Informed Literacy

Because every child deserves reading success

Is Early Intervention in Foundational Reading Skills Needed?

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image of a struggling kindergarten reader

Case Study #1, Avery

In this post we will take a closer look at Avery, whom we introduced on our Instagram page. We will explore whether or not early intervention in foundational reading skills is needed. Avery is a kindergarten student who has strong oral language skills, a robust vocabulary, a depth of background knowledge. All these strengths have resulted in Avery ‘reading’ and passing a level D book as evidenced by her running record. But, is she really reading? Let’s take a closer look.

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Back to School: Getting to Know Your First Grade Readers

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It’s Back to School time! Looking for some fun reading tips and activities your children will love? This post offers free printables that will make the first weeks of school a success for students and teachers!

Essential Back to School Assessments for Early Readers

Back to School is an exciting time for primary students! First graders tend to be even more excited about the first day of school than Kindergarten students. Like Kindergarten students, first graders come to school shiny and eager to learn.  They too benefit when the classroom teacher takes the time to establish routines and set consistent classroom rules.  And, more than likely, there will be several new faces so it’s imperative that time is spent on building relationships and social interactions.

While all that is going on during the busy Back to School season, the classroom teacher must familiarize him or herself with the reading skills of each of the students.  That’s no easy task.  We feel ya!

Back to School: Where does the classroom teacher begin?

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How to Calculate Fluency Rate

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Fluency Rate Pinterest

Why Calculating Correct Words Per Minute  Matters

We often find ourselves discussing fluency rate and the proper way to score fluency assessments.  Some people are in the camp of counting ‘words per minute’.  Others hold the stance of scoring ‘correct words per minute’.  We firmly believe in scoring ‘correct words per minute’ because fluency is not just about rate;  it’s about accuracy as well.  Both rate and accuracy impact comprehension which is the ultimate goal of reading.  Using the formula for determining fluency rate, we will demonstrate the difference between the two types of scoring systems.

Formula for fluency rate only:

Total # words read  _____x (multiply by) 60; ÷ (divide by) # of seconds to read passage = words per minute (wpm)

Formula for fluency rate AND accuracy:

Total # words read correctly _____x (multiply by) 60; ÷ (divide by) # of seconds to read passage = correct words per minute (cwpm)

Example:  A second grade student reads a grade level passage of 116 words.  The student reads the passage in 80 seconds and makes 21 errors.

Using the 1st formula: 116  x  60 = 6960;  6960 ÷ 80 = 87 WPM.  The student reading rate appears to be 87 WPM (end of grade level benchmark).

However, using the 2nd formula that calculates the correct number of words read, the fluency rate changes dramatically.

95 x 60 = 5700;  5700 ÷ 80 = 71 CWPM.  The student is not reading with grade level fluency.

Scoring only words per minute can give teachers a false positive.  It may seem like the student is reading fluently, but upon closer inspection another story begins to emerge.  The student read rapidly, but skipped over longer words and/or misread common sight words.  This provides a window into the type of targeted instruction from which the student would benefit.

If the student is skipping or mumbling through longer words then multisyllabic word study is probably necessary.

If the student is primarily misreading common words (a/an, this/his) and not self-correcting then he must learn to monitor for meaning.  This same student may benefit from review of high frequency words as well as monitoring for meaning.

The following is a timed fluency read by a second grader:

Here is the text:

I don’t mind visiting my dentist’s office.  There are lots of things I can do while I wait.  My dentist has some puzzles I can put together.  There is a big TV in the waiting room.  There are stacks of blue and green blocks I can use for building.  When I build a tower, sometimes my brother knocks it down.  Then I just stare at him and start over.

Every door has a flower painted on it.  Inside there is a big chair that lifts up and down…

The student read 88 Words Per Minute.  Wow!  Not bad for a Grade 2 spring fluency rate.  After all, the benchmark goal for Grade 2 is 87 CWPM.

But, as we said earlier, it’s not just about rate.  It’s also important to account for errors.  Let’s take a closer look at what the student actually read and calculate CORRECT words per minute.

Words containing strikethroughs were the original words of the text.  Words in red are the substituted words.  Strikethroughs not followed by words in red were simply skipped.

 I don’t mind meend visiting my the dentist’s office.  There are lots of things I can do while will I wait.  My The dentist has some puzzles pizzas I can  put but together.  There is a big TV in the waiting room.  There are stacks of for blue and green blocks I can use for building buy.  When I build buy a tower tall, sometimes my brother knocks kicks it down.  Then I just stare start at him and start over. 

Every door dentist has a flower painted on it.  Inside there is a big chair couch that lifts lets up you and down.

This student read 53 CWPM, which is well below the Spring goal and indicates that this student is in need of further support.

Here is the same text as read aloud by a student:   

I don’t meend visiting the dentist’s office.  There are lots of things I can do will I wait.  The dentist has some pizzas I can but.  Stacks for blue and green blocks I can buy.  When I buy a tall, sometimes my brother kicks it down.  Then I just start at him and start over.

