Showing posts sorted by date for query phonological. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query phonological. Sort by relevance Show all posts
What is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness is a critical component of early reading development, serving as the foundation for proficient reading skills. This concept was extensively explored in the National Reading Panel (NRP) Report, which emphasized its significance in the broader context of literacy education.
What is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds—phonemes—in spoken words. It is a subcategory of phonological awareness, which includes a range of skills involving the recognition and manipulation of sounds at different levels (words, syllables, onset-rime, and phonemes). Phonemic awareness focuses specifically on the smallest units of sound that can change the meaning of words. For example, changing the first phoneme in the word "cat" from /k/ to /h/ transforms it into "hat."
Skills associated with phonemic awareness include:
- Phoneme Isolation: Recognizing individual sounds in words (e.g., identifying the first sound in "dog" as /d/).
- Phoneme Identity: Recognizing the common sound in different words (e.g., identifying /b/ in "bat," "ball," and "boy").
- Phoneme Categorization: Identifying the odd sound out in a set of words (e.g., "bat," "ball," "rug").
- Phoneme Blending: Combining individual sounds to form a word (e.g., /b/, /a/, /t/ to form "bat").
- Phoneme Segmentation: Breaking a word into its individual sounds (e.g., "cat" into /k/, /æ/, /t/).
- Phoneme Deletion: Recognizing the word that remains when a phoneme is removed (e.g., removing /s/ from "smile" to get "mile").
The Importance of Phonemic Awareness
The National Reading Panel Report highlighted phonemic awareness as a crucial predictor of later reading success. Here's why phonemic awareness is so important:
- Foundation for Reading and Spelling: Phonemic awareness provides the foundation for understanding the alphabetic principle—the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language. This understanding is essential for decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) words.
- Predictive of Future Reading Success: Research shows that children with strong phonemic awareness skills are more likely to become proficient readers. Conversely, children who struggle with phonemic awareness are at a higher risk for reading difficulties.
- Improves Word Recognition: Phonemic awareness helps children develop efficient word recognition skills. By being able to break words into phonemes and blend phonemes to form words, children can more easily recognize and read unfamiliar words.
- Supports Reading Comprehension: Good phonemic awareness skills lead to better word recognition, which in turn frees up cognitive resources for comprehension. When children can quickly and accurately recognize words, they can focus more on understanding the text's meaning.
Current Research on Phonemic Awareness
Since the publication of the NRP Report, further research has continued to support the importance of phonemic awareness in reading development. Key findings from recent studies include:
- Longitudinal Studies: Longitudinal studies have reinforced that early phonemic awareness is a strong predictor of later reading achievement. Children who enter school with well-developed phonemic awareness are more likely to experience reading success throughout their academic careers.
- Neuroscientific Research: Advances in neuroscience have shown that phonemic awareness activates specific areas of the brain associated with reading and language processing. Functional MRI studies reveal that successful reading interventions, which include phonemic awareness training, can lead to changes in brain activity patterns, indicating improved reading skills.
- Interventions for Struggling Readers: Effective reading interventions for struggling readers often include a significant focus on phonemic awareness. Studies have shown that targeted phonemic awareness instruction can help remediate reading difficulties and improve overall reading achievement.
- Impact of Early Intervention: Research highlights the importance of early intervention in phonemic awareness. Interventions provided in preschool and early elementary school are more effective than those provided later, emphasizing the need for early identification and support for children at risk of reading difficulties.
Practical Strategies for Teaching Phonemic Awareness
Given the importance of phonemic awareness, educators and parents must incorporate effective strategies for developing these skills in young learners. Here are some evidence-based practices:
- Explicit Instruction: Provide explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness. This involves directly teaching children about phonemes and how to manipulate them through various activities.
- Use of Manipulatives: Use physical manipulatives, such as letter tiles or counters, to help children visualize and manipulate sounds. This hands-on approach can make abstract concepts more concrete and understandable.
- Incorporate Fun Activities: Incorporate games and playful activities that promote phonemic awareness, such as rhyming games, sound matching, and phoneme substitution. Making learning fun can engage children and reinforce skills.
- Modeling and Scaffolding: Model phonemic awareness tasks and provide scaffolding to support children as they practice. Gradually reduce support as children become more proficient.
- Integrate with Other Literacy Activities: Integrate phonemic awareness activities with other literacy instruction, such as reading aloud, shared reading, and writing. This integration helps children make connections between phonemic awareness and other aspects of literacy.
- Ongoing Assessment: Regularly assess children’s phonemic awareness skills to monitor progress and identify those who may need additional support. Use both formal and informal assessment tools to gather data on student performance.
Case Study: Effective Phonemic Awareness Instruction
To illustrate the practical application of these strategies, let’s look at a case study from a kindergarten classroom.
Classroom Context:
Ms. Johnson is a kindergarten teacher who has implemented a comprehensive phonemic awareness program in her classroom. She begins each day with a 15-minute phonemic awareness session, focusing on a specific skill, such as phoneme segmentation or blending.
Implementation:
Warm-Up Activity: Ms. Johnson starts with a warm-up activity, such as a rhyming game, to engage students and prepare them for the lesson.
Explicit Instruction: She then provides explicit instruction on the day’s focus skill, using visual aids and modeling the task.
Guided Practice: Students engage in guided practice with Ms. Johnson’s support, using manipulatives to segment and blend phonemes.
Independent Practice: Students then practice independently or in small groups, with activities such as sorting pictures based on initial sounds or playing sound-matching games.
Integration: Ms. Johnson integrates phonemic awareness into other literacy activities, such as shared reading. She pauses during read-alouds to highlight phonemes and engage students in phonemic tasks related to the text.
Assessment: Ms. Johnson uses both observational assessments and formal tools to monitor student progress. She adjusts her instruction based on assessment data, providing additional support to students who need it.
Outcomes: By the end of the school year, Ms. Johnson’s students show significant improvement in their phonemic awareness skills. They demonstrate strong word recognition abilities and are well-prepared for first-grade reading instruction. Ms. Johnson’s systematic and engaging approach to phonemic awareness has laid a solid foundation for her students’ future reading success.
Phonemic awareness is a vital component of early reading development, as highlighted by the National Reading Panel and supported by ongoing research. It serves as the foundation for decoding, word recognition, and reading comprehension. Effective phonemic awareness instruction, provided through explicit, systematic, and engaging activities, can significantly improve children’s reading outcomes.
Everyone plays a crucial role in fostering phonemic awareness in young learners. By incorporating evidence-based strategies and providing early intervention, they can help ensure that all children develop the skills necessary for reading success. As research continues to evolve, the importance of phonemic awareness remains clear, underscoring its role as a cornerstone of literacy education.
