Abstract of

Snapshots of Our Journey to Thoughtful Literacy

Holly L. Diehl

The staff at one elementary school embarked on a journey to ensure that each student would reach high levels of thoughtful literacy. When they examined a variety of data, they realized that they were able to meet the literacy needs of most students but could not help a particular type of student—the word caller. Six word callers were identified in the fourth and fifth grades who were able to decode words relatively fluently but seemed unable to comprehend. By consulting the research, staff members developed an intervention program that synthesized ideas from three areas: metacognitive awareness, reciprocal teaching, and peer-led discussions. These areas formed the foundation for three phases of the program. First, the teachers made the basic idea of reading as thinking explicit before moving to the direct instruction of comprehension strategies following the reciprocal teaching framework. In the final phase, students were supported in peer-led discussions. Instructional dialogue provides examples of how each phase was explicitly modeled and how teacher support gradually faded. No formal data collection occurred. However, the teachers did note changes in behavior, performance, and attitude that not only occurred within the group but also transferred to the classroom.

Abstract from Diehl, H.L. (2005, September). Snapshots of Our Journey to Thoughtful Literacy. The Reading Teacher, 59(1), 56–69. doi: 10.1598/RT.59.1.6