Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.
Sound It Out
Along with her background as a researcher, writer, and teacher, Joanne Meier is a mom. Join Joanne every week as she shares her experiences raising her own young readers, and guides parents and teachers on the best practices in reading.
Summer tutoring: how's it going? Four considerations.
Is your son or daughter working with a tutor this summer? Now that July has begun, it's a great time to evaluate your tutoring situation. It's not too late to make a few simple changes that can make a real difference in the remaining tutoring sessions.
First, did your tutor gather baseline assessment information about your child's performance? It may have been a spelling inventory, a running record, a timed reading, or a word list inventory. Hopefully your tutor gathered enough good information to help him or her design each tutoring session to target specific needs. If you haven't seen the assessment information, ask for it!
Second, is there consistency across tutoring sessions? It's often helpful if your tutor uses a lesson plan with the same components each time they come. For example, lots of lesson plans start with a warm up activity (maybe re-reading), some assisted reading and writing, some word study or word-level work, and then end with the introduction of new text or a reinforcing game. Consistency helps your child know what's coming, and can help the tutor develop some long-range plans.
Third, how's it going? Does your tutor continue to gather information about your child's progress? This is often called progress monitoring. You can and should expect to see some changes in performance based on tutoring. A simple timed-repeated reading graph will provide information about words correct per minute. Watching the bars go up each time is reinforcing to your child. If your tutor is not seeing growth or change in your child's performance, she needs to change what she’s doing. This is no time for flat growth curves!
Last, how are you supporting your tutor? Are there books you can read in-between sessions? Maybe there's a word study game you can play together, or a field trip you can go on to support the vocabulary learning.
Working together as a team can really help your child understand how much you value and appreciate the hard work they're doing with the tutor.
Reading logs: our own hot topic
I've written twice before about reading logs: back in August 2007 with "Reading logs, reading blahs" and then again in April 2008 with "Should reading with parents count?"
Those two posts have sparked lots of comments, all of which carried valid points about the purposes and pitfalls of reading logs.
"Mom in super school district" wrote that her daughter's class reading log turned reading from "reading for pleasure" to "reading-for-words-until-I-read-long-enough" (which is exactly what was happening with Molly).
Jen and A.M., both teachers, feel that reading logs help families recognize the value of reading every day; the log is little more than a reminder to read. And thankfully, many commented that at their school, being read to and reading with a family member "counts" toward their time.
Both Jen P and Mark H took issue with the way I handled our own reading log situation, which was to just stop doing it. They reasoned that by doing so, I am teaching Molly to defy her teacher's expectations, implying that it's okay to "opt out" of assignments you don't want to do.
First, let me say THANK YOU for commenting. I read every comment that comes in, and I love your differing perspectives and opinions. It's one of the things I hope this blog encourages.
Second, it's clear that reading logs are as different as the teachers who assign them (and the kids who have to use them). And maybe that's the way they should be used (when they're used) — individually. It's clear within my own family that kids are individuals. What motivates Molly is clearly NOT what motivates Anna.
Here's an idea: What about differentiated reading logs? Thoughts or comments? What would they look like?
Peering inside the brain
Don't you love when you finally have a moment to read something that's been on your desk for two months? I had that experience today when I finally read The Reading Leader from the Haskins Literacy Initiative.
Haskins does remarkable research. In graduate school, my advisor introduced me to the work of Hollis Scarborough, Donald Shankweiler, Sally Shaywitz and others, and I've been hooked ever since!
The Spring 2008 Reading Leader includes an interview with Ken Pugh, the newly appointed President and Director of Research at Haskins Laboratories. Something he said in the interview was an important reminder.
Pugh describes the advances we've made in our ability to understand what happens in the brain of skilled readers and dyslexic readers. Have you seen the fMRI images? [If you download the Reading Leader's PDF you can see some there.]
New technologies actually show the activation differences in the brain regions between skilled and dyslexic readers. The brains function differently, and now we're able to actually see the differences.
What we're not able to do yet is to use that information to tailor reading interventions based on individual differences in brain response. And here's the important reminder: Pugh cautions that teachers and parents should be reminded of this as they are confronted with all the new 'brain based' curricula out there; much of it hasn't been well-tested and researched.
