstract":"Young children in rural America face challenges in becoming proficient readers by the end of third grade. Assessment measures required by No Child Left Behind indicate that 50 percent of rural schools reported achievement gaps between low income and non-low income children. This paper examined school district productivity ratings and third grade reading Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) scores from three small city school districts and their separate three county districts in the state's rural areas during the 2007-2008 academic year. Results indicated that school district productivity as measured by adjusted return on investment (ROI) scores varied across rural areas of the state; adjusted ROI scores also carried within city and county systems in the rural areas of the state. All six rural districts included low income percentages of students greater than 50 percent. The findings in this paper warrant additional research regarding the topics of school funding, especially in rural areas, the factors of productivity needed for effective school reform and the efficacy of the state's high-stakes reading assessment.","PeriodicalId":111992,"journal":{"name":"Georgia Journal of Literacy","volume":"197 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133752433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Using Reading Strategies to Enhance Content Learning in Mathematics","authors":"L. K. Ely, Jerilou J. Moore","doi":"10.56887/galiteracy.67","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.67","url":null,"abstract":"This manuscript seeks to provide a framework for teaching reading skills in the various content areas, specifically mathematics and most importantly to pinpoint specific strategies and resources teachers can use to help their students succeed in reading to learn. ","PeriodicalId":111992,"journal":{"name":"Georgia Journal of Literacy","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131184482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Using Strategy Groups to Meet the Literacy Needs of Diverse Learners","authors":"Cherie Byrom","doi":"10.56887/galiteracy.63","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.63","url":null,"abstract":"Most teachers are accustomed to using various models of whole group instruction in their reading workshops. When considering a model that is highly effective in helping a group of readers develop more skill in using reading strategies across texts and contexts, Allington (2009) suggests that we look at small groups as a means of instruction and intervention that produces superior academic outcomes. According to Fountas and Pinnell (2001), small group work is particularly important for students who have difficulty learning to read. This focused teaching in small groups makes it possible to provide appropriate instruction for a diverse class of learners. Plainly stated, the biggest reason to work with small groups is to tailor the teaching to the needs of the students (Calkins, 2010). This article will address balancing small group instruction, particularly the use of strategy groups, to provide targeted individualized instruction and meet the needs of all learners. \u0000 ","PeriodicalId":111992,"journal":{"name":"Georgia Journal of Literacy","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115622866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mission Possible: A Literacy Support System for Adolescent Readers in the Content Areas","authors":"Gail Slye","doi":"10.56887/galiteracy.65","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.65","url":null,"abstract":"The task appeared to be one that even highly trained secret agents would deem daunting. A middle school principal had requested assistance from a faculty member of a university education department to participate in a form of scholastic subterfuge. The concern expressed by the building site administrator revolved around an intense level of reluctance by the content area teachers to directly address reading challenges exhibited by their early adolescent or transeunt population. Therefore, the principal suggested using the middle school classrooms as a type of academic laboratory thereby allowing preservice teachers an opportunity to explore the effectiveness of various literacy-based strategies on early adolescents in the seventh and eighth grade enrolled in curricular-based courses.","PeriodicalId":111992,"journal":{"name":"Georgia Journal of Literacy","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130499444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teachers of Reading","authors":"Vicki L. Luther","doi":"10.56887/galiteracy.75","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.75","url":null,"abstract":"In 1989, Stephen R. Covey introduced us to a book entitled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In the book, Covey challenges readers to change their lives, and subsequently better their lives, by embodying seven primary habits into every day events. As I thumbed through the pages and perused through Covey's advice, I began to see a correlation between his \"habits\" and the attributes that we as teachers of reading must possess. As a former elementary school teacher and now as an educator of pre-service teachers, I can say with certainty that there is no more important job than that of a teacher of reading. As I read through the habits, I began thinking about the fact that teachers must exhibit strong positive habits and traits in order that their students, year after year, become fluent, independent, and lifelong readers. Without positive habits, reading instruction will suffer and student potential could be wasted. At that moment, questions began to fill my head: What are seven habits of highly effective teachers of reading? How can Covey's insight be used to enhance the teaching of reading? Using the same framework of Covey's seven habits, I started to think about what each habit may look like for those who teach reading skills to children on a daily basis.","PeriodicalId":111992,"journal":{"name":"Georgia Journal of Literacy","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131891953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What's in a Word? Increasing Acquisition of Word Knowledge through Effective Vocabulary Instruction","authors":"Loleta D. Sartin, Rosalyn L. Magee","doi":"10.56887/galiteracy.78","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.78","url":null,"abstract":"Johnny (a pseudonym) was able to decode the words in the poem, \"Democracy.\" When asked to summarize the poem, Johnny responded, \"I don't know what it was about.\" This is a common scenario in classrooms. Students are able to identify words automatically but are unable to discuss the meaning of the words. Decoding is a component of the reading process, but in order to become a reader, one must be able to both decode and understand the words on the page as defined by the National Reading Panel, are the words we must know to communicate effectively (LINCS, 2010). are four types of vocabulary: listening (words we can hear and understand), speaking (words we use when we speak), reading (words we can identify and understand when we read) and writing (the words we use in writing; Reutzel & Cooter, 2009). As a student's vocabulary increases, the better reader he will become. There is a positive correlation between a person's vocabulary attainment and fluency, comprehension, and oral and written communication skills.","PeriodicalId":111992,"journal":{"name":"Georgia Journal of Literacy","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130054470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nontraditional Literacy Nontraditional Forms of Parental Involvement in Literacy Development: The Book Mobile and Other Stories","authors":"Patricia L. Guerra, Clarena Larrotta","doi":"10.56887/galiteracy.77","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.77","url":null,"abstract":"This qualitative research examines family literacy practices used by working-class Latina/o parents. Through personal narratives two Latina researchers illustrate how their parents and family members engage in nontraditional parental involvement activities that promote literacy development and learning. Analysis of narratives reveals incidental learning occurs through nontraditional parent involvement. In literacy development this learning occurs when parents and children interact in daily life activities. Three themes are explored -- nontraditional reading resources, value assigned to literacy, and family interactions. Each theme is explained and accompanied by example narratives. Relevant implications for family literacy instructors are provided.","PeriodicalId":111992,"journal":{"name":"Georgia Journal of Literacy","volume":"72 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115511885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Walking and Writing","authors":"C. Pace","doi":"10.56887/galiteracy.79","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.79","url":null,"abstract":"Determined to introduce a new paradigm for struggling writers, the author developed an analogy that learning to write is like learning to walk. Both are developmental and involve readiness, support, learning from trial and error, and repetition. After all, we're not born knowing how to walk, and we're not born knowing how to write, but by applying researched based strategies effectively, we can learn to do both.","PeriodicalId":111992,"journal":{"name":"Georgia Journal of Literacy","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129926564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}