Words Their Way Book Discussion Group

Marilyn Gallatin and Lara McTaggart

Discussion Group

Chapters 5 and 6

In chapter 5 Letter Name Alphabetic Stage, Lara and I discussed in this stage is where students begin to learn words and read text.  They begin to read and write in a conventional way.  This is the stage students begin to read their own writing and others.

The letter name stage needs careful scaffolding:

Starting with

1. Picture sorts
2. Word families
3. Sight words

Lara and I found that concept of a word (COW) is very important in this stage and is mentioned several times in the book. Letter name students now have concept of a word.  They can finger track and not lose their place when they come to two syllable words. Listed below are the two concept levels of (COW)

Two Concept of Word Levels

1. Rudimentary concept: Students can point and track memorized text using their   knowledge of  consonants as clues to word boundaries. This level will still get of track with two syllable words and often have to return to the beginnings of a sentence using memory.
2. Full concept: Students will track or point more accurately while reading they will self correct without starting over.

We also discussed the confusion between high frequency words and sight words.  Lara pointed out that many of these words overlap, and it makes sense that students do not need to learn them in different ways.

We want to make sure in our class we focus on modeling writing for our students in letter naming stage to help them develop concepts about print. Lara is excited to see inventive spelling in practice since this will be her first year teaching first grade. I told her she would be able to understand most of what they are writing about.  However, I sometimes have to ask for clues to get the gist of their writing.  WTW talked about how invented spelling is very important at this stage.  It is important to allow our students to write about things that are important to them. Writing for authentic purposes such as, letters to friends or telling about personal events help students gain understanding of phonemic awareness. Dictations help in letter name stage so students can focus on writing the sounds instead of trying to remember what they are trying to write.

Lara and I are anxious to put many of these ideas into practice during our teaching day. We have been working with a reading specialist this year and have already put into practice using sophisticated synonyms as often as possible.  We want to use words such as, admirable, disperse, replenish, gracious instead of regular words.  Our principal’s deep love of vocabulary has also brought this type of talk to the forefront at our school.

I discussed with Lara that I was guilty of letting my students copy  sentences and spelling words, but WTW says copying sentences has little value at letter name stage. This is a practice I will discontinue. I plan to concentrate more on letting my students do more dictation and writings with a purpose. Chapter 5 in WTW is full of activities and games to use with students in the letter naming stage.

Chapter 6

Word Study for Transitional Learner in the Within Word Pattern Stage

Orthographic development and word study in this stage helps students build on their knowledge of the sound layer of  English orthography and explore the pattern layer.

Lara and I enjoyed the reference to the Wright Brothers to explain readers in within word pattern have taken flight but were limited in their elevation of reading.  It does not take much to get them frustrated.  Within word students may be found in late first grade, but mostly found in 2^nd, 3^rd, and early 4^th grade.  Teachers need to provide time for them to practice reading in their instructional level and independent level.  WTW says that to propel them into the next stage they need repeated readings and timed repeated readings.   Reader’s theater, and poetry readings will also help promote fluent expressive reading.

Lara and I talked about how important we felt about how writing and reading go hand in hand.  Within word writers are more fluent with writing skills and this allows students to concentrate on their ideas.  We know this is an exciting time for students and teachers to see the complexity of their stories develop.

Our school has a big focus on vocabulary.  Lara and I want to make sure our students understand that vocabulary word study is to get to the meaning of the word. It is not about spelling the word.  We want our students to have word consciousness or word awareness.  WTW states that even though students in word pattern stage can read multisyllabic words but they should not be expected to spell them.  This stage also needs to continue hearing and using sophisticated language.  Read-alouds, word sorts, and concept sorts provide opportunities to discuss new words and focus on multiple meanings.  Homophones will be encountered a great deal in this stage.  Lara and I loved the idea of creating a Homophone collection for the classroom.

Discussion Articles (Neufeld and Pardo)

Discussion Article 1

PAUL NEUFELD

Comprehension instruction in content area classes (2005)

Our group all agreed this article had some very valuable information.  Teaching comprehension skills can be difficult.  We all think that reading and comprehension overlap all academic subjects areas.  It will be important even more so now with CCSS.