If you want to do more reading about this topic, see our Brain and Learning section, and watch our award-winning show Reading and the Brain.
Pen pals, old school style
On the last day of school, Anna came home with a stamped envelope from her kindergarten teacher. Mrs. Z had offered to be pen pals over the summer with kids from her class. By 4:00 that day (the last day of school, after getting home at 3:00), Anna had written her first pen pal letter.
"What are your plans for the summer? I plan to go to the pool. What do you like to do? It will be a fun summer." Off to the mailbox it went. Three days later, she got a letter back! Anna's reply is already off in the mail, and as I type this Anna is waiting by the mailbox in anticipation of a reply.
This whole thing made Molly desperate for her own pen pal! Thankfully we've got good friends in Oregon who have a daughter close to Molly's age. We’re meeting them at the beach in July; becoming pen pals with Ester is giving them a great opportunity to re-connect before we go.
I'm certainly not the first to realize the benefits of pen pals, although it has new meaning for us this summer. A quick Google search turned up many organizations that match kids for pen pals: Student Letter Exchange matches English speaking children ages 9-18, and the Circle of Friends Pen Pal Club enables girls 7-17 to email pen pals without the need to publish your email address.
For us, we'll do the old-fashioned method — "snail mail" to a person we already know. During our trip to the library yesterday I picked up Arthur's Pen Pal to keep the buzz alive…and we got out some of our other books that have letters in them: Dear Tooth Fairy, and Jolly Christmas Postman.
Our site has a helpful article about letter writing and Great Schools has a good summary of the ways that pen pals mix learning and fun.
How about you? Are you planning to have a pen pal this summer? Consider this blog one way to do it!
The Rats of NIMH: THAT'S how people learn to read?
Our current family read aloud is the classic book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. We've just gotten to the Toy Tinker chapter, so don't tell me what happens! The girls are dying to come home from school today and hear more; my husband pleaded that we wait until he gets home so he can listen too.
If you haven't read the book in 20 or 30 years (like me) you've probably forgotten how detailed it is, particularly in describing the research design of the experiments. There's a whole chapter on Group A, Group B, and the control group. Thankfully, Nicodemus ended up in Group A, which was definitely the group to be in! Among other things, the rats in Group A are taught to read:
"Then, after I had looked at the picture and recognized it, a shape flashed on the screen under it — a sort of half circle and two straight lines, not like anything I had seen before. Then the voice began:
Are.
Are.
Are.
It was Julie's voice, speaking very clearly, but it had a tinny sound — it was a record. After repeating "are" a dozen times or so, that particular shape disappeared and another one came on the screen, still under the picture of the rat. It was a triangle, with legs on it. And Julie's voice began again:
Aiee.
Aiee.
Aiee.
And so it goes. The chapter walks us though the repeated presentation of "are," "aiee," "tea," "R-A-T," and "rat." Then onto "cat" and "rats" until finally the rats are reading the signs all around the laboratory (which bodes well for them in the coming weeks).
Anna was transfixed during this chapter.
"Mama, THAT'S how people learn to read?" she asked.
"Yep, at least that's how some people learn to read," I answered.
"Sheesh! That's hard work." Anna said.
You got that right, girl.
Publishing house for kids
We have a "publishing house" at our elementary school. It's a volunteer-run effort, and every child in the school publishes one special hard back book a year.
Stories are written using the writing process. The older kids (grades 3-5) type their stories in the computer lab; parent volunteers type in the text for the younger ones.
Final typed pages are stitched together along the seam with needle and thread (even our kindergartners do this!) and then glued to a hard-bound cover. Finished products are small works of art!
I know what it has taken for some of the kids to get to their final product. Writing is HARD work for new readers and writers. I remember when Anna found her voice as a writer; it was a long time coming but well worth the wait.
Last week, the kindergarteners at our school shared their books during an Author Share celebration. Complete with programs and refreshments, every student sat up front and read his or her book. We laughed, we cried, we celebrated their HARD WORK.
Running our publishing house is an enormous effort. We've got worn out equipment and outdated software. It's difficult to find parents willing to help out, and teachers are crunched for time.
