Looking At The Dolch Word List with a New Lens

We have discussed sight word lists and ways to help our children learn these words in other posts. We constantly question the way in which these lists are leveled. For example, there are 40 words on the preschool (pre-primer) list, ranging from the simple words (easily decodable) and or can to more difficult words such as where. This preschool list even contains two-syllable words like little or yellow.  Another color word, green, is not "taught" until second grade.

The number word, one, is a pre-primer word. This word bears little resemblance to the sound/symbol relationships children need to learn. While the easily decodable number word, ten, appears in the third grade list. This does not make sense.

In my session at the International Literacy Association, I will discuss reasons such as these to envision (finally!) a new sequence for teaching these sight words. My belief is that when we pair auditory and visual skills, we help children to understand connections.

In preparation for the session, I am sharing my lists to demonstrate some of these "disconnects."

Click here to see our lists that show some issues with the leveled Dolch Word Lists.

I hope to see you in Orlando!

Kathy

ILA Conference!

Happy 4th of July. Hope everyone is enjoying a special day with family and friends.

I am getting ready to attend the International Literacy Association Conference in Orlando. I hope you can join me at my session as I discuss phonics and sight words. I'll be presenting on Saturday, July 15th at 11:00 in W106. Hope to see you there!

Kathy

Everything Old Is New Again: The Power of Board Games

Bored children this summer? The answer is simple - try a board game! That's right - adults may remember the tired but true games of Operation, Candy Land, or Chutes and Ladders, but these are all new to children. And the best part? These games not only encourage family time, lessons about taking turns, and gracefully winning or losing, but they also help with important school readiness skills. 

Think about Candy Land - children match the colors on cards to squares on the board. Sometimes children see that pulling a specific color will help them along. This encourages critical thinking. 

Chutes and Ladders, Trouble, or Sorry can support this, too. Matching one-to-one correspondence between spaces on a board and a game piece is important. Of course, you can help children stay calm when they have to "chute" backwards. Knowing how to accept a setback and even possibly see that despite a possible loss, odds can be overcome. 

Operation can be a silly game but wow - the fine motor skills it encourages are helpful! Think about pinching the tweezers and removing, ever so carefully, small game pieces. This helps with the pincer grasp and with eye-hand coordination. 

Good ol' Checkers helps children learn rules, take turns, and keep a game board organized. Teachers appreciate when children come to school with these skills.

And remember card games, too. Go Fish helps with expressive language and proper sentence structure. This would be a wonderful game if you are working with English Language Learners.

Anytime a child can roll the dice is helpful as the dots can first be counted and then recognized by pattern without the need to count each dot. This is subitizing in an authentic way. So, games with dice are always beneficial. I have even seen preschoolers who are Monopoly masters! 

With the 4th of July upon us, engage family members in playing these games with children. What a fantastic way to spent a rainy afternoon with grandparents...making memories.

School Readiness - Close Reading

One of the hot topics in literacy is close reading. As part of helping children to think deeply about a text, we often encourage them to annotate what they read. This helps them learn to interact and react to material. It may seem surprising to use, but many young children need to be taught that this is expected. As reading specialists know, when children process information they are better able to comprehend.  

You can ask preschoolers to begin thinking about annotation in an age-appropriate way. 

First ask children to draw smiling faces, frowning faces, and even a "neutral" face on post-it notes. Even the process of drawing a circle is a school readiness skill as it helps children develop fine motor skills for writing letters. 

As you read to a child, stop at appropriate places. Ask the child to react to the page or part. Then have the child place a post-it that shows his or her feeling about the section. 

Later, go back and look at these reactions with the child. Ask if the child wants to change any of the responses. This is an important school readiness skill as it teaches children to go back and think about both what has been read and to consider their thinking about it. It also helps develop the idea that is is acceptable for children to change their mind. 

Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.E.04.
Head Start - VII.A.

Comprehension: Asking Questions Or Explaining Your Thinking?

As we move into the summer months and many of our young children are in a more informal setting, this is likely a good time to discuss ways we read orally to children. One key objective we all share is to help children understand (comprehend) the material we read orally. Unfortunately, too many equate asking questions with helping children to understand books. This is simply not a good way to teach comprehension. All asking questions does is to check (test) that children understood the material.

