This refers to the reader’s ability to develop control over surface level text processing so that he or she can focus    on understanding the deeper levels of meaning embedded in the text.

2. Describe the three dimensions of reading fluency that enable the reader to comprehend the text

-Accuracy in word decoding-readers must be able to sound out the words in a text with minimal errors

-automatic processing- readers need to expend as little mental effort as possible in the decoding aspect of reading so that they can use their finite cognitive resources for meaning making

-prosadic reading- the reader must parse the text into syntactically and semantically appropriate units

3. How can these three dimensions of reading fluency be assessed?

-word decoding- calculate the percentage of words a reader can accurately decode on grade level material

-automatic processing- this can be done by looking at the student’s reading rate

-prosadic reading- this can be done by listening to a student read a grade level passage and then judge the quality of the reading using a rubric that scores a student on the elements of expression and volume, phrasing, smoothness, and pace

4. How can we, as teachers, help our students developed reading fluency?

By using assisted reading and repeated reading. Students need to hear what fluent reading sounds like.

5. Rasinski cautions against misunderstanding the aim of fluent reading.  How might an overemphasis on reading fluency be detrimental to a child’s reading development?

Some schools only aim for helping children to become fluent readers is to have them “pick up the pace”. This teaches kids to emphasize speed over meaning and corrupts the concept of reading fluency.

6. Describe the Multidimensional Fluency Scale.

a. Expression and Volume

b. Phrasing

c. Smoothness

d. Pace

Accessing accurate, relevant knowledge, managing mental processes during reading within the confines of a limited working memory and constructing a coherent mental representation through pruning and organizational processes.

2.Specify the effect that backround knowledge may have on contructing mental representations from informational text. Why should teachers be concerned about activating prior knowledge?

Extensive discussions about student’s experiences can lead to inaccurate or limited recollection of the text.

3.What are the three instructional approaches that can be used to help primary grade students comprehend informational text? Describe their common an distinctive features.

1. picture walk

2. know- want to learn-learn

3.directed reading- thinking activity

-commanalities: an emphasis on reader engagement and social mediation, activation of relevant prior knowledge, and anticipation of what information might be likely to be included in a text

4.What is the purpose of the experimental study report?

To explore how the pw, kwl, and drta might influence developmental reading abilitie and content acquisition when used with informational text in the primary reading group context.

5. Who were the subjects?

31 second graders in two demographically similar schools, in the same school district, in a mid west city

6. Describe the reading materials used during the intervention.

For each lesson, texts were selected on informational topics that were familiar to second grade students. They addressed science topics that they had been taught about. Each week they used three different informational texts totaling 12 texts during the study

7.How long did the experiment last?

Data was gathered over 10 weeks during which two four week periods of intervention were conducted. There were 12 days of intervention in each cycle.

8.Describe the procedures specific to the Picture Walk, KWL, DRTA, and the control group conditions.

Picture Walk-brief overview was given, interactive discussions went on as they worked through the book talking about the pictures and text structure, questions were asked to generate discussions, attention was drawn to new vocabulary words, then finally children mumble read the text independently

KWL- a group KWL chart was made, then questions were generated about that topic, table of contents were discussed, then children mumble read the entire text, then post-reading discussions are held, children make a personal KWL chart

DRTA-predictions are made before reading based on the title, cover, prior knowledge, next they mumble read text independently, brief discussions are held after each section of text is read and then they generate new predictions

Control Condition-before reading the same over view was presented, children then mumble read text independently, that was then followed by drawing a picture and/or writing about something they would like to share with the group based on the text.

9. Which treatments were found to be more effective in increasing students’ vocabulary knowledge and maze performance?

All intervention groups made vocabulary gains. Both the PW and DRTA had significant effects on the maze. The KWL and control procedure proved least effective in facilitating fluent reading and micro level comprehension.

This refers to the fact that first grade teachers must provide reading instruction for everyone, while simultaneously addressing individual differences among their students.

2. What are the three critical components of learning to read?

-attend to individual sounds within words

-decode printed words by matching letters to sounds

-automatize decoding of word-level processing so that the mind can concentrate on the meaning of what is being read

3. List the four tasks that the first grade teacher can use to assess individual children’s reading ability during the first week of school. Describe what each task is used to assess?

-alphabet (lower case)

-concept of wod in text

-spelling (phonem awareness)

-word recognition

4. What are some of the challenges of small-group instruction that face students and teachers?

-children’s self esteem can be harmed by placement in a low-reading group

-children who are “locked” into a low reading group placement across several grades can fall significantly behind their peers in reading

-the practice of ability grouping presents classroom teachers with significant organizational and management problems.

5. How does SOR differ from round robin reading in guiding children’s contextual reading?

SOR is a small group teaching routine that can be adopted for use in first or second grade. It involves 3 aspects- previewing and echo reading, partner reading, and expert reading. Round Robin reading only involves a student reading a few sentences, then another child takes a turn reading a few pages and so on.

6. Describe the developmental sequence of word study instruction. What does the continuum consist of? Why is it recommended that teachers follow such a sequence of instruction?

First the teacher has to understand the content or developmental continuum of word study instruction. Next, they must be able to determine where individual students need to be instructed along this continuum. Last, the teacher must develop a method of procedure for teaching the various letter sound relationships and spelling patterns.

7. How could you assess where a beginning reader is at on the continuum of word recognition skill?

Analyze children’s invented spellings.

8. Decsribe word sorting activities to teach beginning sound consonants and short-vowel word families.

Beginning Consonant Sounds-

-practice sorting picture cards into colums by beginning consonant sound

-next they attend to the sound letter pairings

Short-Vowel Fams

-groups would sort 12 short a words into three rhyming patterns

-next the teacher models how to sort 1 or 2 short a words under the appropriate header

-finally the children take turns sorting the remaining words cards, reading down the column each time they sort a word

9. What skills does word sorting help develop in beginning readers coupled with word games and spell checks?

-helps first grade readers master the high frequency short and long vowel patterns

-children can begin to make sense of other spelling patterns they come upon in contextual reading.

-it “brings into focus” critical spelling patterns that are within the learners developmental grasp

-eventually leads to the important goal of fluent reading

10. What is instructional pacing? What factors were found by Barr to affect effective pacing?

-pacing refers to the first grade teachers skill in guiding his or her students through a set of graded reading materials

-factors found:

-difficulty of the classroom reading materials

-time allocated to reading instruction

-# of low readers in the classroom

-the teacher’s  years of experience teaching first grade

It was that students will learn the pronunciations and meanings of new words better when they see spellings of the words during study periods, than when they do not.

2.Who were the subjects?

2o second graders enrolled in an urban school with a large minority population, almost all were at a second grade reading level.

3.What were the experimental conditions?

Each student was taught the pronunciation and meanings of 2 sets of 6 concrete nouns. Spellings were shown as students learned one set. Spellings were not shown as students learned the other set. During learning, the words were not only defined, but also embedded in different sentences to clarify meanings and connections to other words.

4. What did the treatment involve?

In the treatment, the following steps were employed to teach vocabulary words. An initial study trial occurred first. The six words, their spellings, and their meanings were introduced. For each, a card was displayed with a drawing of the object named by a noun and a spelling printed beneath the picture. The experimenter pronounced the word and its definition and the student repeated them. The remaining trials tested students’s recall of the words pronunciations and meanings. All 6 words were tested on each trial.

5. Which group (spelling present vs. spelling absent) gained more in vocabulary learning? How were the group’s recall of pronunciations affected by the treatment?

Spelling Present gained more in vocabulary learning. The spelling present group benefitted more.

6. Why do you think that fifth graders who were high on a word reading task benefitted more from the spelling aids than thier peers with less orthographic experience and knowledge, even though the two groups did not differ on receptive vocabulary knowledge?

Maybe because higher readers had better knowledge not only of grapho-phonemic units, but also of larger syllabic spelling units than lower readers, and this gave the higher readers an advantage in forming connections to store multisyllabic words in memory.

7. What general conclusions were derived from the study findings by the authors? What implications were offered for vocabulary learning and instruction?

That the field of vocabulary learning and instruction has neglected an important skill that facilitates vocabulary growth once children learn to read and spell words.

Learning the spellings of words provides a big boost in learning thier pronunciations and meanings.

-Look at the cover and read the title.

-Who is in this picture? (Frog and Toad)

-What are they doing? (Riding a bike together)

-It looks like they are having fun doesn’t it?

-I’m going to read a chapter called “Cookies”.

-What do you think Frog and Toad are going to do in this chapter? (They will probablly be baking cookies)

You’re predicting that they will bake cookies. Lets read and find out.

First Stop: pg. 31

-Was your prediction correct? (It was partly correct. Only Toad baked cookies)

-What did Toad do with the cookies after he baked them? (He brought them over to Frog so he could eat them too)

-Now what do you think they will do next? (They will eat more cookies and then have to bake more of them)

Second Stop: pg.35

-You predicted that Frog and Toad would continue to eat more cookies. Was your prediction correct? (Yes!) You also predicted that they would run out of cookies and have to bake more. Was that prediction correct? (No, they still have lots of cookies left)

-What problem are Frog and Toad having with the cookies? (They can’t stop eating them.)

-What did Frog say that he and Toad need to have to quit eating cookies? (They need to have will power)

-What did Frog say will power was? (It is trying hard not to do something you really want to do)

-Do you think Frog and Toad will be able to stop eating the cookies? (Probably not) Why or why not? (Because they taste too good)

Third Stop pg.39

-You predicted that Frog and Toad would not be able to quit eating the cookies. Was your prediction correct? (No) What happend instead? (They tried to hide the cookies so they wouldn’t be able to eat them anymore)

-Where did they try to hide the cookies? (In a box, then a box tied with string, then they tried putting the box high on a shelf) Did these hiding places work well? (No) Why or why not? (Because they could still get to the cookies and eat them)

-What do you think will happen next? (Maybe they will find a really good place to hide them so that they will not be able to get to them)

Fourth Stop: pg.41

-Was your prediction correct? (My prediction was partly correct. They did get rid of the cookies, but they did not hide them, they gave them away instead)

-How did Frog and Toad end up getting rid of the cookies? (They put them outside and gave them to the birds to eat)

-Did Frog and Toad end up having will power? (Not really, because now that the cookies are gone Toad is going home to bake a cake)

-Do you think Frog and Toad will have the same problem with eating the cake like they did with eating the cookies? (Yes, they will want to eat all the cake now that the cookies are gone)