Reading In My First Grade Classroom



Reading In My First Grade Classroom

Laura S. Southard

I currently teach first grade at a Pre-K-5 elementary school. Providing students with an environment that is conducive to learning and promotes student success are two main goals I have established during my four years of teaching. My classroom is very inviting for students in that they feel a sense of comfort and confidence in their daily routine. As the classroom teacher I model and encourage my students to read for enjoyment. According to Cunningham and Allington (2003) "children don't become readers unless they have the time, materials, models and motivation." It is my ultimate goal to ensure my students are provided with the motivation and means to become successful readers.

On a daily basis I use a variety of instructional methods to meet the various individual needs of my students. Within my classroom I use whole group instruction, small group instruction, and individual tutoring to provide high quality reading instruction. During instruction I model and provide explicit instruction with reading strategies, decoding skills, comprehension, and fluency. It is of extreme importance to provide balanced explicit instruction that encourages time for students to apply their newly learned reading skills and strategies. In doing so, reading, writing, and word study will work collaboratively to enhance the students' reading achievement (Routman, 2003).

Assessments:

Assessments are on going and always directly linked with instruction. I use the assessments to evaluate the students as it pertains to their strengths and weaknesses, so that I may provide reading instruction that is differentiated and appropriately paced. Pacing is the other vital aspect in classroom instruction (Tyner, 2004). Students need time and patience from the teachers to be able to develop as fluent readers. By determining where my students are academically, I then can provide adequate paced instruction that best fits their individual needs.

Formal and informal assessments, reading materials, word study, and reading instruction are all a part of my daily routine within the classroom. Conducting assessments is extremely important in diagnosing a student's individual ability and needs in phonemic awareness, oral reading, and word recognition. By using the results from the assessments, I can plan and implement instruction that meets the students' individual needs. In doing so, each student has the means to grow as a reader.

Within my classroom I use both formal and informal assessments to diagnosis where my students are in reference to their reading levels and word study knowledge. The assessments provide the classroom teacher with imperative information on a student's prior knowledge and ability in phonemic awareness (associating sounds with letters), oral accuracy, and their automaticity with sight words. By using the information gathered from the assessments, the students can then receive high quality reading instruction that aids them in expanding their knowledge so that they may become competent readers (Tyner, 2004).

In Rockingham County we use the 1-2 literacy assessments to assess each student's capabilities in reading, word recognition, and spelling. Ann Duffy-Hester provided a work session to train us in the implementation of the literacy assessments recently adopted by our county. Through the use of the Primary Spelling Inventory I can assess the student's phonemic awareness knowledge in the way he/she associates sounds with letters. The running records are administered to assess a student's accuracy and rate during the reading of a text. Lastly the word recognition tests are given to assess a student's automaticity (ability to recognize words with speed and accuracy). By using the Primary Spelling Inventory, the running records, and the word recognition tests I can determine each student's instructional level in each area.

The Primary Spelling Inventory developed by Francine Johnston, assesses each student's phonological awareness in how well they represent the letter/sound relationship (Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, & Johnston, 2004). Robb (2003) found that a high correlation exists between phonological awareness and learning to read. Other researchers have also concluded that phonemic awareness "is one of many emergent literacy skills children need in order to experience success when learning to read (Robb, 2003). By using the Primary Spelling Inventory I can determine each student's level of awareness as it relates to the relationship between sounds and letters. Another important study discovered that "phonemic awareness is a more potent predictor of reading achievement than vocabulary or listening comprehension (Tyner, 2004). If a student has difficulty representing sounds, then I administer the phonemic awareness supplemental assessment that includes: a rhyming task, a concept of word task, an alliteration task, and an alphabet knowledge task (recognition and production).

To administer the running records I use specific text chosen by the state of North Carolina to assess each student's oral reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. The texts are based on the Reading Recovery book levels that many schools use during reading instruction. If the child can read the text with 90% or higher accuracy and they can adequately retell the story, then they are placed on that particular reading level. At the closing of each grading period I assess once again using the running records to determine the students recorded growth in reading.

After completing the spelling inventory and the running records, I administer the last phase of the Rockingham County Literacy Assessments, which is the word recognition tests. I begin with the pre-primer list and have the students orally read the words with automaticity. If a child reads a list of words with at least 90% accuracy, I then continue on with the primer, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade word lists. At any time during the word recognition test that the student falls below the 90% accuracy I stop the assessment. "Words are the building blocks of reading and writing." "To read and write children must learn to recognize and spell the most commonly used words quickly and automatically"(Cunningham & Allington, 2003). When students can automatically read and write words, then they can put all of their mental energy into comprehending and expressing themselves.