References
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. U.S. Government Printing Office.
Ehri, L. C., Nunes, S. R., Willows, D. M., Schuster, B. V., Yaghoub-Zadeh, Z., & Shanahan, T. (2001). Phonemic awareness instruction helps children learn to read: Evidence from the National Reading Panel's meta-analysis. Reading Research Quarterly, 36(3), 250-287.
Kilpatrick, D. A. (2015). Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties. Wiley.
Stanovich, K. E. (2000). Progress in Understanding Reading: Scientific Foundations and New Frontiers. Guilford Press.
Goswami, U. (2002). Phonology, reading development, and dyslexia: A cross-linguistic perspective. Annals of Dyslexia, 52(1), 139-163.
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PS: Here are 5 programs that address Phonemic awareness. These have been either recommended by researchers or educators. I only have personal experience with Heggerty and the OG approach. When adopting any program or materials, do your homework and make sure it addresses your concerns. I don't personally recommend or endorse any one program.
- Heggerty Phonemic Awareness: Developed by Dr. Michael Heggerty, this program offers daily lessons designed to build phonemic awareness in young learners. It's widely used in schools and praised for its structured, systematic approach.
- Jolly Phonics: Jolly Phonics is a comprehensive program that includes phonemic awareness as a key component. It uses multi-sensory methods to teach children the five key skills for reading and writing.
- Orton-Gillingham Approach: Though not a standalone program, the Orton-Gillingham approach is a highly effective, evidence-based method for teaching phonemic awareness, particularly for students with dyslexia. It emphasizes direct, explicit, and multisensory instruction.
- Ladders to Literacy: This program, developed by the University of North Carolina, integrates phonemic awareness activities with other early literacy skills. It's research-based and designed to support young children in developing strong literacy foundations.
- Phonemic Awareness in Young Children: A Classroom Curriculum: Written by Marilyn Jager Adams and others, this curriculum provides a range of activities and lessons for teaching phonemic awareness. It's a widely respected resource among educators for its practical and research-based strategies.
The Importance of Oral Language for ELL Students in Reading and Writing
As a special education teacher, I often see firsthand the critical role that oral language plays in the development of reading and writing skills, particularly for English Language Learner (ELL) students. Oral language, which encompasses listening and speaking skills, is foundational for literacy development. For ELL students, who are navigating the challenges of acquiring a new language, a strong base in oral language is essential for their success in reading and writing.
Understanding Oral Language
Oral language involves the ability to comprehend and produce spoken language. It includes phonology (the sounds of language), vocabulary (words and their meanings), syntax (sentence structure), semantics (meaning), and pragmatics (social language use). In essence, oral language is the bedrock upon which literacy is built. Without a firm grasp of oral language, students can struggle with decoding words, understanding texts, and expressing themselves in writing.
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| Scarborough's Rope |
Oral Language and Scarborough’s Rope
Oral language is integral to Scarborough's Reading Rope, which intertwines language comprehension and word recognition strands for skilled reading. For non-English speakers, strong oral language skills support vocabulary development, syntax understanding, and listening comprehension, all critical for language comprehension. These skills enable ELL students to decode and make sense of written text in English. By enhancing phonological awareness and verbal interaction, educators can strengthen the oral language strand, thereby supporting ELL students in weaving together the elements necessary for proficient reading in English. This holistic approach is essential for their reading success.
The Link Between Oral Language and Literacy
Research consistently shows that oral language proficiency is a strong predictor of later reading comprehension and writing ability. For ELL students, developing oral language skills in English is particularly important. Here's why:
- Phonological Awareness: ELL students need to become familiar with the sounds of English. Phonological awareness, which includes recognizing and manipulating sounds, is crucial for decoding words during reading. If a student cannot hear and produce the sounds in a word, reading that word becomes significantly more challenging.
- Vocabulary Development: A robust vocabulary is essential for understanding and producing both spoken and written language. Oral language activities, such as storytelling and discussions, expose ELL students to new words and phrases in context, helping them to build their vocabulary. This, in turn, aids in reading comprehension and the ability to express ideas in writing.
- Syntax and Grammar: Understanding the structure of English sentences is crucial for both reading and writing. Through oral language practice, ELL students learn how words and phrases are organized in English. This knowledge helps them decode complex sentences while reading and construct grammatically correct sentences when writing.
- Listening Comprehension: Listening to spoken English helps ELL students develop an ear for the language, including intonation, rhythm, and stress patterns. Listening comprehension is directly related to reading comprehension; students who can understand spoken language are better equipped to understand written texts.
- Cultural and Pragmatic Understanding: Oral language also involves understanding the social use of language, which includes cultural nuances and pragmatic rules. This understanding helps ELL students navigate different contexts, which is important for both reading (e.g., understanding characters’ intentions in a story) and writing (e.g., knowing how to address different audiences)
Strategies to Support Oral Language Development
Given its importance, it’s essential to incorporate strategies that promote oral language development in ELL students. Here are some effective approaches:
- Interactive Read-Alouds: Reading books aloud to students and engaging them in discussions about the story helps build vocabulary and comprehension skills. Ask open-ended questions that encourage students to think and talk about the text.
- Language-Rich Environments: Create a classroom environment that is rich in oral language opportunities. Label objects in the classroom, use word walls, and provide ample opportunities for students to engage in conversations, both with peers and adults.
- Explicit Vocabulary Instruction: Teach new words explicitly, using visuals, gestures, and examples to reinforce understanding. Encourage students to use new vocabulary in their speech and writing.
- Oral Language Activities: Incorporate activities such as storytelling, role-playing, and group discussions. These activities not only make learning fun but also provide meaningful contexts for using language.
- Peer Interactions: Pair ELL students with peers who are proficient in English. Peer interactions can provide models of fluent speech and offer opportunities for ELL students to practice speaking in a less formal, more supportive environment.
- Scaffolded Support: Provide scaffolded support by modeling correct language use, offering sentence starters, and gradually increasing the complexity of language tasks as students become more proficient.
Current Research
Current research underscores the importance of oral language and vocabulary development in second language learners, aligning closely with the principles outlined in Scarborough's Reading Rope. This framework, introduced by Hollis Scarborough, integrates multiple strands of literacy skills essential for proficient reading, categorized into two main areas: word recognition and language comprehension (Really Great Reading) (Landmark Outreach).
For second language learners, the upper strands of the Reading Rope, which include background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge, are particularly crucial. These elements contribute significantly to language comprehension, one of the two main components necessary for skilled reading (Prentice Blog) (Amplify).
Research emphasizes that robust vocabulary and oral language skills enable learners to decode and understand new words more effectively, which is particularly beneficial for second language learners. As these learners often need to build both their vocabulary and understanding of language structures, a focus on these areas helps improve overall reading comprehension and fluency (Landmark Outreach) (Amplify).
