Key Vocabulary Words and Concepts

genres: the three broad categories of literature are stories, informational books or non-fiction, ad poetry, and there are sub-genres within each category, such as science fiction and folktales.

text structures: authors use text structure to organize texts and emphasize the most important ideas. Examples are sequence, comparison, and cause and effect.

text features: authors use text features to achieve a particular effect in their writing. Literary devices and conventions include symbolism and tone in stories, headings and indexes in nonfiction books, and page layout for poems.

narratives genres: fables, folktales, myths, legends, modern literacy tales, fantastic stories, science fiction, high fantasy, contemporary stories, historical stores. See Figure 9-1

elements of story structure:

• plot – the sequence of events involving characters in conflict situations; it’s based on the goals of one or more characters and the process they go through to obtain them
• characters – the people or personified animals in the story
• setting – where the story takes place. Four dimensions: location, weather, time-period, and time.
• point of view – the viewpoint the story is told from: first person, omniscient, limited omniscient, objective
• theme – the underlying meaning of a story

narrative devices: dialogue, flashback, foreshadowing, imagery, suspense, symbolism, tone, text factors of nonfiction books. See Figure 9-4

expository text structures: description, sequence, comparison, cause-effect, problem-solution,  text factors of poetry, formats of poetry. See Figure 9-5

poetic forms:

• rhymed verse – a couplet is a pair of lines in a verse. Typically, they rhyme and have the same meter, or rhythm.
• narrative poems – a form of poetry that tells a story, often making the voices of a narrator and characters as well; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. Narrative poems do not need rhyme. Narrative poems include epics, ballads, idylls, and lays.
• haiku – a Japanese poetic form that contains just 17 syllables, arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.
• free verse – poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter.
• odes – celebrate everyday objects, especially those things that are not usually appreciated.
• concrete poems – sometimes also called ‘shape poetry’—is poetry whose visual appearance matches the topic of the poem. The words form shapes which illustrate the poem’s subject as a picture, as well as through their literal meaning.

assessing knowledge of text factors:

• planning – as they plan for instruction, teachers determine which text factors they’ll teach and how they’ll monitor student’s progress and assess students’ learning.
• monitoring – teachers monitor students’ progress as they observe and conference with them about their reading reading and writing activities.
• evaluating – teachers encourage students to apply their knowledge of genres, structural elements, and literary devices as they respond to literature, develop projects, and write stories and other compositions.
• reflecting – teachers ask students during conferences to reflect on how they’re growing in their ability to use text factors to comprehend complex texts, and students also write reading log entries, letters, and essays, to reflect on their learning.

Additional Notes and Classroom Application

• How to Teach Poetry to Kids –
  https://www.lauracandler.com/how-to-teach-poetry-step-by-step/
• Introducing Poetry to Elementary Students –
  https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/kids-poems/

Work Cited

Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st Century, A Balanced Approach (Seventh ed.). (M. D. Fossel, Ed.) Pearson.

Key Vocabulary Words and Concepts

comprehension – thinking about the text, making connections to different part of the text as well as comparing and contrasting real-life situations with the text, to gain an understanding about the text.

text complexity – See Directly Below

• Qualitative Dimensions: teacher exams book layout, text structure, language features, as well as purpose and meaning, to make a judgement about grade appropriateness.
• Quantitative Measures: grade appropriateness is determined through such methods as calculating word length, word frequency, word difficulty, sentence length, text length, and using Lexile scores.
• Reader and Task Consideration: teacher considers readers abilities, literary knowledge, use of strategy, motivation and interests

what readers think about when reading – readers form images in their minds, make connections in the text, and connect the text with their real-life knowledge

comprehension factors and roles in comprehension – See Figure 8-1 below

background knowledge – world knowledge and literary knowledge are important for reading comprehension. Authentic experience is the best way to help students gain this, but photos and research work too. Talk alone is the least effective method.

vocabulary – readers must have an understanding of the key words in a text. Knowledge can be gained through prereading activities such as KWL charts and anticipation guides.

fluency – the ability to read quickly and efficiently, which then allows for cognitive resources to be applied to comprehension.

the comprehension strategies and what readers do – to comprehend readers use cognition (thinking about what they are reading) and metacognition (reflect on their thinking). See Figure 8-2 for a list

inferences – using background knowledge and text clues to understand the text

comprehension skills – skills students need to possess to comprehend and identify main ideas, which include:

• Recognizing details
• Noticing similarities and differences
• Indentifyig topic sentences
• Comparing and contrasting main ideas and details
• Matching causes with effects
• Sequencing details
• Paraphrasing ideas
• Choosing a good title for a text

how comprehension strategies fit into the reading process – See Figure 8-4

how to create an expectation of comprehension – teachers create an expectation of comprehension by:

• Involving students in authentic reading activities every day
• Providing access ti well-stocked classroom libraries
• Teaching students to use comprehension strategies
• Ensuring that students are fluent readers
• Providing opportunities for students to talk about the books they’re reading
• Linking vocabulary instruction to underlying concepts

ways to teach comprehension – See Figure 8-5

reciprocal teaching – an instructional activity in which students become the teacher in small group reading sessions. Teachers model, then help students learn to guide group discussions using four strategies: summarizing, question generating, clarifying, and predicting. (From Reading Rockets)

assessing comprehension – informal assessment procedures include the Cloze Procedure, Story Retellings, Running Records, and Think-Alouds. Also see Figure titled “Assessment Tools Comprehension” below.

cloze procedures – students supply the deleted words in a passage taken from a text they’ve read

story retelling – students retell stories that they have read or listened to, often with teacher prompts, to access comprehension

factors affecting student motivation – See Figure 8-6

Additional Notes and Classroom Application

• In the vignette I like how the teacher uses very diverse books, and how she scaffolds the readers by starting with a book that is easier to make predictions about then moves to increasingly harder ones. Again, sticky notes are used.
• Start buying supplies such as sticky notes during back-to-school sales
• If viewing a movie based on a book we just read, comprehension can often be noted by the reaction of the students. Those that seem a bit disappointing in the characters or script likely had a better comprehension of the book, and created a stronger visual in their mind
• Reading Rockets – Reciprocal Teaching:
  http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/reciprocal_teaching

Work Cited

Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st Century, A Balanced Approach (Seventh ed.). (M. D. Fossel, Ed.) Pearson.

Key Vocabulary Words and Concepts

three tiers of words – Tier 1: Basic words, Tier 2: Academic Vocabulary, Tier 3: Specialized Terms

basic words (Tier 1) – socially used common words not typically requiring explicit instruction. Examples: family, home, cat

academic vocabulary (Tier 2) – words that are frequently used in language arts, social studies, science, and math. Examples: paragraph, noun, semicolon

specialized terms (Tier 3) – content specific and often abstract words used during explicit instruction. Examples: osmosis, suffrage, mitosis

levels of word knowledge – See Directly Below

• Unknown Word: student doesn’t recognize the word.

• Initial Recognition: student has seen or heard the word, possibly can pronounce it, but doesn’t know the meaning.

• Partial Word Knowledge: student knows one meaning of the word and can use it in a sentence.

• Full Word Knowledge: student knows more than one meaning of the word and can use it several ways.

word consciousness – a students interest in learning and using words. Students with word consciousness use words skillfully, including understanding nuances of word meanings, they appreciate and value words, they understand the difference between social and academic language, they understand the power of word choice, and they are motivated to learn the meaning of unfamiliar words.

multiple word meanings – many words have more than one meaning. See Figure 7-2 for examples

synonyms – words that have nearly the same meaning as other words

antonyms – words that express opposite meaning

homonyms – words with different meanings yet spelled pronounced or spelled the same way

homophones – words that sound alike but are spelled differently, such as to, two, too.

root words and affixes – a root word is the basic part of a word with no suffixes and affixes attached, affixes are an additional element placed at the beginning or end of a root, stem, or word, or in the body of a word, to modify its meaning.

etymologies – the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.

vocabulary instruction – See Directly Below

• Immerse students in words through listening, talking, reading, and writing.
• Teach specific words through active involvement and multiple encounters with words.
• Teach word-learning strategies so students can figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words.
• Develop students’ word consciousness, their awareness of and interest in words.

word-study activities – Some examples are word posters, word maps, possible sentences, dramatizing words, word sorts, word chains, and semantic feature analysis.

semantic feature analysis – a word study activity that strategy uses a grid to show students connections and relationships between words and concepts.

word-learning strategies – strategies for helping students when they encounter unknown words include using context clues, analyzing word parts, and checking a dictionary.

how to figure out unfamiliar words – have students reread the full sentence, use context clues, examine the word parts, pronounce the word, and finally look the word up in a dictionary.

how to assess vocabulary knowledge – See Directly Below

• Step 1: Planning – consider current reading level and upcoming lessons
• Step 2: Monitoring – observe students using new words and talk with students about their progress and strategies
• Step 3: Evaluating – use rubrics, quick-writes, word sorts, and visual representation
• Step 4: Reflecting – reflect on teaching, including effectiveness

Additional Notes and Classroom Application

• In my observation today of a 2nd grade class, the students listen to a story being read, and all of their vocabulary words were highlighted. When the reader came to a highlighted word the class would read it together.
• Observed 2nd graders read a story, round robin style, then used context clues to understand words from the story, such as pinhole. They had to highlight the sentence in the story, reread it, then select the best answer for what the word meant.
• More information about Word Walls –
  https://www.weareteachers.com/what-is-a-word-wall/
• Three Tiers of Vocabulary and Education Handout for Educators –
  https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/182_VocabularyTiers.pdf
• Reading Rockets: Teaching Vocabulary –
  http://www.readingrockets.org/article/teaching-vocabulary

Work Cited

Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st Century, A Balanced Approach (Seventh ed.). (M. D. Fossel, Ed.) Pearson.

