Dissecting the Science of Reading!

 

The Reading Wars are on...again! 

Buckle up, the Reading Wars are back! It’s cueing system vs phonics, Fountas and Pinnell vs decades of research. Is your district caught in the crossfire, unsure which way to turn? Some districts are diving headfirst into every Science of Reading program they can lay their hands on, while others are crossing their fingers, hoping it'll all just blow over. Sound familiar?

Here's the question: Does everything have to change?  Are we inadvertently harming our students by clinging to outdated methods? If you've scrolled through those Science of Learning Facebook pages, you'll know the struggle. I've Laughed, cried, and even pulled some hair out after some Facebook sessions. There's real confusion out there.  Do we throw the baby out with the bathwater or what?

Here’s my take:

The Science of Reading isn't about scrapping everything we know. It's about rethinking what we know. It's about recalibrating our approach. Teaching that aligns with the Science of Reading isn’t the same old, same old. Think of reading as a Venn Diagram.  One circle is reading instruction, the other is reading research.  For a LONG time, that little area where the two overlap was empty. Research stayed in the “lab”, teaching went on without it.  That’s finally changed. It needed to change.

That overlap in the Venn Diagram is finally being filled in.  We don’t have to spin our wheels anymore. There ARE strategies that align with how the brain works as it struggles to learn how to read. We CAN use the reading brain to make reading easier for kids.

At this point, I see teaching reading that is aligned with the Science of Reading for 3rd, 4th and 5th grades as falling into three main categories. Think of them as a three-legged stool. 

• Fluency- It's about reading smoothly and accurately. Reading itself isn't a struggle, it's effortless. One way to increase fluency is through re-reading.  Students read a short text a number of times in different ways to increase fluency.  Choral reading, echo reading and partner reading all lend themselves to increasing fluency.

•Word-Work-  Dive into affixes, homophones, phonemic awareness and vocabulary – you name it. Some kids missed the boat on basic phonics; they might need a little extra TLC in small group settings.

• Comprehension- Building background knowledge is key. How can a kid grasp a text about an elephant if they've never laid eyes on one? Summarizing, asking questions, visualizing, these are the holy grails of comprehension.There’s still a place for teaching isolated comprehension skills, in my opinion, but they need to be secondary to research based strategies. This is especially true until end of the year tests catch up to research.  That’s another issue.

And here's the best part – most of this can be done with whole-class direct instruction. No more dividing students into 'can' and 'can't.' That's a bonus in any classroom! 

There’s LOTS more to the Science of Reading than one post can address. but, this is a good starting point.  We can’t upend the apple cart all at once, and keep our sanity.  But, focusing on the “three-legged stool” gives us all achievable goals that are proven by science to help kids read better.  So, keep the baby when you throw out that bathwater, but when research speaks, we all need to listen.  

Keep your eye out for upcoming posts focusing on:
Fluency
Word work
Comprehension

Check out my Science of Reading aligned units that focus on fluency, word work and comprehension while building background knowledge for 3rd and 4th grade students.  Click on the picture to learn more!

Tap into the Power of Literature Circles!

Have you ever thought:

I can't do literature circles! They eat up too much time!

Literature circles are just too loud!

I wouldn't know where to start!

Yes, literature circles do take time, and it isn't a quiet classroom activity. That said, everything about literature circles taps into how people (especially kids) learn.  Here are just a few things literature circle do to help students comprehend text better. 

How Do Literature Circles Help Students tap Into Skills?

1.  Literature circles put the fun into reading. Humans are social beings, and the opportunity to talk comes naturally (a little too naturally for most!).  Literature circles takes this human need, and uses it to promote learning. If it's fun, kids will do it gladly!!

2. Literature circles give a framework for student centered inquiry.  Students take turns doing one of five jobs (tasks) in the group. This group of tasks model the strategies students need to learn and internalize as they read material on their own. 

