Establishing a Balanced Approach to Literacy

Literacy practices that meets the needs of ALL students - especially the most at risk populations.

Module Overview

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
Frederick Douglass

In this module, you will have an opportunity to engage with several key components of a literacy program. You will be presented with several choices that you can use to establish a balanced approach to literacy.

As you engage with these decisions, you'll need to consider the needs of your school and your at-risk student populations. The decisions you make will help guide the development of your action plan.

Thinking Points:

What is the most effective solution for my students and staff - especially the student most at risk?
What area(s) does your school have the most room to grow - especially with students most at risk?

The Simple View of Reading

Regardless of the literacy program you choose for your school there are some basic components that should be included in your literacy program:

Language Comprehension
Word Recognition

Any choice that does not balance these two components will undermine the goal of reading comprehension.

Figure 1: Linda Farrell's The Simple View of Reading

(Farrell et al., 2019)

What is the Simple View of Reading?

Watch Linda Farrell's overview of The Simple View of Reading (Figure 1).

Reading Comprehension

According to Farrell, Hunter, Davidson, and Osenga (2019), reading comprehension is the simple product of language comprehension and decoding.

Response to Intervention (RTI)

In the video, Farrell (2019) points out that grouping Tier 2 students is unwise, because each student may be dealing with totally different issues. Rather further diagnostics need to be used to identify deficits and provide intervention.

Simple View of Reading Components

According to the Simple View of Reading, there are two primary components that lead to reading comprehension: decoding and language comprehension.

Where do you see these components being implemented in your school?

Reflect on Your School

Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Reflect on the following questions concerning your current literacy program.

Is your Tier 1 instruction sufficiently addressing both of the components of Reading Comprehension? (See Figure 2: Simple View of Reading Formula)
Where do you see gaps in your literacy instruction? (See Figure 3: Dr. Hollis Scarborough's Reading Rope)
Are your intervention efforts targeted to deal with specific needs?
Are your teachers trained to recognize the types of deficits possible and select appropriate interventions?
Where do your at-risk populations struggle the most?

Figure 2: Simple View of Reading Formula

(Jiban, 2017)

Figure 3: Dr. Hollis Scarborough's Reading Rope

(International Dyslexia Association, 2018)

Decoding Language

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) documents that there is a strong evidence supporting curriculum that teaches awareness of sound of speech and the correlation with written letters. There is also also strong evidence that student are taught how to decode words.

Students phonological awareness can be raised through systematic phonics instruction and practice decoding words.

The IES also shows moderate evidence that student need to connect what they are learning to daily reading. Which suggests that it is not enough to practice these skills in isolation, but they need practice daily.

Figure 4: Recommendations and corresponding levels of evidence

(Institute of Education Sciences, 2016)

Language Comprehension

Language comprehension is often a forgotten component of literacy programs. Sometime referred to as simply background knowledge, a lack of language comprehension is a true barrier to becoming a reader.

medical-journal.pdf

Figure 5: Journal of Applied Bioinfomatics & Computational Biology

Try This

Quickly Skim the Article (Figure 5) from the Journal of Applied Bioinfomatics & Computational Biology.
What is the main idea?
What is the author trying to convey?

It is likely that you are a competent reader and have no problem ascertaining the main idea in most texts. However, comprehension is more than just decoding the words.

Background knowledge likely limited your ability to comprehend the passage - much in the same way at risk readers struggled do to their lack of exposure to knowledge.

The Baseball Study

Donna Recht and Lauren Leslie's 1988 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology is popularly referred to as The Baseball Study.

In the study, a group of middle school students were asked to read a passage on Baseball and demonstrate comprehension. The study found that students with low reading ability but high knowledge of baseball were able score better than student with high reading skills but low knowledge of baseball.

The conclusion of the study is that knowledge matters.

What role does knowledge play in your reading programs.
What background knowledge do your students need to process in order to be successful?
What background knowledge do your at-risk populations lack?
Are your assessments of reading artificially skewed by a lack of background knowledge?

