Strategies for Classroom Teachers

 

By: Cameron Carter 

Those in the field of education, at one point or another (probably in one of those after school staff meetings), have heard the phrase, “Research shows early intervention is a key component to a child’s reading success”. Many teachers heavily rely on intervention specialists to provide this intervention when a child is struggling to read. This is a great approach for most, but what about those “bubble” kiddos who don’t always qualify for intervention services? How do we “catch” them or “meet them” where they are to ensure their reading progress? Today, I will be walking you through a student (name changed for confidentiality), and how early intervention helped this child go from a non-reader to a reader on grade level in one school year’s time.

I teach first grade, and the first thing I analyze is the reading profile of the kiddo who sits before me. Years ago, I used to call it the “reading table”, but as research and practices have evolved, I now refer to it as just “the back table”. When children meet with me, we are not always “reading”. Best practices indicate there’s a “balanced approach” for how we teach children to read. Some children may need a heavy emphasis on phonemic awareness, whereas others may need a multi-sensory approach to decoding. 

Let’s meet our friend Paul. He is a lovable six year old who enjoys the arts and playing outdoors with friends. Paul sounds like every other child about to be in first grade. He does have one difference… Paul did not attend a traditional Kindergarten; therefore he came to first grade knowing only a few letters. For the demographic of the children I teach, this is not a typical case. I knew my instruction would need to tailor to the needs of Paul right away to ensure his success this year. 

*Paul’s first piece of writing at the beginning of first grade

The Process

In order for Paul to begin decoding, I needed him to have a solid foundation of phonemic awareness and letter-sound correspondence. Paul was quite strong in phonemic awareness; therefore we focused our time together on building our letter-sound relationship. We listened to songs about letters/sounds, we moved our bodies, and most importantly, we used a mirror to see a visual representation of the way our mouth moves when we say the sounds of certain letters. 

After a while, Paul was ready to begin taking individual sounds to form consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words, such as “cat” and “dog”. We tapped the individual sounds, blended them together to form the word, and then practiced our letters by writing the word. At times, it was hard for Paul to hold onto the sounds to blend them together, so we used Magna-Tiles to visually see the sounds “connecting” or “magnetizing” together to build the word. Magna-Tiles can be written on with a dry erase marker, and they erase easily. Another resource I used was from the K-3 Literacy Tier 2 & 3 Interventions website. There are a plethora of resources based on the specific needs your student might be working on.

Next, we began to use Geodes from Wilson Language Fundations, which are 80% decodable texts, to begin seeing our CVC words within a continuous text. Along with reading, we continued to build our decoding skills, as well as we explored high interest texts to expand our vocabulary and strengthen our comprehension. 

Not only did we want to expand our reading skills, but we also wanted to build our writing development since reading and writing are reciprocal processes. Our goal as educators is to build writers, not scribes. We must expand upon what skills are solid, and exponentially grow confidence in our budding writers. Paul was more than ready to take on this challenge! We began by writing simple sentences based on the Geode text we read. Then, Paul began to use words from our Fundations phonics learning to create sentences. Towards the end of the year, all first graders were expected to write an opinion piece based on the text “Town Mouse, Country Mouse” by Jan Brett. The goal was to use at least 2 reasons from the book to support their opinion. An additional challenge was to have the writer close their piece by reminding the reader of their opinion. 

*Paul’s end of the year opinion piece

As one can see from Paul’s piece, there are still many phonics principles Paul will continue to work on and make solid while encoding, but, overall, he showed tremendous growth and improvement from the beginning of first grade. This is what is important. This is the process.

Sometimes as educators, we get hung up on the end of year benchmarks and scores, but what we really need to be analyzing is the child who sits before us, and their progress and growth over time. The pieces of the puzzle will eventually come together, but time and patience supersedes all. Believe in the process, and remember, teaching children to read is a balanced approach. As adults, we all have different needs… children are no different! Empower a community of learners who will fall in love with reading and writing for life!

Cameron Carter is a first grade teacher at Evening Street Elementary in Worthington, Ohio. He is currently the Vice-President of the Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (OCTELA) and a member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). He has a Masters in Reading and Literacy from The Ohio State University, and has presented at many state and national conferences. To continue learning with Cameron, follow him on Twitter @CRCarter313

By Tonya Gilchrist

As this academic year winds down for many of us, it’s an optimal time to think about how your next school year will begin. After all, ask just about any teacher, and they will tell you how important it is to set up rituals and routines at the very start of the year. Laying this groundwork pays dividends again and again.