Moreover, evidence from the field of the Science of Reading supports the integration of vocabulary and oral language instruction into literacy education. This approach helps second language learners develop the necessary skills to decode text and comprehend its meaning simultaneously, which is essential for reading proficiency (Amplify).
The current research aligns with Scarborough's Reading Rope in highlighting the integral role of oral language and vocabulary development in the reading proficiency of second language learners. Educators are encouraged to incorporate these components into their teaching strategies to support the holistic development of reading skills in these students.
Oral language is a critical component of literacy development, especially for ELL students. It serves as the foundation upon which reading and writing skills are built. By focusing on oral language development, educators can help ELL students achieve greater success in their literacy journey. As a special education teacher, I am committed to implementing strategies that support the oral language needs of ELL students, recognizing that these skills are key to unlocking their full academic potential. Through intentional and thoughtful instruction, we can empower our ELL students to become confident, competent readers and writers.
References
Jooda, B. (2023, June 29). The Reading Rope: Breaking it all down . Amplify. https://amplify.com/blog/science-of-reading/the-reading-rope-breaking-it-all-down/
Navigating Literacy Excellence: Unveiling the Significance of Scarborough’s Reading Rope. (n.d.). Blog.prentice.org. Retrieved May 21, 2024, from https://blog.prentice.org/blog/navigating-literacy-excellence-unveiling-the-significance-of-scarboroughs-reading-rope
Really Great Reading. (2015). Scarborough’s Reading Rope | Really Great Reading. www.reallygreatreading.com. https://www.reallygreatreading.com/scarboroughs-reading-rope
Scarborough’s Reading Rope. (2022, October 14). Landmark Outreach. https://www.landmarkoutreach.org/strategies/scarboroughs-reading-rope/
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How I use WHY to Find Root Cause
This year as my building redoes their RTI process, they put WHY at the forefront of the process.
The Root Cause is so much more than just the test scores or the informal assessment scores you get. Getting to the bottom or root cause of why a student struggles takes a team, an open mind, and time. It's hard finding the one or two things that if you provide interventions or strategies for the student takes off.
My team most works on IEP goals. With the way building schedules have come together, it is all the time we have to work on. We work as a team to find the root cause behind their struggles. This is the process we use to find a student's Root Cause. When we work through a Root Cause Analysis we follow the same steps--make sure you bring an open mind and your data.
Scenario
Problem Statement: The student struggles with decoding.
Formal Reading Assessment
Based on formal testing the student doesn’t have any decoding concerns but his Reading Comprehension score is significantly below the 12th%ile.
WHY?
I need more information.
DIBLES Scores for a 2nd grader
DIBELS shows the student knows their sounds and letters but there is something up with the oral reading fluency. There is a significant gap greater than 2.0.
WHY?
Complete:
Oral Reading Fluency error analysis shows 68% accuracy with 16 words read.
Assessing sight words show they know 41 of the first 100.
The decision was made based on what looks like a decoding weakness Phonological Processing was assessed--scores were in the average range.
What do I know now?
The student has a decoding weakness. He would benefit from a phonics highly structured phonics program.
Why??
This time I only needed three WHYS to figure out what the true problem is for the student. Sometimes you need more. On average it tends to run closer to five.
This process was completed with my team not during RTI. The decision to target phonics could have been reached without the formal testing and just with DIBELS and Sight Words.
My team uses this approach to help each other when we get stuck and need to take a step back and need more voices to look at the data.
As a special education team, we target only IEP goals and scaffold the student's skills up to access the grade-level curriculum. So the more specific we can be the better--we don’t want to waste time messing around with large messy goals that don’t end up helping the student close achievement gaps.
Go back to RTI.
How could this process be used during an RTI meeting?
Questions and dialogue are key concepts here. Talk about what the numbers tell you. Start with strengths and needs. Just the facts! Don’t interpret anything. Work through the data dialogue process as I outlined in the E-workbook: RTI Data Clarity freebie. I also included several worksheets to help teams work towards finding a student’s root cause.
Working to find the root cause of why a student is struggling is hard work. The dialogue with your team is a great way to bring in more voices. This in turns brings in more ideas that may help the student. Make sure you bring the Data Clarity e-workbook to help.
Do you similar to help your team find a student’s root cause? Feel free to brag about your success in the comments!
Are you wondering how you can use this idea with your team? Check out my free E-Workbook: RTI Data Clarity.
Chat soon,
Why?
How else are you going to figure out what the student’s needs really are!The Root Cause is so much more than just the test scores or the informal assessment scores you get. Getting to the bottom or root cause of why a student struggles takes a team, an open mind, and time. It's hard finding the one or two things that if you provide interventions or strategies for the student takes off.
My team most works on IEP goals. With the way building schedules have come together, it is all the time we have to work on. We work as a team to find the root cause behind their struggles. This is the process we use to find a student's Root Cause. When we work through a Root Cause Analysis we follow the same steps--make sure you bring an open mind and your data.
Scenario
Problem Statement: The student struggles with decoding.
Formal Reading Assessment
- Alphabet: 63%ile
- Meaning: 2nd%ile
- Reading Quotient: 16th%ile
Based on formal testing the student doesn’t have any decoding concerns but his Reading Comprehension score is significantly below the 12th%ile.
WHY?
I need more information.
DIBLES Scores for a 2nd grader
- Nonsense Word Fluency: 32 sounds; Benchmark 54 sounds in a minute; Gap 1.68
- Phoneme Segmentation Fluency: 47 sounds; Benchmark 40 sounds in a minute; Gap .85
- Oral Reading Fluency: 11 words; Benchmark 52 words in a minute; Gap 4.7
DIBELS shows the student knows their sounds and letters but there is something up with the oral reading fluency. There is a significant gap greater than 2.0.
WHY?
Complete:
- Error Analysis of ORF passage
- Assess sight words
- Does Phonological Processing need to be assessed?
Oral Reading Fluency error analysis shows 68% accuracy with 16 words read.
Assessing sight words show they know 41 of the first 100.
The decision was made based on what looks like a decoding weakness Phonological Processing was assessed--scores were in the average range.
What do I know now?
The student has a decoding weakness. He would benefit from a phonics highly structured phonics program.
Why??
This time I only needed three WHYS to figure out what the true problem is for the student. Sometimes you need more. On average it tends to run closer to five.
This process was completed with my team not during RTI. The decision to target phonics could have been reached without the formal testing and just with DIBELS and Sight Words.
My team uses this approach to help each other when we get stuck and need to take a step back and need more voices to look at the data.
