EDRD 7717 - Module 1 Video

Watch & Learn: Assessing Reading Skills

      The YouTube video showed a struggling reader getting the extra support that she needed to be successful in reading.
      My takeaway from the video was the emphasis on frequent and ongoing assessment to guide instruction.  I believe with my school's new direction with using the Daily 5 and Fountas and Pinnell that we are heading that way.

EDRD 7717 - Module 1 Activity #4

      This year, I am teaching a third grade advanced reading/language arts class.  As it is only going on the tenth day of school, the only reading that I have had a chance to observe has been with the Fountas and Pinnell word lists.  While administering the word lists, I observed the following behaviors from Table 1.1, "Summary of Proficient and Less Proficient Reading Behaviors":
      - Attempt to make what is read sound like language
      - Use a variety of strategies: reread, skip, sound it out
      - Attempt to correct miscues
      - Attempt to identify all the word correctly
      - Rely heavily on graphemes, graphophonemics, and morphemes

      For example, a lot of students miscued on the word lunar by pronouncing it "lun-are".

EDRD 7717 - Module 1 Powerpoint

1. What is the difference between a bottom up and top down approach?
The bottom-up approach focuses on a letter/sound correspondence to construct meaning while the top-down approach focuses on a reader's prior knowledge (background and experiences) to construct meaning.

2. What is the main goal of Title 1 Legislation?  What is the program called?
The main goal of Title 1 Legislation is to make sure that all students are given equal opportunities to learn.  The program is called No Child Left Behind.

3. Why is it necessary to assess a student's home and school life in order to design the most effective program for each special needs student?
It is necessary to assess a student's home and school life in order to design an effective program because you need to gauge the amount of support that the student (and you) will receive.

4. Why is it important to know if an ELL student struggled to read in his or her native language?
It is important to know if an ELL student struggled in his or her native language because it may indicate an underlying learning disability.

5. Why does RTI sometimes replace the discrepancy definition of reading difficulty?
RTI sometimes replaces the discrepancy definition of reading difficultly because it is based in prevention, not diagnosis, of problems.

EDRD 7717 - Module 1 Text & Article Comparision

      Compare the text and the article. Where do the ideas seem to merge? What differences can you discern?

      In my readings for module one, I found a few similarities between the text and my article.  Opitz, Rubin, and Erekson touch on the different models of the reading process in chapter one (2001).  In his article, although Kesler does not implicitly state he uses an interactive model of reading, it can be inferred through the vocabulary building strategies he discusses that he uses a model that emphasizes vocabulary acquisition through multiple encounters with text.  Another similarity between the text and the article is the belief that ELLs need assistance in acquiring academic language (Opitz, Rubin, & Erekson, 2001), which can be done in other modes than language (Kesler, 2010).  Lastly, the text and the article seem to merge ideas over explicit instruction.  Opitz, Rubin, and Erekson define explicit instruction as, "guided by a teacher, who uses different kinds of strategies to help students gain understanding of what they are reading" (2001).  Kesler uses explicit instruction as he does not rely on one strategy to teach vocabulary to his students (2010).

      Aside from the similarities, there were also differences between the text and the article.  The text is geared more toward reading diagnosis and improvement, while the article just reported on four shared reading strategies to build comprehension.

 

References

 

Kesler, T. (2010). Shared Reading to Build Vocabulary and Comprehension. Reading Teacher, 64(4), 272-277. doi:10.1598/RT.64.4.5

 

Opitz, M., Rubin, D., & Erekson, J. (2001). Reading diagnosis and instruction. (6th ed). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.