Neufeld makes a strong point throughout his article,

Comprehension strategy instruction is most effective if it is delivered within a context where students use the strategies to read and learn from the actual texts they are expected to read. This is accomplished by using actual content area materials during each phase of the explicit instruction process.

Our group also discussed the fact that a reader’s perspective is key in their reading comprehension.  Comprehension is active intentional thinking and students’ understandings will vary as a result of their backgrounds.  This is something that is often overlooked by many educators.           

We also considered the Neufeld’s statements on question asking and answering being the strategy that drives other strategies.  The types of questions one asks of oneself before, during, and after reading are important for comprehension.

We found the following strategies along with the questions very helpful and plan to use these with our future students.

Neufeld’s  “Getting ready to read strategies”

1.  Read with purpose

• Why am I reading this text? (e.g., to prepare for a class discussion, to write a

report about this topic, to review before a test, for enjoyment)

• How should my purpose affect the way I read the text?

2.  Overview the text

• What does this text appear to be about?

• What are some of the major topics covered in the text?

• How is the text organized?

(e.g., enumeration, time order, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem/solution)

4.  Activate what you already know

• What do I already know or think I know about this topic?

5. Predict

• I think this text is going to be about....

We also thought the rules for creating coherent summaries were very helpful not only for our students but will also be helpful to us.

Rules to help students create coherent summaries:

Rule 1: Delete unnecessary material (e.g., delete details that are not germane to the main topic).

Rule 2: Delete redundant material (e.g., delete repetitious statements made in the text).

Rule 3: Select a word to replace a list of items (e.g., replace “beans, flour, sugar, and dried fish” with “food”).

Rule 4: Select a word to replace the individual parts of an action (e.g., replace a long description of soldiers crossing a mountain pass with “the soldiers crossed the mountain pass”).

Rule 5: Select a topic sentence (e.g., select a sentence that captures the main idea or gist of a paragraph or passage).

Rule 6: Create a topic sentence if one is not available. (McNeil & Donant, 1982)

We found Neufeld’s effective comprehension strategies for instructing these strategies very helpful. Regardless that they were in phase 1 and 2 teachers and students will move back and forth between both.

PHASE 1: EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION OF INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES

Introduction and justification: The process of explicit instruction is one in which the teacher must take an active role in teaching the strategy to be learned, rather than simply presenting it and hoping the students “catch on” and learn to use it effectively.

• Modeling: Through demonstration and thinking aloud teachers guide the students through the strategy.
• Guided Practice: Providing students with numerous opportunities to practice the strategy.  The teacher and the students implement the strategy together, sharing the responsibility.
• Independent practice: Teacher gives assignments that require students to assume full responsibility for using the strategy while teacher moniters and gives feedback.

Phase 2: Teaching for self-regulated strategy use

The ultimate goal is to help students read a point where they independently approach and read texts in strategic fashion.

• Choosing and Then using the appropriate strategy or strategies given their purpose for reading.

Short list of Comprehension instructional helpful hints

• Teaching a few comprehension strategies well is more effective than teaching many strategies poorly (Brown, 2002).

• Teach students to use strategies flexibly, adapting them to their needs, their individual preferences, and the text at hand (Pressley, 2002c).

• Remember that reading comprehension strategies are a means to an end and not the end. The end is helping students become expert comprehenders of challenging texts.

• Students need many opportunities to practice the strategies they are learning (Brown, 2002).

Discussion article 2

LAURA S. PARDO

What every teacher needs to know about comprehension

We discussed some important areas to work with and focus on to help our kids stay on track with their comprehension skills from this article.  Here is a list of some of the important areas discussed:

Her definition for comprehension: “comprehension is a process in which readers construct meaning by interacting with text through the combination of prior knowledge and previous experience, information in the text, and the stance the reader takes in relationship to the text.” (Pardo, page 272)

Other key thoughts we discussed from Pardo:

• comprehension happening “the literary event”. 
•   Background knowledge helps them make sense of what they are  reading.
•  Teachers, can

1.    teach decoding skills,

2.    build fluency

3.    help build and then activate background knowledge

4.    teach vocabulary words

5.    motivate them

6.    engage them in personal response to texts.   