Key Vocabulary Words and Concepts

automaticity: fast and accurate word recognition

speed: the rate at which a student reads a written text within a set amount of time, with fluent readers reading at a rate of at least 100 words/min

prosody: the patterns of stress and intonation in a language, or to read with expression

high frequency words: words which occur the most frequently in the texts used by the classroom (300 identified by Eldredge) and taught through explicit instruction. *See Figure 6-2

word identification strategies: Phonics Analysis, Decoding by Analogy, Syllabic Analysis, and Morphemic Analysis. See Figure 6-3

language experience approach: After a shared experience, the teacher guides the students in a collaboratively written text about the experience, which is also edited and expanded upon by the entire class.

assessing reading fluency: informal assessment includes listening to students read and checking for automaticity, speed, and prosody. Running records are kept to monitor progress.

activities to increase reading practice: Choral Reading, Readers Theatre, Listening Centers, and Partner Reading

writer’s voice: the unique tone, expression, and feeling that each writer puts into their text

dysfluent readers and writers: Students who are in fourth grade and beyond who are not fluent. *See Figure 6-7

obstacles to fluency:

1. Lack of Automaticity – develop with having students locate examples of the words in books they’re reading, practice reading flashcards, play word games, spell words with letter cards of magnets, write words and sentences, and write during interactive writing activities.
2. Unfamiliarity with Word-Identification Strategies – develop student’s background knowledge, introduce new vocabulary words, teach word-identification strategies, and provide more time for reading and writing practice.
3. Slow Reading Speed – provide daily practice opportunities
4. Slow Writing Speed – provide daily practice opportunities
5. Lack of Prosody – model expressive reading
6. Voiceless Writing – exposure to lots of reading and writing

Additional Notes and Classroom Application

• Words for the Word Wall can be chosen from upcoming and current lessons.
• Words for the Word Wall can be words that student’s struggle with.
• “Center Passports” can used during centers to keep track of progress. A sticker is placed on the passport when an assignment is completed.
• Word Wall resource:
  http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/word_walls

Work Cited

Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st Century, A Balanced Approach (Seventh ed.). (M. D. Fossel, Ed.) Pearson.

Key Vocabulary Words and Concepts

phonemes: the smallest unit of speech

graphemes: a letter or group of letters that represent a sound

graphophonemic: recognition of letters and the understanding of sound-symbol relationships and spelling patterns

phonemic awareness: learning to notice and manipulate the sounds of ORAL language

phonemic awareness strategies:

• Identifying Sounds in Words – children identify a word that begins with a particular sound
• Categorizing Sounds in Words – children recognize the “odd” word in a set of three words
• Substituting Sounds to Make New Words – children remove a sound from a word and substitute a different sound
• Blending Sounds to Form Words – children blend two, three, or four individual sounds to form a word
• Segmenting a Word Into Sounds – children break a word into its beginning, middle, and ending sounds

teaching phonemic awareness: instruction should meet three criteria. First, the activities should be appropriate for 5 and 6-year-olds, such as songs, rhyming, riddles, and wordplay books. Second, the instruction should be planned and purposeful, and should focus the children’s attention on the sound structure of oral language. Third, the activities should be integrated with other components of a balanced literacy program.

Elkonin boxes: a tool used in teaching phonological awareness where the student is given a sheet of paper with boxes that represent each phoneme in a word

phonics: converting letters into sounds and blending them to recognize words

digraphs: a combination of two letters that represent one sound, such as th and ch

diphthongs: a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another

r-controlled vowels: when one or more vowels in a word are followed by the letter r. The r influences the pronunciation of the the vowel sound, such as in the words start, award, and where

onset: the consonant sound, if any, that precedes the vowel

rime: the vowel and any consonant sounds that follow the onset. In the word show, sh is the onset and ow is the rime.

teaching phonics: done through a combination of explicit instruction and authentic application activities. Typically taught in a predetermined sequence. *See Figure 5-5

stages of spelling development: there are five stages that children move through on their way to becoming conventional spellers – Emergent spelling, Letter name-alphabetic spelling, Within-word pattern spelling, Syllables and affixes spelling, and Derivational relations spelling. *See Figure 5-6

teaching spelling: a complete spelling program contains these components –

• Teaching spelling strategies such as, segmenting the word and spelling each sound (sound-it-out), spelling unknown words by analogy to familiar words, applying affixes to root words, proofreading to locate spelling errors in a rough draft, locating the spelling of unfamiliar words in a dictionary.
• Matching instruction to students’ stage of spelling development
• Providing daily reading and writing opportunities
• Teaching students to spell high-frequency words

