448+2014+Conference


 * EDC 448 CONTENT LITERACY CONFERENCE: THEORY INTO PRACTICE**
 * April 29, 2014**


 * Please review** **your presentation abstracts and consider revising to make your abstract "speak to teachers" using a voice that precisely describes what you will share and why secondary teachers should come to your session. Your abstract should be inviting and use first person language to express your ideas; it should not just be a copy of the abstract written by the authors of your article. Your abstract should be no more than 200 words. Explore abstracts from 2013 for some examples.**
 * Please post your final abstract here by Wednesday, April 23 for review.**
 * Please post your 1 page handout here by Monday, April 28 for those not able to visit your poster presentation.**

Here is a suggested structure for your abstract: > Once on the page, click "edit this page" at the top of the page. > Put the cursor where on the page you want to insert your file. > Click on the file icon at the top of the page. > A dialogue box appear for you to insert a file. > Click "upload file." > Click "browse," which will bring you to the files on your computer (like if you were going to attach a document). > Double click on the file you want to upload. The file will then appear at the top of the dialogue box. > Double click on the file to insert into the wiki page. > Remember to click save!
 * First, present a challenge or a hook that serves to catch the attention of classroom teachers, especially those in your discipline.
 * Then, explain the basics of the study you read about and briefly outline the study's findings.
 * "This poster shares findings from a study of...... that found....."
 * Finally, let your audience know what they will see, learn, and/or hear when they visit your poster.
 * In this presentation, you will learn about .... and walk away with several ideas for teaching/doing ....."
 * === Uploading files to the wiki! ===

Here is an example of an abstract from a poster session I presented to show how you might incorporate voice into your own abstracts.

Identifying characteristics of productive collaboration and dialogue is an important expectation of the Common Core Standards. This poster shares findings from a study that sought to understand the forms and functions of productive talk used by three sets of Internet reading partners as they engaged in an online inquiry task. First, we will highlight illustrative examples of productive collaborative talk patterns among pairs of students in Grades 3, 5, and 7 to give you a better sense of how students effectively work together to build on each other's ideas during paired Internet reading activities. You can even use your cell phones to scan QR codes and view videos of these students while talking with others about what you see. Then, we will pair these findings with a teacher-friendly set of practical ideas for how to support collaborative dialogue among elementary and middle school learners during the Internet inquiry process. You can download instructional materials featured on our poster by visiting http://coiroira2013.wikispaces.com/
 * Emerging Patterns of Productive Collaborative Talk During Online Inquiry**
 * Julie Coiro, Jill Castek, Lizabeth Guzniczak, and Diane Sekeres**

POSTER #1: Kohlmeier, J. (2005). The power of a woman's story: a three-step approach to historical significance in high school world history. //International Journal of Social Education//, //20//(1), 64-80.
 * Teaching Meaningful History in Three Steps**
 * Tiffany McClay: History/Social Studies**

Teaching history is not easy especially when using primary sources. Students have a hard time understanding why they should care. Students may have difficulty with the word choice and sentence structure that often accompanies a primary source which is different from today’s writing. When reading a historical document students need to dig deep into its meaning but if the basic structure is a challenge then finding meaning becomes impossible. It is our job as history teachers to bridge the gap between students and historical documents. This can be a challenge especially with students who come from different backgrounds, have different reading levels and different prior knowledge banks. This presentation will address all of those difficulties. All students should be able to find meaning in historical documents. In this presentation three types of historical thinking and strategies to address historical thinking while engaging students will be highlighted.



POSTER #2: ** Do Knowledge Arrangements Affect Student Reading Comprehension of Genetics? ** Wu, Jen-Yi et al. “Do Knowledge Arrangements Affect Student Reading Comprehension of Genetics?”. //The American Biology Teacher// 76.3 (2014): 184-89. //JSTOR//. Web. 16 April 2014.
 * Rachel Naylor: Science **

The concept of genetics and cell division is important for everyone to know, especially with the advancements being made in genetic research and technologies. However, it can be a hard concept for students to understand. A study was performed in Taiwan analyzing the results of students reading one of three different seventh grade biology textbooks that exhibited different arrangements of the information surrounding genetics, and they discovered that one arrangement of the material helped students to retain the most amount of material. As a teacher, it is important to know if there is a way of presenting the material that makes it easier for students to learn. I will be presenting the findings of the study and talking about the best way to present genetics material to middle school students. I will also talk about future studies that could be conducted to further investigate this topic.