But judging from the smiles and first books tucked away in special places, it's definitely worth it.
Are you interested in writing? We've got some good writing resources:
See our Writing 101 section and our Writing Webcast, featuring Steven Graham, Louisa Moats, and Susan Neuman.
That’s hot! Or is it?
Phonics? Not hot.
Family literacy? Not hot.
Motivation? Not hot.
Adolescent Literacy? Hot.
Response to Intervention? Hot.
The International Reading Association (IRA) recently published the results
of its annual survey on the hottest topics in literacy instruction.
Twenty-five literacy leaders reviewed the prior year's survey results and rated each topic as "hot" or "not hot." Then they noted whether each topic "should be hot" or "should not be hot."
Now that we know what those literacy leaders think, I'd like to know what you think! Our readership is mostly teachers and parents. I wonder how the results will compare?
We constructed a Survey Monkey survey that is similar (but different) from the one IRA published. Will you weigh in? It should take just a few minutes. We'll publish the results sometime in June.
Thanks!
Should I be concerned about mirror writing?
With permission, a question that we received through Ask the Expert:
Question:
Should I worry about mirror writing in my kindergarten son? From my understanding, dyslexia is an auditory problem rather than a visual one, is that true? Is it
just that my son hasn't gotten the directionality of print from left to right at this stage rather than it being a major learning disability?
Answer:
Mirror writing by itself is not troubling in a kindergarten student. Beginning writers are mastering several skills, including directionality. There are other factors (weak phonological skill, family history of reading difficulty, speech/language delay) that are considered risk factors for reading difficulty.
Dyslexia is a language-based reading difficulty. As such, if your son has persistent difficulty with several of the language-based behaviors I've listed below, you should talk with his teacher and share your concerns.
* Learning letter names and some letter sounds
* Recognizing words that rhyme
* Retelling simple stories
* Recognizing words that share the same beginning sound
* Understanding simple concepts about print
Here are two readings that you may find useful:
5 ways to appreciate a teacher AND build literacy skills
Teacher Appreciation week is May 4-10, and parents all over are scrambling to find something that expresses their gratitude.
Below are five quick ways to say thanks to a teacher and help build literacy skills at the same time. Each idea is intentionally fairly easy and inexpensive — just pick your favorite!
1. Donate a copy of your favorite read aloud to the class. Teachers are always looking for tried and true read alouds. If a book worked for you, it might work for the class too!
2. Offer to read aloud to the class. Email or call your teacher and ask when you can come in this week to read to the class. Bring books with you (so she doesn't have to prepare). As your teacher is walking out the door for an unprecedented break in the middle of the day, hand her a mug with a tea bag in it. What a treat!
3. Gather a few kids from the class. Have them look through old magazines and newspapers for words and pictures that remind them of their teacher. Cut and paste to make a gorgeous collage.
4. Have your child write a card. It sounds simple, right? Handmade cards with love notes from little ones are some of the most treasured items teachers receive.
5. Have your child use an online puzzle making tool (Discovery School has several good choices) and make puzzle all about her teacher. Clues could be related to a memorable field trip or class experience they've taken, teacher's favorite food or color, or other fun facts.
And one more great idea (but doesn't necessary build literacy skills) is to write your own card. It's easy to get too busy to remember to thank a teacher for all the things they do, large and small.
In our family, I wanted to thank Anna's teacher for letting the kids go out and catch snowflakes on their tongue when it started to snow in January. I wanted to be sure to let Molly's teacher know how much it meant to us when she wrote a card when Lucky (our adventurous gerbil) got away one morning. Those small acts of kindness on our teachers’ part mean SO much.
Teachers, I really appreciate you!
The Frizzle factor: Teacher requests for next year
My friends find it hard to believe, but our principal actually solicits input from parents about which classroom we'd like our children to be placed in next year. We're to avoid requesting a teacher by name but rather we should describe our child and his/her specific learning/social needs. That information is considered as they look to form next year's classes.
Thankfully there aren't any teachers at our school that I don't want to get. There are a few that I hope we get. And it mostly comes down to wanting our girls in classrooms where they can be challenged and where they continue to fall in love with learning.