But it’s not just that you create rituals and routines with students; it’s also vital you consider what kinds and in what ways.

What kind of community will you nurture? What will be your promises to the students in your care? How might “classroom management” evolve into agentic community ownership?

Enter: restorative and sustaining practices.

But…What exactly are restorative and sustaining practices? How do they walk hand-in-hand with your other core values: agency, inquiry, equity, and more? And where might you begin?

Develop a Restorative Mindset

Before we can begin to utilize restorative and sustaining practices, we must develop a restorative mindset. As the saying goes, “Thought leads to action.” There are six key beliefs that inform a restorative mindset.

1. Relationships and trust are at the center of community.
2. All members of the community are responsible to and for each other.
3. Multiple perspectives are welcomed, and all voices are equally important.
4. Healing is a process essential to restoring community.
5. Harm-doers should be held accountable for and take an active role in repairing harm.
6. Conflict is resolved through dialogue and collaborative problem-solving that addresses the root cause and the needs of those involved.

As educators and school leaders, it’s vital that we are authentically living these tenets in context with one another and that we model them for children—both explicitly and implicitly. It’s also vital that we intentionally design for students to get plenty of opportunities to live and grow this kind of mindset, too.

A common misconception about sustaining and restorative practices is that they are “too soft.” However, quite the opposite is true. In many ways, sustaining and restorative practices are about not taking the “easy way out” by handling conflict with a superficial lens, but rather truly resolving conflict by getting to the root of issues, considering multiple perspectives, and problem-solving together. These practices support so many aspects of our bigger “why” as educators by nurturing open-mindedness, critical thinking, reflection and metacognition, communication skills, integrity, and more.

In fact, note number five in our list of tenets. “Harm-doers should be held accountable for and take an active role in repairing harm.” Indeed. Receiving a punishment does not make you accountable. Accountability is achieved when someone understands the impact of their actions, takes responsibility for choices, and works to repair harm done.

With restorative and sustaining practices, we are moving from a mindset of “You’re in trouble!” to “Make things right.” Punitive practices focus on blame and punishment—but we know this will not lead to true growth and lasting change. Restorative practices, on the other hand, focus on responsibility, problem-solving, and understanding—attributes that lead to developing authentic ownership, sound judgment, and integrity for life.

Use Restorative Language

Empathetic Listening

It might seem odd to see listening highlighted when discussing what kind of language to use. However, not all languages are spoken. There is so much we communicate even without words. Listening is a vital component of effective communication.

What might active, empathetic listening look like?

● Listen with your whole self—and pay attention to the speaker’s whole self, too. Paying attention to tone and body language is just as important as hearing the words a person speaks. As you listen, you might ask yourself questions like: What is the speaker’s posture? What does the look in the speaker’s eyes seem to be communicating? How loudly or softly is the speaker speaking? Which words are the speaker emphasizing?

●  Put yourself in the other’s shoes. Even if you experience the same or similar situation to someone else, how you experience it can be quite different. Don’t assume you know exactly how another person feels. Instead, after listening to the speaker, follow-up with clarifying questions that seek to understand. Perhaps questions such as: What is that like for you? How did you feel when…? What did you enjoy about…? What has been the hardest part of…?

●  Provide mirrors. By repeating or paraphrasing the meaning of a person’s words in a warm and caring tone, you let the speaker know that you are not judging him nor trying to control what he does next—rather, you are truly seeking to understand. Plus, through mirroring, you can help the speaker better understand herself and her emotions. You might try phrases such as: Do I understand that you feel…? What you’re saying is…? What I hear you saying is… I can see that you’re feeling…

Compassion and empathy are two of the greatest skills we can hold as humans. Are we truly “walking the walk” and living them with students? As humans, we have three basic, social needs: to feel respected, to feel accepted, and to feel significant. Empathetic listening can be a doorway to meeting those needs.

Affective Statements

Words matter. While listening is a vital part of communication, words are powerful, too. Your words can lift up opportunities for understanding and when needed, healing. One helpful frame for getting started with restorative language is what is often referred to as affective statements or “I Statements.” Examine the two examples below.