POSTER #3: Gritter, Kristine Beers, Scott Knaus, Robert W. (2013). //Teacher scaffolding of academic language in an advanced placement U.S. history class// doi:10.1002/JAAL.158
 * Teaching Literacy and Content within a History Classroom**
 * Jacob Ricci: History/Social Studies**

Of chief concern among many content teachers when confronted with the task of teaching literacy is the ability to cover both subjects within the allotted time. This presentation focuses on methods which enable a teacher to cover both subjects, without compromising the quality related to either one. Tools and methods are outlined for the effective combination of content literacy and content material within the same class. Outlining the methods used by an experienced teacher in an AP US History class, the research presented provides an example of teaching methodology which can be implemented to both meet and exceed the content area expectations while improving student literacy.



POSTER #4: Bautista, N. (2014). Leveling Up: Addressing ELL’s language proficiencies and cognitive abilities in science and science classrooms. The Science Teacher, Vol. 81 (No. 4), pp. 32-37.
 * Leveling Up: Addressing ELL’s language proficiency and cognitive abilities in science classrooms**
 * Terri DiGiovanni**

Are you prepared for the growing number of English Language Learners ELL’s in your classroom? Most general education teachers aren’t trained to develop lessons that support ELL’s Language development and their academic and cognitive growth. Guided by Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, the author offers examples of tasks that can be used with ELL’s, from the lowest cognitive demand levels to the highest. But before you can consider a task for your ELL’s, you need to consider their level of proficiency**.** Learn the levels of language proficiency 1-5 and learn ways to make the appropriate accommodations.

POSTER #5: Burack, Jonathan. Interpreting Political Cartoons in the History Classroom. Teaching History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. http://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/teaching-guides/21733 Political cartoons play a major role in history; they are something that we see all of the time in and out of the history classroom. We encounter political cartoons when we read the newspaper and when reading books and any thing can be made into a political cartoon. It is important for History teachers to use political cartoons in the history classroom. There are many ways that they can be used as well, and they are something that can be used interactively.
 * Interpreting Political Cartoons in the History Classroom**
 * Adam LeWinter**

POSTER #6: Sliman, E. (2013 March). Visible thinking in high school mathematics. The Mathematics Teacher, 106(7), 502-507. We have been discussing the importance of questioning and guiding students' thinking all semester. Two interesting ways to get students thinking about connections between material and about their own understanding are Chalk Talk and Claim-Support-Question. Chalk Talk lets students silently interact with one another and write all they know about a topic. They also leave questions they're not sure about. Students work off of each other's writing and extend or answer the other questions. This lets students think beyond how they're going to be tested on a topic and focus on how much they know or want to know about a topic. It is a very good strategy for activating prior knowledge at the beginning of a unit. Claim-Support-Question is similar to note taking strategies we have learned about. This strategy asks students to make a claim about a connection about the material in the unit and back this up with evidence. Then students can ask any questions they have about the claim. These strategies get students thinking independently or as a group. They promote student questioning and extended thinking beyond just what the concept is into how the concept is used and why it is important. POSTER #7: Newell, G., Beach, R., Smith, J., VanDerHeide, J., Kuhn, D., & Andriessen, J. (2011). Teaching and Learning Argumentative Reading and Writing: A Review of Research.. Reading Research Quarterly, 46, 273-304. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from the Jstor database.
 * Strategies for Promoting Student Thinking**
 * Katie Dio**
 * Teaching Argumentation**
 * Ryan O'Connell: English/Language Arts**

This article focuses on the issues students often have with argumentative writing: difficulty grasping its applicability to numerous forms (such as letters and speeches), the importance of the audience, or maybe a lack of effective instructional support in some elements of the process. Explicit instruction of the essay's requirements is not enough, and students are more likely to succeed when combinations of this instruction and certain other supports are provided such as instruction in goal setting (for audience, amount of evidence, etc). The poster will share details from the research which examines both the cognitive and social aspects of learning this specific piece of content, and recommend some effective methods of teaching it, which are indispensable to the high school ELA, History, and Science teacher.



