Reading Continuum
Word Level
Word Level Knowledge /PROGRESSION POINTS AND STANDARDS /
0.5 / 1.0 /
DESCRIPTORS
Students 'read' aloud independently and respond to simple, illustrated continuous print and electronic texts about familiar events with some high frequency words, oral language patterns and repetitive phrases and sentences. / Students match print and spoken text in their immediate environment. They read aloud simple print and electronic texts that include some frequently used words and predominantly oral language structures. They use context and information about words, letters, combinations of letters and the sounds associated with them to make meaning, and use illustrations to extend meaning.
WORD LEVEL KNOWLEDGE
Indicators of Progress Throughlines
· Students select their own written name, read aloud the written names of some children in the class by using the first letter of the name or other distinctive visual features of the word, and may confuse words that have the same letters.
Students start to use terminology such as letter, word and sentence. / · Students combine letter sound knowledge for reading simple, regular, one-syllable, 2–4 letter words with short vowels in various ways. For example, pin, egg, hop, either: (1) by recoding each letter to its matching sound and then blending the sounds; or (2) by selecting one or more first letters and quickly guessing the word.
· Students begin to match written words with some familiar objects and people, for example, they match written names with items in the classroom and show they are aware that a written word can name an object, for example, table, door, window, book. / · Students match written words with familiar objects and people for a greater range of familiar contexts. For example, they match written names with items in the classroom and show an awareness that a written word can name an object.
· Students begin to learn a sight/reading vocabulary by using distinctive visual features in some words and say, for example, them, you, me, come, the, to, look. / · Students continue to build a sight or reading vocabulary. For example, they can read I, here, me, am, with, car, children, not, and, to, will, look, he, up, in, big, go, come, for, you, at, went, get, they, boys. They are less likely to misread frequent words that share one or more letters.
· Students recognise and read words and phrases that are repeated in the text.
· Students combine a knowledge of context (meaning, sentence structure and letters) to read or predict words. For example, they use the context and the initial sounds of a word to predict it when reading aloud. For example, they predict ‘house’ in Sam ran into the house.
Teaching Strategies for Fiction Text
Before
Matching words – using visual features
The teacher writes the title on the white board or assembles it using cards. The students read each word as the teacher points to it. If the words are written on cards, students can select matching words and arrange the word cards in different orders and read each string of words, for example:
They can arrange sets of these cards to say the title.
Readers can be shown the first letter of words on cards and suggest what the word is.
In small groups, children can play card games such as Snap and Bingo in which they recognize the same word.
During
Readers read the text after it has been modelled for them
Studentshear each sentence read and then one or more students read it. They point to each word as they say it.
Understanding the Vocabulary
Students work on the meanings of unfamiliar words:
After / Before
During
Readers read silently incomplete sentences made using the word cards and select the card that finishes them. For example:
They discuss how the first letter in a person’s name is a capital letter.
Some of the key words are written on the whiteboard and /or on cards and students read them. They can select the words that finish each sentence.
Some of the word cards are arranged into incomplete sentences and students read them silently and suggest or select the missing word.
After
The students review key vocabulary, the new word meanings they learnt and suggest synonyms for them.
Students identify the new words they have learnt by reading the story.
PROGRESSION POINTS AND STANDARDS /
1.25 / 1.5 / 1.75 / Standard 2.0 /
DESCRIPTORS
Students independently read and respond to short continuous print and electronic imaginative and informative texts that include familiar ideas, several lines of text per page, longer sentences and illustrations that provide a moderate level of support. They can read common high frequency words. They use relevant phonological and phonemic knowledge for one-syllable spoken words and can segment words of three sounds according to the syllable before the first vowel (onset) and the syllable from the first vowel onward (rime). / Students independently read and respond to continuous print and electronic texts with some high frequency words and illustrations providing minimal support. They read common high frequency words without hesitation. They use phonological and phonemic knowledge for one-syllable spoken words of up to four sounds and can blend strings of up to three sounds into words. / Students independently read and respond to short print and electronic imaginative texts that describe familiar ideas, and informative texts about known topics. They read an increasing number of common high frequency words without hesitation. They suggest synonyms for words in the text and possible meanings for unfamiliar words by using its context, the shape and one or more of the letters in it. They use phonological and phonemic knowledge for one or two syllable spoken words of up to five sounds and can blend strings of up to five sounds into words. / At Level 2, students read independently and respond to short imaginative and informative texts with familiar ideas and information, predictable structures, and a small amount of unfamiliar vocabulary. They match sounds accurately to a range of letters, letter clusters and patterns, and work out the meaning of unfamiliar phrases and words in context.
WORD LEVEL KNOWLEDGE
Indicators of Progress Throughlines
· Students say aloud one- and two-letter onsets and two-letter rime units that have predictable short vowel sounds, for example, ip, et, without recoding each letter separately; they can say these onset and rime units automatically.
· Students read unfamiliar one-syllable regular words with predictable short vowels by segmenting them into onset and rime, saying each unit and blending. Examples of these words are set, lap and bus. / · Students read aloud two- and three-letter predictable rimes and two-letter onsets and use these to read relevant unfamiliar one-syllable words by recoding and blending. / · Students read 2–4-letter predictable rimes including regular vowel–vowel and vowel–consonant digraphs, and two- and three-letter onsets including consonant–consonant digraphs.
· Students use these to read relevant unfamiliar one-syllable words by recoding and blending.
· Students read automatically sight or reading vocabulary taught earlier without hesitation and add to this. / · Students read automatically one-syllable regular words and sight vocabulary taught earlier. / · Students read automatically one-syllable regular words and sight/reading vocabulary taught earlier.
