BY: Michelle JenningsWichita State University

Individualizing Reading Strategies for Students

Where are YOU stuck?

“Stuck on the Escalator”(youtube)

Helping All Students Read Requires:

A complete understanding and teaching knowledge of the “Big 5” in reading

Effective Classroom Instruction with positive classroom management

A thorough understanding of where each student is when they enter the classroom

Knowledge on Differentiated Instruction Understanding of Response to Intervention

These are all intertwined and relate to each other and can equal success for all students

http://www.fcrr.org/assessment/ET/essentials/Components/components.html

(GREAT RESOURCE)

The Big 5 of Reading

FIND WHERE STUDENTS ARE WHEN THEY ENTER THE CLASSROOM

When evaluating the bottom quartile of readers all these pieces should be assessed

Upper elementary students can be deficient in phonemic awareness and alphabetic principle

FOCUS MORE ON VOCABULARY THE OLDERTHE STUDENT

Multi-Tiered Systems of SupportMaking it work in the classroom

Some schools offer a formal MTSS format school-wide

Can work in the classroom even before a formal system exists

This work is IN ADDITION to guided reading groups for students in some and few categories

It’s finding 30-60 extra minutes to work with the bottom quartile learners

Torgesen, Shaywitz and Chhabra, (2004) state “Evidence from many successful schools and from multiple research studies shows that a multi-tiered approach involving high-quality classroom instruction alone and in combination with targeted, small group interventions can substantially reduce the proportion of students who struggle to read” (¶5). http://www.kansasmtss.org/

The Power of Differentiated Instruction

• "Differentiated instruction is student-aware teaching" (Tomlinson, 2008)

• In a Differentiated Classroom the teacher knows exactly where each student is developmentally and academically

• Students know what their strengths and weaknesses are• Student needs are the focus• Progress is the goal• Differentiated Instruction Focuses on:

o Content Masteryo Student Efficacyo Ownership of Learningo Lifelong Learning

What we know about lower level readers…

Some low achieving readers have disadvantages - some do not Linguistically disadvantaged students know only around 5,000

words by first grade compared to linguisitcally advantaged students who can know up to 20,000 words (Juel and Deffres, 2004)▪ These students need ways to help increase their vocabulary

By third grade most low achieving readers do not read fluently▪ These students need ways to help increase their fluency

Low achieving readers have holes in their learning▪ Assess where they are phonetically and focus on missing

pieces▪ Assess where they are with vocabulary development▪ Assess where they are with reading fluency

Vocabulary

“Providing vocabulary instruction is one of the most significant ways in which teachers can improve students’ reading and listening comprehension” (Curtis & Longo, 2008)

“Underachieving readers need to develop their personal mental dictionaries for unknown words” (Juel & Deffres, 2004)

Janet Allen has written many GREAT resources for teachers for the instruction of Vocabulary such as: Inside Words, Words, Words, Words, as well as other books for literacy content.

When students cannot understand vocabulary within text, students are not comprehending.

Many words students decode, students do not comprehend.

Fluency

“Reading fluency is the bridge from decoding skills to comprehension” (Pennter-Wilger, 2008)

“Fluency should be taught explicitly” (NRP, 2000) “Students who are not at least moderately fluent

readers by the end of 3rd grade are unlikely to graduate from high school” (Herron, 2008)

Reading fluency focuses on rate, accuracy, phrasing and expression.

If students are not fluent readers first identify their vocabulary knowledge of the passage

they are reading. If decoding is the issue…evaluate phonics.

Helping Bottom Quartile Students Achieve: 2008-2009

Student Birth NWEA (Sept. & May %) Read. Level (Sept. & May) KS Read.

A June ’99 15% - 69% Early 2nd - 5th Grade 93%

B Mar. ’00 19% - 48% Early 2nd - Late 3rd 88%

C Apr., 00 9% - 39% Early 2nd - 5th Grade 89%

D Dec., ’00 4% - 20% Early 1st - Late 2n 93% (KAMM)

Helping Bottom Quartile Readers Experiment Group

Experiment Group consisted of ten total students. These students would be considered Tier 2 and Tier 3 students….nine boys and one girl

The table displays their services while in the regular education classroom as well

Participants and their Services

Student Inclusion Services Reading Lab ELL No Services

A Yes No Yes NoB Yes No No NoC No No No YesD Yes No No NoE Yes No No NoF No Yes No NoG No No No YesH No Yes No No

Four students with Inclusion; Two students with Reading Lab Service, One ELL student and two students with no services.

