Reading Instruction for All Students,

Grades K-3

Kathryn Prater, Ph.D.

The University of North Carolina Greensboro

Differentiating

Goals for the Session

Define “differentiated instruction” Review strategies for differentiating

instruction Discuss & develop instructional

settings that allow for differentiated instruction

Adapted from Eastern Regional Reading First Technical Assistance Center, (2004). 90-minutes plus presentation. Tallahassee: Florida State University.

What is it? Who needs it?

Differentiated instruction is planned and delivered with precision in small, flexible groups to meet identified student needs

Differentiated instruction benefits ALL students in the classroom; VITAL for the struggling readers

How do you maintain fidelity and differentiate instruction?

Follow program’s scope and sequencescope and sequence

Focus on grade-level high-priority skillsgrade-level high-priority skills

within the BIG 5within the BIG 5

Select activities to meet identified needsidentified needs

Use instructional daily routinesinstructional daily routines

Differentiated Instruction What is your greatest challenge in

providing differentiated instruction? Think for a moment Pair up with a colleague Share your challenges with your table

Features of Effective Differentiated Instruction

Systematic planning and delivery Clear, precise and consistent

language use Explicit explanation and

demonstration Connected to students’ current

understandings and experiences

Systematic Instruction Systematic literacy instruction requires an

overall plan for instruction that is: Sequential

Use the established scope & sequence Thoughtfully planned

Designed to address individual, small group or whole class needs

Delivered with precision and adaptability

Clear & Consistent Language

The way you present new information and review skills can act as a support for students.

All of these are ways of describing the same skill-- Stretch the sounds Segment the sounds Say each sound Say it like a ghost

Explicit Explanation & Demonstration

1. The teacher tells the students what they will learn.2. The teacher models and explains the skill/strategy for

the students.3. The students practice the skill/strategy with the teacher

and the teacher provides support and feedback.4. The students practice the skill/strategy on their own

using connected text. The teacher monitors and supports as needed.

Explicit instruction takes the mystery out of a skill or strategy.

Connected to Students’ Understandings and

Experiences

Students learn more when they can connect new information to something they already know.

Harp & Brewer (2005) call this the “Velcro Theory.”

When planning instruction, include a “bridge” from known to new concepts.

Strategies for Differentiation

Level of Explicitness Task Features Pacing Grouping Practices Management

Strategies to develop independence and problem solving skills in all learners

Instructional settings that allow for small group instruction

Level of Explicitness

When planning targeted lessons, ask yourself: What do students already know about the skill

or strategy? How much of a bridge do I need to build?

Do I model and explain the skill? Is the language clear and consistent across

activities? Do I provide feedback and support? Are there ample opportunities for practice?

Modify Task Features

Demands Learning new skills requires more support Review and practice of skills requires less support

Quantity Adjust the amount of items/tasks required to the

students’ needs and abilities. Students who experience difficulty may require more

practice to understand new concepts. A little practice everyday is more effective than

spending an hour on one day.

Modify Task Features

Quality Level of complexity of the response

Yes/No responses Either/Or responses Selecting from a set of possible responses Rating Generating a response (written or oral)

Modify Task Features

Quality Level of complexity of the response

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Read the nursery rhyme.With a partner, write at least one question

for each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy using the nursery rhyme as the text.

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss MuffetSat on a tuffet Eating her curds and wheyAlong came a spider And sat down beside herAnd frightened Miss Muffet away

Pacing

There are two ways of pacing during instruction Activity pacing is the rate at which the

teacher conducts the different activities within a lesson.

Lesson pacing is the rate at which the students progress through the scope and sequence of the core reading program.

Grouping Practices

GroupGroup Instructional FocusInstructional Focus Group Group FormationFormation

Whole Intro NEW concepts

Reteach/practice concepts NOT YET developed by 2/3 class Review previous concepts

ALL

Grouping Practices

Small Small GroupsGroups

Instructional FocusInstructional Focus Group FormationGroup Formation

SAME Ability/ Need

Mixed Ability/ Need

Instruction targeted to address SPECIFIC needs of students

Practice concepts already introduced

3 to 5 Data-based

Interests Peer Tutoring

Grouping PracticesSmallSmall

GroupsGroupsInstructional FocusInstructional Focus Group Group

FormationFormation

Pairs

1:1

Practice concepts already introduced

Specific instruction to meet a student’s identified need(s)

2 Data-based

1 Data-based

Why is small group instruction important?