3.  Through cooperative learning, literature circles help students make sense of the text. Students can begin to rely on each other for finding ideas in the text that they may have otherwise missed. Literature circles help kids learn how to use each other as a resource, and ultimately become independent learners.  Students in a literature circle have an opportunity to participate in the conversation. Because it is a small group, and not the entire class, some of the stress of speaking out is taken away for shy students. 

4.  Students can make their own choices about their learning. Groups can choose their own book to read within a group of two to three books selected by the teacher. As students become more proficient in the process, many teachers may want to allow groups to choose their own book from all available. Students also choose the questions that will be discussed by the group after reading. This helps guide students' reading as they go through the text.  At the beginning of the Literature Circle process, brainstorm with the class a list of questions that are appropriate for each genre of book. Copy this list and provide to students. Be sure to advise students that ALL questions cannot be asked, so choose the ones they feel are most important for the particular book.
      Choices are important! If students have some choice in the matter, it leads to greater engagement and higher motivation. This is particularly important for struggling or reluctant readers. 

Where Do I Start?

(Note-putting students into groups): At the beginning of the process I suggest teachers group students, however as time goes on, and students are more proficient at the process, teachers will find that students love the process even more when they can choose their own group. I have to say that many teachers just jump right in, and allow students to make all of the choices right away. I'm reluctant to do that, as I feel gradual release leads to greater success.)

a.  Introduce students to the concept of literature circles by explaining that literature circles are groups of people who read the same book, then meet to discuss what they have read. Explain that each group decides upon their own book (I strongly suggest teachers choose two different titles for each group to vote on. If given too many choices at the start, it's a bit overwhelming). They then decide upon a group of questions that will be discussed about the text when they meet. Make sure each student has a list of these questions. 

b. Introduce the rolls (or tasks) used in literature circles. This is the key. By using the rolls in Literature Circles, students begin to internalize the steps readers use to make sense of the text. You may call them different names, but the job should be the same. Allowing students to choose their task is helpful. I don't allow student to choose the same task twice in a row. If there is a conflict over tasks (they tend to like the drawing task) just do "rock, paper, scissors" as the deciding factor.

1.  Discussion Leader: This person asks questions about the text that was read. If he or she decides to throw in questions not previously decided upon, that is fine.

2.  Investigator: This person selects sections in the text that support answers. It is a good idea to stress to students that not every answer must be supported, but most should be. This is a big job.

3.  Summarizer: This person writes a short summary of the day's reading after the discussion is completed.

4.  The connector helps the group connect the ideas they have read about to the outside world, and to other books that have been read.

5.  The Word Wizard looks up unfamiliar or important words in the text. He or she find the definitions to the words and reports back to the group. Only one or two words need to be looked up, or the word wizard will miss the entire discussion.

6. The Illustrator: This student can do a sketch, diagram, flow chart or a cartoon to show somethingfrom the day's reading.


What Do Teachers Do During Literature Circles?

1. Go from group to group listening, taking notes and monitoring the ability of students to contribute to the discussion. This can be part of a daily assessment.

2. Help students monitor their own learning by giving them a premade form (or discuss) the following questions:  What are the most important ideas you learned about in today's reading? How well did each member contribute to the group within their assigned roll? What did you think was the best part of today's Literature Circle? Is there some way you think today's group could have gone better?

How does this all work? MODEL, MODEL, MODEL!

The first and second literacy circle sessions should be for demonstration purposes only. Choose six "guinna pigs" for each group and use a book all students are familiar with. Go through the process as the class watches. Since it is a book that has already been read (such as a read-aloud) all students can get the idea. As students run into difficulties, model how questions are asked, words are looked up and so on. During the modeling process, the teacher will actually preform many of the tasks, or talk students through the process. It is vital that students know exactly what is expected. I like to ask a student in the model group to act out in some way. Then we discuss with the group and class how to deal with a student who is not doing his/her job, or who is disruptive. Before beginning the process, have ideas ready for students to use. The key is to have students prepared, know the perimeters of the activity, and be ready to learn. Take the time needed to prepare students, and you will never teach without literature circles! They work!!

