Weave the Critical Literacy Strands
and
Build Student Confidence to Read!
Jenny W. Hamilton
[email protected]
www.voyagersopriswebinars.com
https://www.facebook.com/VoyagerSopris
Agenda – part 1
• Identify the critical literacy strands
• Examine the relationship between the strands
• Encourage risk-taking
Webinar Mechanics
• Ways to participate
• Take polls
• Chat questions and responses
• Access to recorded session
A Tapestry of Skills
• What do you see when you look at
this tapestry?
• How is reading comprehension
like this tapestry?
Unraveling the Tapestry
A Tapestry of Skills
What skills do students need to
read and comprehend this excerpt?
Excerpt from “The Golden Mean: How the Universe Adds Up” from L!4E Book F
Weaving Literacy
The critical literacy strands
• Oral language
• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics
• Encoding
• Decoding
• Vocabulary
• Syntax
• Text Connections
• Responding to Text
Which one is the most important?
Reading Model
Language Comprehension
Background Knowledge
Vocabulary Knowledge
increasingly
strategic
Language Structures
Verbal Reasoning
Skilled
Literacy Knowledge
Reading
Word Recognition
Phonemic Awareness
Decoding & Spelling
Sight Recognition
increasingly
automatic
(Scarborough)
Finding Meaning
• Unlock the code
o Passage
 Sentences
Words
Sound/symbol correspondences within words the
sentences
• What role does fluency play?
Oral Language
Critical Component
• Establishes the framework
for all language learning
• Gives the tapestry its color!
Game Changer
• Young learners
• English Language Learners
From the Research
Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
Why Teach It?
• Critical building block regardless of age
• Without it, limited ability to decode
How to Teach It?
• Explicitly and systematically
• Multisensory approach to enhance
engagement and retention
• Automaticity is the goal
Weaving the strands
Read It!
Hint
Answer
1.
SHOCKED CUSSED TOE
person
Jacques Cousteau
2.
SAND TACKLE LAWS
fictional character
Santa Claus
3.
MY GULCH HOARD UN
person
Michael Jordan
4.
MOW BEAD HICK
book
Moby Dick
5.
TALL MISCHIEF HER SUN
person
Thomas Jefferson
6.
CHICK HE TUB AN AN US
product
Chiquita Bananas
7.
THOUGH TIGHT AND HICK
thing
The Titanic
8.
AISLE OH VIEW
phrase
I love you
9.
TUB RAID HEAP HUNCH
TV show
The Brady Bunch
10.
CARESS TOUGHER CLUMP US
person
Christopher Columbus
11.
DOCKED HEARSE WHOSE
person
Dr. Seuss
12.
THUMB ILL KEY WAKE OWL LICKS HE
place
The Milky Way Galaxy
13.
AGE ANT HUB BLOWS HEAVEN
fictional character
Agent 007
14.
THESE HOUND DOVE MOO SICK
movie
The Sound of Music
15.
BUCKS SPUN HE
fictional character
Bugs Bunny
Accuracy and Automaticity
The petals on a daisy, the seed
arrangement on a sunflower,
the seashell called a chambered
nautilus, the stars in a
galaxy,
and the human hand
all have something extraordinary
in common.
Accuracy and Automaticity
The petals on a daisy, the seed arrangement on a sunflower,
the seashell called a chambered nautilus, the stars in a galaxy,
and the human hand all have something extraordinary in common.
From the Research
Word Recognition and Spelling
What Is It?
• Decoding is the initial stage of reading when
written
language (print) is translated into spoken language
(speech)
• Fluency is the ability to read words rapidly, accurately, and
automatically
• Encoding is the process of converting sounds (phonemes)
into orthographic symbols (e.g., writing or spelling)
From the Research
Word Recognition and Spelling
Why Teach It?
• Good readers are rapid, fluent and automatic decoders
• Fluency highly correlated to comprehension
• A focus on fluency with irregular words is especially
important for older struggling readers
• Interconnectedness of spelling and reading indicates
skills may be developed reciprocally
• Spelling and handwriting are correlated to quality of
writing
From the Research
Word Recognition and Spelling
How to Teach It
• Regular, ongoing fluency practice
• Incorporate opportunities to practice reading and
spelling decodable and irregular words
• Directly teach spelling patterns
• Directly teach proper handwriting
From the Research
From the Research
Vocabulary and Morphology
Why Teach It
• Critical building block for comprehension
• Morphology influences vocabulary
development
Vocabulary
Vocabulary knowledge impacts comprehension
•
•
•
Consensus exists on value of vocabulary instruction
Consensus does not exist on
• How to teach vocabulary
• Which words to teach
Deep word knowledge impacts
• Retrieval
• Comprehension
• Retention
Semantic Knowledge Increases Word Reading Speed
bites
roars
big
animal
furry
eats
Leo
antelopes
4 legs
Lion
King
king of
jungle
mane
famous Africa
lions
Wizard
of OZ
zodiac
lion
Narnia
green
lives
in
zoo
sour
jungle
Margarita
good in
food and drinks
Tequila
Pexman, Holyk, & Monfils, 2003
key lime pie
fruit
lime
citrus
From the Research
Vocabulary and Morphology
How to Teach It
• Instruction actively engages students in vocabulary
acquisition
• Instruction includes morphology, figurative language, word
relationships, and content specific vocabulary
• Explicit instruction in word meaning to complement
contextual cues
• Vocabulary should be taught directly and indirectly
• Effective vocabulary instruction should link new concepts
to known content
Weaving the strands
“Words are learned incrementally over
time as a consequence of multiple
exposures.”
