Step Up t Writing and the Judith Langer Research* I first learned abut Judith Langer and her wrk at CELA (Center n English Learning and Achievement) several years ag frm the curriculum directr in a small rural district in Clrad. She recgnized the fact that the Step Up methds and strategies addressed all six f the recmmendatins fr effective instructin identified by Langer and her clleagues. The directr gifted me with a large stack f the Teaching Middle and High Schl Students t Read and Write Well bklets. I shared the bklets with teachers in my middle schl and with participants in my wrkshps and cllege classes. When I ran ut, I rdered mre. The methds, strategies, and gals in Step Up t Writing, I discvered, were a perfect match t the results f the research. The mst bvius cnnectins were with the Step Up strategies and with the way the strategies prepare students fr infrmal and high stakes assessments. Lessns in Step Up include explicit instructin as well as applicatin t cntent area assignments and t the types f tasks students face in exams. Students, fr example, wh learn the happy face strategy fr answering questins, knw hw t write great shrt answers in class and n a test. They als learn hw t generate ideas and share them. Students knw they will be asked t analyze, critique, cmpare, etc. as they read, write, and share. Because Step Up strategies are taught with a variety f multisensry lessns, students have many different pprtunities t learn skills and practice them. Students quickly mve frm learning the strategies t using the strategies t learn cntent. As yu implement Step Up t Writing in yur schl r classrm, check yur effectiveness by reflecting n Langer s six features f effective instructin. Use the fllwing crrelatin fr ideas abut using Step Up strategies t meet all six gals. Maureen Auman * Yu can dwnlad a free cpy f Judith Langer s Six Features f Effective Instructin at: http://cela.albany.edu/publicatin/brchure/guidelines.pdf
Page 2 f 7 CORRELATION Step Up t Writing Crrelatin t Judith A. Langer s Guidelines fr Teaching Middle and High Schl Students t Read and Write Well: Six Features f Effective Instructin Step Up t Writing Supprts the Six Features f Effective Instructin Even with the right materials and lessn plans, with hurs spent preparing fr instructin, and with nging assessments in place, many teachers and schls are nt as successful as thers. Academic researcher Judith A. Langer has studied this prblem and frm her research has identified six features f instructin that make teachers the mst successful. She ntes in her research reprt, Beating the Odds: Teaching Middle and High Schl Students t Read and Write Well (frm which the dcument, Six Features f Effective Instructin, is taken), that the six features f effective instructin are interrelated and supprtive f ne anther. The greatest imprvement in student success resulted when the instructinal methds are addressed and integrated. Langer bserved that the higher perfrming schls exhibit all six characteristics in their classrm instructin. Frtunately, the researched-based, multisensry reading and writing strategies prmted in Step Up t Writing are applicable t all six aspects f effective literacy instructin and cntent/subject area instructin. This allws teachers t integrate all f the imprtant literacy teaching methds within their classrm as suggested by Langer s research while still prviding students with effective, hands-n strategies and tls t develp cntent/subject area knwledge. The flexible, strategy-based Step Up t Writing prgram cnnects reading, writing, vcabulary, sentence mastery, and mre, t build a cmmn language f literacy and increase prficiency acrss grade levels, cntent areas, and student abilities. Extensive mdeling, guided lessns, and independent practice imprve students writing, reading cmprehensin, nte-taking, and critical-thinking skills. Students, including English language learners and ther diverse student ppulatins, learn t read, write, listen, speak, and view with skill and cnfidence. Six Features f Effective Instructin 1. Students learn skills and knwledge in multiple lessn types 2. Teachers integrate test preparatin int instructin 3. Teachers make cnnectins acrss instructin, curriculum, and life 4. Students learn strategies fr ding the wrk 5. Students are expected t be generative thinkers 6. Classrms fster cgnitive cllabratin
