Reading Development: A Closer Look
11/9/2018
Our progress reports provide a very detailed picture of your child's current academic, social, and emotional development. However, they can also be overwhelming if you are not sure exactly what they mean. Here, I am outlining some of the key factors of reading development and I will follow up in the next blog with more information about writing development. Learning to read is a highly developmental process. Children typically follow predictable patterns as they progress in both their reading and writing skills. This allows teachers to provide targeted instruction of the necessary strategies for each child to continue developing as a reader. On your child's report, you will see a reading level, "Foundational Skills," and "Language." These are a few of the key indicators that will give you a clear picture of your child's current developmental phase of reading. (Foundational Skills and Language also give information about your child's writing.) Each standard under Foundational Skills and Language is broken into sub-standards. A 1 in these areas indicates that, at this time, your student is reliant on the teacher to approach the standard and that they need support. A 2 indicates that your child is beginning to use these strategies on their own but that they are using them inconsistently and are thus approaching the standard. A 3 indicates that, at this time, your child is consistently using the taught strategies independently and is meeting the sub-standards that were taught. At this point in the year, a 1 is not necessarily something to panic about. It could mean that there is an underlying issue, but most likely, it just means that your child is relying heavily on teacher support because of their current developmental level on the reading continuum. There are, of course, things that you can do at home to support your child's continued reading development, and I will provide more information on that in this blog post and individually. Fountas & Pinnell are two of the leading researchers in reading development and have defined some important characteristics of each reading level. Level A and B texts are highly predictable texts that use repeating language patterns and short, predictable sentences. Almost all of the vocabulary is familiar and the texts rely heavily on high-frequency words (i.e. sight words or snap words, which over 50% of all text is composed of). Level A and B texts also feature familiar, easy content that is highly supported by the pictures. If your child is reading level A texts, it indicates that they are just beginning to learn the alphabetic principle (i.e. the relationship between letters and sounds) and how print works. They can recognize some high-frequency words and are learning to follow the text from left to right and use 1-1 matching (matching each word spoken with the word on the page through pointing). A child reading level B texts, on the other hand, recognizes and applies the repeating language patterns of texts, has a stronger awareness of left-to-right directionality and 1-1 matching, has a stronger understanding of the connection between sounds and letters, and recognizes more high-frequency words. If your child is on a level B, they are poised to begin reading level C texts when we return from break. Level C and D texts become more complex in both language patterns and story elements. They still use familiar, easy content, but they introduce dialogue, use prepositional phrases, adjectives, contractions, and inflected word endings (e.g. -s and -ing), and feature a greater range of high-frequency words. They also use more varied punctuation and have more text on each page. Targeted instruction for students reading level C texts will help them develop a larger core of high-frequency words, read with more fluency by moving smoothly across the printed page when reading and using some expression, and begin reading in phrases rather than word by word. Students will also need to more consistently monitor their reading to make sure it sounds right, looks right, and makes sense. They will also begin to track print with their eyes rather than pointing with their fingers. Students reading level D texts will be working on tracking print with their eyes, processing texts with fewer repeating language patterns, reading more fluently, decoding two-syllable words, and consistently monitoring their reading to make sure it sounds right, looks right, and makes sense. One of the most important factors in reading development is developing a large core of high-frequency words. I have sent home the twenty high-frequency words that we have learned and practiced as well as some ways to practice them. I recommend practicing these daily. I will continue to send home words as we learn them. If your child is reading on a level A, it indicates that they do not yet have a strong sense of the alphabetic principle and that they have not mastered their letters and sounds. Please practice letter and sound recognition at home.
The Tip of the Iceberg
11/9/2018
So often what you see is just the tip of the iceberg of the work your little one does at school. At PNA, we so desire you to have a glimpse into the depths of what we do, to share and celebrate it with you through our blogs, online portfolios, home assignments, and family events - but I am afraid even those fall short of capturing the entire enormity of the work your children do here every day. I know you see it in the results, in the conversations you have with your little ones, in the way they carry over the language and wonder and excitement in their everyday interactions. You see the math homework, which they should be able to do with relative ease by the time it comes home, but what you do not see is the practice they have done to think, speak, and write like a mathematician. You do not see the lessons and the work that they have done to use "math talk" more naturally, to explain the world through numbers and patterns, to conceptually understand that numbers can be composed and decomposed into parts and wholes and that we can represent that through equations ... but you do notice that your little one is beginning to think and speak in the language of math, that they are beginning to explain the world like a mathematician, that they see the connection between 6 and 4 making 10 and 6 being 4 less than 10. We do this work when they compare beads left over on a number rack or empty boxes on a ten frame. They do it when they play games with their classmates and make observations and talk about what is happening in the game You see them read (like, actually read!) the words on the page, but what you do not see is the practice they have done to think and read like readers, to learn snap words, to track the print, look for patterns, use context clues, and read with understanding to bring the story to life. What you do not see is the work they have done to understand that letters are not just the alphabet; rather, they form the system that we use to communicate with one another, to learn, to enjoy stories and connect with others. You see them writing books, but you do not see the hard work they do to form the letters correctly, record the correct sounds, plan their stories across the pages, and make sure others can read it. You see the products of our PBL projects, but what you do not see is the books they have poured over, the research they have done, the questions they have asked and sought to answer, the mistakes they have made and overcome along the way, or the courage they have mustered to try something new. You do, however, notice their excitement when you pick them up and they tell you that they filmed their weather report or made a stop motion clip, and it makes me smile because I know they are engaged in meaningful learning. You know we have a social-emotional curriculum and that we focus on twenty-first century skills, but you do not see it acted out in our everyday routines or the way it is embedded into every subject. You do not see the work your little ones do to learn to compromise, choose kindness, and work with others even when it is not easy or how they practice disagreeing or agreeing politely, building onto someone else's statement, supporting their argument with evidence, and being a respectful learner. It might seem like I am being dramatic, but the work your little ones do each day truly is important work. You know this because you have CHOSEN this for your kids. Some of you have sacrificed to give them this gift. Each and every day, your little ones are learning how to learn, how to choose kindness and work with others. They are learning new ways to think and explain the world. And, perhaps most importantly, their desire to know more, to understand and explain the curiosities of our world, to notice and solve problems, continues to grow. We are so thankful that you trust us to partner with you in your child's education and that you support and encourage them in the important work they do each day to become lifelong learners, innovators, and citizens of our world.
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Saania AliMs. Ali graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She specializes in Early Childhood Education, ESL, and Special Education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and painting! Archives
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