Literacy Now

Being able to name the letters of the alphabet is the best predictor of beginning reading achievement, even though knowing the names of the letters does not have a direct impact on a child’s ability to read.

As a literacy consultant in more than 100 kindergarten rooms over the past 30 years, I have found many kindergarten teachers befuddled by the fact that their children could name all the letters of the alphabet and a phoneme often associated with each of the letters but could not read or write.

I explain that without meaningful writing and reading activities, children see no reason to go beyond naming letters to writing letters and eventually learning the alphabetic principle (sound to letter relationships). Children actively construct their own literacy learning about phoneme–grapheme correspondences when they engage in the process of meaningful writing  in a writing workshop based on the research of Graves and Cambourne’s Conditions.

Then I proceed to show teachers how children engage in writing and how I guide them during the process. I particularly want to demonstrate a very useful strategy that I devised when I noticed children struggling to remember the formation of a certain letter. I call it the “ABC Song Strategy.” It is sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (see my video here for demonstrations and details).

This ABC Song Strategy has worked almost every time for kindergartners except for directionality mix-ups that require a “moving model” of the letter’s formation. However, the ABC Song Strategy does need frequent reinforcement, especially in the beginning of the year. That is why we practice it every day a few times in the “Alphabet Time” of Getting Ready for Writing Workshop.

“I love the emphasis on singing the ABCs often; one student who I worked with needed to sing the song to find a letter for a sound in almost every word she wanted to write,” says Jeni Tyjeski, a preservice kindergarten teacher. “As the semester went on and she put more sounds with written letters, we sang the song much less frequently, but she knew if she forgot what the letter looked like she could always sing the song. Watching this child develop as a writer from hesitant and reliant on my guidance to bubbly and full of ideas was incredible!”

Although being able to name the letters of the alphabet is important, being able to write the letters at will and connecting them to a sound, also known as “invented spelling,” is even more important. Invented spelling is the very best predictor of reading, and it allows children to begin to know meaning before they know how to actually spell a word.

Arlene C. Schulze is a longtime reading teacher and specialist. She holds a lifetime degree in elementary education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a master’s degree in reading from the University of Wisconsin, Steven’s Point (UWSP). She has been a K–2 literacy consultant for three school systems in North Central Wisconsin and a literacy instructor in language arts and reading at UWSP for many years. She is the author of the book Helping Children Become Readers Through Writing. Currently she is tutoring struggling readers in northern Wisconsin.

Social media changed the face of classroom instruction in ways we could have never imagined. Today, access to lesson plans, templates, and graphic organizers is easier compared with the days we anticipated the arrival of Highlights magazine.

Let me establish a scenario for you. I reluctantly embrace social media through Twitter. Some of my younger colleagues eagerly embrace Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. I enjoy reading scholarly journals as a means to consider instructional possibilities. My younger colleagues, however, go to Teachers Pay Teachers as their means to discover new instructional possibilities.

Teachers Pay Teachers offers convenience. Someone has already labored over—and theoretically found success from—the construction of instructional materials and resources. With a nominal fee, teachers can readily access and employ resources that might have, otherwise, taken hours to create.

Pinterest, as another example, offers expediency. Teachers can spend a night in front of a screen sorting, tagging, and pinning potential ideas for tomorrow’s instruction and feel accomplished. Further, several new teachers feel Pinterest is often their saving grace in a time of need.

Case in point: A young teacher has not yet developed his or her capacity to instruct with whole-class novels, like Walk Two Moons. Using Pinterest, a young teacher can turn to activities on literary elements, story arcs, or symbolism (as examples); find literal comprehension questions; and locate templates that students can use during their reading. In other words, Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers offer immediate solutions and a tremendous state of relief. Who can argue with relief? Instant access on Pinterest is quite different from the hours I spent cuddled up in the corner of the school library combining Highlights for ideas on how to teach Among the Hidden.