• Structures of text are important. Be sure to teach text structures, model appropriate text selections for them, and give them time to read independently to practice what you have taught them. 
• Support the ‘transaction’ by providing explicit instruction of useful comprehension strategies (multiple strategy approaches)

1. teach them to monitor their reading and ‘repair’ by applying appropriate strategies they have learned

2. use a scaffolding approach to gradually release responsibility to them

3. help them see the connection between reading and writing. Good writers can become good readers.

We feel both of the articles will help us while teaching comprehension.  I know I will refer to them often.  They both gave me a better insight to teaching comprehension. 

Discussion Articles Allington, Valencia, Buly,

What I’ve Learned About Effective Reading Instruction (Allington, 2002)

Behind Test Scores: What Struggling Readers Really Need (Valencia, Buly, 2004)

(Allington, 2002)

We discussed the six T of effective elementary literacy instruction.

1. Time: Reading and Writing is done 50% of each day
2. Texts: Supply of books their students’ levels
3. Teaching: explicit demonstrations of cognitive strategies and effective modeling of a good reading strategies
4. Talk: classroom talk is purposeful and posed more “open” questions, conversations between teacher/student and student/student
5. Tasks: longer assignments, tasks often involved student choice and a task could be worked with many days (example: a student’s piece of writing)
6. Testing: grades based more on effort and improvement than simply on achievement 

We talked about that Allington stressed an effective teacher did almost no test prep.  Those teachers believed their instruction would help their students perform well on any test.  I know, I fell into the test prep trap in the past.  It is difficult to not worry if what I had done was enough.  Teachers must have confidence in what we are doing. 

We also agreed that if enhanced reading proficiency is to increase it will be through the classroom teacher.  Teachers will need great support and training every year to become more expert.

(Valencia, Buly, 2004)

• Our group agrees with both articles that an effective teacher will always be key in a successful classroom. Regardless of the method or curriculum in place by the district, great teachers will mold and change it to suit their students’ needs. Even if he or she must spend their own money.
• Our group believes that one size does not fit all. Children’s needs should be met at their level and development.  Children need multilevel, flexible, small group instruction.
• We discussed how time, money, materials, and training would be an important factor to help all teachers become more effective in their classrooms.
• We need to be more mindful how we as teachers model, think aloud, and talk to our students about reading strategies and literature.
• Teachers need multilevel books with a range of interest for their students. 
• Schools need more effective assessment rather than just the one big state test to guide our school’s instruction 
• Teachers need time and help (reading specialist) to look beneath what is on those state exams to find a good instructional point for struggling readers.

Discussion Article: Duffy: In Pursuit of an Illusion: The Flawed Search for a Perfect Method

In Pursuit of an Illusion: The Flawed Search for a Perfect Method by Duffy, Gerald G., and Hoffman, James V. 1999

In the Duffy's article he talks about how legislation is being passed that ignore evidence that thoughtfully adaptive teaching gets the best results.  The laws are trying to force teachers try and stick to one perfect method.  This is a result of people passing laws that have never been in a classroom or around a group of children!  The children’s needs and abilities are so diverse it is impossible to stick to one method. As Duffy states effective teachers must be “eclectic” they have to have knowledge of many methods and techniques and know how to adjust and use their professional judgment and training to meet the needs of all their students.

Duffy speaks to policy makers telling them they should not try to pass laws that create an environment of poor instruction practices.  They should work to create policy that can establish effective practice.  Policy needs to create assessments that sample some learners rather than testing then all.  This keeps educators from teaching to the test.

Duffy also explains that researchers need to focus on how complex classrooms are today. Researchers need to study how teachers make decision-making skills, and their educational beliefs.  I also believe as Duffy we need to study teachers that can follow the states standards while adjusting their teaching methods and materials to meet their student’s needs.

            Duffy talks about three important ideas for educators of teachers, which I feel are important as well.  “A teacher education is ongoing. They need to think differently about what teachers must learn. (Teachers need usual kinds of professional knowledge and must also build a sense of self). Teacher educators should emphasize the complex nature of classrooms where no one program or method can be universally effective. 

