The Power of Leveling

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If you walk into any elementary classroom you are bound to find books with a number on the binding or the cover. The number represents the reading level of the book. The reading level of the book is determined by observing a number of factors through a process called leveling. Leveling is an important aspect for reading education because it allows teachers to assign appropriate reading material to students. Without this process teachers would have to use their own judgement when selecting reading material for their classroom.

Edward Fry's article discusses the details of readability and leveling. I was unaware of how much time and effort is required to categorize books into reading levels. I was also unaware of the differences between leveling and readability. I assumed that both processes would produce similar outcomes but the reading levels are often quite different. Readability formulas are objective and can be executed by computers. On the other hand, leveling formulas are less objective and cannot be completed by computers. The result of a readability formula is a wide range reading level while leveling produces a specific grade level. Since leveling produces a specific grade level it is only used in elementary grades.

As I read the article on the readability and leveling I thought of how much teachers and students depend on leveling. Reading levels are used on a daily basis by teachers to give their students a selection of reading material best suited to their reading capabilities. Students use their reading levels as a guide when they select material in the classroom or on their own so they know they can read and comprehend the text.

I begin to think more about the role that leveling plays in a classroom. I realized that leveling is more than a placement tool for teachers and students. Reading levels can serve as a motivational tool for students. The last time I babysat a fourth grade student she could not stop talking about her recent reading level achievement. She had climbed to a 7th grade reading level and could not wait to climb another level.  I think this is important to know that reading levels can be used for more than their typical purpose. Reading levels can be used to motivate your students to achieve and excel in reading.

Questions

• Do you agree that reading levels can be used to motivate students to excel in reading?
• What role did reading levels play in your elementary classes?

Guided Reading Faux Pas

Guided reading sessions are a staple in elementary classrooms. Teachers assess their students' reading levels and divide them into groups that share similar reading skills. This gives students an opportunity to read in small groups with children on the same reading level. It also gives teachers an opportunity to help the students with problems specific to their progress and skill level. This sounds like a picture perfect way to conquer the learning gap between students so what could possibly be wrong with this strategy?

According to Burkins and Croft's article, "Handy Helpers for Guided Reading", even teachers who are knowledgeable about literacy are prone to placing their students in reading levels that are too difficult. Teachers tend to do this because they know how to make the difficult text manageable for their students but this takes away from the purpose of a guided reading. Although the teachers can make the children understand the material they have to do all the work instead of the students.

Burkins and Croft created a tool for teachers to determine if the reading level is appropriate for the targeted students. This table is an excellent reminder for teachers to make sure their guided reading sections are accomplishing what they are intended to accomplish. Below is the table from Burkins and Croft's article.

Jan Burkins and Melody Croft

I agree that assigning children to a difficult reading level can be a common mistake in classrooms. This article reminded me of an experience with conducting a guided reading in a 3rd grade classroom. I had the opportunity to hold a guided reading with 4 different reading level groups. The upper level groups were a success and they completed their readings without a problem. However, in retrospect I believe the lower to groups were placed in a reading level that was out of their range. Over the semester we were never able to finish a story in the time given to each group. The students struggle to read a sentence without asking for help yet alone comprehend what they read. I ended up having to read more than the students because they could not complete the material on their own.

Burkins and Croft's guided reading helper would have been a great tool to have had during my experience. The teacher could have assigned easier reading material so her students could get the most out of their guided reading sessions. I am glad that I am aware of this common mistake and I will be sure to consider this problem in the future!

Questions

• Do you think that it is common for teachers to assign students to a reading level that is too difficult?
• Have you experienced an effective guided reading or can you relate to the same problem?

Real Life Reading Inquiry

For my real life reading inquiry I observed a fourth grade student that I babysit. I knew this would be a great opportunity to observe a young reader my first day on the job. When I began to babysit the mother walked me through her child's nightly routine and I was interested to hear that reading is part of her routine. Every night her child, Sarah, reads alone or to her parents for 30 minutes. Her mother used to be a teacher so we had a conversation about the importance of reading and their family is passionate about reading.

The first night I babysat I prepared for our reading session. The book Sarah was reading was one of my childhood favorites, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. When she first began to read I was confused. Sarah started to read every other word on the page and but at a very quick pace. Her brother said that Sarah struggled with reading and they both began to giggle. Sarah then said she could only read in her reading spot which was in a comfy corner of her parent's room. We both situated ourselves in her reading spot and quickly discovered why the kids were laughing.
Sarah did not struggle with reading, in fact she was an impressive reader. I thought the novel was out of her reading level but I was mistaken. Sarah started to read the novel to me better than any fourth grader I have heard. What impressed me the most was her ability to use different voices for each character without hesitation. In a span of 30 minutes we had completed 3 chapters.

