reading_basics

READING BASICS
__Components of a Balanced Reading Program__ Print awareness Phonemic awareness Phonics Informal assessment Fluency Vocabulary Spelling Writing Text comprehension Motivation http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=966792040892929282&amp;q=readingrockets%2Bteach Children who have an awareness of print understand that the squiggly lines on a page represent spoken language. They understand that when adults read a book, what they say is linked to the words on the page, rather than to the pictures. BDA Strategies Prior to reading any story aloud Introduce the story by stating the title, then the author's name and asking students, "What does an author do?" (Students should respond, "Writes the story."). State the illustrator's name and ask, "What does an illustrator do?" (Students should respond, "Draws the pictures."). Hold up the book and say, "This is the front of the book, (turn it sideways and state) and this is the spine." Turn the book to the back cover and state, "This is the back of the book." Then ask, "Do we begin reading from the front or the back of the book?" (Students should respond, "From the front."). "Let's look at the picture on the front." Hold up the book with the front cover facing the students. Ask: "What do you think will happen in this story? Remember, I want you to answer using complete sentences." Before the reading Select vocabulary words from the story that you need to discuss prior to reading the story. Write them on sentence strips or on the board. Discuss the words with students. Please note the use of open-ended questions that will require the students to give responses that extend beyond Yes/No answers. Remember to use open-ended questions as you read the story and in your discussion after the reading. Encourage students to draw upon what they know about the words from their personal lives. For example, if the word is the verb fish, perhaps some of the children have gone on fishing trips with their parents. Encourage a brief telling of personal stories. Their personal stories allow students to make connections with the text. During the reading Briefly discuss the pictures on each page after reading that page. Encourage students to guess/predict what will happen next. After the reading Ask students to tell you if they liked the story and why. Encourage responses in complete sentences. "I liked it when the little girl rescued her friends because it showed that girls can be heroes." http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8904184935721093539&amp;q=readingrockets+teac Although phonemic awareness is a widely used term in reading, it is often misunderstood. One misunderstanding is that phonemic awareness and phonics are the same thing. Phonemic awareness is not phonics. Phonemic awareness is the understanding that the sounds of spoken language work together to make words. Phonics is the understanding that there is a relationship between letters and sounds through written language. Nonsense Objective To develop the children's ability to attend to differences between what they expect to hear and what they actually hear. Materials needed Book of familiar stories or poems Activity Invite the children to sit down and close their eyes so that they can concentrate on what they will hear. Then recite or read aloud a familiar story or poem to the children but, once in a while, by changing its words or wording, change its sense to nonsense. The children's challenge is to detect such changes whenever they occur. When they do, encourage them to explain what was wrong. As the game is replayed in more subtle variations across the year, it will also serve usefully to sharpen the children's awareness of the phonology, words, syntax, and semantics of language. As illustrated in the following list, you can change any text in more or less subtle ways at a number of different levels including phonemes, words, grammar, and meaning. Because of this, the game can be profitably and enjoyable revisited again and again throughout the year. Even so, in initial plays of the game, it is important that the changes result in violations of the sense, meaning, and wording of the text that are relatively obvious. Following are some examples of the "nonsense" that can be created within familiar poems and rhymes: Song a sing of sixpence Reverse words Baa baa purple sheep Substitute words Twinkle, twinkle little car Substitute words Humpty Dumpty wall on a sat Swap word order Jack fell down and crown his broke Swap word order One, two shuckle my boo Swap word parts I'm a tittle leapot Swap word parts The eensy weensy spider went up the spouter wat. Swap word parts One, two, buckle my shoe Five, six, pick up sticks Switch order of events Little Miss Muffet, eating a tuffet Sat on her curds and whey Switch order of events Goldilocks went inside and knocked on the door. Switch order of events The first little piggy built himself a house of bricks. Switch order of events Note: Don't forget to switch unpredictably between asking the whole group or individual children to respond. Listening to sequences of sounds Objective To develop the memory and attentional abilities for thinking about sequences of sounds and the language for discussing them. Materials needed Objects that make interesting, distinctive sounds. Some examples follow: banging on wall/table/lap blowing blowing a whistle blowing nose clapping clicking with tongue closing purse coloring hard on paper