So the teacher can most effectively

Monitor individual oral responses and

Provide immediate and specific feedback

To help ALL students to achieve critical objectives and become successful readers

How do you plan for small group instruction?

Collect and analyze assessment data

Identify concepts and skills students know and do NOT YET know

Organize groups of students Similar instructional needs The higher the need, the smaller the group

Make data-informed instructional decisions Target the identified skills Assess progress regularly Adjust instruction as needed

And then…

Continually monitor student progress

Make timely instructional adjustments

Be Flexible when it comes to Membership Instructional purpose Level of scaffolding (explicitness)

How many students should be in a small group? …DEPENDSDEPENDS

GREATER needs = SMALLER flexible group

Especially during the early stages of reading development Letter-sound correspondence Beginning decoding skills Especially for those identified at-risk for reading difficulties FEWER needs = LARGER flexible group

How many small instructional groups? …DEPENDSDEPENDS

Consider the assessment data How many students need targeted

instruction in specific skills? How can those specific skills be grouped? Consider the reality of your classroom How many groups can you realistically

teach in a day?

Managing Small Group Instruction

Classroom Arrangement

Rules

Procedures

Appropriate Workstation/Center Activities

Classroom Arrangement

Areas of instruction Whole or large group

Large enough for all students to sit comfortably

Small group area Table with room for materials Teacher can see the whole room

Independent work or Work Stations Sufficient space to complete the

assignments Allow room for transitions Organized so students can set up and clean

up

Encouraging Talk

Oral language development provides a foundation for literacy development.

The way a classroom environment is structures can encourage or discourage conversations and meaningful use of language

Small divided areas encourage talk Wide-open spaces discourage talk

What does your classroom encourage?

Small Group Area Your “place of business”

Organize materials for easy access White boards, dry erase markers & erasers (socks) Reading materials for each group Assessments and anecdotal record logs Magnetic letters & cookie sheet Magic or “oopsy” tape Markers of various colors and sizes Timer Word cards/sentence strips Chart paper Scissors

Areas for Independent Work Create spaces for independent and small

group work Assign a place for “work in progress” Avoid “secret spaces” Arrange chart holders, easels or tables to

create smaller areas within the classroom Display work creatively

Classroom Standards Rules

3-6 basic rules Always have your materials ready for

learning. Model what following the rules looks like and

sounds like Establish meaningful consequences

Procedures “The most lavishly appointed classroom

may turn into a shambles if routines for using it have not been established.” New Zealand DOE

If you don’t establish a procedure, students will create one.

Procedures that Support Independence

In order for you to work effectively with small groups, students have to be able to work independently. How to solve problems as they arise How to get back on track How to stay focused

Some of these activities were adapted from Forsten, Grant,& Hollas (2002). Differentiated Instruction: Different Strategies for Different Learners. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs Books.

Morning Work Start the Day with a Purpose

Take folder out of backpack and put both away Attendance (next slide) Lunch Choice (next slide) Prepare materials for the day (sharpen

pencils) Select workstation or find name on chart

Attendance

Use clothes pins with names Students move their pins as they

enterI am NOT here.

I brought my lunch.

Lunch Choice #1

Lunch Choice #2

Morning Activities Sing-A-Long Chart Poetry & Song Books Social Writing Time DOL Partner Reading Puzzle Time (beginning kinders)Engaged students means you get to TCB--

Assessment Individual tutoring Engage students in conversations

How do I get workstations started?

Start with a manageable number (5) Teach basic procedures

I do it. We do it. You do it.

Introduce and practice new workstation activities during small group instruction time

Rotate or Choice?