This means we need to use age-appropriate methods to assist children in understanding what is read. One of the best ways to do this is to explain your own thinking. You need to model HOW to comprehend.  Below are examples of ways you can do this:

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Before Reading Think Aloud-
Look at the cover of the book. Say, "I see a picture of bear. He is bending down to pick up a button. I think this book will be about the bear trying to find his lost button." This shows children how they can use pictures to make predictions, which is an important comprehension skill.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

During Reading Think Aloud-
"I am looking at the picture of the look on this creature's face. I heard the words, 'I would not, could not, in a car' so this tells me that this creature will not be trying any of the green eggs and ham." 

And a bonus: When you point to your eyes (I am looking at) and then to the picture, your English Language Learners (ELLs) have a context for the vocabulary you are using.

Nights of the Pufflings by Bruce McMillan

After Reading Think Aloud-
Say, "This book told me about how children help save young puffins. I think the idea of this book is that children can make a difference in the world." This is an age-appropriate way to show children how to think about theme or essential questions. 

These examples of thinking can actually TEACH comprehension rather than using questions, which may signal to some children that they cannot comprehend if they do not know the answers to your questions. You are modeling HOW to comprehend!

Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.E.04.
Head Start - VII.A.

Can Dolch Words Be Sounded Out?

We often tell children that sight words (the Dolch list is commonly used) cannot be sounded out. While we want children to "read" these words without hesitation, some children are auditory learners and should be shown that many of the Dolch words DO follow phonics patterns. In the video below we look at the Pre-K (pre-primer) list where many of the words do follow common word patterns that occur early in the phonics continuum. For children who are good at "sounding out" words, we can and should show them the patterns in sight words. 

Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.E.06 & 2.E.09.
Head Start - VII.B.3 & VII.C.2,3,&4.

Using SIOP to Teach ELLs and ALL Children

As we think about ways to guide our English Language Learners, we can consider several ways which schools can accomplish this important goal.  One important way is to think about the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP). By knowing what this program model consists of, we can plan meaningful activities to help our ELLs grow, even if we do not use the SIOP.

The SIOP is a program model for ELLs that separates these learners from those students who speak fluent English. Our English learners do use the same content curriculum as all other students. This is key. But English speakers are taught in a different classroom than those who are learning to speak English.

But, when we understand the components of this popular model, we will see that the ideas can be helpful in ANY classroom.

1.   Lessons are accessible and relevant. This means pictures, comprehensible input, and props are used in a meaningful way to support language learning. Teachers create both content and language objectives. A variety of materials and methods are used to motivate students.

2.   Teachers use the background knowledge of students and they build background as needed. They help students make connections between past learning and new material. Vocabulary should be taught and emphasized before each lesson.

3.   Teachers think about the speed of their own language and the time it might take for students to process English. They are careful about pronunciation. They repeat things often and do not use slang or idioms. They use pictures and gestures. There are pauses to allow for student processing and to check for understanding.

4.   Teachers clearly include higher-order thinking skills in lessons.  They do not merely encourage and expect literal understanding. Teachers watch for misunderstanding and go back to where there was a misstep. There is lots of rehearsal for students, and teachers take time to scaffold their instruction.

5.   There is plenty of time for students to talk with the teacher and with their peers. Lots of discussion takes place. This allows students to develop receptive language and allows time to produce language.

6.   Teachers use as many hands-on materials as possible. This helps students practice language and content. There is time for lots of discussion in a supportive environment.

7.   Teachers support language and content objectives throughout lessons. They take into consideration the pace of lessons, often slowing down if necessary. Time for students to verbalize is a key part of every lesson delivery.

8.   Review and assessment are important parts of all lessons. Vocabulary is constantly emphasized. Teachers provide feedback to help all students understand their progress.

As you can see, while these are components of the SIOP Model, these are also “best practices” for any classroom. By keeping these ideas in mind, you are taking important steps to meet the needs of your ELLs and all children in your classroom.