Get Organized!

Graphic organizers help readers with comprehension and retention problems by arranging the events, details and characters of a story visually. At the 2009 GED/HSED conference I got an introduction to a multitude of formats to make the abstract visible. You can choose one you think might help your learner and, if the first one doesn't work, try another. Here is one organizer from the website
graphicorganizers.com/:

It organizes a story by asking the Who? What? When? Why? questions a reporter asks and leaves room at the bottom to draw a conclusion. Below you can see a similar organizer that takes on Chapter 11 of Huckleberry Finn,
a relatively complex story. In this case each minor event has its own question at the top of the box and below it the learner fills in the answers as he reads or rereads the story. The site linked here has 41 organizers — Venn circles, character studies, branching diagrams and others.

Another very nice website is freeology.com. In addition to graphic organizers you will find worksheets and word games to play. Like graphicorganizers.com it has many different ways to arrange story elements visually. One of my favorites, for its simplicity and directness, is the cause-and-effect organizer. Here is a screen grab of that item:

I filled in this organizer with details from the Wikipedia entry for the topic of global warming. You and your learner might organize some of the thoughts as you see at left. You could just as easily run the organizer backwards, starting with effects and then listing their causes beneath them. Everyone's mind works differently, which is why it's such a good thing that there are so many different organizers out there. Please give it a look and see what might work for your learner's mind. You might try it out on your own first, graphically organizing a story from the newspaper before you try it with your learner. Best of luck, and have fun!

Photo Stories

Dear Tutors and Teachers:

We do not often give guarantees in the teaching business, but I will go out on a limb here. If you try this technique, I can guarantee a measure of success at getting your learner to generate sentences and tell you things you did not know. Deborah Spark, a creative writing professor at the University of Wisconsin gave her class (myself included) these instructions:

1. Take out a sheet of paper.
2. Stick a photograph of someone or something (she suggested a family member) on the paper.
3. Write about the picture and what it makes you remember.

When Prof. Spark gave me the assignment I attached a photo of my mother to the paper and put it in my typewriter. Then I sat down on in my cave and started a fire with a flint and steel as I began to write. Page after page spilled out of.

The photo story idea is simple and it works. It can be a way to use the Language Experience Approach (LEA) with your learner. In the LEA technique the tutor begins by acting as a listener/scribe. With a picture provoking a story as described above, get your learner's words down on paper, leaving a blank line between each line of printed text. Verify the story by reading it back to your learner. You can read the story several times together, always tracking each word with a finger. With repetition your learner will begin to pick out new sight words to use on their own.

Give it a try. And when you do, ask your learner if he or she is willing to share it with others. Literacy Network is looking for learner visual art and writing to put on its walls. We are calling it the Home Writing Project.

The Jackpot for Teaching Materials

Today's Tip comes courtesy of tutor Eva Bellinger. The books she recommends are nicely organized by phonetic concepts--word families--and easy to find. I have included links to Barnes and Noble that show you what the books look like. You will also find a link to The Learning Shop, a store that sells materials for the do-it-yourself teacher or tutor.

I was looking at children’s books at Borders East and the young lady in the Children's Books dept got as excited as if we were shopping for her own student. She found Saggy Baggy Elephant and Tawny Scrawny Lion with CDs. So Rosa can listen to the reading over and over. Lena told me that the Little Golden books get reprinted in August for Christmas. Richard Scarry’s children’s books are also being reprinted. Everything in Richard Scarry is present tense, with lots of vocabulary labeled, and they're great browsing books (libros para hojear). So Rosa and Edwin can tackle one page of Richard Scarry together at a time.

Also, for your own info to share with your own little boy, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and three other classics by Virginia Lee Burton have come out in one volume. So hie thee hence to Borders and splurge!

Rosa and I slogged through Tawny Scrawny and Saggy Baggy, writing vocabulary translations and pronunciations in as needed. They're my books, with my name on them, and there's a specific place to keep them, so little Edwin doesn't squirrel the books away in his room as he did with the library books! And Rosa can keep them and work on them as long as necessary.

We're also using English for Everyday Activities, and going over and over and over the simple past tense (lessons 12 and following).

The Bob books are at The Learning Shop. Also, I was able to order English Pronunciation For Spanish Speakers secondhand, so that should go together well with the Bob Books. That, plus my home school spelling manual, should go a long way with the vowels.

Thought, through, though, although, etc are driving Rosa crazy right now. Lots of those in Saggy Baggy and Tawny Scrawny, so she'll get lots of work on them! We hammered at the phrases "Think it through" and "Think it over."