What do you notice? Imagine a likely scenario with a student in your care. How might the use of “I Statements” impact how things transpire?

Of course, “I Statements” aren’t just for adults. They become a part of our school culture and community and are used by children, teens, parents—everyone.

When children are provided with a frame they can use to support open-mindedness, they develop lifelong skills to communicate openly and authentically. Supporting students in building these skills is a process that takes time, clarity, and consistency—but it is oh so worth it.

You Can’t Restore What Hasn’t Been Built

It’s important to note the inclusion of the word sustaining. You can’t restore something if there’s nothing to restore it to. It is vital that we nurture cultures and communities of caring and well-being. In other words, the “norm” for our culture is to be caring, open-minded, and understanding. We sustain that through our daily interactions and ways of being—through using practices like empathetic listening and affective statements.

The norm is that our culture is healthy. However, when conflict arises—and it is natural that it will—we have practices to help us restore wellbeing, too.

This is just the beginning when it comes to restorative practices. Starting with this strong foundation of a restorative mindset and restorative language paves the way to even more powerful practices such as restorative conversations, restorative circles, peer conferences, and more.

About Tonya

Tonya Gilchrist is an international learning strategist and consultant who specializes in helping schools around the world amplify inquiry and honor agency for deep learning and transfer across languages, literacies, and disciplines. From Readers’/Writers’ Workshop to Reggio to UDL to IB, Tonya works with schools to tailor professional learning just for their specific contexts and their unique needs. Previously, she enjoyed many years as an educator, instructional coach, and curriculum specialist. Tonya earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Hong Kong University. She also holds an IB Certificate in Leadership Practice and an IB Advanced Certificate in Leadership Research. When she’s not onsite supporting schools all over the world, Tonya enjoys living in the Mediterranean sunshine in southern Europe with her husband.

Connect with Tonya

Website: tonyagilchrist.com
Twitter: @Mrs_Gilchrist
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tonyagilchristcom Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tonyagilchrist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyagilchrist/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyagilchrist/

By Laura Robb

Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything. Plato

“The only way to read the world is by traveling the world!” Unprepared for these words recently spoken by a first-year teacher during a collaborative conversation on independent reading, I delayed responding. As everyone filed out of my office, I asked the teacher to remain. He insisted that travel was better than reading books—it was “direct” experience, not reading about the experiences and lives of others. My issue with these beliefs is that they affected independent reading in his seventh-grade classroom: The twenty minutes a day required of ELA teachers occurred from zero to two to three times a week.  My concern with his reasoning revolved around depriving students of access to books—having opportunities to choose and daily read culturally relevant books that reflect the diversity in our country and the world.

Access and Opportunity Can Lead to Equity

Access means that students can self-select books from a range of genres and reading levels that they want to and can read in their classroom and school libraries.  Classroom libraries put books at students’ fingertips, allowing them to return a completed book any school day and browse to find a new one.  A well-stocked starter classroom library has 600 to 700 culturally relevant books on a wide range of reading levels and genres. Over time, the goal is to have 1,000 to 1,500 books that include recommendations from students, transforming the collection into our library.

            Access can lead to equity as long as classroom and school libraries have culturally relevant books that permit all students to read and learn about diverse cultures and lifestyles.  In addition, course opportunities, books, materials, technology, and professional learning are also factors influencing access and equity in schools. The most inclusive schools tend to focus on how staff can create opportunities that reach and meet the needs of all students no matter their socio-economic status and/or reading abilities.

To read is to know people and places we’ll never meet. To read is to step inside a character’s skin and live life as that character. To read is to visit the past, live more deeply in the present, and glimpse into the future. To read is to know our selves better by knowing and empathizing with others. To read the world, students from all cultures and ethnicities need access to books that represent the diverse populations and lifestyles in our country and across the globe.

Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors

While many teachers and school leaders continue to dedicate themselves to developing classroom libraries and curricula that include culturally relevant texts, there is still much work to do. One pathway to creating better opportunities for students is to consider the role of books in your school using the reflections of Rudine Sims Bishop:

“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection, we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.” (1990, p. ix-xi)       

You can meet the diverse reading needs of students in your classes by providing access to culturally relevant and diverse texts, daily including independent reading, and then offering them opportunities to choose what they want to read. Then have students engage in partner and small group discussions because reading is social.   

