Early Literacy Interventions focused on Phonemic Awareness,

Phonics and Vocabulary By Alicia Smith

At Risk Reading Development

This presentation focuses on literacy development of students aged 4-7

Struggling readers often have specific deficits-usually in code-based or comprehension-related skills

Code-based deficits included : low phonemic awareness and low understanding of phonics

Comprehension deficits are often related to low vocabulary development

Struggling readers are at risk for various problems such as: developing a reading disability, low self-esteem, entrenchment of failure and poor academic self-concept

Components to Reading Development

The National Reading Panel has identified three components of reading: Alphabetics: phonemic awareness and phonics Fluency Comprehension: vocabulary and text comprehension

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000) Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to reading: an evidenced-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Retrieved May 25,2011 , from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/smallbook.htm.

Reading Development

Reading development processes from language, to early reading, to skilled reading (Schickendanz & McGee, 2010).

Synthesis of two main sets of skills-those related to decoding and word recognition and those related to language (Schickendanz & McGee, 2010)

Reading Development

Children struggling with reading and written expression often have difficulty with basic word identification and spelling skills ( Aaron & Joshi, 1992)

Even if students do develop phonemic awareness they often have difficulty making letter-sound correspondences which results in difficulty reading new words ( Joseph, 2002)

Reading and Learning Disabilities

Difficulty with reading is by far the most common characteristic of students with learning disabilities ( Heward, 2009)

Researchers estimate that 90% of all children identified as learning disabled are referred to special education services because of reading problems ( Heward, 2009)

Children who fail to read by first grade tend to fall farther and farther behind not only in reading but in academic achievement as well ( Heward, 2009)

Phonemic Awareness

Intervention• Students received 20 minute

daily lessons using word boxes.

• Word boxes were created by drawing a rectangle on a magnetic board. The rectangle was divided into three sections.

• Each student was given three colored chips that represented a sound in a word.

• Students were told a word and asked to break the word down into individual sounds using the colored chips to represent the sounds

Joseph, L. (2000). Developing first graders' phonemic awareness, word identification and spelling: a comparison of two contemporary phonic instructional approaches. Reading Research and Instruction, 39(2), 160-9. Retrieved from Education Full Text database

Subjects: 42 first grade students within two first grade classes. Students came from low to lower middle socioeconomic

levels

Results: Significant mean differences were found in favor of word boxes when

compared to students who only received

phonemic segmentation instruction

Phonics Instruction

Intervention• Students received individual,

systematic and explicit phonics instruction, including letter sound correspondence, phonemic decoding, spelling and assisted reading reading practice in decodable text

• Instruction was taught by a paraeducator

• Instruction was done 30 minutes, 4 times a week for 18 weeks

Vadasy, P. F., & Sanders, E. A. (2010). Efficacy of supplemental phonics-based instruction for low-skilled kindergarteners in the context of language minority status and classroom phonics instruction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(4), 786-803. doi:10.1037/a0019639

Subjects: 84 language minority (LM) kindergarten students and 64 non LM kindergarten students

at 10 urban public schools. Students were randomly

assigned to individual supplemental instruction (treatment) or classroom instruction only ( control)

Results: Regardless of their language status, treatment

students significantly outperformed control group in alphabetics, reading, spelling, passage reading fluency and

comprehension

Vocabulary Instruction

Intervention: Shared book reading generally

involves an adult reading a book to a group of children

Review of interactive shared reading intervention (adult asking children questions about the story) resulted in small to moderate effects on the vocabulary development of young at-risk children

By organizing shared reading into knowledge network or thematic units that span across several days or weeks and involved explicit instruction on vocabulary, students were able to increase associate of the illustration to content and define taught vocabulary

Pollard-Durodola, S.D., Gonzalez, J.E., Kwok, O., Taylor, A.B., Davis, M.J., Kim, & Simmons, L. (2001, winter). The effects of shared book-reading intervention for preschool children at risk for vocabulary delay. Exceptional Children, 77(2), 161-183.

Subjects: 148 preschool students from 18 classrooms,

in two school districts. Average age of the student was 4.5 years. 56 students demonstrated well below

average knowledge of vocabulary. All students

qualified for free or reduced lunch.