I have given Rosa a pile of homework for while I'm gone. In addition to Saggy Baggy and Tawny Scrawny, I told her to get a newspaper and also to listen to TV news. We'll see if she gets that together.

Thinking About Thinking About Reading

Today I reach into a book from the Literacy Network library, Strategies That Work by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis
(© 2000, Stenhouse Publishers). In chapter two the authors describe a tutor named Steph helping a new reader named Alverro with a passage in a beginning level book.

He turned to a picture of a baby giraffe drinking at the water hole and began to read the one sentence of text that constituted the entire page: “When a baby giraffe is born, it is already six feet tall.” Stunning information, to say the least!

Alverro read easily through the first clause then stumbled on the word already. He tried a number of decoding strategies to figure it out, including parsing the word, going back and rereading, and reading ahead. After several tries, he got it. He read already…When Alverro reached the end of the sentence, however, he went right on to the next page without taking even a moment to ponder the remarkable fact about giraffe birth size.

“Whoa! Not so fast,” Steph said. “What did you just read?”

“Already?” he asked….

[H]e couldn’t answer…He had committed himself single-mindedly to decoding the word already and had lost all track of meaning in the process.

“Single-minded commitment”—what a wonderful phrase! For some learners the struggle to read an individual word can resemble Ahab’s white whale—a quest that blots out every other desire. At the end of this anecdote the tutor asks young Alverro to stop, reread and think about the meaning of the sentence. He took a second and related it to his own experience, saying, “Wow, baby giraffes are almost as tall as Michael Jordan on the day they are born!”

How about that?

This tutor-learner pair decided to stop at the bottom of each page to stop and think. Because he was reading children’s books, each page was only a few sentences long.

Strategic reading is a concept that encourages learners to be aware of their own thoughts while they are reading. “Thinking about thinking” being an awkward phrase, the authors use the term metacognition to describe it. Some of the strategies the book describes include:

· Questioning – No question is dumb—period. Encourage learners to ask questions about the text and how the smaller parts form the larger story.

· Visualizing – Create mental images while reading. Try to see yourself in the characters shoes. Construct the scenes of the story from familiar locales.

· Drawing Inferences – “Read between the lines.” Ask yourself, “What is the author hinting at here?

For new learners, reading text for meaning for the first time in their lives, reading can be a bore, a chore, something to rush through. Remember the value of slowing down. Teachers are learners, too, so this advice applies to tutors as much as to new readers of English. And let summer teach this to us all: it does help to slow down, stop and think. It’s not only about getting to the end of the book. To quote “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,”

Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Multi-Level Dictation

We have discussed multi-level dictation before in this space, but those of you who know me already know my position on the value of repetition (Repetition is good. Repetition is good). A multi level dictation starts with the tutor and learner reading a passage aloud together, something like the one quoted from the April/May edition of ESL/basic literacy newspaper The Key (http://www.keynews.org/) below. Then, the teacher reads aloud while learner follows the same story, except with a few blanks for him to fill in. See below:

Level A:

Home Loan Crisis Will Affect Everyone

Sub-prime loans at fault

by Bill Lavelette

Easy money is not so easy. Millions of people bought homes with easy money. Now it is turning out to be a painful experience.

The pain is coming from what is called "sub prime loans." The damage caused by these loans is rippling through the economy. Some figures suggest that the loans have caused a slight decline in the value of homes all across the nation.

People also have less money to spend on other things as a result of these loans. The damage is likely to continue for the rest of this year, some experts say.

Sub-prime loans replaced mortgages
Sub prime loans have always been controversial. They have become more popular since 1998. About 20 percent of all home loans are now sub prime loans.

Those loans are more common in low-income and minority neighborhoods. They will suffer the most when people have trouble re-paying the loans.

Some people who could not get regular loans were able to buy homes with sub prime loans. Others could get regular mortgages. But many of them were pressured into sub prime loans.

Many of the sub prime loans in recent years replaced regular mortgages. People whose homes increased in value were pressured to switch from regular mortgages to sub primes. That allowed many people to take equity out of their homes and spend that money on other things. Equity is the amount of money that is more than the amount owed on the home. For example, a home is worth $100,000 and its owners owe $40,000 on their mortgage. That means they have $60,000 in equity.

Okay, now you’re ready to move to the next level. Give the learner a printout of the level B version of the story, with about two blanks per sentence that they will fill in.

