Colleen Pennell

The decline of academic achievement during summer is well documented and can result in a one-month loss of skills acquired during the school year. Summer slide can further contribute to a widening gap between low and high achieving readers. This instrumental case study explored a summer class for adolescent readers labeled as struggling. Participants were two educators and eleven focal students. Sources of data included interviews, audio recordings, field notes, and artifacts. The following themes emerged in the study: (1) Learner Fatigue with “Doing School”, (2) Side Effects of Tracking, and (3) Constraint of Time. Ideas for improving summer school programing for middle school readers are provided.

The Common Core State Standards shifted comprehension instruction to an analytic process commonly referred to as close reading. This multiple case study explored the academic discourse strategies of teachers and readers as they engaged in the practice of close reading. Framed by the Representation of Dialogue in a Joint Activity System, analysis suggested that educators embraced high-level questioning but neglected teaching readers how to examine texts flexibly through multiple perspectives. Additionally, like their teachers, readers had a rich questioning repertoire, but constructed meaning through a consensual but not exploratory process. The results of this study show promise in teacher questioning styles and illustrate the symbiotic nature of teacher and learner discourse styles. Moreover, findings add to the literature surrounding the complexities of classroom discourse.

As your school district undertakes the process of evaluating its K–12 reading program, literacy curriculum, or literacy instructional practices, this book will be your go-to resource. The author offers a step-by-step guide for educators, school leaders, or professional learning communities to evaluate high-quality instructional materials and standards-aligned literacy practices. It includes a wealth of tools such as timelines, full meeting agendas, stakeholder surveys, and evaluation rubrics.