What have you seen in language arts/reading instruction? What connections have you seen between what you observed and our readings  and/or class discussions.

The teacher worked more with the students on blends. This week they focused mainly on SH and CH blends. The students practiced writing words with SH and CH blends as well as coming up with as many words as they could that had a blend.

Have you done any teaching in your internship? What have you taught ? Have you worked with a child or a group of children? What did you do with them (e.g., picture/word sort, DRTA, Text Talk) ?

Worked with students while writing their SH and CH blends.  Didn’t get to teach but I did get to work with some students during their class activity of writing words.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, the teachers, the students, or the curriculum.

The smart board is used a lot during their writing lessons.  The teacher writes words on the board and students have to write the word on their paper and mark the blends and vowels in each word.  I think it’s interesting how much they focus on the markings of each word and how the students know their blends, digraphs, long and short vowels.

What have you seen in language arts/reading instruction? What connections have you seen between what you observed and our readings  and/or class discussions.

Teacher discusses digraphs with students during spelling lesson and does practice with whole class on words with adjacent vowels.

Have you done any teaching in your internship? What have you taught ? Have you worked with a child or a group of children? What did you do with them (e.g., picture/word sort, DRTA, Text Talk) ?

Did a picture sort with long vowels with 2 students.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, the teachers, the students, or the curriculum.

There’s a poster in the classroom that shows common blends.

What have you seen in language arts/reading instruction? What connections have you seen between what you observed and our readings  and/or class discussions.

This week, Ms. Young’s students worked on more adjacent vowels and beginning word blends. They also started to work on r influenced vowels. Ms. Young also did a text talk lesson with them on an Easter book.

Have you done any teaching in your internship? What have you taught ? Have you worked with a child or a group of children? What did you do with them (e.g., picture/word sort, DRTA, Text Talk) ?

I worked with individual students during their writing time.  Didn’t get a chance to do any lessons with them.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, the teachers, the students, or the curriculum.

The teachers use smart boards to teach almost all of the lessons that they do in class. They use them during phonics lessons to show examples of the different types of words they’re learning to spell.

What have you seen in language arts/reading instruction?

The class as a whole does a phonics lesson every day for 30 minutes. During this time, they concentrate on different types of words. One day they concentrated on adjacent vowels, the next day they did double vowels (ee) and another day they did words that can be changed to n’t. (doesn’t, shouldn’t, can’t, etc.)

What have you taught in your internship?

I taught a small reading group one day for 45 minutes. We read a book together as a group, using the round robin method and then did a worksheet that focused on new words in the book that they had learned.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, the teachers, the students, or the curriculum.

I was surprised how much the children knew about adjacent vowels, blends, and digraphs. The students have to mark the words that they write during their phonics lessons. They put an X under each vowel, mark through the silent vowel, arch the blends, and draw a line over the long vowels.

1.    What are the three dimensions of fluency? How can you assess each dimension?
2.    Rasinski refers to fluency as a “bridge” between decoding and comprehension. What does he mean by the “bridge” metaphor?
3.    What instructional methods does Rasinski suggest for students with difficulties in automatic and prosodic reading?
4.    Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MFS) is used to measure prosodic quality of oral reading. List components of the MFS and describe briefly what each refers to (p. 49).

1. What grade is Curt in?

3^rd grade

2. What was the flash score for words at: first-grade level? second-grade level? third-grade level?

1st: 75%

2nd: 50%

3rd: 20%

3. What was the accuracy score at: 1-2 level? 2-1 level? 2-2 level?

1-2 level: 97%

2-1 level: 90%

2-2 level: 84%

4. What was the rate score at: 1-2 level? 2-1 level? 2-2 level?

1-2 level: 65 wpm

2-1 level: 44 wpm

2-2 level: 36 wpm

5. What was the percentage correct score for: first-grade words? second-grade words?

1st grade words: 60%

2nd grade words: 0%

6. Which grade-level flash score is the best choice for Instruction Level? (*Note: 92-94% accuracy is marginal; take a close look at Rate.)

Curt’s instructional level is 60%-85%, and his first grade level flash score is 75%

7. Which grade-level accuracy score is the best choice for Instruction Level?

First grade; Curt’s accuracy score was 97% (that lies in the top half of the instructional level).

8. What do Curt’s rate scores indicate about his grade-level reading? Where is he instructional according to rate?

Curt is sufficient in the first-grade level and falls under the instructional level for second-grade.

9. What do Curt’s spelling scores indicate about his Instruction Level.

Curt got 60% in the first grade level and since the instructional level is around 50%, Curt will still need to be instructed in the first grade level.  However he could move to the second grade level since he scored a 0%.

10. Put all of these scores together, and what do they indicate Curt’s reading level to be?

After looking at all the scores, Curt’s reading level is in the later first grade level and early second grade level.

