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. 

Vocabulary, the Key to Comprehension

Language is our main form of communication, and with language comes vocabulary. Simply put vocabulary is the persons’ understanding of words being used to communicate. Vocabulary building starts at birth by the child responding to caregivers. Caregivers of young children quickly learn what different sounds and gestures that the baby makes indicating their needs. At the same time, the child is building their communication understanding and their brains continue to develop their personal vocabulary.

If you’re around young children, two to three years old, you begin to realize that many have an understanding even though their spoken vocabulary is still very limited. They are able to complete simple tasks such as, “Get your cup,” yet they are unable to say those words. This is because much of our environmental vocabulary is absorbed and applied as we experience the interaction with the activity or object. As our brains develop the skills of inference and application develop allowing our vocabulary to expand and out ability to communicate with others.

We know there is a large vocabulary gap between socioeconomic classes (Hirsch, 2003). Sparks (2013) showed that low-income children’s vocabulary entering school was between 500 and 600 words. The old school approach of teaching vocabulary by introducing the words as they are presented in the curriculum has shown that struggling students were not able to retain or use those words later in the year (Sparks, 2013). Vocabulary is something absorbed and the student does not take ownership of the word until exposure and understanding along with the application are fully experienced.  

Vocabulary is first a language skill. It begins to develop at birth and continues throughout life. Every language has its own vocabulary which ultimately leads to comprehension. Vocabulary as a reading skill plays just as important a role as comprehension. The reader needs knowledge and a base vocabulary to be able to infer words from meaning in conversations prior to using reading to build vocabulary. There is a point with every reader when the fastest way to expand vocabulary is through reading rather than conversation. Until the student has mastered their decoding and use of language inference skill they will struggle with both vocabulary and comprehension. To keep this from happening the reader has to have strong language skills so that they can then transfer them to their reading.

Students who struggle with reading will often struggle when it comes to gaining vocabulary and comprehension from text and then applying it. If you have a reader who has this struggle, you need to step back and see how strong their ability to pick up the meaning of new words is from conversations. Just because they are able to read the word and pronounce it correctly does not mean they have the ability to decipher the meaning of the word from the context of the sentence. If this is the case the reader needs additional instruction and language support.

There is no question that vocabulary is a key element to reading. Knowing the sequence in which students develop vocabulary will provide the support your students need and lead to better comprehension in their reading. So the next time you have the opportunity to work with vocabulary, stop and quickly evaluate by asking yourself, “Am I providing the type of vocabulary instruction my students need?”

References:
Hirsch, E.D., Jr. “Reading Comprehension Requires Knowledge of Words and the World: Scientific Insights to the Fourth-Grade Slump and the Nationan’s Stagnant Comprehension Scores.” American Educator, Spring 2003, pp. 10-29

Sparks, S.D. “Students Must Learn More Words, Say Studies.” Education Week, February 5, 2013.

Do You Know the Facts About Dyslexia?

Science Jack 

Dyslexia is neurobiological in origin. The students are NOT being lazy.

People with Dyslexia often have difficulties inaccurate, and/or fluent word recognition along with poor decoding and spelling skills.

People with dyslexia have trouble with the sounds of language (phonology), yet will have average or higher cognitive skills.

Children who have a parent with dyslexia have a 50% chance of having a dyslexic brain. If both parents are dyslexic then the chance is closer to 100% that their children will be dyslexic.

Seeing letters backwards is not an indicator of dyslexia. Macdonald et al. (2017) found that 50% of educators and 76% of the general public felt that children seeing letters backwards was an indicator of dyslexia. Written communication is a man-created/designed form of communication using letters, in the case of English. Our brains are designed to see an object and remember that object, such as a cup. When we see a cup our brains know it’s a cup if it is on its side or upside down. We are also able to transfer that information we know about a cup if the cup is larger or smaller. A cup is a cup. When we move to learn about writing all of a sudden the rules change. The letter “b” is no longer a “b” when it is turned around. It is a “d.” Upside down it is  a “p.” Until the student is able to understand that letters do not operate the same as objects, all children might have reversal problems.

Dyslexia can have an impact on a student’s self-image and self-esteem. Students with dyslexia often end up feeling “dumb” and feel less capable than they really are. They often use distractions to get out of completing school activities.