Reading is Social: Give Students Choice and Voice

Recently, I finished reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and at different points in the book I felt compelled to reach out to a friend to discuss my feelings. Through impromptu conversations with classmates and friends, readers satisfy a desire to share books.  Yes, reading is social and it’s important for teachers to keep in mind that besides choosing their books, students crave opportunities to spontaneously share a favorite part or comment about their book with a peer.

            Besides formal partner and small group discussions, set up independent reading so that students can be social and have whispered, unplanned talks to express their feelings and/or thoughts about a book. Independent reading is often not silent nor is it noisy. Instead, the sharing is spur-of-the-moment, and students might ask a classmate to listen to a powerful passage or explain an emotion or a connection to a character or event. The social aspect of reading is also a terrific way to advertise beloved books to peers!

Thoughts That Linger

When students have choice and voice, they engage deeply with texts. Encourage them to stack a few “I-want-to-reads” in their cubbies, keeping books at their fingertips, so they can start a new book after finishing and returning a completed text to their classroom library. By offering all students choices of culturally relevant books that interest them—books that they can read, enjoy, and talk about, you move a step closer to the access and equity that is the civil right of all students. Moreover, you provide reading experiences that prepare them to participate productively in a global society.

References

Sims Bishop, Rudine (1990). “Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors,”

Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6(3), ix-xi.

Miller, Madeline (2012). The Song of Achilles. Boston, MA: Back Bay Books.

Mrs. Rita M. Wirtz, MA

There’s so much going on right now in the world, in particular, I’m extremely concerned about the resurfacing of the “reading wars.” I have no control and can’t fix much, but I can help with re-conceptualizing why educators are so quick to “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” To tell you my truth, I think it’s ridiculous, so I’m taking a deep dive into why this is happening as well as offering some suggestions.

I’ve taught reading for over fifty years, incredible to say that. Besides Pre-k to sixth grade School Principal, Curriculum Consultant for Sacramento County Office of Education, Keynote Speaker, Seminar Leader, etc, I had an interesting experience for many years that grew out of my masters’ thesis about delinquency and poor reading connection. At that time I was a Title 1 Program Evaluator for correctional education programs, first in Arizona, then California. 

I ‘walked the line’ at DVI (Duel Vocational Institution), helped teachers working with inmates in prison classrooms, even in cell study at San Quentin, where basically our teachers slid packets under doors and taught through those doors. In fact, I visited all the prisons except for Folsom which didn’t have under twenty-one-year-old inmates and therefore, no ESEA program. When President Johnson initiated Great Society programs, the best of the bunch in my opinion was Title I, designed to bridge the learning and reading gap, but I doubt you knew it also included juvenile offenders, hoping to stop recidivism in its tracks.

Being unable to read well is a detriment to success or basic functioning in society. We all agree to that, but how to get there has been a great, big, continual mess. I say that because I’ve never used any program (scripted) that I thought was perfect in itself to teach reading. In my opinion, it remains up to teachers to know how to teach the requisite skills. Programs come and go; the skills remain the same. Yet, I doubt many or most teachers, Pre-k to grade 12 have had much in the way of reading instruction courses during their Credentialing program.

I was fortunate to be mentored by Dr. Jeanette Veatch at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, and I interned at their Reading Clinic. Veatch was indeed a whole language and language experience guru. And “yes,” I was and still am a believer in Balanced Literacy as well as Reading Recovery and the work of Marie Clay. I also taught with Words in Color, ITA (Initial Teaching Alphabet), Sir James Pitman, England, (1960s); Laubach Literacy, Distar, and Reading Mastery, so I know the differences between following a program with fidelity and developing a curriculum that responds to and meets all children’s needs.

Know Your Students’ Reading Levels

Independent Reading Level: This is the highest level that students read fluently, without help, and have recall and comprehension. Ensure that word recognition errors (miscues) don’t exceed more than one per hundred words of running text so that comprehension is 90% or better.

Instructional Reading Level: With assistance, students can read at their instructional level with errors not exceeding more than five per one hundred words of text and comprehension of 75% or above. 

Frustration Reading Level: This is thought to be less than seventy percent comprehension, but it’s more obvious than that. You just know when the student feels frustrated.

