Things to know/Teaching Reading

Question 1

The roles of phonemic awareness in reading development are….

Answer 1

• facilitate growth in printed word recognition
• extract the meaning of what is said
• critical for learning to read any alphabetic writing system
• reduces and alleviates reading and spelling difficulties
• if there is a lack of phonemic awareness, a student may not even know what is meant by the term ‘sound’

Question 2

Ways to promote students recognition of high frequency sight words…

Answer 2

• using word walls (list of words that follow a particular pattern)
• choose words that have similar beginning sounds, vowel sounds, endings or words
• students can find a new word and add to the list
• encourage students to use them in their writing
• have students create rebus sentences using “the”, “is” and “in”
• have students form sentences using a pocket chart
• have students keep list of words they can read and write (when they have trouble they can look back in their notebook)

Question 3

Ways to promote independent reading in and out of the classroom

Answer 3

• reading space that is attractive and inviting
• allow time everyday for independent reading (teacher modeling)
• share books you enjoy with the class for fun
• creating books of their own to put in the library
• add new titles to shelves with front showing
• setting an individual/class challenge
• give them the right to “not” finish a book

Question 4

Ways to promote family and community involvement in literacy activities

Answer 4

• provide “family nights”
• coordinate a “read-a-thon”
• offer opportunities for children to create songs, poems or plays about their families
• share and discuss current news, sports, cultural or school events
• make regular visits to the library
• set aside time each day for literacy related activities
• create family portfolios (using pictures, stories, etc)

Question 5

Instructional strategies for building and extending vocabulary knowledge

Answer 5

• using direct instruction and incidental exposure
• directly teach new vocabulary to the student
• highlight and define new words before having the student read a passage
• during guided reading: have student stop if they don’t know meaning of a word and explain it then have them reread sentence
• help student learn to use a dictionary as a resource
• help student learn to notice new, unknown vocabulary words
• repetition and multiple exposures to new vocabulary
• word games

Question 6

Ways to help students make effective use of a dictionary, thesaurus, glossary and other word reference material.

Answer 6

• Best after student has already begun to develop an understanding of a new word through context or explanation.
• looking up a word in context (b/c there may be several definitions ex: board, bored)
• teacher can explain to students to figure out which one belongs in the context of the story
• choose a word found in a lesson and find the word
• then student can write a personal definition, draw a picture

Question 7

Traits of high-quality writing

Answer 7

1. Ideas: interesting and important
2. Organization: logical and effective
3. Voice: individual and appropriate
4. Word choice: specific and memorable
5. Sentence fluency: smooth and expressive
6. Conventions: correct and communicative

Question 8

Strategies to teach students to spell correctly are…

Answer 8

• segmenting the word and spelling each sound “sound it out”
• spelling unknown words by analogy to familiar words
• applying affixes to root words
• proofreading: locating errors in a rough draft
• locating the spelling of unfamiliar words in a dictionary or in classroom
• writing the word 2 or 3 different ways and decide which one “looks right”
• asking someone for help

Question 9

Strategies to promote development of phonemic awareness skills..

Answer 9

1. Rhyme generation: students engaged in isolating, blending and manipulating sounds on several levels. They identify rhyme within a context. Playing with language enables students to practice making words through rhyme generation.
2. Multisensory mapping: Poems or songs targeting keywords, teachers select them such as “c” or “t” from keywords, match letter and sound (sound sort activity), students write the letter in the air that matches sound, trace the letter as they make the sound, teacher gives pics and students work with partners to repeat.
3. Picture card snap: analyze assessment data, prepare pic cards using “odd man out” pics, model identification of sound, match sounds and pics and calls out “SNAP” then review sounds. (like Bingo)
4. Sound sorts: present target sound, model it, demonstrate, pair students and review their performance. Facilitates students attention to phonemes.
5. Treasure chest: focuses on skills of segmentation and blending sounds-place students in pairs, model activity, identify pic cards, work in pairs to segment sounds, blend phonemes into words, repeat process with new pic cards.

Question 10

Purpose for collecting data from annual statewide reading assessment..

Answer 10

1. identifying overall strengths and weaknesses in reading instructions
2. identifying student populations in need of extra reading support
3. setting school-wide goals

Question 11

Language experience approach (LEA)

Answer 11

focuses on children’s ability to produce language as a bridge between spoken and written language.

Question 12

Directed reading-thinking activity method (DRTA)

Answer 12

promotes applying metacognitive skills to increase comprehension.

Question 13

Contextual learning theory

Answer 13

learning only occurs when students (learners) process new information or knowledge in such a way that it makes sense to them in their own frames or reference. (focuses on multiple aspects of any learning environment-it encourages educators to choose and/or design learning environments that incorporate as many different forms of experience as possible)

Question 14

Diagnostic assessment:

Answer 14

• administered to students identified through the screening process as potential struggling readers or students not making adequate progress.
• provide detailed information about a students reading development
• help us understand why a students reading is not progressing as expected and helps pinpoint potential causes of difficulty
• provides specific student information necessary to develop an individual intervention plan

Question 15

Using diagnostic data to differentiate through flexible grouping..

