CREATING A READING RICH CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT THROUGH COOPERATIVE READING

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CREATING A READING RICH CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
THROUGHCO-OPERATIVE READING NOVEL
STUDIESYEARS 6 TO 8

• Stephen James-Smoult
• Wendy Cave

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Question

• How can we embed the use of specific reading
  practices in the senior site to improve students
  reading skills and attitude towards reading?

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Professional Learning

• Cooperative Reading brings together
  strategies that promote a cooperative learning
  community (belongingness), that enable students
  to set and reach their personal goals (autonomy).
  Reading practices are explicitly taught and
  students have many opportunities to use their
  reading strategies (competence).
• (Glenda Raison, Cooperative Reading As Simple
  As ABC, 2001)

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Assumptions

• My students can learn to love reading and become
  stronger readers and writers through Co-operative
  Reading
• My classroom is a safe, respectful, and
  productive place in which everyones view counts
• My students can build the structure with me.
• (Schlick Noe and Johnson, 1999)

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Background

• Recognised with a substantial budget granted by
  principal in addition to existing English budget
• Initial set up 140 sets of 4 novels, student and
  teacher input into title selection currently
  over 250 sets

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Co-operative Reading is

• a literature based reading instructional
  strategy that aims to equip and empower students
  to become engaged readers. It brings together
  strategies that promote a co-operative learning
  community, that enable students to set and
  reach personal goals. Reading practices are
  explicitly taught and students have many
  opportunities to use their reading strategies.
• Glenda Raison, 2002

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The 4 Roles/Practices of the Reader

• Code Breaker
• (Vocabulary Finder)
• Text User
• (Illustrator/Summariser)
• Text Participant
• (Discussion Manager)
• Text Analyst
• (Investigator)
• Freebody Luke (1990) Reading Model

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Role Code Breaker

• The Vocabulary Finder is on the lookout for a
  few, especially important words in the reading
  finds words that are puzzling or unfamiliar
  interesting words etc
• eg What words did you find tricky? What
  words/phrase helped you see pictures in your
  head? Which words had an unusual spelling
  pattern? etc

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Role Text Participant

• The Discussion Manager develops a list of
  questions that the group might want to discuss
  about the section of the book being read big
  ideas
• eg What was going through your mind while you
  read this? How did you feel while reading this?
  Did anything in this section surprise you? Why do
  you think? etc

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Role Text Analyst

• The Investigator finds connections between the
  book the group is reading and the outside world
• Some connections I found between this reading
  and other people, places, events, authors Is
  the story realistic? Why do you think the author
  wrote this text?

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Role Text User

• The Illustrator draws something about the story
  or how they feel about what has happened so far
• The Summarizer prepares a brief summary of the
  reading completed in the session gives a quick
  statement that conveys the gist, the key points,
  the main highlights, the essence of the text read

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Themes / Categories

• Adventure
• Animal
• Australian
• Bullying
• Crime
• Disability
• Environmental
• Fantasy
• Historical

• Humour
• Indigenous themes
• Mystery/Suspense
• Relationships
• Sci Fi
• Short stories
• Supernatural
• Survival
• Teenage Issues

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Group Discussion

• Passages List any words, lines, or sections of
  the story that stick out for you. These
  words/lines/passages might be important,
  puzzling, unknown, curious, provocative, dubious,
  or well written - whatever grabs your attention.

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Group Discussion

• Reactions/Connections What were your feelings
  and responses to this story? Did it remind you of
  past experiences, people, or events in your life?
  Did it make you think of anything happening in
  the news, around school, in other stories or
  books you have read?

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Group Discussion

• Craft What did you notice about the authors
  style, language, point of view, literary devices,
  or structures she/he used to create the story?

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Group Discussion

• Questions What questions came to mind while you
  were reading this story? Were there things you
  wondered about, doubted, or didnt understand?
  What would you ask the author or the characters
  if you could talk to them?