EDED11406:

Teaching
Reading
Assessment Task 2
Ethan Mann
S0230312

Introduction
CQUniversity Accelerated Metacognitive Literacy Intensive Training (CAMLIT) is a reading
intervention program developed for middle school readers with needs in reading
improvement in three domains; fluency and accuracy, reading comprehension and
metacognitive awareness (Aprile, 2012; Galletly, n.d.). Galletly (n.d.) reports that the program
focuses on reading, language and writing skills, developing metacognition (awareness for the
thinking process itself) for self-monitoring, regulation and direction. This structure was
produced by Dr Susan Galletly and Professor Bruce Knight, supported by contemporary
research around reading improvement. The main focal points of this program are inspiration
and enjoyment for reading and improvement of expansion of considered approaches to
reading (Aprile, 2012). Designed for use with readers in years 4-10, CAMLIT builds
motivation, engagement, oral language, reading comprehension, fluency and spelling and
writing skills (Galletly, n.d.).
The concept of this program was developed around the SCORE reading strategy (Skim and
scan, Connect and question, Organise your thinking, Read and reflect, be the Expert). SCORE
provides a framework, a pneumonic guide for readers to use to independently and
proficiently comprehend texts (Hamilton-Smith, Gargett, Shaw, Brodie, Faix, Harrison &
Galletly, 2010). Within each session of CAMLIT, the SCORE process is provided to the learner
on a bookmark for prompting and metacognition, and each section is taught throughout the
sessions in order (Aprile, 2012).

Range of Texts
The abridged version of CAMLIT did not include some texts from the original, due to
copyright and accessibility (Aprile, 2012). CAMLIT contains a range of texts types, from
narratives, novel excerpts to reports and poems. These texts portray a variety of purposes to
entertain, inform, report, recount and portray feelings. The genres do cover non-fiction and
fiction, from The Science of Earthquakes to Dad and the Cat and the Tree. To be an effective
reader, students need exposure to different types of texts to use different reading strategies,
roles of the reader and processes for the demands of that particular text (Winch, Johnston,
March, Ljungdahl and Holiday, 2010). Winch et al., (2010) report that decoding, participating,
making meaning and using print text uses different conventional methods compared to
digital or screen print texts. This version of CAMLIT has no digital text engagement other than
a suggested video trailer for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film as a hook for session six, although
it is prescribed by Aprile (2012) to integrate digital texts into the middle years. Jason did not
have the chance to interact with multimodal texts of any sort, or use different reading
conventions than print-based strategies. Many texts used had illustrations or some form of
graphics that added to the text. Although this program had no multimodal texts, all printbased texts were relevant and purposeful to the outcomes and explicit instruction of each
session. The Earthquake texts sufficiently displayed the focus of the skimming and scanning
in its headings, sub-headings, diagrams, captions and italic key words. This made it easy for
Jason to make connections to the SCORE strategy and be comprehensive with learning goals
and outcomes.

Educational Value
CAMLIT offers a range of texts, with a range of before, during and after activities for each text.
Embedded within the sequence of sessions, SCORE is recurring, allowing for repetition of
practice of each stage of the strategy. This practice makes permanent, giving readers the
metacognition for each stage. As detailed by Aprile (2012), the SCORE framework underpins
the entirety of activities used before, during and after reading, as each stage is applied to the

activities. CAMLIT connects to disengaged audiences through the range of before, during and
after activities of each text, and interesting topics within texts.
Activities before reading involve skimming and scanning key words, illustrations, layout of
text and assess prior knowledge as connecting to and questioning the text like with The
Science of Earthquakes. Activities during reading include pausing after stanzas in poems to
infer the meaning so far, and predict what the next stanza may involve, as organising thinking
around text and reading and reflecting as with Crash. Activities after reading include
enjoyable challenges, such as sequencing excerpt sections of narratives into order of events,
and matching images with events from modelled reading with Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This
involves readers becoming the expert to apply skills and knowledges to activities. To be
classified as balanced literacy, programs require scaffolded instruction with varying degree of
support and involvement the gradual release of responsibility (Bingham & Hall-Kenyon,
2013). CAMLIT employs this, with a range of modelled, shared, guided and independent
reading opportunities and activities as demonstrated with Cinderella in the 21st Century. The
one-on-one nature of the program provides opportunities to provide explicit models of the
SCORE strategies and observe independent reading as developing accuracy and fluency.
Throughout CAMLIT, top-level structure has been used with texts for readers to understand
organisational patterns and conventions of different texts structures (Bolton, 2007). This is
done mainly throughout the organisation of thinking stage, where readers infer, predict and
determine the structure of the text to read and comprehend it more efficiently.