 

1. Describe in broad stokes the reading processes that take place during comprehension of informational text (p. 362, under Construction of Meaning and Concept Development with Informational Texts).

• Accessing accurate, relevant knowledge
• Managing mental processes
• Constructing coherent mental representation through organizational processes

2. Specify the effect that background knowledge may have on constructing mental representations from informational text. Why should teachers be concerned about activating prior knowledge?

There is evidence that young children rely on background knowledge when constructing mental representations from informational text. This can provide support for the reader, but at the same time, can create problems for the reader. It is possible that children may be relying on inaccurate or irrelevant prior knowledge. The teacher should be sensitive to this fact, and make sure to have proper discussions to ensure students are given the proper information.

3. What are the three instructional approaches that can be used to help primary-grade students comprehend informational text? Describe their common (p. 365) and distinctive features (p. 363-5).

Picture Walk (PW): This is a pre-reading conversation that introduces students to the book by previewing the pictures on each page or on a few pages of a book. Students make predictions based on the pictures. Although the focus is not on the text, the teacher does introduce two or three vocabulary words. The PW helps with students’ fluency and comprehension. How the PW is used is based on how challenging the teacher thinks the book will be for the student.

Know-Want to Learn-Learn (KWL): Enables teachers to access the prior knowledge of their students. It also allows students to develop their own purposes for reading. In KWL, the teacher leads a discussion about a text topic and uses a chart to record what students say they know (K), want to lean (W), and what they learned (L) after reading. It can be used at any grade level and in any content area.

Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA): Views reading as a problem-solving process. The teacher selects an instructional level book and divides the text into meaningful sections. The teacher determines what is important in each section and formulates questions for the student to answer. These questions assess the students’ comprehension and ask students to  make predictions of what will happen next in the story.  Students establish their own purposes for reading, make predictions, justify their predictions, and verify or revise predictions based on the text and information gathered during the teacher-led discussions. This allows students to interact with the text.

Common Features: Emphasis on reader engagement and social mediation; Activation of relevant prior knowledge; Anticipation of what information might be likely to be included in a text.

 

4. What is the purpose of the experimental study reported?

“To explore how the PW, KWL, and the DRTA might influence developmental reading abilities and content acquisition when used with informational text in the primary reading group content.”

5. Who were the subjects?

31 second-grade students from two demographically similar schools in the same school district. They had an instructional reading level three to six months below grade level.

6. Describe the reading materials used during the intervention.

The reading material was informational texts on topics that were likely to be familiar to second-grade students. The texts discussed science topics from the second-grade curriculum. They were on the students’ instructional reading levels.

7. How long did the experiment last?

8 weeks total, two 4 week cycles

8. What were the experimental conditions?

• Individual pre-experimental screening
• A 45-minute orientation was held with each group before interventions
• 12 days of intervention in each cycle (3 consecutive days for each of the 4 weeks)
• Groups received each treatment for three days
• Data only collected on third day.
• Students were interviewed about comprehension strategies and instructional preferences the day following the conclusion.

9. Describe the procedures specific to the Picture Walk, KWL, DRTA, and the Control Group conditions.

PW: Students were presented with a brief overview of the text. They worked through the book page-by-page and engaged in an interactive discussion about the pictures, text structure, students’ prior knowledge, and their predictions based on the information. It was the only method that specifically introduced new vocabulary before reading the text. After the PW, the students mumble read the text independently. They then discussed their predictions and summarized the information from the text.

KWL:  They made a group KWL chart on Day 1 and Day 3. After the topic was introduced the children discussed the topic. Their comments were written on the chart in the Know column. On day 2 and 3 each child wrote what he/she knew on a personal KWL chart before it was written on the large group chart. They then categorized the information, but struggled to do this. The students then generated questions about the topic which were placed in the “What I Want to Learn” column. After the pre-reading discussion, the children mumble read the text. They then did a post-reading discussion where they discussed whether the text provided answers to the students’ questions. If so, that was recorded in the “What I Learned’ column.

DRTA: Students formulated and justified predictions about the text based on the title, cover, prior knowledge, and table of contents (if available). They predicted for a two or three-page section of the text, and then mumble read that section. A brief discussion was held after each section to verify predictions and summarize the information. At the conclusion of the entire text, the discussion was minimal.

Control Group: Compared the effects of providing reading opportunities versus providing a social context for the activation of prior knowledge, setting personal purposes for reading, and generating predictions for a text. The children had the opportunity to read the same texts. Before reading they were provided with the same brief overview of the text. They then mumble read the text. Independent reading was followed by drawing a picture or writing something they would like to share with the group based on the text.  