It's the Frizzle Factor. I'd love for Anna and Molly to be with quirky, eccentric teachers whose passion for learning spills out of her desk, onto the floor, and runs into the hallway. Passion like that is contagious! And I want my girls to catch it. I'm just not sure where the Mrs. Frizzles are — are they out there?
And is Mrs. Frizzle good for all kids? What are you looking for in next year's teacher?
PS: The topic of student/teacher match is a big one, very broad and complex, spanning topics of teacher expectations
and student outcomes, classroom climate, culturally responsive teaching, and others. If this is a topic you'd like to read more about, dive in! There are plenty of really terrific resources to read.
In case I forgot…
…how to make Anna's favorite lunch, she left me these directions, taped to the oven door handle. I particularly like step number 7: Serve and enjoy.
As a parent, I love finding writing samples around the house. They're everywhere! We've got notes taped to the guest room door, over the hooks for their backpacks, and on one particularly industrious Saturday morning the girls labeled the playroom bins with "Polly Pockets," "train tracks," and "other small stuff."
As a teacher, I can't help but admire the wealth of information that can be gleaned from writing samples. I mean, can we take a moment to notice all the long vowel knowledge Anna's recipe reveals? She's got several long vowel patterns reflected: boil, drain, enjoy, chees (cheese), and her effort with the word "stir" (stear)— I'm not sure what happened there, except that kids, after they learn something new about words apply it to every word they spell, so I suspect Anna is in a place where she figures that lots of words have two vowels standing next to each other. Words Their Way calls this "using but confusing," which sums it up perfectly.
If we had more writing samples, we could determine just what phonics skills Anna is ready to tackle. This one suggests she's somewhere in the "within word" stage of development. Her errors (nootles/noodles, sevin/seven, minites/minutes, chees/cheese) provide guidance about the skills she's working on. A spelling inventory captures similar information by using carefully constructed lists of words that contain specific phonics features.
If you have a minute today, take a look at some kid writing. Admire it! What types of information can you gather from it? I think I could do that all day long.
What is a high-quality preschool?
Around our town, parents of preschoolers are busy observing in classrooms and filling out lengthy application forms for next year's preschool. Most of our preschools have a $25–$40 application fee and waiting lists a mile long, so it's a process that many undertake cautiously and anxiously.
I'm often asked what to look for in a good preschool program. I'll share some resources on the topic (and encourage you to read them) BUT ALSO tell you to trust your instincts as you're visiting different preschools. I'm always struck by the powerful messages (intentional and unintentional) that schools send to parents. I've learned to really trust those impressions and use them as pieces of information during the decision-making process.
Pre-K Now offers a fact sheet about high-quality preschool. They address teacher training and certification, student-teacher ratio, and curriculum. They stress alignment between preschool curriculum and a state's K-12 standards.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has a document Early Years Are Learning Years that is about choosing a preschool. It also addresses the preschool's relationship with the family and the importance of a qualified staff.
Although it's a bit more academic, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has a policy brief that outlines high-quality preschool. The recommendations from this brief focus on child, family, teacher, curriculum, and classroom dimensions.
I hope this is helpful to you!
Spring break reading
We're on spring break this week, but I thought I'd share a few of the books we'll be reading together during our road trip. I've blogged before about some of the terrific read alouds we have read, and my criteria for choosing them. The same ones apply for this list too.
Half Magic is the book I'm the most excited about. It sounds like a fun adventure with wonderful characters. I'm hoping the girls love it!
Sophie is Seven will be our first book by Dick King-Smith. And although it's not the first in the Sophie series, I thought Id capture the girls' attention with this one and see about the others later.
And 'll be bringing along two others that I know I want to share with the girls, but this might not be the right time:
Misty of Chincoteague. I think Molly will love this book but I'm not sure Anna is ready for it.
The other one is The BFG. When I taught second grade, The BFG was a class favorite EVERY year. We've got some pretty active imaginations around here, so if I think my girls can get past the idea of a giant walking around the streets at night, we'll read it.
