Foundations for Literacy: an Evidence-Based Toolkit for the Effective

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Foundations for Literacy: an Evidence-Based Toolkit for the Effective CoverLayout1ac.pdf 11/25/08 1:33:36 PM 2 Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network • Foundations for Literacy Acknowledgements Many thanks go to the members of the Advisory Committee for their time, their advice and their input into this kit. Thank you to the principals, Mary Lou Vernon of the University Laboratory School at the University of Western Ontario, Elizabeth Morley of the Institute of Child Study at the University of Toronto, Daniel Ducharme at École L’Aquarelle de Laval and Lucie Perelman of École Saint-Pierre Claver for their collaboration in the production of classroom demonstration videos for the kit. As well, thank you to all the teaching staff at those schools that cooperated in these demonstrations. Their willingness and their efforts are much appreciated. Thank you to the Canadian researchers, experts in language and literacy, for agreeing to participate in many video clips: Linda Siegel of the University of British Columbia; Dale Willows, Janette Pelletier, Esther Geva, and Andrew Biemiller of the University of Toronto; Eileen Wood of Wilfrid Laurier University; Jacqueline Specht of the University of Western Ontario; Robert Savage and Fred Genesee of McGill University; Monique Brodeur of the Université de Québec à Montréal; Alain Desrochers of the University of Ottawa; and Dr. Monique Sénéchal of Carleton University. The French adaptation of this project would not have been possible without the efforts of Line Laplante and Monique Brodeur, both of the Université du Québec à Montréal. Foundations for Literacy • Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network 3 Advisory Committee: Monique Brodeur, Education, Université du Québec à Montréal Line Laplante, Education, Université du Québec à Montréal Rhonda Martinussen, OISE/UT, The Institute of Child Study Malisa Mezenberg, Ontario Teachers’ Federation Robert Savage, Faculty of Education, McGill University Sally Shearman, International Dyslexia Association, Ontario Branch Linda Siegel, University of British Columbia Susan Smethurst, Methods & Resource Teacher, The Elms Junior Middle School Lesly Wade-Woolley, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University Dale Willows, OISE/UT, The Institute of Child Study Developed and written by: Jill Hawken Research assistant: Kristen Wood French adaptation: Line Laplante, Monique Brodeur French adaptation assistant: Mélanie Lepage Communications specialists: Andrea Legato and Melanie Slade Layout and design: Philip Wong, Si Design Inc. Copy editor: Simone Graham, Graham Communication Strategies Editors: Jeren Balayeva, Rachael Millard, Jackie Reid Preliminary research: Marni Harrington; assistant: Rachael Millard © Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network 4 Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network • Foundations for Literacy Primary Blue: pantone 648 CMYK: 100, 88, 38, 34 Primary Orange: Pantone 151 CMYK: 0, 51, 98, 0 Secondary Red: Pantone 710 Secondary Orange: Pantone 7408C Secondary Blue: Pantone 631 Secondary Green: Pantone 376 Table of Contents Introduction ..............................................................................................................9 What you will find in this kit .......................................................................................10 How the print resource is organized ...........................................................................10 The importance of teaching reading and writing ......................................................11 Exploding reading myths .............................................................................................12 Summary .......................................................................................................................14 Getting ready .........................................................................................................15 Effective reading and writing instruction K-W chart .................................................16 Becoming an informed consumer of research knowledge ........................................17 Keeping up to date with research ..............................................................................17 Evidence-based practice .............................................................................................18 Recognizing good research ..............................................................................................19 Levels of research ......................................................................................................19 Key sources of evidence-based research ...........................................................................20 Summary .......................................................................................................................21 Being knowledgeable about language ......................................................................23 Research findings on teachers’ knowledge of language ..............................................23 Table of core language competencies for teachers ......................................................25 Chart of phonetic symbols for 43 phonemes in English ..............................................27 Chart of morphemic layers of the English language ....................................................28 Articulation .....................................................................................................................29 Articulation chart for consonants ...............................................................................29 Summary .......................................................................................................................30 Foundations for Literacy • Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network 5 Reading and writing development: Model of reading development ........................................................................................31 The goal of literacy ..........................................................................................................31 The cognitive “Framework A” .........................................................................................32 Components in the development of literacy ...................................................................35 1. Concepts about print / print awareness .................................................................36 The