Along with the formal assessments, I also complete informal assessments on a daily basis. By doing so, I can continuously review a student's performance so that I may adjust instruction when necessary. Effective teachers constantly re-evaluate their classroom practices to meet the needs of all learners (Routman, 2003). By using conference logs and anecdotal notes, I can assess each student's strengths and weaknesses and provide immediate feedback for future improvements. Anecdotal notes provide teachers with details about a student's reading and writing knowledge (Tompkins, 2000). Throughout the school year I create student portfolios that contain individual literacy assessments both formal and informal, as well as examples of their work. The portfolios are used in the classroom so that I can reflect a student's growth in literacy over a given time period (Reutzel & Cooter, 1999). These portfolios are extremely helpful when conducting parent/teacher conferences. The parents can visually see the growth and accomplishments their child has made throughout the school year.

Once a student reaches and surpasses the reading level 32, I conduct an informal reading inventory to determine the student's word recognition ability using a flash and untimed score, as well as oral accuracy and comprehension. By using the word recognition flash score of 80% or higher, I begin assessing the students using oral and silent reading by using pre-determined passages. Once the student drops below ninety percent accuracy on the oral reading, I then assess the student's silent reading by having them read one passage below, one on, and one passage above their instructional reading level. The oral passages assess the student's accuracy, rate and comprehension. The silent passages assess the student's rate and comprehension. I use the word recognition scores, oral, and silent scores to finalize the student's instructional reading level and record the results onto the IRI summary sheet for later quick reference. The final component of the Informal Reading Inventory is the spelling inventory. The spelling inventory is used to assess the student's phonemic awareness (ability to represent letters with sounds). Once the IRI is complete, I am able to plan and implement reading and word study instruction.

Materials:

My first grade classroom contains many materials that are used to provide a literacy-enriched atmosphere that is conducive to each individual student's learning styles and needs. There are five main reasons for establishing a classroom library. Those reasons include: it must support reading & writing, must provide opportunities to teach students about books, it is organized in a central location, it promotes independent reading, and lastly it serves as a gathering location for students to share and talk about books (Reutzel & Fawson, 2002). I have a variety of books that include leveled text, basal readers, and other books that make up my classroom library. I also use a variety of literature during my read alouds to expose my students to all literary genres. My students have constant access to these materials on a daily basis through guided reading, self-selected reading, and other times throughout the school day.

My classroom walls are full of hand-made posters, word family word banks, and monthly word banks. The students use these resources to aid in their daily reading, writing, and spelling. The students help create the words that are included in the word banks, therefore they form ownership of the classroom materials.

My word wall serves as a vital resource for my students. I constantly encourage my students to use the word wall in their reading, writing, and spelling. When using a word wall I have to be selective in the words that go on the word wall. The words chosen should be high frequency words that the students most commonly use during reading and writing. The words should be introduced five at a time so that it is not over whelming for your beginning readers. The words should also be accessible and easily read from all places in the classroom. The weekly words should be practiced on a daily basis using various word wall activities. These word activities include crosschecking, be a mind reader, guess the covered word, and making words (Cunningham & Allington, 2003).

Reading Instruction

Whole Group Instruction:

Reading instruction in my classroom consists of whole group instruction, small group, and opportunities in which I provide individual support in reading. Comprehension, fluency, and decoding are all vital aspects of literacy in my first grade classroom. I use big books a great deal to model print conventions, fluency, decoding skills, and comprehension skills.

Shared reading builds basic fundamental literacy elements such as: concepts of print, speaking and reading vocabulary, and sight words (Saunders-Smith, 2003). Through teacher modeling and encouragement, my students join their classmates in reading a text collaboratively (Robb, 2003). During shared reading I model think alouds, fluency, reading with expression, and predictions. Think alouds demonstrate to the students how an experienced reader sometimes stops during the reading and makes predictions, creates mental images, uses prior knowledge to make connections, and consistently monitor's their own comprehension throughout the reading of the story or passage (Opitz & Rasinski, 1998). For example, while reading aloud to my students about weather, I may stop and share how a certain event in the story reminds me of a time when I got caught out in the rain without an umbrella. By modeling these comprehension strategies the students begin to observe what good readers do. Throughout the reading of the big books we constantly confirm our predictions, summarize and form new predictions based on what we have read thus far in the text. To construct meaning is the ultimate goal in reading (Robb, 2003).

