The article, Raising Urban Students’ Literacy Achievement by engaging in authentic, challenging work by William H. Teale and Linda B. Gambrell discusses the achievement gap of students in urban schools compared to those students in higher income families. Those students in lower- income families are performing lower in reading and writing. This is due to funding inequity, poverty, high student and teacher mobility, a home-school “disconnect, and a lack of adequate teacher preparation.
The authors analyze the results of a literacy curriculum innovation, I2B, developed by Nina Zolt. This program discusses the achievement gap and was implemented to motivate students in grades 2-5 to read, think, and write by matching them up with adult pen pals. Students receive five carefully selected grade level books in different genres or domains such as fiction, social studies, biography, folktales and science. Most students found these books engaging and were excited and motivated to read them. Teachers also receive these books as well as other curriculum resources for planning purposes. Teachers are also provided with professional development in order to teach this program. Students are then matched with adult pen pals who are also reading the same books as they are. The students are to write and discuss the books they are reading with their pen pals. The pen pals are coached on how to respond to the students by making connections, asking open ended questions, and making personal connections with the students.
The results of this innovation show that students whose teachers implemented this for 3 or more years performed higher than those students who had teachers who only implemented this program for a year or two.
I love how the article talked about the students’ engagement in this curriculum. Students were engaged and motivated to write to a live audience rather than just writing to their teacher for a grade. I think this is so important to think about. Students do get tired of writing only to their teacher just to receive a grade back. No wonder there are so many students who do not find writing enjoyable. It is much more enjoyable to write when you are getting a response back and can have a conversation with someone about your writing without worrying about a score.
I also liked how the article talked about how students were engaged because of the texts that were chosen. The books were carefully thought out based on five characteristics: quality, cultural diversity, range of levels, featured children solving problems, and uplifting tones. The books that were chosen were catered to students and their interests. When a student is interested in a topic they are more likely to be engaged and want to learn more. The children were excited to go home and read these books, they were excited to talk about them with their pen pals and could have meaningful conversations. It is imperative that teachers think of their students and their interests when choosing a text they want their students to engage in.
This article really got me thinking of somehow incorporating pen pals into some of my lessons in the classroom. I think it is important for students to not only communicate their writing with their teacher but with an authentic audience who can respond and ask them questions about their reading and writing. It is always important for students to be educated on cultural diversity and this would be a perfect way to do so. This is something I am going to look into this year for my students.
Theory to Practice 