Are you interested in reading resources you can use in your literature circles?  Click on the covers below to check them out. 

Follow me on Pinterest for freebies and great ideas at:

 https://www.pinterest.com/janbernard10/

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Use the BRAIN to Make Reading Easier!

Teaching can be hard...really hard! Sometimes it feels like we are banging our head against a wall. Why aren't they getting it? I know I've felt that way more times than I want to think about! What I am discovering is that the problem just might be the way lessons are delivered. As humans, our brains work in a particular way. We have to make sense of things, be social, and move! We're wired that way. SOOOOO  to teach smarter instead of harder, lessons need to reflect the brain research that has come to light over the last few years. It means our students will learn more, enjoy it more, and we'll have fewer discipline problems. Let's look at some of the research about reading and the brain.
(By the way ... a lot of it can be used for any other school subject too!)

What Makes Reading Easy for Some, Hard for Others?

First of all, reading does not come naturally. There's no "reading" area in the brain. We are hardwired for sight, hearing, and the like, but there's no single area for reading inside the brain. Reading disabilites aren't only genetic, they can happen because of environmental influences. That means that during the learning process, reading instruction went terribly wrong for the child. To fix it, we need to work with the brain, not against it!


Why Use Brain Research?

Many studies have shown that brain based teaching not only increases academic achievent, but increases motivation, mood, and class effort and interest. What else could a teacher want?

Brain based suggestions for teaching reading

What Research Says
1. The National Reading Panel found that in order for reading instruction to be effective, it had to be taught comprehensively, systematically and explicitly. Good phonics development is crucial. Students need to play with words, know the sounds of letters, and how they can change.  Students must be able to easily understand and use phoneme manipulation, and all letter sounds.  Don't go too fast with these skills. If they are missed, they don't magically appear later. I have often had a third grader that doesn't have even first grade phoncs down very well. We have to go back and fix the problems, before moving on.  Here's what I find fascinating. With good brain based instruction, even struggling readers can change the neural pathways used in reading from those that are ineffective, to those that look more like the pathways used by profecient readers.

Personal Connections to Reading:
2. Students find it easier to comprehend reading material when it relates it to their own life experiences. That's because our brain is great at using memories and connecting them to new leaning. The brain pays more attention and is more alert when it sees a connection to the learning going on and real-life applications. That's what kept our stone-age ancestors alive! Start a lesson with a demonstration, or student activity that shows how the topic is a real-life concern. For example, if you are teaching about character traits, relate the lesson to a well-known tv or movie character. Then move to how it all works in books.

The connection to reflection
3. The "Gum and Chew" of learning. The gum is the content, the chew is the process. If we don't give kids time to chew it over, reflect and connect, the learning just  isn't as meaningful. That means engaging students in activities such as an art centered activity (drawing what might happen next, making a cartoon of the plot line of a story), doing a foldable, or other hands-on activities to give students time for needed reflection. That's what makes lasting connections. Some people see these "extra" activities as non-essential and something that only takes time away from test preparation. Nothing is farther from the truth.

Want to go fast?  Then Slow Down!
4. If you want to hit a target in darts, bow and arrow or whatever, do you just sling as many darts as possible toward the bulls-eye, or do you take your time to aim, then let it go? Teaching reading (or anything) is like that. Teach a point or two at a time, make sure the kids get it, then move on. It's so much easier than teaching too much at once, then needing to go over it time and time and time again.

Make it Fun
5. As often as you can, include a joke, games, classroom activities and anything else you can think of that is fun, the brain will learn and retain all of that information better. In reading, choose a really fun book to read aloud, and "ham" it up. I love reading All About Sam by Lois Lowry to my third graders. Another favorite is The Best Christmas Pagent Ever. Any book that starts with the sentence, "The Herdmans were the worst kids in the history of the world." has got to be good! What are you teaching? You're teaching what fluency sounds like, you're tickling their interest in reading more by that author, and you're making them love school.

