Grouping for Small Group Reading Instruction Using Data

Grouping for reading instruction can be an interesting task. There are many questions to ask about each student along with how you feel or think they are improving in their reading development. Often reading groups are created based on a student being a good reader, or one...who does okay but is slow, and then one, well who is just not getting it. Then the students move along happily in their groups for the year. 

What if there was a better way of grouping for reading instruction? A systematic way of looking at skills students are missing and then providing instruction so they understand the skill and are able to apply it during their reading. Luckily, there is a systematic way, but it is not easy and takes time to perfect. It consists of three steps which involve assessment, analysis, and action. The same three steps can be found in the medical field as well. 

Start with universal screener for reading to identify whether the students are successful and at their appropriate reading level. There are several available, and a common one is DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). Once you have administered the screener to all your students then you will be able to place the students in three general instructional groups: Benchmark, Strategic, and Intensive.

Benchmark (Tier I) students need to continue on with grade-level content and skills and should be able to remain at grade level with strong instruction. Their monitoring should come from the reading curriculum for reading instruction. Most reading curricula have an end of unit test. This test is most often overlooked but can provide a great deal of information on how your students will score on most state tests. These tests are an implied test. They cover many skills taught prior and then have the students apply those skills as they will in the state tests. Teachers often overlook these because it appears they are not testing what was just taught in the unit they have been teaching. If you want to know how well your students are able to apply the information then this is your way of monitoring your students’ ability to process the material for the state tests. This group of students should now be further grouped by how they score on the unit test. You will be able to group them into three groups.

Group 1: This is our goal for all students. These students are able to apply and analyze what they have read. They are scoring 90% or higher on their unit tests or theme tests.

Students in Group 1 still need strong instruction in the same areas that the Group 2 students need. They also need the opportunity to expand. In most cases, fluency is not an issue. Therefore, that time may be used to move the students to the synthesis level of comprehension. These students will exceed most often on state testing, as they are able to apply the information they read. 

Activities/Lessons:

• Many of the same activities from Group 2
• Vocabulary applied and expanded
• Writing
• Give information and the students create their own story.
• Use information from different stories and write a new story. An example would be taking the setting from one story, characters from another story, problem from another, and then creating their own story. They can then share and discuss the stories with peers.

Group 2: These students have met their fluency benchmark and are able to pass the themes tests or end of unit tests with a score of between 70% and 89%. Truly these students are on their way to becoming good readers and have fair comprehension. They will meet the expectation of the state tests. 

For the most part, these students have a good understanding of the knowledge level of questioning and are fairly strong on comprehension. They need to work toward the application and analysis of what they read. This group should have no problem passing the state test. The goal is to move them to fully applying what they read.

Activities/Lessons:

• Practice in fluency is still important so they don’t lose it.
• Lessons can be taught and they can work independently on workbook pages or worksheets that match lessons.
• Story Maps
• Retell the story in written form.
• Vocabulary
• Applied vocabulary (replace words with synonyms)
• Crazy Professor (YouTube)
• Guided comparisons / Venn Diagrams
• Guided comprehension skill application moving toward independent application.
• Rewriting or telling the story explaining if the characters made a different choice

Group 3: These students have met their fluency benchmark but are unable to pass the theme or end of unit tests.

Students in this group are using less cognitive energy when decoding text. This will now free up some cognitive power to build on comprehension. They are still at the knowledge level and very concrete. An example might be if the student read: “The dog ran very fast. When he got to the dish it was empty.” Then if you asked the question, “What did the dog run to?” they could not make the connection between the two sentences. They can tell you that the dog ran fast and that the dish was empty, but wouldn’t connect that the dog was running to the dish. Often these are the students' teachers who will say, “They have no problems reading but do not remember a thing!” They need to be taught how to apply information and to read for understanding. 

