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NEW - Explicit Teaching Application - webinar now avaiable
Build Background Knowledge
Build Background Knowledge
(4 minute watch)
Right is a SUPPORTING VIDEO on Prior Knowledge, Background Knowledge
(1 hour 15 minute watch -
OR Start at 50 mins - 1.08)
Above is a SUPPORTING VIDEO unpacks building Background Knowledge.
Background Knowledge
Background Knowledge
By using Deliberate Acts of Teaching (DATS): modelling, prompting, questioning, giving feedback, telling, explaining, and directing we focus learning so that it meets a particular purpose.
Evidence-based, high-leverage practices:
actively teach vocabulary in all classes,
support students to respond deeply to text,
challenge students to compare and contrast items, and
have students read orally (e.g., partner reading, team reading, choral reading, cloze reading) to increase fluency (e.g., accuracy, rate, expression).
Vocabulary: a key pillar of Structured Literacy
Vocabulary: a key pillar of Structured Literacy
Additional resources
Additional resources
Blog on Education Hub: Effective vocabulary instruction link
(15 minute read)
Explicit Vocabulary: Anita Archer explores research-informed strategies for teaching vocabulary, including the 3-tier model and explicit instruction methods.
(20 minute watch)
Pronunciation of Multi-syllabic Passage Words - Anita Archer (2.11 min)
Additional Anita Archer videos of interest
3 Tiers of vocabulary
3 Tiers of vocabulary
What are they?
Image Sourced: Five From Five: What words to teach and when
Building Vocabulary: Semantic Feature Analysis - blog link
Unpacking the importance of vocabulary teaching
Unpacking the importance of vocabulary teaching
The Simple View of Reading emphasises the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. It defines reading comprehension as a product of decoding skills and language comprehension, highlighting the crucial role of vocabulary in this process.
Research on the number of word families and word meanings in school texts, and the average vocabulary size of students at the end of their schooling, suggests that students learn around 3,000 words per year. However, it's important to note that this figure is a subject of ongoing debate among researchers, who argue that it should be seen as a minimum expectation, not a final target.
Source: Nagy, W., & Anderson, R. (1984). How many words are there in printed school English. Reading Research Quarterly, 19, 304-330. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/747823 - Sourced from Education Hub Blog
Vocab Instructional Routine Practice
Vocab Instructional Routine Practice
Created by Cluster 28, adapted from various sources.
The Word of the Day
The Word of the Day
A free vocabulary resource for teaching and learning new vocabulary, which can improve writing and reading outcomes.
You can use the search function to look for specific words, request a new word, or download weekly teaching packs.
MORPHOLOGY - The study of word formation patterns and how words are formed by looking at their meaningful parts (Morphemes)—prefixes, roots, and suffixes (e.g., mis-spell-ing).
Note: Morpheme: The smallest meaningful unit of language. A morpheme can be one syllable (book) or more than one syllable (seventeen). It can be a whole word or a part of a word such as a prefix or suffix. The word ungrateful contains three morphemes: un, grate, and ful.
Resources for the classroom
Resources for the classroom
There are a range of pay for and free items. This is not an exhaustive list, merely SOME places to start.
How to teach Writing, Spelling & Grammar by Dr Christine Braid - NZ
iDeaL Learning Approach - Learning Matters - NZ
Liz Kane The Code - NZ
Sounds Write Initial Code, Extended Code - NZ
Tātai Angitu - NZ Massey University
The Syntax and Grammar projects - Ochre Education - AUS
The Root Repository - website Note: A PDF of the latest Root Card will be added each Sunday. Please note that only the current week’s root card will be available. Example
Visuwords - Online Graphical Dictionary - look up words to find their meanings and associations with other words
Language Structures - syntax and semantics
Language Structures - syntax and semantics
Syntax
Syntax
Syntax refers to the formation of sentences and the associated grammatical rules (Foorman, et al., 2016 ). "Syntax skills help us understand how sentences work—the meanings behind word order, structure, and punctuation. By providing support for developing syntax skills, we can help readers understand increasingly complex texts"
Source: Link
For further "ways to" this blog supports Syntax development in the classroom.
