CIERA Classroom Observation Protocol

REVISED Literacy Instruction Coding Scheme Page 8 of 8

Attachment 3

Thinking Reader
CIERA Classroom Observation Protocol

(adapted for Thinking Reader)

DRAFT 06-20-07

Level 1: Who (Who in the classroom is providing instruction/working with students?)

Who	Code	Definition
Classroom teacher	t	Classroom teacher
Computer	c	Computer as the teacher
Special teacher	s	Reading teacher, Title 1 teacher, reading resource teacher, special education teacher, speech and language teacher, ESL teacher, bilingual teacher, etc.
Aide	a	Paraprofessional, instructional aide, parent volunteer
Other	o	No one is in the room, or no one is directly working with the children (e.g. children are working in their seats independently and no one is circulating)
NA	9	No instruction is occurring

Level 2: Groupings (What instructional groupings do you see?)

Grouping	Code	Definition
Whole class/large group	w	All of the children present in the classroom (except for 1 or 2 individuals working with someone else).
Small group	s	Children are working in 2 or more groups. If there are more than 10 children in a group, call this large group.
Pairs	p	Children are working in pairs
Individual	i	Children are working independently
Individual w/teacher	it	Child is working with teacher while other children are working independently (e.g., teacher-student conference)
Other	o	Some other grouping practice is in place
NA	9	No instruction is taking place

Level 3: Major Focus (What major academic/social area is being covered?)

Major Focus	Code	Definition
Reading	r	Reading, reading comprehension, writing in response to reading (where this is the major purpose for the writing), literature study, reading vocabulary, journal writing
Composition/ Writing	w	Writing for the purpose of expressing or communicating ideas (but not writing in which major purpose is to respond to reading); learning how to write; writer’s workshop, creative writing, report writing
Other language	l	Aspects of language arts other than the above (e.g. grammar, mechanics, oral expression, spelling, handwriting) not associated with reading text.
Other	o	Focus is academic but not in literacy
NA	9	None of the above seems to apply, focus is not academic

Level 4: Materials (What are the materials the classroom teacher and students with her are using for this event?)

Material	Code	Definition	Example
Textbook	tn ti	School textbook (e.g. basal reader, leveled books or novels, social studies book). Distinguish between narrative (tn) and informational text (ti).	Students are engaged in reading a textbook or novel. The textbook can be narrative, which tells a story or informational, which provides specific information about a topic
Narrative	n	Narrative text (e.g. narrative book, biography, history, novel, poem, other trade book or novel)	…Teacher or students are reading a narrative story or poem silently or orally
Informational	i	Informational book, reference book (encyclopedia, etc.), newspapers, magazines	…Students are reading a nonfiction text and completing a reading log (summary, what did you learn)…
Student writing	w	Student writing (more than words or disconnected sentences) is being used (finished or in progress)	…Teacher is at her desk helping a student edit his/her writing or students are writing in journals
Worksheet	s	Worksheet, workbook page, graphic organizer	…Teacher hands out a worksheet, graphic organizer, or workbook page for students to complete independently
Board/chart	b	Board, chart, or card is being used (e.g. whiteboard, pocket chart, hanging chart, flashcards)	…Teacher - Think about that time when you were in a rainstorm. We are going to list what you saw, what you heard, what you felt. There is a chart on the board that has three columns labeled- What you see, hear, feel. Teacher calls on students, lists responses
Thinking Reader digital text	TR	Thinking Reader software program	…Students are reading a novel on the computer from the Thinking Reading software program
Reading Software	rs	Reading software program, excluding Thinking Reader	…Students are reading/listening to a text on the computer that is not part of the Thinking Reader software program
Computer	c	Computer, individual keyboard (e.g. Alphasmart).	…Students are typing a story or report on the computer
Audio-tape	a	Audio-tapes or CD’s, listening center, etc.	… Students are listening to a story recorded on tape or CD and following along in their own texts
Video/Television	v	Videos, educational television, DVDs,	…Students are watching the video version of a story or novel
Overhead projector	op	Overhead projector, opaque projector, LCD projector, smart board	…Teacher is modeling the revising process using a transparency of student writing on the overhead projector
Other	o	Something other than the above is being used, for example, dictionary	…Teacher – Let’s look up the word venture. Students open their dictionaries
NA	9	None of the above seems to apply

Level 5: Literacy Activity (What is the specific literacy activity or activity of the classroom teacher?)

Code levels 6 and 7 at the same time for each literacy event observed during the 5-minute observation.

Code each literacy activity or event that has one of the specific foci below. For example, students are reading silently (r) and then switch to talking about lower-level meaning of text (m1); students stop to talk about the meaning of a word (v); they go back to talking about lower-level meaning of text. Each event or activity should be coded as having one particular focus. Code each literacy activity or event only ONCE as opposed to multiple times during a 5-minute segment. Hence, for the above, “r”, “m1”, and “v” would be coded.