As a special education team, we target only IEP goals and scaffold the student's skills up to access the grade-level curriculum. So the more specific we can be the better--we don’t want to waste time messing around with large messy goals that don’t end up helping the student close achievement gaps.
Go back to RTI.
How could this process be used during an RTI meeting?
Questions and dialogue are key concepts here. Talk about what the numbers tell you. Start with strengths and needs. Just the facts! Don’t interpret anything. Work through the data dialogue process as I outlined in the E-workbook: RTI Data Clarity freebie. I also included several worksheets to help teams work towards finding a student’s root cause.
Working to find the root cause of why a student is struggling is hard work. The dialogue with your team is a great way to bring in more voices. This in turns brings in more ideas that may help the student. Make sure you bring the Data Clarity e-workbook to help.
Do you similar to help your team find a student’s root cause? Feel free to brag about your success in the comments!
Are you wondering how you can use this idea with your team? Check out my free E-Workbook: RTI Data Clarity.
Chat soon,
Why First Sound Fluency Matters? {Freebie}
Letter-sound correspondences involve knowledge of the sounds represented by the letters of the alphabet the letters used to represent the sounds.Why is knowledge of letter-sound correspondences important? DIBELS has changed LSF to First Sound Fluency--(which is better.)
Knowledge of letter-sound correspondences is essential in reading and writing
In order to read a word:
What sequence should be used to teach letter-sound correspondence?
Letter-sound correspondences should be taught one at a time. As soon as the learner acquires one letter-sound correspondence, introduce a new one. I suggest teaching the letters and sounds in this sequence: a, m, t, p, o, n, c, d, u, s, g, h, i, f, b, l, e, r, w, k, x, v, y, z, j, q.
This sequence was designed to help learners start reading as soon as possible. Letters that occur frequently in simple words (e.g., a, m, t) are taught first. Letters that look similar and have similar sounds (b and d) are separated in the instructional sequence to avoid confusion. Short vowels are taught before long vowels. I teach upper case then lowercase. However, when I'm assessing the student they get both all the letters. (think DIBELS or AimsWeb Fluency probes.)
An example Instruction: For RTI and if I'm working 1 on 1 with a student. (I have had given this to para's or parents to do as well.)
Sample goal for instruction in letter-sound correspondences:
The learner will listen to a target sound presented orally identify the letter that represents the sound select the appropriate letter from a group of letter cards, an alphabet board, or a keyboard with at least 80% accuracy.
Instructional Task:
Here is an example of instruction to teach letter-sound correspondences. The instructor introduces the new letter and its sound shows a card with the letter m and says the sound “mmmm.” After practice with this letter sounds, then I review with the student.
The instructor says a letter sound.
The learner listens to the sound, looks at each of the letters provided as response options, selects the correct letter, from a group of letter cards, from an alphabet board, or from a keyboard.
Instructional Procedure:
The instructor teaches letter-sound correspondences using these procedures:
Model:
The instructor demonstrates the letter-sound correspondence for the learner.
Guided practice:
The instructor provides scaffolding support or prompting to help the learner match the letter and sound correctly.
The instructor gradually fades this support as the learner develops competence.
Independent practice:
The learner listens to the target sound and selects the letter independently. The instructor monitors the learner’s responses and provides appropriate feedback.
The Alphabetic Principle Plan of Instruction:
Teach letter-sound relationships explicitly and in isolation. Provide opportunities for children to practice letter-sound relationships in daily lessons. Provide practice opportunities that include new sound-letter relationships, as well as cumulatively reviewing previously taught relationships.
Give students opportunities early and often to apply their expanding knowledge of sound-letter relationships to the reading of phonetically spelled words that are familiar in meaning.
Amanda from Mrs. Richardson's Class has created a 20 minute Guided Reading Plan which I use with my Pre-A's and A's. The big piece is these guys are in books which is huge for them and makes their day.
Rate and Sequence of Instruction
No set rule governs how fast or how slow to introduce letter-sound relationships. One obvious and important factor to consider in determining the rate of introduction is the performance of the group of students with whom the instruction is to be used.
I tell the teachers I work with, think MASTERY. Start with the ones the student knows and then add no more than 5. Master and then add the next ones that make sense. Use your Probe data to drive your plan.
It is also a good idea to begin instruction in sound-letter relationships by choosing consonants such as f, m, n, r, and s, whose sounds can be pronounced in isolation with the least distortion. Stop sounds at the beginning or middle of words are harder for children to blend than are continuous sounds.
Instruction should also separate the introduction of sounds for letters that are auditorily confusing, such as /b/ and /v/ or /i/ and /e/, or visually confusing, such as b and d or p and g.
Many teachers use a combination of instructional methods rather than just one. Research suggests that explicit, teacher-directed instruction is more effective in teaching the alphabetic principle than is less-explicit and less-direct instruction.
Knowledge of letter-sound correspondences is essential in reading and writing
In order to read a word:
- the learner must recognize the letters in the word and associate each letter with its sound
- In order to write or type a word
- the learner must break the word into its component sounds and know the letters that represent these sounds.
What sequence should be used to teach letter-sound correspondence?
Letter-sound correspondences should be taught one at a time. As soon as the learner acquires one letter-sound correspondence, introduce a new one. I suggest teaching the letters and sounds in this sequence: a, m, t, p, o, n, c, d, u, s, g, h, i, f, b, l, e, r, w, k, x, v, y, z, j, q.
This sequence was designed to help learners start reading as soon as possible. Letters that occur frequently in simple words (e.g., a, m, t) are taught first. Letters that look similar and have similar sounds (b and d) are separated in the instructional sequence to avoid confusion. Short vowels are taught before long vowels. I teach upper case then lowercase. However, when I'm assessing the student they get both all the letters. (think DIBELS or AimsWeb Fluency probes.)
An example Instruction: For RTI and if I'm working 1 on 1 with a student. (I have had given this to para's or parents to do as well.)
Sample goal for instruction in letter-sound correspondences:
The learner will listen to a target sound presented orally identify the letter that represents the sound select the appropriate letter from a group of letter cards, an alphabet board, or a keyboard with at least 80% accuracy.
Instructional Task:
Here is an example of instruction to teach letter-sound correspondences. The instructor introduces the new letter and its sound shows a card with the letter m and says the sound “mmmm.” After practice with this letter sounds, then I review with the student.
The instructor says a letter sound.
The learner listens to the sound, looks at each of the letters provided as response options, selects the correct letter, from a group of letter cards, from an alphabet board, or from a keyboard.
Instructional Procedure:
The instructor teaches letter-sound correspondences using these procedures:
Model:
The instructor demonstrates the letter-sound correspondence for the learner.