evidence ........................................................................................................36 Explicit instruction of print awareness ...................................................................37 2. Connecting speech sounds to print / decoding .....................................................39 The evidence ........................................................................................................39 2a) Letter knowledge .................................................................................................39 The evidence ........................................................................................................40 Explicit instruction of letter knowledge .................................................................40 Assessment of letter knowledge ...........................................................................41 2b) Phonological awareness .......................................................................................41 The evidence ........................................................................................................42 Explicit instruction of phonological awareness ......................................................42 Assessment of phonological awareness ................................................................43 2c) Phonemic awareness ............................................................................................43 The evidence ........................................................................................................44 Explicit instruction of phonemic awareness ...........................................................44 Sample phoneme manipulations ...........................................................................45 Assessment of phonemic awareness .....................................................................45 2d) Understanding the alphabetic principle ...............................................................46 The evidence ........................................................................................................46 Explicit systematic phonics instruction ..................................................................47 Synthetic phonics instruction ...............................................................................47 Examples of phonics assessment ..........................................................................49 3. Vocabulary building .................................................................................................51 The evidence ........................................................................................................52 Implications for teaching vocabulary: indirect learning .........................................52 Implications for teaching vocabulary: explicit, direct instruction ............................53 Sample vocabulary-enriching activities ..................................................................54 Examples of vocabulary assessment ......................................................................54 6 Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network • Foundations for Literacy 4. Reading
Recommended publications
  • Literacy Policy
    LITERACY POLICY SCHOOL INFORMATION ST GEORGE’S LOWER SCHOOL August 1, 2016 Authored by: Mr. T Edwards, Assistant Head Teacher RUTH MISKIN AND OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS HAS SELECTED ST GEORGE’S LOWER SCHOOL AS ONE OF A SMALL GROUP OF MODEL SCHOOLS. WE WERE CHOSEN BECAUSE OUR CHILDREN CONSISTENTLY MAKE OUTSTANDING PROGRESS THROUGH OUTSTANDING TEACHING. TEACHERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY VISIT TO LEARN FROM US. ANDREW SELOUS, MP, TWEETED, “VISITED ST GEORGE’S LOWER SCHOOL IN LEIGHTON BUZZARD & SAW FANTASTIC PHONICS TEACHING, HELPING THE CHILDREN READ.” READ, WRITE, INC. Read, Write, Inc. Phonics is an inclusive literacy programme for all children learning to read. It is aimed at children reading at Year 2 Emerging or below and teaches synthetic phonics. Children learn the 44 common sounds in the English language and how to blend them to read and spell. The scheme includes both a reading and a writing focus. Reading is the key that unlocks the whole curriculum so the ability to efficiently decode is essential. The R.W.I sessions are expected to occur each day with no exceptions, as the continuity and pace of the programme is key to accelerating the progress of children’s reading development. Physical Education and Sport Activities Policy 15/16 1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To teach children to: apply the skill of blending phonemes in order to read words. segment words into their constituent phonemes in order to spell words. learn that blending and segmenting words are reversible processes. read high frequency words that do not conform to regular phonic patterns. read texts and words that are within their phonic capabilities as early as possible.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is Phonics? Adapted From: Elish-Piper L
    NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY | JERRY L. JOHNS LITERACY CLINIC Raising Readers: Tips for Parents What is Phonics? Adapted from: Elish-Piper L. (2009/2010). Information and Ideas for parents about phonemic awareness and phonics. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 31(1), 52-54 Phonics is the relationship between letters and sounds. Children usually learn beginning sounds first, short vowels Readers use phonics to decode or sound out unknown next and then three letter words such as “cat,” “sit” and words. For example, when a reader comes to a word they “map.” Next, children learn about the silent “e” that comes don’t know, they can decode the word letter by letter such as at the end of words and makes a vowel a long vowel, meaning in the example “big” where they would identify the sounds that the vowel says its own name such as /a/ in the word /b/ /i/ /g/ to read the word “big.” Other words may have “tape.” Children also learn about other long vowel patterns as chunks or patterns that they can use to figure out unknown well as blends such as the letters /tr/ /br/ and /cl/. words. For example, when they come to the word “jump” Even if parents do not understand all of the phonics rules and they may identify the sound /j/ and then the familiar chunk patterns, they can still help their children develop phonics /ump/ that they knows from other words such as “bump,” skills. Here are 10 fun, easy activities that parents and “lump” and “dump.” children can do to practice phonics skills at home.