I'll be checking in while we're away, so if you have any recommendations you'd like to share, I'm sure I can find a bookstore. Happy reading!
Should reading with parents count?
I blogged about reading logs back in August, when Molly was just getting started with a daily homework assignment to read and respond every day after school. The title of that post, Reading Logs, Reading Blahs pretty much sums up the way I feel about reading logs. Your comments on that post suggest that many of you feel the same way!
And there was this comment from Ask the Expert:
At our school, children in each grade are required to do a minimum daily independent reading time, starting in first grade. Anything a parent reads to his child doesn't count.
The author went on to say that she dislikes that policy. "I believe it is counterproductive, especially for children struggling with reading or who don't like to read."
I couldn't agree more — for a school to make a rule that books read to a child shouldn't "count" towards reading logs is just plain wrong! Am I right?! Regardless of the level of the reader, there is always benefit to a parent read aloud. I think that time should count.
What do you think? What are your recommendations for schools policies on reading as a homework?
Great expectations
Sometimes I wonder whether the expectations at schools are high enough for kids "at or above grade level." Molly's papers come home and I can see where she's scribbled out an answer rather than erase it. She'll write over one letter with another when she's writing. And I see lots of evidence of her taking the easy road when she completes her reading responses. As her parent, I know what she's capable of doing…and I'm just not seeing that talent reflected in her school work. But, does it matter?
So far, I'd have to say not really. She's at the top of her class, and her papers come home marked with glowing comments from the teachers. Sometimes I wonder how closely her work is reviewed. We've found more than one math sheet with errors not marked, and there's never a suggestion or comment on her simply worded paragraphs that don't reflect much thought or effort. Just a happy face or a check mark.
It's about expectations. She "meets or exceeds" the expectations for her grade level. Does that mean that's all there is? As parents, we hope not.
What's your experience? Do my expectations sound unreasonable?
Same thing next year? AKA grade retention
We're approaching the fourth grading period at our school, which leads some teachers and parents to think about whether a struggling child should be retained. It's never an easy conversation to have.
Research just doesn't support grade retention, particularly for students in the older grades. I've blogged about this before and included a few good readings for those interested in reading position statements and a meta-analysis on grade retention. The March 2008 issue of Educational Leadership also includes a short summary of the research on the topic.
There is little research on the impact of retention for younger kids, particularly for students retained after their kindergarten year. One thing is clear: if a child is retained, his instruction the second year must be different. Doing the same thing for a second year is not a solution.
In some situations, a carefully planned and executed intensive intervention delivered during the repeated year by a reading specialist or other professional may produce the types of results teachers and parents hope for. There are other options for providing additional instruction besides spending another whole year in school — summer school and extended day programs are two options.
What's your experience with grade retention? Have you seen it help or hurt?
Are word searches a waste of instructional time?
A question came to me via the Ask the Expert service that Reading Rockets provides. With the teacher's permission, I'm including it here to get your opinion.
Question:
We were recently told by an administrator that research shows that crossword puzzles and word search puzzles have no educational value. We have been forbidden to use them in our classes. As teacher of English Language Learners, we have found that both of these are valuable tools to use with our kids. Do you know of any research that would support our position?
My answer:
Your question is an interesting one! I know of no research that supports the use of word searches with students as a means to student achievement. That makes sense to me, though...few skills that translate to reading and writing are developed through their use. I guess one could build an argument that there are some near-point (i.e., copying) skills being used, but the relationship of near-point skills to reading isn't very strong.
Crossword puzzles, however, seem entirely different, especially if students are not provided with a bank of words to use with the puzzle. I think an argument could be made for vocabulary development through their use. You might want to see if your administrator could elaborate on his or her concerns about crossword puzzles.
The teacher's reply:
Here's the thing for us as ESL teachers. We use word searches as a way to reinforce vocabulary students are learning through reading. I work with first graders, so as they search the words, they learn to look for consonant clusters, vowel combinations and the like.
I also feel it does help to develop their visual acuity for recognizing English words. They love the word searches, and even those kids who struggle with language and/or reading love to do them and feel as if they've accomplished something great when they're finished. They like to compete with one another and are excited about working with words. To us, those are pluses.