coughing crumpling paper cutting with a knife cutting with scissors dropping (various things) drumming with fingers eating an apple folding paper hammering hopping noisy chewing opening window or drawer pouring liquid ringing a bell rubbing hands together scratching sharpening a pencil slamming a book smashing crackers snapping fingers stamping stirring with teaspoon tearing paper tiptoeing turning on computer walking whistling writing on board writing with a pencil Activity In this game, the children are challenged first to identify single sounds and then to identify each one of a sequence of sounds. Both will be very important in the language games to come. The children are to cover their eyes with their hands while you make a familiar noise such as closing the door, sneezing, or playing a key on the piano. By listening carefully and without peeking, the children are to try to identify the noise. Once the children have caught on to the game, make two noises, one after the other. Without peeking, the children are to guess the two sounds in sequence saying, "There were two sounds. First we heard a, and then we heard a ." After the children have become quite good with pairs of noises, produce a series of more than two for them to identify and report in sequence. Again, complete sentences should be encouraged. Remember that, to give every child the opportunity to participate mentally in these games, it is important to discourage all children from calling out their answers until they are asked to do so. In addition, both to support full participation and to allow assessment of individual students, it is helpful to switch unpredictably between inviting a response from the whole group and from individual children of your designation. Note: Because of the importance of the skill exercised through this game, invest special care in noting every child's progress and difficulties. Extra opportunities should be created to work with children who are having trouble with the concept of sequences or in expressing their responses http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8184985641242774020&amp;q=readingrockets%2Bteach The goal of phonics instruction is to help children to learn and be able to use the Alphabetic Principle. The alphabetic principle is the understanding that there are systematic and predictable relationships between written letters and spoken sounds. Phonics instruction helps children learn the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language Literature A natural and spontaneous way of providing children with exposure to phonemes is to focus on literature that deals playfully with speech sounds through rhymes. Simple rhyme patterns are easily recalled after repeated exposure, and children will get the idea of creating new rhymes. In There's a Wocket in My Pocket (Seuss, 1974), initial sounds of everyday objects are substituted as a child talks about the strange creatures around the house, such as the "zamp in the lamp." Children can make up their own strange creatures in the classroom such as the "zuk in my book." Alliteration is the repetition of an initial consonant sound across several words, such as presented in the alphabet book Faint Frogs Feeling Feverish and Other Terrifically Tantalizing Tongue Twisters (Obligato, 1983). Assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds within words, is often combined with rhyme, as in "It rains and hails and shakes the sails" from Sheep on a Ship (Shaw, 1989) or in humorous ways such as "The tooter tries to tutor two tooters to toot" in Moses Supposes His Toeses Are Roses (Patz, 1983). Some books include music to go with the rhymes, such as Down by the Bay (Raffi, 1987), in which two children try to outdo one another in making up questions that rhyme, such as "Did you ever see a goose kissing a moose?" Yopp (1995) presented an annotated bibliography of 44 books for young children that deal playfully with language. She also provided guidelines for using these books in class: a. read and reread the stories; b. comment on the language use; c. encourage predictions of sound, word, and sentence patterns; d. comment on or elicit specific aspects of sound patterns (e.g., "What sound do you hear at the beginning of all those words?"); and e. be creative in inventing new versions of the language patterns utilized in the stories. Word families chart The exposure to rhymes leads naturally to the use of phonograms and the creation of word family charts. Charts can contain words from one story or a brain-stormed list from the children. A story that leads naturally to a word family chart is Tog the Dog (Hawkins &amp; Hawkins, 1986), which is constructed so that as each page is turned, a different letter lines up with the rime "og." For example, when Tog takes a jog, the letter "j" lines up with the "og." The children can dictate to the teacher words to be placed on a word family chart. As they begin to develop letter/sound knowledge, they can copy or write the words themselves. You can use magnetic letters to "create" words for a word family chart. Provide a rime of plastic letters (e.g., at) and have the children take turns placing different letters in the onset position to create new words (e.g., hat, bat, sat, rat). These charts can be used as reference charts (or the children can make their own word families reference book) for spelling and creative writing activities. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5677289125499842069&amp;q=readingrockets%2Bteach Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately and quickly. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically. They group words quickly to help them gain meaning from what they read. Fluent readers read aloud effortlessly and with expression. Their reading sounds natural, as if they are speaking. Readers who have not yet developed fluency read slowly, word by word. Their oral reading is choppy. Re-reading to develop fluency "A great deal of fluency research reiterates the need for repeated reading," said Finney. "Without fluency, there is little comprehension. The value of reader's theater is increased tenfold when used as a strategy for increasing understanding of what is being read." Dr. Peggy Sharp, a former classroom teacher and library media specialist, noted, "Reader's theater is a wonderful technique for helping readers learn to read aloud with expression. I especially like to perform reader's theater without props so the readers learn that the expression in their voices needs to provide much of the drama of the story." Said Judy Freeman, a children's literature consultant, "If you're searching for a way to get your children reading aloud with comprehension, expression, fluency, and joy, reader's theater is a miracle. Hand out a photocopied play script, assign a part to each child, and have them simply read the script aloud and act it out. That's it. And then magic happens." What reader's theater looks like Freeman's "magic" occurs when the students get to be on stage – even if that stage is the floor of the classroom or library. Shy kids blossom, and students develop a strong sense of community. "Some of our students are hams – they just don't know it until they get up in front of the group," Finney observed. "In reader's theater, there is no risk, because there's no memorization required. There's enough opportunity for practice, so struggling readers are not put on the spot." Finney offered the following pointers for teachers new to reader's theater: Choose only scripts that are fun to do with lots of good dialogue. Boring scripts are no better than boring stories. Start slowly and spend the time necessary so students feel comfortable in the performance mode. Provide opportunities for students to practice. Students do not memorize their parts; they always read from their scripts. A stage is unnecessary. Students simply stand or sit in a semicircle. Model each character's part and match roles to readers. Combine parts if there are too many, and cut out scenes and characters that aren't important. Scripts are not sacrosanct. Change them if they work better another way. Work with small groups, not with the whole class, whenever possible. Provide instructional support for new vocabulary and for understanding the different characters http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8196809516317857679&amp;q=readingrockets%2Bteach Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read. Beginning readers must use the words they hear orally to make sense of the words they see in print. Consider, for example, what happens when a beginning reader comes to the word dig in a book. As she begins to figure out the sounds represented by the letters d, i, g, the reader recognizes that the sounds make up a very familiar word that she has heard and said many times. It is harder for a beginning reader to figure out words that are not already part of their speaking (oral) vocabulary. Fostering word consciousness A more general way to help students develop vocabulary is by fostering word consciousness, an awareness of and interest in words. Word consciousness is not an isolated component of vocabulary instruction; it needs to be taken into account each and every day (Scott and Nagy, 2004). It can be developed at all times and in several ways: through encouraging adept diction, through word play, and through research on word origins or histories. According to Graves (2000), "If we can get students interested in playing with words and language, then we are at least halfway to the goal of creating the sort of word-conscious students who will make words a lifetime interest." Using dictionaries and other reference aids Students must learn how to use dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses to help broaden and deepen their knowledge of words, even though these resources can be difficult to use. The most helpful dictionaries include sentences providing clear examples of word meanings in context. As his class reads a text, a second-grade teacher discovers that many of his students do not know the meaning of the word board, as in the sentence, "The children were waiting to board the buses." The teacher demonstrates how to find board in the classroom dictionary, showing students that there are four different definitions for the word. He reads the definitions one at a time, and the class discusses whether each definition would fit the context of the sentence. The students easily eliminate the inappropriate definitions of board, and settle on the definition, "to get on a train, an airplane, a bus, or a ship." The teacher next has students substitute the most likely definition for board in the original sentence to verify that it is "The children were waiting to get on the buses" that makes the best sense. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8630719398228655296&amp;q=readingrockets%2Bteach Many people think spelling comes naturally to some and not to others. Actually, good spellers aren't born, they're taught. Nearly 90 percent of English words can be spelled if you know the basic patterns, principles, and rules of spelling. How can teachers enhance spelling development in their classroom? An awareness of spelling development can help teachers plan instruction. For precommunicative and semiphonetic spellers, teachers may teach alphabet knowledge, letter-sound correspondences, the concept of "wordness," and left-to-right directionality. At the phonetic stage, students might be introduced, in the context of writing, to word families, spelling patterns, phonics, and word structures. Teachers can encourage purposeful writing, such as the writing of messages, lists, plans, signs, letters, stories, songs, and poems. Teachers can also provide opportunities for frequent writing, which, when integrated with all aspects of the curriculum, should be a natural part of the daily classroom routine. Frequent application of spelling knowledge by students while writing encourages spelling competency. Teachers can also make use of instructional games since children acquire language, in large part, from their alertness to language around them. Spelling instruction should be FUN! Instruction should be clear, but it doesn't have to be dull! Students can become word-pattern detectives, hunting for samples of words and looking for clues to help form their understanding of spelling rules. They can develop knowledge through word sorts and spelling games. The mastering of spelling rules and patterns through fun activities can make learning enjoyable for all! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8821054602633080719&amp;q=readingrockets%2Bteach A child's writing development parallels their development as a reader. Print awareness develops in young children as a result of being read to by adults and having other literacy experiences. Writing development While students are building the skills they need to advance through the stages of writing such as letter formation, spelling, and sentence creation, students also need to be taught the stages of writing development: generating and organizing ideas, initially with a group or partner; producing a rough draft; sharing ideas with others for the purpose of gaining feedback; and revising, editing, proofreading, and publishing. It is important to note that writers move back and forth between the different processes of writing. They learn that their first attempts at writing may not be their best and need to be refined. The writing process Brainstorming Students generate ideas for writing: gathering ideas on topic; reading literature, creating webs, and story charts. Rough Draft or "Sloppy Copy" Students get their preliminary ideas on paper. They write without concern for -rules. Written work does not have to be neat. Reread Students proof their own work by re-reading their piece of writing. They read to make sure it makes sense to the reader. Revise Improve what the story says and how it says it: write additions and details. Take out unnecessary sentences. Use peer suggestions to improve. Editing Work together with peers or teacher on editing for mechanics and spelling. Make sure the work is free from errors. Final Draft or "final copy" Students produce their final copy to discuss with the teacher and write a final draft. Publishing Students publish their written pieces: Students convert the finished product into a final format. Formats may include creating stories into books or typing them on a computer. Celebrate! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6580426942920308977&amp;q=readingrockets%2Bteach Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words but do not understand what they are reading, they are not really reading. Graphic and semantic organizers Graphic organizers illustrate concepts and relationships between concepts in a text or using diagrams. Graphic organizers are known by different names, such as maps, webs, graphs, charts, frames, or clusters. Regardless of the label, graphic organizers can help readers focus on concepts and how they are related to other concepts. Graphic organizers help students read and understand textbooks and picture books. Graphic organizers can: Help students focus on text structure "differences between fiction and nonfiction" as they read Provide students with tools they can use to examine and show relationships in a text Help students write well-organized summaries of a text Recognizing story structure In story structure instruction, students learn to identify the categories of content (characters, setting, events, problem, resolution). Often, students learn to recognize story structure through the use of story maps. Instruction in story structure improves students' comprehension. Summarizing Summarizing requires students to determine what is important in what they are reading and to put it into their own words. Instruction in summarizing helps students: Identify or generate main ideas Connect the main or central ideas Eliminate unnecessary information Remember what they read
 * Print Awareness**
 * Phonemic Awareness**
 * Some Activities from: Phonemic Activities for the Preschool or Elementary Classroom By: Marilyn J. Adams, Barbara Foorman, Ingvar Lundberg, and Terri Beeler (2004)
 * From chapter 3: Listening games
 * From chapter 3: Listening games
 * Phonics**
 * Fluency**
 * Vocabulary**
 * Spelling**
 * Writing**
 * Text Comprehension**