The conflict regarding social media’s role in the classroom, to me, is not availability or access, but investment, but the personal investment—the intellectual stock—in one’s teaching career.

Let’s consider financial investment. 

In 2015, I spent roughly $1,000 in professional texts and journals, not including the seemingly unlimited resources available through Twitter and blogs. I consider reading as an investment in one’s professionalism. Reading inspires innovation. Inside the journals, texts, and blogs are my notes that include clarifications, realizations, and innovations.  The next instructional idea is always taking shape. After lessons, I couldn't help but think about how kids responded and what adaptions I could make. 

I have a friend who, in 2015, spent more than $1,000 on Teachers Pay Teachers. He had worksheets for every lesson, all aligned with the Common Core. But I’m not so sure he became a better teacher. Even when we collaborated, I was never quite sure he built off anything he learned. In other words, I know he scored the worksheets and graphic organizers, but did he really aim for deep learning?

Personal investment and devotion to instructional design lasts because of the creativity you bring to the table and the authenticity of your instructional intent. I am afraid “Pinterest-based” strategies displace the pride of originality with the veiled satisfaction of having fulfilling a task. With the instruction developed through practice and adapting evidence-based strategies, you have a constant, interactive method of learning. I cannot say I’ve had same feeling applying “Pinterest-based” strategies.

Many of us already feel our autonomy and creativity is displaced by demanding policies. The greatest asset every teacher has is his or her creativity and originality. Enhancing your creativity by studying evidence-based strategies, collaborating with peers who challenge traditional thinking, and reflecting on implementation of your student-specific strategies will create the confidence and autonomy you desire. Does Pinterest or Teachers Pay Teachers offer you that same opportunity?

Justin Stygles is a fifth-grade teacher at Guy E. Rowe Elementary school in Norway, ME. He has taught for 13 years at the intermediate level and in various summer program settings. He is currently working on a book with Corwin Literacy about self-conscious emotions.

Although many students eagerly await summer as a time to move away from books, it’s actually the ideal time to move toward them. During these vacation months, young people have free time and choice, luxuries that open the door to exploration of the written word. However, after months in school of being told what to read and when, many kids are resistant to hitting the books. After more than a decade in education, I use certain practices to dissipate this resistance and get children reading.

Provide choice

Reading is often seen as a chore because students are asked to read about topics that don’t excite them. During the summer, allow kids to choose what they want to read. Kids who are typically reluctant readers often will become consumed by books on subjects they’re passionate about.

Layer in complexity

Help students to pursue their interests by suggesting they read a variety of texts and points of view on their preferred subject. Most curricula encourage students to compare and contrast readings and read paired text for good reason: This practice gives students a deeper understanding of a topic and builds their critical thinking skills. Over the summer, practice this widening of view with diverse text and a variety of media.

Think outside of the (book) box

Don’t limit summer reading goals to just books. For many students, magazine and newspaper articles are a great option to get started with daily reading and to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end, having learned something new. With shorter articles on topics they’re excited about, students may be willing to make the effort to read more challenging text.

Keep in mind that any reading is good reading

During the school year, students are told what to read as a class and often their independent reading choices are limited to their level. Allow for more freedom and fluidity over the summer. Comic books and graphic novels count. If your middle schooler wants to revisit his beloved Captain Underpants from elementary school, let him. Reading only elementary books all summer wouldn’t be a good idea, but one won’t hurt and still maintains the reading practice.

Add interaction

Although independent reading is necessarily a solitary activity, there are ways to make it social. Adults love book clubs as a forum to discuss what’s on their minds after a great read, and kids feel the same. To add in this social element and move themes and questions off the page, parents could read the same articles or books that their kids choose, so they could discuss the text together. Parents or teachers could organize in-person or online book/article groups to give kids some accountability for finishing reading by a certain date and to give them a chance to discuss their perspectives.