Dyslexia is often classified as a learning disability when really it is a brain formation that close to 20% of populations are born with. It only becomes a disability when the learner does not fit into the education program in which they are placed. Students who have a dyslexic brain thrive in education when their instruction is provided in a format which aligns with how their brain processes information.

Because a child is born with a dyslexic brain, it is something they have for a lifetime. Dyslexics, with proper instruction, are able to learn to process and read and write well. We have also learned through science that dyslexia impacts the way a person processes information. If pathways are built in younger children they are able to transfer those processing skills. The key instructional time is between the ages of 3 and 7, therefore, waiting and allowing them more time has been disproven to be effective.  

If a child doesn’t read on grade level by the end of third grade, they have a four times greater chance of dropping out and a one in seven chance of becoming a reader as an adult.

Dyslexia is a neurological condition that causes the brain difficulty in processing information in the areas of reading, writing, and spelling. The National Institute of Health estimates that as high as 20% of the children in our schools are on some level of the dyslexia spectrum.

Many students with dyslexia remain undiagnosed. The way the system has currently established a percentage of students will not qualify for special services. General education teachers along with reading specialists and even special education teachers do not have enough training to provide the evidence-based instruction that these students need. Dyslexia is not overcome by a program because every student will need to have special skills addressed. Currently, students with dyslexia in public schools continue to fail to reach their potential, reaching frustration and not feeling misunderstood, which puts them at greater risk of dropping out. They live with frustration and continually ask themselves,  “Why can’t I read?”

How can you help?

Become aware of the characteristics of dyslexia, especially at the preschool age.

Educate yourself on scientific evidence-based early reading skills instruction.

Be proactive for each child’s education and instruction.

Letter / Word Reversals - Learning Disability?

In your classroom, do you have students who reverse letters or words such as “b” and “d,” or “saw” and “was?” Truly, this is very natural and normal for young children to make these errors. It does not necessarily indicate that there might be a learning disability or dyslexia. Our brains are designed to be able to interpret objects in 3D. Written communication is a man-created/designed form of communication using letters in the case of English. Our brains are designed to see an object and remember that object in 3D, such as a cup. When we see a cup our brains know it’s a cup if it is on its side or upside down. We are also able to transfer that information we know about a cup if the cup is larger or smaller. A cup is a cup. When we move to learn about writing, all of a sudden the rules change. The letter “b” they discover is no longer a “b” when it is turned around. It is a “d.” Upside down it is a “p.” Until the student is able to understand that letters do not operate the same way as objects. all children might have reversal problems (Macdonald et al.,(2017).

Seeing letters backwards is not an indicator of dyslexia. Macdonald et al. (2017) found that 50% of educators and 76% of the general public felt that children seeing letters backwards were an indicator of dyslexia. Students who struggle with not being able to recognize letters in isolation or write them might need some scaffolded instruction in letter identification. They need to be seeing letters in words where both letters the student is struggling with appear, such as teaching letter-naming using words like, bed, bip, dip, was, saw. Their brains need to become aware that writing is not like seeing objects, and are found in specific places in words to represent sounds.

Macdonald, K., Germine, L., Anderson, A., Christodoulou, J., & MaGrath L. M. (2017). Dispelling the Myth: Training in Education or Neuroscience Decreases but Does Not Eliminate Beliefs in Neuromyths. Front. Psychol., 10 August 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01314

Understanding Instruction

What is your pedagogy when it comes to instruction? Are you on the inquiry side or the direct delivery side? What is the best method of instruction for your students? These are a couple of questions you might consider when determining your instruction and your students’ performance in the classroom. 

First, we need to refresh ourselves on the forms of instruction. The two major ones most often found are inquiry or exploratory instruction and direct instruction. Both are key when it comes to instruction there is no question, but when used inappropriately, each can create student struggles along with frustration for everyone. This can often lead to misbehaviors from the students. 

Exploratory or inquiry-based instruction was penned in 1969 by Joseph Schwab based around the exploratory pedagogy or constructivism. You build knowledge based on what you know while learning from questions and applying information to answer those questions. Being able to explain how you were able to achieve your answer allows the learner to be working in the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Instructors using this pedagogy often use questions such as, “What do you think this means?” requiring the learner to apply their background knowledge to respond.