Level B:

Easy money is not so __________. Millions of people bought __________with __________money. Now it is turning out to be a __________experience.

The __________is coming from what is called "sub __________loans." The damage caused by these __________is rippling through the economy. __________figures suggest that the __________have caused a slight decline in the value of __________all across the nation.

People also have less __________to __________on other things as a __________of these loans. The damage is __________to continue for the __________of this year, some experts say.

Sub-prime loans __________mortgages
Sub prime loans have always been controversial. They have become more __________since 1998. About 20 __________of all home loans are now sub prime loans.

Those loans are more __________in low-income and __________neighborhoods. They will __________the most when people have trouble re-paying the loans.

Some people who __________not get __________loans were able to buy homes with sub prime loans. __________could get regular mortgages. But many of them were pressured into sub prime loans.

Many of the sub __________ loans in recent years replaced __________mortgages. People whose homes increased in __________were pressured to switch from regular mortgages to sub primes. That allowed many people to take __________ out of their homes and __________ that money on other things. Equity is the amount of money that is __________ than the amount owed on the home. For example, a home is __________ $100,000 and its owners owe $40,000 on their __________. That means they have $60,000 in equity.

Filling in the blanks is much easier than doing a pure dictation. And again with the repetition—you can take it from level B to C, which has even more blanks. Check it out:

Level C:

__________ money is not so __________. __________ of people bought __________with __________ money. Now it is __________ out to be a __________experience.

The __________is __________ from what is called "sub __________loans." The damage caused by these __________is __________ through the economy. __________figures suggest that the __________have caused a slight __________ in the value of __________all across the nation.

__________ also have less __________to __________on other things as a __________of these __________. The damage is __________to continue for the __________of this year, some __________ say.

Sub-__________ __________ replaced mortgages
Sub __________ __________ have __________ been controversial. They have __________ more __________ since 1998. About 20 __________of all __________ __________ are now sub prime __________.

Those __________ are more __________in low-__________ and __________neighborhoods. They will __________the most __________ people have __________ re-paying the loans.

Some __________ who __________not get ____________________ were able to buy __________ with __________ __________ __________. __________could get regular mortgages. But many of them were pressured into __________ __________ __________.

Many of the __________ __________ __________ in recent __________ replaced __________mortgages. __________ whose __________ increased in __________were pressured to __________ from __________ mortgages to __________ __________. That allowed many __________ to take __________ out of their __________ and __________ that __________ on other things. __________ is the amount of money that is __________ than the amount owed on the __________. For example, a __________ is __________ $100,000 and its __________ owe $40,000 on their __________. That __________ they have $60,000 in equity.

And, if the two of you are still feeling enthusiastic, take it to:

Level D

__________ __________ is not so __________. __________ of __________ bought __________with __________ money. __________ __________ __________ __________ out to be a __________experience.

The __________is __________ __________ __________ is called "__________ ____________________." The damage __________ by __________ __________is __________ through the __________. __________figures __________ that the ____________________ caused a slight __________ in the value of __________all __________ the nation.

__________ also __________ less __________to __________on __________ __________ as a __________of these __________. The __________ is __________to continue __________ __________ __________of __________ year, some __________ say.

Sub-__________ __________ __________ mortgages
Sub __________ __________ have __________ been controversial. __________ __________ __________ more __________ since 1998. About 20 __________of all __________ __________ are now sub prime __________.

Those __________ are more __________in low-__________ and __________neighborhoods. They will __________the most __________ people have __________ re-paying the loans.

Some __________ who __________not get ____________________ were able to buy __________ with __________ __________ __________. __________could __________ regular __________. But many of them were __________ into __________ __________ __________.

__________ of the __________ __________ __________ in recent __________ replaced ____________________ __________ whose __________ increased in __________were pressured to __________ from __________ __________ to __________ __________. That allowed __________ __________ to take __________ out of their __________ and __________ that __________ on other things. __________ is the __________ of money that is __________ than the __________ owed on the __________. For example, a __________ is __________ $100,000 and its __________ owe $40,000 on their __________. That __________ they __________ $60,000 in __________.

Of course, multi-level dictations can always be found in Hands-On English, a bi-monthly magazine for tutors and teachers. It lives on the check-out table of the Literacy Network Library. Or you could do as I just did, copying a basic level text from the internet and adding blanks yourself. OR—another thought occurred to me!—try this as an extension of the Language Experience Approach stories you create with your learner. That is, create a story together, then type it up at home and do it again next week as a multi-level dictation.