Linking Theory to Best Practices in Reading

1. Linking Theory to Best Practices in Reading Sharon Weiss-Kapp M.Ed. CCC SLP Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor MGH Institute of Health Professions Senior Clinical Associate Children’s Hospital Boston

2. Outline for Discussion Points for “Theory to Practice” Presentation • Interferences to learning related to executive skill support • Interferences to reading related to strands of spoken language • Interferences to reading related to meaning • Interferences to reading related to orthographic Skills • Lexia and the Response to Intervention Model

3. Interference to Learning: Executive Skill Difficulties • Attention • Working memory • Inhibition of competing stimuli • Automaticity of skills • Maintenance of task • Monitoring performance • Shifting of task

4. From Call of the Wild by Jack London He had never seen dogs fight as these w___ish c________ f_____, and his first ex________ t____t him an unf______able l____n. It is true, it was a vi_______ ex_______, else he would not have lived to pr___t by it. Curley was the v_____. They were camped near the log store, where she, in her friend__y way, made ad______ to a husky dog the size of a full-_____ wolf, th_____ not half so large as _he. __ere was no w___ing, only a leap in like a flash, a met_____ clip of teeth, a leap out equal__ swift, and Curly’s face was ripped open from eye to jaw. Taken from the NICHD Research Program: What We now Know About How Children Learn to Read Bonita Grossen 03-27-97 Full report at: www.cftl.org/30years/30years.html

5. Interferences to Reading Related to the Strands of Spoken Language • Phonology • Semantics • Syntax • Morphology • Pragmatics • Discourse

6. Phonological Awareness:Ability to reflect on and manipulate the sound structure of one’s own language Complexity of sound structure of language may affect acquisition of phonological awareness skills • Word Awareness-Segmenting sentences into words • Syllable Awareness-Segmenting words into syllables • Phonemic Awareness-Segmenting syllables into individual speech sounds

7. Syntax: word order Knowledge of syntax allows the individual to make judgments about meaning: “Please sit in the chair” Versus “Chair the sit please in” Knowledge of grammar assists in comprehension

8. Morphology Skill Development Explicit Instruction in Structural Analysis • Anglo-Saxon roots and affixes e.g., “toys” • Latin roots and affixes • Greek roots and affixes

9. Pragmatics-Use of language in context, serving a variety of communicative functions • Taking multiple perspectives • Interpreting intent • Recognizing subtext

10. Semantics-Aspect of language that governs meaning of words and word combinations Vocabulary Knowledge of word meaning Schematic understanding: • Background knowledge • World knowledge • Procedural knowledge

11. Interferences to Reading Based on Meaning Use ofpreviously stored knowledge about language and the world activated by longer discourse units: • sentences • conversations • paragraphs • texts (Kamhi and Catts)

12. Interferences to Reading Based on Orthographic Difficulties • Knowledge of sound/symbol correspondences • Letter reversals • Knowledge of digraphs (e.g., th and trigraphs e.g., tch • Knowledge of six syllable types • Knowledge of the rules of syllable division

13. What is the Response to Intervention Model? • Universal Screening • Generally Effective Core Instruction • Progress Monitoring • Increasingly Intense Instruction Based on Student Need Greg Roberts, Northeast Regional Technical Center Webinar, May, 2007

14. Lexia and the RTI Model • Lexia Software is seamlessly integrated into the RTI Model • Teachers are able to successfully implement Lexia into their classroom after one training session • Immediately helps teachers create differentiated instructional groupings

15. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • Immediate corrective feedback • More time on activities that were especially difficult/mastery of content before moving to the next lesson • More opportunities to respond • Fewer transitions • Setting goals and self-monitoring Greg Roberts, Northeast Regional Technical Center Webinar, May, 2007

16. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • Immediate corrective feedback • Mastery of content before moving to the next lesson/more time on activities that were especially difficult • More opportunities to respond • Fewer transitions • Setting goals and self-monitoring Greg Roberts, Northeast Regional Technical Center Webinar, May, 2007

17. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • Immediate corrective feedback Verbal prompts: Correct responses: “Good job”, “Cool” Feedback to incorrect responses is designed to scaffold and support learning skills: “That’s not quite right ….” “Let me help you think about that…” Visual prompts: Correct responses: Student receives a reinforcement Incorrect responses: Student sees color coding of correct responses after errors.

18. Use of color-coding to assist in correction

19. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • Immediate corrective feedback • More time on activities that were especially difficult/mastery of content before moving to the next lesson • More opportunities to respond • Fewer transitions • Setting goals and self-monitoring Greg Roberts, Northeast Regional Technical Center Webinar, May, 2007

20. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • More time on activities that were especially difficult/mastery of content before moving to the next lesson Lexia software provides careful monitoring of performance with predetermined criteria built in to ensure mastery of content before moving forward through automatic branching.

21. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • More time on activities that were especially difficult/mastery of content before moving to the next lesson Teacher can turn off automatic branching and select an activity for more intensive practice.