Activities/Lessons:

• Students still need to practice reading to keep their fluency up.
•  Lessons need to be guided, with comprehension worksheets and workbook pages done together.
• Vocabulary and word use needs to be instructed and practiced orally. Point out vocabulary in the text during guided reading. (Make them look at the word in the text so they don’t just read over it.)
•  Story Maps
• Retell what they have read in their own words. (Orally)
• Crazy Professor parts 1, 2, &3 (YouTube)

Strategic (Tier II) students who fall in the mid-range of the screener, often are able to be split into two groups. They also may require additional diagnostic screening to identify specific areas of instruction needed. In most cases, this group of students can be split into two groups. Group 4 of our student groups are students who are not fluent but are accurate. What this shows us is that they are fairly strong on their phonic/structure skills but it is just not quite automatic, and they are having to take additional time to decode their words. The area of instruction for these students would be fluency. If they are not accurate this is where additional diagnostic screenings are needed (Group 5). There are several available and most reading curriculums have them though you may have to reach out to a primary teacher as they are usually not in the upper-grade curriculum supplies. Upper grades should first check to see if these students are missing single-syllable words or multisyllabic words. Often upper-grade students are just struggling with multisyllabic words and need additional support. 

Group 4: These students are strategic and have passed all parts of a phonics diagnostic screener and are reading passages with 95% accuracy.

These students are on their way to becoming readers. They are currently using their cognitive energy to decode words. They need to work to train their brains so that reading is automatic and they don’t have to think about decoding the words. Comprehension will come when the reader is no longer using their cognitive energy to decode. Comprehension will be stressed in Learning Groups 3,2, and 1.

Activities/Lessons:

• Practice reading orally materials that are at their independent reading level.
• Read Naturally
• Up-Up-Up Reading Activity
• Read word lists to activate the working memory
• SuperSpeed 1000 (Chris Biffle)

Note: These students should be taking the core reading program skills tests and/or unit check-outs. If they are able to pass the skills tests at the exceeds level (90% or higher) you may need to evaluate to see if they have any physical problems holding them back from making the fluency benchmark. They may just be slow-moving or have a speech problem. If this is the case they need to be placed in learning group 1. Caution, they must read the test with none of the material being read to them. It is true that they may be able to process the material at a higher level auditorily, which is great, but the goal is that they are reading and processing themselves. If you focus on their processing ability alone, you are missing the goal of the student becoming a reader.

Group 5: These students are at the strategic reading level and have not passed phonic diagnostic screeners.

The phonics diagnostic screener will direct the instruction of  the student. Once they are able to pass all the tasks, then the student should be ready to move to Group 4.

Grades K-1: Need instruction on specific phonics and language skills.

Grades 2-5: learning group 5 is in two parts.

5A has not passed the first part of the phonics diagnostic screener. Their instruction needs to be driven by the skills identified during leveled skill group time.

5B have passed everything but multisyllabic words. Students in learning group 5B need the majority of their instruction during leveled skill group time in multisyllabic word decoding.

  

Learning group 5 is a hard area for leveled skill group instruction. The instructional focus comes from the missing skills, but uses the materials for the theme that is being taught. Working with these groups requires that teachers understand the spectrum of reading skills to be able to adapt materials to meet students’ missing skills as indicated by the diagnostic screener.

Intensive (Tier III) students make up the last group for the classroom teacher. They are the students who are way below the benchmark goal and are struggling. The first step is to check to see if there is any type of IEP or reading struggle identified in their file. If there is then that file will drive their instruction and you need to follow the plan that was developed. If you are not able to locate anything in their file, then the first place to start is with the diagnostic screener to identify skills they are lacking and need to develop. If they continue to struggle you need to check with your school's referral processes and present data to help develop a plan for those students.  

Group 6 (two groups)

6A - students are in the CORE reading program and are working on basic skills they have not passed on the phonics diagnostic screener. If a student at this level has not moved in three learning group reviews you need to start some deeper evaluations. (Most often these are students who move into your classroom who are below grade level.)

6B - students are working in a Title I program or have an IEP. Their instructional focus should still be what is listed in 6A, but also making sure any previously developed plan in the student file is being followed. 

