Engaging Todays Students in Texts William McBride Independent Reading Consultant, Author of Entertai

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Engaging Todays Students in TextsWilliam
McBride Independent Reading Consultant, Author
of Entertaining an Elephant

• Pupils as Passionate Learners

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How Can We Use Brain Research to Help Students
Pay Attention and Retain Information?
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What Keeps Our Attention?

• Choice
• (content, process, resource, environment)
• Relevance
• (personal, in context)
• Feedback
• (as immediate as possible)
• Engagement
• (emotionally, physically, verbally)

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How Humor Promotes Retention
Endorphin Surge
Oxygen
Mental Health
Gets Attention!
Discipline
Positive Climate
Increases Retention
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the rich get richer and the poor get poorer
Matthews Effect
Average Reader
Poor Reader
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Variation in Amount of Independent Reading
Minutes of Reading Per Day
Words Read Per Year
Percentile
Source adapted from Anderson, Watson, and
Fielding, 1998
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Rank of Rare Words in Spoken Written Language
Source adapted from Anderson, Watson, and
Fielding, 1998
Rare Words per 1000
Communication Medium
Rank of Median Word
Frequency Ranking of 86,741word forms where the
word the ranks 1 in usage, pass
ranks 1,000, vibrate ranks 5,000,
shrimp ranks 9,000, and amplifier ranks
16,000.
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If most vocabulary is acquired outside of formal
teaching, then the only opportunities to acquire
new words occur when an individual is exposed to
a word in written or oral language that is
outside his current vocabulary. This will happen
vastly more often while reading than while
talking or watching television.
Vocabulary Facts
Source Cunningham and Stanovich. What Reading
Does for the Mind, American Educator,
(Spring/Summer, 1998) .
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Vocabulary Facts
17.0
14.4
13.1
1982 2002
Age Groups
Source Survey of Public Participation in the
Arts, 2002
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Brain-based Teaching
Primacy-recency effect
Prime-time-1
Prime-time-2
Degree of retention
Practice Review
Down-time
New Content
Sense Relevance
0
10
20
30
40
Time in minutes
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Predicting ABCsPredicting Vocabulary
Before Reading
TOPIC
A-B
G-H
E-F
C-D
M-N
K-L
I-J
O-P
WXYZ
U-V
S-T
Q-R
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Vocabulary Development What Works

• Extensive Reading
• Direct Instruction in Word Meaning
• Direct Instruction in Morphology
• Direct Instruction in Context Usage
• Diverse, interesting, fun activities

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Preview Maps
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(No Transcript)
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Preview MapsPreviewing Texts
Before Reading
What it looks like The Americans, The Divisive
Politics of Slavery
What is the title?
What is this list?
Whose American story is told?
What is in the purple block of text?
Whose picture is shown?
Rewrite first major heading as a question?
Rewrite the first subheading as a question?
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Brain-based Teaching
Primacy-recency effect
Prime-time-1
Prime-time-2
Degree of retention
Practice Review
Down-time
New Content
Sense Relevance
0
10
20
30
40
Time in minutes
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P.L.A.N. Predict Locate
Add Note
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P.L.A.N.
The Living Constitution Article 2. The Executive
US Map p. 256 picture
Four Years w/ V. Pres.
!
X
Equals of Senators and Reps
Terms of Office
Electoral College
?
Election Day
The Executive, p. 256
?
Salary
Qualifications

Natural-born citizen p. 257
?
!
Succession
Oath of Office
Affirmation p. 257
Legend X familiar / ? unfamiliar / !
surprising / important
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What Did I Read?
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What Did I Read?Guided Reading
During Reading
What it looks like Teacher says Class,
remember that the Middle Ages were filled with
war and disease. Now we are going to see a big
change in Europe. Follow along as I read and
take notes. Teacher Reads Aloud The years 1300
to 1600 saw an explosion of creativity in Europe.
Historians call this period the Renaissance.
The term means rebirthin this case a rebirth of
art and learning. The Renaissance began in
northern Italy around 1300 and later spread
north. One reason northern Europe lagged behind
is that France and England were at war. Teachers
says What did I read? Everyone take two
minutes to make some notes about what I just
read. Teacher says after two minutes Steven,
what did I read? Steven says Renaissance
means rebirth. A rebirth or art and
learning. Teacher says Good. Maria, What did
I read? Maria says It started in Italy and
spread north. The north had been having a
war. Teacher says Good. Kim, what did I
read? Kim says The war was between France and
England. Teacher says Good. Kevin, what did I
read? Kevin says The Renaissance lasted between
1300 and 1600. Teacher says Good. Anyone have
anything else? (No answer) Then lets go to the
next section.
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P.L.A.N. What Did I Read?
The Road to Lexington and Concord
Legend X familiar / ? unfamiliar / !
surprising / important
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Compare/Contrast Y Notes
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Compare/Contrast Y Notes Summarizing
Differences and Similarities
During Reading
What it looks like
Topic______________
Topic______________
Similarities
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Compare/Contrast Y Notes Summarizing
Differences and Similarities
During Reading
What it looks like Topic The
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
S. Douglas
A. Lincoln
Topic______________
Topic______________
Ran for US Senate in 1858
Against popular sovereignty
Against slavery
Distorted Douglass views
Dramatic speaker
Former Whig
Plain and direct language
For Popular Sovereignty
Against slavery
Distorted Lincolns views
Incumbent Senator
Ran for US Senate in 1858
Similarities
Ran for US Senate in 1858
Against slavery
Distorted Lincolns views
Distorted Douglass views
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Words to Remember
The systems you have in place are perfect for the
results you are getting.
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Contact Information Bill McBride 432 Vicksburg
St. San Francisco, CA 94114 Phone/Fax
415.826.2310 E-mail billmcbride_at_ionix.net
Workshop Info www.entertaininganelephant.com
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Teacher Price-6.36 Half the proceeds go to
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For Workshops or Keynotes Speeches Go
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