    [Show full text]
  • The Synthetic Phonics Teaching Principles June 2015
    The Synthetic Phonics Teaching Principles June 2015 Teach the relationship between sounds and letters by systematically introducing the letter/s-sound correspondences of the English alphabetic code (e.g. between three and five correspondences per week at first, including vowels and consonants). Start with mainly one spelling for each of the 42+ sounds (phonemes) identifiable in English speech before broadening out to focus on further spelling and pronunciation variations. (Initial teaching takes 2 to 3 years to teach a comprehensive level of alphabetic code; continue to build on this as required for phonics for spelling.) Model how to put the letter/s-sound correspondences introduced (the alphabetic code knowledge) to immediate use teaching the three skills of: Reading/decoding: synthesise (sound out and blend) all-through-the-printed-word to ‘hear’ the target word. Modify the pronunciation of the word where necessary. Spelling/encoding: orally segment (split up) all-through-the-spoken-word to identify the single sounds (phonemes) and know which letters and letter groups (graphemes) are code for the identified sounds. Handwriting: write the lower case, then the upper case, letters of the alphabet correctly. Hold the pencil with a tripod grip. Practise regular dictation exercises from letter level to text level (as appropriate). Provide cumulative, decodable words, sentences and texts which match the level of alphabetic code knowledge and blending skills taught to date, when asking the learner to read independently. Emphasise letter sounds at first and not letter names. (Learn letter names in the first instance by chanting the alphabet or singing an alphabet song.) Do not teach an initial sight vocabulary where learners are expected to memorise words as whole shapes.
    [Show full text]
  • Whole Language Instruction Vs. Phonics Instruction: Effect on Reading Fluency and Spelling Accuracy of First Grade Students
    Whole Language Instruction vs. Phonics Instruction: Effect on Reading Fluency and Spelling Accuracy of First Grade Students Krissy Maddox Jay Feng Presentation at Georgia Educational Research Association Annual Conference, October 18, 2013. Savannah, Georgia 1 Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of whole language instruction versus phonics instruction for improving reading fluency and spelling accuracy. The participants were the first grade students in the researcher’s general education classroom of a non-Title I school. Stratified sampling was used to randomly divide twenty-two participants into two instructional groups. One group was instructed using whole language principles, where the children only read words in the context of a story, without any phonics instruction. The other group was instructed using explicit phonics instruction, without a story or any contextual influence. After four weeks of treatment, results indicate that there were no statistical differences between the two literacy approaches in the effect on students’ reading fluency or spelling accuracy; however, there were notable changes in the post test results that are worth further investigation. In reading fluency, both groups improved, but the phonics group made greater gains. In spelling accuracy, the phonics group showed slight growth, while the whole language scores decreased. Overall, the phonics group demonstrated greater growth in both reading fluency and spelling accuracy. It is recommended that a literacy approach should combine phonics and whole language into one curriculum, but place greater emphasis on phonics development. 2 Introduction Literacy is the fundamental cornerstone of a student’s academic success. Without the skill of reading, children will almost certainly have limited academic, economic, social, and even emotional success in school and in later life (Pikulski, 2002).
