Module #6

Early Childhood Intervention Programs Geared for Children Ages 4 Through 6, Used for Providing & Assessing Oral Language Development

The KELT intervention program focuses on providing additional  instructional time  for kindergarten students who have difficulties in oral language.  On the other hand the Tile Test is used to determine children's understanding of letters and sounds. However both tools focus on oral language development during the early childhood years. 


It has been recognized that oral language is at the heart of literacy development and connected to this is the progression of phonemic awareness. (Figueredo, & MacDonald, 2010) In connection,  as stated in Calfee, & Norman (2004), "The challenge for growth in comprehension, is to promote in students a willingness- indeed, an enthusiasm- to move beyond known words and safe passages. The foundation for such progress lies in the acquisition of skills, strategies, and confidence in taking risks with print." (p. 42)


Both the KELT program and the Tile Test work off the premise that early intervention is critical for future literacy skills. According to Figueredo, & MacDonald (2010), "We can't afford to wait until students are in the first grade to intervene. Early intervention is critical, and the window of opportunity closes quickly." (p. 405)  Calfee, & Norman (2004), ask the question " How can we assess strategic knowledge of the sort that will enable students in the later grades to independently access text?"(p. 42) 

The Tile Test has proven itself to be a reliable gauge of basic decoding and spelling acquisition. Reliability demonstrates the security of all aspects of the test. (Calfee & Norman, 2004)  
Results of the KELT program support that early intervention can assist student's oral language and emergent literacy skills in setting the stage for the primary grades. (Figueredo, & MacDonald, 2010)  In assessment both tools have proven to support children's oral language development.  

References

Calfee, R.C. & Norman, K. A. (2004). Tile Test: A Hands on Approach for Assessing Phonics in the Early Grades. The Reading Teacher, 58(1), 42-52.

Figueredo, L. & MacDonald, C. (2010). Closing the Gap Early: Implementing a Literacy Intervention for At-Risk Kindergartners in Urban Schools. The Reading Teacher, 63(5), 404-419. 

Module #3

Components Of Comprehension Strategy

When teaching comprehension strategies only one or two should be taught at a given time. A new strategy should not be introduced until an old strategy is well founded. (Swanson & DeLa Paz.1998) A systematic approach is used when presenting new vocabulary. For example during the Interactive Read Aloud Video, Ms. Davis reads story Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback & she encourages children to repeat the word worn in the text as they review the meaning of word as a group. Ms Davis also provides types of clothing from story (jacket, vest,etc....) to allow children to act out story & familiarize themselves with the articles of clothing. This strengthens their comprehension of story & creates more meaning of text for them.

Predicting, Summarizing, Retelling, Rereading, and Questioning are all elements of the comprehension strategy.
A very important factor for teachers to remember when focusing on comprehension is using simple text since emphasis is on comprehension not decoding.
Orlando will benefit from these comprehension strategies because they will assist in creating meaning of text to him.  The teacher will also focus on teaching him when to use the strategies which will empower him during his reading lessons.

Components of Graphic Organizers

The main components of graphic organizers are for children to recognize the Who, What, Where, When, & Why? of a story book.   They are used to organize and remember elements from the story. Teaching students to attend to story elements has been shown to enhance reading comprehension skills.(Idol 1987, Mathes, Fuchs, & Fuchs, 1997).

Different types of organizers can be utilized to assist Orlando in his comprehension of story elements. Story mapping focusing on identifying characters, setting, problem, & solution or Sequence of Events breaking down the events into beginning, middle, & end of story.   Venn Diagrams in which Orlando would compare similarities & differences of two books is another option.

In assisting Orlando I choose the story book The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll.

Orlando enjoys drawing & this book is filled with whimsical illustrations which will catch his attention.   The story's main theme is the snowman contest which is taking place in Mouseville. The main characters are two mice by the names of  Clayton & Desmond.  They are determined to build the biggest snowman & win the contest.   When they realize the challenges in working alone to build the biggest snowman they decide to join forces & work together.  
After reading text a story map will be created to assist Orlando in breaking down the elements of the story. Orlando can write his responses or illustrate them to create the story map.

Components of Repeated Reading

Repeated reading has been shown to assist students reading below grade level to make gains in fluency and reading comprehension skills. (Bos & Vaughn, 1998)
When practicing repeated reading with students keep the text short, simple & interesting since the goal is to repeat the reading to increase the child's reading fluency.

Repeated reading can be done in two ways: 1)Partner Reading: Repeated reading can be implemented using a partner such as a buddy system.  The passage should be on the level of the less fluent reader. The higher level reader reads the passage first to act as the model. The less fluent reader then reads with assistance from the partner. (Levy et al 2002).
2)Group Reading: Teacher reads passage first modeling for students. Then students echo each sentence that the teacher read. To conclude the teacher and students read passage together (Taylor et al, 1995).
Using this strategy with Orlando will benefit his reading fluency as well as improve comprehension. This in turn will help boost his self confidence when it comes to reading. Working with one of his peers may also help him feel more comfortable during the process.

Conclusion

In assisting children with reading we use these strategies to give them the tools they will need to become proficient readers. As educators we can take the approach one step further by focusing on the characteristics of text. "Understanding a text is far more than noticing difficult words and coming up with information or a "main idea.  Skilled teachers of guided reading understand how a text requires a reader to think-the demands that every text makes on the reader. We consider an understanding of text characteristics an extremely important area of teacher expertise." (Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G. (2012). Guided Reading The Romance & the Reality. The Reading Teacher, 66(4), 277).   Some characteristics of text we should be aware of when selecting books for our students are: genres, content, vocabulary, &  illustrations.  The more skilled we become in recognizing these characteristics and practicing the strategies mentioned, the more powerful & positive our students reading experiences can be.