Additional Notes and Classroom Application

• Additional info on Elkonin Boxes, including videos – http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/elkonin_boxes

• Resource for teaching phonemic awareness – http://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/reading-basics/phonemic
• Elkonin Boxes Printables (many free) – https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Grade-Level/First,Kindergarten/Search:elkonin%20boxes/Order:Price-Asc

The Alphabetic Principle Video Notes

• The Alphabetic Principle – words are composed of letters that make sounds
• Two components – Phonological Awareness and Phonics Instruction
• Phonological Awareness happens at the Word Level – The cat ran, at the Syllable Level – hap-py, bo-nus, and at the Onset-Rime Level – c-at, fl-ag, and at the Phoneme Level – c, a, t
• Big books with rhyming words is a helpful tool
• Tell students to put their hands under their chins, when they say words, and their chin drops, it’s a new syllable
• Robot speak also helps to detect syllables
• Onset and Rimes typically taught by word families
• Sound to letter connection = phonics
• Students will need to learn the difference between vowels and consonants
• Consonant blends retain their individual sounds even though they are said quickly together, such as fl, tr, gr
• Diphthong – also known as a gliding vowel

Work Cited

Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st Century, A Balanced Approach (Seventh ed.). (M. D. Fossel, Ed.) Pearson.

Key Vocabulary Words and Concepts

shared reading: the teacher reads to the class while the students follow along in their copies of the book/text

interactive reading: the teacher and class work together to create a text

choral reading: a type of interactive reading where students take turns reading lines of text

guided reading: small groups of readers with similar reading levels read a text together with some guidance from the teacher as needed, while the teacher watches for progress and understanding

word wall: words are chosen from the text read in class, or key concepts, are displayed in a collection and referred back to for different lessons, such as mini-lessons, writing starters and word structure

minilessons: small focus lessons on one area of reading, such as high-frequency words

interactive read aloud: the teacher reads a text while the class actively listens and responds

concepts of print: a students awareness of how print works in text.

concepts about words: a students understanding of spoken words matching with written/printed words

concepts about the alphabet:  a student’s understanding that words are made up of letters that make sounds

routines to teach the alphabet:  See Figure 4-2

environmental print: the print that surrounds a student in everyday life, such as signs and packaging

assessing concepts of written language:  assessing a students comprehension of written language, such as letters, spacing, capitalization, and punctuation

emergent reading and writing stage:  See Figure 4-3

beginning reading and writing stage: See Figure 4-3

fluent reading and writing stage: See Figure 4-3

revising groups: students work together in small groups to read, and help edit each others writing

morning message:  a teaching strategy that combines, reading, writing, and setting the tone for the day, by collaborating with the class to complete a “message” about how the day is going to go

predictable books:  books with easy to understand, predictable text, often with repetition and rhyming

language-experience approach:  a literacy teaching strategy where teacher and students share an experience together (activity, field trip, etc.) and then, as a group, the class composes a text about the experience

interactive writing: the teacher and students work together to write a text

manuscript handwriting: learning to hand print words

Additional Notes and Classroom Application

• Scholastic Link on how to teach The Morning Message: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/michelle-sullenberger/morning-message-valuable-teaching-tool/
• Scholastic Predictable Books: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lists/17-18/books-with-predictable-text/
• Additional information on the Language Experience Approach: https://k12teacherstaffdevelopment.com/tlb/understanding-the-language-experience-approach-lea/
• Interactive Read Aloud Teacher Educational Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlrOoLqHUVs
• Literary Resources Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LiteracyResources

Video One Notes: Creating Learning Objectives

• Goals/Standards are general statements of desired learning.
• Learning objectives are student-centered, specific statements of what students should know, be able to do, and understand by the end of a lesson.
• Learning objectives are written in a specific and purposeful way that guides teacher lesson planning and communicates student daily learning outcomes.
• Learning objectives are S.M.A.R.T.; Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Results-oriented, Time-bound.
• Learning Objectives state the expected outcomes simply, concisely, and as explicitly as possible. They should state exactly what is to be accomplished by the student.
• Understanding the levels of Bloom’s words is critical to using then in Learning Objectives.
• Avoid Weasel Words: imagine, understand, appreciate, explore, learn, realize, discover, comprehend, know, see, exposed to, familiar with, sense of.
• Useful Bloom Words: list, identify, predict, describe, conclude, solve, analyze, sort, categorize, design, generate, justify, construct.
• Book Recommendation – Where Great Teaching Begins: Planning for Student Thinking an Learning, by Anne R. Reeves.