Figure 6: Baseball Study Results

(Achieve the Core, 2019)

Elementary-School Curriculum Is All Wrong - The Atlantic.pdf

Figure 7: Elementary Education Has Gone Terribly Wrong

(Wexler, 2019)

Elementary Education Has Gone Terribly Wrong

Read Natlie Wexler's Article.

Note: It definitely has a clickbaity title, so as you read consider the author's intention and bias.

Discussion

On the D2L discussion board post a response to the following questions under the post titled Elementary Education Has Gone Terribly Wrong.

What resonates with your thinking?
What challenges your thinking?
Do you agree with her assertion that elementary education has gone terribly wrong?

Teachers & Curriculum

The two components that make up a literacy program involve teachers and curriculum. As you consider the needs of your school - especially at-risk populations, where can you have the most influence?

Figure 8: Moats Teachers not Programs

(Moats, 2013)

Teachers Not Programs

Louisa Moats suggests that the best scenario is a great teacher equipped with a comprehensive curriculum and the support necessary to implement it. We all know that best scenarios are rare, and we are often forced to make tough choices.

Reflect on Your School

Where are your greatest strengths?
- Do you have a staff of amazing teachers?
- Do you have extra funding to purchase curriculum?
- Do you have a balance?
What would make the greatest impact on your at-risk populations?
- Consider relationships.
- Consider background knowledge gaps.

High Quality Curriculum .pdf

Figure 9: High-Quality Curricula and Team-Based Professional Learning

(Learning Forward, 2018)

Lessons Learned

Read Learning Forward's High-Quality Curricula and Team-Based Professional Learning (Modified to shorten the read).

"When all students experience high-quality teaching, they are more likely to learn. When all classrooms are filled with high-quality instructional materials, students are more likely to learn. Establishing these conditions for all learners will help close achievement gaps."

Consider

How would you rate the quality of your instructional materials? What tools do you have to evaluate your materials?
Are you leveraging PLC's to help with team-based learning?
What would create the greatest impact on at-risk populations?

Next Module: Leveraging Team

References

Achieve the Core. (2019, April). Aligning Content and Practice: The Design of the Instructional Practice Guide. https://achievethecore.org/content/upload/Aligning%20Content%20and%20Practice%20-%20The%20Design%20of%20the%20Instructional%20Practice%20Guide_SAP_updated%20April%202019.pdf
Farrell, L., Hunter, M., Davidson, M., & Osenga, T. (2019). The Simple View of Reading. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/simple-view-reading/
Institute of Education Sciences. (2016, July). Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade. U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/wwc_foundationalreading_070516.pdf
International Dyslexia Association. (2018, April). Scarborough’s Reading Rope: A Groundbreaking Infographic. Examiner, 7(2). https://dyslexiaida.org/scarboroughs-reading-rope-a-groundbreaking-infographic/
Jiban, C. (2017, December 19). Simple, but not easy: What we forget about how reading comprehension develops. https://www.nwea.org/blog/2017/simple-but-not-easy-what-we-forget-about-how-reading-comprehension/
Learning Forward. (2018). High-quality curricula and team-based professional learning: A perfect partnership for equity. https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/curriculaPLequity.pdf
Moats, L. [Louisa Moats]. (2013, April 29). MoatsTeachers not Programs [Video File]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1CPZfd6X6w
Neuman, S., Kaefer, T., & Pinkham, A. (n.d.). Building Background Knowledge. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/building-background-knowledge
Reading Rockets. (2014, April 3). Letters vs Phonemes [Video File]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/J608Dbhs6J8
Recht, D., & Leslie, L. (1988). Effect of Prior Knowledge on Good and Poor Readers’ Memory of Text. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(1), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.80.1.16
Wexler, N. (2019, August). Elementary Education Has Gone Terribly Wrong. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/08/the-radical-case-for-teaching-kids-stuff/592765/

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