Reader friendly book for educators outlining 7 changes to classroom instruction to improve literacy outcomes.
This educator-friendly book, written by reading researchers, outlines the rationale for vocabulary instruction, and how to implement it in classrooms from K-12
In this podcast episode, Lindsay Kemeny highlights the « 7 Mighty Moves » she made to align her early literacy instruction with research. Moves include teaching phonemic awareness with intention, teaching phonics explicitly and systematically, teaching decoding strategies, using decodable texts for beginning readers, encouraging more decoding of high-frequency words, providing meaningful fluency practice, and embracing vocabulary and knowledge instruction to support comprehension.
Nancy Hennessy expertly discusses the Scarborough’s reading rope’s deconstruction and highlights vocabulary and explicit instruction’s vital role in improving reading comprehension. Emphasizing explicit vocabulary instruction, she aims to equip students with a broad and deep lexicon for understanding complex texts and expressing ideas coherently. Through structured guidance, educators can empower students to become proficient readers.
In this podcast episode, Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan discusses structured literacy for English Language learners. Evidence-based instruction for English Learners involves recognizing the unique history, culture, and usage of each language, plus research-based explicit instruction. Dr. emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between language and literacy, wherein language aids literacy, and literacy enhances language skills.
Structured Literacy Interventions is an anthology of chapters written by many well-known names in reading science, including Louise Moats, Devin Kearns and Louise Spear-Swerling who also edited the book. Chapters cover a wide range of possible areas of reading difficulty, including phonemic awareness & word recognition, spelling, fluency, vocabulary, oral language comprehension, reading comprehension and written expression. The title supports Strands B (Foundations of Language), C (Comprehension) and D (Composition) of the Language curriculum. Each chapter offers research-based background and practical applications for educators working with struggling students. The book includes lesson plans and application activities, and is perfect for special education and intervention teachers, but also helpful for classroom educators looking to intensify instruction for struggling students.
Put Reading First is a comprehensive guide to evidence-based reading instruction. Intended for educators and administrators, this guide aims to improve reading outcomes for children in the early grades.Chapter 1 provides an overview of the essential components of effective reading instruction, such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Chapter 2 focuses on the critical early stages of reading development, emphasizing the importance of explicit instruction in phonological awareness and phonics.Chapter 3 highlights the significance of developing automaticity and prosody in reading to enhance comprehension.Chapter 4 delves into the importance of vocabulary, teaching word meanings and strategies to foster word learning.Chapter 5 explains techniques for enhancing understanding, including active engagement, monitoring, and metacognition.Practical strategies for classroom instruction include using explicit and systematic phonics lessons, providing ample opportunities for guided oral reading, incorporating vocabulary-building activities, and promoting meaningful discussions to enhance comprehension.
In this article from the International Dyslexia Association Perspectives, Susan M. Ebbers discusses the significance of teaching vocabulary through morphology and presents practical strategies for instruction. The focus is on morphemes, including prefixes, suffixes, and roots, which are vital in conveying meaning and facilitating vocabulary growth. The author emphasizes the need for explicit instruction in morphology to foster students’ morphological awareness, a metalinguistic insight that aids in understanding word structure and meanings. Ebbers suggests introducing morphemic analysis gradually, starting with familiar affixes and base words. Incorporating context clues and multisensory activities can reinforce morphological knowledge. By nurturing morphological awareness, students can enhance their vocabulary and comprehension skills, improving their reading, writing, and communication abilities.
In Beneath the Surface of Words, author Sue Scibetta Hegland aims to convince readers that English spelling isn’t as unreliable or quirky as they may have believed…and argues an excellent case. For example:there’s actually a reason for the L in talk! Written in an engaging voice, this is an excellent title for building educator knowledge to support instruction in spelling, particularly related to morphology and etymology, with connections to vocabulary as well. Helpful appendices, for example “Applying Suffixing Conventions” and “Working With Word Sums and Evidence Banks” are also included. Reading Beneath the Surface of Words is like taking a crash course in the complexities and rationale of the English writing system and is recommended for all literacy educators.
This quick, 2 minute video gives a brief overview of the 3 main layers of the English Language: Anglo-Saxon, Latin, and Greek. A nice simple video to show students to help them understand that although English is complex, it makes sense, if you understand how they are put together (morphology).
Wondering where to start with morphology and how it can tie in with your explicit vocabulary instruction? This 36-page resource is full of lesson ideas and activities that you use with your students. This resource provides some essential background knowledge of morphology for all educators and then provides several lesson frameworks that you can use with your students, using the new Ontario Curriculum. It provides a suggested scope and sequence as well as word lists, but remember that the scope and sequence for morpheme introduction for the new curriculum is found on page 6 of Appendix A (Word-Level Reading and Spelling: Applying Phonics, Orthographic, and Morphological Knowledge). Once the introductory morpheme sequence from the curriculum has been consolidated, the word and morpheme lists found in this resource you can use to expand students’ morphological understanding beyond Grade 4 and across many subject areas.
This PaTTAN webinar featuring Dr. Anita Archer focuses on five high-leverage practices that you can use in your classroom everyday and across multiple content areas. Dr. Archer takes the audience through each routine with lots of examples and opportunities for practice. Grounded in explicit instruction, Dr. Archer shows how foundational skills as well as higher-order critical thinking skills can be brought together in a dynamic and systematic approach to teaching and learning. If you are an elementary educator, do not be fooled by the title, as ‘Secondary’ in the United States is for students in Grades 6 – 12. However, the information and knowledge from this webinar can be used in any classroom, K-12.