Add incentives

Intrinsic motivation is ideal and comes from providing choice, but extrinsic motivation helps, because there will be no grades and probably no due dates over the summer. Parents, teachers, or both can devise reward systems for their children and students, and many organizations sponsor free online summer reading contests and activities. ReadWorks, Zinc Learning Labs, and Newsela all offer summer reading programs in a variety of formats.

Make reading a habit

Most of us strive on structure when it comes to sticking with new or challenging activities. A reading practice is no different. Summer reading is easier when families set a regular no-screens reading time that ideally the whole family or at least one parent participates in. Just like with athletic training, you should start with a realistic goal and then add on as reading becomes more regular. Just like you wouldn’t ask a 3K runner to be ready for a marathon next week, don’t expect a child who is used to very little independent reading to start off with two hours a day. Be sure to set a goal that can be accomplished in the sweet spot of discomfort: not so much that the reader wants to give up, but enough that she’s growing.

Remember to have fun

All too often school and assigned reading are seen as drudgery with little real-world relevance to students. Summer independent reading should feel like the opposite! This opportunity to get kids reading what they’re interested in and what is relevant to them has the potential to completely shift their relationship with reading in the fall, so be sure to keep this in mind with positive, encouraging energy!

Colette Coleman graduated from Yale University and entered the world of education in 2005 as a middle school teacher in Los Angeles through Teach For America. She earned her master’s degree in education and taught at an international school in Indonesia. She then moved out of the classroom to support schools in the implementation of new education technology and is currently in New York City working as the Director of Community Engagement at Zinc Learning Labs, an online reading program for middle and high school students.

Many elementary schools are expanding literacy blocks in an effort to improve reading achievement. Teachers work with guided reading groups while other students work independently, often at a literacy center. Although specific activities may vary, the common thread is the colossal amount of work that students are not doing during this time. Such was the case at the school just outside Winston-Salem, NC, where Valarie Hazel, a 23-year veteran of public education, teaches.

Wasting time and opportunity

Most of the students here read below grade, some significantly. Perhaps as a consequence, many have become expert at avoiding work, usually quite loudly. Arguments are frequent and impassioned, even when the stakes are meaningless—a prolonged squabble over possession of a book that neither student intends to read or extended debate regarding whose turn it is to go first.

Valarie, a fourth-grade teacher, was frequently interrupted in her small-group instruction to redirect disruptive students. Transitions between centers were lengthy and chaotic. Much of her instructional time was consumed with managing student behavior.

Data-empowered, not data-driven

“I had been using materials from the resource room,” Valarie explained. “I just worked with what we had.” Because only a few of Valarie’s students read on grade level, the activities were simply too difficult. “They didn’t want to try because the work was too hard.” She could support students’ on-grade level efforts during guided reading groups, but independent work required tasks at which they could succeed in her absence.

Using a variety of assessment data, Valarie determined each student’s literacy skills and deficits, which dictated what activities she included in the centers. She tapped the wealth of free, reproducible resources available online, printing and cataloging dozens of learning games that reinforced a range of skills. This enabled her to quickly change out tasks as students developed greater competencies.

At each center, students tracked their progress. At the fluency center, for example, students logged the date, the title of the reading passage, and their words per minute for each of three turns. Although this can be used as an external accountability measure, its real value is allowing students to register an immediate payoff to their center work.

Logistics

For every activity, Valarie replaced complex instructions with kid-friendly language. These instructions were included with each center but only for reference purposes. Before placing an activity in a center, “I put the game on the Promethean board, and we all played it together. Then I made enough copies [so students] could practice in groups.” Only when she was convinced that students could administer the centers themselves did she allow them to work independently.

She created a rotation schedule and placed it where everyone could see it. Names of centers were inserted in a clear, plastic pocket chart. As students cleaned up from one rotation, Valarie moved the center names to a different set of students for the next rotation.