* Instructional situations that require methods to be modified

*Problem solving in specific situations

 *Provide instruction in many approaches and methods and how to adapt

* Illustrate case studies of teacher that successfully combined programs and methods

*Hypothesize about other modifications that might be necessary in different situations.”

When legislation puts teachers and children all on the same path it stops innovation, risk taking and creativity from all.  It prevents exploring new avenues of education and stops the improvement of reading instruction.

            I feel Duffy is correct when he talks about how teachers need to realize “they are teachers of children not methods”.  Excellent teachers will “modify instruction, change methods, use professional decision making to do what needs to be done to instruct a child at any given point and time”.

Discussion Article: Fitzgerald: What is this thing called “balance”?

What is this thing called “balance”?

By Jill Fitzgerald (1999)

I also believe that “balanced” reading programs do not have one particular method.  The balanced reading program depends on teacher, student’s developmental age, and what knowledge is important for children’s learning about reading.  Again this author talks about how the teacher is instrumental in effective balanced reading instruction.  So many times policy makers take our professional judgment and training out of the educational equation.

Most recent definition of balance:

“A decision making approach through which the teacher makes thoughtful choice each day about the best way to help each child become a better reader and writer” (Spiegal, 1998).

“Important questions for a teacher to consider when deciding which forms of instruction will best help her students to read.

1. What knowledge about reading do I believe is important for children in my class?
2. Who are the experts? 
3. How are children going to attain the important knowledge?”

Baumann’s reading approach is curriculum balance creating meanings and responding literature. This approach also included reading and exploring good literature and skills/strategy lessons including word identification and comprehension.  He also saw writing as important to reading.  He spoke of balance between teacher direction versus responsive instruction. Baumann used both heterogeneous and achievement level grouping.

I feel more connected to the four blocks approach because it follows more of how I prefer to conduct reading instruction. However I like to be flexible in grouping my students.  I feel my student’s needs are met through differentiation.

Cunningham and Hall ‘s four blocks reading approach:

1. guided reading
2. self-selected reading
3. writer’s workshop (major component)
4. working with words

This approach’s 2^nd goal was to not ability group and cover a wide range of literacy levels. This approach advised against achievement grouping.

3 Common Characteristics between the two approaches

1. Equal weighing of aspects or components in both approaches.

2. Teacher’s methods (plan, set up, and conduct of program)

3.  Braumann (understanding/responding, skills/strategy)  Cunningham/Hall (enjoyment/understanding/strategic word identification processes)

Balance is philosophical perspective because it revolves around knowledge or epistemological issues (validity of knowledge).

1. What constitutes knowledge?
2. Where is that knowledge located?
3. How is that knowledge acquired?

3 Categories of children’s knowledge about reading are equally important

1. Local knowledge (Phonological awareness/sight words)

2. Global knowledge (understanding/interpretation and response to strategies)

3. Love of reading (positive attitude/motivation/ and desire to read)

Who are the experts?

Teacher

Parents

Children (from each other)

All three together contribute to learning to read

Reading Strategies connected to “balanced” instruction

Discussion groups

Peer led literature

Teacher modeling

“Teachers who holds a balanced philosophical view of reading process values multiple ways of learning and arranges their reading program to incorporate diverse instruction techniques and settings.”

“Chall,1996

Different kinds of knowledge about reading are critical at different phases of development.

 1^st and 2^nd grade phonological awareness, word recognition strategies are key to beginning readers

3^rd grade learning to be fluent becomes more important

Comprehension and reading to learn become more important from then on.”

“Most important reason to thinking about balance as a philosophical outlook is that many teachers are trying to implement balanced approaches to reading.  This means teachers, teacher educators, and principals need to know what it is so they can help implement it.”

Words Their Way:Developmental Word Knowledge Chapter 1 Discussion

Words Their Way: Silver/Fifth Edition by Donald R. Bear, Shane Templeton Marcia Invernizzi. (2012)

This chapter describes the process of literacy as threads of a braid.  These threads begin to intertwine and bond creating a strong bond of literacy skills.