Activity	Code	Definition	Example
Reading connected text	r	Students are engaged in reading text. This includes silent reading, reading text on a computer, choral reading (even if not all students are participating), simultaneous oral reading, oral turn-taking reading, and repeated oral readings.	…Students choose a book from the class library and have independent book time …Students are seated at their desks or at computers reading text
Listening to connected text	l	Students are engaged in listening to text that the teacher or the computer is reading. If teacher or the computer is reading to students, code as 1, even if the students are to be following along silently.	…Teacher or the computer reads a narrative trade book or novel, while students listen
Vocabulary	v	Students are engaged in discussing/working on word meaning(s) including using the glossary to look up word meanings in the dictionary or on the computer. This may include discussions of cognates, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, homophones, homographs, classifying words, etc.	…Teacher leads discussion of the word “raucous” and asks students to look up the word in their dictionary …Students use the dictionary or glossary independently at their seats or on the computer as they are reading to look up unknown words
Meaning of text, comprehension – lower level	ml	Students are engaged in talk or writing about the meaning of text which is at a lower level of text interpretation. That is, students are asked to identify meaning that is explicitly stated in the text. The writing may be a journal entry about the text requiring a lower level of text interpretation or may be a worksheet that is on explicit text meaning.	…Teacher asks students which part of the story they liked and students respond …Teacher – Who was Bud? (A question that is directly stated in the story) …Teacher has students write a journal entry using information that is directly stated in the text
Meaning of text –higher level	mh	Students are involved in talk or writing about the meaning or text which is engaging them in higher level thinking. This is talk or writing about the text that requires a higher level of text interpretation or goes beyond the text: generalization, application, evaluation, inference or a synthesis response.	…Teacher shows cover of a novel about the Holocaust and asks students what they already know about the Holocaust before reading the novel …Teacher is noticing some questions that students have recorded in journals or asked about the Holocaust that are not directly stated in the novel read …Students are completing a cause-and-effect sheet about the Holocaust

Activity	Code	Definition	Example
Comprehension Strategies: Reciprocal Teaching Strategies Other comprehension strategies	rts ocs	The teacher and/or students are engaged in naming, defining, or pointing out comprehension strategies in reciprocal teaching which include predicting, clarifying, questioning, summarizing. The teacher and/or students are engaged in naming, defining or pointing out other comprehension strategies such as activating prior knowledge, visualizing, inferences, main ideas, cause and effect, important details, feeling, reflecting	…Before we read, we are going to make some predictions… …Students discuss words or ideas encountered after reading the text such as explaining what the Holocaust means …Students ask or answer questions asked about the text that they just read … answer to a question, the teacher says, “that was a great inference, Tommy.” …Students give an oral summary of the text which tells key information about the text read highlighting the main ideas …Students fill out a cause and effect worksheet about the Holocaust.
Comprehension: Metacognition	cm	The teacher and/or students are engaged in reviewing how, when, or why one might engage in a comprehension activity. Comprehension activities may include identifying the main idea and important details, determining cause and effect, distinguishing fact from opinion or reality from fantasy, identifying the author’s purpose or bias, sequencing, classifying, comparing, making predictions or connections, drawing conclusions or inferring, clarifying, summarizing, asking questions, visualizing, feeling, reflecting.) There is mention of how one engages in the activity (e.g. how to identify the important details), why one might choose to engage in the activity (e.g. “We might visualize, or make pictures in our mind of what’s happening, to make sure we have a clear idea of what’s happening in the story.”), or when one would find this activity most useful (e.g. “Distinguishing fact from opinion is important as you read about history, because everyone who writes about historical events has a particular perspective. So, it will be important to notice when people are writing their opinions and when they are writing facts about the mission.)	…Teacher – Authors use certain words that can help us figure out the order in which something happens. Words like First, next, after that, and finally (points to chart of sequence words) help the reader determine sequence. …Teacher asks students to scan the article for sequence words from the chart. …Teacher – Sometimes, when we make predictions we pay closer attention to what’s happening in the story because we want to find out if our prediction was correct—it makes it more fun. …Teacher – As you read the articles about logging in the northwest, be sure to pay close attention to who wrote the article. Remember, when you are reading about a controversial topic, it is important to identify the author’s purpose, to think about why he or she wrote this article, and how he or she may want to influence your thinking.
Text elements	te	Attending to various elements of text, including: mechanical/visual features, (punctuation, font, and mechanics), text level/genre structures such as sequence, topic sentences, macro-level text grammars (plot, temporal sequence, cause-and-effect, problem-solutions, genre), and literary devices - devices authors use to convey meaning, nuance, and attitudes toward characters or other aspects of a text. Examples include foreshadowing, metaphor, symbolism, literary or historical allusions, point of view, tone, mood, theme	…Teacher – What does this mean when we see words in bold print? …Teacher reviews the purpose of subtitles and has students scan the text they have read for subtitles …Teacher talks about why and how authors use metaphors in poems and stories to shape our view of a character or a setting. “Notice that in Hootsville, it doesn’t just rain, it rains cats and dogs! What’s the author doing to us?”
Writing	w	Students are engaged in writing ideas (not just writing words); focus is on composition, not meaning of text (which would be ml or mh).	…Students are writing a composition to persuade, or inform the audience about a topic
Language development	ld	Teacher is helping students attend to figurative language such as metaphors, clichés, idioms (if the instruction is oral, code here; if in response to an element from a text, code as text elements) word level linguistic structures such as contractions and morphology, sentence level linguistic structures such as verb tense, subject-verb agreement and parts of speech, or translating for the purposes of developing students’ language skills	…Teacher - Have you ever been caught in a rainstorm? Some people say it’s raining cats and dogs when they are talking about rainstorms. Think about that time when you were in a rainstorm … Teacher engages students in a discussion of prefix/suffix and their meanings. (i.e. Pre before a word means before so what would the word preview mean?) … Teacher reads a sentence from a book and discusses past, present, future with students. (i.e. Did this happen already or will it happen?) … Teacher discusses the word sear – how it is a cooking term (provides Spanish term for sear). Teacher– Like when you are making carne asada.
Other	o	Literacy focus other than one of the above	… Students are practicing a play they will present
NA	9	None of the above seems to apply.