6. Move!
Focus time is generally the students' age in minutes. For a nine year old third grader, have a lesson presentation by you that is no longer than nine minutes, then choose a follow-up activity that gets them moving in some way, group work, partner activity, game, whatever as long as they have to move.

7. Do it Together: 
We are social animals, and that doesn't stop at the schoolroom door. Use this natural need to talk and be with others by using group and partner activities such as think-pair-share. The very best way to learn something is to teach someone else. Ask students to get with a partner and explain a concept that has just been presented to them. Often, if one student is "fuzzy" on the idea, hearing a peer explain it just might be the ticket to understanding. PLUS the student who explained it will "get it" even better. For example, after discussing the elements of a non-fiction text, ask the two members of each pair of students to get a different nonfiction book. They then go through their book showing and describing to their partner the elements of their book, such as captions, index and so on.

If you have any other suggestions, please add them in the comment section! I'd love to hear them!!

Do you need a good resource for teaching Guided Reading? If so, check out:

To get Tons of ideas and freebies, follow me on Pinterest at: Dragon's Den Curriculum

Shhhhh! Figuring Out The Mystery of Silent Consonant Letters

Silent letters can really make a kid's head spin! It takes a lot of practice to learn how to spell these tricky words. The videos and games below will help make it easier…and more fun!

Here are three videos kids are sure to love, and they help unlock the mystery of these silent letter mysteries.

Silent Letters H, K, W, and B

                                                 Silent Letters mb, tech, gh, sch, kn

                                                                  

You can't help but love this silent letter song…kids will love it too!

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This is a print out game called "Rhubarb, Rhubarb" for silent letters. 

This is so, so perfect for centers!

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Get great handouts and game cards for silent consonants at this great site!

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This site help give a little much needed spelling practice with silent letters.

If you need a resource to teach the silent letter combinations of gh, wr, kn, gh and mb…check out the resource below by clicking the cover:

5 Simple Steps to Make Guided Reading Work Better!

Is that even possible? Yes it is!  Basically, there are 5 "shifts" that need to happen in every classroom. Fortunately, these shifts reflect the kind of teaching our students need in the 21st century. So how does that translante into our teaching? Below are the five shifts, and what they look like in the classroom.  (adapted from "Eye on Education" by Lauren Davis. For original article see: http://ped.state.nm.us/ped/ccdocuments/5thingsccss_davis.pdf)
Artwork from Ron Leishman Digital Toonage

1. Lead high-level, text based discussions: When students discuss a text as a group, start with questions grounded in the text. Opinions should come only after good text understanding. Teachers can start by discussing word choice, details and arguments given in the text. Make sure questions promote deeper thinking of the text.

Many students will need to learn how to be good participants in this type of discussion. Before starting any text discussion go over the following goals for student discussion:
      a. speak at least three times
      b. Agree or disagree with someone, but use details to support your view
      c. Ask a question
      d. Keep an open mind…changing your opinion can show a willingness to learn.

2. Focus on process, not just the content: The Common Core Standards stress the importance of student discovery. Of course they need content, but how students come to understanding is crucial. For example, students should not memorize a list of words and their meaning. Instead they should be given the opportunity to connect new vocabulary to their own lives. Use notebooks, blogs and opportunities in the classroom to incorporate new vocabulary organically.

When it comes to research, the Common Core stresses that students should have "extensive practice" in doing short purposeful research. As a result of repeated practice, students will understand the process of research and use it to become self-directed learners.

3. Create assignments for a real audience and with a real purpose: Students need experiences writing to real people with real concerns and ideas. The idea of "pretend you are writing to…" should be limited. For example, if there is a concern within the school (food, bell, recess etc.) discuss with students possible solutions, how to address the person being written too (you get more bees with honey than vinegar!), and how to construct a logical argument. These skills serve students as life-long skills, rather than simple writing assignments that do not have a real purpose.