Justification
Freebody and Luke (1990) state that in order to read and comprehend effectively, four
reading roles need to be employed for different purposes. The CAMLIT before, during and
after activities provide opportunities for readers to take on each of these roles, all under the
scaffold of SCORE.
The code-breaker role is undertaken by the reader in the skimming and scanning stage of
SCORE, where the reader questions how to crack the code, and scans for key features, words
and format to help them read the text. Preparing the reader for success, this role gives them
an opportunity to find conventions and patterns throughout the text (NSW Department of
School Education, 1997). Readers skim and scan the Diary of a Wimpy Kid text to decode the
conventions of it through the cover and print text.
Connecting and questioning and organising thinking is emphasised by the text-participant
role of connecting to self/text/world schema and questioning meanings and knowledges
within the text. This can involve inferring, connecting to prior knowledge and questioning
meanings of the text (Freebody & Luke, 1990). Throughout CAMLIT, this role is employed to
determine top-level structure of texts and organise thinking around those structures and the
most effective method to participate with the text.
The text-user role is used in CAMLITs activities through social (real-world) processes and
authenticity (NSW Department of School Education, 1997). The earthquake news reports
provided two versions of displaying information about the earthquakes. This session
focussed on where these texts would occur in the world and identifying the structure of them
to assist in the reading process. Winch et al., (2010) reports that the text-user role centres on
knowing the structure of the text and how it is used within society.
Text-analyst role was displayed through interpretation and analysis of bias and point of view
within texts. NSW Department of School Education (1997) claim that this role discusses bias,
opinion and perspective, as well as the writers voice. Text, Monica Jackson on the earthquake
in New Zealand allows students to use the analyst role to examine the discourse of its
audience and the perspective of the author. Winch et al., (2010) states that text-analyst also

involves language used for particular scientific groups or positions, as analysed with Monica
Jackson.

Recommendation
By the middle years, students have acquired fundamental knowledge and skills around
semantic, grammatical and phonological-graphophonic while reading (Winch et al., 2010).
This transforms the learning to read to the reading to learn to develop metacognition while
reading. Winch et al., (2010) claims that one cannot be used without the other, as effective
word recognition is required for high-quality comprehension. CAMLIT is based around these
middle years, with a presumed knowledge in these areas. Aprile (2012) states that this
program targets accurate decoders who require development with comprehension. Due to
this, code-breaking in CAMLIT is based upon comprehension and structure of texts rather
than the phonics and word structure in sentences. CAMLITs aims for fluency and accuracy,
comprehension and metacognition are addressed in the aims of The Australian Curriculum as
fluency, purpose, understanding of texts, and reflection (Aprile, 2012; Australian Curriculum
Assessment and Reporting Authority, ACARA, 2015).
Winch et al., (2010) states that effective reading programs have three main focus areas; texts,
reading cues and practices around the four resource model. Texts need to be revisited within
this program to evaluate their effectiveness and relevance to the target audience. Aprile
(2012) reports that due to initial implementation in 2011, the New Zealand earthquakes and
Diary of a Wimpy Kids adaptation to a feature film meant these served as engaging, relevant
texts. Although these were engaging in Jasons case, these texts will become outdated and can
be replaced with current natural disasters and popular fiction book excerpts. Part of the
flexibility of CAMLIT, allows the instructor to use alternate texts and tailor differentiation for
the target readers needs. Reading cues have been developed in this program through a
variety of strategies, as suggested by Winch et al., (2010). These strategies include reading on,
re-reading and checking meaning of words in context, as done with the Billys Explanation
text to decipher the missing words. Throughout the activities within CAMLIT, the four
resource model has proven to support students in metacognition about texts and reading.
NSW Department of School Education (1997) concludes that teachers should use programs
which develop capacities with the four roles in expansive and explicit ways.
Based on Jasons case study, CAMLIT provides a systematic and explicit program which
achieves its aims and focuses through texts, reading cues and roles of the reader. I would
recommend this program for students with needs that align with the aims of this program.
Jason benefited from this program as it stimulated interest into texts he would not have
otherwise engaged with. The success and positive discussion around SCORE has proven
through its implementation that it provides students with a solid framework and strategy for
reading (Hamilton-Smith et al., 2010). In conclusion, CAMLIT provides a successful program
for implementation with target audience of middle school in aims to increase motivation and
enjoyment in disinterested readers and provide metacognitive and comprehension strategies
and approaches (Aprile, 2012).

