WestEd Services

Reading Apprenticeship® Academic Literacy Course, Curriculum & Teacher Training

The 9th Grade Course and Curriculum The Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy Course is designed to accelerate 9th grade students' reading achievement, engagement, and fluency. This yearlong course is appropriate for a wide range of students, from struggling readers to students reading at or above grade level. Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy builds students' motivation and increases their strategic and critical reading capabilities, enabling them to construct meaning from academic texts. Students engage with high-interest, challenging texts; analyze the way words and sentences are constructed; and use writing as a tool for learning. The course is organized around three thematic units: Unit 1: Reading Self and Society Unit 2: Reading History Unit 3: Reading Science The Professional Development (5 Days) This training prepares educators to teach the 9th grade Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy Course. The Reading Apprenticeship approach, which includes inquiry-based discussion, modeling, and reflective dialogue, is embedded throughout the 5-day program. Who Should Participate Participants are educators who plan to teach the Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy Course. Past participants have been specialists in English, reading, ELD, humanities, mathematics, science, and social sciences. What You Will Learn In addition to gaining a foundation in the Reading Apprenticeship instructional framework, participants will have practice with key curriculum routines. These include Reciprocal Modeling, Silent Sustained Reading Debrief, Word and Sentence Detective Routines, and Three-Part Reading Discussions (clarifying content, discussing reading process issues, responding to and elaborating on content, and making connections to other related texts). Who Facilitates Your Learning Strategic Literacy Initiative staff and consultants lead the professional development. What Resources Support Your Learning Teacher materials Detailed curriculum and assessment guides organized in binders for each of three content-area units A copy of all student materials Student materials are purchased per student 3 Student Readers (one per content area unit) 3 Interactive Notebooks (one per content area unit) Course teacher and student materials are currently available only to teachers who participate in a Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy Course training or who have participated in a minimum of five days (30 hours) of Reading Apprenticeship professional development led by a certified Reading Apprenticeship trainer. Research Results Early findings from a large-scale experimental study funded by the U.S. Department of Education demonstrated that the Reading Apprenticeship 9th Grade Academic Literacy Course had a positive and statistically significant impact on student reading comprehension scores. Reading comprehension scores for students who attended the Reading Apprenticeship course represented a 33 percent improvement over and above what the students would have achieved if they had not had the opportunity to attend the course. Additionally, WestEd collected standardized reading comprehension test data for 580 students who participated in the Reading Apprenticeship 9th Grade Academic Literacy Course. In six months, the students made statistically significant gains in reading scores. Further, while all students made statistically significant gains in reading scores, the lowest performing students made the largest gains. Dates and Locations San Francisco, CA June 21-25, 2010 July 19-23, 2010 Cost Training (includes one set of teacher and student course materials): $3200 per participant Additional Student Materials: $92.75 per student Institutes may also be scheduled in your city with a minimum of 30 participants. Download Forms RAAL Application (DOC). RAAL Application (PDF). RAAL materials order form (PDF). RAAL Travel, schedule, and lodging 2009 (PDF). Sample the Curriculum Download excerpts from the teacher and student materials.

"I LOVE it!!! I love it, my kids love it — it's the best curriculum I ever taught — it's so clear, and natural." "This is the best curriculum I've seen in the15 years I've been teaching." "...You gave me tools that allowed me to connect to my students on a whole different level. THANK YOU!" Dates, Locations, Logistics San Francisco June 21-25, 2010 July 19-23, 2010 Application Deadline: 3 weeks prior to institute or when filled. Contact Information Kate Meissert at 510.302.4211 or kmeisse@wested.org Related Program(s): Teacher Professional Development Program Related Project(s): Strategic Literacy Initiative Related Features Making Room for Literacy in Secondary Schools Related Resources Building Academic Literacy: An Anthology for Reading Apprenticeship Building Academic Literacy: Lessons from Reading Apprenticeship Classrooms, Grades 6-12 Reading for Understanding: A Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms