EDSE - Struggling Readers- Cooper Kiger - Chapter 8 and 9- Reading and Writing Taught Together

Week 7: Assignment (11/08/2009) Read Textbook Chapters 8 & 9. Reflection Questions:
1 Explain, giving at least 5 reasons, why reading and writing have to be taught together ?
The book explains in detail the 5 reasons , why reading and writing should be taught together which I will summarize: Both reading and writing are constructive processes- Readers act as composers and plan their reading around a special given purpose. Readers think about the text and start developing background on the related topic. Writing is a very similar process, and writers think about what they know and need to know before beginning to write. There is a 4 phase process as described by Pearson and Tierney(1984) which include the planner, composer, editor, and monitor stages, which they may fluctuate back and forth and in between.
Writing and Reading Improve Achievement- Research has shown that reading programs that incorporate writing are more effective in improving reading than those that do not. “Writing leads to better reading achievement, reading leads to better writing achievement, and combined instruction in both led to improvements in both reading and writing.”
Both Writing and Reading Involve similar kinds of knowledge and processes- Research shows that both reading and writing to be highly related (Applebee,1977) and share similar cognitive processes (Birnbaum,1982)
Writing and Reading Promote Communication- Learning to master both reading and writing helps us communicate with one another. Through communication, we are able to prosper and enjoy our lives. This is especially important in promoting social benefits.
Writing and Reading Develops Critical Thinking- The underlying factor of literacy learning is “thinking”. Through greater experiences , students are able to practice the skills required to become better thinkers. Learners now engage in higher level learning exercises like higher level reasoning ,a nd begin to master meaning construction.
In summary, The process of learning both in combination results in better achievement in both activities and in the end leads to better thinkers.
Ways to think about Writing- As a side note , it may be helpful to classify the various views of writing: Domains , Modes: Domains – are broad categories that parallel the types of text students read, and are classified as : sensory/descriptive,imaginative/narrative,practical/informative, and analytical/expository (McHugh,1987). Each category represents a specific purpose for writing. Modes- are an alternative way of classification. The five modes include independent writing, collaborative writing, guided writing, shared writing, and writing aloud. Key Concepts in Wrtiting include: Process Writing- students take charge of their own writing and learning- through selection, draft, revision, proofreading, and publishing, Story Frames or Templates, Scribble Writing, Picture Writing, Invented Spelling ,Random Letter Phase, Sample Spelling Lessons, Sample Grammar Lessons…

2. What is the difference between remediation and intervention? How does this difference change the way instruction is planned and carried out? Remediation can be understood as “ correcting a deficiency” and the process involved in doing that . Essentially teachers waited for a problem and then tried to correct it. This process tends not to be successful with “struggling readers” , because this instruction tends to focus on weaknesses in skill areas and not enough on the process of reading.
The more accepted approach is now Intervention, which is coming in between to prevent or stop failure by providing additional instructional time. The idea of Intervention is that we don’t wait for a reading problem, but we as responsible teachers recognize that a student is starting to struggle and provide additional time beyond the core instruction to help them catch up with the rest of the class.
It is helpful to know about the Comprehensive Literacy program, The Standards and How It Helps Struggling Readers. The Core has 6 blocks: which include : Daily Independent Reading, Daily Independent Writing, Learning Strategies, Reading, Skills Application, and Writing. These are provided for all students who are to follow the same standards. Intervention is that extra block that is there for those that require additional help. Intervention can be seen as having 2 levels- 1) Day to Day Basis- teachers may provide a jump-start- giving struggling readers a head start with learning a task before they actually begin the task with other students- for the struggling students. The second level is classified as acceleration- which is to raise students reading level improve more than expected to lead to a more than AYP adequate yearly progress. Acceleration includes the following concepts: The teacher provides scaffolding- by providing modeling in the beginning, moving him to independence, 2) delivered in a fast paced manner, 3) Delivered in addition to Core Instruction., 4) In a Small Group Setting, and 5) Provides ongoing assessment and provided by a certified teacher.
A Struggling Reader can be defined as – any student who is having difficulty to read.
Remediation can be defined as- a process of correcting a deficiency.
Intervention can be defined as- An instructional program that prevents or stops failure by providing additional instructional time beyond the core instruction.

3. Distinguish between the strategies and skills the classroom teacher needs to teach to struggling
readers and those required to be taught to all students, including struggling readers.
How would one change the way a required skill or strategy is taught to a group of struggling readers?
As I discussed in the previous question, it is helpful to know the standards of the comprehensive literacy program to see what is expected to achieve AYP for all students. The Core’s 6 blocks are : Daily Independent Reading, Daily Independent Writing, Learning Strategies, Reading, Skills Application, and Writing. These are provided for all students who are to follow the same standards. Intervention is that extra block that is there for those that require additional help.
The process that would be used to assist a group of struggling readers can be seen in the Franklin School exercise with Mr. Lazio and Ms. Crystal. The teachers use different approaches to solve the same problem to instruct their whole class for AYP and to foster their struggling readers. Mr. Lazio utilizes various tools within his classroom, like small group instruction, reading aloud, students reading aloud, recording progress on charts. Ms. Crystal has the group of struggling readers in a pull out situation , out of the classroom, which a reciprocal teaching philosophy. The 4 strategies of reciprocal are : question, summarize, clarify, and predict. Struggling readers are given this accelerated jumpstart and taught the process of learning about what they read before the rest the class. Research has shown that the pullout reciprocal teaching is more successful with older struggling readers and accelerates their reading.
To answer “How would one change the way a required skill to a group of struggling readers” , I would have to say that you would have to first asses all the criteria required: Age of Student, Reading Level( IRI- Informal Reading Inventory), Reading Evaluation Checklist, Ability to Decode and Comprehend, Homelife, Parent Survey, Attitude Survey, Use of Role Playing , Experiments, Videos. If age was a factor and students were in the higher grades, I would try to use a combination of the reciprocal pull out teaching with some small group instruction in class. If it were younger children, they would tend to benefit more from the in-class help.
Effective Intervention Programs have the following characteristics. They provide 1) Structured fast paced lessons- taught daily.2)Small Group/ Individual Instruction, 3) Systematically Taught Skills within context of the reading, 4) Texts are leveled and sequenced in difficulty, and 5) lessons are taught by a certified teacher.
One specific effective model is EIR- Early Intervention in Reading- which is a small group intervention model used by first and second grade teachers that has been successful.
I would evaluate all the criteria, and try whatever worked, then monitor the progress, and anything that was not working, I would tweak and try something else.
Strategies- Plan Each Day, No Need for Services Every Day, Provide Sufficient Number of Independent Activities, Establish Patterns and Rehearse Them With Students, Meet Periodically With Students.

4. Review the 2 levels of text needed for struggling readers; grade level and developmentally appropriate.
How can a classroom teacher provide instruction for struggling readers in each of these types of text?

A major help to teachers is to be aware and prepared to provide an in-class library with leveled / developmentally appropriate books. In Chapter 10, p434-437,theauthor explains the benefit . It allows” all students to have instructional support with books that are appropriate to their reading ability.” It also explains that by allowing student choice with a range of teacher selected books helps to build student confidence (overall and in reading). In the Leveled/ Developmentally Appropriate Model, the Teacher chooses a teacher book for all to follow and then suggests other books at a similar level that may have a similar theme.
So to answer the question, “How can a classroom teacher provide instruction for struggling readers in each of these types of text?” The first step is assessment of the child’s reading ability and level. Once classified, the teacher chooses identifies the levels of books in class library, chooses a teachers book which whole class will follow, then provides by color, recommended books at different reading levels that are appropriate to each student at each reading level.