Siegfried Englemann in 1964 introduced the instructional pedagogy form which direct or explicit instruction has been developed. Within this form of instruction, the instructor provides the learner with the information they are learning. Then guidance is provided while students are processing followed by the learner being able to perform the task at a high rate of success. Direct instruction is often associated with scripted instruction, where the instructor is expected to read exactly what is written in the curriculum. This is extreme direct instruction in every possible way, but Englemann focused on the elements of direct or explicit instruction as, “I do it, we do it, you do it”, followed by some form of assessment demonstrating mastery. 

A strong teacher uses both forms of instruction with their students at some point in each day. One key factor in using either one is knowing the students. The background of your students may have a larger factor in your students’ learning than you thought. Even if you enjoy teaching in an exploratory or inquiry-based environment you can run into problems and students not understanding or who are unable to pass the assessment. Therefore, we also need to examine our students and what form of instruction might be best for them in each instructional situation to fully understand the concepts.

Most commonly classroom teachers find themselves using the inquiry or exploratory form of learning. You can observe this by questions the teacher asks,  such as, “What do you think this is?” Then they start fishing the classroom looking for the response they want. If the students do not have the background knowledge to draw their response from you get guesses or they just look at you. English as Second Language learners may not have the vocabulary to draw from to respond, or there may be other factors in which a student might not have the language development to give a respectable response. Therefore, you have to use this form of instruction cautiously because, in the end, you may simply have to provide the students the answer. When the students are unable to respond they become frustrated and talk or work to get you off task creating other discipline struggles.  As long as you know when to use this form of instruction it can provide excellent results.  

Students with limited background knowledge most often thrive with direct or explicit instruction. Their teacher provides them with the information and they are asked to recall that information building their knowledge bank so, later on, they can learn and understand how to determine an answer with their own knowledge. Often as adults, we want to push our students into inquiry before they have the knowledge necessary to be successful, which assumes they have that knowledge. But in reality, some groups still need explicit instruction where you are giving the students the facts for them to store for later use. 

Our students are our barometers for instruction. Their behaviors are your largest indicator of whether your instruction is on point or not. If the students deem the information you are teaching not relevant, whether it is or not, they are most likely to begin to act out. This also might happen if you are working with a group of students who have a large knowledge base and you are trying to instruct explicitly. They are ready to start applying the information rather than hear you talk about it. Whereas, students with limited background knowledge may be fully engaged because this form of instruction meets their learning needs. The same thing may happen when you are using inquiry. The students with limited background are unable to apply the information so they begin to act out or disrupt, while those who bring a wide understanding to the concept are fully engaged. It is also important to note that vocabulary may also need to be taught in two different groups and with two different approaches to meet the needs of all your students because of their wealth or lack of background knowledge they bring to the lesson. 

As you become aware of how your students respond to the different types of instruction and observe their behaviors you will become aware of what type of instruction each student responds to best and which helps them achieve success. This is a case where one size does not fit all and knowing your student base along with your instruction presentation format can resolve many classroom behavior problems.

Decoding Phonics in Intermediate Grades

As intermediate classroom teachers we have all experienced the
non-reader or struggling reader. The chances are extremely high
that they also struggle with spelling and writing. I hear examples
of students with these struggles from their teachers every week.
So know you are not the only teacher struggling with this
problem, but we have a nation of learners facing these struggles.

While working with students who know they are struggling,
I have found it key to let them know they’re smart and that I’m
going to help them learn a new way of decoding. Building back
their confidence is just as important as getting them to be
able to read.

Starting with six key vowel rules, I teach and train the students
to locate them in words. These six key vowel rules are: closed
syllable, open syllable, vowel teams, silent “e,” “r” controlled,
and consonant “le”. The objective is for the learner to use these
tools to be able to pronounce a word. Yes, there are digraphs and
diphthongs that change the sounds but by using these six vowel
rules they are able to get an approximation for most words and
then with context clues know how to say the word correctly.

The other key in this process is using their classroom texts.
They are finding the words and using the skills in their reading
rather than teaching them the rules with alternate text and then
having them apply the rules in their classroom texts.