10. What measures were used to determine the relative effectiveness of the treatments? Describe the measures briefly.

• Vocabulary Recognition Task (VRT): the yes/no task is a reliable and valid measure of vocabulary assessment.
• Maze:  provided insight into micro-level processing, general reading, and monitoring for meaning.
• Free Recall:  Students recall everything they can remember about the book
• Clued Recall: Students answer three explicit and three inexplicit questions based on the text.
• Post-intervention Interview: Individual student interviews to determine if they gained knowledge of the two common strategies

11. Which treatment(s) were found to be more effective in increasing students’ vocabulary knowledge and maze performance (p. 381)?

The PW and the DRTA yielded statistically significant effects on maze. Both procedures were more effective than KWL or the control group in fluent reading and micro-level comprehension.

12. Students’ comprehension of the texts was greater under the DRTA condition than KWL and the control conditions. What do you think explains DRTA’s advantage over the KWL condition (p. 382)?

Teacher guidance during the DRTA directed children’s attention to the important ideas, and the teacher assisted with difficult text concepts. It also allowed students to provide detailed responses and justifications to questions and predictions and demanded a higher level of thinking.

13. It was found that the treatments did not differ in the quality and quantity of students’ retellings (p. 384). In other words, students were not differentially affected by the treatments in the way they integrated textual information with prior knowledge. What does this finding mean in terms of the different emphases employed by experience-based (KWL) vs. text-based (DRTA) treatments?

This shows that although KWL and DRTA have many differences, they are successful methods to use with students to improve vocabulary and comprehension.

14. In light of the findings from this study, what conclusions can you draw about the role of teacher support in children’s construction of mental representations from informational text?

Teacher support is crucial and necessary in children’s construction of mental representations from informational text. It also provides the student with support when a text is difficult, while also helping students’ vocabulary.

1. How does a Preliterate (Emergent) speller read and write?

Emergent readers/spellers tent to scribble letters and numbers that don’t make sense, they lack the concept of a word and letter-sound correspondence. They also pretend to read and write.

2. How does a Letter Name-Alphabetic speller read and write?

Letter Name readers and spellers represent beginning and ending sounds, use letter names to invent spellings, and can read word for word in beginning reading materials.

3. How does a Within Word Pattern speller read and write?

Within Word Pattern readers and spellers can spell most single-syllable, short vowel words correctly, spell most beginning consonant digraphs and two-letter consonant blends, will attempt to use silent long vowel markers, writes more fluently, and can revise and edit reading and writing activities.

4. How does a Syllable and Affixes speller read and write?

Syllable and Affixes students spell most singe-syllable words correctly, make errors at syllable juncture and in unaccented syllables, reads with good fluency, read faster silently than orally, and can write responses that are sophisticated and critical.

5. How does a Derivational Relations speller read and write?

Derivational Relations students have mastered high frequency words, make errors on low frequency words derived from Latin and Greek, read with good fluency and expression, reads faster silently than orally, and can write responses that are sophisticate and critical.

6. What is the existing research evidence on the relationship between spelling and reading. Briefly describe research findings discussed on page 20.

The research discussed on page 20 suggests that reading and spelling are significantly correlated. Reading helps improve spelling and spelling helps to improve reading.

Title: Milly and Tilly: The story of a Town Mouse and Country Mouse

Author: Kate Summers

Illustrator: Maggie Kneen

Date Published: 1996

ISBN #: 0-525-45801-8

Grade: K-1

A country mouse named Tilly enjoys her life in the country where she gathers enough grains, cherries, and nuts to last her through the winter. In anticipation of the arrival of her good friend, Milly, Tilly spends a lot of time cleaning and preparing food for her friend from town.  They eat tons of food that Tilly had collected, but to Milly’s disappointment, no cheese. Milly finds it hard to sleep in such a quiet place and is woken early by the birds. Tilly and Milly then take a trip to Milly’s home in the town where she lives in a nice, big house. Their lunch of cupcakes, pies, cookies, and cheese gets interrupted by a cat that chases them back to Milly’s house.  Tilly decides that she likes her country life better and decides to go home, but the two mice remain good friends.

Page 3: What does it mean that Tilly was a “country mouse from the tops of her ears to the tip of her tail”?  How can you tell from the pictures that she is a country mouse?

Page 7: Why would Tilly want to fill her pantry for the winter?

Page 11: What do you think Milly is going to think of the way Tilly lives?

Page 17: Review all of the things that Tilly doesn’t like about the country: No cheese, too quiet at night, birds woke her up early, bees, sheep.

Page 19: How do you think the town is going to be different than the country where Tilly lives? Do you think Tilly is going to like it?

Page 23: Does Tilly seem to like Milly’s house? How is it different that her house in the country?

Page 26: How is the food they eat at Milly’s house different than what they ate at Tilly’s house?

Page 30: Review the things that Tilly doesn’t like about the town: Scary streets, cat.

Wrap up: Tilly and Milly were good friends but liked living in different places. What did Tilly like about living in the country and what did Milly like about living in town? There were good and bad things about each; what were some of them? Ask students to think about which mouse they would prefer to visit and why.