OWL - Oswego Works for Literacy

Recognizing that students need reading comprehension support in grades 6-12, Oswego District 308 has instituted this instructional plan to address their needs.  Language arts teachers with teach the skills directly, and content teachers will use the skills to access concepts.  This plan is based on materials and instruction provided by Gretchen Courtney and Associates.

Reading Comprehension Skills

• Connecting
• Predicting
• Summarizing
• Sensory Imaging
• Self-Questioning
• Inferring
• Vocabulary Acquisition

Implementation Guide

General information

• Directly instruct the skill, move to guided practice, and gradually transfer responsibility for each skill to the student
• Frequently assess, both formally and informally
• Use common terminology for continuous reinforcement in all subject areas
• Infuse vocabulary acquisition throughout
• Move students through the continuum of skills

Choosing Text

• Preview the text to decide the key concepts and skills to be addressed
• Choose considerate text (i.e. close to readers’ experiences/ knowledge base and slightly challenging but not too difficult)
• Evaluate text/ course materials to match appropriately the particular skill to be taught
• Choose excerpts from anywhere in the text (beginning, middle or end)

General Procedures for Teaching Skills

• Tell students the strategy being taught
• Provide direct instruction for 10-15 minutes using shared reading (teacher reads the text aloud while students follow along)
• Follow with guided practice such as thinking sheets, think-pair-share, and guided small and large group discussions
• Debrief the whole class to reinforce and extend skills, creating meaning through social interaction
• Model skill as frequently as needed before moving to independent practice
• Use thinking sheets as needed after students master skill
• Continue to apply skills throughout the course

OWL Team

Administrators and teachers work together successfully to unlock the door to student learing.

Administrators:

• Sustain teachers’ efforts in creating new OWL lessons and revision current lesson plans to incorporate OWL
• Provide support for teachers who are working to train colleagues
• Recognize OWL, in its many forms, during classroom observations and teacher evaluation

Teachers:

• Continuously update building administration about OWL progress and program needs
• Review current curriculum for OWL implementation and develop additional lessons using OWL
• Train colleagues in OWL skills and lesson development