Hannah Knapp's Portfolio Page

Navigation links: ETAP 623 Fall 2024 | Link to my mini-course front page

About Me

My name is Hannah Knapp. I am from Henrietta, NY (just outside of Rochester). In May 2021, I graduated from Towson University in Maryland with my bachelor's in elementary and special education. I am certified to teach general education grades 1-6 and special education grades 1-6 in both Maryland and New York. I am going into my fourth year of teaching but my third year of teaching sixth-grade science at a small, rural school. I am currently working toward my Master's in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology.

Outside of teaching, I enjoy spending time at my family's cottage in the Finger Lakes. There I spend many days hanging out with my family and friends, reading, and occasionally water skiing, though I was better when I was younger!

My Topic and Purpose

In a course I took over the summer, I learned about reciprocal teaching in ELA. In my school, students still have guided reading time; however, it has not been utilized well in the past couple of years. This year, I have decided to use reciprocal teaching to help enhance student comprehension and engagement. This mini-course aims to explain reciprocal teaching, its benefits, how to implement it, and how to support student growth.

Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content

By the end of this mini-course, participants will be able to:

Understand the four key strategies of reciprocal teaching.
Implement these strategies in small group or whole class settings.
Guide students in using these strategies independently to improve reading comprehension.

Needs Assessment

Educational Problem or Opportunity

Many students need help comprehending texts and actively engaging in learning, which impacts their overall academic success. Reciprocal teaching offers a structured approach to improving reading comprehension by engaging students in predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing—skills that are crucial for deeper understanding. However, teachers often lack the strategies or confidence to use reciprocal teaching effectively to foster student engagement and comprehension.

Learners/Participants

This course is intended for learners who are pre-service and in-service teachers. These educators are seeking to improve their students' text comprehension skills and foster more active participation in learning.

Analysis of Gaps

Many students need help comprehending what they are reading, as they need to gain the skills to understand what they are reading independently. UNICEF (2022) estimates that approximately 64% of ten-year-olds globally cannot read and understand a simple written story, a number that has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, 52% of ten-year-olds worldwide could not read and understand a simple written story. A student's ability to read and understand a text impacts their engagement in learning. When students cannot interact with the text and become bored, behavioral problems are developed. The National Literacy Institute states, "60% of the behavioral problems occur during reading assignments- group or independently."

Teachers need to know how to effectively implement reciprocal teaching strategies to enhance comprehension and engagement, helping students become more active learners. This involves guiding students through collaborative discussions that promote deeper understanding and critical thinking while fostering engagement and self-regulation.

Existing Efforts

Teachers have used guided reading groups, Book Clubs, and graphic organizers to help students improve their reading comprehension. To help build engagement, teachers have chosen books that interest students, trying to foster the love of reading and build background knowledge.

Intent statement

This mini-course will equip teachers with practical, step-by-step guidance on implementing reciprocal teaching in their classrooms and strategies for adapting it for diverse learners. By the end of the course, participants will feel more confident using these strategies and will have the tools to foster deeper student engagement and improved reading comprehension skills.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

Participants

This mini-course is primarily for in-service and pre-service K-12 teachers, especially those teaching upper elementary and middle school grades. These educators are responsible for developing students’ reading comprehension and engagement in various subjects. Some may already have a basic understanding of reciprocal teaching, while others may be unfamiliar with the technique. The participants are likely to come from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds, which influences how they approach student engagement and text comprehension strategies.

Prior Experiences, Knowledge, Skills, and Interests

Participants may have varied experiences with teaching reading comprehension strategies. Some may have used other approaches, such as guided reading or independent practice, while others may have limited experience in implementing structured comprehension strategies like reciprocal teaching. They may also bring personal experiences from different educational systems or cultural contexts, which could influence their teaching philosophy. Additionally, teachers may already have a range of classroom management skills and expertise in fostering student engagement, though some may struggle to keep students engaged during reading activities. Their motivation may stem from improving students’ comprehension and making lessons more interactive.

Settings for Learning

This course is designed to be done in an asynchronous format, allowing participants to complete this course at their own pace over multiple days. Participants will be expected to reflect on their current practices and apply the strategies they learn in their classrooms.

Time Spent

The amount of time spent on this mini-course will vary for each participant depending on their background knowledge and how much time they devote to the course. Their time on this course will be divided between learning new content (e.g., watching videos or reading materials), engaging in discussions or collaborative tasks (if applicable), and planning how to implement reciprocal teaching in their classrooms.

Resources Needed

For this mini-course, participants will need a laptop or computer and a reliable internet connection to access the shared resources and collaboration opportunities. They may also want to use classroom materials (lesson plans and texts) for personal use.

Performance-Based Objectives

After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:

Understand and explain the four core components of reciprocal teaching—predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing—and their role in improving student comprehension.
Design and implement reciprocal teaching lessons tailored to diverse student needs and reading levels to enhance engagement and comprehension.
Assess student comprehension and participation during reciprocal teaching activities, using formative and summative assessment strategies to monitor student progress.
Reflect on and refine instructional practices by evaluating the effectiveness of reciprocal teaching in their teaching context and making adjustments to improve student outcomes.
Collaborate with colleagues to share best practices and challenges in implementing reciprocal teaching, fostering a professional learning community focused on enhancing reading comprehension instruction.

Task and Content Analysis

Before taking this course, the learner should have:

An understanding of reading comprehension challenges
Knowledge of classroom grouping strategies
Knowledge of basic assessment practices

Unit 1: Introduction to Reciprocal Teaching and Benefits

After this unit, the learner:

Can define reciprocal teaching and identify its core components.
Understands the research and benefits supporting reciprocal teaching for reading comprehension.
Recognizes the primary challenges in reading comprehension that reciprocal teaching addresses.

Unit 2: Deep Dive into Predicting and Questioning

After this unit, the learner can:

Demonstrate how to model the predicting and questioning strategies using think-aloud techniques.
Apply the predicting and questioning strategies in guided reading activities.
Reflect on how predicting and questioning strategies support comprehension and engagement in reading.

Unit 3: Clarifying and Summarizing Strategies

After this unit, the learner:

Can describe and demonstrate the clarifying and summarizing strategies.
Understands how to help students identify confusing text parts and determine key ideas.
Has practiced clarifying and summarizing and can identify ways to scaffold these skills for students.

Unit 4: Adapting Strategies for Diverse Learners

After this unit, the learner will be able to:

Analyze the specific needs of diverse learners, including English Language Learners (ELLs), struggling readers, and gifted students.
Develop modifications to reciprocal teaching strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners.
Collaborate with peers to create and share tools or strategies for adapting reciprocal teaching in various classroom contexts.

Unit 5: Assessing and Reflecting on Reciprocal Teaching

After this unit, the learner:

Demonstrate familiarity with effective assessment techniques to evaluate students' comprehension progress and the application of reciprocal teaching strategies.
Can create a rubric or assessment tool to evaluate the effectiveness of reciprocal teaching in their classroom.
Reflects on their personal growth in reciprocal teaching and sets goals for continued improvement.

Curriculum Map

References and Resources

The National Literacy Institute. (2023, May 19). Literacy statistics 2022–2023. The National Literacy Institute. https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/post/literacy-statistics-2022-2023
UNICEF. (2023, June 30). Only a third of 10-year-olds globally are estimated to be able to read and understand. UNICEF Bulgaria. https://www.unicef.org/bulgaria/en/press-releases/unicef-only-third-10-year-olds-globally-are-estimated-be-able-read-and-understand