I conduct oral discussions after reading a story that allows the students to share any connections they may have with the text, whether it be text-text, text-self, or text-world. We also focus on inferences or other ideas they may have formed during the reading (Caldwell, 2002). Often times during shared reading I have the students with mixed reading abilities pair up to practice reading a story from the basal or smaller books that accompany the big book (Opitz & Rasinski, 1998). During whole group instruction I use repeated readings and partner reading to improve fluency. The repeated readings help build the students' confidence, fluency, and word recognition ability. Like Routman and many others, I also provide numerous opportunities for the students to practice their phonemic awareness, phonics skills, and strategies (2003). The more access students have with text, the higher their reading achievement will be. The goal is to have students reading phrases instead of word-by-word and doing spontaneous self-corrections while reading (Allington, 2001).

In a 1996 study conducted by Eldredge, Reutzel & Hollingworth, evidence supported how shared book experience had a substantial positive impact on reading performance, especially in average and struggling readers. After a four-month period, the students exposed to the shared book experience had better word analysis performance, better comprehension skills, and fluency (Allington, 2001).

The old basal readers are a great resource in my classroom, especially for my struggling and beginning readers because they contain stories that are predictable, contain repetition, and have high picture support. For beginning readers, reading stories that contain both repetition and predictable text aid in establishing their fluency. Although it may seem at first like the students are memorizing the text, they truly are reading. Memorization of text is the first stage in students learning to read (Morris & Slavin, 2003). Beginning readers often do memorize the text; therefore we must remember that they are still exhibiting their reading skills when we observe this in the classroom.

Small Group Instruction:

The goal of guided reading is "to help children learn how to use independent reading strategies successfully" (Tyner, 2004). Guided reading encourages students to be actively engaged in reading and to apply their decoding and comprehension strategies (Routman, 2003). Reading groups should remain flexible so that students can be placed in groups that reflect their current instructional reading level and when their needs change so does their instruction (Tyner, 2004). Guided reading allows teachers to "capitalize on the students' strengths and expand and challenge their abilities (Cunningham, Hall, & Cunningham, 2000). By conducting flexible groups teachers can constantly evaluate and shuffle the students around to best meet their instructional needs in reading (Tyner, 2004).

During my small flexible reading groups, I use a variety of ways to get my students reading. During guided reading my students are grouped according to their instructional reading level, however I do team different leveled groups up during partner reading to allow my more fluent readers to be paired up with my struggling readers. When scheduling my groups I make sure my struggling readers meet with me three to four times a week, whereas my most fluent readers only meet with me two times a week.

My struggling readers often require extra instruction time practicing decoding skills, accuracy, and comprehension strategies. Their leveled text often contains repetition, predictable text, and high picture support. During their guided reading group we do choral and echo reading to practice their fluency and expression. "Fluency is the vehicle that takes a child from focusing on the words to focusing on the meaning of the text" (Tyner, 2004). When a child begins reading with fluency, they can then focus more on comprehending what they are reading.

With my more fluent readers, I use higher order thinking strategies during comprehension checks and I have the students reading the majority of the time silently. Their leveled text often contains more advanced vocabulary and more complex story elements that requires the reader to dig deeper into understanding what they have read. The lesson format I follow varies according the students' reading level. For my lower level readers I focus more on picture walks and choral reading because in the early stages of reading there is a bigger emphasis placed on decoding than on comprehension (Tyner, 2004). As the students advance through the levels of reading, more emphasis is placed on comprehension.

My fluent readers still do picture walks; however we focus more on partner reading and silent reading during the actual guided reading lesson. We search the book for any unfamiliar vocabulary that they might encounter while reading of the text. These students are at a stage in reading in which they are expected to practice and apply both decoding and comprehension strategies. The application of these skills can only come from the teacher providing many opportunities for them to practice their newly acquired skills.

Comprehension is an on-going process throughout my guided reading lesson using before, during, and after reading comprehension strategies such as: making connections, visualizations, inferences, summarizing. My students thoroughly enjoy making predictions before reading a story. While reading the story we confirm our predictions and form new ideas about what might happen next. Once the stories are read the students summarize the information just read. Since the students have observed me modeling how think alouds help construct meaning while reading, I have them practice those skills during the small reading group time.

To practice a student's fluency skills, I have the students' complete timed repeated readings. The students read the same text three times and try to beat their own time during each reading. I always graph the results for each timed reading so that the students can evaluate their own progress. Rate is important during reading because when students can read the words in the text with automaticity, they can put all of their mental energy into comprehending what they are reading. They don't have to focus so much on decoding the unfamiliar words (Tyner, 2004). If the students have a strong sight vocabulary then reading new, unfamiliar text will not be such a chore. In some cases the students may tend to read so fast that they make numerous mistakes and it begins to have a negative effect on their comprehension. I then have the students' complete untimed repeated readings in which I count the errors and do not focus so much on the time. The results from each reading are placed on a continuous graph so that the students can measure their success. Each time they read the same passage, the number of errors made should decrease (Morris, 1999).