4. Teach argument, not persuasion: The Common Core draws a distinction between persuasion and an argument. Persuasion appeals to the audience's self-interest, wants or emotions. An argument, on the other hand, uses logic and reason to support a view and change minds. It is also they type of writing needed in college. For example, instead of persuading the principal that students need a longer recess, they should construct an argument based on research that shows the effects of recess on students and their learning.

5. Increase text complexity: Research shows that our students have not had an opportunity to read enough complex texts. Don't rely just on the Lexiles or formulas you find. Use your own judgment. If you have a child that loves baseball, he or she will be willing to work through more complex text than on something he or she has no interest in. Look for balance. It shouldn't be so easy that it isn't challenging, or so hard that students give up.

Ok, That will make your guided reading lessons work better, but how about easier.  We all need at least a little "easy" to keep sane!  Check out these sites from my guided reading series. You will need to click on the picture once to pull up the pinterest repin, then click on the picture again to get to the site.

Still have questions?  Don't miss these great sites! Click on the picture.

Reading Rockets has answers to most all of your questions!

Reading Simplified helps guide you through the guided reading process.  This includes re-reading, word work and more!

This blog post  really does help you plan your guided reading!

This article from the NWEA is about how to close reading gaps with differentiation and scaffolding.

This short and sweet article from Scholastic is called, "5 steps for Success with Guided Reading"

This great article is perfect for new teachers!!

If you need resources for your guided reading program, check out these resources by clicking on the cover!

The Low-Down on Informational Text

The Common Core puts a big emphasis on teaching informational text. That's because most of what we read as adults is informational text. In fact, much of what kids read is informational text too! Informational text is much more difficult than literature to teach, and to read.  It's got a lot of  "meat" to it.  It's important to follow some simple tips for making informational text easier for kids to read.

What does that look like in a guided reading group?

It only works if students learn how to read informational text.

1. Before reading the text set a purpose, preview the text features, predict which text structures will be used in the text. Discuss what the author wants to answer, explain or describe.

2. Informational text often has text features, such as headings, graphs, charts, italicized words, table of contents, captions, maps, illustrations, labels, glossary and index. Be sure to do a text-walk before reading the article or book to look for some of these text features. Discuss why they are important to this particular text

3. Informational text uses five different text structures to give information. They are:
          a. description
          b. sequence
          c. problem/solution
          d. cause/effect
          e. compare/contrast
    While reading an informational book, stop to talk about and identify the text structure the author is using and discus why it is used.

4. Information texts are written to inform, persuade, or entertain. The author's purpose in writing the book or article often determines the text structure. For example, if the book is about the Civil War, it will have a lot of sequence as it talks about events throughout the war. It would also include cause and effect to explain why certain battles took place when they did. Discuss which text structure is being used in the book and why.


Would you like to see what this looks like? This video is an especially good one!

                         

Tips to make Information Text make sense

1. Allow students to choose the area they want to learn more about. This is especially true when first learning how informational text is different from fiction. Students usually have a number of things they are passionate to learn more about. Use this passion!

2.  Students read better when they feel like they are improving. Use the standards with your students. Ask them to choose one area they have mastered, and one they are working on. This gives them a strategy to work on as they read, rather than working on everything at once.

3. When students read a page and answer 9 or 10 questions, reading becomes about work, not reading. Asking students to think about what they have read allows them to spend more time actually reading. Areas to think about (and even jot down) are questions they still have, or areas of confusion. The more kids read, the better readers they become.

4. When students read informational text to get information to make or do something, the reading becomes more fun. Students can use the information for a classroom TV program, poster, puppet show, and the list goes on. This makes a student's learning authentic.

5. Use technology. This is where our kids live now and in the future. It makes learning fun and teaches them the skills they will need as they grow up.

6. Read informational text to students in class. This helps students become familiar with its conventions. Listing to this type of text is also useful for building knowledge and vocabulary. Research suggests that kids are more likely to read informational text independently if their teacher has read it aloud to them (Dreher & Dromsky, 2000).

Why focus on Informational Text?