After our reading session I had to step back and think about what I had observed. Sarah was an excellent reader and I began to wonder if this was because of the reading friendly environment her parents had created at home. After Sarah went to sleep I began to talk to her 8th grade brother, John, about reading. I was not surprised that he was just as passionate about reading. He begin to list all of the books he had recently read and told me books that he thought I would love. I was so impressed with Sarah and John's passion for reading.

The next week the time came for our second reading session. Before we started to read Sarah began to tell me about her new reading level assigned by her teacher. She was so proud to say she could read on a 7th grade level and could not wait to climb another level. This session was different from the previous because Sarah wanted me to alternate reading with her. She said she wanted to hear how I read so she could try to achieve her new reading goal. I enjoyed hearing Sarah read because I could tell that she put herself in the story and had formed a mind movie. I asked her about the book after we finished the novel and she vividly described the scenes, characters, and main ideas of the books. I was again impressed with how fluent Sarah was at reading and how well she comprehended the material.

The more I observed both children the more I credited their skill and passion for reading to their reading environment at home. I have two younger siblings that attend the same schools as the children I babysit and they are not nearly as passionate as Sarah and John. Sarah and John's parents created a reading corner that provide a safe and comfortable place for them to read. They also gave their children access to reading material and encouraged them to read every night. I believe that their home reading environment has given them an opportunity to excel in school and instill a love for reading.

After my experience I found an interesting article on creating a reading environment at home that I will use in the future.

http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/articles/creating-a-reading-environment-at-home.htm

Questions

• Do you think that creating a friendly reading environment at home is key to a child's reading success?
• Did you have a similar reading environment at home as a child?

Vocabulary Fun!

This week's readings focused on the importance of vocabulary instruction. Vocabulary building is crucial to reading comprehension and concept development. However, vocabulary is often left up to students to build outside of school or pick up in other subjects. If a vocabulary lesson is incorporated in a classroom it is often copying definitions and writing sentences using the new word. This type of instruction can be effective but there are several fun and creative ways to incorporate new vocabulary into your classroom. I have witnessed several activities that I think are great ideas and I wanted to share them with you. I have compiled a few simple ways to encourage vocabulary building in your future classroom.

• Crossword of the Week: This activity is a fun and easy way to build vocabulary weekly. I was introduced to this activity in 6th grade but it can be used in upper elementary grades. Simply generate a crossword puzzle using vocabulary words you will use in your classroom that week. Give the students the puzzle on Monday and allow them to work on the puzzle during their free time or at home. At the end of the week make sure to go over the puzzle and discuss the words. You can even make it a competition to see which students can finish the puzzle first. 
• Word of the Day: This activity is easy and allows you to focus on a new vocabulary word every day. You can make this a part of your daily routine. My 3rd grade teacher used this activity as part of our morning activities. Every morning we would copy our schedule in our agendas. At the end of our activities we would copy down our word of the day and the definition. We would then talk about the word with our neighbor and create a sentence together using the word. 
• Dictionary of the Year: This activity is year long vocabulary project. Create a vocabulary journal at the beginning of the year that will be filled with new vocabulary words by the end of the year. Give your students a new word every week and give them a definition and sentence using the word. Then encourage your students to find 2 new words a week on their own. It could be a word they discover in school or at home. At the end of the year they will have their own '3rd Grade Dictionary' and they can see all of the words they learned that year. This is a fun project and the students will feel accomplished when they see how many new words they have learned.
• VerbaLearn: This is a really neat Web 2.0 tool that is geared towards middle school, high school, and college students. This website allows you to create a study list of vocabulary words and it generates quizzes, crossword puzzles and flashcards for you. The coolest part about the website is that you can get your vocabulary words on MP3 so you can review your vocabulary words anywhere! Although the website is for older students I think that it could be used for upper level elementary students. Here is a video that shows you how the website works.

There are so many activities that can increase vocabulary building in your classroom. These are a few ideas that I think are excellent ideas to incorporate in the classroom and I will definitely use them in the future. What are some other creative ways to incorporate new vocabulary daily?

Interactive Reading

I really enjoyed this week's reading material on making connections with the text and reading comprehension. The article "Kindergarteners Can Do It, Too!" by Gregory and Cahill explained great ideas and comprehension strategies for early readers. We tend to think that reading comprehension is geared towards upper elementary grades, but according to Gregory and Cahill kindergarteners can do it too!

I have heard of several cases where teachers assign signals for their students as a silent indicator. For example, a 3rd grade class I observed used numbers to indicate specific requests. If students held up one finger they were finished with their work, two fingers meant they needed more time, three fingers meant they wanted to get a book from the classroom library, and so on. However, I have never heard of using hand signals as a strategy for reading comprehension.