In the future I would like to use reading response journals to enhance my students' comprehension and connections to the stories they read. It is amazing how students respond differently to material that they read. By using the response journals, the students will also be incorporating their writing skills when they express their ideas (Routman, 2003).

Word Study Instruction:

I use the results from the spelling inventory assessment to determine which students need help with initial/final consonant sounds, short vowels, blends, diagraphs, or long vowel patterns. I then develop a plan for implementing instruction to meet the diverse needs of each student. By doing so, each student can learn the needed skills to move quickly up the word study ladder of success. The purpose of word study is "not to teach students to sound words out, but to give students strategies so they can learn to recognize words quickly and automatically; thereby increasing their reading fluency and comprehension"(Tyner, 2004).

As part of the word block I use the word sorts designed by Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, and Johnston to focus on initial/final consonant sounds, short vowels, digraphs, blends, and endings. The sorts are developed in a particular sequence beginning with picture sorts and steadily progressing to word sorts that focus on long vowel patterns (2004). The word sorts are used during whole group activities, as well as small groups. I have several word sort groups within my classroom that focus on various skills as it relates to the students' individual needs. I use the spelling inventory to assess which sorts an individual student needs to work on. From that I provide the students with opportunities to manipulate the picture and word sorts trying to identify patterns within our English language (Bear et.al, 2004).

Word study varies in my classroom from whole group settings, to small group, and even individual tutoring. I always begin by modeling a particular picture/word sort with student assistance. We complete various activities with the words such as word hunts and labeling activities. I also use word study notebooks to have the students spell the words that they have been working with. Another aspect of my word development block is Making Words. Making words is an activity designed as a component of the Working with words block in the Four-Blocks Framework. The lesson involves the students using small letter cards to manipulate sounds within words. They are able to change letters to create new words. Making words is multi-level and targets a child's zone of proximal development. Students are given numerous opportunities to review patterns already learned and then challenged to learn more complex word patterns (Cunningham, Hall, & Sigmon, 1999).

Individual Instruction:

Reading aloud to my students is one of my daily priorities I have in the classroom. It is the ultimate motivator for students because it models the pleasure of reading (Tyner, 2004). During read alouds I model reading strategies such as making connections, inferences, and visualizations. When teachers read aloud to their students it makes the students more eager to pick up a book and read (Tyner, 2004). The read aloud time in my schedule gives me the opportunity to introduce various literary genres, books that I personally enjoy reading and books that would be of high interest for my students. "For students to become readers, they have to enjoy reading and find it satisfying" (Routman, 2003). Young children are like sponges, whatever interests they observe their teachers having they often will do the same. This is why I make reading to my students a daily priority because it is the time of day when my students can lay back on the carpet and relax while I read them an interesting story. This is the one time throughout the day that I usually have the undivided attention of everyone in the room. I draw my students in by reading with expression, fluency, and confidence.

"How much a child reads is the best indicator of how well that child reads-- the best readers read a lot" (Cunningham, Hall, & Sigmon, 1999). Independent reading is a must in every classroom because it provides opportunities for the students to increase their fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. At the same time the students develop a greater interest in reading and hopefully the love for reading (Routman, 2003). Self-Selected reading is part of the Four-Block balanced literacy framework. Self-Selected reading is multi-level because students have choices in what they want to read. The students conference with me on what they are reading. The conferences are informal and basically just the student and I talking about the book. The conference is recorded on a log, so that I can build on the students’ strengths and work on their weaknesses.

In my classroom students have access to numerous books, magazines, trade books, and newspapers that range in difficulty. I hold book talks with the students where I introduce interesting and exciting text from the book baskets for viewing purposes during self-selected reading. Francine Johnston details how she always “blesses a book” before putting it in the independent reading baskets. She shares books that she finds interesting to read and ones that the students would enjoy reading (Bear, et. al, 2004). By advertising the books, teachers can leave the students wanting to hear more about a particular author, book, or character. Once the students are hooked they will be eager to choose the “blessed book” during independent reading. The main purpose for the book talks is to get the students “reeled” in to reading. During self-selected reading the classroom environment is relaxed, quiet, and a time in which there are minimal interruptions if any (Pilgreen, 2000). In many ways self-selected reading also builds an intrinsic motivation for reading (Cunningham, Hall, & Cunningham, 2000). Students enjoy the thirty minutes of self-selected reading in my classroom because they do not have to focus on decoding due to the books being on their independent level. This allows them to put most all of their mental energy into focusing on the meaning of the text, instead of decoding. The more the students read, the higher their reading achievement will be (Caldwell, 2002).

