The Impact of Trade

Books on Reading
Comprehension
Differentiated Instruction

Effective instruction requires the use of differentiated learning strategies and a

willingness to move beyond assigning and telling when using texts in the classroom

An effective teacher pays attention to how learners are acquiring their knowledge by
planning instruction and organizing opportunities for students so they will engage
actively in developing the core concepts and processes underlying a discipline

Differentiating learning through a variety of texts and instructional strategies will actively
engage all students in literacy and learning
What are Trade Books?

Trade Books are any book published for the general public
specialized reading material that can provide a focused,
contextualized, up-to-date reporting of discipline-specific
content.

Compared to traditional textbooks, they are better able to

accommodate the diverse needs of students because they often
vary in content, readability, genre, and format, and therefore, can
appeal to a wide range of readers. (Fang, 2013)
Fang & Wei (2010)

Objective Determine how an inquiry-based science

curriculum that integrated explicit reading strategy
instruction and an at home reading program using
science trade books would influence the development
of science literacy on middle schoolers.
Test Groups: 1.) Inquiry-Based Science only (IS), 2.)
Inquiry-Based Science plus Reading (ISR)
 IS students were taught the curriculum designed by the district and
received no reading instruction.

The ISR students were co-taught 1 reading strategy for 15-20

minutes every Thursday for 22 Weeks.
Each strategy was taught on a 1-2 week cycle. Strategies
included predicting, questions, concept mapping, note taking,
paraphrasing, etc.
ISR Students also participated in an at-home reading program using
trade books
Asked to share their weekly book with a family member and
complete a response worksheet that encouraged them to think
Results

ISR groups outperformed the IS groups on all measures

of science literacy (both the derived sense and the
fundamental sense)
Peggy Daisey (1994)

Details various alternative sources as being helpful

Fiction, Biographies, Discovery Reports

Also examines Classroom activities

Poems, art projects, group problem solving

Use trade books to bolster engagement

Cynthia Kelly (2008)

Anecdotes of Trade books with ELL students

Includes many examples of culturally relevant books

Dramatic increases in Student interest and participation

5 Themes of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Identity and Achievement-considers the identity of both the student and the
teacher. It invites the teacher to consider the cultural lens through which they see
themselves in as well as the lens through which students view their own identities.

Equity and excellence-emphasizes that students have different learning needs. To

be effective, teachers need to recognize that achieving equity doesnt mean that
every student receives the same instruction or the same type of support. It means
that each student receives what he or she needs in order to understand the concepts.

Developmental Appropriateness: ask teachers to consider not only whether or not

a concept or activity is appropriate for a students developmental level.

Teaching the whole child: Focuses more on the home-school-community

collaboration and fostering a supportive learning community for students of diverse
backgrounds.

Student-teacher relationships: focus on fostering a classroom atmosphere that

Setting up to Use a Trade Book

1.) Choose a book relevant to the content being discussed in class

2.) Separate the book into passages of 200-250 words

Allows teachers to focus on a smaller number of vocab words and to adequately
address their meanings in the context of how and where they are used in the
story

3.) Select Tier 2 vocab words for each passage (3-5words)

Choose words that can be used across disciplines use words the students are
familiar with to give meaning to new word allows students to associate the new
vocab with daily experiences
Using Trade Books for Read Aloud Think
Aloud
4.) Preview the story and introduce the new vocabulary words

5.) Read passage from text out loud focus on having the students
be aware of what is happening and encourage them to discuss
about what inferences can be made from what they read

6.) Reread the passage draw attention to the vocabulary words

Ask them to signal when they hear the word, ask if they can use them in their own
sentences, provide sentence frames if necessary

7.) Extend Comprehension focus on deep processing of vocabulary

knowledge
Ask for students to define the word in their own words, have them draw from their
prior knowledge and experience.
Assessment

As a student, what are the benefits of Trade Books

As a teacher, what are the benefits of Trade Books

Based on the provided read aloud model, which steps do you find most
important.
Sources Cited
Fang, Z. (2013). Disciplinary Literacy in Science: Developing Science Literacy Through Trade
Books.Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,57(4), 274-278. doi:10.1002/jaal.25
Daisey, P. (1994) The use of trade books in secondary science and mathematics. (1994). School Science and
Mathematics, 94(4), 170. Retrieved from
http://rose.scranton.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/195226139?accountid=28588
Kelly, C. (2008). Comparison of textbook passages, nonfiction trade book passages and fiction
trade book passages as instructional tools for learning science (Order No. 3348505).
Available from ProQuest Central. (304645826). Retrieved from
http://rose.scranton.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/304645826?accou
ntid=28588
Freeman, D. and Freeman, Y. English Language Learners: The Essential Guide. "Culturally Relevant Books," pgs.
106-115. New York: Scholastic, In. 2007. Reprinted with permission from Scholastic, Inc.