Results: Explicit, thematic intervention increased

students’ ability to associate illustrations with related

vocabulary

Response to Intervention

Three tiered approach to intervention

First tier is whole class instruction Second tier is small group instruction to

support instruction of first tier Third tier is individualized instruction National Center on Response to Intervention

website:

http://www.rti4success.org/

Recommendations

Students benefit from explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics instruction ( Vadasy & Sander, 2010)

Word boxes are an effective way to increase phonemic awareness ( Joseph, L. 2001)

Phonics instruction should not be taught in isolation, but rather should be taught to allow students opportunity to engage in meaning and authentic activities ( Howard, 2009)

Recommendations continued…

Organizing shared reading into thematic units increases vocabulary (Pollard-Durodola, Gonzalez, Kwok, Taylor, Davis, Kim, & Simmons, 2001)

Vocabulary instruction increases comprehension ( Howard,2009)

Vocabulary words should be taught in context not in isolation ( Howard, 2009)

Response To Intervention (RTI) provides, a research based frame work in which to meet each student’s individual needs ( Howard, 2009)

Pros and Cons

Student instruction is tailored to specific needs within the classroom

All students make gains with explicit phonics instruction

Creating thematic units to use with shared reading increases vocabulary within the themes

Can be time consuming to gather data, re-teach when necessary and re-assess

Language minority students still under perform when compared to non LM students

Vocabulary outside of the thematic unit does not increase

Pros and Cons continued…

Paraeducators are trained to provide instruction

Use of paraeducators or volunteers allows student to work with different mentors and receive individualize instruction

Training paraeducators can be time consuming and costly

Paraeducators may not be provided by school budget, it can be difficult to find volunteers

Application to the

classroom

Plan shared reading around thematic units (Pollard-Durodola, Gonzalez, Kwok, Taylor, Davis, Kim, & Simmons, 2001)

Teach relevent vocabulary words to classroom content (Pollard-Durodola, Gonzalez, Kwok, Taylor, Davis, Kim, & Simmons, 2001)

Do not teach phonics in isolation, rather provide students with meaningful way to strengthen and build their phonetic knowledge ( Howard, 2009)

Use word boxes increase students’ phonemic awareness (Joseph, 2000)

Ask support of paraeducators in the classroom to provide support ( Vadasy &Sanders, 2010)

Provide at least 30 minutes daily of phonics instruction to all students ( Vadasy & Sanders, 2010)

Explicitly teach phonemic awareness ( Joseph, 2000)

Use assessment data to guide which students receive tier 2 instruction (Howard, 2009)

Provide 30 minutes daily session to tier 2 (Howard, 2009)

Provide two 30 minute daily session to tier 3 (Howard, 2009)

References

Heward, W.L. (2009). Exceptional children: an introduction to special education. Columbus, OH: Pearson College Div.

Howard, M. (2009). Rti from all sides: what every teacher needs to know. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Joseph, L.M. (2002, March). Helping children link sound to print: phonics procedures for small-group or whole-class setting. Intervention in School and Clinic, 37(4), 217-221.

Joseph, L. (2000). Developing first graders' phonemic awareness, word identification and spelling: a comparison of two contemporary phonic instructional approaches. Reading Research and Instruction, 39(2), 160-9. Retrieved from

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000) Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to reading: an evidenced-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Retrieved May 25,2011 , from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/smallbook.htm.

http://www.rti4success.org/

Pollard-Durodola, S.D., Gonzalez, J.E., Kwok, O., Taylor, A.B., Davis, M.J., Kim, & Simmons, L. (2001, winter). The effects of shared book-reading intervention for preschool children at risk for vocabulary delay. Exceptional Children, 77(2), 161-183.

Schickedanz, J., & McGee, L. (2010). The NELP Report on Shared Story Reading Interventions (Chapter 4): Extending the Story. Educational Researcher, 39(4), 323-9. doi: 10.3102/0013189X10370206

Vadasy, P. F., & Sanders, E. A. (2010). Efficacy of supplemental phonics-based instruction for low-skilled kindergarteners in the context of language minority status and classroom phonics instruction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(4), 786-803. doi:10.1037/a0019639