Enhancement Newsletter 1
/Enhancement Newsletter
March 2008 / Volume 1, Number 7
In This Issue
- Enhancing Phonics for Reading
- Vocabulary Strategy Review
- March Activities Checklist
- ELL CornerTemplate Practice and Observations
- Sound drills
- Rapid Reads
- Vocabulary Templates
- Planning for Vocabulary Instruction
- Ashlock Consulting Information
On January 29th, the Oregon Reading First Center had the great opportunity to host Ann Watanabe in a phone conference on enhancing the "Phonics for Reading" program. The Center will be putting together a module compact disc with on Ann's presentation, enhancement materials that we have gathered, as well as videos of Ann working with students. This may be available as soon as March, thanks to Jeanie Mercier-Smith and Trish Travers who are putting this together. There areThere are currently some enhancement helpfultools tools to be used with Phonics for Reading posted on the Oregon Reading First website under program-specific enhancements. In the meantime, here are some highlights from that session:
- Assessment: be Be sure to give the placement test before starting the program. We want students to be successful, and the placement test will ensure that students experience success.The placement test can also be used as Use the placement test as a pre- and post-test for groups of lessons listed on the sections of the placement testfor sections. Do the checkups every 3 to 4 lessons; criteria is 90% of the class passing.
- Entry tasks: as As students settle in their seats, have a reading task ready for them to do. Five by five grids of sounds or sight words, sound drills from previous lessons, 'Rapid Reads,' or lines of practice from previous stories are all ways to give extra practice as well as managing behavior while you wait to start the lesson.
- Celebrations: quick Quick praise can be given many ways, but should not take more than a second or two so as not to impact instruction time. Here is a link to some 'cheer cards' that can be given out quickly for positive reinforcement:
At any time, please let Rachell or Pat know of any concerns, problems, or suggestions so that we can incorporate those ideas into future newsletters!
Also, please contact Doris Baker regarding any questions or suggestions you have about the ELL corner. / Vocabulary Review: Teach the Meaning of Critical, Unknown Vocabulary Words
Review with your teachers the steps in teaching Tier 2 words:
Step 1: Introduce the word
- Write the word on the board.
- Read the word. Students repeat.
- Repeat for unfamiliar words.
- Tell students an explanation, or
- Have the students read the explanation with you.
Step 3: Illustrate the word with examples
- Concrete Examples
- Visual representations
- Verbal examples
- Option 1: Deep Processing Questions
- Option 2: Examples and Non-Examples
- Option3:Students Generate Examples
- Option 4: Sentence Starter
Contact Us
/ March Activities
Kindergarten
Make sure that the target sound for each week is clearly displayed as a focus in the classroom
Use student data to place students in instructional focus groups and plan instructional focus for each group (Module 6). Design short term targeted teaching based on student data.
Observations by coach: Cards #3, #11, #12
Template Cleanup Practice Grades 1, 2, and 3 next page
At any time, please let Rachell or Pat know of any concerns, problems, or suggestions so that we can incorporate those ideas into future newsletters!
Also, please contact Doris Baker regarding any questions or suggestions you have about the ELL corner.
March Activities (continued)
Reminder: If you are interested in getting enhancement training for your new core program, contact Rachell Katz. / Grade 1
Observations by coach: Cards #10, #13, #12
Grade 2
Observations by coach: Cards #10, #16
Grade 3
Observations by coach: Cards #10, #16, #17
Grade 1
Use student data to place students in instructional focus groups and plan instructional focus for each group (Module 6). Design short term targeted teaching based on student data.
Template Cleanup Practice
Grade 2
Use student data to place students in instructional focus groups and plan instructional focus for each group (Module 6). Design short term targeted teaching based on student data.
Template Cleanup Practice
Grade 3
Use student data to place students in instructional focus groups and plan instructional focus for each group (Module 6). Design short term targeted teaching based on student data.
Template Cleanup Practice
SEE THE ATTACHED INFORMATION REGARDING 12 DAY EXPERT TRAINING STARTING MARCH 4TH. REGISTRATION CLOSES FEB 29TH!
ELL Corner
What is a student friendly definition? A student friendly definition may mean something different for an ELL than for an English only student. Some Tier 1 words (words that all students should know) may be words that ELLs don’t understand. For example defining the word “protect” as “keep safe from injury, damage or danger” might confuse an ELL who does not know the meaning of the words “injury, damage, and danger”. You may want to say: “Protect means to keep safe. For example: I wear a raincoat to protect myself from the rain. I keep myself safe from getting wet. You can also say: I protect my doll in a box because I don’t want her to get dirty, or: A mother bird can protect her baby birds under her wings (show a visual). A mother bird can keep her baby birds safe under her wings.”
Key to increasing vocabulary development is ensuring that ELLs not only learn the meaning of words, but have the opportunity to use newly learned words frequently. Thus, teachers should make sure to reward students that use the newly learned word in the appropriate context. If students used the word appropriately but not in a grammatically correct sentence, make sure you rephrase the sentence so everybody in the class can hear the use of the word in a grammatically correct sentence. This will allow everybody in the group to hear the use of the word. It also helps ELLs improve their English language proficiency.
Sustainability of Enhancements and Lesson Maps
Lesson Maps for New Core Programs Now Available
Houghton Mifflin Reading (ver. 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008)
Harcourt Trophies Reading (ver. 2003, 2005, 2007)
Macmillan/ McGraw-Hill Reading (ver. 2003, 2005)
Macmillan/ McGraw-Hill Treasures (ver. 2007)
Scott Foresman Reading (ver. 2004, 2007, 2008)
Scott Foresman Reading Street (ver. 2007, 2008)
Please email Rachell at if you are interested in getting training in a new program. If we have enough people interested we are going to try to schedule a training with Jennifer Ashlock in Oregon.
ELL Corner
ELLs in kindergarten and first grade can be grouped with other students that have similar reading needs based on their winter assessments. For example, ELLs, with a deficit in phonemic awareness can participate in all phonemic awareness activities in homogenuous groups with English only students. However, teachers and instructional assistants may want to overemphasize the sounds they are practicing when using the templates. For example, ELLs might benefit from sitting close to where they can see the teacher’s mouth and hear the teacher pronouncing the sounds very clearly. Keep in mind that kindergarten and first grade ELLs may have never heard or recognized sounds that don’t exist in their native language (e.g. Spanish-speaking ELLs may have a hard time recognizing all the sounds the letter “a” makes as in coat, maze, paint, bean, etc. In Spanish the letter “a” makes only the r-controlled /a/ sound as in “car”.
Second and third grade ELLs should also be grouped with other students according to results of their DIBELS data, Phonics Screener, and Theme Skills Test. However, ELLs need additional practice on vocabulary building and comprehension strategies. Pre-teaching vocabulary and word walls that provide student-friendly definitions, and a picture of key words in the readings are particularly helpful. Also, ELLs will benefit from additional practice in comprehension strategies using text that is at or below their instructional level. The main purpose is for them to generalize the comprehension strategies to any text they read. For example, students can practice summarizing a story from a decodable book, or change the ending to a story they are very familiar with. This additional practice doesn’t only help ELLs develop better comprehension, but it also provides them with an opportunity to develop important language skills.
Oregon Reading First