· Students use word reading strategies based on this knowledge.
· Students read unfamiliar words by making rime and onset analogy with known words. / · Students read 2–4 letter irregular rimes and use these to read relevant, unfamiliar one-syllable words by either: (1) recoding and blending onsets and rimes; or (2) making rime and onset analogy with known words, e.g., I know that ‘play’ will help me with ‘stay’.
· Students use word reading strategies based on this knowledge.
· Students recognise syllables in familiar two-syllable words and use these to read unfamiliar two-syllable words by analogy. For example, forget/forward .
Teaching Strategies for Fiction Text
Before
Modelling Reading
Reviewing Key Words
They review by reading some of the key words on the cards made the previous session.
During
After / Before
Some of the key wordsare written on the whiteboard and /or on cards and students read them
During
Some of the key wordsare written on the whiteboard and /or on cards and students read them
After / Before
During
After
Some of the key words are written on the whiteboard and /or on cards and students read them. / Before
During
After
Manipulate sound patterns
Students manipulate sound patterns in one-syllable spoken words in more complex ways. For example: they delete, insert and substitute sounds in spoken words.
Students read 2 – 4 letter irregular rimes and use these to read relevant unfamiliar one-syllable words either by recording and blending onsets and rimes or by making rime and onset analogy within own words.
Teaching Strategies for Non Fiction Text
Before
Focusing on written words and parts of words
Some of the key words are written on the whiteboard and /or on cards and students read them.
During
After / Before
Reviewing key words Students review by reading some of the key words on the cards made the previous sessions.
During
The students focus on reading the written words and parts of words
They identify which words on the cards are on the pages. They select other key words that haven’t been written on cards and make cards for these.
After / Before
During
After
Reviewing Reading
They review by reading some of the key words on the cards made in the previous sessions.
Understanding Reading
Students are encouraged to reflect on their reading by asking question, for example:
§ What things can you do to help you to understand what to do when you read?
New wordsand synonyms for words.
Key vocabulary and unfamiliar words
Students work on the meanings of unfamiliar words / Before
During
After
Using Familiar and Unfamiliar words
Students recognise syllables in familiar two-syllable words and use these to read unfamiliar two-syllable words by analogy. For example, clean - cleaned
PROGRESSION POINTS AND STANDARDS /
2.25 / 2.5 / 2.75 / Standard 3.0 /
DESCRIPTORS
They identify words in a text that describe particular characters and events. They read texts that have some unfamiliar vocabulary and work out the meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases in unknown contexts. They suggest synonyms for familiar words and phrases / . They read accurately two and three syllable words of high or moderate frequency. / They attempt the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases in unknown contexts using their knowledge of written language structures and textual features. They read two and three syllable words of low frequency. / At Level 3, students read and respond to an increasing range of imaginative and informative texts with some unfamiliar ideas and information, vocabulary and textual features.
WORD LEVEL KNOWLEDGE
Indicators of Progress Throughlines
· Students independently: (1) read accurately familiar three-syllabic words by integrating morphographic and graphophonic strategies for known patterns; and (2) show that they are aware that word meanings are subject specific; they can discriminate between science words and art words when given relevant texts and are aware that the meaning of a word may vary depending on the topic for which it is used. / · Students read less familiar two- and three-syllable words and work out their possible meanings: (1) for isolated words, they use morphographic features and analogy with known words; and (2) for words in prose they also use information sources such as the semantic and grammatical contexts of the words. / · Students read unfamiliar two- and three-syllabic words in prose and attempt their meanings using morphographic semantic and syntactic knowledge.
· Students read isolated two- and three-syllabic words using their morphographic and graphophonic analysis strategies, for example, they become aware that they can strip off suffixes to link with words they may know. They learn that ‘tion’ can be removed from nouns to show the related action, for example, attraction -> attract, station -> stay and that ‘ness’ can be removed from words to show the related adjective, for example, tidiness -> tidy. / · Students read accurately familiar multi-syllabic words by integrating morphographic and graphophonic strategies.
· Students are aware that some word stems convey meaning, for example, they analyse ‘export’, ‘deport’, ‘portable’, ‘porter’ and ‘car port’ and guess that ‘port’ is linked with moving or carrying something. / · Students identify word stems that are words and use these to work out the meanings of unfamiliar words.
· Students review and automatise what they have learnt about morphographic units and how they can read and predict the meanings of words using them.
· For unfamiliar three-syllable words, they identify the morphographs and predict which vowel(s) will be destressed.
Teaching Strategies for Fiction Text
Before
Reading ‘silent letter patterns’
Read 1-syllabic words that have ‘silent letter patterns’ and link those with the origin of the words eg.writer, write
During
After / Before
During
Suggesting synonyms
Students suggest synonyms for some content words’ and say in their own words what they know about the text so far.
Students suggest possible synonyms for key words
After / Before
During
Suggesting Synonyms
Suggest synonyms for words.They review the synonyms for key words in the chapter, and:
§ use them meaningfully in sentences;
§ explain what they mean, in their own words; and
§ suggest opposites.
Analyse the categories of words that come up in the chapter
After / Before
During
After
Infer meaning of new words
Students integrate strategies to accurately read two-syllable words, to predict then establish meaning.
Teaching Strategies for Non Fiction Text
Before
During
Summarising the main events in the text
Students use all of the words to make a sentence
After / Before
During Suggesting Synonyms
Students write a word that means the same as given words or phrases
After / Before
During
After
Awareness of Antonyms
Readers show an awareness of antonyms by using word lists from the text and the cloze activity.Students identify the antonyms to new words eg. deep – shallow, near – far, warm – cool