p. 165
Reading is broken down into two categories:

 DECODING           and          COMPREHENSION

Decoding – process of translating written language into verbal speech or inner speech.

DECODING IS NOT READING.

READING OCCURS ONLY WITH MEANING (comprehension).

Comprehension – process whereby the reader constructs meaning by interacting with the text.

Decoding and comprehension are always part of the reading process, but the emphasis shifts as readers mature.  (figure 4.1)

Fluency – process of automatically, accurately, and rapidly recognizing words.

 sight words – words that are recognized instantly

p. 166

decoding = sight word recognition = fluency = comprehension = independent reading

6 elements of decoding:

· oral language
· phonemic awareness
· concepts of print
· letter-sound associations (phonics and structural analysis)
· analogy
· learning a way to think about words

structural analysis – a word recognition skill in which knowledge of the meaningful parts of words aids in the identification of an unknown word.

p. 167

ORAL LANGUAGE

Children begin to develop oral language the day they are born.

· phonology – sounds of language
· morphology – how words are formed and relate to each other
· semantics – how language conveys meaning
· vocabulary – words meanings and pronunciatons

Weak or limited oral language may interfere with a child’s ability to learn to read.

Ways to promote oral language development:
 
1. Reading aloud
2. Language lessons that model (photograph example)
3. Expand experiential backgrounds with field trips, video . . . followed with discussion
4. Centers – dramatic play, creative dramatics
 

 
PHONEMIC AWARENESS

phonemic awareness – the knowledge that spoken words are composed of a sequence of sounds or phonemes

English is an alphabetic language so we have sounds (phonemes) represented by symbols (graphemes).

Alphabetic principle – each sound of the language is represented by a graphic symbol.  This is not automatically understood by children and my be directly taught.

  d  -  o  -  g

  b  -  o  -  a  -  t

Many of the aspects of phonemic awareness identified on page 168 are discernable in children’s writing samples.  Recognizing these aspects of phonemic awareness help teachers recognize when a child displays these qualities or lacks understanding of these concepts.

CONCEPTS OF PRINT

p. 169

Marie Clay identifies 4 categories of concepts of print:

· Books – left-right, top-bottom orientation, cover, title, author, illustrator, beginning, ending
· Sentences – beginning, ending, capital letter at beginning, punctuation at end
· Words – knows that a string of oral language is broken down into words
· Letters – knows letter order and upper/lower case
 
 

p. 170

Beginning readers get their best start by being explicitly taught letter-sound associations.

 The Great Debate

Analogy – noting similarities or patterns in words and using this to figure out an unfamiliar word.

p. 171

A Way to Think About Words – “read through the word” (as opposed to “sounding out”)

· look for largest sound “chunks”
· try individual letter-sound associations (phonics/structural analysis)
· read to end of sentence and use context to “get” word
· ask someone or dictionary

p. 172 – know chart sequence on 172

p. 173

Independent Reading – when children have the opportunity to look at and/or read books of their OWN CHOOSING.

1. You will need many different books, periodicals, newspapers, library area.

2.   Helps children learn how to select books for themselves.

3.   Amount of time per day in independent reading – suggested K – 5/10 min, 1st – 2nd – 10-15.  I used more time than this and made independent reading a function of “free” time in the classroom.

Independent Writing – when children write anything they want to write.

1.  May be scribbling, pictures with letters.

2.  Provides students with the time to become proficient writers.

3.  Establishes the HABIT of writing on a daily basis.
4. Time:  K – 5/10 min, 1st – 2nd – 10/15 minutes.

(I used more time than this.)

p. 175

Intervention – support/help provided to students who are experiencing difficulty learning and is designed to stop or prevent failure.  Does NOT take the place of classroom instruction.

Time:  Balanced reading program in K – minimum 3 hours per day.  1st – 2nd 2.5 – 3.0 hours per day.  Intervention is on TOP of that.

p. 176

SUCCESS   (tennis example)

Decodable Texts – contain words with the phonic elements children have been taught.

 1.  high frequency words

 2.  possible to find authentic literature that serves this purpose (but difficult)

 3.  Students should move AWAY from decodable texts and INTO authentic literature when they have increased their decoding abilities – usually middle/end of first grade.

p. 178

Authentic Texts – TRADE BOOKS – narrative and expository texts in their original forms as written by the author.

 1.  Great for read alouds and shared reading.

2.  A combination of decodable texts and authentic literature is a powerful way to begin effective literacy instruction.

 3.  Texts should move from easy to more difficult.

Note table on page 180.

Note differences between Option A and Option B in explicit phonics routine.

p. 204

Planning Daily Instruction Using Routines

1.  Each of the six blocks of a balanced reading program should be included every day.

2.  Match your daily schedule to the blocks of literacy instruction (there will be overlap).

3.  Vary the routines.

4.  THE MAIN CRITERIA FOR INSTRUCTION (READING OR OTHERWISE) IS YOUR STUDENTS’ NEEDS.