Guided practice:
The instructor provides scaffolding support or prompting to help the learner match the letter and sound correctly.
The instructor gradually fades this support as the learner develops competence.
Independent practice:
The learner listens to the target sound and selects the letter independently. The instructor monitors the learner’s responses and provides appropriate feedback.
The Alphabetic Principle Plan of Instruction:
Teach letter-sound relationships explicitly and in isolation. Provide opportunities for children to practice letter-sound relationships in daily lessons. Provide practice opportunities that include new sound-letter relationships, as well as cumulatively reviewing previously taught relationships.
Give students opportunities early and often to apply their expanding knowledge of sound-letter relationships to the reading of phonetically spelled words that are familiar in meaning.
Amanda from Mrs. Richardson's Class has created a 20 minute Guided Reading Plan which I use with my Pre-A's and A's. The big piece is these guys are in books which is huge for them and makes their day.
Rate and Sequence of Instruction
No set rule governs how fast or how slow to introduce letter-sound relationships. One obvious and important factor to consider in determining the rate of introduction is the performance of the group of students with whom the instruction is to be used.
I tell the teachers I work with, think MASTERY. Start with the ones the student knows and then add no more than 5. Master and then add the next ones that make sense. Use your Probe data to drive your plan.
It is also a good idea to begin instruction in sound-letter relationships by choosing consonants such as f, m, n, r, and s, whose sounds can be pronounced in isolation with the least distortion. Stop sounds at the beginning or middle of words are harder for children to blend than are continuous sounds.
Instruction should also separate the introduction of sounds for letters that are auditorily confusing, such as /b/ and /v/ or /i/ and /e/, or visually confusing, such as b and d or p and g.
Many teachers use a combination of instructional methods rather than just one. Research suggests that explicit, teacher-directed instruction is more effective in teaching the alphabetic principle than is less-explicit and less-direct instruction.
FREEBIE TIME
This year I'm working towards being paperless. Why?? I' traveling to other rooms to provide services. As it is I'm a bag lady on the best of days but as a Special Education teacher you have to be ready for just about anything when it comes to planning inclass support. My way around this--technology. Not for everything but since I use Seesaw for communication and goal tracking; let's find other things to do with it. For this First Sound Fluency activity, you will need Seesaw and have your class setup. I tend to give students a page at a time to ensure it is correct. It can also be used as an assessment or as a center.
Until Next Time,
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6 Early Literacy Skills Predict Reading and Writing Success
Its that time of the year when I start planning and thinking how to support incoming preschoolers to kindergarten at the Big Building." These are the ideas I share with parents are they visit my program and get ready for next year.
Early literacy is everything children should know about reading and writing before they can actually read or write. Literacy skills begin developing in the first 5 years of life with a toddler holding and chewing on a book, to wanting a favorite book read over and over, to becoming a preschooler or kindergartner who loves to “read” a story to you from memory.
According to research performed by the National Reading Panel and other experts, young children entering school with specific early literacy skills have the greatest opportunity to become successful readers and writers. Early literacy skills include Vocabulary, Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness. These important foundational skills are the building blocks for learning to read and write. Children having been exposed to, or having most of these skills, will benefit more from the reading instruction they receive when entering kindergarten than the child with fewer skills or no exposure at all.
Some think their child’s success in reading and writing depends on getting the “right” first grade teacher, but their success really depends on how much they learn at home about reading and writing before entering school. Early experiences with books and language are most critical for future success in literacy. Skills that should be promoted at home:
• Print Motivation — is taking an interest in and enjoying books. A child with print motivation loves being read to, plays with books, and pretends to write. Trips to the library are fun, motivational, and FREE! Exchange books with other parents with children of your child’s age. Encourage print motivation in your child by making reading a special shared time with you. Make books accessible to your child. Let your child see you enjoying reading. Talk to your child about how we use reading and/or writing almost every minute of the day.
• Vocabulary — (knowing the names of things) is the most important skill for children to have when learning to read. By the time your child enters school, he/she should know between 3,000-5,000 words. Help develop your child’s vocabulary by reading and rereading a variety of books (fiction and nonfiction) and teaching the names of all the objects in your child’s world.
• Print Awareness — is a child’s ability to point to the words on the page of a book. It includes learning that writing (in English) follows rules: print moves top to bottom and left to right, and that the person reading is someone that knows what all the letters and words say. Point out and read words to your child everywhere you see them: on signs, advertisements, labels, stores, candies, products, etc.
• Narrative Skills — help a child understand and tell a story and describe things, like what happened at a birthday party or about a trip to Grandma’s. Parents can help strengthen their child’s narrative skills by asking him/her to tell what is happening in a story or book, instead of always listening to you read. Ask your child to tell you about things he/she has done or will do that involve a regular sequence of steps: getting ready for school, what your family did/will do on vacation, how to play a particular game, etc.
• Letter Knowledge — is the ability to recognize and name letters (upper and lower case) and produce the sounds they make. Develop your child’s letter knowledge by using lots of fun reading and/or writing activities: pointing out and naming letters in a book, on a sign or on a label; drawing letters in sand or shaving cream; painting letters on paper with brushes, etc. Talk about letters and how some are similar in shape (l, H, F, E, and T or W, M, N, V). Teach the child how to write the letters in his/her name (one letter at a time) when he/she begins using a crayon to draw or “write”. As your child learns each letter, have him/her practice producing the sound the letter makes.
• Phonological Awareness — is an understanding of hearing and manipulating sounds in words. Phonological awareness includes the ability to hear and create rhymes (bat, cat, gnat, hat, mat, and sat), say words with sounds left out (bat without b is at), and put two word chunks together to make a word (fl + at = flat). Most often, children having difficulty with phonological awareness have trouble learning to read. An understanding of phonological awareness begins with a child’s exposure to and practice with the previous five steps. Phonological awareness is one of the final steps in preparing children for actual reading instruction that begins in kindergarten.
I hope you find these strategies helpful. I'd love to hear how you help parents understand the foundational skills needed to be successful.
Letter-Sound Correspondence
What are letter-sound correspondences?
Letter-sound correspondences involve knowledge of:
- the sounds represented by the letters of the alphabet
- the letters used to represent the sounds
Why is knowledge of letter-sound correspondences important?
Knowledge of letter-sound correspondences is essential in reading and writing
- In order to read a word:
- the student must recognize the letters in the word and associate each letter with its sound
- In order the student must break the word into its component sounds and know the letters that represent these sounds.
What sequence should be used to teach letter-sound correspondence?
Letter-sound correspondences should be taught one at a time. As soon as the student acquires one letter sound correspondence, introduce a new one.