Reading Rockets Blog: What Teachers Need to Know about Sentence Comprehension
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning, the cognitive process of thinking with — and about — words, is not just a part of our students' learning, it's a fundamental aspect. It plays a pivotal role in their ability to understand our instructions, comprehend what they read, and problem-solve effectively.
Dr. Timothy Shanahan blog post, Grammar and Comprehension: Scaffolding Student Interpretation of Complex Sentences.
Reading Rockets Blog: Comprehension in depth
The study and understanding of grammar—the system and arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses to form proper sentences. The word "syntax" comes from the Greek word "syntaxis"? It means "arrangement" in English.
It's interesting to note that the arrangement of words can vary significantly between languages. For instance, English generally follows a subject + verb + direct object (SVO) order. For example, “Elena kicked the ball.” Syntax allows us to understand that we wouldn’t write “Kicked Elena the ball.” Whereas Japanese often uses a SOV (subject-object-verb) word order. Te reo Māori is termed a VSO (verb-subject-object sequence) language, as exemplified in: I haere / a Mere / ki te kura. (“Went / Mary / to school.”) or Ka patu / te tama / i te poro. (“Hit / the boy / the ball.”)
Agility with Sound - SL & decodable books for older students
iDeaL Learning Approach - Learning Matters - NZ
The Syntax and Grammar projects - Ochre Education - AUS - Free
How to teach Writing, Spelling & Grammar by Dr Christine Braid - NZ
Reading Science in Schools - Sentence: scope-and-sequence - AUS - Free
Image source: PROMOVA link language learning app for mobile devices
SEMANTICS - The study of the meaning of words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs.
Semantics can include:
Synonyms
Antonyms
Shades of Meaning and Connotations
Homophones
Homographs
Homonyms
How using context can help determine the meaning of a word
The introduction of new vocabulary can take place in a variety of ways, including via direct instruction during Structured Literacy lessons, through the use of Shared Books, and the exploration of topics. This new vocabulary must be reviewed regularly.
Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science - Dr Louisa Moats (below) -
Image source: Research Gate
Anita Archer - Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Manual
Anita Archer - Video's of various parts of lessons unpacked for Vocab/Background knowledge unpacking
Literacy knowledge
Literacy knowledge
(5 minute watch)
What is a genre?
What does genre mean? What are some examples of genres in literature and film? Professor Ehren Pflugfelder answers these questions using examples from popular movies, literature, and everyday life. The short video is designed to help high school and college English students to not only identify genres of various art forms but also to analyze their structure and purpose..
Literacy Knowledge in Action
Literacy Knowledge in Action
Literacy Knowledge includes Print Awareness
In the early years this includes;
understanding that print relays a message.
knowledge about book orientation and directionality of print.
book handling (e.g. holding a book right way up, turning pages)
emerging knowledge of the alphabet.
awareness of books, pages, words and letters.
As students develop their understanding, literacy knowledge begins to include learning about concepts such as fiction, non-fiction and genre. Learning about genre is inportant as students learn what to anticipate in a certain style of text e.g figurative language in a poem or scienific terms in an information text.
Created by Dr. Shelley Blackwell, SLP.D, MTSS Literacy Support Specialist, with a doctorate at the University of Kansas Medical Center with a focus on dyslexia and professional learning.
Literacy Through Language is a website packed with resources and insights.
Comprehensive Overview: Gain a deep understanding of structured literacy, its principles, and its importance in effective reading instruction.
Expert Insights: Learn from leading experts in the field through curated articles, videos, and research-based strategies.
Practical Tools: Access a variety of resources and practical tools to implement structured literacy practices in your classroom.
Support for All Learners: Find strategies tailored to meet the diverse needs of all students, ensuring every learner can succeed.
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