Adolescent Literacy: How to Access and Comprehend Text

This interactive session on adolescent literacy will focus on helping all middle/high school teachers see their roles not as teachers of reading, but as teachers of how to access information from the different kinds of text used in their classes. Participants will briefly examine their own reading/literacy strategies, review scientifically based reading/literacy approaches, and learn how to restructure learning tasks that emphasize both content and access of text and comprehension as essential goals.

Who Should Attend:
Middle school and high school teachers, staff developers, coaches, and administrators

Objectives:
You will

• gain a deeper understanding of the major components of an adolescent literacy program (i.e., reading theories, processes, and practices, with the emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary development, and reading/writing connections across all content areas);
• practice using research-based instructional strategies that focus on helping secondary students comprehend complex texts, think critically about what they read, and understand the importance of vocabulary for application and meaning;
• learn how to explicitly talk about their instruction and the reading/literacy strategy connections (e.g., the what, the why, the when, and the how); and
• create an action plan to apply key learnings from this session to classroom practice.

Presenters:

Prior to joining SEDL, Dr. Ramona Chauvin was a Region II Reading First regional coordinator for the Louisiana Department of Education and program director of Western Washington University's K–8 Teacher Education Program in Everett, Washington. She also has over 25 years of classroom experience as a teacher in grades 5–12 and 13 years of experience in higher education institutions in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Washington. She holds a PhD from the University of New Orleans in curriculum and instruction with a focus on teacher development, adult learning, narrative inquiry, and educational administration.

Prior to joining SEDL, Kathleen Theodore worked for the Louisiana Department of Education's Region I Education Service Center, where she coordinated regional and statewide Reading First professional development activities and provided extensive follow-up through support mentoring and coaching. She also worked in the New Orleans Public Schools for 24 years, where she served in the roles of classroom teacher, staff developer, and district reading facilitator. Theodore holds a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Xavier University of New Orleans.

Location:
CPL sessions are held at SEDL's headquarters in Austin, TX. Contact SEDL if you would like to schedule a customized session at your location.