Page 3 f 7 Step Up t Writing (3 rd editin, 2008) Sectin Titles Sectin 1: Writing t Imprve Reading and Listening Cmprehensin Sectin 2: Vcabulary Sectin 3: Sentence Mastery Sectin 4: Infrmatin/Expsitry Paragraphs Sectin 5: Accrdin Essays and Reprts Sectin 6: Stry and Narrative Writing Sectin 7: Persnal Narratives Sectin 8: Speeches Sectin 9: Specific Writing Assignments Sectin 10: Assessment and High Standards Six Features f Effective Instructin Judith A. Langer, et al Step Up t Writing, 3 rd Editin (2008) Practical Tls, Strategies, and Lessns 1. Students learn skills and knwledge in multiple lessn types (separated, simulated, and integrated) Offers separated, simulated, and integrated strategies, tls, and activities fr individual students, small grups, r the entire class Uses varius instructinal strategies t scaffld ways t think and discuss such as: Making inferences (Sectin 1) Analyzing a text (Sectins 1 and 9) Summarizing t demnstrate cmprehensin (Sectin 1) Asking and answering questins abut a reading (Sectin 1) Respnding t the text (Sectins 1 and 9) Qutatin / Respnse (Sectin 1) Making cnnectins t the text (Sectins 1 and 9) Qutatin/respnse (Sectin 1) Prvides pprtunities fr teachers t mdel new strategies and skills, fr students t practice and develp mastery Equips students with hands-n, multisensry literacy strategies fr reading, writing, evaluating, and discussing fictin and nn-fictin, written and visual Prvides direct instructin in strategies and methds t apply literacy skills t specific tasks and assignments Integrates mdels and examples fr peer and self-evaluatin
Page 4 f 7 Teaches skills, cncepts, cnventins, mechanics, vcabulary t be used in classrm discussins Encurages the use f literacy strategies acrss subject areas and embedded within cntent learning Cnnects reading t writing practice and writing assignments 2. Teachers integrate test preparatin int instructin...includes nging pprtunities fr test preparatin, practice, and assessment Active reading strategies (Sectin 1) Mastering shrt answers and/r lnger cnstructed respnses (Sectins 1, 3, 4 thru 10) Vcabulary develpment and mastery (Sectin 2) Writing fr frmal assessments (Sectins 4 thru 10) Setting high expectatins (Sectin 10) Assessments, scring guides, and rubrics (Sectin 10) Prvides teachers and students with a variety f strategies, tls, activities, and guided lessns t imprve reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing skills acrss cntent areas and acrss grade levels Integrates mdels and examples fr peer and self-evaluatin Prvides varius strategies fr building and activating prir knwledge thrugh reading and writing 3. Teachers make cnnectins acrss instructin, curriculum, and life Prvides teachers and students with a variety f strategies, tls, activities, and guided lessns t imprve reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing skills acrss cntent areas and acrss grade levels Engages students in the reading prcess and prmtes active reading Generate backgrund knwledge Make cnnectins Qutatin / Respnse Strategies fr reading textbks and ther nn-fictin texts Strategies fr Befre, During, and After reading Enables students t strengthen their verall literacy skills and build histrical, cultural, and scial backgrund knwledge Prvides varius strategies fr building and activating prir knwledge thrugh reading and writing such as: Descriptive writing (Sectin 9) Persnal writing such as free respnse r jurnal writing (Sectin 9) Making text cnnectins (text t self, t text, t wrld) (Sectin 1) Recgnizing text structures and genres (Sectins 1, and 4 thru 9) Using tw- and three-clumn ntes (Sectins 1, 4, 8, 9)
Page 5 f 7 Creating, viewing, and using study guides (Sectin 1) Using graphic rganizers and ther rganizatinal techniques (Sectins 1, 2, and 4 thru 9) Engaging in the writing prcess (e.g. brainstrming, prewriting) (Sectins 4 thru 10) Builds cmmn language, cmmn strategies, and high expectatins fr all classes, subjects, and ability levels Wrks particularly well with theme-based units and lessn plans Strategies, tls, and activities can be applied t any tpic r theme, in any subject/cntent area 4. Students learn strategies fr ding the wrk Integrates sund, research-based literacy strategies thrughut its prgram Prvides teachers and students with a variety f strategies, tls, activities, and guided lessns t imprve reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing skills acrss cntent areas and grade levels Teaches students active reading strategies t better cmprehend all