trust, establish cohesive goals, and learn from one another (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many, & Mattos, 2016). Our goal is to steer teachers toward some new ways to use our ideas throughout their literacy curriculum work, regardless of the subjects they teach.
Chapters 1–4 at a Glance
As educators, we must aim to change the frame on our old, static, failed picture of reading growth. We need a new perspective on literacy learning, with massive amounts of reading and writing for success. The evidence is clear that much more reading and writing inspire student confidence and ensure their success. We must rally students to the call for literacy learning every day, in every way. The following hypothetical classroom vignettes illustrate how teachers could go about teaching reading with a reframed perspective on literacy.
Chapter 1: The Sound of Reading—Decoding and Phonics
Marilyn Ferguson (1980) writes, “Language releases the unknown from limbo, expressing it in a way that the whole brain can know it” (p. 80). In the following vignette, note the inextricable connection between the words people say and the words they write. It highlights the connectedness of our models of language.
Mrs. Lathers asked her eleventh graders, “How do you know what you think until you see what you say?” This question helped students think about the revelations that naturally occurred as they began to write. The oral language they heard in their heads came out a bit differently when they wrote their ideas on paper. In fact, they found that the words they wrote came out more formal than the words they said to themselves, but because it was their own writing in their own words, they found it easy to read. This is part of the differences we often encounter in the verbal voice and written voice. It’s what Ferguson (1980) is describing when she talks about releasing the unknown from limbo. We know that experience with spoken and written language radically restructures the brain, especially for the very young (Boroditsky, 2019). In fact, it is how the brain learns, literally, by changing its chemistry and its structure to capture the concept through the natural neurological activity of learning.
The multimodal learning process in the brain is alerted with the neurological-impress method, a technique pioneered by clinical psychologist R. G. Heckelman (1969) that involves a student and a partner reading aloud simultaneously from the same book. This method allows students to see, say, and hear fluent language, and this combination of senses helps them decode unknown words. To impact students’ reading levels, teachers should foster plenty of opportunities for students to speak, listen to, and write vocabulary.
Chapter 2: The Look of Reading—Vocabulary
The look of reading is intriguing. The different ways that readers can perceive the look of what they’re reading means they make distinctions and choices. Marilyn Ferguson (1980) writes, “The mind aware of itself is a pilot” (p. 69). Readers can use their self-awareness of the look of reading to note the choices they make and how they react to what they notice about what they read. In the following story, see how students’ journey of choosing a book to read independently can embody this idea.
Ms. Sutton wanted her fourth graders to pick out a book to read on their own during silent reading time in class. During a trip to the school library, she asked them to make their choices based on what the books look like. The look of reading can cause students to prejudge many aspects of reading choices. A student might think, “l love the cover,” “It looks like a big-kid book ’cause it’s so thick,” and “The pages are completely covered with words; no places to stop and start. No pictures. It bet it’s going to be hard; definitely a long slog, so here goes.”
The look of reading is in the mechanics and the aesthetics. If a word doesn’t look right, it could be a spelling error. If a text has shorter paragraphs, with openings of white space or a graphic or callout to interrupt the text, it’s more inviting to the reader. The look of a poem, a passage, or even a run of dialogue offers a break in text for the weary reader. Knowing this to be true, talk about reading choices with your students. Get them thinking about how they think about the look of a reading.
Chapter 3: The Knowingness of Reading—Background Knowledge
Eric Hoffer (1973) points out, “In times of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists” (p. 22). We see this quote as a comment on the rapid changes that occur in all sectors of the world, including education, and the need for swiftness when moving on to the newest methods. Those not able to make the shift will be left behind. But without background knowledge, there is nowhere to shift from. The brain builds on background knowledge that’s already present and makes neurological adjustments to fit the incoming messages into existing patterns. This is the story of learning: building on existing knowledge in a dynamic way and chunking information to make sense of it and store it for logical recovery when needed. The following vignette concerns the essence of what knowing is all about. It’s that metacognitive moment when we call on our brain to work deeper.
When Mr. Ellington repeated, “You know more than you think you know. Your brain is smarter than you,” these sixth-grade students knew to think again, to search for connections that made sense of the content they were reading. In fact, Mr. Ellington actually heard students saying under their breath, “I know; I know more than I know I know.” This behavior was more obvious when they deciphered an optical illusion or discerned the patterns in a tessellation or laughed aloud at a cartoon image that seemed hilarious the instant it registered on the brain. It was clear when they finally had that break, that rare aha moment, that they knew he was right.
A truth to take away: It’s important and intelligent to know what we know and what we don’t know.
Chapter 4: Digital Reading
What could be better, in a world of information amid misinformation, than a digital reader in your back pocket?
This story is our ode to the technology advancement that allows us to revisit and refresh the background knowledge stored in our brain. It’s called the computer; whether a tiny handheld device, a tablet, or a desktop processor, it’s a ready, fast backup like an ever-ready battery.
Mr. Hass’s seventh-grade students were digital-savvy readers, each with a smartphone near at hand. Rather than having to go to the dictionary in the corner or yell out, “What’s a thesaurus?” these students had a background knowledge center with them at all times. He coached, “When you’re stumped, think in your head first to see if you can recover any ideas. If not, then ask your partner, and finally, dig out the digital wizard and search with Siri or google it to find the answer on your own.”
One’s body of knowledge is enhanced by background experiences and prior understanding. When a chunk of knowledge is missing, the brain searches for a connection. Teachers who understand the power of knowledge-driven reading understandably value the use of a digital device.
Along the way, we will explore some closely related ideas such as the emerging requirements around assisting dyslexic students sooner, the impact of transitioning to digital texts, and the potential for literacy acquisition to support the acquisition of social-emotional skills.
The topic of literacy is highly charged, with skirmishes from the so-called reading wars somehow still persisting. We have tried to fully substantiate each claim herein with solid research, rather than any particular philosophy or preference. In doing this, we respectfully interpret the work of Mike Schmoker, Daniel T. Willingham,
