BRINGING BOOKS TO LIFE - PART 2Arizona Hands & Voices

Carla Zimmerman, MNS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVEd

September 22, 2012

MID-LITERACYLearning to Read

CRACKING THE CODEDifferent strokes for different folks

There is no one best way to teach children to read.• There are several roads to “cracking the code”

• Phonics Approach• Look & Say• Language Experience Approach

The Current View of Reading

• Reading consists of two basic components:• Word recognition (decoding)• Comprehension

• The problem with this view is that it encompasses two very different abilities.

• Word recognition is a teachable skill.• Comprehension is not a skill and is not easily taught.

Comprehension Issues

• When children are required to spend more brain power thinking about the sounds in a sentence rather than understanding what those words actually mean, their comprehension skills drop dramatically.

• Reading for understanding is problem-solving.• We often focus so much on “learning to read” that we forget that it’s merely a tool for a very important task. Comprehension is vital!

Components of Comprehension

• Comprehension is a complex mental process that includes thinking, reasoning, imagining and interpreting.

• Familiarity with the content is vital.• Poor decoders do better than good decoders when they have more

knowledge of the topic.

• Because comprehension is knowledge dependent, approaches that target general strategies will have limited impact on reading across diverse content domains.

• Knowledge acquisition is essential.

“The Classroom Pet”

• How can we prepare to read this book? What are some possible issues that might come up? What kinds of questions can we use to explore comprehension, ToM, and so on?

• Decoding Video

Picture Books Are Still Appropriate• Many picture books are quite advanced, with complicated

vocabulary and ideas.

There are many informational texts.

Early Chapter Books

For some children, the idea of tackling a chapter book is exciting. For others, it can be intimidating.

For children who are in the process of learning to read

• Children are learning to read the language that they have already mastered

• Imagine.• Persuade.

• Convince the teacher to have a homework-free night.

• Joke time

• Write your own captions or titles• What would he say?• What do you think

happened?• What would be a good

title for this story? Why?

• Come up with alternative solutions to problems

• What does it really mean?

• Target syntax• Constantly add new, Tier 2, words to your vocabulary

• Consciously add more figurative language to your daily communication

• Consider taking turns with your child – you read one page, she reads the next

• Talk about what you read

• Retell events and movies, focusing on coherence

REALLY READING

Levels of Reading• Independent

• Relatively easy for the student to read – 95% word accuracy• 100% comprehension

• Instructional• Challenging but manageable for the reader – 90% word accuracy• 80% comprehension• The best level for learning new vocabulary. Requires support of a

teacher or tutor. This is the level where the best progress is made in reading.

• Frustration• Difficult text for the student to read - <90% word accuracy• 70% or lower comprehension• Children who are forced to read at this level will be frustrated.

Levels of Comprehension• Literal

• What was actually stated. • Questions are usually who, what, when, where

• Interpretive• What is implied rather than what is actually stated.• Questions are open ended and thought provoking, such as why,

what if, and how

• Applied• Taking what was said (literal) and then what was meant

(interpretive) and then extend (apply) the concepts or ideas beyond the situation.

Gateway Books• These books are a nice bridge between the “learning to

read” and the “reading to learn” stages. They are more lengthy and tend to require more inferencing skills and increasing ToM. They are generally not long and are achievable and rewarding.

Techniques

• Several techniques can be effective at this stage.• Team reading

• Parents and children read together, from the same book or from individual books, taking turns on each page. Discussions occur as new ideas or possible confusions appear.

• Guided reading• The student uses questions to guide their reading.

This can be very effective and can teach students what to pay attention to as they read, but it is time consuming for the adult.

Constructing Meaning from Text• Struggling students often mistakenly believe they are

reading when they are actually engaged in what researchers call mindless reading.

• The opposite of mindless reading is the processing of text using cognitive strategies.

• The same skills we discussed earlier come into play here, but the student is responsible for implementing these strategies, as they are reading independently. Strategies can be taught.• Activating, Inferring, Monitoring-Clarifying, Questioning*,

Searching-Selecting*, Summarizing*, Visualizing-Organizing*• *These skills are generally related to academic tasks

Second Grade Reading Book

• The following text is from the first three pages of a reading story in a second-third grade text book.

• What are some issues that we would need to be aware of when approaching this type of reading?

• How can we support a reader with this task?

It took us twenty-one days on the stagecoach to get to California. When we got there, I thought we’d live with Pa in the gold fields. A whole tent city was built up. But Ma shook her head. “The gold fields are no place for children. We’ll get a cabin and live in town.”

What town? A stage stop, a pump house, a few log cabins – that was all. It was so wide and lonesome out west, even my shadow ran off.

Ma found a cabin big enough for all of us: Baby Betsy, brothers Billy, Joe, Ted and me – Amanda. Pa came in from the gold fields every Saturday night, singing:

“So I got me a mule

And some mining tools,

A shovel and a pick and a pan;

But I work all day

Without no pay.

I guess I’m a foolish man.”