Select readable books–easy selections for beginning and striving readers, including picture books that feature short sentences and simple words. Obviously, more challenging selections have longer and more abstract words. Type size counts; smaller type is harder to read.

Easy Hack: Quickly Find Books at Students’ Reading Levels

My favorite way to see whether a book is at your student’s independent or instructional level is to do the “five finger technique.” Select a book page with at least one hundred words, ask your student to put down a finger each time there is an unknown word. If there are more than five fingers per page, the book is probably too hard. If the child wants to read it anyway, think Dewey and the importance of interests. Let the child read the book, just provide backup assistance and scaffolding so they experience success.

Cueing: This Is What It Means. 

I have taught these strategies and still do, on occasion. It helps some children. I caution, what if the student doesn’t know how it’s supposed to look? Or sound like? So I agree cueing isn’t the best way to teach children new words. But completely throw it out? Again, no way.

Graphophonic: “Does it look right?” What letter or sound does it begin with? Point to the letter or word. Ask: does this look familiar? Take another look at this. What does this letter (or word) look like? Look for a smaller word inside the word. Check this with a word you already know.”

Syntactic: “Does it sound right? Can you say it another way? What other word or phrase might fit here?

Semantic: “Does it make sense? Look at the picture again. Reread the sentence.”

Say: Does it look right to you? What sound or letter does it begin with? Point to the letter (words). What other sound might fit here? Does this make sense? etc.”

Context Clues: Know and Do or Don’t

Yes, I still teach context cues or clues, as I said earlier, but not as a primary strategy.

Practice looking at words surrounding new words, to gain meaning. Often by simply looking at initial consonants and other sentence parts, the child infers the unknown word.

1. Read aloud a sentence in which an unknown word is omitted. Ask what a possible word might be.

2. Provide sample sentences that show that context clues may come before or after a word.

3. Provide sample sentences with contextual clues in form of a phrase, sentence, or paragraph.

Recognizing Sight Words. Start with Real Words, Concrete Objects:

I don’t recommend teaching sight words as the primary focus. But yes, I teach sight words. Use experience, environmental print, and sometimes word lists to practice sight words. Start with the easiest words first, especially those things concrete and real, such as objects around the house or in the natural environment.

The problem with graded sight word lists is they include such abstract words. For example, what is a “the?” It’s always better to start with real things, concrete objects, called “actuals” or “realia”. Word walls are way better than data walls.

Structural Analysis Helps Students Figure Out Unknown words:

Besides sounding out words, another way to decode or recognize new words is by taking them apart. This process is called structural analysis.

Teach word parts, including roots, prefixes, suffixes, compound words, syllables, word families and contractions.

About Phonics, the Alphabetic Code Approach. Common Ground.

While there are certainly inconsistencies in our language, phonics works about 80-85% of the time, so I think it’s a really useful tool to teach kids, at all levels. Beginning Reading Champions are word detectives learning letters and combinations of letters. But all students encounter unknown words and it’s okay to review basic decoding strategies. It’s not baby; it’s smart. Teach consistencies of our language.

Finding Common Ground Right Now

We are all reading teachers, schoolhouse, and home. It’s important we have some idea of the reading process, and how to teach skills not just programs, to best meet kids’ needs. I hope this helps you, by validating what you know and maybe an idea or two to explore.

The big news right now is a shift in the meaning of Balanced Literacy, or as Calkins says a “re-balancing”. I am intentionally not discussing fluency here and comprehension building, which of course are super important, but another day.

I have many articles already written in my blogs about how to build fluency and comprehension. By the way, I’m not a fan of the fluency testing that equates reading speed or rate with fluency.

Grouping and regrouping should be continual, based on skills known and unknown. So that’s it for now, I hope I have offered validation for your belief in self-selection of books, teacher read-aloud, and helping children find joy in reading all kinds of books– whether for pleasure reading or info-text, or books online.

Hearts filled with hope and love…. never give up, never. We stand strong, together. Leaving footprints on your reading hearts, Rita

I’d love to hear from you! Contact me:

Twitter: @RitaWirtz

FB: Rita’s Facebook

Website: RitaWirtz.com

Instagram: @ritamwirtz

Books: Reading Champions! Teaching Reading Made Easy, Stories From a Teacher’s

Heart, Reading Champs