Friday, February 20, 2004
DESIGNING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION FOR THE SOLS
BY REBECCA KARAFFA
This paper was written in fulfillment of assignments for EDIS 770. Published with permission of Rebecca Karaffa.
One of my professional goals as a support staff person is to assist classroom teachers to accelerate the reading progress of their students. Supporting the instruction of content is essential in my planning, since I am not always able to schedule my student sessions during the literacy block. My 18-year lower primary teaching career has made me very familiar with integration of curriculum and differentiation of instruction. Both formal and informal assessments led me to plan activities that addressed multiple intelligences and tied together concepts with the goal of advancing literacy skills among my students.
Enter...the SOLS. Due to the high-stakes nature of the testing, SOLS are the current rudder of a statewide curriculum. Even as the debates continue to rage, those of us in the classroom know what is at stake for both students and teachers. It is, therefore, in our best interests to attend to the core concepts and accompanying skills required in order for our students to be successful.
Using curriculum mapping, driven by SOL content, allows the classroom teacher to account for the delivery of instruction related to such content. How the instruction is delivered is determined by student profiles. These profiles include reading level, spelling achievement, preferred style of learning, and depth of background knowledge related to content. Knowing the core concepts and profiles of learners helps the teacher to plan lessons within a learner’s zone of proximal development.
Lesson planning is also dependent upon the availability of leveled resource materials related to the content. Content can be taught during the literacy block if such materials are available. Children can then read, write, and respond to concepts and information related to the content. The absence of leveled materials makes it more difficult, but not impossible, to address the content. In this case, directed listening thinking activities or shared reading might be used along with differentiated products to impart the core knowledge. Depending upon the reading/writing level of the student, he/she would be asked to demonstrate understanding with projects that were layered. For example, one student might be asked to do a t-chart to compare/contrast how animals move. Another student might be asked to interpret this information, making a generalization, and to apply this understanding by creating a fantasy animal with certain characteristics.
Further, the essential components of effective reading programs are embedded within the SOLs. No matter what the topic, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension can be addressed. Understanding how print is organized can be visited using any non-fiction read aloud. Poems and songs about the continents can be used to read with fluency. Previewing and setting a purpose for reading are components of any guided reading lesson. Integrating curriculum, in part, allows for us to read and write all day long while addressing the core concepts within the SOLs. While the SOLs define the content, we must continue to tailor the delivery of instruction based upon a complete understanding of each child’s literacy needs.
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