Threads of Literacy:

• Orthography (growing knowledge of spelling)
• Reading
• Oral Language
• Stories
• Writing

The author of the book base their word study on humans natural interest in finding order, comparing and contrasting, and paying attention to what remains the same despite minor variations.

Word Study comes from three decades of research exploring developmental aspect of word knowledge with children and adults. It is based on reoccurring (clusters) orthographic principles studied

1. Errors dealing with the alphabetic match of letters and sounds (FES for fish).
2. Errors dealing with letter patterns (SNAIK for snake), POPING for popping)
3. Errors dealing with words related in meaning INVUTATION for initiation) a lack of recognition that invite provides the clue to the correct spelling.

Word Study: (Efficient and effective instruction) using student’s spellings as a guide, teachers can efficiently differentiate effective instruction in phonics, spelling, and vocabulary.

Word Study teaches student how to look at words so that they can construct an ever deepening understanding of how spelling works to represent sound and meaning. This type of instruction requires 10 to 15 minutes a day.

Purpose of Word Study

1. General knowledge of English spelling (active exploration, examine words, generalize, patterns, conventions)
2. Increase specific knowledge of words (the spelling and meaning)

Words Their Way book is designed to help students explore and learn about words their way, instruction must be sensitive to two fundamental beliefs:

1. Students’ learning of phonics, spelling, and vocabulary is based on their developmental or instructional level or zone of proximal development (ZPD) (Vygotsky, 1962), students can build on what they already know.
2. Students’ learning is based on the way they are naturally inclined to learn: through comparing and contrasting word features and discovering consistencies.

Word Study

• Students experimenting with alphabetic match of letters and sounds. Teachers can contrast aspect of the wring system that relate directly to the representation of the sound (bed, leg, net, neck)
• Students experimenting with patterns, teacher contrast patterns as they relate to vowels (ay: play, day, tray way) are compared with (ai: wait, rain, chain, maid)
• Students experimenting with conventions of syllables, affixes (prefixes/suffixes) and other meaning units, teachers can help students become aware of the stability of these elements across variations.  Students will see words with similar meanings are often spelled the same. (admiration is spelled with an (i) because it comes from admire.

Stages of Orthographic Knowledge (3 functioning levels)

1. What student do correctly-an independent or easy level
2. What student use but confuse – an instructional level at which instruction is most helpful.
3. What is absent in students’ spellings – a frustration level in which spelling concepts are too difficult.

These stages help with scope and sequence of word study.

Students will build from what is known to what is new rather than rote memorization.  Word Study is active, and by making judgments about words and sorting words according to similar features students construct their own understandings about how features work.  Active, thoughtful practice helps student internalize word features and become automatic in using what they have learned.

Emergent Spelling Stage 1st

It encompasses the writing efforts of children who are not year reading conventionally and in most cases have not been exposed to formal reading instruction. (random marks to letters with relation to sound). Emergent stage is prephonetic (little if any direct relationship between a character on the page and the sound). Letters in their own name is where they begin to pay attention to sounds.

Letter Name – Alphabetic Spelling (3) Stages

This is the 2^nd stage in development and encompasses that period of time during which students are formally taught to read, typically the kindergarten and first grade years and on into the middle of second grade (ages 5-8).  Typically use the names of letters as cues to sounds.

Divided into:

*Early (alphabetic principle primarily to consonants)(lacks spacing) Semiphonic: b/c only some of the sounds are represented.

*Middle ( shows mastery of beginning and ending consonants) Spells high frequency words// uses vowels, long vowels that say their name, but silent letters are absent.

*Late(represent most regular short vowel sounds, digraphs, and consonant blends b/c they have full phonemic awareness.

