What is it? How does it work?
Background:
STL is designed to develop the reading abilities of struggling students through good literature. Student Team Literature is an adaptation of Student Team Reading, developed by Robert Stevens in 1989.
Overview:
Student Team Literature (STL) was designed to enhance middle school students' motivation to learn while improving their reading comprehension and understanding of good literature. Student Team Literature is an adaptation of Student Team Reading, developed by Robert Stevens in 1989. STL uses award-winning novels, higher-order thinking activities, and cooperative learning to create a motivating environment for reading. It is part of a comprehensive school reform model,Talent Development Middle School (TDMS) being developed at John Hopkins University. TDMS has been implemented in 21 schools. However, a school may elect to implement STL without TDMS.
STL teachers introduce novels with discussions of relevant background knowledge, genre, and vocabulary.
Students work in cooperative learning teams as they read. Activities include:
1. Partner Reading. Students first read silently, then take turns reading orally with a partner.
2. Treasure Hunts. Higher-order questions guide student reading, requiring them to search and think to generate text-supported answers.
3. Word Mastery. Students practice saying new vocabulary words with their partners, then use those words in writing context clue sentences.
4. Story-retelling. Students summarize stories in their own words.
5. Story-related writing. Students write in response to prompts about their reading.
6. Extension activities. Students complete cross-curricular research, fine arts, dramatics, and media activities as they explore themes in the books.
7. Tests. Students take tests on comprehension, word meaning, and word pronunciation.
8. Explicit instruction of comprehension strategies. Teachers model and guide students in comprehension and metacognitive self-checking strategies.
Students work in pairs and in heterogeneously mixed groups of 4-5. They receive rewards for working well both as an individual and as a group member.
Effectiveness: |
Promising
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Primary Outcomes: |
- motivation
- fluent decoding
- linguistic knowledge
- making inferences
- self-regulated comprehending
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Students: |
Struggling middle school readers
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Setting: |
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Support for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Readers: |
The program originally was developed in urban classrooms and has been implemented since then with diverse populations.
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Approach: |
- modeling, guided practice, independent practice
- inductive, inquiry, or discovery learning
- cooperative learning
- culturally responsive teaching
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Materials: |
some materials available for teachers and students
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Cost category:
(Note: The cost category was last updated in 2000, at the time of publication. Contact the publisher for specific current costs associated with using this item.)
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over $400
per classroom Contact the program office for cost information. |
Developers: |
Douglas Mac Iver,
Principal Research Scientist
Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR)
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Publishers: |
Johns Hopkins University
3003 N. Charles St., Suite 200
Baltimore, MD 21218-3888
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Web Site: |
http://www.csos.jhu.edu/
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Contact Information: |
Phone: 410-516-8829
Fax: 410-516-8890
E-mail: dmaciver@csos.jhu.edu |
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What Does It Mean to Teach Reading Explicitly?
Comprehend Text