Heartland AEA Literacy Newsletter

The Science of Reading movement has brought so much change to our schools over the past few years

Many important and exciting changes, but as Dr. Mark Seidenberg reminds us in his Yale Child Study Center Talk, Where Does the “Science of Reading” Go From Here?, we still have work to do to effectively incorporate these principles, practices and research. To do this, we need to focus on not only effective teaching, but effective learning. So how might the science of learning inform our practice?

Here at the slides that accompany Dr. Seidenberg's talk on Where Does the Science of Reading Go from Here?

Where Does the Science of Reading Go From Here?

Mark Seidenberg is a cognitive psychologist and educator who blogs about reading research, education, and the science of reading. He is the author of Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can’t, and What Can Be Done About It.

This guide is to help educators to respond with targeted instruction and distributed practice to high probability reasons students have difficulty getting accurate, automatic and monitoring for meaning in the area of decoding and application to connected text.

The instructional strategies included in this practical guide are evidence-based and can be incorporated into high quality instructional materials or routines currently in place.

Distributed practice definition: a learning procedure in which practice periods for an activity are separated by lengthy rest periods or periods of practising other activities.

Distributed practice, on the other hand, involves students practising something over many different sessions. Therefore, information is learned in smaller increments over time. For example, you could show your students how to complete a problem in class and then ask them to practise the exercise on multiple occasions over the next few weeks at home and in class. Or, a student studying for an exam may choose to study for one hour a day over several weeks.

As with much in the world of literacy and education, phonics instruction has been a hotly debated topic. For the third year in a row, phonics has been considered “very hot” in Grote- Garcia & Ortlieb’s (2023) annual What’s Hot in Literacy survey. Decodable texts are very much tied to phonics instruction as they are the connected text often used to provide beginning readers with practice applying the phonics skills being taught. Decodable texts are texts written using graphophonemic correspondences that have already been learned by the student reading the text. They are typically written in a series that begins with basic correspondences (e.g., consonants and short - a) and progresses through a scope and sequence that includes ever more complex patterns (e.g., digraphs, blends, and long vowels). In this article, we explore the role of decodable texts as part of a comprehensive literacy program. We intend neither to frame decodable texts as a silver bullet solution for per-sistently low literacy scores (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022) nor to vilify them as an inappropriate type of text to which students should never be exposed. As Mesmer (2020) described, we must consider why, when, and how to use different types of texts for beginning readers.Decodable texts, and phonics, have a valuable role in comprehensive literacy instruction. Comprehensive literacy instruction is equitable instruction that addresses all dimensions of reading and writing, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension and the strengths of students’ cultural and linguistic contexts (International Literacy Association [ILA], 2019a; National Early Literacy Panel, 2008; National Reading Panel, 2000). A 2019 ILA brief refers to comprehensive instruction as that which is “responsive to the strengths and needs of individual students, which includes intentional instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics. However, a comprehensive instructional approach also involves oral language development, writing and spelling, and a focus on comprehension” (ILA, 2019a, p. 4). Engaging students in a variety of literacy activities, including authentic reading and writing, is critical for all children, and especially for those who have been historically ignored and marginalized in schools.Throughout the remainder of this article, we describe models of reading acquisition that provide a framework for thinking about the instructional needs of beginning readers. We then discuss the types of texts often used in beginning reading instruction with an eye to both (a) when and for whom various types of text, including decod-able, may be most appropriate and (b) the features whose presence, or absence, should be considered in relation to the overarching goal of providing comprehensive literacy.

A Brief Overview of Models of Reading Acquisition

Considering texts for beginning readers demands that we understand the processes involved in beginning reading acquisition. Skilled reading depends on the complex coordination of cognitive processes central to processing written language (Adams, 1990). When skilled readers process text, they read each of the words with relative ease (Perfetti,1985). Reading words is a highly efficient, automatic process rooted in a robust knowledge of the symbols, sounds, and meanings of words (Adams, 1990). For beginning readers, however, reading words is a laborious process requiring a great deal of cognitive attention.

Texts for Beginning Readers

This article emphasizes the importance of providing beginning readers with access to various types of reading material tailored to different stages of their reading development. It highlights the need for comprehensive literacy instruction and suggests that just as children should receive diverse literacy instruction, they should also have access to multiple types of texts.

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide for Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding recommends daily opportunities for students to read connected text to enhance reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Different types of texts serve different purposes in supporting beginning reading acquisition, and some may be more beneficial at specific developmental points. Predictable texts, characterized by repeated phrases or sentences, are suitable for children with little to no alphabet knowledge. They help in developing print concepts, speech-to-print matching, and early word recognition. Decodable texts, on the other hand, are crucial for children undergoing formal phonics instruction. These texts focus on specific letter-sound correspondences and orthographic patterns, aiding in the development of decoding skills. They are particularly helpful for readers in the partial alphabetic phase, strengthening associations between letters and sounds.