Paribakht & Wesche, 1997
Usage Matters
How words are used matters
•
Word meaning is impacted by
o Word function or job
o Word order/syntax
Consider the word “star”
•
•
•
How many different meanings can you think of?
How does the meaning impact its function?
How was it used in the previous passage?
the stars in the galaxy
From the Research
Grammar and Usage
Why Teach It
• Students must know the “rules” of the
language to understand written text
• Understanding the grammatical structure
unlocks meaning
From the Research
“Often the confusion is
grammatical.
To understand the meaning, you
need to understand the structure.”
David Mulroy (2003) Author of The War Against Grammar
Zernike, Kate. (11-07-04) “Modifying the Subject”. New York Times
From the Research
Grammar and Usage
How To Teach It
• Make the abstract concepts concrete through
manipulatives and graphic organizers
• Cyclical and spiraling curricular design
• Focus on word’s function to bridge vocabulary and
comprehension
• Utilization of questions to help students find parts of a
sentence
• Discovery first; definition and labeling of terms last!
Weaving the strands
The Breaking Point!
• The new vocabulary words do not exist in the
reader’s listening and speaking vocabulary.
• The percentage of unknown words teeters over
the brink.
• Text becomes so syntactically embedded that
comprehension disintegrates.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding follows decoding
• Background knowledge
• Connections to content
• Anticipate outcomes, make predictions
Monitoring comprehension
• External questions to track content and meaning
• Internal questions to track personal understanding
o What do I know?
o What do I still need to learn?
o Do I understand what is happening?
From the Research
Listening and Reading Comprehension
What Is It?
• The ability to understand and remember
what is read
• The ability to apply higher order thinking
skills to text, such as analyzing,
synthesizing, and evaluating
From the Research
Listening and Reading Comprehension
How To Teach It
• Provide direct instruction in wide variety of reading
strategies (Guthrie, Wigfield, Metsala, & Cox)
• Analyze text structures used in expository and fiction
texts (Meyer & Poon)
• Connect background knowledge to text content
(Anderson; Pressley; Hill & Flynn; Shaywitz)
• Provide opportunities for students to read a large
volumes of text (Guthrie, Wigfield, Metsala, & Cox)
From the Research
Listening and Reading Comprehension
Why Teach It?
• Incidental exposure to text is not enough to
develop sub-skills needed to decode and
comprehend
• Proficient readers are actively engaged in
the reading process
Checking Understanding
Measuring understanding of entire text
•
Asking and answering questions
o Oral responses/discussion
o Written responses
Reading/Writing Connection
• Writing about content deepens knowledge
• Students need content AND skill knowledge
o Summarize
o Respond to text
Reciprocity between the strands
Measuring understanding of entire text
•
Asking and answering questions
o Oral responses/discussion
o Written responses
From the Research
Speaking and Writing
Why Teach It
• Involves completely different language centers
from reading
• Complex activity that requires explicit instruction in
high and low level cognitive skills
• Benefits of communicating effectively in speech
and writing go beyond classroom application
From the Research
Speaking and Writing
How to Teach It
• Explicit instruction for planning and organizing
the writing process
• Step-by-step preparation through pre-writing
activities
• Provide models of good writing for students to
emulate
From the Research
Speaking and Writing
Vocabulary Connection
• Written responses to reading help students
develop academic language
• Weak vocabulary often a stumbling block in
written expression
From the Research
Speaking and Writing
Grammar Connection
• Teaching grammar within the context of writing
improves student writing
• Teaching grammar in isolation has yielded no
improvement in student writing
From the Research
Speaking and Writing
Comprehension Connection
• Writing is a valuable tool for learning and summarizing
text content
• Explicit and systematic instruction in reading strategies
significantly enhances students’ writing skills
Building Student Confidence
Success breeds confidence
• Scaffolding the skills ensures success
• Success encourages more risk-taking
Goal setting
• Make it attractive
• Make it attainable
What’s Next?
Explore strategies to tighten the weave of reading skills