POSTER #8: Lysenko, Larysa and Philip C.,Abrami. "Promoting Reading Comprehension With The Use Of Technology." Computers & Education 75.(2014): 162-172. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
 * Strengthening Reading Comprehension Skills Through the Use of Technology**
 * Kaylee Arruda**

Basic literacy is essential to a country’s well being. Recent studies have shown that after going through the school system, a large number of adolescents are still not “good readers;” it is difficult for these individuals to participate effectively in life. Effective reading instruction addresses key components such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension; this comprehension should start at an early age. To avoid falling behind in school, students should develop literacy skills by grade 3. This article focuses on a study designed to identify whether integration of two web based applications would help teachers promote the development of comprehension skills into their English Language Arts classrooms. The first program, ABRACADABRA is an interactive multimedia tool that uses a balanced approach to develop literacy. The second tool, ePEARL, is a digital portfolio that supports self-regulated learning. Evidence demonstrates effectiveness in both tools.

POSTER #9: DiCamillo, Lorrei, and Jill M. Gradwell. "Using Simulations to Teach Middle Grades U.S. History in an Age of Accountability." //Research in Middle Level Education// 35.7 (2012): 1-16. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
 * Using Simulations to Teach U.S. History in Middle School**
 * Ashley Ravo**

This article reports observations from a study conducted in a New York middle school where two eighth grade history teachers regularly use simulations as a teaching method. Three simulations were described, each taking place at different points within the units to serve a different purpose. This article makes the case that creative teaching methods do not need to be sacrificed in order to meet the demands of high-accountability that are present in school systems today. Simulations provide history teachers with a hands-on learning method, which is often hard to incorporate into a history lesson. The teachers that were observed claimed that their simulations helped students get excited about content and helped them to remember and apply key concepts from their lessons. If more history teachers learn about the four types of simulations and understand that they help students learn and do not distract teachers from teaching material needed to pass high-stakes tests, there is a great potential to increase student interest and involvement in the classroom and therefore increase student achievement in history. Presentation Handout https://magic.piktochart.com/output/1816074-simulations

POSTER #10: Stephen, Chris and Rosalyn, Hyde. “The Role of Teaching in Groupwork.”Mathematics Teaching 235 (2013): 37-39. Education Full Text (H.W.Wilson).Web. April 16 2014.
 * The Role of Teaching in Groupwork**
 * Camille Jones**

As students in the education program at The University of Rhode Island, we know how important group work is in classrooms. It serves as a way to engage our students in meaningful and educational conversation with their peers. Many of us know that this is not always easy for students especially in abstract topics such as math. In my poster I will look at the study “The Role of Teaching in Groupwork”, Chris Stevens worked with ninth grade students to see which methods of group work were most effective in mathematics. Stevens found that being prepared as a teacher with the mentality of his students was what allowed him to see the mathematical troubles they may encounter. He also examines how student should be grouped together and which methods are most effective. Overall Stevens solidifies the argument that working in groups for solving mathematics is very effective for student learning if done properly. It helps the students listen, argue their points and make meaning of what they are solving. When visiting my poster you will learn about which methods of group work were found most effective while Stevens worked with ninth grade math students. It will be very helpful for other subjects as well to be able to see what types of methods work in general for questioning and getting students involved in group work. You will walk away with new ideas on how to form groups in your classroom and ways to involve the students more in the activities.



POSTER #11: Jamal, Carolyn, Huie, and Carol Lord Review of Educational Research, (Spring, 2004) Vol. 74, No. 1 pp. 1-28 Retrieved April 14, 2014 from JSTOR database
 * Assessment Accommodations for English Language Learners: Implications for Policy-Based Empirical Research **
 * Erin Burns**

Within one high school, there could be twenty to forty English Language Learners throughout many of the English classes. Accommodating these English Language Learners and identifying their needs can be a challenge for some teachers, but with proper strategies and research it can be done. This poster depicts several studies that were done on ELLs and the research behind accommodations that are being given to them. The study found that most accommodations that teachers are providing are not helpful to these students, such as rewording an entire test for their benefit. In this presentation you will learn about the correct ways to help ELLs and how to accommodate them as well as learn new strategies to help them succeed within your classroom. Something as small as giving students extra time on an exam could help them immensely with the content that you are teaching. All of these strategies, research and more will be shared with you during this presentation.