Every dentist has a flower.  Inside there is a big couch that lets you down.

In addition to rate, this reading sample indicates the student is in need of further instruction such as:

  • Strengthening word attack
    • closed syllables   -ind found in mind
    • silent e  – found in while and stare
    • consonant +le – found in puzzles
    • digraphs – ch found in chair
    • Using more than just the beginning letter to decode multisyllabic words – tower, building
  • High frequency words:  put, my, of…
  • Monitoring for meaning
  • Tracking (to reduce the number of words and lines skipped)

That seems overwhelming.  Where do I begin?

Decoding is the primary foundational skill that is the building block for all other skills.  It doesn’t have to be overwhelming.  Check out our “Overview of the Six Syllable Types”.  It’s a great place to start.

Meanwhile, another important skill is fluency itself.  Modeling of fluent reading and opportunities to reread a text are two powerful ways to increase fluency.  Our Fluency bundle contains everything you need to set your students on the path of fluent reading.

An Overview of the Six Syllable Types

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The Alphabetic Principle

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Alphabet tiles in a clear bowl

 

A Cornerstone for Reading Success

What is the Alphabetic Principle?

Along with phonemic awareness (the ability to blend and segment the sounds in words), the alphabetic principle is essential for reading success.  The alphabetic principle is the understanding that letters and letter patterns represent sounds in the spoken language.

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Why Develop Phonemic Awareness in Emergent Readers?

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Phonemic Awareness: A Prerequisite for Reading Success

Phonemic Awareness Pin

What is phonemic awareness?

Phonemic Awareness is an oral language skill that includes a number of discrete skills:

  • rhyming
  • isolating beginning, middle, and ending sounds
  • segmenting and blending phonemes
  • manipulating phonemes

Click here for more details on phonemic awareness.

Why is phonemic awareness important?

Phonemic Awareness is a critical building block, necessary for reading [Read more…]

Back to School: Getting to Know Your Second and Third Grade Readers

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Essential Decoding Assessments for Primary Readers

Getting to Know 2-3rd graders pin

Second and third grade is where the ‘rubber hits the road,’ so to speak. While much of kindergarten and first grade reading instruction focuses on learning to read through phonological awareness skills and applying the alphabetic principle, second and third grade begins the transition from ‘learning to read’ toward ‘reading to learn.’

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Back to School: Getting to Know Your Kindergarten Readers

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2017 BTS Kindergarten PA Blog Post Pin

Essential Assessments for Emergent Readers

“Back-to-School” is the best time of year.  The kindergartners arrive at the classroom door, shining and smiling in their new school clothes, eager to learn.

There is a LOT to learn.  First, they have to learn how to ‘do’ school.  They have to learn where the bathroom is, how to share school supplies, and how to navigate the playground.  Kindergartners have to learn the rules of school (i.e. taking turns speaking, following directions, taking care of supplies, etc.).  It takes approximately six weeks until the classroom hits its groove.

While helping kindergartners adjust to the school setting and getting to know the students as little people, you must also get to know these little folks as learners.  That can appear to be a daunting task.

Where does the classroom teacher begin?

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Targeted Intervention Builds Stronger Readers

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Using the Components of Literacy as a Guide

picture of a tighly bound rope with the words using the components of literacy as a guide

The framework for our blog is based upon The Cognitive Model created by Michael C. McKenna and Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl (2009).  The ultimate goal of reading is comprehension.  However, comprehension is contingent upon mastery of a series of critical components (i.e. fluency in context, oral language comprehension, and strategic knowledge).  Each of these components can be broken down into more finite skills.  For more information on the individual Components of Literacy, please click here.

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Learning Disability or Curriculum Disability?

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Nature vs. Nurture

 

 

Think about a student you have instructed who exhibits difficulty learning. Even after the unit has been taught, the student continues to struggle with the skills and/or information. You might question the contributing factors surrounding the student’s difficulties. Is it a case of nature (the student’s inherent Curriculum Disability vs Learning Disabilityabilities) or nurture

 

(the instruction to which the child has been exposed)? It is important to understand that lack of progress does not always indicate an underlying learning disability. It could be the result of a curriculum disability.

LDOnline defines a learning disability as follows:

A learning disability is a neurological disorder. In simple terms, a learning disability results from a difference in the way a person’s brain is “wired.” Children with learning disabilities are as smart or smarter than their peers. But they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling and/or organizing information if left to figure things out by themselves or if taught in conventional ways.

In contrast, a curriculum disability occurs when there is an instructional gap preventing students from accessing their true ability.

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Back it Up

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Always start with what they know…

Definition of Back it upImagine expecting a baby to run before he or she learns to crawl. While this seems preposterous, it is no different than expecting a third grader to explain how key details support the main idea when the student does not possess a secure understanding of the difference between main idea and details. This illustrates the need for what we refer to as “back it up”.

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