Theres more reasons to focus on information text than just to meet the Common Core. Informational text is highlighted for a reason:

1. As students progress in school, they will be reading more and more informational text. Learning how it works, and how to read it now puts them on better footing to handle the reading demands as they go through school. A person's ability to read and comprehend information text will determine their success in school, the workplace, and society.

2. Real life reading is mostly nonfiction. It's everywhere. Magazines, Web-based reading, directions for games, newspaper and even signs along the road use informational text.  It's how people understand the world around them.

3. Learning the strategies needed to read informational text help students improve reading comprehension across all reading.


Do you have a good idea for teaching informational text? Be sure to add it in the comments below!

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest at:

https://www.pinterest.com/janbernard10/

If you need resources to help you teach informational text, check out the resources below by clicking the cover:

Games, Activities and Reading Stuff!

There's nothing I like using more in centers than games and task cards! They both make practice a lot more fun! When kids love an online game, they go home and find it on on their own computer. What do you get? MORE practice…while they think they're just having fun! And those giggles you hear while they work, that's pure joy to a teacher's ears!

I've found some great reading games and activities! I Hope your kids really enjoy them! You may want to include the web address of some of them in your newsletter or blog!

Kids can play games like Plural Girls and Rooting Out Words, plus read comics and play Mad Libs Junior….terrific for centers! This particular game is under the "game" section on the right hand side called "Stay Afloat"

Click Here

FunBrain ALWAYS has great games, by grade level too!

You can't do better than  PBS Kids

WOW!  This one is perfect for interactive whiteboards and tablets.  It has worksheets, teachers guides and more!

This is a great site for reading comprehension! It gives a short selection to read, then questions for kids to answer. (from Toon University)

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This is a great one! Not only do kids read, but they have to use a dictionary to figure out the answer. Awesome!

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This site is a goldmine! It has everything a teacher needs to teach comprehension including  Power Points,, games…the works!

If you are interested in reading task cards, check out my resources below for 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade!

It's Time for Guided Reading….HELP!

  

 I struggled with guided reading for more years than I care to mention. I went to one inservice after another trying to find one that gave me the whole picture. Instead, I got pieces, pieces that just didn't fit together. I shared my frustration with other teachers, and was not surprised that they felt the same way. It was totally through trial (and much error) that I finally knew I had it right. It's SO much easier when you finally reach that sweet spot!

    To help other teachers who are struggling like I was, or for old pros who just want more ideas, I have a freebie, terrific videos and a useful website to help you out. The best advice I can give is to just keep reaching, looking, reading, and experimenting. When you least expect it, everything will fall into place.

    The freebie has one worksheet page for each reading level grades 1-5 to use with your guided reading groups. I know in my class there were usually at least four (five- six!!) reading levels represented. I've included just two of the pages of the freebie in the pictures below. I hope it is helpful for you. Click on the picture to get your freebie!

If you would like a great Pinterest board just full of Guided reading, reading workshop, and just plain great reading ideas, check out this site called "Guided Reading (and More) Ideas and resources

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I don't know about you, but I think seeing guided reading being taught is often better than reading about it. Here are a few great guided reading videos that are particularly helpful.

This first one is about guided reading teaching in general. A question is asked, then answered about how to do guided reading. Although this is a second grade class, it is applicable to all elementary grades.

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This video is actually a guided reading training video. Very Helpful! What I REALLY like about this video, is it also shows what the rest of the class is doing!

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This site is from WatchKnowLearn and has a number of videos looking at each part of guided reading. If you are just starting out, or are an old pro there is lots to learn on this site.

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This video is guided reading in a third grade classroom. Really helpful to those just getting started with guided reading. 

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This is a great video on how to improve reading comprehension and is directed at students. It's especially fun for upper elementary students

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This is a great site with terrific information on setting up guided reading groups, and how to run them.

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If you are just starting guided reading, or have been doing it for years, this resource is full of information, forms, and 100 student worksheets that will boost your guided reading program!