I tend to teaching the letters and sounds in this sequence
- a, m, t, p, o, n, c, d, u, s, g, h, i, f, b, l, e, r, w, k, x, v, y, z, j, q
- Letters that occur frequently in simple words (e.g., a, m, t) are taught first.
- Letters that look similar and have similar sounds (b and d) are separated in the instructional sequence to avoid confusion.
- Short vowels are taught before long vowels.
- I tend to teach lower case letters first before upper case letters. Pick one and stick to it.
- prior knowledge
- interests
- hearing
Start by teaching the sounds of the letters, not their names. Knowing the names of letters is not necessary to read or write. Knowledge of letter names can interfere with successful decoding.
- For example, the student looks at a word and thinks of the names of the letters instead of the sounds.
The student will:
- listen to a target sound presented orally
- identify the letter that represents the sound
- select the appropriate letter from a group of letter cards, an alphabet board, or a keyboard with at least 80% accuracy
Instructional Task
Here is an example of instruction to teach letter-sound correspondences
Teacher
- introduces the new letter and its sound
- shows a card with the letter m and says the sound “mmmm”
After practice with this letter sound, the instructor provides review
Teacher
- says a letter sound
- listens to the sound
- looks at each of the letters provided as response options
- selects the correct letter
- from a group of letter cards,
- from an alphabet board, or
- from a keyboard.
Instructional Materials
Various materials can be used to teach letter-sound correspondences
- cards with lower case letters
- an alphabet board that includes lower case letters
- a keyboard adapted to include lower case letters
- listen to the target sound – “mmmm”
- select the letter – m – from the keyboard
Instructional Procedure
The teacher teaches letter-sound correspondences using these procedures:
- Model
- The teacher demonstrates the letter-sound correspondence for the student.
- Guided practice
- The teacher provides scaffolding support or prompting to help the student match the letter and sound correctly.
- Independent practice
- The student listens to the target sound and selects the letter independently.
- The teacher monitors the student’s responses and provides appropriate feedback.
Pointers
There are a wide range of fonts. These fonts use different forms of letters, especially the letter a.
- Initially use a consistent font in all instructional materials (I use one that have the capital I and lower case q-I want.)
- Later, I introduce variations in font.
9 Strategies to Build Oral Language
Oral language is not just speaking. It is a large set of skills that encompasses listening comprehension, understanding and producing complex language, vocabulary and word knowledge, grammatical knowledge, phonological skills, and so much more.Why should I worry about it?
Unlike mathematics or science, reading is the only academic area in which we expect children to arrive as kindergartners with a basic skill level. Research has shown that oral language—the foundations of which are developed by age four—has a profound impact on children’s preparedness for kindergarten and on their success throughout their academic career. Children typically enter school with a wide range of background knowledge and oral language ability, attributable in part to factors such as children’s experiences in the home and their socioeconomic status.
Strong oral language makes for strong vocabulary and strong grammatical and semantic knowledge (how words go together and make meaning) then you are better able to understand what you read and produce written words. Let’s take another example. If you have ever studied a foreign language, you know that having limited vocabulary can significantly impair your ability to understand what you read.
How can we promote oral language in the classroom and at home to give students the building blocks for reading and writing? I’m glad you asked. Here are a few strategies that span the grades--Some can be modified to be easier or harder, depending on what you teach.
1) Show and Tell
A classic for elementary students! Students bring an item from home that they want to talk about and there is a precious question and answer session that ensues.
2) Daily Oral Language (D.O.L.)
Traditionally, this is an activity where each day, there is a prompt written on the board for students, such as a sentence written with incorrect grammar for students to correct individually. I prefer to have the students create grammatically correct sentences in small groups (like their tables or with a partner). For example, you could give the words “Since” “Robert” and “party” and have the students come up with a grammatically correct sentence and discuss as a whole group. Another example is to pre-teach a vocabulary word that you will use that day or in the next lesson. Show the vocabulary word and have students talk about its meaning together in a small group and have them draw a group picture representing that word. Share out with the large group. You can have kids draw the vocabulary word on a post-it and then stick it on the board next to the word.
3) Dramatic Vocabulary It’s kind of like vocabulary charades. The students get in a circle and the teacher has a set of cards with that week’s vocabulary words on them (the students can make these cards in groups before the activity for added learning). The teacher pulls a card and gives it to one student, who must act out the vocabulary word for the other students to guess. After it is correctly guessed, the students say, spell, and write the definition of the word together on the board.
4) Word Wall
Also a classic! I think it is used mostly in elementary and middle school, but I can see its value in secondary classrooms with added elements, such as grouping by prefix, suffix, roots, etc. Basically, it is a wall of words that are frequently used in the classroom that are posted for easy reference. Teachers, feel free to comment on how you elaborate on the classic Word Wall. I like to add pictures-even better get students to do them.
5) Listening Activities
For the little ones, I like the classic game “telephone” where the kids get in a circle and the teacher whispers a sentence to the first kid, and they have to whisper the sentence to the next kid. The goal is to have the sentence be in tact at the end. It never is. Hilarity ensues. For older students, teaching listening skills can be in the form of teaching good note-taking skills during lecture. Give the class a list of key phrases that they want to listen for in a lecture such as, “This is important..”, “One of the main things…” “The first thing you have to do is…, etc”, “You will need to know…” To begin, you could ring a little bell or something when you use the key phrase, then transfer that job to a student. I love to do “Story Hour” and then talk about the picture book or link it to instruction.
The more we learn about the relationships between written and oral language, reading fluency has the potential to provide substantial benefit in skill areas related to comprehension, pragmatics, vocabulary, and overall academic success researched based, easy-to-implement strategies help build both oral reading and reading vocabulary tasks by supporting the development of smooth and accurate oral reading. Reading fluency can easily be targeted concurrently with other goals related to oral and written communication and can be linked to the core classroom curriculum without a great deal of extra effort.
6) Repeated Oral Reading
As discussed in the accompanying article, repeated oral reading is a well-documented method of increasing reading fluency. Using text that is part of the child’s classroom curriculum for repeated oral reading is a relatively effortless way to connect clinical intervention to the classroom setting. Multiple readings of a passage prior to its introduction in the classroom can facilitate better overall comprehension of the topic; this understanding may facilitate more active participation in the classroom. Making prior arrangements with the classroom teacher to introduce a specific passage that your student will be responsible for reading aloud in class is an ideal way to enhance skill development and bolster confidence.
Another way to implement repeated oral reading is through the use of progressive stories. By their very nature, progressive stories have repeated readings of the same material built into the text. The story begins with a sentence or two (“This is the house that Jack built”) with new information added on each new page (“This is the door on the house that Jack built”). The story becomes more and more complex as it unfolds, but the child reads only a little bit more “new” material on each new page. Typically, progressive stories also provide many natural opportunities to practice phrasing and expression—which also contribute to reading fluency—as the story builds and the child becomes more and more familiar with the text structure.
