Implementing Scientifically Based

Reading Research in the Early Childhood Classroom

and during PACT Time

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Regional Trainings, Fall 2003

Literacy Development!!

Why is this important?Children’s early experiences with language and literacy form the basis for later reading success.The more children know about language and literacy before they arrive at school the better prepared they are to begin reading.

Why are language and literacy connected?

Language is the basis for literacy developmentLiteracy development begins in infancyNot all children learn to read and write at the same time - learning occurs along a continuum

What can affect the rate of children’s language

development?

Language development may slow down while a child is learning other skillsThe amount and kind of language a child hearsHow people respond to and talk with the child

Research reveals:“Children most at risk for reading difficulties in the primary grades are those who begin school with less verbal skill, less phonological awareness, less letter knowledge, and less familiarity with the basic purposes and mechanisms for reading” (Starting Out Right, 1999).

What does Scientifically Based Reading Research (SBRR)

include?

Experiments with random subjectsExperimental designs with treatment and control groupsResearch presented in peer reviewed journalProgram includes element for successful reading instruction as identified by the National Reading Panel (NRP) Report

How did the NRP determine these

elements?NRP examined a volume of research studies that met the criteria for SBRRThe research had to meet the following criteria: Address achievement in one or more skill areas

of reading Generalizable to a larger population of students It needed to examine the effectiveness of an

approach It needed to be regarded as high quality

How did the NRP determine these elements? (continued)

NRP concluded a strong relationship exists between instructional practice and reading achievement

NRP findings concluded there are five elements that are important for preschool children to learn to read

What are the five elements identified by the NRP that are

important for reading instruction?

Phonemic awarenessVocabularyPrint Awareness (including phonics)FluencyReading comprehension

Phonemic Awareness

Defined: The ability to notice, think about, and work with individual sounds in spoken language, not written words

What does this mean for literacy development? Children who are better at this skill are better at reading, writing, and comprehension.

Phonemic Awareness(continued)

What does this mean for teachers? Children can be made aware of sounds. Teachers can design activities to include songs, rhyming games, and nursery rhymes.

What does this mean for parents? Parents can sing songs, recite nursery rhymes, read poems, and talk to children

Vocabulary

Defined: The words individuals need to know to be able to communicate.

What does this mean for literacy development? A child with a larger vocabulary is more likely to be a successful reader.

Vocabulary(continued)

What does this mean for teachers? Teachers should talk daily with children about their experiences and also talk about new words, characters in stories, and children’s ideas

What does this mean for parents? Play labeling games (i.e., where is your nose), talk all the time (turn off TV or radio), talk about words in stories that you read together

Print AwarenessDefined: Involves three principles:

Alphabetic recognition - the ability to recognize lower and upper case letters of the alphabet

Phonics - the relationship between letters (graphemes) of written language and individual sounds (phonemes) of spoken language

Functions of print - print is meaningful in their everyday lives

What does this mean for literacy development? Knowledge of the alphabet is one of the best predictors of successfully learning to read. One method to assist in letter/word recognition is phonics instruction.

Print Awareness(continued)

What does it mean for teachers? Alphabetics: Teachers can have available alphabet blocks, letter cards, ABC’s on wall charts at child’s height, board games.

Phonics: Teachers can assist children in understanding the relationship between letters and sounds, blending sounds to make new words, and breaking words into new sounds.

Functions of print: Teachers can also help children to understand the importance of print in our lives - print provides information.

Print Awareness(continued)

What does it mean for parents? Parents can engage in activities that might include: Letter and word recognition

Sing the alphabet song Help older children identify letters in their name Have puzzles of the alphabet available

Functions of print Have a child write a grocery list when you do Read (and point out) signs as you drive Point out mail that comes to the house

Comprehension

Defined: Understanding meaning from text

What does this mean for literacy development? Children who have better comprehension can remember better what they read and can talk about it.

Comprehension(continued)

What does this mean for teachers? Basic comprehension instructional strategies include asking questions about the story, describing words and sentences in the story, and predicting what might occur next.

What does this mean for parents? Similar to what might occur with teachers, ask questions about the story or have the child draw a picture of their favorite part of the story

Fluency

Defined: The ability to read text accurately and quickly, with expression

What does this mean for literacy development? When children are able to read accurately and rapidly, they can attend to understanding the story.

Fluency(continued)

What does this mean for teachers? Although this is more appropriate for children in the primary grades, teachers can model fluent reading or ask children to engage in repeated oral reading.

What does this mean for parents? When reading with children, parents can model fluent reading or ask their child to read to them.

What do the SBRR elements mean for PACT Time?

All of the SBRR elements can be applied to PACT Time activitiesParents are integrated more fully into the PACT Time activity:

Introduction to the activity - including literacy goals as they relate to SBRR, what to expect in their child’s behavior and development

Conducting the activity with the parent and child mutually engaged

Debriefing and discussing with parents about how they observed the activity to relate SBRR and literacy development

What do the SBRR elements mean for the early childhood

classroom?

As in PACT Time, all of the SBRR elements should be applied in the early childhood classroom.The elements can be integrated throughout the day in structured and unstructured activities. Practitioner knowledge of the elements of SBRR will assist programs in making a seamless integration into the structured and unstructured activities.

For more information:

Beth Grinder, Ph.D.The Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy(717) 612-9383 elg6@psu.edu

Peggy GrummThe Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy(814) 863-0954mrg8@psu.edu

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