To further limit the opportunities for disruption and to increase time on task, Valarie shifted from student teams to student pairs. The smaller the group, the less downtime each student had between turns. Using her assessment data, she paired students who were within a few reading levels of each other, changing the pairings as student abilities changed.

Teachers with larger classes may assume they lack the necessary space for 12 or 14 centers, but none of the activities require an area larger than two desktops. Most are stored in pocket folders that the students retrieve from a box at the front of the room. Others, like the game Boggle, remain in their original boxes but sit on the same shelf.

Valarie accepts that students who have never been asked to self-regulate require continual practice. Further, disengaged students often need a personally relevant reason to persist at an activity, and so she may need to work individually with students to set literacy goals that are supported by their center work. Great teaching is not a place at which you arrive but a constant process of becoming.

Deb Teitelbaum joined the faculty of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching in 2011. She holds a PhD in Educational Administration & Policy from the University of Georgia. She also taught high school English and theater in Lombard, IL, for 11 years, during which time she attained National Board certification. She is also on Twitter.

John Y. Dater School has immersed itself in the world of R.J. Palacio’s Wonder for four years. Its message has become part of the fabric of our school. We have even taken one of the quotes from the book and adapted it to use as our school motto, which hangs in every classroom and office. Now, every day we begin with the Pledge of Allegiance as well as a Dater fifth-grade student reminding us all to “Work Hard and Be Kinder Than Is Necessary.”

As part of the fifth-grade reading workshop curriculum, every student enjoys Wonder as an interactive read-aloud—I highly recommend it for upper elementary school students. Although its target audience is children ages 8–12, it is a great read for adults as well. Wonder is about a boy named August who was born with a major facial disfigurement. He begins attending school in fifth grade after being homeschooled. Through multiple perspectives, the story tackles important issues such as bullying, kindness, bravery, and friendship. The book’s impact on our school transcended its role as a simple assignment. 

Last summer I discovered the Choose Kind Classroom Challenge and became immediately excited about having Dater participate in this national movement. The challenge is part of the Choose Kind anti-bullying initiative that grew from Wonder, as explained by Palacio. I introduced the challenge to the teachers at our school as an optional classroom activity and provided each classroom with a mason jar and 50 marbles. We introduced the program during the first six weeks of school as we focused on building classroom communities. Almost every teacher welcomed the challenge in their classrooms, and within a month the jars started coming back down to the office filled with kindness marbles!

Although I was hoping that a few of our classrooms would participate and become one of the first 500 schools to become Certified Kind, I was overwhelmed with pride when 25 Dater classrooms received this designation. In fact, one of our Choose Kind classrooms was chosen to receive a special video message from Palacio. The students and teacher in this classroom requested the message be for the entire school rather than their individual classroom. They wanted to recognize the efforts of all of the students and classrooms at Dater School rather than the spotlight being solely on them. What a kind gesture that was!  We were able to surprise the students with the video we received from Random House at April’s schoolwide Spirit Day assembly.

The impact of our participation in this challenge has been tremendous. We now have 25 Choose Kind banners hanging around the school to remind students that we are a Choose Kind school. Kindness is ingrained in our school values and gives us a common language to use when discussing character development and prosocial behaviors with students. I am grateful to Palacio for writing such a powerful book about kindness and to Random House for creating and promoting such an important challenge for our schools. 

What I like about this particular anti-bullying initiative is that it is proactive and focuses on promoting positive behaviors rather than highlighting anti-social behaviors that should be avoided. In today’s schools and society, teaching students to tolerate “others” is not enough. We must hold ourselves and our students to a higher standard of celebrating everyone and always remembering to “choose kind.” 

Andrew Matteo is principal of John Y. Dater School in Ramsey, NJ, which educates all of the fourth and fifth graders in the town's public school system.  Matteo taught elementary school for seven years in Glen Rock and also served as the principal of Central School, Glen Rock, NJ.  He is currently pursuing his PhD in Teacher Education and Teacher Development at Montclair State University.