22. Speed of presentation regulated based on student performance

23. Additional visual prompt tomodel correct response

24. Student bar graphs indicating mastery of content

25. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • Immediate corrective feedback • Mastery of content before moving to the next lesson/more time on activities that were especially difficult • More opportunities to respond • Fewer transitions • Setting goals and self-monitoring Greg Roberts, Northeast Regional Technical Center Webinar, May, 2007

26. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • More opportunities to respond Students quickly learn the structure of the task Reinforcements are very quick—allows more time on task Screens are cleanly and clearly organized without distracting elements

27. Example of immediate reinforcement for correct response

28. Example of reinforcement at the end of an activity

29. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • Immediate corrective feedback • Mastery of content before moving to the next lesson/more time on activities that were especially difficult • More opportunities to respond • Fewer transitions • Setting goals and self-monitoring Greg Roberts, Northeast Regional Technical Center Webinar, May, 2007

30. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • Fewer transitions Structured and systematic presentation—seamless transitions between units activities and levels and programs—not bouncing around—opportunity for teachers to specify units. Irregular words—e.g., Sight Word Search (PR) across the levels. Consistency in activities across levels—e.g., Sounds to Letters (PR) Levels 1 and 2

31. Use 20-30 Minutes ER I Foundation Reading On Level or Above Strategies for Older Students* Early Reading II Foundation Reading At Risk Strategies … III Early Reading Foundation Reading SPED Strategies … G R A D E Tier 2 times Per Week Core 3-4 times Per Week Supplemental 5 times Per Week Intensive * Levels 4 & 5

32. Seamless Transition between Activities across Levels Sight Words Level 1

33. Seamless Transition between Activities across LevelsSight Words Level 2

34. Seamless Transitions between Activities across Levels Sight Words Level 3

35. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • Immediate corrective feedback • Mastery of content before moving to the next lesson • More time on activities that were especially difficult • More opportunities to respond • Fewer transitions • Setting goals and self-monitoring Greg Roberts, Northeast Regional Technical Center Webinar, May, 2007

36. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • Setting goals and self-monitoring Activity Selection bar graphs inform students of their progress and help them to think of themselves as learners who are continuously acquiring skills. Student and Class Reports assist teachers in monitoring student performance and in setting appropriate goals.

37. Student self-monitoring

38. Student sees himself as a learner acquiring skills

39. Evaluating Instruction in the RTI Model • Setting goals and self-monitoring Intelligent agent behind the software helps to create detailed reports that can guide instruction

43. Dividing Words into Syllables • VC/CV • V/CV • VC/V (flex rule)

44. Counting Letters/Counting Sounds Activities • Counting Letters/Counting Sounds Activities • The use of color-coding strategies to provide visual support, in addition to the use of manipulatives and gestural support, is a very powerful multisensory approach to learning, as it provides multiple avenues for the encoding and retrieval of information. • Counting Letters/Counting Sounds • Have the students analyze the number of sounds that are represented by the letters in a word. For students who may have difficulty with the concepts of “before” and “after,” provide color-coding cues. For example the consonant sound(s) that occur before the vowel sound and the word “before” can be color-coded red. The vowel sound(s) and the word “vowel” can be color coded green. Finally, the consonant(s) after the vowel sound and the word “after” can be color-coded blue.

45. Counting Letters/Counting Sounds Activities • Once the students have determined the number of sounds in the word, have them raise the corresponding number of fingers and touch each finger as they say the sounds in the word. • Example: ship • Number of consonant sounds before the vowel sound • Number of vowel sounds • Number of consonant sounds after the vowel sounds • There are three sounds in the word ship. The student raises three fingers and touches each finger as he says the sounds in the word. • The student then blends the sounds together and uses the word in a sentence e.g., “The ship sailed out to sea”.

46. Number of consonant sounds before the vowel sound Number of vowel sounds Number of consonant sounds after the vowel sound 1 (sh) 1 (i) 1 (p) Example: ship There are three sounds in the word ship. The student raises three fingers and touches each finger as he says the sounds in the word. Student: /sh/, /i/, /p/ The student then blends the sounds together and uses the word in a sentence e.g., “The ship sailed out to sea”.

47. History of Lexia Skill Builders Developed by Arthur and Judith Staples in the UK Conceived as an offline practice component to Lexia Adapted to be used internationally Modified to correlate directly with activities in Lexia Primary/Foundation Reading

48. Overview of Lexia Skill Builders What are they? Print based practice materials aligned with Lexia software activities for each level Who are they designed for? Students moving successfully through Lexia Reading

49. Using Lexia Skill Builders Where would I use them? Lexia Skill Builders provide opportunities for additional practice beyond the time where students have access to a computer • Desk/Morning work • Learning Center Activities • Homework

50. Using Lexia Skill Builders Why would I use them? Lexia Skill Builders expand opportunities for structured, independent practice • Paper/pencil transition • Consolidation of skills • Reduction of scaffolding and branching • Often requires recall and production in addition to recognition