Using this processing of evaluating students learning strengths and needs and teaching to their specific gaps will allow them to gain a better understanding of the reading process and become successful readers. Though the process is not simple and there are many steps, meeting the students' gaps will allow them to become fluent readers at a quicker rate than just moving through a curriculum hoping they will learn. 

Time to Think About the First Day of the School Year!

Fall is in the air and that means it is time to start thinking about the first-day of school with your new class. So many meetings! So much information! It is hard to know what to set as your priorities for the start of the new year. No matter what the curriculum or your district requirements, setting your routines and expectations needs to be of top importance.  

It is key that you take time to map out your routines and the expectations you have of your classes so you know what your plan is when the students do not comply with something. This is often the biggest misconception in student behavior because the students do not do what you might expect and then you are left to react rather than having a planned response for their interpretation of your expectations. 

Many classrooms have “Classroom Rules.” Think about dropping the word rules and replacing it with expectations. When there is a rule that someone does not follow it usually results in some form of consequence. Schools are an environment of learning and practicing, therefore using the word expectations goes along with our pedagogy of learning and practicing. If we do not meet an expectation we are able to step back and try again without consequences. 

Taking the time in the first few days to set expectations such as those for lining up, washing hands, and using the restroom will provide additional instructional time later in the year. Students want to know what is expected of them and if it is left to them there is a high chance they will assume incorrectly and you will then spend the next few months trying to correct their interpretation. 

Help set your students up for success. Phrase things in questions. This takes the responsibility off of you and puts it on the students. An example might be instead of telling the student to put their name on their paper because you see it is missing, ask them, “Is your name on the paper?” This puts the responsibility on the student in a positive way with the same outcome. 

You also might consider listing some of your expectations on a poster in the classroom. You will find the poster will save your voice. That way when you take a quick glance at the student’s work you can just say, “You need to check number 4.” You have now put the responsibility onto the student without telling them to go put their name on their paper. It can also be used if you have listed work at a whisper voice with your partner and they are at the shouting volume. All you have to say is please review number 5. This will cut down on your teacher talk in the classroom and put the responsibility back on the students. There is no question that at some point you are going to ask them to comply with one of the expectations and you may have to stop the class and provide a short lesson to reteach what is expected, but even so you are providing the students with the opportunity to take control of their own behavior. 

Set your expectations high and make sure your students know what is expected and you all will achieve your goals. Enjoy this school year. 

Maximizing Reading to Children

Oral reading has the potential for providing young learners with comprehension practice which they can then transfer to their own reading.

Many classroom teachers take time during their day to read to their students. This is a wonderful opportunity for young learners to hear oral reading modeled. Over the generations along with the development of technology, time spent listening to text being read orally and discussed has decreased. As learners hear less information orally, their ability to process information and identify key points has lessened over time as well. It is key that when we are reading to students we are also providing guided discussion which guides learners to process the information being read.


How can you tell if your oral reading to your students has become “white noise” in your classroom. One major struggle readers have when reading to students is dealing with behavior. One way many teachers try to deal with behavior is to allow students to color or work on projects. If this is happening the learning objective has shifted. More often than not the reader’s voice has become “white noise” while the students are working on their project.


The major objective is to model strong reading along with building literacy / comprehension skills. This can easily be achieved by the reader stopping and engaging the learners in guided discussions with their peers. This is achieved by asking questions in which the whole group can respond or can respond with a partner next to them. The end objective is that they are then able to process these types of questions in their own reading and are also able to retell what they read. Learners cannot retell what they have read if they are unable to retell what has been read to them. In addition, they cannot then transfer the ability to answer question about information read to them. In order to be able to fully comprehend information a learner reads they must first have mastered the skills involved in processing information they have heard. Reading comprehension is a language-transferred skill.


Below is a chart with key elements young learners need to focus on when text is read to them. It is helpful to select one of the elements and focus on that element during the reading of the text. Avoid the question “who can tell me?” This allows you to become engaged with only one learner while the rest of the class waits for your discussion with the student to end. You want to provide a practice time for all your students and having the learners discuss between themselves provides that informal opportunity.