POSTER #12: Fry, Sara W. and Ross Gosky. “Supporting Social Studies Reading Comprehension with an Electronic Pop-up Dictionary.” //Journal of Research on Technology in Education// 40.2 (2007-2008): 127-139. Web. 16 April 2014.
 * Literacy and Technology in Social Studies: Defining the Trouble Words**
 * Andre Guilbert**

To many students, social studies texts may seem like they are written in another language. In my presentation I will display a power point that will help address the challenges students face when reading in the Social Studies content area. The article I chose demonstrates an effective data-proven method for helping students with reading comprehension. Social Studies is a particularly challenging area for reading comprehension as it requires so much background knowledge and extensive knowledge of content specific vocabulary. By presenting the findings of this study, I hope to demonstrate to my peers how an electronic version of text with a pop-up dictionary app that defines each word in the text, can help increase reading comprehension in a Social Studies classroom.

POSTER #13: Faithfull, Bayard. (2014). //Four Reads: Learning to Read Primary Documents//. National History Education Clearinghouse. National History Education Clearinghouse. What sounds more familiar to you, as a secondary classroom educator? (A) When researching, reviewing source documents, and applying contextual perspective, students act like historians by grasping every key aspect we hope they would! No additional work needs to be done, because they have a systematic approach to historical analysis OR (B) Are you, as an educator, frustrated with the strange, borderline improbable takeaways students retain from historical source documents in your social studies class? Is familiarity behind primary source documentation as unfamiliar to your class as Aztecan sacrificial customs? When historians read primary documents, they read critically to apply argument, purpose, context, content and credibility. The key to attaining classroom enlightenment is based on this goal: Getting students to use this adaptation to connect the historian’s strategies with that of their own. This project shares findings from an article by Bayard Faithfull, a 20-year veteran of teaching history in public high school. In this poster, I will share Faithfull’s guided four-step reading process for primary documents, which trains students how to read and conceptualize a primary document like a historian.
 * Primary Sources is Elementary…Well at least Secondary**
 * Jonathan Flynn**

POSTER #14: Burack, Jonathon. (2014). //Stating Your Case: Writing Thesis Statements Effectively//. Teaching History, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
 * Stating Your Case: Writing Thesis Statements Effectively**
 * Kristin Jacob**

The core of any essay written is the thesis statement. It tells the reader what each paragraph will be about, and helps the writer relate every paragraph back to what they were originally trying to say. The thesis statement is what keeps the essay on one topic and proves the supporting details. Every student will be asked to learn how to write a thesis statement at one point or another, and most likely in more than one content area. It is a skill that will benefit the student no matter what class, or what the essay assignment is. The thesis statement helps both literacy and writing because it guides the reader through the essay along with helping the writer state their case.

POSTER #15:
 * The Language of Math**
 * Daniel Vieira: Math**

Tanner, M., & Casados, L. (1998). Promoting and studying discussions in math classes. //Wiley International Reading Association//, //41//(5), 342-350. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from [] Is there any better way to get through your problems in a subject than having a discussion? I don’t think there is, I think having a discussion on the material that is being taught in class is one of the best ways to guage how your students are doing at a particular time. Though it may seem unorthodox to have a seminar dicussion in math class I have done some reasearch and found an essay by Tanner and Casado that introduces a strategy on how seminars can be used in math class. My poster will show everyone a seminar style that we may not be used to, but can be useful in any classroom, and will go over the more traditional seminar that we are used to, although more specifically how to use this type of seminar in math. Through my presentation you will learn a different kind of seminar style that could be useful in any classroom, and maybe one day you could use it in your classroom. If you’re a future math teacher than you will walk away from my presentation thinking that maybe it is possible to use seminar discussions in math.

POSTER #16: Warford, M. & White, W. (2012). Reconnection proficiency, literacy, and culture: From theory to practice. //Foreign Language Annals//, 45(3), 400-414.
 * Foreign Language Literacy- Culture is Key **
 * Rachel Haddon **

Literacy in a foreign language is not just being able to read and understand, it is being able to understand the cultural meaning behind the words. This poster will introduce two theoretical models with a lesson plan designed to make language proficiency, literacy, and culture one. Instead of focusing solely on the grammatical aspect of the language, these models incorporate culture as part of the activities within the lessons. The presentation will also focus on the use of the learner’s first language and culture to interpret the second language and culture in texts.