texts, bth fictin and nn-fictin, written and visual Engages students in the reading prcess Generate backgrund knwledge Frnt-lad students fr success Strategies fr reading textbks and ther nn-fictin texts Strategies fr Befre, During, and After reading such as: Pre-reading activities (Sectin 1) Practical, effective nte-taking (Sectin 1) Recgnizing text structures (Sectin 1, and 4 thru 8) Making inferences (Sectin 1) Analyzing a text (Sectins 1 and 9) Summarizing t demnstrate cmprehensin (Sectin 1) Asking and answering questins abut a reading (Sectin 1) Respnding t the text (Sectins 1 and 9) Making cnnectins t the text (e.g. analyze, cmpare, critique) (Sectins 1 and 9) And mre! Emplys varius strategies, techniques, and activities t prmte reading and writing imprvement including Respnding t the text (Sectins 1 and 9) Making cnnectins (Sectins 1, 2, and 9) Marking the text and taking ntes (Sectin 1) Recgnizing text structures and genres (Sectins 1, and 4 thru 9)
Page 6 f 7 Using graphic rganizers and ther rganizatinal techniques (Sectins 1, 2, and 4 thru 9) Summarizing (Sectins 1, and 8 thru 10) Asking and answering questins (Sectins 1, 8, 10) Writing-t-learn activities (Sectins 1 thru 3, and 9 t 10) Develping vcabulary (Sectin 2) Mastering sentence writing (Sectin 3) Using the writing prcess (Sectins 4 thru 10) Writing acrss the cntent areas (all Sectins) Guides students thrugh the entire writing prcess beginning with brainstrming and prewriting, and cntinuing with planning, rganizing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing/sharing with strng emphasis n paraphrasing Empwers students t cmplete writing assignments cnnected t cntent materials and/r textbks that they are assigned t read Equips students with strategies and tls t plan, rganize, create, and deliver successful speeches bth frmal and infrmal such as thse fund in Sectin 8: Understanding cmpnents f a gd speech Blcking ut and planning a speech Including stries in a speech Making intrductins Asking and answering questins Fcusing n the audience Giving imprmptu speeches, hw-t speeches, persuasive speeches, bk reprts Assessing student presentatins and speeches (Sectin 10) Imprves students listening and discussin skills with strategies, activities, and tls such as: Gd listening skills (Sectin 8) Participating in a discussin (Sectin 8) Asking and answering questins (Sectin 8) Prvides direct instructin in strategies and methds t apply literacy skills t specific tasks and assignments Integrates mdels and examples fr peer and self-evaluatin Prvides pprtunities fr teachers t mdel new strategies and skills, fr students t practice and develp mastery Encurages the use f literacy strategies acrss subject areas and embedded within cntent learning
5. Students are expected t be generative thinkers Step Up t Writing/J. Langer Page 7 f 7...Prvides pprtunities fr students t write in a variety f genres and frmats, and fr a variety f purpses Enables students t strengthen their verall literacy skills and build histrical, cultural, and scial backgrund knwledge and perspective Guides students thrugh research, reflectin, and evaluatin f tpics, ideas, and texts Teaches students t explre, elabrate, and explain their ideas thrugh writing Encurages the use f literacy strategies acrss subject areas and embedded within cntent learning Empwers students t share insights and infrmatin 6. Classrms fster cgnitive cllabratin Encurages students t wrk in small grups t cllabrate n writing. Sme f these strategies include: Engaging in effective discussin (Sectins 1 and 8) Asking and answering questins (Sectins 1 and 8) Summarizing t demnstrate cmprehensin (Sectin 1) Respnding t the text (Sectins 1 and 9) Making cnnectins (Sectins 1, 2, and 9) Using peer review and self-evaluatin t imprve writing (Sectin 10) Integrates mdels and examples fr peer and self-evaluatin Includes pprtunities fr guided lessns and teacher mdeling Prvides direct instructin in strategies and methds t apply literacy skills t specific tasks and assignments REFERENCES Auman, Maureen. Step Up t Writing. 3 rd editin. Bstn: Spris West Educatinal Services, 2008. Auman, Maureen and Debbie Valette. Step Up t Writing in Math. Bstn: Spris West Educatinal Services, 2009. Langer, Judith A., et al. Guidelines fr Teaching Middle and High Schl Students t Read and Write Well: Six Features f Effective Instructin. Albany, NY: Natinal Research Center n English Learning and Achievement, 2000.