In the article, Mrs. Hope used hand signals in her classroom to help her students make connections with the text. Students would make the letter "C" with their hands if they made a connection, the letter "V" if they had a visualization or mind movie, or wiggle their finger if they had any questions or "I wonders" about the text. This strategy not only allows the teacher to see how much the students are comprehending the text but it keeps them engaged and interacting with the text.

As a teacher begins the story the "I wonders" can be written on the board so the students can discuss the questions brought up before and after the story. After the book is finished the students can determine if their questions were answered in the text or if they will have to use their brains to find the answer. After the story the students can also take their connections and visualizations and draw them on paper. The visualizations from each student can be presented and displayed in the classroom to illustrate what each student took away from the story.

This is an excellent reading comprehension strategy for all elementary grades. The hand signals constantly keep the students engaged and interacting with the reading. The follow up activities clarify and answer any questions that may arise from the text. Overall, the strategy is a fun way to help readers learn how to comprehend text and I will use this strategy in the future!

Here are some other interest reading comprehension strategies that are easy to incorporate in the classroom.

A Tool for Reading: Using Whiteboards During Guided Reading

 

Reader's Notebook: Promoting Comprehension Strategies through Letter Writing 

Questions

• What are some other reading comprehension strategies that you have seen or experienced in a classroom?

Fast or Fluent?

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Rasinski's article on creating fluent readers pointed out a valid problem with teaching fluency. Many teachers and students may have the wrong idea of fluency. Being a fluent reader is far more than finishing a book as fast as you can. A fluent reader can not only read through a book without any trouble they comprehend the material they are reading.

I can relate to the confusion of fast and fluent reading. I can remember when 'fast' reading begin to become a daily habit. When I was in fourth grade my teacher assigned me an unrealistic goal for Accelerated Reader. Instead of taking my time and absorbing the material in the book I would speed read and take test after test to achieve my goal. I did not do well on the tests but if I took enough I could get my points. This became a pattern throughout the rest of elementary school and into middle school. I knew that I could just get by if I crammed in my readings. My teachers thought I was a fluent reader but I was really just skimming through the lines really fast.

This problem became apparent when I entered high school. I was placed in honors English and we immediately hit the books. I did my readings every night but this did not show on my quizzes and tests. I became extremely frustrated because I did not know why I was struggling on the tests. I became lost in the material and overwhelmed. I finally talked to my teacher and she showed me a few techniques to help me comprehend the material. The techniques required me to slow down, a lot. I noticed an immediate change and actually understood what I was reading. I had became programmed to read as fast as I could and I did not realize this was a problem until high school. Thank goodness I had an excellent teacher who was prepared to help with fluency although we were in high school.

Questions

• Were you tested on how fast you could read as a young student?
• How do you think this could affect students in the future?

Fundamentals are Forever!

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Making Words
In every elementary classroom you are sure to find evidence of word making activities. From rearranging magnets to writing on a dry erase board students are taught to create their own words in the early stages of reading and writing. The key word in the last sentence is early stages. In elementary school we are repetitively taught the fundamentals of reading and writing. When we advance to the middle grades we are often expected to know all of the fundamentals and jump straight into middle school material. This may not be the case for everyone but this is true from my personal experience.

The section on making 'Big Word Lessons' brought this matter to my attention when the authors gave an example lesson plan of making words geared towards older students. I believe that it is common for fundamentals to be thrown to the side once we reach middle and high school. I do not think that teachers should ever stop incorporating fundamentals, such as word making, into lessons.

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The importance of fundamentals can be related to basketball. When you are 6 years old you are taught the fundamentals of basketball such as dribbling, shooting and passing. Throughout elementary school you continue to work on the fundamentals at every practice. Once you reach middle school your coach does not forget about the fundamentals. You continue to start every practice with dribbling and passing. Even in high school and college teams warm up by shooting lay-ups. Coaches never stop teaching fundamentals.

Now think about this in terms of school. Let's say the fundamentals of reading and writing are work recognition, word making, and comprehension. Although we may focus more on these fundamentals in elementary grades we should still take the time to incorporate these skills in the beginning of class of the semester. From my personal experience in middle school I struggled with vocabulary and word recognition. I was thrown into advanced reading and our teacher expected us to know everything she threw upon us even if it was above our reading level. I became farther behind and gave up because she did not take the time to work on the fundamentals on a higher level.

Activities such as the 'Big Word Lessons' or 'Daily Journals' could take a small amount of time out of class to reassure fundamentals.

• Are you familiar with any fundamental activities that contributed to your learning in middle or high school?
• Do you agree or disagree with the continuing fundamentals in the middle and high school grades?