7) Model Fluent Reading
The accompanying article suggests that children need many opportunities to hear fluent reading to facilitate their own reading fluency. Echo reading is an effective method of modeling and facilitating reading fluency, even for very young children. When using this strategy, the adult reads a short passage and then invites the child to “say what I say” or “copy me”. In this way, the adult models fluent reading and then provides the child with an opportunity for immediate practice. Because echo reading does not require children to actually decode the words, they are free to concentrate on how fluent reading feels and sounds. The earlier children have the opportunity to practice reading fluency, the more apt they are to be fluent once they begin to decode words independently. Older children can also benefit by participating in echo reading; choose books that are appropriate for their age/developmental level and interests.
8) Sentence Stress
Use of inappropriate prosody by stressing the wrong word in a sentence can substantially change the meaning of a reading passage. For example, the placement of vocal stress in the sentence “They are riding horses” determines whether “riding” is a verb or an adjective. Practicing sentence stress in conjunction with intervention for articulation, language, fluency, or voice may be accomplished through a variety of exercises, such as the one outlined below. The student reads (or models after you read) a sentence such as “I am walking to the store.”
The student then re-reads the sentence in response to the following questions:
“Where are you walking?”
(“I am walking to the store.”)
“Who is walking to the store?”
(“I am walking to the store.”)
“How are you getting to the store?”
(“I am walking to the store.”)
*Note that this strategy has a built-in component of repeated oral readings. The student has a chance to read the sentence numerous times. As the sentence becomes more familiar, the student is able to devote more attention to the meanings expressed rather than merely to decoding the words.
9) Poetry, Songs, and Chants
Poetry can help readers develop a broad range of fluency skills and provide concentrated practice with rhythm, cadence, expression, and prosody. You can use poetry written by others or help children write their own poetic masterpieces. Similarly, songs and chants—particularly those that call for physical participation—are an excellent way to develop the rhythm and cadence of fluent reading. Poetry, songs, and chants can also be read in groups (choral reading) or pairs (duet reading). Acting out books and stories can provide additional opportunities to translate written language to fluent oral delivery.
I have had some great reading growth with these ideas. I'd love to hear how they work with your students. With strong oral language skills comes building vocabulary skills that make reading easier.
I have had some great reading growth with these ideas. I'd love to hear how they work with your students. With strong oral language skills comes building vocabulary skills that make reading easier.
What are the Six Syllable Types?
I do running records at least every other day and get to at least two students. I use the running records as a formative assessment. I'm wanting to know if my work attack lessons are sticking with my readers. One of the most powerful thing I teach my readers is the 6 syllable types and which ones I target depend on the needs of my readers.
Why teach syllables?
Without a strategy for chunking longer words into manageable parts, students may look at a longer word and simply resort to guessing what it is — or altogether skipping it. Familiarity with syllable-spelling conventions helps readers know whether a vowel is long, short, a diphthong, r-controlled, or whether endings have been added. Familiarity with syllable patterns helps students to read longer words accurately and fluently and to solve spelling problems — although knowledge of syllables alone is not sufficient for being a good speller
.
Spoken syllables are organized around a vowel sound. Each word above has two syllables. The jaw drops open when a vowel in a syllable is spoken.
Closed syllables
The closed syllable is the most common spelling unit in English; it accounts for just under 50 percent of the syllables in running text. When the vowel of a syllable is short, the syllable will be closed off by one or more consonants. Therefore, if a closed syllable is connected to another syllable that begins with a consonant, two consonant letters will come between the syllables (com-mon, but-ter).
Two or more consonant letters often follow short vowels in closed syllables (dodge, stretch, back, stuff, doll, mess, jazz). This is a spelling convention; the extra letters do not represent extra sounds. Each of these example words has only one consonant phoneme at the end of the word.
Vowel-Consonant-e (VCe) syllables
Also known as "magic e" syllable patterns, VCe syllables contain long vowels spelled with a single letter, followed by a single consonant, and a silent e. Examples of VCe syllables are found in wake, whale, while, yoke, yore, rude, and hare. Every long vowel can be spelled with a VCe pattern, although spelling "long e" with VCe is unusual.
Open syllables
If a syllable is open, it will end with a long vowel sound spelled with one vowel letter; there will be no consonant to close it and protect the vowel (to-tal, ri-val, bi-ble, mo-tor). Therefore, when syllables are combined, there will be no doubled consonant between an open syllable and one that follows.
Vowel team syllables
A vowel team may be two, three, or four letters; thus, the term vowel digraph is not used. A vowel team can represent a long, short, or diphthong vowel sound. Vowel teams occur most often in old Anglo-Saxon words whose pronunciations have changed over hundreds of years. They must be learned gradually through word sorting and systematic practice. Examples of vowel teams are found in thief, boil, hay, suit, boat, and straw.
Sometimes, consonant letters are used in vowel teams. The letter y is found in ey, ay, oy, and uy, and the letter w is found in ew, aw, and ow. It is not accurate to say that "w can be a vowel," because the letter is working as part of a vowel team to represent a single vowel sound. Other vowel teams that use consonant letters are -augh, -ough, -igh, and the silent -al spelling for /aw/, as in walk.
Vowel-r syllables
We have chosen the term "vowel-r" over "r-controlled" because the sequence of letters in this type of syllable is a vowel followed by r (er, ir, ur, ar, or). Vowel-r syllables are numerous, variable, and difficult for students to master; they require continuous review. The /r/ phoneme is elusive for students whose phonological awareness is underdeveloped. Examples of vowel-r syllables are found in perform, ardor, mirror, further, worth, and wart.
Consonant-le (C-le) syllables
Also known as the stable final syllable, C-le combinations are found only at the ends of words. If a C-le syllable is combined with an open syllable — as in cable, bugle, or title — there is no doubled consonant. If one is combined with a closed syllable — as in dabble, topple, or little — a double consonant results.
Have a gerat week!
What is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds in words. We know that a student's skill in phonemic awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty. Find out what parents and teachers can do to help children develop this critical literacy skill.
Before children learn to read print, they need to become aware of how the sounds in words work. They must understand that words are made up of speech sounds, or phonemes.
An important pre-reading skill is phonemic awareness. Children become aware that words are made up of sounds which can be assembled in different ways to make different words. Children build these pre-reading skills by practicing nursery rhymes and playing sound and word games such as learning to hear and recognize rhymed words. Tutoring, workbooks, games, or structured computer programs can help teach or reinforce these skills. Parents help in this process by providing high-quality educational materials, establishing a pattern of daily reading, creating a rich language environment, discussing your child's progress with teachers, and following up on their recommendations.
