Ready, Set, Read!Ready, Set, Read!

What Parents Need to Know and to Do

to Ensure Their Children are Ready

to Learn to Read

Phonological AwarenessPhonological Awareness

Discriminate and identify the 44 sounds in our spoken language

Distinguish separate words in a sentence/syllables in words

Identify rhyming words Recognize common beginning, ending, and

middle sounds of words Identify syllables in words Manipulate sounds in words to create new

words

The 44 Sounds in the English Language5 Short-Vowel Soundsshort /ă/ in appleshort /ĕ/ in elephantshort /ĭ/ in iglooshort /ŏ/ in octopusshort / / in umbrellaǔ

18 Consonant Sounds/b/ in bat /k/ in cat and kite/d/ in dog /f/ in fan/g/ in goat /h/ in hat/j/ in jam /l/ in lip/m/ in map /n/ in nest/p/ in pig /r/ in rat/s/ in sun /t/ in top/v/ in van /w/ in wig/y/ in yell /z/ in zip

7 Digraphs/ch/ in chin /sh/ in shipunvoiced /th/ in thin voiced /th/ in this/hw/ in whip * /ng/ in sing/nk/ in sink* (wh is pronounced /w/ in some areas)

6 Long-Vowel Sounds long /ā/ in cake long /ē/ in feetlong /ī/ in pie long /ō/ in boatlong /ū/ (yoo) in mule long /ōō/ in flew

3 r-Controlled Vowel Sounds/ur/ in fern, bird, and hurt/ar/ in park/or/ in fork

Diphthongs and Other Special Sounds/oi/ in oil and boy/ow/ in owl and ouchshort /ŏŏ/ in cook and pull/aw/ in jaw and haul/zh/ in television

What do Kindergarteners have to learn?

Are we sending them ready for Kindergarten??

DIBELSDynamic Indicators of Basic Early

Literacy SkillsQuick one minute assessments that let us know if our

students are “on track” to be readers. Help schools provide enough instruction to get students back on track as readers.

Helps schools see where they need to focus to help our children learn to read at each grade

Helps us see where we as parents can help at home to help our children learn to read

Phonological Awareness…Phonological Awareness…

Phonological awareness must be mastered before children are able to conquer phonics.

Phonics is the skill of looking at letters and producing the sounds the letters make. If children do not have sound awareness mastered, they will struggle with phonics. A struggle with phonics will result in having trouble reading.

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy SkillsLiteracy Skills

When children enter Kindergarten in Alabama, they take a diagnostic test called DIBELS.

This test checks to see if children are “on track” to be readers.

Kindergarteners are tested on alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness.

The research (insert link to research) tells us that if these two things are not in good shape, children may have trouble learning to read.

Letter Naming Fluency Initial Sounds Fluency Phoneme Segmentation Fluency

Kindergarten DIBELS TestsKindergarten DIBELS Tests

What is Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)?

It is a one minute assessment

It is an indicator of risk of reading problems

It is not one of the 5 areas identified by the National Reading Panel and Reading First as one of the critical areas of reading

It is tested in fall, winter, spring of K also fall of first grade

Students should be able to name 25 random letter names in one minute by the end of K

LetterNaming Fluency

Target goal of at least 40 by spring of Kindergarten

Student identifies upper- and lower-case letters for 1 minute

Probe 1

c c N u Q M u h S i

n b e N F f o a K k

g p k p a H C e G D

b w F i h O x j I K

x t Y q L d f T g v

T V Q o w P J t B X

Z v U P R l V C l W

R J m O z D G y U Y

Z y A m X z H S M E

q n j s W r d s B I

r A E L c c N u Q MTotal: ____/110

What is Initial Sound Fluency (ISF)?

One minute assessment given at beginning and middle of K

Outcome goal of identifying 25 first sounds in words in one minute by middle of K.

Example: ◦ Shown four pictures and told the picture names, the student can

point to the one that begins with the correct sound given. Point to the one that begins with mmmm

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy SkillsUniversity of Oregon

Initial Sound Fluency -Sample

ExampleExample

This is mouse, flowers, pillow, letters (point to each picture while saying its name).

Mouse begins with the

sound /m/ (point to the mouse). Listen: /m/, mouse. Which one begins with

the sounds /fl/?

What is Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF)?

One minute assessment given middle of K, end of K and in beginning, middle, and end of first grade

Outcome goal is to be able to separate words into individual sounds by the end of K and to be able to do at the rate of 35 sounds per minute

Reaching outcome goal critical skill for becoming a good reader and speller

Continue to test through first grade, goal doesn’t go up

Say these specific directions to the student:

I am going to say a word. After I say the word, you tell me all the sounds in the word. So, if I say, “sam,” you would say /s//a/ /m/.

Let’s try one (one-second pause). Tell me the sounds in “mop”. If the student says /m/ /o/ /p/, you say, very good. The sounds in “mop” are /m/ /o/ /p/.

Example

Administration Administration DirectionsDirections

Look at this word (point to the first word on the practice probe). It’s a make-believe word. Watch me read the word: /s/ /i/ /m/ “sim” (point to each letter then run your finger fast beneath the whole word). I can say the sounds of the letters, /s/ /i/ /m/ (point to each letter), or I can read the whole word “sim” (run your finger fast beneath the whole word).

Your turn to read a make-believe word. Read this word the best you can (point to the word “lut”). Make sure you say any sounds you know.

sim lutPractice Items

https://dibels.uoregon.edu/https://dibels.uoregon.edu/

Parents can download samples of DIBELS tests to guide them in helping their children with the skills assessed.

It is important that parents focus on helping their children learn the skills measured and not “teach them the test”.

What about time? Time to play (games, games, games!)

◦ 15-20 minutes daily

Time to work (practice, practice, practice!)◦ 20-30 minutes daily

Time to celebrate (brag, brag, brag!)◦ 10-15 minutes daily