Reading K-3

Phonemic Awareness

• Phonemic Awareness is the understanding of each individual sound in the spoken language.
• Children need to understand sounds in the spoken language before applying it to reading.

How to teach phonemic awareness

• Some ways this can be taught in a classroom can be:
• Grouping letters that start the same
• Understanding beginning and ending sounds
• Combining or breaking up each sound in a word
• Using syllables in a word.

Phonics

• Phonics is understanding not only the relationship between letters of written language and individual sounds of the spoken language, but why it occurs.
• Some phonics is from understanding how the sounds blend together, but some need to be memorized.
• Phonics can begin to help students read, write and start the process of comprehending

Phonics cont.

• Phonics can be taught two different ways:
• Systematic is planned instruction. This allows students to apply their phonic knowledge, by writing/reading sentences.
• Explicit is precise direction. This allows students to improve on letter recognition, comprehension and reading.
• This process should take students about two years.

Fluency

• Students who are fluent readers are showing the ability to read quickly and accuratley.
• They are spending less time sounding out words and beginning to comprehend what is being read.
• Best way to help students become fluent readers is to have them repeatedly read passages orally.

Types of repeated reading

• Student-adult reading: reading one-on-one with a teacher who provides guidance and feedback
• Choral reading: when a group reads the same passage together
• Tape-assisted reading: reading along with or mimicking an audio-taped book
• Partner reading: reads with a partner who is a more fluent reader, can assist with guidance and feedback

Fluent readers can...

• Read to themselves
• Sound natural when reading out loud
• Comprehend what is being read
• Start to understand where to pause when reading

Vocabulary

• Vocabulary can either be spoken or read. They are words that we know to help us communicate.
• Students have an easier time with written vocabulary if their spoken vocabulary is strong.
• It's easier for students to put comprehension in reading if they already understand the meaning of the words being read.

Indirect vs. direct teaching

• Vocabulary can be taught indirectly or directly
• Indirect teaching:
• Students can start to understand new vocabulary through conversations
• New vocabulary can be taught through listening to someone else reading. The reader should stop at to explain new vocabulary and have conversations about vocabulary and context.
• When a student reads on their own

teaching vocabulary directly

• Specific word instruction: when words are taught individually
• Specifying certain words before reading can help with comprehension and understanding of the new word
• Being able to engage with the new vocabulary
• Repeated exposure with new vocabulary through readings and conversations

comprehension

• Comprehension is to understand what is being read. If someone is not understanding what they are reading, then they are not really reading.

COmprehension

• Students need to be able to monitor their own comprehension. They need to understand what they know, what they do not know and how to solve their problems
• They can use different organizers like a graphic organizer. This allows students to put a picture or diagram to the text
• Semantic webs can help connect different concepts together

comprehension

• Students should be able to generate and answer questions about what they read. By generating questions, students have an understanding if they can answer it confidently. This allows students to determine how much of the reading they have comprehended
• Students can also summarize the reading into their own words.