Answer 15

• grouping pattern examples: large group, small group, teams, partners, individuals, small cooperative, teacher led
• groups are formed based on student needs or interests and are dissolved as reads change
• members of reading groups change frequently
• students are involved in a number of different groups for a variety of reading experiences

Question 16

Diagnostic data used to differentiate instruction to accelerate the development of students reading skills..

Answer 16

• use running record data to identify students who are accelerated: provide instruction on reading with expression and expanding vocabulary
• flexible grouping: reduces negative stigma, allows accelerated instruction and ensures all students meet the standards

Question 17

How diagnostic reading data are used to differentiate instruction to address the needs of students with reading difficulties..

Answer 17

• use running records to differentiate instruction: teach cueing systems targeting areas of need (meaning or semantic cues, structure or syntax cues)
• Retellings: if student is consistently unable to recall certain story elements, form a flexible group with mini-lessons focused on comprehension strategies

Question 18

How different types of assessment data are used to diagnose the reading needs and monitor the progress of individual students..

Answer 18

• see diagnostic assessment
• administered throughout the school year to determine a students progress toward the instructional goals
• used to plan differentiated instruction
• administered regularly, a minimum of three times per year, especially at critical decision making points such as regrouping students
• for at-risk students, progress monitoring occurs as frequently as needed based on student growth

Question 19

Instructional strategies for helping students learn concepts of print..

Answer 19

• Interactive read aloud
• Talking about parts of the book
• Talk about the author and/or illustrator

Question 20

Connection between students invented spellings and their understanding of phonetic principles..

Answer 20

Invented spellings: describes the way young children write words based on their knowledge of the letters and their sounds. Encouraging children to use invented spellings may enhance their phonological awareness development and foster writing motivation and ability. Children are encouraged to spell words the way they sound (ex: “GRL” for “girl” or “blun” for balloon)

Question 21

Strategies for developing and reinforcing students skills in using phonics…

Answer 21

1. use of onset and meaning to figure out a word: use beginning letters of a word with their sense of meaning for the sentence to rapidly identify an unknown word.
2. sound out a word by elongating its sounds: segmenting the sounds from left to right in order to sound out a word, stretching out the sounds and producing them in order
3. recheck writing by rereading and monitoring sounds: children reread words they’ve written to see if every sound is represented
4. use letter-sound information to rethink a miscue: children rethink and correct a miscue by using phonics to help the reading make sense. A miscue is a readers unexpected response to a text is the difference between what is printed and what is read.
5. use pattern knowledge to figure out words: making analogies (if they know the word ‘fight’ they can read ‘blight’ by substituting the initial sound)
6. kinesthetic information
7. understand variation in complex letter sound relations
8. voice print matching to focus attention word by word during reading

Question 22

Instructional strategies for developing students listening and speaking skills..

Answer 22

• provide good language models
• provides opportunities to practice oral language in authentic situations
• provide poetry read aloud and choral reading activities
• teach and model listening behavior: sit quietly, listen to what others say, think about what is being said, wait my turn to talk
• make a picture in your head of what you hear
• draw a picture of what you heard
• listen to others ideas and take turns adding ideas
• engage students in lively conversations
• listening games: use poetry, chants, jingles, sentences

Question 23

Strategies for expanding students listening and speaking vocabularies..

Answer 23

• read and reread aloud a variety of genres
• introduce and prompt use of new vocabulary
• ask open ended questions
• encourage relevant questions
• help students stay on the topic and add to the discussion
• guide reflective conversation
• provide opportunities for shared or partner reading
• reciprocal teaching: dialogue between students and teachers, kids start leading the discussion

Question 24

Methods for scaffolding the learning of Standard American English by speakers of other languages and dialects…

Answer 24

• start with what students know
• create language enriched learning opportunities in a language-rich classroom
• create opportunities for rich authentic dialogue
• involve students in deliberate group work
• use “think aloud”
• use a variety of language and be explicit in explanations
• bridge written instructions with oral explanations
• Four sources of scaffolding: 1.) being assisted by an expert 2.) collaborating with other learners 3.) assisting a lower-level learner 4.) working alone

Question 25

Age-appropriate milestones for language development..

Answer 25

• 2-3 years old: follows two step requests, listens to and enjoys hearing stories, has a word for almost everything, uses two or three words to talk, speech is understood
• 3-4 years old: hears when called from another room, answers simple “who, what, where & why” questions, talks about activities, speaks in sentences with four or more words
• 4-5 years old: pays attention to short stories answers simple questions, hears and understands much of what is said, uses sentences with many details, tells stories staying on topic, communicate easily with other children and adults, says rhyming words, uses some letters and numbers, uses same grammar as rest of family

Question 26

How to create a learning environment that is respectful of and responsive to linguistic and cultural diversity…

Answer 26

• communicate high expectations for all students
• use active teaching methods
• act as learning facilitators
• maintain positive perspectives on families of diverse students
• reshape the curriculum to include culturally diverse topics
• use culturally sensitive instruction that includes student-controlled discussion and small group work

Question 27

Ways that phonics, syntax and semantics interact as the reader constructs meaning..