    [Show full text]
  • Letter-Sound Knowledge (Phonics) 1 Anne Bayetto, Flinders University
    Letter-sound Knowledge (Phonics) 1 Anne Bayetto, Flinders University What is letter-sound knowledge and why efficient then that students be taught how to spell the is it important? words they are learning to decode. There is an additional challenge faced by teachers of Phonics instruction is an essential component of a students who are learning English, and in English, as comprehensive literacy program because it is a high- there may be differences in letter-sound yield strategy to draw upon when attempting to name correspondence between English and their first words that are not immediately known. All students language. With this being the case phonics instruction need to be taught how to develop increasingly is especially important as it “unlocks a large sophisticated and independent decoding skills. proportion of the system of English orthography” The English orthography is based on an alphabetic (Mesmer & Griffith, 2006, p. 367). Teachers would system of 26 letters and approximately 44 sounds/ understandably make wide use of visuals and other (phonemes) and because the language is opaque multisensory approaches while also encouraging “there are not enough letters of the alphabet to students to talk about, and question, similarities and represent all the sounds of our speech” (Garcia & differences. Cain, 2013, p. 49). However, while learning letter- sound correspondence using a synthetic phonics There is strong research support for the efficacy of approach (introduction to single letter sounds and explicitly teaching alphabet letters because it is moving onto blending the letter sounds) can present deemed to be one of the best predictors of later challenges, there is a high level of predictability for reading achievement (Diamond & Baroody, 2013; how to pronounce sounds in words.
    [Show full text]
  • 24 Sounds, Spelling and Learning to Read an Aboriginal Language
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Sydney eScholarship 24 Sounds, spelling and learning to read an Aboriginal language Caroline Jones,1 Paul Chandler2 and Kevin Lowe3 Abstract Children who are in Australian Aboriginal language programs in revitalisation settings in New South Wales are learning an Aboriginal language at the same time as learning to read in English. Aboriginal languages and English have alphabetic writing systems and Aboriginal language spelling systems are usually more consistent than English. This means it is possible that learning an Aboriginal language spelling system might influence a child learning to read in English. We report on a pilot study where we explored whether learning an Aboriginal language in a revitalisation program at school is related to skill in decoding in English. We worked with 114 English-speaking children from Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal backgrounds in four public primary schools in two areas of regional New South Wales. Two of these schools were running a whole-of- school program in a local Aboriginal language in accordance with the Aboriginal Languages K–10 Syllabus (Board of Studies New South Wales 2003). We found some evidence to support a positive relationship between learning an Aboriginal language in a revitalisation setting and learning to decode in English. We also discuss limitations to our study and the need for further research. Writing systems and learning to read The writing systems used in Aboriginal language revitalisation programs in Australia use an alphabet to write words. Spelling systems (also called orthographies) in revitalisation programs have usually been established fairly recently.
    [Show full text]
  • Thinking Russian Literature Mythopoetically
    The Superstitious Muse: Thinking Russian Literature Mythopoetically Studies in Russian and Slavic Literatures, Cultures and History Series Editor: Lazar Fleishman The Superstitious Muse: Thinking Russian Literature Mythopoetically DAVID MM.. BETHEA Boston 2009 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bethea, David M., 1948- The superstitious muse: thinking Russian literature mythopoetically / David M. Bethea. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-934843-17-8 (hardback) 1. Russian literature — History and criticism. 2. Mythology in literature. 3. Superstition in literature. I. Title. PG2950.B48 2009 891.709—dc22 2009039325 Copyright © 2009 Academic Studies Press All rights reserved ISBN 978-1-934843-17-8 Book design and typefaces by Konstantin Lukjanov© Photo on the cover by Benson Kua Published by Academic Studies Press in 2009 28 Montfern Avenue Brighton, MA 02135, USA [email protected] www.academicstudiespress.com Effective December 12th, 2017, this book will be subject to a CC-BY-NC license. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. Other than as provided by these licenses, no part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or displayed by any electronic or mechanical means without permission from the publisher or as permitted by law. The open access publication of this volume is made possible by: This open access publication is part of a project supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities Open Book initiative, which includes the open access release of several Academic Studies Press volumes. To view more titles available as free ebooks and to learn more about this project, please visit borderlinesfoundation.org/open.
