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Full-Text Articles in Education

The “Reading Wars” Are Back: What Are The Implications For Adolescent Literacy?, Jenelle Williams Sep 2023

The “Reading Wars” Are Back: What Are The Implications For Adolescent Literacy?, Jenelle Williams

Michigan Reading Journal

This article unpacks the current political and educational debates around the Science of Reading, Simple View of Reading, and Active View of Reading. In the article, the author describes evidence-based reading practices for adolescents and connects them to components of the Active View of Reading. Finally, the author provides a rationale for caution in over-applying research-based approaches for early literacy with adolescents.


Restructuring A Developmental Esl Course At An Urban Community College: Asking The Right Questions, Deniz Gokcora, Raymond Oenbring Sep 2023

Restructuring A Developmental Esl Course At An Urban Community College: Asking The Right Questions, Deniz Gokcora, Raymond Oenbring

Michigan Reading Journal

This article provides an example of the integration of topics of race and racial awareness and anti-racist pedagogy into an ESL developmental writing course in a community college setting. The study describes how the lead author has redesigned an ESL developmental writing course at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) to include an explicit focus on critical racial pedagogy and social justice topics to foster students’ critical thinking and encourage students to be socially responsible individuals in a challenging global world. The manuscript offers insights into how an advanced ESL remedial writing course can be a suitable setting to …


Leveraging Student Voice And Technology Within An 8th-Grade Literacy Community, Shavonne M. Jacobson Sep 2023

Leveraging Student Voice And Technology Within An 8th-Grade Literacy Community, Shavonne M. Jacobson

Michigan Reading Journal

Rochester Community Schools Middle School Language Arts Curriculum Consultant Shavonne (Shevy) Jacobson shares the collective experience of literacy leaders and student researchers as they piloted the new Michigan Middle School Reading and Writing Information unit. In this unit, learners address the essential question: “How can we contribute to the sustainability of our planet?” While centering on student learning and intentionally focusing on the teaching of deep learning, these 8th-grade literacy communities engaged in a comprehensive reading and writing workshop experience to create a podcast to share with their peers and beyond. Jacobson delineates the foundational research-based practices and frameworks that …


Toward A Theory Of An Integrated Theoretical Approach Of Literacy For Black Boys, Aaron M. Johnson Sep 2023

Toward A Theory Of An Integrated Theoretical Approach Of Literacy For Black Boys, Aaron M. Johnson

Michigan Reading Journal

In the education landscape the literacy of Black boys is viewed from deficit framing. Often, educators, politicians, and laypeople point to scores on standardized assessments such as the MSTEP, NAEP, ACT, SAT, and NWEA, these tests only tell a part of the story. The part of the story that those assessments do tell is the abject failure of schools’ ability to engage Black boys in school-based literacy and catapult them into proficient and advanced proficient reading levels. The part of the story that those assessments do not tell is the literate lives that Black boys lead. Furthermore, schools do a …


Modern Vs. Traditional: Comparing Reading-Level And Strategy-Based Small Groups In Primary Grades, Abigail Tosch, Jenna Andriakos Sep 2023

Modern Vs. Traditional: Comparing Reading-Level And Strategy-Based Small Groups In Primary Grades, Abigail Tosch, Jenna Andriakos

Michigan Reading Journal

The reading-level-based approach for literacy instruction is commonly found in the classroom. However, this approach has not been reaching the needs of all students in the classrooms often enough. Teachers should meet the students where they are. The purpose of this study was to determine which method, reading-level-based grouping or strategy-grouping, was more beneficial for student comprehension growth. Students from 1st- and 2nd-grade, small-group Tier 2 reading intervention in 2 different elementary schools were given a grade-level pre- and post-reading passage and asked comprehension questions. Results were compared between the 2 approaches conducted by the primary investigators, and it was …


Great Lakes Great Books: Making Classroom Connections, Lynette Suckow Jun 2023

Great Lakes Great Books: Making Classroom Connections, Lynette Suckow

Michigan Reading Journal

Use stories from the Great Lakes Great Books list to connect readers to the classroom curriculum.


Steam Pride: Biographies & Autobiographies Written And/Or Illustrated By Black Americans, Jonella Mongo Ph.D. Jun 2023

Steam Pride: Biographies & Autobiographies Written And/Or Illustrated By Black Americans, Jonella Mongo Ph.D.

Michigan Reading Journal

While there are thousands of nonfiction children’s books published annually, only a handful are biographies or autobiographies about Black Americans in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts or mathematics as well as written and/or illustrated by a member of the group. This article highlights biographies and autobiographies that include the stories of many well-known plus less-known individuals who have made impressive contributions to our nation and the world in STEAM fields. Books that showcase people from the past along with contemporary persons across various occupations, careers, and positions. Literature to learn from and celebrate diverse perspectives as teachers, parents, …


Using Way-In And Stay-In Scientific Picturebooks To Learn About Science And Scientists, William P. Bintz Jun 2023

Using Way-In And Stay-In Scientific Picturebooks To Learn About Science And Scientists, William P. Bintz

