The best place for teachers to start on their path to supporting struggling decoders is to listen to the child read. Teachers may choose to use a running record to gain information or simply listen to the student read a list of words or sentences while identifying which of the child’s decoding skills are weak (Logsdon, 2018). For example does the student struggle with vowels or ending sounds or is it their ability to segment syllables that is lacking? Once you have determined who is struggling and with which skill an effective literacy program is required. Teachers should develop an effective literacy program that focuses on teaching sounds explicitly and systematically. An Effective Literacy Program: The National Reading Panel Report research shows that students require a minimum of 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction each day if they are to become strong readers. This instruction time must be explicitly taught in a systematic manner and be differentiated for different levels in the classroom (2000). In the table below, you will see how a literacy block can be created using 100 minutes. “An effective reading program includes whole-class and small-group instruction as well as large-group, small-group, and individual activities” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2005, p.2.21). Not only is variety of grouping size important to consider, but also the mix of students in each grouping. For small group guided reading and writing, consider grouping students with similar instructional needs. For other lessons and activities, a range of abilities may be more appropriate and instead shared interests might be the common factor. Morning Greeting/Group Check-in is a time for teachers to welcome students to school and give them an opportunity to share together. This could include exciting news, plans for the day, or even a song or video that gets them moving! The broad purpose of a morning meeting is to transition students between home and school, to greet them as you would a guest in your house and to informally reacquaint them with the expectations of the classroom. “A sincere greeting is the first step in making a connection … it establishes a positive climate for the classroom” (Wong, 2013, p.1). Whole Group Read Aloud is a wonderful activity for encouraging language and literacy development. During a read aloud, teachers can model expressive reading and reading fluency for students. By doing read alouds, teachers are able to challenge students with new ideas and meaning that they would not be able to access by reading independently (Beck, 2001). To support struggling decoders, teachers should focus on clear pronunciation and reiterating letters and sounds. During the read aloud teachers can model breaking a word apart, saying each of the letter sounds, and finally blending the sounds back together. It is important that students hear letter sounds being made correctly and in isolation whenever possible. Some letter sounds cannot be made in isolation without adding an /uh/ sound to the end. For example, the /b/ in “but” is distorted to /buh/. For students to become successful decoders, they must receive instruction on blending letter sounds. Helping to isolate the sound and teaching children to blend the sounds of letters together to try to identify words are useful instructional strategies. Whole Group Instruction is provided through teacher-led direct instruction on a topic. The teacher provides the class with the same lesson on a topic and is designed to reach the average student in the classroom. It is a great tool for introducing new concepts. It gives the teacher the opportunity to share the new information to everyone at once before working in smaller groups to help extend their understanding depending on the needs of the particular students. Whole group instruction also helps to determine a baseline for learning and assessment. Teachers can use the information they gain from whole group instruction as formative assessment and future planning. Finally, whole group instruction is most effective when it is immediately followed by small group instruction. For students who struggle to decode, a whole group lesson may seem overwhelming. To support these students, try including auditory, visual, tactile, and kinaesthetic representations of sounds. Movements and gestures can be created to go along with different letters and sounds. For example, put your hands together and move your arms like a snake while make the /s/ sound. A variety of phoneme recognition and substitution games can be utilized during whole group instruction as well. Songs such as “ Willaby Wallaby Woo” and “Apples and Bananas” can be incorporated into each lesson as a fun way for students to practice phoneme substitution.
Small Group Instruction helps solidify the concepts learned in the whole group setting, allows the teacher to identify students struggling with the content, and take a different approach with them to help them master the new ideas. It is important to remember that the grouping are fluid and flexible. The groups will change based on student need and performance as observed and assessed by ongoing evaluation. Since some students may require different support than others, consider grouping students by strengths and areas of need in decoding, word recognition, and/or comprehension (Fisher & Frey, 2014, 239). For students who struggle with decoding, small group instruction can be extremely powerful. It allows the teacher to continue to model decoding skills and have the students watch closely and practice with support. Small Group Activity Centre is a time where students will work independently on different activities. This is the perfect opportunity for students to work on strengthening their decoding skills. Teachers should utilize a variety of word work activities, letter games, and audiobooks to support student learning. Please see "Decoding Strategies for in the Classroom" for activities to include in this Small Group Activity Centre. The activities at this stations will be varied to fit with the different needs of each student. Small Group Partner Reading/Tutoring is a time for students to be interacting with one another to improve each of their own understanding. When partner reading, have students re-read a book they are familiar with. The partners can take turns reading, supporting one another on difficult words and encouraging fluency or expression. Teach students to ask their partner questions about what they just read or about their favourite part. This will help encourage both students to pay attention, create conversation, and improve comprehension. Small Group Independent Practice is intended as a time for students to work independently on an activity that will support their learning needs. Students should be encouraged to use the decoding strategies that were taught during the whole or small group lesson. References:
Beck, I. L., & McKeown, M. G. (2001). Text Talk: Capturing the benefits of read-aloud experiences for young children. The Reading Teacher, 55(1), 10. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.proxy.queensu.ca/apps/doc/A78825058/AONE?u=queensulaw&sid=AONE&xid=1d3496e7 Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2014a). Addressing CCSS Anchor Standard 10: Text complexity. Language Arts, 91(4), 236–250. Ontario Ministry of Education (2005). A guide to effective writing instruction, Kindergarten to grade three. Retrieved from http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Writing_%20K_3.pdf Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction, 2000 , U.S. Government Printing OfficeNIH Publication No. 00–4769 Wong, H., & Wong, R., (2013). How to start class everyday. Teachers Gazette. Retrieved from https://www.teachers.net/wong/OCT13/
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