Nancy Frey & Douglas
Fisher RIGOROUS READING—5
Access Points for Comprehending Complex Text
Last spring
we were given the opportunity to pilot the Smarter Balance Assessment in sixth
grade. This next-generation
assessment measures student progress toward college and career readiness and is
aligned to the new Common Core State Standards. Many would argue this added
burden on top of state testing was too daunting and would be of no value. My
amazing team led us in a much more positive mindset.
It
shouted out to us loud and clear the direction we need to go to truly prepare
our students to be the innovative thinkers required to compete in our
competitive global economy. It is not enough to know what you know, but more
importantly to show and share what you know in a variety of formats; reading
writing, speaking, and listening.
Nancy
Frey & Douglas Fisher’s Rigorous Reading is the
framework to begin the process of developing a research based instructional
system where our students accurately learn how to read complex texts. This instruction
routine “makes it possible for students to read increasingly complex text and
to gain exposure to thoughtful reading instruction that provides access to
these texts.” This knowledge is powerful.
Frey
& Fisher give the reader the analogy of two bookends. Anchor Standard 10
defines the outcome of instruction on, “Reading and comprehending complex
literary informational text independently and proficiently.” On the other end
of the bookshelf is Anchor Standard 1 where students, “Read closely to
determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it;
cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions
drawn from the text.” These two standards
are the supportive bookends for the remaining standards.
Frey & Fisher support teachers, schools and districts to move toward
proficiency through five access points.
1. Purpose
& Modeling: What
am I learning and show me how through a teacher think- aloud. (My personal
favorite part of the lesson- I do.)
2. Close
and Scaffold Reading Instruction:
Teachers guide students not just once, but several times through the text. (We do. We do. We do.)
3. Collaborate
Conversations:
Teachers facilitate collaborative student conversations to develop habits of
interactions and analytical thinking. (Ya'll do.)
4. Independent
Reading Staircase: Progressing
students forward thinking through challenging text to foster metacognitive
awareness. (You can do it!)
5. Performance: Feedback and Instruction is based on
assessments for learning to support student’s ability to demonstrate their
understanding of text in a variety of ways.
I can’t
remember reading a book and being exhausted and exhilarated all at the same
time. How can I move forward and share this critical research based practice
with teachers? I believe, Frey & Fisher had the same experience because at
the end of the book is a linear Professional Learning Guide. The framework is
intended for school or district site professional developers to support teachers
and leaders to develop instruction on how to effectively comprehend complex
text through “Rigorous Reading.” A rare
find and worth every minute of your time!