Overview of Article #2: Building Preschool Children's Language & Literacy One Storybook at a Time

Main Idea

The Innovation Configuration(IC) is an observation tool that was created to measure how individuals implement a practice based on different styles & the quality of the practice. This tool is being used to measure Shared Storybook reading in the classroom. Shared Storybook reading is the practice of reading to a child or children while pausing to incorporate them in conversation about the text.(Holdaway, 1979)

 The IC tool consists of seven sections in observing Shared Storybook reading. They are as follow:

1)Oral Language Development

Teachers can model sophisticated language to their students during this section in order to enrich their language development. For example if teacher reads The Snowy Day By Ezra Jack Keats she can comment" It seems that Peter is experiencing new adventures during his play in the snow."
     Asking children open-ended questions also fosters their connections to the story content. Encouraging them to expand their thoughts.  The Long term goal of oral language development is for children to enhance their explanations. (Wasik,Bond, & Hindman,2006)

2)Comprehension Development   


 This focuses on asking children questions before,during & after reading. The questions asked in this section should include a range of thinking task. CROWD is an acronym that was created for this area.(Whitehurst,Epstein,et al. (1994)
Completion(C) questions that ask children to fill in a one word answer taken from the text. Recall(R) questions ask children to remember a sequence of events from the reading. Open Ended questions(O) having children make predictions about the story( e.g., What do you think might happen next?) WH questions(W) the Who, What, When, Where questions are asked here. Distancing(D) questions encourage children to make connections between their lives & the story.

3)Vocabulary Instruction

Here teachers have the opportunity to expand children's vocabulary by drawing attention to important words by asking them to point to pictures.  For example, A teacher can say, " Sam can you point to the chimney?" "The big bad wolf is going down the chimney. A chimney is the part of  a house that allows the smoke from a stove or fireplace to escape."

4)Phonological Awareness 

Phonological Awareness is the ability to attend to the sound structure of spoken language.(Beauchat,Blamey,Walpole, pg. 32,2009) Here is where teachers will focus on rhyming words, syllables, & initial sounds. For example a teacher may say "Boys & girls what do you notice about the words play & day?" or "can you tell me two words I just read in the story that  rhyme?" Also calling attention to the syllables in words by having children clap them out. "Pumpkins, let's clap & count how many times we clapped"

5)Print & Book Awareness 

  Modeling  how to hold a book, turning pages from left to right,putting finger under words of text while reading  are behaviors a teacher can demonstrate to her students.  In addition calling attention to the title of book & explaining the role of author & illustrator can be practiced during this section. Knowledge of book & print concepts may seem trivial; however research indicates the importance o book & print awareness for future reading success (National Center for Family Literacy,2007;Snow, Burns, Y& Griffin, 1989). 

6)Concept of Letter & Word

Here is where children will learn that letters are used to represent words & that words are units of meaning. (Beauchat,Blamey,Walpole, pg. 34,2009) For example a teacher can point to each letter in a word she reads & say to the children "Lets count how many letters make up this word."

7)Alphabet Knowledge

Teachers will call attention to specific letters during or after reading. Alphabet recognition is one of the major early literacy skills that are predictive of children's future reading development. (IRA/NAEYC, 1998, National Center for Family Literacy, 2007)

Importance for Early Childhood Educators

The IC tool gives early childhood educators a system to assist in preparing for a storybook shared reading.  These are methods I am engaging in my classroom & have seen the fruits  of it in my students.  Practicing  these behaviors during storybook shared reading gives preschool & pre-k students a strong foundation prior to entering kindergarten. 
     Many of the children in my classroom are not being exposed to literacy at home, therefore it is critical that we as early childhood educators implement these strategies in our classrooms.

Hi my name is Judith Rojas, I am currently employed as the Pre-K teacher at Angel's World Early Childhood Learning Center in Union City.  Completing LTED 606 will give me the 15 credits needed to transition my Provisional teaching certificate to a standard since I took the alternate route.

My family life has always been a busy one since I am the eldest of six children.👪 I enjoy spending time with my family & also value alone time. Taking walks in the park or by the water when the weather is warm is a past time of mine. Practicing Tai Chi & yoga stretches help me stay centered.😌

A few years ago I wrote a children's story,  which I never published.  Perhaps this course may be the inspiration to revisit it & get it out there. 🙆

As a child I remember my paternal grandmother taking me & my sisters to the library.  Mind you she didn't speak any English so basically we were exploring the books on our own. I always recall one book that I discovered when I was probably between 5 to 8 years old.  It was about the friendship between  two young girls & their adventures playing dress up, having a tea party, & sharing jelly beans. Till this day I cannot remember the title of the book & have tried searching for it at the library but with no luck. Hopefully I will find it one day. Visiting the local library from a young age created a positive attitude within me towards books & reading. I guess you can say I am a bit old fashioned when it comes to books.  It is a magical experience when you hold a book & turn those pages. 

Growing up, my mother used to read to us before going to sleep, a memory I cherish & appreciate.  One book that she read to us often was Habia Una Vez :Various Authors, a book of enchanting short stories in Spanish with wondrous illustrations.  My parents being avid readers created a positive example in my life also.

My senior high school English teacher, Ms. Palumbo opened up a doorway in me to the world of  English literature & poetry. The adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Beowulf , & Canterbury Tales were among some of the classics she exposed us to. What an enriching experience!  Her class was my first period in the day & I always looked forward to it.

Overall my experiences with reading have been positive ones!