DC ReadsAnn Kennedy, Ph.D.

aak38@georgetown.edu(LING 398, LING 154/454)

• Research findings

• Three Strategies

• Questions

The Brain & Reading

Sousa, D. (1995). How the brain learns to read. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Research Findings

• Reading ability in grade 1 is a strong predictor of reading ability in grade 11.

• If the information is of little or no importance…, it drops out of the memory system.

• New reading that the child finds interesting is likely to make it past immediate memory to working memory.

Sousa, D. A. (2005). How the brain learns to read. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Research Findings

• Acquisition of literacy depends on focusing on meaning;

• “…reading success is the key to academic achievement” (p. 24).

• “When people read texts that are comprehensible and interesting, they become more proficient readers” (p. 25).

Freeman, D.E. & Freeman, Y.S. (2004). Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Research Findings

• “Seventy-four percent of children who are poor readers in the third grade remain poor readers in the ninth grade”

From “Startling Facts About Reading” (National Children’s Reading Foundation)

Reading & Social Class

“A prominent study found that by kindergarten, a gap of 32 million words already separates some children in linguistically impoverished homes from their more stimulated peers. In other words, in some environments the average young middle –class child hears 32 million more spoken words than the young underprivileged child by age five” (Wolf, 2007, p. 20).

Reading & Poverty

• “By the time the children were 3 years old, trends in amount of talk, vocabulary growth, and style of interaction were well established and clearly suggested widening gaps to come” (p. 3).

• Finding: Children’s language experience differed in the number and quantity of words heard.

Hart, B. & Risley, T.R. (2003). The early catastrophe: The 30 million word gap by age 3. American Educator. AFT Publications: Washington, D.C.

Importance of Vocabulary (Semantics):

(1)On the spaceship are: Donna, Mu Lan, Jake, and Tyrone. Right now, all of them are working hard. There is a lot to do before they take off.

(2)Donna is the scientist. She will study Mars after they land. She will study the rocks and the gas around the planet. She will look for life of any kind.

(3)Mu Lan will run the radio. She will talk to the team back on Earth. (4)Jake knows all about charts and star maps. He will keep the ship

pointed in the right direction. (5)Then there is Tyrone. He is the computer man. Computers run the

ship, and Tyrone runs the computers. Tyrone will drive the ship. That is what his job really comes down to.

From Ansary, T. (2001). Spiders from outer space.

Reading & Poverty:Affirmatives v Prohibitions

• Per hour: – In a professional family

• 32 affirmatives v 5 prohibitions (6:1)

Hart, B. & Risley, T.R. (2003). The early catastrophe: The 30 million word gap by age 3. American Educator. AFT Publications: Washington, D.C.

Reading & Poverty:Affirmatives v Prohibitions

• Per hour: – In a professional family

• 32 affirmatives v 5 prohibitions (6:1)

– In a working-class family• 12 affirmatives v 7 prohibitions (2:1)

Hart, B. & Risley, T.R. (2003). The early catastrophe: The 30 million word gap by age 3. American Educator. AFT Publications: Washington, D.C.

Reading & Poverty:Affirmatives v Prohibitions

• Per hour: – In a professional family

• 32 affirmatives v 5 prohibitions (6:1)

– In a working-class family• 12 affirmatives v 7 prohibitions (2:1)

– In a welfare family• 5 affirmatives v 11 prohibitions (1:2)

Hart, B. & Risley, T.R. (2003). The early catastrophe: The 30 million word gap by age 3. American Educator. AFT Publications: Washington, D.C.

Struggling readers

Motivation

Success!

Motivating Reluctant Readers (& Writers)

• Importance of– Background knowledge: information & skills– Motivation (link to success)– Self-efficacy (link to motivation)– Social interaction– Meaningfulness– Incidental learning– Choice

• Awareness of oral language proficiency versus reading levels

STRATEGY 1:Using Pictures &Wordless Books• Encourages oral language• Makes tutee an “expert” • Offers a low-anxiety environment• Understands there are no “right” answers• Can be used as collaborative writing task• Writing can be used as reading text• Allows “ownership” of text, meaning• Offers organic way of gaining rapport

Yesterday we went on a field trip. Most of my friends went ice skating, but Axxx and I didn’t want to appear fools. He is from Bangladesh and he plays cricket. I am from El Salvador and I play soccer. We do not put on skates and go on the ice. Therefore, we went into the museum to get warm and buy coffee and water. We came out and we watched the girls fall on the ice. They will have bruises. We will not have bruises.

The Adventures of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

This is a scary picture. It’s a rat! The man picks up the chair to smash the rat that is under the rug. The lamp is going to fall, so a fire might start! It doesn’t have a good ending.

Tutee dictates story to tutor.

The Adventures of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

This is a scary _____. It’s a rat! The _____picks up the _____to smash the _____that is under the _____. The _____is going to fall, so a ______might start! It doesn’t have a good ending.

man rat rug lampfire chair picture

Tutee completes paragraph by choosing from word box.

The Adventures of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

This is a scary _____. It’s a rat! The _____picks up the _____to smash the _____that is under the _____. The _____is going to fall, so a ______might start! It doesn’t have a good ending.

Next session: Tutee tries without word box.

1.This is a to fall. 2.It’s a good ending.3.The man picks up a rat! 4.The lamp is going scary picture. 5.It doesn’t have the chair to smash the rat.

Next session: Tutee completes sentence.

MitsumasaAnno

Mercer Mayer

Strategy 1: Summary

• “Google” to find access; check out public libraries

• Do a “picture walk” (Oral language precedes literacy skills)

• Write (collaboratively); use sticky notes

• Take it up a notch? (Have older student read text to younger learner!)

STRATEGY 2:Language Experience Approach

• “Experience” something together– Take a walk– Do an experiment, a magic trick?

Language Experience Approach

• “Experience” something together– Take a walk– Do an experiment, a magic trick?

• Write about it (collaboratively)– Correct grammar, spelling– Read together (check decoding, word study)– Practice as “homework”

Language Experience Approach

• “Experience” something together– Take a walk– Do an experiment, a magic trick?

• Write about it (collaboratively)– Correct grammar, spelling– Read together (check decoding, word study)– Practice as “homework”

• The writing becomes “text”

Strategy 3: Technology!

• Take digital photos/videos• Use free software

– Scratch.mit.edu• Some “learning” time

• Use a little each time?

• Lots of possibilities for reading & writing activities

– Audacity

– Alice.org

• Caveat: keep focus on literacy activities

Final Suggestions• Ensure success! (Success leads to motivation)

• “Listen” carefully

• Be aware of reading levels (students’ & textbooks/trade books

• Check pronunciation

• “Play” with words—word study

• Don’t take it [negative attitudes] personally

• Make reading fun!