Experiment Group Results

Student Birth Mon. NWEA (Sept & May) HMLRP (Sept. & May) Kansas Assessments

A June, 2000 23% KL (late 2nd) 72% B July, 2000 8% KL (late 2nd)

86% C June, 2001 17% J (early 2nd)

72% D April, 2001 17% KL (late 2nd)

83% E July, 2000 13% J (early 2nd)

88% F Dec., 2000 9% KL (late 2nd)

80% G Nov., 2000 21% MN (early 3rd)

84% H July, 2001 19% MN (early 3rd)

65%

Control Group

The control group consisted of eight random students scoring below the 25% on the Sept. NWEA.

Student Inclusion Pull Out Reading Lab ELL Speech________________

1 No Yes No No No 2 No Yes No No

No 3 No No Yes No

No 4 No No No No No

5 No No Yes No No

6 No Yes No No Yes

7 No Yes No No Yes

8 No No No No

No

No Inclusion students, four pull out students, two reading lab students,

no ELL students and two speech students and two students with no services.

Control Group Results

My Interventions for 3rd Graders Below Quartile

MATERIALS▪ Spiral notebook for each child▪ Power Read passages at each learner's level (you may use reading

passages of your choice - Power Read was chosen because of it's availability)

▪ Timer▪ Graph Paper

Meet with each child individually, on a regular basis The first time reading the passage time a "first time read" as the teacher

markers mispronounced words The teacher meets with the student daily to go over the meanings of missed

words▪ Students can draw pictures, write the word in sentences, find prefixes

and suffixes of the words, etc. After the teacher notes that the reader is reading the passage fluently and

recalling missed vocabulary the teacher then times a "final read" and records.

The student is read aloud comprehension questions and answer choices

Words Change the Worldfrom: “Akeelah and the Bee”

VOCABULARY

Finding Interventions for Phonics/Phonemic Awareness

Phonics/Phonemic Awareness: Words Their Way (combines phonics and

spelling) Sound in Action (phonemic awareness) Sound to Sound (phonemic awareness) Reading A-Z (phonemic awareness) Ortin Gillingham based programs

inlcude:▪ Read to Code, Recipes for Reading, Wilson

Reading, ▪ Pathways, Reading A-Z and FCRR supports all

these

Finding Interventions forVocabulary Instruction

Successful, Research Based Vocabulary Interventions▪ Continuous Exposure▪  Repeated Practice Applying▪ Word Walls▪ Picture and Word Identification▪ Vocabulary Journals▪ Picture/Symbol Word Association

Finding Interventions for Fluency Instruction

• Successful, Research-Based Fluency ProgramsoWide ReadingoPower ReadingoRead NaturaloRepeated Reading

Final Thoughts

This researched intervention is simple ▪  Both years the teacher trained an assistant to work with

students This research requires minimal materials

▪  Materials at the school were utilized and altered To make any intervention successful students need:

▪ positive relationships with the teacher▪ individualized instruction▪ small group or one on one instruction opportunities

 Students need the building blocks of reading ▪ phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and

comprehensionIndividualize As Much As Possible

References

Curtis, M.E., & Longo, A.M. (2001, Novemer).  Teaching vocabulary to adolescents to improve comprehension.  Retrieved October 20, 2008, from    http://www.readingonline.org/articles/curtis/index.html  Herron, J. (2008, September).  Why phonics teaching must change.  Educational Leadership, 66(1), 77-80. Juel, C., & Deffes, R. (2004, March). Making words stick. Educational      Leadership, 61(6), 30-34. Retrieved from    http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.proxy.wichita.edu/hww/results/results_single_ftPES.jhtml

McMaster, K. L., Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., & Compton, D. L. (2005, Summer). Responding to nonresponders: an experienmental field trial of identification and intervention methods. Exceptional Children, 71(4), 445-463.  Penner-Wilger, M. (February, 2008).  Reading Fluency:  a bridge from decoding to comprehension.  Retrieved February 9, 2009, from AutoSkill Website:  http://www.autoskill.com/pdf/fluency_research.pdf   Tomlinson, C. A. (2008, November). The goals of differentiated instruction.      Educational Leadership, 66(3), 26-30.  Vaughn, S., & Linan-Thompson, S. (2004). Research-based methods of reading      instruction. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum      Development.