NEISD Reading Academy News
February 2023
Connecting Reading Academy Content with NASOT
Module 8 focused on advanced spelling skills such as syllable division, morphemic analysis, and high-frequency words with irregular spellings. As students progress from basic sound-symbol correspondence to understanding syllable types and morphemes, they are revising their knowledge of English spelling patterns. Revising Knowledge is Element 18 in the NASOT framework. This practice naturally occurs when students have an opportunity to apply their spelling knowledge though a writing assignment or spelling/dictation assessment, and are then provided with time for revision. Teaching students to self-check their spelling and fix any errors they may have made can be a simple way to guide students to start taking ownership of the revision process. As students make these revisions, encourage them to verbally describe or write a quick note explaining their error and how to correct it. With practice, this process can also be applied to content knowledge as students look back through notebooks that contain their thoughts on reading, math, science, and social studies content. Just as with adjusting spelling, students can return to their work to add new details that they've gained since their initial illustrations or notes.
Resource 1: Spelling Generalizations
Knowing spelling generalizations can help students become better spellers. Spelling generalizations are patterns and rules that can be used to help decode and spell words. By recognizing and understanding these patterns, students are better able to remember how to spell words and become more confident when writing. Moreover, having knowledge of spelling generalizations can help students recognize different letter sounds and spelling patterns in unfamiliar words, allowing them to strategically break down and spell unfamiliar words.
Resource 2: Schwa Poster
The schwa, or uh/ih, sound is the most common sound in English. Any vowel can create this sound. The schwa sound often appears in the unstressed syllable of a word. It is used to reduce the length of a word or syllable and to make pronunciation easier. For example, in the word "about," the schwa sound is used to reduce the length of the word and make it easier to pronounce. Second grade Superkids, Unit 9 Week 2, explicitly teaches students how to read and spell words with the schwa sound.
Resource 3: FLOSS Rule
The FLOSS Rule: The letters f, l, and s are almost always doubled when they appear at the end of a one-syllable word and are preceded by one short vowel (FLOSS rule). The letter z is often included within this generalization. Examples of floss rule words include fluff, grass, and buzz. Knowing this rule can help students become better spellers. Students begin reading floss rule words in Kindergarten Superkids.
Resource 4: Decoding Big Words
As readers move from reading controlled text to more complex text, they need to develop strategies for reading longer words. Poor decoders, even those who can fluently read single-syllable words, often have difficulty with multisyllabic words, yet the average number of syllables in words that students read increases steadily throughout their school years. As such, it is necessary to identify word reading strategies that will support the continued reading development of students into the upper elementary years.
Resource 5: Syllable Division Rules
Syllable division rules allow students to break complex words into manageable chunks, making them easier to read and spell. In addition, knowing syllable division rules can give students a better understanding of how words are formed, which can help them learn new words more quickly.
Resource 6: Decodable Text in Action
Decodable texts (or controlled texts) give students the opportunity to practice applying their knowledge of newly learned letter-sound relationships and reinforce previously learned skills. They are designed to keep developing readers from being overwhelmed by orthographic elements they haven’t learned yet, while still building their reading fluency through authentic, connected text. Remember, a book is not decodable if the student has not been explicitly taught the skills covered in the decodable text.
View the following video, which shows a teacher scaffolding students as they read a decodable text. Notice how the teacher provides the necessary supports to ensure students can successfully decode the text and how the students respond.
What are Decodable Texts?
K-2 Classroom Look-Fors:
- Students reading decodable texts with a partner, in a small group, whole group, or individually.
- Students highlighting the focused sound-spelling pattern, if needed.
- Students using their knowledge of sound-spelling patterns to read.
- Teachers prompting beginning readers with, "That wasn’t quite right. Let’s try tapping out all the sounds in the word and then reread the word."
- Teachers prompting more advanced readers with, "What does this syllable say? Do we need a long or short vowel sound? What else do you notice about this syllable?”
Stacey's Extraordinary Words
Stacey loves words. She loves reading them, writing them and saying them. She loves words so much that at recess time she sits all by herself working with words. Stacey’s teacher asks her to be in the local spelling bee. Unfortunately, Stacey becomes anxious about messing up and being bullied, rather than being excited for the competition. Read to find out how Stacey perseveres in the end.
Amira's Picture Day
by Reem Fabuqi
Amira is excited to celebrate Eid with her family and friends. She has new, beautiful shalwar kameez (traditional Eid clothing worn in central Asia) and her mother drew beautiful designs on her hands for the great event. Amira discovers that she has her classroom picture day on the same day as the Eid celebrations. Amira is torn because she wants to attend both! Read to find out how she enjoys her Eid celebrations and makes it to school picture day.
Caves
by Nell Cross Beckerman
Caves is an informational book told in a poetic mix of free verse. The captivating illustrations depict various caverns, from ancient cave paintings in France to underwater caves in Florida. Students will learn about cave ecosystems and journey through the hidden natural treasures of different caves all around the world.
Nanette Guadiano & Jessica Powers
In "Whole Language High-Jinks", Louisa Moats examines popular but scientifically ineffective reading practices, such as whole-language instruction, and advocates for more structured, phonics-based approaches. She discusses how differences between the two approaches can be difficult to recognize, and provides guidance on how to identify and avoid instruction that is not based on scientific evidence. She emphasizes the importance of making decisions about reading instruction based on empirical evidence and recommends that parents and educators seek out reliable sources of information when researching reading instruction methods.
Below is an excerpt from the article addressing the role of leveled books in reading instruction that we both found interesting:
"Leveled books cannot be the basis for a systematic, explicit approach to beginning reading instruction. With each advancing level, students encounter many untaught phonic patterns and words. Lacking the tools to decode the books, students become ever more reliant on memorization and guesswork, unless they are lucky enough to intuit the print code from exposure or incidental teaching. Leveled books are fine for students who can read them but are not helpful as the central tool of instruction for children at risk."
-Jessica & Nanette
A New Model for Teaching High Frequency Words
by Linda Farrell, Tina Osenga, and Michael Hunter
Readers use their phonetic knowledge to read both regular and partially irregular words. Only “truly irregular” words cannot be decoded in any way. Fortunately, very few words are truly irregular. An effective strategy for teaching students to read partially irregular words is called the "Heart Word Magic" strategy. When introducing irregular words, teach students to identify letter-sound patterns within the word that are decodable based on the decoding and encoding skills that have been taught and mastered. Then, teach students to identify the letter-sound patterns that are not decodable. Teaching students to look for known letter-sound correspondences and spelling patterns integrates the word unit into orthographic memory and prevents guessing or memorization. -TEA
Read the linked article to learn more.
