website - Lexiles VS careers

What We Know About

Adolescent Reading

Dr. Willard R. Daggett, International Center for Leadership in Education

Dr. Ted S. Hasselbring, Vanderbilt University

http://www.leadered.com/pdf/adolescent%20reading%20whitepaper.pdf

This is the article title and link for a report by two researchers from Vanderbilt. In the article is a graph showing average Lexile of 10th graders, average Lexile of textbooks, and on to average Lexiles of entry-level careers.  Very enlightening.  This is the article that points out that the current levels of curriculum are insufficient for the needs of business.  Hopefully the CC will help remedy this.

A non-reader

I would say a non-reader is a person who is unable to read at a level necessary to funtion efficiently in their daily lives.  According to one study I read, the levels of required literacy are increasing as we move forward, putting struggling readers further and further behind the curve.The article was:

"What We Know About Adolescent Reading" - Dr, Williard R Daggett, INternational Center for Leadership in Education; Dr. Ted A. Hasselbring, Vanderbilt University.

Domain VS Content Literacy

In doing some reading, I found a reference to Swafford and Kallus (2002) defining "Content LIteracy" as

Content area literacy is exemplified by individuals who use 1) their background knowledge; 2) print and

nonprint texts; 3) developing technologies; and 4) the tools of reading, writing, speaking, listening,

representing, viewing, and other sign systems to explore, construct, learn, and communicate information

within a variety of social and cultural contexts both in and out of school (p.14).
The quote was in a newsletter from the Learning Development Center of Rochester University.  The article was aimed at helping the teachers better help their students by be good role models for how to study and learn.

For "Domain Literacy", however, there was no consensus on the meaning. The term domain seems to be used rather broadly.  Therefore, one can conclude a) a person competent in assimilating into a new cultural group (moving to the city from a rural area, or a new country),
b) being proficient in one of the domains of literacy: reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visually representing.
c) being proficient in literacy, math, or science.

So...Domain literacy seems to be concentrated on specific content, while Content literacy seems more far-reaching - encompassing print and technological information gathering and assimilation.

I think I just confused myself.....

I'm certainly open to comments.

update on group work

Yesterday I sat with the low group in one of the reading classes - this is the group I'm working with for class.  They had yet to finish reading both chapters assigned last week in their group book.  I went over the events in chapter 4 with them, then started reading chapter 5.  When I read aloud they were able to easily asnwer the comprehension questions and discuss character motivation.  The book is The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton, which is a Lexile of 670 - about mid to late 3rd grade. 

So, I'm finding they can understand what they hear, they just cannot read comfortably at the 3rd grade level.

We're doing 2-column note taking on all book levels using Theme and supporting details.  I'll continue to work along with this group part of the period.