Answer 27

• readers simultaneously use letter-sound correspondences and developing knowledge of patterns and words in context to figure out unfamiliar words and construct meaning.
• Semantics meaning cues: Does it make sense?
• Syntax structure cues: Does is sound right?
• Visual graphophonic: Does it look right (phonetically)?

Question 28

Methods for teaching students to apply word-analysis skills independently..

Answer 28

• Teach children how to convert letters or letter combination into sounds, then blend the sounds together to form recognizable words
• Teach children how to use parts of word families to read new words with similar parts
• Teach children to identify the sounds of the letter or letters before the first vowel in single syllable words and the sound of the remaining part of the word
• Teach word parts which includes affixes, base words and word roots

Question 29

How to help students read multisyllabic words by using syllabication and structural analysis..

Answer 29

• teach four most common prefixes (un,re,in,dis)
• teach suffixes
• teach root words that students are likely to see often in texts
• model for students how to use word parts
• teach a prefix with its meaning; put the prefix and root word and write its meaning; put the prefix and root word together and explain the new meaning
• small group: give 305 root words on cards-students select an affix from a stack of cards, which they add to the root word card; students read the new word and say the meaning

Question 30

How to help students use context clues for a variety of purposes..

Answer 30

• use think-aloud model
• emphasize the meaning of known word phrases surrounding the target word
• point out how definitions, restatements, examples or descriptions are provided in surrounding text
• model “testing out” the meaning of the homograph using the context surrounding the word
• teach students to look for synonyms, antonyms, explanations and examples

Question 31

Vocabulary instructional strategies

Answer 31

1. ) Explicit: teach meanings of key words before reading text
2. ) Indirect: students engage in extensive oral interactions with adults and peers link vocabulary to prior reading; “new word” notebook; kids are “word detectives”
3. ) Multimedia: graphic organizers, semantic maps-webs, computer programs and hypertext
4. ) Association: make connections between word meanings they already know and new words

Question 32

How to teach students reading comprehension strategies..

Answer 32

• metacognition: “thinking about thinking” while reading before and during
• monitoring comprehension: be aware of what they do understand, identify what they do not understand and use strategies to resolve problems in comprehension
• graphic & semantic organizers: venn-diagrams, storyboard, story map, cause/effect
• answering questions: purpose for reading, focus on what they are to learn, help to think actively while reading, monitor their comprehension, review content and relate what they learned to what they know
• generating questions: become aware of whether they can answer questions and if they understand what they are reading
• recognizing story structure: learn to identify the categories of content (characters, setting, events, problems, resolution)
• summarizing: determine what is important in what they are reading and put into their own words

Question 33

Roles of independent reading in developing reading comprehension and fluency

Answer 33

Builds fluency by resulting in comprehension and overall reading achievement unless they read substantial amounts of print, their reading will remain laborious and limited in effectiveness. Independent reading is the major source of vocabulary acquisition beyond the beginning stages of learning to read. Children who read widely can learn the meanings of thousands of new words each year. Independent reading builds background knowledge or schema.

Question 34

How to promote students comprehension, enjoyment and appreciation of a variety of genres

Answer 34

Teacher can teach genre studies where students learn about a genre while the students read and explore books representing that genre and then apply what they learned through writing.

Question 35

Ways to promote students recognition of text features and organizational patterns to comprehend nonfiction text

Answer 35

Use expository text structures:
Description: author describes by listing characteristics and examples
Sequence: list items or events in numerical or chronological order
Comparison: explains how two or more are alike or different
Cause and Effect: one or more causes and the resulting effects or effects
Problem and Solution: states a problem and lists one or more solutions

Question 36

Ways to teach students research skills..

Answer 36

1. ) define the task: talk with students about what they will be looking for and how to get specific results
2. ) discover keywords: using search engines, create a lesson around keywords (what they are, how they work & how to find them)
3. ) use appropriate tools: Google & Bing but use Sweet Search for younger children
4. ) source hierarchy & evaluation: explain primary sources, original research & reliability of info. found on the web
5. ) take notes & compile info: use paper and pencil and record the most important info they gather

Question 37

Understanding that writing is a developmental process

Answer 37

Developmental writing process:

• scribbling
• letter-like symbols
• strings of letters
• beginning sounds emerge
• consonants represent words
• initial, middle & final sounds
• transitional phases
• standard spelling

Question 38

Understanding that spelling is a developmental process

Answer 38

Stages of spelling development:

• emergent spelling-string scribbles, letters and letter-like forms together but don’t associate marks with any phonemes
• letter name-alphabetic spelling- represent phonemes in words with letters using several letters to represent an entire word
• within-word pattern spelling- one syllable short vowel words and learn to spell long vowel patterns and r-controlled vowels
• syllables & affixes spelling-longer multisyllabic words, consonant doubling, homophones & compound words
• derivational relations spelling-morphemes, root words, affixes, consonant alterations and vowel alterations