First Ma made him take a bath in a tin tub set out under the stars. Then Pa sang songs and told stories he’d heard form the miners – stories about men finding big nuggets and striking it rich. But poor Pa, he had no luck at all. Still, every Monday morning he’d leave for the gold fields, full of hope.

Ensuring Comprehension• It is vital to ensure that a student is comprehending as

they progress in reading. • It is easy to wrongly assume that a child is moving

seamlessly through the levels of reading; with monitoring, however, parents and teachers are able to identify problems early and address them proactively.

• Open-ended questions are very helpful here, with a focus on inferencing, ToM and “the big picture.

• If a child is struggling with comprehension, it will be necessary to “walk through” the book(s).

Let’s Try It…CHAPTER 1Marseilles -- The Arrival.

On the 24th of February, 1810, the look-out at Notre-Dame dela Garde signalled the three-master, the Pharaon fromSmyrna, Trieste, and Naples.

As usual, a pilot put off immediately, and rounding theChateau d'If, got on board the vessel between Cape Morgionand Rion island.

Immediately, and according to custom, the ramparts of FortSaint-Jean were covered with spectators; it is always anevent at Marseilles for a ship to come into port, especiallywhen this ship, like the Pharaon, has been built, rigged,and laden at the old Phocee docks, and belongs to an ownerof the city.

The ship drew on and had safely passed the strait, whichsome volcanic shock has made between the Calasareigne andJaros islands; had doubled Pomegue, and approached theharbor under topsails, jib, and spanker, but so slowly and

sedately that the idlers, with that instinct which is theforerunner of evil, asked one another what misfortune couldhave happened on board. However, those experienced innavigation saw plainly that if any accident had occurred, itwas not to the vessel herself, for she bore down with allthe evidence of being skilfully handled, the anchora-cockbill, the jib-boom guys already eased off, andstanding by the side of the pilot, who was steering thePharaon towards the narrow entrance of the inner port, was ayoung man, who, with activity and vigilant eye, watchedevery motion of the ship, and repeated each direction of thepilot.

The vague disquietude which prevailed among the spectatorshad so much affected one of the crowd that he did not awaitthe arrival of the vessel in harbor, but jumping into asmall skiff, desired to be pulled alongside the Pharaon,which he reached as she rounded into La Reserve basin.The Count of Monte Cristo

Joseph Frindle• “Frindle” Video

Wyatt Percy Jackson and the Lightning ThiefOlivia Fahrenheit 451Roz The Scarlet Letter

• Higher Level Comprehension Video

Common Core Standards• These new standards support close, rigorous teaching of

informational text and encourages students to ask “what’s the evidence?”

• Reading across texts to uncover a full range of facts and opinions can help strengthen critical thinking skills.• Parents can encourage children to read nonfiction books.

• There is a belief that read learning comes from engagement with very challenging text and a lot of scaffolding. • Proponents of this approach argue that the instructional reading

level for a given child is inversely related to the degree of support given to the reader.

Shanahan on Literacy

Newberry Award Winners

These books are great stories, but also require that the reader bring more of themselves to the reading act. A great way to ease into these books is to co-read with your child.

Classics

These books are challenging for several reasons – the language tends to be more archaic and students often lack schema. However, students are required to read many of these books in high school and even in jr. high.

Expository Text• Factual – purpose is to inform, explain or persuade.• Most of the reading done in school and throughout life is

expository.• Expository text has no familiar story line to guide a

student’s reading. Students need to learn the ways authors may organize their ideas:• Cause & Effect• Compare and Contrast• Time-and-Order Sequences• Problem-Solving Patterns

How does You Body Take in Oxygen?Preparing Air for Your Lungs

About one-fifth of the air that you breathe in is a gas called oxygen. Your cells must have oxygen to do their work. Without oxygen, cells will die – some within 3-5 minutes. When you breathe in, your respiratory system brings air containing oxygen into you body. The cells in your body use the oxygen, and as they work, the cells produce carbon dioxide. This gas leaves your body as waste when you breathe out.

The respiratory system includes your nose, your lungs, and the tubes that connect them. Air enters the body through the nose, which has the job of getting the air ready for the lungs. If the air is very cold, dry, or dirty it could damage

your lungs. Your nose warms, moistens, and cleans the air that you breathe in. The blood supply and mucus in your nose keeps it warm and moist. The hairs in your nose capture the dust from the air.

After the air is warmed, moistened, and cleaned it goes to the throat and down the trachea, or windpipe. The trachea divides into two bronchial tubes, each of which goes into a lung. And so on…. 5th Grade Level Text, Scott Foresman Science

Non-Fiction

Why Boys Don’t Read• In every state and in every grade, boys are trailing behind

girls in reading.• Boys develop more slowly than girls, and the accelerated

curriculum results in many boys falling behind in the early grades – and never catching up.

• Girls are more likely to enjoy relating to characters. Boys want an immediate function for what they read.

• Most teachers are women and they tend to assign books that are more compelling for girls. Meanwhile, boys get negative messages about the reading material they gravitate toward.

Ways to Encourage Boys to Read• Set an example by being a reader – especially DADS.• Don’t reject what boys are reading.

