Understanding the ‘learning to read’ stage, using SSP. Written by Miss Emma.

There are misconceptions across Australia about the ‘learning to read’ phase. Although spelling is so interlinked I would like to focus, for the purposes of this article, on reading fluency and comprehension. Firstly, teachers need to understand that students cannot comprehend what they cannot code. If they cannot code at least 85% of the text independently, and/ or they do not understand most of the words, they will struggle to ‘read’ it. They will not be able to use any type of higher order thinking skills. If you tell students the words the comprehension is not ‘reading comprehension’, it is ‘oral comprehension’. So when using the typical Australian version of ‘guided reading’ teachers must understand that students are not developing reading comprehension (or fluency) if the students cannot code the majority of text themselves. They will use a different part of the brain to answer the questions. This is why SSP teachers constantly ask the children ‘WHERE in the text did you see that? How did you know?’ Children who can code need to also understand what they are coding. Otherwise they are not ‘reading’. They are simply coding. Whereas students with dyslexia typically find it hard to learn to code, but when they can code they can understand it, many ASD students can quickly learn to code, but not to comprehend. Teachers need to understand every element of the ‘learning to read’ phase, and how oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary knowledge and comprehension all connect, but are not taught (nor do they develop) in a clear, and specific order. Good phonemic awareness ALLOWS it all to happen however (SSP Phase 1). As specified clearly in the UK almost a decade ago, there can be no fluency and comprehension for all students, without solid underlying coding strategies. In the Primary National Strategy (2006a), the three cueing model (known in England as the Searchlight model) is finally and explicitly discredited. Instead, the Strategy has acknowledged the value of addressing decoding and comprehension separately in the initial stage of reading instruction.

“ … attention should be focused on decoding words rather than the use of unreliable strategies such as looking at the illustrations, rereading the sentence, saying the first sound or guessing what might ‘fit’. Although these strategies might result in intelligent guesses, none of them is sufficiently reliable and they can hinder the acquisition and application of phonic knowledge and skills, prolonging the word recognition process and lessening children’s overall understanding. Children who routinely adopt alternative cues for reading unknown words, instead of learning to decode them, later find

themselves stranded when texts become more demanding and meanings less predictable. (Primary National Strategy, 2006b, p.9).”

Fluency develops not when the child ‘codes’ the same book over and over, which often leads to rote learning, but when they have high level code mapping skills. Students fluently code map by instantly recognising familiar words, understanding how they are coded (and are therefore also able to spell them) and being able to rapidly blend sound pics together when faced with unfamiliar words. Because these skills are at a high level, there is also more ‘freed up’ working memory, and the brain can focus on meaning, rather than being stuck on a word and losing track of what has already been coded. They are also able to read with expression, and to ‘visualise’ the scene. When a student reads with fluency and comprehension the eyes only stop to rest on a word they are unsure of. Fluent readers spend less than around 0.25 seconds on a word, and are constantly scanning ahead, fluidly.. We want to limit time when the eyes are spent way from the text (eg looking at images) but we also want their eyes to be able to scan chunks of text, and not rest on each word when reading to themselves. This is also why fluent readers often do not like to be tested on reading after being asked to read ‘aloud.’ It is not as natural to them, and they will ask to read it to themselves so that they can actually visualise the text and gather meaning.

The reality is that when children develop solid coding skills and are given text they are interested in, much of the comprehension Australian teachers are told to ‘teach’ within Guided Reading sessions develop naturally, with little to no help from adults at all. Vocabulary knowledge of course also increases, far more so than we could teach them within the busy school day. The SSP focus is on teaching children to code with fluency and comprehension as early as possible, so that they can read for pleasure as early as possible. It is so much more than just a form of play or escapism – it is also a way of connecting with text. According to Pullman (2004), writing on the features that make reading pleasurable: Consider the nature of what happens when we read a book…. It isn’t like a lecture: it’s like a conversation. There’s a back-and-forthness about it. The book proposes, the reader questions, the book responds, the reader considers. And we are active about the process… We can skim or we can read it slowly; we can read every word, or we can skip long passages; we can read it in the order it presents itself, or we can read it in any order we please; we can look at the last page first, or decide to wait for it; we can put the book down and … we can assent or we can disagree. Research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2002) showed that reading enjoyment is more important for children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status. Reading for pleasure could therefore be one important way to help combat social exclusion and raise educational standards. According to Krashen (1993, p. 85), who is a major proponent of the value of reading for pleasure: When children read for pleasure, when they get “hooked on books”, they acquire, involuntarily and without conscious effort, nearly all of the so-called “language skills” many people are so concerned about: they will become adequate readers, acquire a large vocabulary, develop the ability to understand and use complex grammatical constructions, develop a good writing style, and become good (but not necessarily perfect) spellers. Although free voluntary reading alone will not ensure attainment of the highest levels of literacy, it will at least ensure an acceptable level. Without it, I suspect that children simply do not have a chance.

Comprehension can (and is, within SSP) developed ALONGSIDE code mapping skills, when teachers understand the various stages, and guides the students through a scaffolded approach building on each student’s skill level every day. For example, the Spot the King’s Code Sentences allow for coding at that level (so the sound pics used are ONLY from that level and the previous levels) however the students have to recognise the incorrect spelling, and pick apart each sentence regarding accuracy (does it make sense) grammar and punctuation. They choose the ‘right’ one and have to justify this, which also develops oral language / debating skills.

Snap and Crack is part of the Cracking Comprehension activity, within the 2 hour SSP Literacy Session, in Phases 2 and 3, where a page of a coded reader is shown on the whiteboard. A routine is followed- allowing the students to code it, pick out unfamiliar words, analyse it – and answer a range of questions. This is a Blue Code Level ‘Snap and Crack.’

Student do this even within the Green Level, when the focus is on s,a,t,p,i,n and Duck Level 1 high frequency words. This text is created only using sound pics s,a,t,p,i,n,m,o and Duck Level Words - is / and

Questions: How many characters are there in this text? (check understanding of the word ‘character’) Who is on top of Tam ? (show me how you know that, from the text) Who is Tam on top of? (show me how you know that, from the text) What does the word ‘tip’ mean in this story? Does this word have another meaning? What happened to Pip? (show me how you know that, from the text) Did you find the pictures helpful? Why? Do you know what they were riding on ? Have you ever done anything like this before? Closed book Can you remember what happened? If time, ask the child to write the recall.

As you can see, the students are not only decoding with a limited number of sound pics, they are also UNDERSTANDING what they are coding, and starting to critically analyse the text. However the Speedy Paired decoding daily activity also allows students to code books at a much higher level, with a partner. Please visit the new web site ReadAustralia.com to see this in action. Students, of course, have access to a wide range of ‘real’ books and time to explore them, whether or not they can (yet) read them independently. In addition to a wide range of books in display , SSP classrooms have 4 Code Level boxes and 1’Pot Luck’ box, which has books the children would LIKE to be able to read. They explore these whenever they want, and they are regularly updated. You can hear Mrs Sesserago talk about this in the ‘How Far Travelled’ clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKnWknpY_3Y

When training teachers I give them an activity whereby they have to read and spell using just the Green Level Sound Pics (s,a,t,p,i,n) and 2 or 3 Duck Level words (high frequency words, coded) All I do is change the ‘picture’ – so s changes to a changes to etc

SSP is a scaffolded approach that enables ALL students to code with fluency and comprehension as this is the focus as EVERY code level. SSP Green (first Code Level) - A Focus on 6 Speech Sounds, and 1 way to represent each speech sound on paper. These are used to build words. They decode and encode with these sound pics.

Note that the students are shown where ALL of the pics for these speech sounds can be found ie introduced to the Spelling Clouds. They do not learn them all

Use the free Coded Reader site sspreaders.com

The two hour literacy block, for Phase 2, revolves around the Big Six of Literacy. All strands are

covered, and interlinked : oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics (code mapping) fluency, comprehension and vocabulary knowledge.

In reality, this is what the students experience daily. Working Memory is a huge part of the SSP routine.

There is a logical ‘flow’ to each session. It allows for full differentiation, and each student is challenged.

They are working at their Code Level. So they are also coding with fluency and comprehension at their Code Level. Vocabulary knowledge is a focus within the Speedy Six. Use ‘Popcorn Words’ or similar.

As the students move from Phase 2, confidently using the sound pics from the 4 Code Levels, and exploring the spelling clouds, the focus of each session shifts so that they have longer reading (with comprehension) and writing. They are now reading to learn. The SSP team aim is that ALL students are in Phase 3 before they enter Year 2. At Phase 3 you can use commercial programs like Cars and Stars, but we are collaborating with Big Write (Australia) to offer alternatives. In Prep all students go through the four code levels, with a focus on all six literacy strands, and in Year 1 this is consolidated and reinforced. No student should enter Year 2 still on a PM level – use Probe testing if you can, and focus on reading for pleasure and to learn. By the end of Prep they are reading age appropriate chapter books, if allowed to use the Phase 2 routine undiluted. Only 1 or 2 students will not be at that level, which may be due to an Intellectual Impairment, or extended periods of absence etc. Teachers understand why and send their plan with them to Year 1. This video shows the phonemic awareness and phonics focus, but also a clip from the ‘how far travelled’ video, showing SSP being used in a Year 2 class who did not have SSP in Prep and Year 1. By

term 4 this student was coding and COMPREHENDING at the expected level of an 11 year old, and in Year 3 (NAPLAN) she was in the top band for reading. We video SSP Case Studies to show that these high level coding skills enable ALL students to read with fluency and comprehension. At the beginning of the clip she struggled to work out the Purple Level word ‘spill’ and was not choosing to read for pleasure. Jump to 19 minutes in to see Case Study -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWNw2BvijCk

By this stage the student (and the rest of the class) were working at Phase 3. It took the teacher two terms to get them there though, because they did not have SSP in previous years.

For more info about the pilot at Broadbeach State School please email Mrs Sue Brown (Deputy Principal) and Mrs Shana Sesserago (teacher shown in this clip) You can also ask for Kerri Wilson’s contact details, if working in the Catholic Education School system, and hear how a Brisbane school was transformed using SSP last year. Email me for their contact details. They will be happy to share details of the pilot, and impact it had on the students involved. Miss Emma The Reading Whisperer labs@WiringBrains.com