Keys to Literacy Frequently Asked Questions
Where should we start if we want our content teachers to incorporate literacy instruction?
It is important for all teachers to have a basic understanding of why some students struggle with literacy skills and how reading skills such as phonics and fluency can affect reading comprehension. However, content teachers in grades 4 to 12 should focus their literacy instruction beyond these basics of reading. They should teach their students how to better understand what they are reading by using proven comprehension and vocabulary strategies. When teachers learn to weave strategy instruction into content instruction, they are able to combine WHAT must be learned with HOW to learn it.
We suggest that teachers are provided professional development in comprehension strategy first (using The Key Comprehension Routine). A school can start with a segment of the staff (e.g., a grade level team or a subject department), or, if there is broad interest, then the entire staff can be trained. Initial onsite training workshops for The Key Comprehension can accommodate up to 35 participants. It will take approximately 4 to 6 months for the initial and follow-up professional development for The Key Comprehension to be completed.
Once the teachers have become comfortable incorporating The Key Comprehension instruction in their classrooms, the next step would be to initiate The Key Vocabulary professional development. A typical scenario is to focus on The Key Comprehension for the first year, and then introduce The Key Vocabulary for the second year.
What if we are not sure if our teachers want comprehension or vocabulary instruction professional development? Is there some type of introductory workshop?
Keys to Literacy offers a half-day or one-day overview of comprehension instruction. This session includes a brief overview of the five components of reading and factors that can affect students' ability to read and write grade level material. It also reviews the research on effective comprehension and vocabulary instruction. Finally, an overview of The Key Comprehension Routine and The Key Vocabulary Routine is presented that shows classroom examples of how these models can be used. What often happens after an overview such as this is that teachers recognize the benefits of professional development in comprehension and vocabulary and express their desire to begin full Key Comprehension or Key Vocabulary training.
Can a teacher learn how to teach The Key Comprehension Routine by simply reading the book?
In order for the faculty to comprehend, embrace and successfully apply The Key Three Comprehension Strategy Instruction it requires focused professional development in combination with The Key Comprehension Routine text. Many content teachers do not have the training or experience required to support reading comprehension in their content classrooms. Like effective content teaching, effective professional development meets its learning objectives by blending expert instruction with guided feedback, practice and peer to peer collaboration. This results in the subject matter ownership that is essential to success.
Along with training the content teachers, we train a building-based coach who will guide and support the content teachers to ensure that the program is applied with fidelity across the curriculum. The coach becomes the onsite expert in both The Key Comprehension comprehension strategies and program implementation. Coaches will be trained in how to work with the faculty to fit comprehension strategies across the curriculum, to provide guided feedback and foster peer to peer collaboration in small group meetings.
Is differentiated instruction addressed in the training?
Differentiated Instruction applies an approach to teaching and learning so that students have multiple options for taking in information and making sense of ideas. It is based on the following beliefs:
- Not all students are alike — they differ in their learning profiles and needs
- Classrooms in which students are active learners are more natural and effective than those in which students are served a "one-size-fits-all" curriculum
- "Covering information" takes a backseat to making meaning out of important ideas
- The most important strategies to teach are comprehension monitoring activities, use of graphic organizers, answering and generating questions, and summarizing.
- The learning of strategies is improved when opportunities for students to practice strategies in collaborative groups are provided.
- Comprehension strategy instruction that is deeply connected within the context of subject matter learning is essential.
- Explicit, systematic instruction that includes modeling and guided practice results in improved use of comprehension strategies.
- There is no single best activity for teaching vocabulary; teachers should use a combination of direct and indirect vocabulary instruction.
- Teaching words in relation to other words improves vocabulary, using activities such as semantic mapping, categorizing and semantic feature analysis.
- Vocabulary is improved when students are taught how and when to used context to determine word meaning, as well as word-analysis skills (i.e., identifying suffixes, prefixes and root words).
Professional Development for The Key Comprehension Routine and The Key Vocabulary Routine emphasizes the use of The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983). Using this model, the teacher "thinks aloud" and shares her self-talk about how she approaches the use of comprehension and vocabulary strategies. Guided practice in the strategy follows as students attempt the strategy within the context of support from peers with the teacher adapting instruction as needed. The teacher then asks students to apply the strategy on their own. As students demonstrate that they understand the strategy and how to use it, the teacher gradually releases to students the responsibility for strategy use. Throughout this process, the teacher provides scaffolding techniques to meet individual learning needs of students. Scaffolding means the teacher provides various levels of support to the learner through dialogue, questioning, and non-verbal modeling. For example, when teaching The Key Comprehension Routine two-column notes, the teacher might have some students take all the notes independently, provide just the main ideas to some students, and for others provide both the main ideas and the details. Keys to Literacy professional development promotes active learning, including practicing the use of strategies in small-group cooperative settings. In short, Keys to Literacy professional development encourages differentiated instruction by training teachers to be flexible in their approach to teaching and adjusting the amount of support based on the individual needs of students.
Is Keys to Literacy professional development research-based?
Yes, both The Key Comprehension Routine and The Key Vocabulary Routine are based on a wide body of research that has reached a consensus about effective instruction in these literacy components.
For comprehension instruction, The Key Comprehension Routine incorporates these research findings:
For vocabulary instruction, The Key Vocabulary Routine incorporates these research findings:
Where has Key Comprehension been implemented?
The Key Comprehension Routine has successfully been implemented in over 150 schools. It has been embraced by large urban districts and smaller rural and suburban districts. Schools that implement The Key Comprehension Routine all recognize that they have a growing issue with adolescent reading comprehension and are seeking effective and sustainable solutions. They are attracted to Key Comprehension because it is foundational, practical to implement, and can improve comprehension for all students.