• If they get a negative reaction every time they open a graphic novel or a book filled with gore or crude humor, they’ll stop opening books altogether.

• Expand your definition of reading.• Magazines, blogs, websites, comic books etc may be more interesting.

They are often shorter as well, which is appealing to many boys.

• Take advantage of technology.• Some boys are interested in using a Kindle or iPad, and books for these

devices sometimes have interactive features. Also, they can’t see the number of pages remaining.

• Make connections through reading. • If a boy is interested in cars or sports, look for articles and books on these

subjects and discuss them with him after he’s read them.Why Boys Don’t Read, Great Schools

Book Ideas for Boys

For readers• Vocabulary is a constant challenge• Idiomatic language • Inference skills• Point of view• Comprehension is a complex of higher-level mental

processes that include thinking reasoning, imagining and interpreting. It is difficult to teach – the best predictor of comprehension is familiarity with a content domain. That means you need to build KNOWLEDGE.

WHERE DO I FIND BOOK SUGGESTIONS?

A Fuse #8 Production

Elizabeth Bird

Posted by Elizabeth Bird on September 11th, 2012

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat

By Dave Shelton

$16.99

ISBN: 978-0-385-75248-0

Ages 9 and up

On shelves now

First off, I like it.

I think it’s important to make that note right upfront. Particularly since I’m probably going to break out terms like “bizarre”, “peculiar”, “odd”, “weird”, and “eerily strange” (or “strangely eerie” depending on my mood) when describing this book. I will undoubtedly be simultaneously inclined to warn you off of the whole enterprise while luring you in with terms like “artful… Read More

Read Kiddo Read

There are so many sources of recommendations…• Newberry Book Awards List• Caldecott Medal List• Children’s Choices Reading List

• Children evaluate books and write reviews of their favorites.

• ALA Notable Children’s Books• Oprah’s Kids’ Reading List• Children’s Book Council• Goodreads

• Many many lists of books, grouped by interest, level, etc.

Apps• There are many apps that target literacy skills. There are

also lots of people putting out substandard fare. It is important to identify quality apps, and looking at how many stars an app has been awarded may not be the best way to identify quality.• Phonics Apps• Comprehension Apps• Phonological Awareness• Narrative Production• Books

• Remember that YOU are the key – technology isn’t a substitute.

RESOURCES

Bloom’s Taxonomy – an expanded view of knowledge, comprehension and critical thinking

• Knowledge• Recalling facts, terms, concepts, answers

• Tell, define, describe, find, write, draw• Comprehension

• Organizing, comparing, interpreting, diving descriptions, stating main ideas• Describe, discuss, explain, predict, give examples

• Application• Using new knowledge, solving problems

• Assess, choose, relate, show, use, determine

• Analysis• Identifying motives or causes, making inferences,

finding evidence to support generalizations• Break down, compare, discriminate, separate

• Synthesis• Compiling information in a new way by combining

elements or proposing alternative solutions• Adapt, categorize, incorporate, plan, pretend

• Evaluation• Make judgments about information, validity of ideas,

etc, based on a set of criteria• Compare & contrast, interpret, justify, conclude

Resources• Websites

• 103 Things To Do Before/During/After Reading http://www.readingrockets.org/article/82/

• Selecting Books for Your Child: Finding “Just Right” Books http://www.readingrockets.org/article/28279/

• How to Use Open Ended Questions with Children http://storiesandchildren.com/open-ended-questions/

• HOPE TIPS: Learning with Literacy (see information on creating and using experience books and on selecting audio books)http://hope.cochlearamericas.com/parents/hope-tips-learning-literacy

• Reading Tips for Parents (by age) http://www.readingrockets.org/article/18935/

• Universal Questions http://www.multcolib.org/talk/universalquestions.html• Making Books and Creating Stories

http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster4/part93.html• Blooms Taxonomy http://ww2.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/

blooms_taxonomy.htm

• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families• http://www.zerotothree.org/early-care-education/early-language-liter

acy/most-popular-early-development.html

• Hands & Voices• www.handsandvoices.org

• Recommended Practices in Deaf Ed• www.deafed.net

• Reading Rockets• http://www.readingrockets.org/

• Read Kiddo Read• http://www.readkiddoread.com/home

• The Read-Aloud Handbook• http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/rah-ch1.html

• Why Boys Don’t Read http://www.greatschools.org/students/academic-skills/6832-why-so-many-boys-do-not-read.gs

• What Research Tells Us About Reading, Comprehension, and Comprehension Instruction http://www.readingrockets.org/article/29199/

• A Fuse #8 Production http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production

• Read Kiddo Read http://www.readkiddoread.com/ • Children’s Choices Awards

http://www.reading.org/resources/booklists/childrenschoices.aspx

• ALA Notable Children’s Books http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb

• Reading Rainbow http://www.rrkidz.com/

• Children’s Book Council http://www.cbcbooks.org/readinglists.php?page=homelibrary

• Kids’ Reading List (Oprah) http://www.oprah.com/packages/kid-reading-list.html

• Children’s Book Lists – Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/childrens

• Newberry Award Books http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberymedal

• Caldecott Medal Books http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal