Workshop 10
Extended Time in Reading-Related Instruction for Children with Persistent Reading Difficulties
Speaker:
Kay Mathews Davis, Director, Community Education and Volunteer Services Center, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Portland, Oregon
Moderator:
Ann O’Leary, Policy Advisor to the Deputy Secretary, Office of the Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
Abstract:
Supplementary instruction can be a significant and targeted enhancement to classroom instruction if the reading instruction is time-limited, planned and delivered in a manner that makes connections to the daily experiences of the child. Intervention should not be deferred until the third or fourth grade, after a child is well behind his or her classmates. Children who are having difficulty learning to read generally do not require qualitatively different instruction from children who are not having difficulty. Often, what is needed is application of the same principles by someone who can apply them expertly to individual children who are having difficulty for one reason or another.
This workshop will focus on research and activities related to literacy acquisition for students experiencing persistent reading difficulties. The presenter will discuss the findings in the National Research Council report as they relate to extended reading time and activities for children experiencing reading difficulties. The role of reading specialists and the importance of high quality classroom instruction also will be discussed. Participants will be encouraged to engage in active discussion about early intervention strategies, resources, and supplementary instruction related to reading.
Notes
In Attendance:
Approximately 60 (50 from SEAs, 5 from LEAs, 1 school person, and 5-6 reading specialists)
Ann O?Leary started the session by discussing the major findings regarding extended-time from the NAS report. She reminded the audience that ?children who are having difficulty reading do not need qualitatively different instruction from children who are ?getting it.??
Features of Successful Extended Learning Time Interventions:
Extended Time in Reading-Related Instruction for Children with Persistent Reading Difficulties
Kay Davis began by providing some background to NWREL and the Lab's role in the America Reads Challenge. Recently the Regional Labs just completed a series of workshops for people who train literacy tutors and they also just awarded 61 subcontracts to local tutor training partnerships to assist America Reads sites enhance the quality of their work.
Kay pointed out a ?USA Today? Snapshot from the previous day that indicated the percentages of Americans who own a library card is directly correlated to increases in salary scales.
This shows the importance of reading and the opportunity to read in our nation.
People who work with students in the extended time hours need to have a good view the reading process and how readers process text:
As a demonstration of this way of thinking, Kay asked the audience to try writing their notes with the opposite hand. Effects are that a person loses concentration on what is being said (content) as they try to capture the process of the task. This is what students with a difficulty in learning reading experience.
Example-Nonsense Word Story Kay asked a member of the audience to read aloud a nonsense word story about ?Gimp and Moopy? from an overhead. As the person read, we could see how assumptions about sounding words out and parts of speech were essential for us to make any sense of the tale.
Following the story, she asked the audience a series of content questions. The audience realized that these questions depended upon meanings and parts of speech they assigned to the words in order to make sense of it.
Through our experience-syntax gives us lots of clues. For example, word order gives meaning (prepositional phrases).
In working with students in extended learning time, it?s important for the adults to be in touch with the process and the intended outcomes for student learning.
What kinds of questions promote active reading? (When reading with a student)
Cause and result, categorize, relate, predict, etc.
Show students they do know about language:
Ask questions related to configuration and vocabulary building, nouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives, adverbs, categorizing, physical connections to words.
Kay summed up the workshop by restating the importance of implementing research-based activities related to literacy acquisition for students experiencing persistent reading difficulties. Through her examples, Kay provided substantive and concrete ideas for high quality classroom instruction and the role of reading specialists in extended hours.
Ann O?Leary then reviewed the findings in the National Research Council report as they relate to extended reading time and activities for children experiencing reading difficulties.
Extended Time in Reading-Related Instruction for Children with Persistent Reading Difficulties
Susan presented an overview of the initiative ?Read-Write-Now? (RWN) that is currently underway through the Department of Education. RWN is a summer reading program that asks children to read 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, 1 day with a reading partner adult, the initiative also encourages children to get a library card. RWN works with the teacher to identify areas needing focus for students in their reading process.
Last year, there were 60 sites nation-wide, at least one in each state. Once they set up volunteer tutors who can also serve as reading partners, schools can use the free booklet of activities to implement the summer reading program.
In addition, Ready-Set-Read is a new initiative for children from birth-6 years old. It provides a free calendar of activities for families and day-care givers to help children develop an enjoyment for reading in the early years.
?Simple Things You Can Do? is a publication that outlines basic steps in setting up community partners and what and how they can get involved in children?s reading.
Also, a new item, ?Compact for Literacy? is to help homes and schools better focus their partnerships.
How do we get these items?
1-877-4-Ed-Pubs or call 1-800-USALEARN
How does the Federal Work Study deal work for America Reads?
This is handled through institutions of higher education. Call the universities in your town, go to the financial aid officer or registrar to get them signed up.
As a wrap up side note, Ann informed the audience that ED is still pushing for reading legislation that will bring up to $260 million to the field.
Also, Lynn Spencer from Office of Educational Research and Improvement briefed the group on the ?21st Century Community Learning Centers? grant program. Based on collaborative relationships between the school, community-based organizations, businesses of the community, and other agencies, CLC?s provide students after-school program opportunities to experience enriched learning, recreation, the arts, and technology courses to site a few. Reading tutoring is clearly an activity that would naturally take place in a CLC. The program last year distributed 99 grants to support 321 Centers in 36 states. It has received bipartisan support and also gained financial backing from the foundation community-especially the C.S. Mott Foundation which has committed $55 million over the next five years for the effort.
The Moderator then led a discussion section of the session in which she asked tables to share ?What are some innovative uses of extended learning time you are implementing in your state, district, or school?