Video Two Notes: Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Write a Learning Objective

• Bloom’s Taxonomy was created in 1956 under the leadership of Educational Psychologist. Dr. Benjamin Bloom.
• There are 6 Levels of Learning, listed here from the lowest level to the highest.
• 1. Remembering – retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from long-term memory.
• 2. Understanding – to construct info from oral, written, and graphic messages.
• 3. Applying – carrying out or using a procedure through executing or implementing.
• 4. Analyzing – breaking material into constituent parts or determining how those parts relate to one another into an overall structure.
• 5. Evaluating – has the learner making judgments based on criteria and standards.
• 6. Creating – putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole, or reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure.
• Before you can UNDERSTAND a concept, you must REMEMBER it.
• To APPLY a concept, you must first UNDERSTAND it.
• In order to EVALUATE a concept, you must have ANALYZED it.
• To CREATE an accurate conclusion, you must have completed a thorough EVALUATION.
• How to write a Learning objective: Step one) Start with a stem sentence such as “After completing this module, you will be able to:”. Step two) Determine the outcome. Step three) Consult Bloom’s Wheel to select the appropriate level and verb. Step four) Write the verb and learning outcome into a statement that, when combined with the stem, forms a complete sentence.

Work Cited

Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st Century, A Balanced Approach (Seventh ed.). (M. D. Fossel, Ed.) Pearson.

Key Vocabulary Words and Concepts

minilessons: small focus lessons on one area of reading, such as high-frequency words.

running records: a log that a teacher uses while listening to a student read to monitor areas of strength and weakness. This is an informal assessment.

book talk: teachers and students briefly summarize a book to generate interest in other students. When students give a Book Talk, the teacher can use a checklist to mark off as the student speaks, to be used for assessing and grading.

4 steps of assessment:

• Step One: Planning for Assessment – assessment planning takes place at the same time as lesson planning. Teachers think about which areas students will need to be assessed, such as comprehension, vocabulary, finishing assignments, and using good work habits.
• Step Two: Monitoring Students’ Progress – teachers observe students, on a planned schedule, to monitor for progress or struggle. Notes are taken during observations. The teacher regularly conferences with students formally and informally.
• Step Three: Evaluating Students’ Learning – rubrics are used to evaluate students performance
• Step Four: Reflecting on Students’ Learning – teachers assess themselves and the effectiveness of lesson plans and instructional methods, and students assess how they are progressing, such as through writing in journals.

anecdotal notes: observation notes teachers take in notebooks or on sticky notes, which are specific, comprehensive, and pinpoints areas of strengths and areas in need of improvement.

rubrics: scoring guidelines for evaluation, also used by students as a guide when writing.

portfolios: a place for students to keep the best samples of their writing, diagrams, graphs, etc., to show their proficiency and increase in ability throughout the year.

independent reading level: the level where students accuracy rate is between 95 and 100%, reading is fluent, and comprehension is high.

instructional reading level: the level where a student reads with support, and their accuracy rate is between 90- 94% and comprehension is limited.

frustrational reading level: students are unable to read at this level even with assistance and accuracy is below 90%, and comprehension is very low.

guided reading: a small group lesson with students at the same reading level, where the students take turns reading, and the teacher provides guidance about technique and comprehension.

leveled books: books designated as appropriate for a specific grade and/or reading level, such as Basal Readers.

lexile framework: students abilities and book complexity levels are matched so that the students read books at the appropriate level of difficulty. The books should be just enough of a challenge to push the student’s abilities, but not too challenging where they become frustrated.

informal reading inventories: commercial tests created to evaluate reading performance in grades 1-8, and can be used as a screening tool.

miscue analysis: as part of a running record, miscues are charted and evaluated. Words that are missed or repeated are not scored in this analysis, only those that are substituted or mispronounced.

SOLOM: Student Oral Language Observation Matrix – a rating scale to access English Learner (EL) students’ command of English. There are five components, which are, Listening, Fluency, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, and Grammer.

five components of oral language:

• Listening – comprehending simple statements to everyday conversation.
• Fluency – halting speech, fragmented speech, or fluent speech.
• Vocabulary – limited word knowledge to using words and idioms with skill.
• Pronunciation – unintelligible speech to proficient intonation.
• Grammer – excessive errors in using word order and rules effectively.