Another struggle you often experience with these students is
they do not hear the individual sounds in the
words—-phonemic awareness. You may have to step back
and teach the learner how to hear each sound in the word
and then using the six-vowel rules construct the word.
Surprisingly, this can have a big impact on their ability to spell.
It is often assumed students have already mastered these rules,
when in fact, they have not. Again this skill can be taught using
words from their texts and applying the six-vowel rules. It’s a
great feeling as you see your students start to be able to decode

words and start reading. It will happen faster than you think and
you don’t need to buy a new curriculum. Remember
teachers teach; curriculums don’t.  

Rule	Explanation
Closed Syllable	The vowel is followed by a consonant making the vowel short. Cat  - mud -  pig - bet - lot Kid/nap – pic/nic – nap/kin
Open Syllable	There is not a consonant after the vowel making the vowel long. Go – me – a – I Ro/bot – me/ter – na/ture – ma/jor
Vowel Teams	The first vowel says its name, or is long. The saying, “when two vowels go walking the first does the talking.” Rain – eat – bait – goat – meat
Silent “e”	Vowel consonant “e,” the vowel will be long or say its name. Hike – cane – make – cute - pope
“r” Controlled	The “r” follows the vowel and controls the sound. Far – curl – shirt – her – corn – bark - ark
Consonant le	Multi-syllable words, found at the end making its own syllable. Lit/tle – bot/tle – tum/ble- jun/gle – sim/ple – ket/tle

Roll Six Game

Roll the die and locate a word with that syllable rule. The one who
finds five words with the rule wins.

1	2	3	4	5	6
Closed	Open	Vowel Team	Silent “e”	“r” Controlled	Consonant le

What Curriculum Should I Use?

What Curriculum Should I Use?

Working with teachers and leading training I get this question all the time. Teachers tell me they have a group of students who just are not reading and want to know if curriculum “X” is the best or what do I think about “VW.” There are many great curriculums around for all subjects, but the publishers have sold us the line that if we use their materials, students will read.

I have to say this is like asking someone if they know of a great diet because they need to lose weight. There are many that have helped people lose weight. How do you know if it is the right one for you? The same is true with choosing a curriculum. There are other factors which need to be considered when making the choice, just like when choosing a nutrition plan.

The person who has the largest impact on the learner/student is the teacher, not the curriculum. Truly it should not matter what curriculum you are using. The teacher should adjust instruction to meet the student’s learning needs. We have to remember centuries ago the Bible was the curriculum of choice for teaching reading in America. Curriculum doesn’t teach. Trained people teach.

The first step is to know just what area of instruction each student is struggling with in your class. Once you know, for example, you have some who are struggling with sounds and sound spellings, you are then able to take the curriculum you are using and pull out short lessons to help those few students. Use of curriculum does not mean just do the worksheet because it’s in the book. If students don’t need that specific skill, they may deem it irrelevant and choose not to complete it. This may lead to behavior problems in the classroom.

When working with a curriculum the first step might be to evaluate what parts can be done with the whole class because they all need that part.. Vocabulary instruction is something that all students can participate in when it is done orally. Vocabulary is an oral skill not a written skill. Students need to hear and use the word orally and put it in their lexicon before they are able to start using it and comprehending it in their writing and reading. We also can present many of the comprehension strategies with the whole class. A student must have the ability to retell a story orally long before they are able to write about it. I have been in many classrooms where the teacher asked the students to write about the story and they can’t even tell me about what they read. Again this will lead to behavior problems.

Providing the teacher has completed some form of diagnostic screening, the teacher should be able to design mini-lessons for small groups to target skills those students need support with. One example might be that if some students are having problems with vowel teams, then take the text and have them locate and read words with vowel teams. If they are having struggles hearing syllables, use the words from the reading and have them segment the syllables and spell the syllables.

Teachers or people are the ones who impact learning. Making a personal connection is the first step in helping students. During my first teaching job interview I was asked, “Can you teach with newspapers, scissors, paper, and glue?” Thinking it was one of those “interview questions” they asked, I said, “Sure I would…..”. When I got the job, that was what my room had. They had not passed a budget in three years and there was no curriculum. Those students learned and we had a great year.

Curriculum doesn’t teach students. Trained educators teach students.

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

Dyslexia In Oregon

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.