References

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2015). The Australian
Curriculum: English. Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/english/curriculum/f-10?layout=1
Aprile, K. (2012). CAMLIT Reading Intervention Program: abridged version for implementation in
the course EDED11406 Teaching Reading. Retrieved from CQUniversity Moodle
Course EDED11406: Teaching Reading,
https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=243
Aprile, K. (2012). CAMLIT Reading Intervention Program: an abridged version for use in the
course EDED11406 Teaching Reading. Retrieved from CQUniversity Moodle Course
EDED11406: Teaching Reading,
https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=243
Bingham, G. E., & Hall-Kenyon, K. M. (2013). Examining teachers' beliefs about and
implementation of a balanced literacy framework. Journal Of Research In Reading,
36(1), 14-28. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9817.2010.01483.x
Bolton, F. (2007). Top-Level Structures. Teaching Pre K-8, 37(6), 46-47. Retrieved from
http://www.teachingk-8.com/archives/table_of_contents/march_2007.html
Freebody, P., & Luke, A. (1990). Literacies' programs : debates and demands in cultural context.
[electronic resource]. Adelaide : DECS, 1995.
Galletly, S. (n.d.). CAMLIT: CQUniversity Accelerated Metacognitive Literacy Intensive Tuition .
Retrieved from http://lstaq.asn.au/
Hamilton-Smith, S., Gargett, P., Shaw, J., Brodie, K., Faix, C., Harrison, C., & Galletly, S. (2010).
SCORE The coach approach to demand reading. Literacy Learning: the middle years,
18(3). 32-37. Retrieved from www.alea.edu.au
NSW Department of School Education. (1997). Teaching Reading: A K 6 Framework. Retrieved
from
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/english/assets/pdf
/reading/teach_read.pdf
Winch, G., Johnston, R. R., March, P., Ljundahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2010). Literacy: reading, writing
and childrens literature (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University
Press.

Appendix 1 - Introduction to Learner

*Names have been changed to protect anonymity
Jason* is a grade four, ten year old male in one of two grade four classrooms at a Sunshine Coast
Hinterland school. After discussing the CAMLIT program with Jasons two classroom teachers and
providing them with the Abridged Program document for perusal, Jason was suggested as a suitable
candidate for the sessions. As I am not the pre-service teacher in Jasons class, I lacked prior knowledge,
profiling and rapport with him. I gained some prior reading knowledge from his classroom teachers, and
built a rapport with Jason throughout the CAMLIT sessions.
Jasons teachers described Jason as uninterested in reading, particularly in reading groups run twice a
week. He is a very social boy, who when in the crowd with peers, becomes off task and uninterested.
Because of this, Jasons teachers thought that Jason would respond well to the CAMLIT program because
of the personal, individual targeted sessions. Jasons teachers instructed me that he is in need of work
with his fluency and phrasing in texts and his reading comprehension (finding meaning) within texts,
which are two of the dimensions targeted within CAMLIT. Jason is developing his fluency with different
text types in reading groups, but lacks to interest and initiative to motivate himself to do better. Jasons
teachers believe this is because he does not enjoy the books being read, and they have been trying to use
readers that are relevant and interesting to their groups. His comprehension needs development for him
to properly understand what he is reading. He requires effective strategies for before, during and after
reading to construct this meaning.
Jasons view of reading is an unauthentic one. He reads because he has to, not because he enjoys it or sees
it as a beneficial activity. This may be because he lacks sufficient strategies to make meaning from texts,
so there is no enjoyment. However throughout implementing the CAMLIT program, Jason showed clear
preferences for some texts over others, and enjoyed reading these more.

Session
1
18/3/15
2
25/3/15
3
14/4/15
4
21/4/15
5
5/5/15
6
6/5/15

Session Focus

What was achieved

Introduction to the program

and the SCORE process
through modelling (S)

Understands purpose of program, not overly interested,

initial text were uninteresting, didnt really enjoy
reading the opposed gender stereotypes text, not seen
SCORE before, cooperated with all activities.

Explicit teaching of skimming

and scanning using
information texts (S)

Only scratched the surface of stereotyping with

Cinderella, chunking was successful, engaged from
beginning with earthquake texts, really interested. Very
good as skimming and scanning.

Explicit teaching of strategies

for making connections to
prior knowledge about the
topic (C)

Referring to SCORE bookmark. Was not overly sufficient

at using talk aloud. Good at picking up key words, and
important information. Responded well to repetition of
earthquake texts, connects and questions appropriately.

Teaching making connections

to knowledge about text types
and patterns (SC)

Had trouble with fluency in reading the news reports.

Comprehended and questioned well when read to him,
can make connections (visualising, and linking to news
and media), worked on phrasing and fluency.

Framing questions and setting

a purpose for reading
narrative texts,
comprehension of texts (O)

Doing very well at skimming, scanning, connecting and

questioning with a new text. Very interested in Wimpy
kid and could describe his relationship with his brother.
Sequences perfectly and connects images to text.

Using knowledge of structure,

sequence and purpose or
narrative texts to predict
complication and resolution
(RE) (SCORE)

Using each stage of SCORE very well with texts,

comprehended poems and message being told with how
something is read. Made great predictions between
stanzas, cold draw conclusions and be the expert.