    [Show full text]
  • Phonemes of British and American English
    Appendix Phonemes of British and American English This appendix is designed to be useful to teachers and parents whether or not they wish to use i.t.a. script to help their children to learn to read. Those who do not intend to use i. t.a. will find that this appendix will clarify what are the main units or phonemes of English speech. This will provide a clear guide to what sounds must be distinguished in teaching phonics. If the teacher or parent wishes to use i.t.a., this appendix constitutes a comprehensive set of rules for using i. t.a. spelling to represent the pronunciation of English. But both the i.t.a. teacher and the non-i.t.a. teacher need to know something about i. t.a. in order to get the most out of the guide to phonic sounds given in this appendix. Any code has a two-way function: one direction is decoding, that is, translating the symbols of the code back into the message they are intended to communicate, and the other is encoding, that is, putting a message into the symbols of the code. Similarly, one can explain or describe a code in two ways. One can say, for example, 'this letter represents that sound', which is like decoding. Alternatively, one can describe a code by saying, 'this sound is represented by that letter', which is like encoding. The i.t.a. code has been described in different publications sometimes in the decoding style and sometimes in the encoding style. Each style has its advantages and disadvantages.
    [Show full text]
  • Phonemic Awareness and Phonics in Reading Recovery
    Phonemic awareness and phonics in Reading Recovery It is not uncommon for beginning readers to exhibit challenges in the areas of phonemic awareness and/or phonics. Reading Recovery, based on Dr. Marie Clay’s literacy processing theory, incorporates teaching phonemic and orthographic relationships in every individually designed daily lesson. Phonemic awareness is defined as the ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds in spoken words. Reading Recovery does Phonics instruction teaches children the relationships between the letters (graphemes) of written language and the individual not follow a pre-packaged, sounds (phonemes) of spoken language. scripted, one-size-fits-all approach to literacy learning. Phonemic awareness and phonics are explicitly taught throughout each Instead, as with all daily Reading Recovery lesson within the context of reading and writing components of the Reading continuous, authentic text and only in isolation when necessary. In addition, the writing part of the lesson and initial and ongoing assessments Recovery lesson, phonemic used in Reading Recovery devote special attention to these two critical awareness and phonics components of reading instruction. instruction are systematic in nature and based on close Phonics and phonemic awareness support the decoding component of observation by the skilled the reading and writing processes. While it is necessary to value decoding skills as an important piece of literacy learning, it is equally important to teacher and the strengths and understand that the terms decoding and reading are not synonymous. needs of the child. Decoding in isolation leaves out the critical component of comprehending the meaning in text. Standardized assessment and individualized daily lessons An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (Clay, 2016) provides a standardized, systematic way of capturing early reading and writing behaviors and is the primary assessment tool used in Reading Recovery.
    [Show full text]
  • Sound Alphabet Letters English
    Sound Alphabet Letters English Francesco waring her subcontractor smilingly, she mythologize it externally. Raleigh is unmelodious and unsheathes ceaselessly while complimentary Saxon effulging and embedded. How boozier is Lin when dinky-di and crinkled Gaven justles some scrubland? The rhyme and finally to reduce spam you even seven cycles of a different options, there are related provision for school textbook with your mouth muscles are significant concerns it change the alphabet sound 12 Letters That Didn't Make the Alphabet Mental Floss. English Alphabet and Pronunciation Mylanguagesorg. Vowels and consonants of English Alphabets English Mirror. Phonics Alphabet Keyboard The sounds letters make. Inside Say the purple-words and first sounds Link to associate letter shapes. When letters make sounds that aren't associated with new name. Therefore the spelling and pronunciation of all letters in English are silver These letters generate 44 different types of sounds The guide of. Parent's Pencil Grasp Gripping Guide OTFC. Letter-Sound Correspondences Literacy Instruction for Individuals. All words in the English language have any least one vowel sound in. The colonel in brackets is the Italian name just the consequent letter seem like English letters have names different hue the sounds their represent but is not pronounced. Letter-sound correspondence or the relationship of the letters in the alphabet to the sounds they to is every key component of the alphabetic principle and. English Consonant Sounds IPA International Phonetic Alphabet. English TV presenterjournalist and chief founderpioneer of path now globally. International Phonetic Alphabet Sounds In Everyday Speech Short Vowels IPA Symbol Word examples e Went to send letter.