K-W-L charts: a tool used to evaluate English Learner’s progress, similar to a running record.

test-taking strategies:

• Read the entire question first
• Look for Key Words in the question
• Read all answer choices before choosing the correct answer
• Answer easier questions first
• Make smart guesses
• Stick with your first answer
• Pace yourself
• Check your work carefully

high-stakes testing: formal, standardized tests that are used in important decision making, such as government rating, student placement, and licensing. The Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) is one example, which for language arts, tests for phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, mechanics, and spelling. The Foundations of Reading Test (FORT) is a high-stakes test for would-be teachers.

portfolio assessment: “portfolio assessment respects students and their abilities” (pg 96). The teacher provides guidelines for portfolio content, but the students select their pieces. Parents/Guardians can see the portfolio at conferences in addition to report cards. Photographs of large pieces of work can be taken and placed in the portfolio. Teachers guide students in self-assessing their work and progress. The teacher selects baseline projects to add for comparison.

Additional Notes and Classroom Application

• Running Record templates (some are free) -https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:running%20record%20template
• Rubric Maker – https://rubric-maker.com/
• Teachers should monitor reading levels frequently and ensure that students are reading the appropriate material for their grade level and skill level.
• What is Guided Reading? (short YouTube video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw6CyBjkPqw
• UW Madison Free FORT practice test: http://eop.education.wisc.edu/eop/professional-learning/courses/wisconsin-foundations-of-reading-test-review
• Scholastic Book Wizard: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/bookwizard/
• For observation notes, labels or sticky notes with students names can be placed on a laminated sheet of paper for quick use.

Notes on – UW Superior Teacher Education Program Lesson Plan Template, Video by Dr. Mary Churchill, February 5, 2016

• The Lesson Plan Template is available in the D2L Teacher Ed. Resource Center
• TED students are required to use this template
• All fields must be filled out
• The boxes are click and type
• The “Big Idea” will be the same on all plans within a unit
• Prior knowledge should be specific
• Objectives should start with “Students will be able to…”
• Objectives are NOT activites
• Add rubric criteria, NOT behaviors
• Feedback is scaffolding to help students reach objectives
• Be specific with standards
• Academic language should include words used in Objectives (IE “paragraph, adjective, identify)
• Launch/Hook should grab students attention and only be around 60 seconds long
• Extension – what will you do for students who don’t meet, meet, or exceed objectives?

Book Images

Work Cited

Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st Century, A Balanced Approach (Seventh ed.). (M. D. Fossel, Ed.) Pearson.

Key Vocabulary Words and Concepts

reading process: a sequence of steps readers follow to understand the text they are reading

stages of reading and what happens in each stage: See Figure 2-1

phonemic awareness: being aware of the parts of sounds and words, or phonemes, and being able to isolate and manipulate them

phonics: print, letters, and connecting speech to print

word identification: automatic recognition of common or high-frequency word

fluency: a benchmark in reading where word identification is proficient in a reader and the main work of reading now becomes comprehension instead of decoding words

vocabulary: learning the meaning of words

comprehension: the process of a reader understanding what they have read, and the meaning behind the text

background knowledge: the information that readers already have prior to reading, such as their understanding of how the world works, how their society functions, vocabulary, and different genres of books.

mini-lessons: small lessons/activities that focus on one concept

guided reading: small groups of readers with similar reading levels read a text together with some guidance from the teacher as needed, while the teacher watches for progress and understanding

shared reading: the teacher reads to the class while the students follow along in their copies of the book/text

interactive read-aloud: the teacher reads to the class from text that might be just above their reading level, and frequently stops to discuss vocabulary, context, and comprehension with the class

word wall: words are chosen from the text read in class, or key concepts, are displayed in a collection and referred back to for different lessons, such as mini-lessons, writing starters and word structure

word sorts: keywords, often from the word wall, are sorted into categories

readers theatre: students read aloud from a scripted text, with each student reading a part/character with emotion and verbal acting

the writing process: Five stages of writing; prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing, that writers cycle through, some times more than once while working on a piece of writing. This is not a linear process.

stages of the writing process and what happens in each stage: See Figure 2-4

reading strategies: Examples include Decoding – phonic and morphemic analysis, Word-Learning –  analyzing word parts, Comprehension – predicting, drawing inferences, and Study – note taking and asking questions.

writing strategies: Examples include Prewriting –organization, Drafting –narrowing down the subject, Revising –detecting problems, elaboration, and connecting sentences, Editing – proofreading, Publishing – design layout, and share.

Additional Notes and Classroom Application

• Teachers use the most scaffolding when they read aloud to students and the least amount during independent reading.
• Popcorn reading is where during shared reading, a student begins to read along with the teacher, then the teacher drops out. After a few passages, another student begins reading and the first drops out, and so forth.
• Resource for free printable reading logs: https://www.k12reader.com/printable-reading-logs/
• Resource for free printable readers theater scripts: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Price-Range/Free/Type-of-Resource/Scripts/Grade-Level/Kindergarten,First,Second

Works Cited

Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st Century, A Balanced Approach (Seventh ed.). (M. D. Fossel, Ed.) Pearson.