Diverse Learners:

In today's society the term "diverse learner" is often a complex and complicated term. It is the responsibility of each educator to ensure that every student in their classroom learns how to read, write, and spell, no matter what their level of readiness may have been at the beginning of the school year. Students come from various backgrounds and bring different things to the learning table (Tomlinson, 2001). Some students enter school with many experiences with print, while others may not have had such a literate beginning (Tyner, 2004). We would all like for our students to have literature enriched homes but that is not the way it always works out. It is often left up to the classroom teacher to provide every student with a classroom environment that is literature filled and conducive to all learning styles and needs.

Within my first grade classroom I plan my daily lessons taking into account all my students' background knowledge, strengths and weaknesses. Without classroom teachers differentiating the reading instruction, many students will continue to fall farther behind, whereas others may be left unchallenged (Tyner, 2004). This is especially true for my English Language Learners. ESL students often come to the classroom with limited reading skills and word recognition ability. Through the use of differentiated word study instruction and reading instruction, the students begin to make tremendous gains in phonemic awareness and an increase in their sight word vocabulary. During my small flexible groups I often use paired reading with my ESL students because it is one of the most powerful ways to provide support for their developing reading skills (Opitz & Rasinski, 1998). They enjoy being paired with a more fluent reader because they can hear how fluent reading sounds. Many researchers have discovered that struggling readers make great progress in comprehension and word recognition when they work with other students or adults who are fluent readers (Opitz & Rasinski, 1998). Again I think the key term here is "modeling". All students especially struggling readers and ESL students need constant modeling so that they can eventually become confident in their own reading. Readers learn by reading. So we as educators must ensure that all students, including the stumbling readers are given the support and numerous opportunities necessary to enhance their reading ability.

As Tomlinson (1999) outlines, there are several elements of differentiation that should be included into every classroom so that all students have a sense of accomplishment. Those key elements include:

• Focus on the Essentials

• Set expectations for all students.

• Assessments should be on going and diagnostic.

• Collaboration between students and teachers.

• Flexible classroom atmosphere.

In 1992 Foertsch conducted a study that examined certain background factors that relate to reading instruction and reading performance. Some of his findings were as follows:

• Amount of reading time positively had an impact on reading achievement.

• Workbooks are not instruction.

• Students from literature-enriched homes had higher reading achievement. (Allington, 2001)

Although the home environment is out of our hands, we as educators can ensure that our students are provided with high quality reading instruction during the six or seven hours we have them in our classrooms. We must provide them with ample opportunities to read and participate in reading instruction during whole and small group settings, as well as independent reading time. Workbooks and worksheets are not related to reading achievement, however high quality reading instruction and experiences are effective in higher student achievement (Allington, 2001). By meeting the needs of all learners, we must differentiate classroom instruction in a way so that all students can eventually become confident, fluent readers.

Bibliography

Allington, R. (2001). What really matters for struggling readers. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc.

Bear, D., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2004). Words their way: word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Caldwell, J. (2002). Reading assessment: a primer for teachers and tutors. New York: The Guilford Press.

Cunningham, P., & Allington, R. (2003). Classrooms that work. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Cunningham, P., Hall, D., & Cunningham, J. (2000). Guided reading: the four-blocks way. Greensboro, NC: Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc.

Cunningham, P., Hall, D., & Sigmon, C. (1999). The teacher's guide to the four blocks. Greensboro, NC: Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc.

Morris, D. (1999). The howard street tutoring manual. New York: The Guilford Press.

Morris, D., & Slavin, R. (1999). Every child reading. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Opitz, M., & Rasinski, T. (1998). Good-bye round robin: twenty-five oral reading strategies. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Pilgreen, J. (2000). The ssr handbook: how to organize and manage a sustained silent reading program. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Reutzel, D., & Fawson, P. (2002). Your classroom library: new ways to give it more teaching power. New York: Scholastic.

Reutzel, D., & Cooter, R. (1999). Balanced reading strategies and practices. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Robb, L. (2003). Literacy links: practical strategies to develop the emergent literacy at-risk children need. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Routman, R. (2003). Reading essentials: the specifics you need to teach reading well. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Saunders-Smith, G. (2003). The ultimate guided reading how-to book. Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Press.

Tomlinson, C. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms. 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom: responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Tompkins, G. (2000). Teaching writing: balancing process and product. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Tyner, B. (2004). Small-group reading instruction: a differentiated teaching model for beginning and struggling readers. Newark, DE: International Reading Association, Inc.

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