Less-controlled texts offer opportunities for readers with automatic decoding skills and robust sight word knowledge to apply their skills in more authentic reading experiences. Exposure to high-quality, authentic children's literature supports language comprehension, critical thinking, vocabulary development, and cultural sensitivity.

Each type of text serves a purpose at different stages of a reader's development, from building print concepts to advancing comprehension skills. Understanding when to introduce each type of text can significantly support beginning readers as they progress through various stages of word reading development.

Guidelines for Evaluating Decodable Texts

Decodable texts have a place in the beginning reading classroom as they support young students in breaking the code. However, not all decodable texts are created equally. They vary in many features, including the degree of decodability, how sensical they are, the quality of illustrations, familiarity of context to young readers from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and how motivating they are as readers begin to develop a relationship with reading independent of parents and teachers. These features will be discussed in turn next as we seek to lay out the guidelines practitioners can use as they evaluate decodable texts.

Degree of Control - All text in an alphabetic language is decodable to varying degrees. Alphabetic writing systems function on the princi-ple of graphemes, letters, and strings of letters correspond-ing to the sounds of language (Pollatsek & Treiman, 2015). However, English is one of the more opaque alphabetic systems with influences from a variety of other languages and historical changes affecting the spelling patterns. While beginning reading material can be written in such a way to capitalize on the most frequently occurring spelling patterns, many words, including high- frequency words, contain low- frequency spelling patterns. Authentic text is unlikely to be restrained to only phonics patterns to which beginning readers have been introduced. Even when spelling patterns are not of low frequency, such as r- controlled vowels, they may be beyond the scope and sequence that has been learned yet for any given beginning reader. As a result, some texts are written with more control than oth-ers. For example, a text that only included short - a words (e.g., cat, man, and back) would have a high degree of control; in contrast, a text with short - a words as well as other high- frequency, but nonshort - a, words (e.g., yes, on, I) would be slightly less controlled. Moreover, a text with predominately short - a words but that also included words that are signaled by context would be even less controlled (e.g., cat, man, baby, and house). Because of these variations in degree of control, teachers must be highly informed about English orthography (the spelling system) and the scope and sequence of the curriculum they follow to determine whether the control is sufficient to be able to be decoded by a given beginning reader in their class.

Sensical Storyline - When evaluating decodable texts, it's crucial to consider the sensical nature of the storyline. Beginning reading instruction aims to help children understand that reading is about making meaning. Therefore, exposure to texts with sensible storylines is important for reinforcing this concept. Some decodable texts, while controlling phonics patterns, may undermine the understanding of story structure and the necessity of engaging with both the letters on the page and one's mental model of the text simultaneously. A repetitive diet of texts that emphasize only word-calling can unintentionally convey the idea that reading is not meant to make sense. Teachers must ensure that their instruction avoids giving students the impression that some stories are not supposed to make sense, that texts reflect authentic structures, and that students engage with both the text and its meaning simultaneously.

Picture-Text Relationship - Decodable texts are picture books that integrate both words and visual images. Teachers should evaluate the quality of illustrations to ensure they motivate students to read. They must also consider the symbiotic relationship between words and images, avoiding overemphasis on one over the other. While images provide visual representations, text focuses on important details. Sometimes, images confirm or extend the text, while other times they provide humor or irony. Early exposure to both words and visual literacy helps readers engage fully with books.

Motivation - A related construct to consider when evaluating decodable texts is how motivating

they are to beginning readers. Children who read more, read better (Stanovich, 1986); therefore,

teachers should ensure that students are as motivated to read as possible. There are many

factors that contribute to motivation, including choice, collaboration, degree of reading success,

overall confidence, and text interest and relevance (Guthrie, 2015). One of the hallmarks of

decodable texts is that they allow students to have a high degree of success, as they

predominantly contain phonics patterns that have been explicitly taught. That high degree of

success with individual texts typically leads to general confidence in reading. An area of caution

for teachers when evaluating particular decodable texts is in relation to individual students’

interests, and is highly related to the previously discussed concepts of ways of knowing, being,

and reading background knowledge and storyline. While teachers cannot constrain material only

to students’ interests, the text itself must be motivating for students to want to read it, and to

want to continue reading.

Cultural and Linguistic Background Knowledge - When considering comprehension support needs for various decodable texts, it's crucial to align the storylines with individual students' worldviews. Teachers should ensure that the texts they provide resonate with students' culturally and linguistically mediated ways of understanding, reading, and being. This involves presenting texts in a manner that matches students' expectations of how readers interact with text, or explicitly teaching the expected interactions. Additionally, teachers should consider whether students will benefit more from rule-based logic or holistic instructional techniques in learning the alphabetic system, based on their culturally mediated cognition. Selecting decodable texts should also involve taking into account students' languages and language varieties, contrasting and contextualizing heritage and decodable book language. Finally, texts should be nonstereotypical and offer both windows and mirrors for beginning readers, reflecting diverse experiences and identities.

The metaphor used to conceptualize decodable texts in comprehensive literacy instruction likens them to a healthy diet. Just as overconsumption of any one food is unhealthy, relying solely on decodable texts can deprive beginning readers of necessary literacy skills. Instead, a balanced literacy "diet" includes a variety of texts, including decodables, predictable books, and authentic trade books, to develop different aspects of literacy such as decoding, comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking.

While decodable texts are valuable for practicing phonics skills, they should not be the sole focus of literacy instruction. Other nutrients in the literacy diet include exposure to complex texts through shared reading and read-aloud experiences, which build comprehension, background knowledge, and vocabulary. Authentic writing experiences also play a crucial role in strengthening word knowledge through encoding.

In addition to teacher-led activities, children need opportunities to independently engage with texts and develop agency in their reading habits. Providing choice in reading materials, opportunities for sharing, and fostering a culture of reading for pleasure are essential for developing motivated and engaged readers, particularly for marginalized communities.

A comprehensive literacy program should cater to the diverse needs of students, offering a range of reading experiences to support their development across multiple dimensions. Exclusively relying on decodable texts or neglecting them entirely undermines the goal of creating an equitable and effective literacy classroom.

The conclusion emphasizes the importance of integrating decodable texts into a broader literacy curriculum rather than relying solely on them for instruction. It highlights that while decodable texts have a crucial role in early literacy development, they must be used within a comprehensive literacy framework that considers the diverse needs of individual learners. Furthermore, not all decodable texts are suitable for all students, and the expertise of a knowledgeable teacher is essential for effective literacy instruction.

The complete article is linked in the title section.

In a major initiative to empower educators, school leaders, families, and communities in their efforts to support reading, the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) has introduced "The Academy" – a comprehensive platform offering support to use evidence-based tools and resources.

With over two decades of dedication to advancing reading research, FCRR has compiled a wealth of free evidence-based resources aimed at enhancing reading, language, and literacy for all learners in preschool through 12th grade. “And we’re not alone,” said FCRR Director Dr. Nicole Patton Terry. “Our colleagues across the nation and around the world have spent decades, often funded by millions in federal dollars, to discover, develop, and disseminate resources and tools that can be used today to support children’s learning. This represents a significant scientific investment in our nation’s future. It’s time everyone knew about it so they can use it too. The Academy is one way we can help make that happen.”

The Academy serves as a central hub for educators, school leaders, families, and community partners seeking practical, user-friendly materials. The goal is simple – to encourage widespread use of these valuable tools in classrooms, schools, homes, and other settings—anywhere that children are learning.

Key Features of The Academy:

• Free Lessons and Courses: Access a variety of free brief lessons and long courses designed to provide a solid foundation in evidence-based reading instruction. Each resource is carefully curated to ensure relevance and effectiveness in the learning process.
• Quick Tips for Busy Educators: For those seeking quick insights, The Academy offers brief 15-minute lessons that can be completed at one’s own pace. Literacy coaches and school leaders can also use these lessons in their own coaching sessions and professional learning offerings with their teachers. Whether individually or in groups, these lessons provide practical tips to support ongoing learning.
• Job-Embedded Courses in Partnership with Just Read, Florida!: In collaboration with the Just Read, Florida! Office at the Florida Department of Education, FCRR extends its support to practicing teachers, coaches, and school leaders. These job-embedded courses, which provide face-to-face professional learning opportunities facilitated by trained, state-approved instructors, are designed to foster expertise in reading instruction, literacy coaching, and literacy leadership, and may even contribute towards endorsements or recertification.

The guidance outlines some ideas for fostering conversations around “juicy sentences.” The juicy sentence is a strategy developed by Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore, specifically to address the needs of ELLs and accessing complex text, and it is a tool that is useful for helping all students learn to deconstruct and reconstruct sentences, and to understand how different language features contribute to meaning. The guidance includes:

• Information on the value of juicy sentence work for supporting access to complex text for all students
• A checklist of considerations for selecting a sentence for juicy sentence work
• An annotated exemplar sentence
• A model process

More information about Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore’s work can be found in this article.

Sentence deconstruction is a strategy that helps students break down dense and lengthy sentences found in academic texts.Through sentence desconstruction, students identify key points and pieces of information in a complex sentence. Then they break down the sentence into smaller pieces in order to understand it in its entirety.