Key Vocabulary Words and Concepts

Scaffolding: The support or framework the teacher provides to the learners where new concepts are built upon learned concepts. The teacher can remove this scaffolding (step back) when the learner is ready to work on a concept on their own.

Language Experience Approach: A shared writing approach where the teacher dictates the student’s words, and together they brainstorm word lists.

Shared Reading: When the teacher reads and the students follow along and join in when able/appropriate.

Choral Reading: A type of interactive reading where students take turns reading lines of text.

Readers Theatre: A type of interactive reading where students read together, each reading different characters in a script.

Interactive Writing: The teacher and students work together to write a text.

Mini-Lessons: Activites for students to practice new strategies and skills.

Instructional Programs (figure 1-6): Teachers combine a classroom community, a balanced approach, and scaffolding, to create a comprehensive literacy program.

Guided Reading: Teacher directed small group lessons where the students are at (or very close to) the same reading level. The group works primarily on comprehension and word-identification.

Basal Readers: A good tool in literacy instruction that includes a textbook, workbook, a teachers guide, and testing materials. The teacher uses this as a large group and can break off in smaller groups as needed.

Literature Circles:  The teacher presents a group of books to the class that all tie together somehow (same genre, author, etc.) and talks about the books to the class, who then get into small groups and select one of the books to read and work on.

Differentiation: Based on Vygotsky’s theory of a zone of proximal development, instructional strategies are varied to match each student’s needs. *See Figure 1-7 Ways to Differentiate Instruction

Nurturing English Learners: English learners should be provided extra scaffolding through explicit instruction, many opportunities to practice speaking in English and hearing it spoken. More opportunities to interact, hear, and use the English language, builds confidence in the English Learner. Learn about your student’s cultural backgrounds.

Assessment: Teachers observe students as a class, individually and as a small group, and provide oral and writing tests to determine where students are at in their learning. Assessment results can then determine what adjustments need to be done.

Running Records: Notes taken of observations of students reading to assess for progress and comprehension.

Linking Instructions and Assessment in Four Steps: Teachers plan, monitor, evaluate, and reflect on instruction and the student’s output to check for comprehension and effectiveness, and makes adjustments as needed.

Rubric: A classroom tool that acts as a guide to assess student’s written work, including multimedia projects.

9 Principles of Balanced Literacy Instruction, 5-9:

Principle 5 – Effective Teachers Address Standards

It is important for teachers to be familiar with the Common Core Standards that are expected to be met for the classes they teach. For the English Language Arts, standards are focused on five “strands”. The Reading Strand, which includes Foundational Skills, Literature, and Informational texts, is the development of phonics, fluency, and letters, and phonics. The Writing Strand focuses on writing mechanics and skills. The Speaking and Listening Strand focuses on oral presentations. The Language Strand focuses on vocabulary and grammar, and the Media and Technology Strand focuses on the integration of media through multimedia projects. *See Figure 1-4 The Common Core Standards.

Principle 6 – Effective Teachers Scaffold Students’ Reading and Writing

To scaffold in education means to support students as they learn new skills, and step up or remove the support as they develop their skills and confidence. In teaching reading and writing this can be done through modeling, and activities such as shared reading, the Language Experience Approach, choral reading, reading theater, interactive writing, and minilessons. The levels of scaffolding for reading and writing are modeling, shared, interactive, guided, and independent. *See Figure 1-5 Levels of Scaffolding

Principle 7 – Effective Teachers Organize for Instruction

For a teacher to have an effective literacy program, they must have a balanced and well-rounded program, where the teacher scaffolds the skills along the way. The program should include “guided reading, basal reading programs, literature focus units, literature circles, and reading and writing workshops” (pg. 24). *See Figure 1-6 for linking technology with these areas of instruction.

Principle 8 – Effective Teachers Differentiate Instruction

Teachers must vary the approaches they take in instruction, with their content, process, and assessments to meet students at their current levels and learning styles. This should be regularly assessed and adjusted as needed per student. Learning materials should begin at each student’s current level and altered based on assessments. The type of presentations as well as how the students will work (independent or in a group) should also be varied, and multiple forms of assessment should be used.

Principle 9 – Effective Teachers Link Instruction and Assessment

Students are assessed to determine their current level of achievement so that instruction can be altered as needed. Their progress is monitored regularly for comprehension, and intervention takes place if needed. Assessment is done with a four-step processes which include planning instruction based on students needs, monitoring their progress, evaluating work and reading, and reflecting on how the instruction is going, and making adjustments as needed.

Classroom Application:

Provide frequent opportunities for reading and writing. Reading and writing workshops are a great way for students to practice.

Know that every subject taught is an opportunity to practice reading and writing skills.