POSTER #17: **The Leonardo Strategy: Technology for Learning Outside the Classroom** Clary, R & Wandersee, J. (2014). The Leonardo Strategy. //Science Scope//, 37(5), 18-22. How can Biology teachers incorporate writing into their curriculum to follow Common Core Standards, while still leaving time to teach large amounts of content knowledge? The Leonardo Strategy involves both teacher and students in online discussions which can be used to further discuss class material outside of school time. Various prompts requiring skills stressed in the Common Core Standards can be presented along with images to create deeper meaning for students. This article examines the strategy itself, how teachers can use the strategy, and benefits for students. Technology, collaboration, and extended practice using the Leonardo Strategy can be effectively used with content and texts in any discipline. file://localhost/Users/annaraboin/Desktop/RaboinHandout.pdf//
 * Anna Raboin - Biology**

//POSTER #18:**The Importance of Good Grammar**// //**Samantha Villella- English**// //Debata, Pradeep Kumar. “The Importance of Grammar in English Language Teaching - A Reassessment”// Language in India//: Vol. 14 Issue 5, p.492. May 2013. Print.// //Debata's article examines the significance of good grammar, even in a different cultural crossover context. This poster will exist simultaneously alongside a PowerPoint presentation to provide examples towards how a student's written work is improved when focusing on the grammatical errors that accompany language barriers. I will touch upon the effects of bettering oneself with education towards studying syntax and grammar, as well as introduce the ways in which an individual would want to accomplish this. This presentation will overview tactics and techniques of learning good grammar for both foreign and native learners, in hopes of making this presentation accessible for all.//

//POSTER #19: **Making Sense of Documentary Photography**// //**Sebastian Noordzy - History**// // Curtis, J. (n.d.). Making Sense of Documentary Photography. // Making Sense of Documentary Photography //. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/photos/ // //Analyzing a photograph is an important part of learning history. Photographs are a re-creation of a historical event and can be used to gather details and make inquiries about a subject. We as teachers and historians can use some of the questions provided in the article to help better understand the pictures that are all around historical texts. Questions such as who took it? Why did they take it? What are they trying to show? How can companion images give a better understanding to the historical context? Questions and analyses like these can help students understand history for themselves. The old saying is true, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”//

//POSTER #20: **Music in a Second Language Classroom**// //**Leah Goldberg- Spanish**// //Weatherford Stansell, J. (2005).// The Use of Music for Learning Languages: A Review of the Literature. //University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign pp 1-41. PDF: http://mste.illinois.edu/courses/ci407su02/students/stansell/Jon_Stansell_The_Use_of_Music_in_Learning_Languages.pdf//

//Not all students enjoy learning a language, but many students are required to take a second language in middle/high school and even college. Many of these students struggle to learn and grasp the language and have difficulty recalling and remembering what they have learned. I believe that the use of music in a second-language classroom as well as music education are beneficial for students who are learning a second language. This research focuses on the historical and developmental proofs of music's relationship with language learning and scholarly inquiry on the use of music for learning languages in three parts. With the use of music in a classroom, students can improve outcomes for language acquisition. Researchers over the last twenty years have made astounding advances in the theory of language acquisition. Furthermore, throughout time, healers, philosophers, scientists, and teachers have recognized the place of music for developmental functions. This research and presentation prove to be helpful both for language teachers and music teachers alike in the development of curricula.//

//POSTER #21: **Give Games a Chance**// //**Kyle Hollenbeck: Math**// //Kumar, R. & Lightner, R. (2007). Games as an interactive classroom technique: Perceptions of corporate trainers, college instructors, and students.// International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.// 19(1), 53-63. In order to properly teach one's students, a teacher must not only be able to grab hold of their attention, but also maintain it. Incorporating games and interactive experiences into the classroom environment (whether involving technology or not) will not only engage students in a fun and creative way, but has also shown to generate a higher response from students in terms of enthusiasm towards learning. In my presentation, I will outline several games in the subject areas of History (includes Economics/Politics), Science, Math, and Language Arts (includes foreign languages). These classroom games will be ones I have both encountered in person and found through research. All games will serve as templates through which a teacher can insert and teach his or her own content.