We, too, think the crossword puzzles are a no-brainer. We also suspect that this was a case of prohibiting everyone from something because a few people are indiscriminately using them as busy work.
My questions to blog readers:
What do you think? Clearly this teacher thinks there are enough benefits to word searches to use them in her classroom. Her reasons are largely motivational, though. Are word searches a good use of educational time?
Kindergarten: half or full?
One of my blog posts that got people talking was the one about our decision to enroll Anna in kindergarten as a 5 year old (rather than waiting until she turned 6). Both our girls have summer birthdays; we waited to send our older daughter, but wrestled with the same decision for our younger daughter.
A related (but different) contentious topic surrounds full- vs. half-day kindergarten, a topic that's always in the news. A new study in Early Childhood Research Quarterly supports the research that says kids who go to kindergarten all day learn more about literacy and math than kids who only go for a half day. It's especially true for kids who are in smaller classes and for kids who are at risk. It's the same finding that is supported by other studies (example here).
What's not clear from the evidence is whether the benefits from the full-day programs last beyond the kindergarten year. Some follow-up studies suggest that the effects of full-day kindergarten deteriorate over time. Personally, I think that probably speaks more to the intensity of instruction in later years than it does about the lack of effect from full day kindergarten.
Our public school only offers full-day kindergarten, but many of our private schools offer both full- and half-day programs. If I had to choose, I'd go with full-day. But others disagree, citing that's just too much school to soon. What's your opinion?
Teaching vocabulary
A few weeks ago I blogged about a kindergarten lesson where the students were confused by the word pause, thinking the teacher meant applause or paws. I promised that teacher I'd send her some materials about vocabulary development with second language learners. I thought I'd share some of the resources I like.
Our sister site, Colorin Colorado, has an article with several good recommendations for vocabulary development with second language learners. Recommendations include intentional pre-teaching of vocabulary and focusing on cognates when possible.
This article by Isabel Beck and colleagues is one of my favorites on Reading Rockets. It includes lots of good, solid examples of their methodology for vocabulary instruction.
I also like this longer, but still practical piece titled Integrated Vocabulary Instruction for diverse learners in grades K-5. Many of their recommendations build on experts in the field, including Nagy and August. It includes several good graphic organizers.
Last, the National Literacy Panel's 2006 report "Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners"executive summary and full report
describe the balance between oral proficiency and literacy in the first language as a facilitator to literacy development in English.
Whew! I hope those are helpful resources.
Dyslexia: a primer
I love the Florida Center for Reading Research. The center is directed by Barbara Foorman and Joe Torgesen. And no one that works there must need sleep! They're always cranking out really good reports and publications. It's one of the first places I go when researching something.
One of FCRR's more recent reports is a must read: Dyslexia: A Brief for Educators, Parents, and Legislators in Florida. Although the title suggests it's for people within Florida, a much larger audience will benefit from the information.
I won't kid you, the report isn't visually appealing, and it's pretty dense, but I can promise you a lot of good information within the 18 pages.
The report covers the definition of dyslexia (in detail), the type of instruction most useful for individuals with dyslexia, and remedial instruction for older students with dyslexia.
PS: Last week I wrote that I'd share resources for introducing vocabulary. I'll do that next week for sure!
"As both a public youth services librarian and a parent of a child with dyslexia, I find your website very useful!"
~ Lee P.
Kids Who Struggle |
Teaching Reading |
Books & Authors |
Articles from A-Z
Our Shows on PBS |
Podcasts & Video |
Webcasts |
Blogs about Reading |
Reading Research
Reading Store |
Free Reading Guides |
Reading Resources |
Today's Reading News
For Teachers |
For Other Professionals |
For Families
En español |
Newsletters |
Calendar
Home Page |
About Reading Rockets |
Contact Us |
Link to Reading Rockets
Privacy Policy |
Terms & Conditions |
Site Map
Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project that offers research-based and best-practice information on teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle. It is an educational service of public television station WETA in Washington, D.C.
Visit WETA's educational web sites:
© Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Reading Rockets is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. Reading Rockets® is a registered trademark of WETA.
Stay informed! Subscribe to our e-mail newsletters.