Level 6: Interaction Style (What is the interaction style being used by the classroom teacher during this level 5 event?)

Interaction style	Code	Definition	Example
Telling/giving information	t	Telling or giving children information, explaining how to do something. This may include paraphrasing text or translating to convey information.	…Teacher – This is a dash mark, it’s like they didn’t really finish a thought and there’s a sudden ending
Recitation	r	The teacher is coded as engaging the students in answering questions, or responding (q-a-q-a). The purpose primarily appears to be getting the children to answer the questions asked rather than engaging them in a discussion. When the dynamic is recitation, but the teacher is requesting elaborated responses from students, level 6 would be coded as r and d. Also, recitation is coded if the teacher asks students to report their responses to a particular prompt to one or two neighbors. Teacher is clearly in control and managing turns.	…Teacher - What does that mean (new word, veterinarian)? Student – like when your animal is sick, you take it to the veterinarian. Teacher- What is a short form of that word? Does anyone know what it is? Student - vet
Discussion	d	Students engaged in a discussion or conversation, which is largely facilitated by the teacher. Students may respond to each other, but with the teacher’s mediation. Exchange may be t-s-s-s, rather than t-s-t-s. A mid point between conversation and recitation, the teacher is in control and but not always managing turns.	…Students are taking turns speaking without raising hands. Students are listening to one another’s responses and dominating the conversation rather than the teacher. The teacher enters into the discussion briefly.
Modeling, Coaching and Scaffolding	mcs	Modeling: The teacher or computer is explicitly showing, demonstrating, or thinking aloud the steps of how to do something or how to do a process as opposed to simply explaining it (e.g. a teacher or computer models fluent reading after modeling word-by-word reading, and talks about the difference) When modeling is coded at Level 6, listening should be coded at Level 7.	…Teacher reads the poem aloud with students using no expression. Teacher now asks students to read with expression. Teacher reads aloud with students. Teacher- Wait, we’re sounding a little bit choppy, let’s try it again… …Teacher- I don’t remember what a centaur is, let’s look it up. Sometimes when you’re reading, you might need to use a dictionary to look up words like we’re doing now
		Coaching/Scaffolding: The teacher or computer is coded as prompting/providing support which will transfer to other situations as students are attempting to perform a strategy or activity or to answer a question. The teacher or computers’ apparent purpose is to foster independence to get a more complete action or to help students elaborate on an answer (rather than to simply get a student to answer a question).	…Teacher helps student divide the sentences he’s written into different paragraphs. Teacher asks him questions to help him expand his writing with more detail …Teacher encourages students to invite more peers into a conversation dominated by a few students
Reading aloud	ra	Teacher is reading aloud to the students.	…. Teacher begins to read a passage aloud and show students the illustrations
Assessment	a	Engaging in questioning, explaining, providing directions for the purpose of assessing student performance. Typically this would involve record keeping.	… Teacher or computer provides questions to students that need to be answered to measure student understanding of material
Other	o	Interaction style other than what is listed above. Listening or watching without giving feedback would be coded as o.	…Teacher checks in on each individual or small group to make sure they are on task
NA	9	If students are not working with the teacher or computer (so there is no direct teacher-student interaction)

Level 7: Mode of Student Response

Response	Code	Definition	Examples
Reading	r	Students are to be reading, either silently or orally from a book or text on the computer. Includes reading individually, in pairs, choral reading as a group, or simultaneous oral reading.	…Teacher reads aloud while students read aloud too. …Teacher asks students to read a page or selection to themselves …Teacher calls on students one by one to take turns reading aloud
Talking	t	Talk is coded whenever students are expected to respond orally (but are NOT reading) whether individually, one after another, or as a group (e.g. choral response)	…The teacher controls who gets to talk.
Listening	l	Typically listening is coded when the teacher is operating in some sort of presentational mode—telling children information, modeling, or reading aloud to the children (at Level 6). Do not code if children are reading or orally responding.	…Teacher paraphrases what has just happened in the story and resumes reading aloud
Writing	w	Students are to be writing words (including a spelling task), sentences, or paragraphs.	…Students are working by themselves as they write paragraphs or log entries
Other	o	Some form of responding not listed above code.	…Students give a thumbs-up if they agree and a thumbs-down if they disagree
NA	9	If students are not required to respond at all.