A great resource for Reading Workshops – https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/beth-newingham/reading-workshop/

Interactive Writing Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4FsR1xiI5o

Interactive Writing Book –
Interactive Writing. (n.d.). Fountas & Pinnell Literacy Elevating Teacher Expertise. Retrieved from https://www.fountasandpinnell.com/interactivewriting/

Works Cited

Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st Century, A Balanced Approach (Seventh ed.). (M. D. Fossel, Ed.) Pearson.

Key Vocabulary Words and Concepts

Behaviorism: A theory of education that is teacher-centered and focuses on the behavior of the students, and includes conditioning and also explicit instruction, where information is taught step-by-step and practiced regularly. Well-known theorist – B.F. Skinner.

Constructivism: A student-centered theory of education that asserts that students build on their existing knowledge base with teacher-provided activities. Well known theorist – John Dewey

Schema Theory: A student-centered theory where learners form and organize ideas based on their interaction with their environment. Student’s minds “assimilate” new knowledge about already known subjects, and “accommodate” knowledge about new subjects. Well-known theorist – Jean Piaget

Inquiry Learning: A student-centered theory that encourages collaboration, and active participation in democracy, while also asserting that learners have a natural desire for education. Well-known theorist – John Dewey

Engagement Theory: A student-centered theory that is literary-focused, assumes that learners have a natural desire to learn, and are more motivated and successful when they are engaged in their learning activities.

Sociolinguistics: A student-centered theory which suggests that learners do best when they vocalize and collaborate in groups. The learners’ zone of proximal development, the area between what they can and cannot do, should be the focus for lessons. Well-known theorist – Lev Vygotsky

Information Processing: A theory that views the brain as computer-like where learning is connected with reading, and new information moves through short-term to long-term memory storage. Information processing includes interactive models which look at how learners make meaning from reading and writing, the transactional theory which asserts that learners interpret reading based on their own knowledge of the world, and strategic behaviors which look at how learners are goal-orientated and use cognitive strategies to monitor their goals.

Phonological System: “The sound system of English with approximately 44 sounds and more than 500 ways to spell them.” * see Figure 1-2

Syntactic System: “The structural system of English that governs how words are combined into sentences.” *see Figure 1-2

Semantic System: “The meaning system of English that focuses on vocabulary.” *see Figure 1-2

Pragmatic System: “The system of English that offers language choices according to the social and cultural uses.” *see Figure 1-2

Common Core Standards: The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers developed a set of standards, or benchmarks, that students are expected to know at each grade level so that all students graduate from high school college and workforce ready. The Common Core Standards for English Language Arts are in five areas: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Language, and Media and Technology.

Balanced Literacy Components: To ensure a balanced approach to teaching literacy, teacher-centered and student-centered methods are combined using explicit instruction, guided practice, collaborative learning, and independent reading and writing. *see Figure 1-3

9 Principles of Balanced Literacy Instruction, 1-4:

Principle 1 – Effective Teachers Understand How Students Learn

To be an effective teacher, you must have a broad understanding of how the brain develops, functions, and processes information. By learning about multiple established theories of education, teachers can gain this understanding and apply known strategies to their lesson plans and classroom management. It is also notably important to be culturally responsive and acknowledge and embrace your student’s differences.

Principle 2 – Effective Teachers Support Student’s Use of the Cueing Systems

Effective teachers understand and support the cueing systems that make up communication and language. These systems are the phonological (sound), syntactic (structural), semantic (meaning), and the pragmatic (social/cultural). The phonological system is important in particular when learning to read and write. Learners connect and differentiate between phonemes (sounds) and graphemes (letters and groups of letters). The syntactic system is how the English language is organized and structured, including grammar, syntax, morphemes (free and bound), and compound words. The semantic system is the meaning of the words and combination of words, and the pragmatic system deals with how the language is used in social and cultural situations.

Principle 3 – Effective Teachers Create a Community of Learners

A classroom is a community, with the teacher and students as the community members. Every child has the right to feel valued, safe, and respected in their classroom community, which then allows them to thrive in their education. In a community classroom, the teacher and students collaborate to care for the classroom and the culture in it. Teachers should set high expectations and know that all students are can be successful. Students are challenged to take risks, collaborate, make informed choices, and to take responsibility for themselves and their classroom community. Diversity is welcome and embraced, and family and surrounding community members are encouraged to be involved with classroom activities when applicable. Teachers should establish the classroom community over “the first several weeks of the school year”.

Principle 4 – Effective Teachers Adopt a Balanced Approach to Instruction

Teacher-centered and student-centered methods are combined in teaching literacy to ensure a balanced approach and the best outcomes for students. Figure 1-3 lists and describes that ten components that make up the Balanced Literary Approach. Each area is given equal instruction and emphasis, to maximize effectiveness.

Works Cited

Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st Century, A Balanced Approach (Seventh ed.). (M. D. Fossel, Ed.) Pearson.