    [Show full text]
  • Defending Whole Language: the Limits of Phonics Instruction and the Efficacy of Whole Language Instruction
    Defending Whole Language: The Limits of Phonics Instruction and the Efficacy of Whole Language Instruction Stephen Krashen Reading Improvement 39 (1): 32-42, 2002 The Reading Wars show no signs of stopping. There appear to be two factions: Those who support the Skill-Building hypothesis and those who support the Comprehension Hypothesis. The former claim that literacy is developed from the bottom up; the child learns to read by first learning to read outloud, by learning sound-spelling correspondences. This is done through explicit instruction, practice, and correction. This knowledge is first applied to words. Ultimately, the child uses this ability to read larger texts, as the knowledge of sound-spelling correspondences becomes automatic. According to this view, real reading of interesting texts is helpful only to the extent that it helps children "practice their skills." The Comprehension Hypothesis claims that we learn to read by understanding messages on the page; we "learn to read by reading" (Goodman, 1982; Smith, 1994). Reading pedagogy, according to the Comprehension Hypothesis, focuses on providing students with interesting, comprehensible texts, and the job of the teacher is to help children read these texts, that is, help make them comprehensible. The direct teaching of "skills" is helpful only when it makes texts more comprehensible. The Comprehension Hypothesis also claims that reading is the source of much of our vocabulary knowledge, writing style, advanced grammatical competence, and spelling. It is also the source of most of our knowledge of phonics. Whole Language The term "whole language" does not refer only to providing interesting comprehensible texts and helping children understand less comprehensible texts.
    [Show full text]
  • Synthetic Phonics and the Teaching of Reading: the Debate Surrounding England’S ‘Rose Report’ Dominic Wyse and Morag Styles
    Literacy Volume 41 Number 1 April 2007 35 Synthetic phonics and the teaching of reading: the debate surrounding England’s ‘Rose Report’ Dominic Wyse and Morag Styles Abstract of words (i.e., onsets, rimes, phonogrammes, spelling patterns) as well as phonemes. The Rose Report, commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education for England, recommended in During the 1980s and early 1990s in the United March 2006 that early reading instruction must include Kingdom, influential ideas about English teaching synthetic phonics. This paper evaluates the extent to came from intellectual teachers and scholars, whose which research evidence supports this recommenda- work had vision as well as professional and academic tion. In particular, a review of international research into the teaching of early reading shows that the Rose credibility. These intellectuals included Margaret Meek Report’s main recommendation on synthetic phonics (1982), Connie Rosen and Harold Rosen (1973), James contradicts the powerful body of evidence accumu- Britton (1970), Douglas Barnes (1976) and Brian Street lated over the last 30 years. In this paper it is argued (1984). The influence of American socio-cultural that action already taken by the UK government theorists such as Shirley Brice Heath (1983) was also to change the National Curriculum in line with the strong. Rose Report’s recommendations represents a change in pedagogy not justified by research. 1997 marked the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) Framework for Teaching (Department for Key words: literacy policy, literacy research, phonics, Education and Employment (DfEE), 1998). The Frame- reading teaching, synthetic phonics work was a comprehensive document that specified the detailed objectives of literacy teaching for primary classes in England, together with a set format for Background lessons.
    [Show full text]