Preconsonantal nasals (n and m in bunk and lump)

Within Word  Pattern Spelling Stage 3^rd

Students can read and spell many words correctly because of their automatic knowledge of letter sounds and short vowel patterns. (typically begins as students transition to independent reading toward end of 1^st grade though can continue onto 4^th grade {ages 7 – 10}).  This stage last longer because of vowel pattern system of English orthography is extensive.  (Homophones are also in this stage)

Syllables and Affixes Spelling Stage 4th

This stage is achieved in the upper elementary and middle grades, when student are expected to spell many words of more than one syllable.  Students consider spelling patterns where syllables meet and meaning units such as affixes (prefixes and suffixes). (9-14 years old and many adults can be found in this stage). Inflected endings (ed, ing). Principle of syllable juncture to keep vowel short in (LITTEL – little, SUMER – summer).

*** Open Syllable refers to syllables that remain open because they end with a long vowel sound. (humor)

** Closed Syllable refers to syllables that are closed by a consonant or consonants, resulting in short vowel sound. (summer, camper)

Derivation Relations Spelling Stage (5th and final)

Some may reach this stage as early as 4^th and 5^th grade most derivation relation spellers are found in middle school, high school and college and continues on into adulthood.  This comes from when students examine how many words can be derived from base words. Word study in this stage builds on and expands knowledge of wide vocabulary including thousand or words of Greek and Latin origin.  This is referred to as the generative level of spelling and vocabulary instruction because student explore and learn word formation processes or morphology of English.  They are able to generate knowledge.

Synchrony of Literacy Development

This harmony in the timing of development is known as the synchrony of reading, writing, and spelling development.

Emergent Readers (prereading) read pictures, familiar texts from memory, they are not reading in the conventional sense.

Beginning Readers are starting to use systematic letter – sound matches to identify and store words in memory.

Transitional Readers and spellers move into the within word pattern spelling stage (chunks, consonant digraphs and blends are internalized) followed with word families or phonograms.

Intermediate and Advanced Readers are called syllables and affixes and derivational relations. (This stage they can solve abstract problems and reflect meatcognitively on experiences).  They are relatively automatic word recognition, leaving their minds free to think as rapidly as they can read.

Synchrony of Spelling and Reading

Correlations between spelling and various measures of word recognition and decoding have been reported (first grade through college) as students were asked to spell words.  These studies reported correlations ranging from .68 to .86.

**Students’ spelling attempts also provide a powerful medium for predicting reading achievement.

Integrated Phonics, Spelling, and Reading Instruction

Henderson (1981) Word Study because he was convinced that understanding how children learn to spell words could also provide insight on how they read them.  Categorizing written words through:

Word Sorts

Word Hunts

Writing Sorts

enables learners to sort out the relationships between these different types of information.

Instruction should begin where students are using but confusing.  We find this by looking at their uncorrected writing.  Using spelling inventories can guide where to place students and pace the content of word study instruction.

What makes me a reader?

Things I read most often are magazines and books that talk about children’s education, health, activities, clothes, nutrition, and  general development.

I like to read for fun self-help books, human-interest stories, decorating magazines, mystery and romance novels, plus anything about children.

I avoid to reading horror stories, manuals, or technical stuff.  My son would say that I avoid reading directions as well.

I usually read in bed or outside while my granddaughter is playing.

I like to read in the morning before everyone wakes up with a cup of coffee all alone.  However, I usually end up reading at night after my granddaughter falls asleep.  She tends to be an early bird.

I always read to my son as he was growing up about animals, motorcycles and anything with the big bad wolf.  It was some of my favorite times with him.  I now read to my five-year-old granddaughter.  She tends to favor anything about animals and princesses.  I also love reading to my class.

My earliest memory of reading was my mother reading the children’s bible storybook about Noah’s Ark. 

I first remember reading by myself in first grade.  I did not attend kindergarten.  My mother read and worked with me to learn the alphabet before I started first grade.  I was placed in a first grade class for a few days, then my teacher moved me to another class.  I got very scared and upset. My teacher told me I had to change classes because I was way ahead of the other children in my class. My new first grade teacher, Mrs. Smally hugged me up when I went I walked in her room. She told me so excited to get me in her class. (That made me feel better!)  Mrs. Smally said she had heard I could already read some of the words in the Dick and Jane books.  I did not realize realize I was reading until she said that to me.  I do not remember reading ever being difficult for me. However, spelling was another story!