Element	Definition	Activities	Going Deep
Setting (Time)	Setting is not only the location given in a narrative but also the time it is occurring. Setting includes culture, historical period, geography, date, hour, and minute.	Where is the text taking place? What evidence in the text tells where the setting of the text is taking place? What text lets us know the time period the text is taking place?	Text to life -- How can you relate to the text? Explain the beginning, middle, and end.

Plot	The events that make up the idea of the writer. They are often laid out in a series of beginning, middle and end details being told. ●  Introduction or Exposition ●  Rising Action ●  Climax ●  Falling Action ●  Resolution	What problem was described? Explain the solution.	How do you relate to the plot? What might be a different solution?
Characterization	The details about a character(s) in a story. The author will provide the reader with information about the character such as behavior, appearance, and characteristics so readers are able to relate to the character (s).	Describe one of the characters.	How do you relate to one of the characters?
Conflict	Conflict is part of the plot. There are several types of conflicts: internal or external, man vs. man, man vs. circumstances, man vs. society, and man vs. self.	What is the conflict within the text? Who is involved in the differences?	What type of conflict happened in the text?
Point of View	How the author chooses to convey their message. ●  First Person - usually the central character of the story is speaking. ●  Second Person - Keyword you will find. “YOU.” ●  Third Person -	Who is talking in the text? What are keywords used to tell you what the point of view of the text?	How might the point of view change if told from a different person’s point of view?

	Story is being told by another person. ●  Third Person -(objective) Narrator describes the person (he, she, him, her) ●  Third Person (limited) Narrator gives specific thoughts and feeling of the characters. ●  Third Person (omniscient) the narrator is the ALL-knowing. ●  Dialogue vs. Narration
Theme	The topic of the text. It can be placed into two categories: a text’ s thematic concept or thematic statement. Thematic concept is providing the reader with something to “Think About.” A thematic statement is telling “What the author is saying about the subject.	What was the subject in this book (text) about? Were they telling us about something? What did the author want us to think about while reading their book (text).	Relate the text to your life.
Tone (Mood - Feelings)	The attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience.  Conveyed through the choice of words, or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.  It can be formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, cheerful, or it may be any other existing attitude.	How are the characters feeling in the story? Share what some key words you heard that give us an idea of the mood of the text.	How do you relate to feelings expressed in the text?

HOW'S YOUR RHYMING?

Rhyming is a key part to understanding our English language. In recent years we have become aware that rhyming may be more important than we once thought. Studies have shown children who are unable to rhyme may have a greater chance of having other reading difficulties such as dyslexia.

Rhyming is a skill which is learned. It is not a natural innate skill we are just able to acquire. Some are able to catch on quickly while others struggle. Practice and exposure is the best way to fully understand the key to rhyming. Rhyming is an auditory skill and something that children need to hear, therefore you should use the spoken words or pictures and not just printed words.

Teaching rhyming can be a lot of fun. One of the best ways to introduce and teach rhyming is with poems. Children in many cases will not notice the rhymes until you start pointing them out. There are also a number of great books for teaching rhyming such as; Rumble in the Jungle [Giles Andreae, David Wojtowycz], Double Trouble In Walla Walla [Andrew Clements, Salvatore Murdocca], and Edward the Emu [Sheena Knowles, Rod Clement] for a start.

Other ways you can provide the students practice is to give students each a picture or pin one one and have them find their rhyme partner. Tell each student a word as they line-up and have them tell you a rhyming word back. Picture sorts are always a great learning tool and children enjoy. If you are looking for picture cards here is a place to start: Rhyming Pictures

Creating Readers in Kindergarten

Creating Readers in Kindergarten

Every primary teacher subconsciously wants their students to be good readers. What if there was an indicator that could give you high probability that your students would have a high chance of becoming an on-grade reader by third grade? This may be one of the best kept secrets in education because there is one. Students who master alphabetical principle in kindergarten or the first part of first grade have an extremely high probability of being on or above grade level in reading by the time they are in third grade.

