The Principal’s Reading Walk-Through: K-3

Orientation

This publication was adapted by the Center on Instruction from multiple products as shown in acknowledgments and cited in references. The Center on Instruction is operated by RMC Research Corporation in partnership with the Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University; Instructional Research Group; the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics at the University of Houston; and The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at the University of Texas at Austin. The contents of this Guide were developed under cooperative agreement S283B050034 with the U.S. Department of Education. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

To download a copy of this document, visit www.centeroninstruction.org

2008

Introduction to the Principal’s Introduction to the Principal’s Reading Walk-Through: K-3Reading Walk-Through: K-3

National Reading Panel: High quality instruction during

the early school years can prevent reading difficulties for

many children.

Five Components of ReadingFive Components of Reading

Phonemic awarenessPhonicsFluency

VocabularyComprehension

A A Principal’s Reading Walk-Principal’s Reading Walk-Through (PRWT)Through (PRWT) is not an is not an

evaluation. evaluation.

A Principal’s Reading Walk-Through is a systematic way to collect real-time teaching

and learning data.

Reading Walk-Through Checklist for 1st Grade Classrooms

Everyone can learn from objective comments about their practice.

The point is to observe instruction, take notes,

and open dialogue.

Reading Walk-through Categories

Classroom Environment CEInstructional Materials IMTeacher Instruction TIReading Centers RCPhonemic Awareness PAPhonics PFluency FVocabulary VComprehension C

Classroom Environment

Instructional Materials

Teacher Instruction

When a teacher provides explicit instruction, students

don’t have to guess what they should learn.

Reading Centers

Each center offers meaningful, research-based activities that reinforce or extend what the teacher has already taught

explicitly.

Concepts of Print

Awareness that print carries a message,

directionality, differences between letters and words, distinctions between upper

and lower case, punctuation, etc.

Phonemic Awareness

The ability to hear and manipulate the individual

sounds in words.

Phonics

The relationship between graphemes (letters) and the

phonemes (sounds) they represent.

Fluency includes both Fluency includes both automaticityautomaticity (accuracy and (accuracy and

speed) and speed) and prosodyprosody (appropriate expression and (appropriate expression and

phrasing).phrasing).

Fluency

To develop strong vocabularies, 1st and 2nd

graders need to learn more than 800 words a year—about

two words a day. (Nagy & Anderson, 1984; Beck, 2002)

Vocabulary

ComprehensionComprehension

Comprehension rests on metacognition—an

awareness of one’s thinking and understanding: Does it

make sense?

After the Reading Walk-Through, the principal

offers his or her feedback.

Observation and reflective practice support a school’s

evolution into a professional learning community.

Teachers who feel enabled to succeed with students are

more committed and effective than those who feel

unsupported in their teaching and in their practice.

Students experience academic gains in math, science, history,

and reading.

The Principal’s Reading Walk-Through helps track trends—

• over time,• by teachers,• by grade level,• by indicator,• by category.