How students rotate through workstations is up to you… Charts for rotation Sign Up for choice

Appropriate Workstation/Center Activities

The purpose of Workstation/Center activities is to: Reinforce the core reading program Extend practice opportunities Practice and apply learned skills

Always connect workstation activities to the skills and strategies students need to develop.

Accountability for Workstation Activities

Workstation activities provide necessary practice time for all learners, especially those who need additional practice.

Most activities should require a product to document each student’s effort. Exceptions may include rereading for fluency

practice or phonological awareness practice These products are NOT teacher-generated

worksheets; they are student-generated products that demonstrate understanding or usage of skills and strategies.

5 Components--Grade Level Relevancy

Comprehension

Vocabulary

Fluency

Phonics

PhonemicAwareness

321K

ListeningReading

ListeningReading

Multisyllables

Letter Sounds & Combinations

Adapted from Simmons, Kame’enui, Harn, & Coyne (2003). Institute for beginning reading 2. Day 3: Core instruction: What are the critical components that need to be In place to reach our goals? Eugene: University of Oregon.

Differentiating Within Workstations

Design open-ended activities that can be easily modified.

Adjust the Features of the Tasks Quantity Quality Demand

Task Cards List the tasks for each reading group

Using Task Cards

“I can. . .” Generate a list for each workstation with

each reading group and put this task card in each workstation.

Differentiate for each student using color coded task cards

Adapted from Diller (2003). Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse.

Task Cards for 3rd Grade Loving Literature

Skill--identifying story elements, summarize events Most students--complete a graphic organizer of a

story. Describe 3 important events. Advanced students--create a graphic organizer for

a story. Write a summary with at least 3 important events.

Struggling students--provide a sample of a graphic organizer, complete a graphic organizer on a story. Write the events at the beginning, middle and end of the story.

Sounds & LettersKindergarten

Skill--segmenting words into individual phonemes Materials--picture cards, T chart for sorting, 3

square Elkonin boxes Task Cards

Most students: choose a picture, say each sound in the word

Advanced students: same as most students, sort by # of phonemes (3 or 4)

Struggling students: Teacher selects words with 3 phonemes, students use Elkonin boxes to “push” sounds as they segment

Letters & Sounds First Grade

Skill--practicing spelling/phonics patterns Materials--magnetic letters, paper Task Cards

Most students: create words using known spelling patterns, write each word (sand, hand, land)

Advanced students: same as most students, write a sentence with each word

Struggling students: Teacher limits the number and type of letters and words, provides picture support

Second GradeSing-A-Long/ Recording Studio Skill-- identify and define targeted words Materials-- books on tape, list of vocabulary words,

dictionary, paper, pencil/markers Task Cards

Most students: listen to a story, write down the vocabulary words as you hear them, write a summary of the story using at least 2 of the words.

Advanced students: same as most students; write a summary using at least 4 of the words.

Struggling students: listen to story, write the words before the story and check them as you hear them in the story. Talk with your partner about what these words mean.

Third GradeComprehension

Skill--summarize events Materials--construction paper folded into 4

door flip book, markers, crayons, pencil Task Cards

Most students: 4 part summary using story elements

Advanced students: same as most students and write a 1-2 sentence main idea statement

Struggling students: 4 part story map, sequence events

Review of the Goals for the Session

Review the “Big 5” components identified by SBRR

Define “differentiated instruction” Review some strategies for

differentiating instruction Discuss Workstation/Center activities

Resources Diller, D. (2003). Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers

Work. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse. Diller, D. (2005). Practice with Purpose: Literacy Work

Stations for Grades 3-6. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse. Forsten, Grant, & Hollas (2002). Differentiated Instruction:

Different Strategies for Different Learners. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs Books.

Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, & Johnston (2004). Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary & Spelling Instruction. Columbus, OH: Pearson.

Ellery (2005). Creating Strategic Readers. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

For more information, contact

Kathryn Prater, Ph.D.

prater.kathryn@gmail.com

The University of North Carolina Greensboro

A special thank you goes to Ann Fiala for her assistance with the development of this presentation.