If your child was sick and there was medication to make them well we would probably all make sure the child received the medication. Yet that is not the case with education and learning to read. Looking at data of students who have not mastered alphabetical principle in kindergarten the percent of below level readers in third grade, the percentages come very close to the same.

Oregon has the poorest graduation rates in the nation and only 14% of students entering kindergarten are able to recognize any letters (Otto, 2017). For years third grade tests scores have been used to predict graduation rates along with the number of prison beds that will be needed in the future. Knowing this information, along with knowing how we are able to turn those numbers upside down, our proficiency rate has remained the same for the state.

Many kindergarten and first grade students are able to memorize words and stories so they appear to be readers. They sound like readers, they look like readers, but then they hit second grade and multisyllabic words, they have no idea how to decode those words because they had not mastered alphabetic principle in kindergarten or first grade. Now at second grade they are having to go back and learn those skills and this becomes a setback they struggle to overcome by the end of their grade.

It’s time to take the medicine and get these students reading. There is no question that it is hard work and help is not going to come from parents/guardians for many of these students. Kindergarten and first grades need to be restructured along with the focus of the students mastering alphabetical principle instead of just moving forward with the curriculum. Curriculum does not teach the students, teachers do; and therefore the teachers need to intensify their instruction and do whatever it takes to make sure their students have mastered knowing their letters and sounds along with blending them in kindergarten and first grade. The students will then be ready to apply this information to decoding multisyllabic words in second grade keeping them on track to become a strong reader.

If students are reading and on-grade level no one will question a teacher’s teaching. It’s when students appear to be falling below the grade mark when microscope seems to come out. Remember, all standards are geared toward the students being able to read on grade level. If you have a student who falls below, you need to make sure you step back and teach that skill to mastery. This means you need to be RELENTLESS  and AMPLIFIED in your instruction to get those struggling students to mastery. Hoping they will simply absorb the information has not worked in the past and it is up to you to help those students learn the information. You will be giving that student the gift of learning.

There is no question that this requires hard work but isn’t student success worth the effort?

Reference:

Otto, R.,(2017), What is grade-level reading and why is it important?, Children’s Institute

Importance of Blending & Segmenting Words

Blending / Segmenting for Preschoolers and Kindergartners

Blending and segmenting has been shown to be key for preschoolers and kindergarteners to become strong readers and writers. The question is why is this so key. Why do so many students struggle with these skills?

English is a phonetic language. Linguistically, it is made of sound chunks blended together. As we learn to speak and communicate as young children, we pick up on the pronunciation of the words and add them to our lexicon, along with attaching the meaning of the word. The struggle often comes when we become old enough to start reading and need to decode these words in our lexicon to be able to read and write them. Why some have little difficulty with this skill and others struggle is a great question, but we are able to scaffold the skills back and assist those who struggle so they gain the understanding they need to become strong readers and writers.

Having the children blend and segment words allows them to develop the understanding that our language is made up of groups of sounds and it is key to be able to decode those sound segments as readers and writers. Often students hit second and third grade and need to be able to identify syllables in multisyllabic words and struggle. This is  largely because they have not developed the understanding and skill of segmenting sounds strongly enough in our language. Students entering the upper grades having this understanding have a much easier time identifying the syllable groups or it is at this time they learn to hear the sound groups in multisyllabic words.

Both blending and segmenting are fun and fast skills for students to learn. It is true that our curricula includes blending and segmenting lessons, and the students are taught the skill. The missing link appears to be practice and keeping it fresh in their skill banks until it becomes automatic.

Preschoolers and kindergarteners should start with blending words. The teacher or adult gives the sounds in a word and the child says the word. In order to segment words, the teacher or adult give the word and the child says the sounds back. There are a multitude of activities available for working on these skills. Once it has been taught, children need to be provided with multiple opportunities to use the skills. Look for those opportunities during the day where you can provide the practice needed to keep the skill fresh in their minds and make it automatic. This might be when they are lining up, washing their hands, or waiting in the hall. Use those times to give that little extra practice they need to master these skills. If you have students who are struggling, write their name on an index card to help you remember to make a connection with them at recess or lunch and have them blend or segment a couple of words. This will not only help them with this skill but will also provide a positive reinforcement showing that you care and will help build a stronger relationship with that child in a positive way.