As this phonemic awareness is developed, children should become interested in how words are portrayed in print. Daily reading sessions with the children following along should help develop their understanding of print concept and feed this curiosity. This interest in decoding the words is the fuel for children learning the alphabet and phonics decoding skills. For more information on teaching phonemic awareness, read the Put Reading First report on Phonemic awareness instruction.
The "What Works?" Report found that the five key areas in learning to read are phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency.
Phonemes are the smallest parts of sound in a spoken word that make a difference in the word's meaning. For example, changing the first phoneme in the word hat from /h/ to /p/ changes the word from hat to pat, and so changes the meaning. (A letter between slash marks shows the phoneme, or sound, that the letter represents, and not the name of the letter. For example, the letter h represents the sound /h/.) Children can show us that they have phonemic awareness in several ways, including:
- recognizing which words in a set of words begin with the same sound ("Bell, bike, and boy all have /b/ at the beginning.")
- isolating and saying the first or last sound in a word ("The beginning sound of dog is /d/." "The ending sound of sit is /t/.")
- blending the separate sounds in a word to say the word ("/m/, /a/, /p/ – map.")
- segmenting a word into its separate sounds ("up – /u/, /p/.")
The phonological processor usually works unconsciously when we listen and speak. It is designed to extract the meaning of what is said, not to notice the speech sounds in the words. It is designed to do its job automatically in the service of efficient communication.
On the other hand, phonological skill is not strongly related to intelligence. Some very intelligent people have limitations of linguistic awareness, especially at the phonological level. Take heart. If you find phonological tasks challenging, you are competent in many other ways!
This fact is well proven: Phonological awareness is critical for learning to read any alphabetic writing system. Phonological awareness is even important for reading other kinds of writing systems, such as Chinese and Japanese. There are several well-established lines of argument for the importance of phonological skills to reading and spelling.
Phoneme awareness predicts later outcomes in reading and spelling.
Phoneme awareness facilitates growth in printed word recognition. Even before a student learns to read, we can predict with a high level of accuracy whether that student will be a good reader or a poor reader by the end of third grade and beyond. Prediction is possible with simple tests that measure awareness of speech sounds in words, knowledge of letter names, knowledge of sound-symbol correspondence, and vocabulary.
The majority of poor readers have relative difficulty with phoneme awareness and other phonological skills.
Instruction in phoneme awareness is beneficial for novice readers and spellers. Instruction in speech-sound awareness reduces and alleviates reading and spelling difficulties. Teaching speech sounds explicitly and directly also accelerates learning of the alphabetic code. Therefore, classroom instruction for beginning readers should include phoneme awareness activities. Phonological awareness interacts with and facilitates the development of vocabulary and word consciousness. This argument is made much less commonly than the first four points. Phonological awareness and memory are involved in these activities of word learning:
- Attending to unfamiliar words and comparing them with known words
- Repeating and pronouncing words correctly
- Remembering (encoding) words accurately so that they can be retrieved and used
- Differentiating words that sound similar so their meanings can be contrasted
Learning to read has a sequence. If a student is forced to try to learn skills that he or she does not yet have the foundation for, he or she might become frustrated and lose confidence. Parents should get a sense of what the right sequence is so that they do not inadvertently frustrate their child. Prior to learning to decode words with phonics, there are a few important pre-reading skills.
Happy Teaching-Have a great week!
6 Things to Help Early Readers
Three key research conclusions that support seeking help early are:- 90 percent of children with reading difficulties will achieve grade level in reading if they receive help by the first grade.
- 75 percent of children whose help is delayed to age nine or later continue to struggle throughout their school careers.
- If help is given in fourth grade, rather than in late kindergarten, it takes four times as long to improve the same skills by the same amount.
Yet identification is only the beginning. Effective and intense intervention must be offered immediately. Students who lag behind their peers must be given extra help. These groups should be fluid with students moving in and out as they master skills.
Early signs of difficulty should not be based on immaturity but data. When a kindergarten child confuses letters, associates the wrong sound with a letter, or cannot tell you a rhyme, it usually has nothing to do with social maturity. These warning signs do not necessarily mean a reading disability; these signs may indicate poor preschool preparation. They may not been exposed to letters and letter sounds, they usually catch on quickly once exposed. It is only after instruction has been provided and the child is still struggling that one can conclude there may be a more serious problem.
Key Six Pre-Reading Skills
(for children from birth through 5 years)
Print Motivation
- Being excited about and interested in books
- What can you do?
- Make sure book sharing time is fun.
- For children with short attention spans, keep it short, but read more often.
- Don’t get upset when they put books in their mouths.
- Read books you enjoy.
- Choose books about things that interest the child.
- Read with a natural, but cheerful voice.
Print Awareness
- Understanding that print on a page represents words that are spoken, knowing how to follow words on a page, and knowing how to hold a book.
- What can you do?
- Allow children to handle the book and turn pages.
- Use your finger to point out words as you move across the page.
- Pointing out signs in your environment.
- Read books with large bold print.
- Introduce the cover and talk about the author and illustrator.
Phonological Awareness
- Understanding that words are made up of smaller sounds. Hearing and playing with smaller sounds in words. Phonological Awareness comes before phonics.
- What can you do?
- Encourage your baby to babble, changing the beginning sounds.
- Sing songs. Clap along with the song. Use rhythm sticks and shakers.
- Do action rhymes.
- Learn nursery rhymes. For older children, substitute a non-rhyming word in place of the rhyming word and see if they notice the difference.
- Read books with rhyming texts.
- Play “Say it fast; say it slow.” Butterfly Butt er fly Turtle Tur tle
Vocabulary
- Knowing the names of things, feelings, concepts, and ideas. Knowing the meaning of words and connecting words to objects, events, or concepts in the world.
- What can you do?
- Any book will help with this, but choosing ones with words not used in daily conversation and nonfiction books are especially helpful.
- Label things.
Narrative Skills
- Being able to describe things and events. Being able to tell and understand stories.
- What can you do?
- Talk with children about what you are doing. Ask them “What?” or other open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No.”
- Ask, “What happens next?”
- Allow young children time to respond. Be patient.
- Tell stories.
- Encourage pretend play.
- Let them help you tell flannel board stories.
- Read stories with a beginning, middle, and end.
Letter Knowledge
- Understanding that letters are different from each other. Recognizing letters and knowing that they have different names and sounds.
- What can you do?
- Let babies play with shapes.
- Allow children to handle letter shapes.
- Learn the alphabet song.
- Read alphabet books and books about shapes.
- Books where you have to find things.
- Help your child identify the first letter in his/her name. Then find that letter in books, on signs, and other things in the environment.
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