AA literacy lesson framework for children with reading problems@

written by Susan Tancock

The Reading Teacher Vol. 48, No. 2 October 1994 

AChildren who are poor readers tend to receive different instruction than their more skilled peers. Poor readers may primarily be involved in instruction that emphasizes accuracy in identifying sounds, letters and words rather than construction of meaning. They may to asked to read orally more frequently than good readers, and they are likely to be off task more often than better readers. Additionally, teacher frequently interrupt their reading rather than encouraging them to monitor their own reading@ (page 130). 
 

Tancock has developed a literacy lesson framework to help tutors teach struggling readers. She has a few underlying beliefs. First she believes that all children can learn to write and read. The tutors with whom she works, must believe that all children can learn to read and write. The second is that all children need predictable text. It needs to be authentic, meaningful whole texts. Reading is to be done in complete texts

The third is that tutors focus on students= strengths and plan lessons that build on these strengths (page 131).  

AReaders construct meaning using prior knowledge and experience and the interacting semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic language systems. These systems cannot be isolated without disrupting the interactions that are needed for reading to occur. Goodman=s model of reading suggests that readers make predictions, sample text, confirm, and self-correct as they construct meaning, is the basis upon which tutors make moment-by-moment teaching decisions (page 131).@ 

The literacy lesson framework (pages 132-138) 

(5 minutes) 1. Familiar reading -- Child chooses to reread familiar books which helps with fluency. The tutor provides the child with familiar choices of previously read books. These experiences serve as confidence builders and warm-ups for the lesson to come. To build fluency the tutor uses a variety of techniques: neurological impress, echo reading, modeled reading, and repeated reading.  

(30 minutes) 2. Guided reading C The tutor selects a text that will provide opportunities for the student to practice using reading strategies that he is beginning to control or needs to practice.  

• Before-reading activity C One or more of the following is done:

Generating prereading questions

A book introduction

Making predictions about story content 
 

The tutor needs to help generate prereading questions. Then the tutor might introduce the book by doing a picture walk or making predictions about what the story will be about. Often activating prior knowledge can be hard for struggling readers. A good tutor tries to pick books that the child already has some prior knowledge about. After a short discussion, the tutor begins a graphic organizer to help the child organize thoughts. 

• During-reading activity C The child reads the selected text as independently as possible with the tutor teaching, guiding, and supporting along the way. The teaching is focused on the DR-TA and strategy level simultaneously.

Teaching for strategy use -- The tutor reminds the child of the title, the subject, and tells him that thinking about the discussion will help him when he encounters difficult parts. The tutor explicitly prompts him with reading strategies while he reads. What sounds right? What makes sense? What looks right?

Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DR-TA) C The tutor wants to focus his attention on the meaning of the story. She periodically employs the DR-TA and asks him, AWhat do you think will happen next? followed by AWhy do you think that?@ This prompting helps Chase learn to make predictions as he reads and then read to confirm or disconfirm the predictions. The DR-TA helps him learn to monitor his own reading without help.  

• Post-reading activity (answering prereading questions, evaluating predictions; or clarifying, extending, or refining thinking about the story) The tutor can focus on story elements (characters, setting, problem, solution, major events in the story). Many struggling readers can tell details but miss the big picture. By filling in the graphic organizer the reader has written a summary of the book.

(15 minutes) 3. Writing (shared writing, cut-up sentences, process writing) --- The tutor takes the struggling reader through the writing process steps. The book will include the same literary elements that were included in the graphic organizer of the book read. The finished book will be part of reading familiar books since it is in the struggling reader=s own writing.  

(5 minutes) 4. Word sorting C The tutor has a prepared word sorting activity to help the struggling reader with a phonics skill he was having difficulty with. Word sorting helps children learn about semantic, structural, and sound patterns in words. Word sorting gives children needed practice in learning how to analyze and generalize in reading and writing situations (page 138). 

(5 minutes) 5. Book sharing C This is a read aloud that the tutor reads to him. It is at a listening comprehension level instead of his own reading level. It is an interesting book that the child will enjoy hearing. This is an important component because listening to stories has links to developing comprehension skills. The children are exposed to genres they can=t yet read and have the luxury of relaxing and enjoying an unfolding story (page 138).

I am fascinated by this article. This is the individual approach to balanced literacy for students. It is very similar to the 4 blocks literacy approach that I teach in my own classroom. I am pleased that Marie Clay=s incredible reading research is beginning to get into classrooms and colleges across the United States. This framework was well sited as Clay researched as is my personal reading philosophy.