Academic language uses highly complex sentence structures. These types of sentences often have many details packed into a single sentence, making them complex as readers are expected to retain the details to comprehend the sentence. Teaching students how to understand them develops their academic reading skills in different content areas.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Find a complex sentence in a text that students have read.
2. Model how to list all the ideas and details in the sentence as individual bullet points in your own words. See example below.

3. Re-read the list of details to more fully comprehend the sentence.

4. Have students practice in teams with another complex sentence from the same text.

Lessons Learned

• Use this strategy as a post-reading activity. Students should already understand the concepts and text, so they can focus on the analysis of the complex sentence.
• This is not sentence diagramming. It is a process for deconstructing the sentence for information and details, not grammatical elements.
• Teach students to notice commas, which often signal an additional detail.
• Rather than just writing bullet points directly from the text, encourage students to put each bullet point in their own words so they thoroughly comprehend each detail.
  

Example:

Sentence: Generally, businesses and non-profits that are open to the public as well as state/local governments must allow service animals to go most places where the public can go. This is true even if they have a "no pets" policy.

List of details in students' own words:

1. This sentence is about service animals.
2. Service animals can be in most public places.
3. Service animals are allowed even if there is a "no pets" rule.
4. This rule is for companies, organizations, and governments.

Background information if needed: Service animals, such as guide dogs, are trained to help people with specific disabilities.

The West Virginia Phonics materials have been updated and supporting documents for optimal use of these free supplemental phonics materials and are available for use.

West Virginia Phonics and Word Recognition Standards Companion Educators Guide

The companion is designed to supplement phonics instruction in a way that meets the needs of
individual learners through the orthographic mapping process. This is not intended to be a curriculum, but rather a supplemental tool for educators to use at their discretion. Educators should explore the resources embedded in the companion to support the mastery of West Virginia’s College- and Career- Readiness Standards Phonics and Word Recognition Cluster. In this cluster, students learn to connect their understanding of oral language to written text and to examine simple letter-sound correspondences to more complex spelling patterns following a specific scope and sequence. Accurate word recognition and decoding yield fluent readers with better comprehension. The companion is a working document and will be updated periodically as feedback from stakeholders is received.

West Virginia Phonics Lesson Scope and Sequence

This scope and sequence is a guide for educators to use based on students' needs. It was developed with the understanding that, depending on need, the educator will not necessarily begin with the first skill and move through the continuum, but will start where there is a gap in student mastery based on assessment results. The scope and sequence was developed using the progression of the West Virginia College and Career Readiness Standards as well as research from Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills (20018).

Decodable Readers

Each set of skills includes decodable readers to provide an opportunity for students to apply their learning to connected text. According to Blevin (2016), "What is essential to understand is that a variety of texts is needed in early reading instruction, each with a specific purpose. One type of text cannot meet all the reading demands of our early readers. Therefore, it is important to select texts that match your instructional goals. For example, if you have just completed a phonics lesson and want students to practice using their newly taught phonics skills, decodable text is the most appropriate choice" (p. 155). Decodable readers are texts in which the words are primarily restricted to those with sound/spelling patterns that a child is currently learning or has already mastered. It is important to give emerging and beginning raders multiple opportunities to practice reading phonics patterns both in isolation AND in connected text, to cement those patterns in a reader's long-term memory and create automaticity with orthographic mapping. When reading decodable texts, consider using the following protocol to provide enough repetition for students to develop automaticity with the sound-spelling patterns. This protocol is followed in the skills sets included in this companion.

Read Suggestion
1st Read Educator Read Aloud
2nd Read Echo Read
3rd Read Choral Read
4th Read Partner Read
5th Read Independent Read

Design
Each suggested template provides examples for explicit teaching with educator modeling and guided practice. The structure of the template addresses key components that best support mastery of the standards. The activities are designed to support the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model by Fisher and Frey (2021). Educators may find it beneficial to provide scaffolded support in a way that meets students’ needs and builds confidence by using this model with each activity found in the template.

» ‘I do it’ – the educator shares the purpose of the activity and models his/her thinking.
» ‘We do it’ – the educator scaffolds support to meet an individual student’s needs. Supports might
include guided questioning, prompts, or cues. The supports are provided to set the student up for
success.
» ‘You do it together’ – students are grouped in a way that supports independent learning. Students engage in collaborative conversations to process and solidify their own understanding before working independently.
» ‘You do it alone’ – Students apply their knowledge through an independent learning task.
Each skill set is designed to be approximately 30 minutes in length. However, the activities within each skill set can be modified to best meet the needs of the students. For instance, the activity components can be chunked to split the instructional time, and more time can be spent on one component, etc. Educators should consider the why behind each component of the template to determine how to best use the activities to support students.