These are skills that have proven to have huge impact on students’ reading and writing in the older grades and are able to be developed as young as four years old. They are skills that can be done in a fun and playful way so the child is completely unaware of the impact you are having on their brain.

Let’s get these little guys blending and segmenting so they will be readers and writers.

Lesson Plan Idea

The Importance of Rhyming!

Rhyming is a key part to understanding our English language. In recent years we have become aware that rhyming may be more important than we once thought. Studies have shown children who are unable to rhyme may have a greater chance of having other reading difficulties such as dyslexia.

Rhyming is a skill which is learned. It is not a natural innate skill we are just able to acquire. Some are able to catch on quickly while others struggle. Practice and exposure is the best way to fully understand the key to rhyming. Rhyming is an auditory skill and something that children need to hear, therefore you should use the spoken words or pictures and not just printed words.

Teaching rhyming can be a lot of fun. One of the best ways to introduce and teach rhyming is with poems. Children in many cases will not notice the rhymes until you start pointing them out. There are also a number of great books for teaching rhyming such as; Rumble in the Jungle [Giles Andreae, David Wojtowycz], Double Trouble In Walla Walla [Andrew Clements, Salvatore Murdocca], and Edward the Emu [Sheena Knowles, Rod Clement] for a start.

Other ways you can provide the students practice is to give students each a picture or pin one one and have them find their rhyme partner. Tell each student a word as they line-up and have them tell you a rhyming word back. Picture sorts are always a great learning tool and children enjoy. If you are looking for picture cards here is a place to start: Rhyming Pictures

Building Student Engagement!

A few "think-abouts" when you are providing instruction to a group of students:

• make sure you have your students attention before initiating instruction
• use a signal
• pace the lesson to maintain students attention
• keep the lesson moving
• use pair share
• have group responses
• be ready
• maintain close proximity to students
• be up and moving around the room
• don't sit at the computer or document camera
• transition quickly between tasks
• know your routines
• have materials ready 
• refocus off-task students to the lesson focus
• make sure you have stated your expectations
• make them want to engage with you

Reading - End of Unit Test -- Why Give Them?

  Barmina Iva ID 1883171 | Dreamstime Stock Photos

I met with a teacher who was very frustrated that she had just given the end of the unit test and all her students did poorly. She stated the test was a waste of time because when she went back and reviewed the the test she felt it did not cover what the unit had been covering. Have you been there? I have too!

The end of unit tests are an applied reading test covering more than just what was covered in the unit taught. They are asking the students to use skills taught in previous units of the program to check whether the students are able to retain previously taught skills and apply them. These tests are testing the students understanding not evaluating your instruction.

Within the program there are often section tests where you are able to check for understanding of the skills just taught. These are very useful for knowing if your students are understanding what you are presenting. We also often make the assumption they understand the skill but these tests do not allow the students to apply the information like in the end of unit test.

The big question then is why give these tests? We are able to gain a great deal of information from the students’ performance on these tests. If they were able to pass their section tests but not the end of unit test, they are able to perform the task but not apply that task in a different application. They also give us a view of their cognition, showing if they are able to retain the information or recall it when needed. These tests are also a great indicator of whether or not a student will be able to pass the state test. It has been shown by the publishers that if the students are able to pass these end of unit tests they are highly likely to meet or exceed on their state test. Therefore, they are a great predictor of how your students will do come state testing time.  

Use those tests as a teaching tool once you have given and scored them. Have the students make the corrections and discuss each of the sections. This will help build understanding of how to apply information which the students had indicated they are struggling to understand. Have the students retake the test or the parts they failed. Not to change their grade but to allow them to understand and comprehend the information. I can assure you by taking the time to use the test as a teaching tool you will see great results on the upcoming end of unit tests.