Michigan Reading Journal

The power and potential of literature to learn science has long been recognized by both science and literacy specialists. Literature is often a child's first introduction to science and the first encounter with the concept of science and the role of scientists. The problem is that much science literature focuses mostly on the scientist or the science. This article responds to the imbalanced portrayal between science and scientist in children’s literature. It also discusses the value of scientific picturebook biography to teach science, introduces the notion of Way-In and Stay-In texts, and provides examples of both types of texts along …


Staying “Above The Fray” With Julia B. Lindsey’S Insights On Effective Reading Instruction, Troy Hicks, Emma Chappel, Kirstin Fish, Anne Hosking, Jill Johnston, Jodi Juergens, Georgianna Murray, Lindsay Picarski, Heidi Turchan, Meghan K. Block, Chad Waldron Mar 2023

Staying “Above The Fray” With Julia B. Lindsey’S Insights On Effective Reading Instruction, Troy Hicks, Emma Chappel, Kirstin Fish, Anne Hosking, Jill Johnston, Jodi Juergens, Georgianna Murray, Lindsay Picarski, Heidi Turchan, Meghan K. Block, Chad Waldron

Michigan Reading Journal

In this crowdsourced, collaborative book review, participants in an online book club share their insights on Julia B. Lindsey's 2022 Scholastic Professional text, Reading Above the Fray.


Pierce’S “Expanding Literacy: Bringing Digital Storytelling Into Your Classroom”, Troy Hicks Mar 2023

Pierce’S “Expanding Literacy: Bringing Digital Storytelling Into Your Classroom”, Troy Hicks

Michigan Reading Journal

A book review of Brett Pierce's 2022 Heinemann publication, Expanding Literacy: Bringing Digital Storytelling into Your Classroom.


Centering Community In Disciplinary Literacy Implementation: One District’S Story, Jenelle Williams, Stacie Angel, Jennifer Wilcox, Angela Church Mar 2023

Centering Community In Disciplinary Literacy Implementation: One District’S Story, Jenelle Williams, Stacie Angel, Jennifer Wilcox, Angela Church

Michigan Reading Journal

In this article, the authors describe the various ways they have centered community while implementing disciplinary literacy in their district. They outline how the work began, the role of professional learning, and the systemic approaches that are effectively moving the work forward. This story offers an alternate approach to implementation--one that honors educators' expertise, differentiates approaches, and develops collective efficacy.


Reading Coaches For A 40 Book Challenge: Creating An Online Reading Community To Support Sixth Graders’ Independent Reading, Amy Carpenter Ford, Kayla Szymanski, Isabel Slate, Rachel Derusha Mar 2023

Reading Coaches For A 40 Book Challenge: Creating An Online Reading Community To Support Sixth Graders’ Independent Reading, Amy Carpenter Ford, Kayla Szymanski, Isabel Slate, Rachel Derusha

Michigan Reading Journal

English teacher candidates, or “Reading Coaches,” conducted virtual reading conferences with sixth graders using the digital platforms Zoom and Flip to support students’ independent reading as part of a 40 Book Challenge in an online and blended learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. As evidence of students’ participation and engagement, we present survey results and draw from conference records, observation notes, and a content analysis of video transcripts, triangulating across data sets to illuminate important design features. Connecting research with practice, we offer educators tangible resources of a Conference Guide, Flip design, record-keeping system, and training materials, as well as …


Connecting Dots: Using Learner Self-Narratives To Address The Disconnect Between The Texts And English Learners' Prior Experience, Rui Niu-Cooper Mar 2023

Connecting Dots: Using Learner Self-Narratives To Address The Disconnect Between The Texts And English Learners' Prior Experience, Rui Niu-Cooper

Michigan Reading Journal

With the rapid increase of ELs in Michigan and around the United States, scholars have been exploring ways to narrow or close the achievement gap. This pursuit is significant, but hard to achieve due to various challenges that ELs experiencing in their schooling. This situation worsened in relation to ELs from refugee backgrounds due to the traumatic experience that occurred before they were resettled in the U.S. More critically, EL teachers and paraprofessionals are often marginalized from other teachers. The purpose of this article is to introduce and advocates for a Learner Self-Narrative-based (LSN-based) approach to better support EL students. …


Why Not Sign? Classrooms As Sites Of D/Deaf And Multilingual Literacy Development, Dawnavyn James, Brianne R. Pitts Mar 2023

Why Not Sign? Classrooms As Sites Of D/Deaf And Multilingual Literacy Development, Dawnavyn James, Brianne R. Pitts

Michigan Reading Journal

While often, “bilingual” literacy instruction has overlooked the potential of incorporating ASL in classrooms (U.S.DPE, 2021), this article engages discussions of practice from a Missouri Kindergarten classroom to argue that teachers can improve student literacy outcomes by leveraging d/Deaf and hard of hearing multilingual learning (DML) strategies as a way of (re)imagining students’ multimodal literacy development. By engaging with a variety of strategies learned from DML students, readers may conceptualize DML inclusive classroom practices. Following a review of the literature and discussion, games, instructional strategies, and text recommendations for educators seeking DML inclusive literacy environments are provided.