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Bear Wants More

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Title: Napping House
Author: Audrey Wood
Topic: Everyone is sleeping on one bed while it is raining outside.
Main Idea: Napping house where everyone is sleeping, from Granny, the child, dog, cat, mouse and wakeful flea. The flea bites the mouse and the mouse wakes up the dog, dog wakes up and it goes on and on till they are all up and awake and the bed breaks.
Grade Level: Kindergarten-first grade

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Student Information

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Reading Literature Makes Us Smarter and Nicer

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Getty Images

Gregory Currie, a professor of philosophy at the University of Nottingham, recently argued in the New York Times that we ought not to claim that literature improves us as people, because there is no "compelling evidence that suggests that people are morally or socially better for reading Tolstoy" or other great books.

Actually, there is such evidence. Raymond Mar, a psychologist at York University in Canada, and Keith Oatley, a professor emeritus of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto, reported in studies published in 2006 and 2009 that individuals who often read fiction appear to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and view the world from their perspective. This link persisted even after the researchers factored in the possibility that more empathetic individuals might choose to read more novels. A 2010 study by Mar found a similar result in young children: the more stories they had read to them, the keener their "theory of mind," or mental model of other people's intentions.

"Deep reading" - as opposed to the often superficial reading we do on the Web - is an endangered practice, one we ought to take steps to preserve as we would a historic building or a significant work of art. Its disappearance would imperil the intellectual and emotional development of generations growing up online, as well as the perpetuation of a critical part of our culture: the novels, poems and other kinds of literature that can be appreciated only by readers whose brains, quite literally, have been trained to apprehend them.

( MORE: Oprah as Harvard's Commencement Speaker Is an Endorsement of Phony Science)

Recent research in cognitive science, psychology and neuroscience has demonstrated that deep reading - slow, immersive, rich in sensory detail and emotional and moral complexity - is a distinctive experience, different in kind from the mere decoding of words. Although deep reading does not, strictly speaking, require a conventional book, the built-in limits of the printed page are uniquely conducive to the deep reading experience. A book's lack of hyperlinks, for example, frees the reader from making decisions - Should I click on this link or not? - allowing her to remain fully immersed in the narrative.

That immersion is supported by the way the brain handles language rich in detail, allusion and metaphor: by creating a mental representation that draws on the same brain regions that would be active if the scene were unfolding in real life. The emotional situations and moral dilemmas that are the stuff of literature are also vigorous exercise for the brain, propelling us inside the heads of fictional characters and even, studies suggest, increasing our real-life capacity for empathy.

None of this is likely to happen when we're scrolling through TMZ. Although we call the activity by the same name, the deep reading of books and the information-driven reading we do on the Web are very different, both in the experience they produce and in the capacities they develop. A growing body of evidence suggests that online reading may be less engaging and less satisfying, even for the "digital natives" for whom it is so familiar. Last month, for example, Britain's National Literacy Trust released the results of a study of 34,910 young people aged 8 to 16. Researchers reported that 39% of children and teens read daily using electronic devices, but only 28% read printed materials every day. Those who read only onscreen were three times less likely to say they enjoy reading very much and a third less likely to have a favorite book. The study also found that young people who read daily only onscreen were nearly two times less likely to be above-average readers than those who read daily in print or both in print and onscreen.

( MORE: Why Americans Need Spelling Bees and Vocabulary Tests)

To understand why we should be concerned about how young people read, and not just whether they're reading at all, it helps to know something about the way the ability to read evolved. "Human beings were never born to read," notes Maryanne Wolf, director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University and author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. Unlike the ability to understand and produce spoken language, which under normal circumstances will unfold according to a program dictated by our genes, the ability to read must be painstakingly acquired by each individual. The "reading circuits" we construct are recruited from structures in the brain that evolved for other purposes - and these circuits can be feeble or they can be robust, depending on how often and how vigorously we use them.

The deep reader, protected from distractions and attuned to the nuances of language, enters a state that psychologist Victor Nell, in a study of the psychology of pleasure reading,likens to a hypnotic trance. Nell found that when readers are enjoying the experience the most, the pace of their reading actually slows. The combination of fast, fluent decoding of words and slow, unhurried progress on the page gives deep readers time to enrich their reading with reflection, analysis, and their own memories and opinions. It gives them time to establish an intimate relationship with the author, the two of them engaged in an extended and ardent conversation like people falling in love.

( PHOTOS: Peter Hapak's Portraits of Authors)

This is not reading as many young people are coming to know it. Their reading is pragmatic and instrumental: the difference between what literary critic Frank Kermode calls "carnal reading" and "spiritual reading." If we allow our offspring to believe carnal reading is all there is - if we don't open the door to spiritual reading, through an early insistence on discipline and practice - we will have cheated them of an enjoyable, even ecstatic experience they would not otherwise encounter. And we will have deprived them of an elevating and enlightening experience that will enlarge them as people. Observing young people's attachment to digital devices, some progressive educators and permissive parents talk about needing to "meet kids where they are," molding instruction around their onscreen habits. This is mistaken. We need, rather, to show them someplace they've never been, a place only deep reading can take them.

MORE: Why E-Reading With Your Kid Can Impede Learning
This article is from the Brilliant Report, a weekly newsletter written by Murphy Paul

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Reading Literature Makes Us Smarter and Nicer

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Gregory Currie, a professor of philosophy at the University of Nottingham, recently argued in the New York Times that we ought not to claim that literature improves us as people, because there is no "compelling evidence that suggests that people are morally or socially better for reading Tolsto...

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Week 2 Inclusive Teaching from DePaul University

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Week 2 Inclusive Teaching from DePaul University

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http://resources.depaul.edu/teaching-commons/teaching-guidelines/inclusive-teaching/Pages/default.asps

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Skills & Strategy: Evidence & Interpretation

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My top 15 personal values in no particular order:
Understanding, Teamwork, Respect, Patience, Nature, Kindness, Humor, Fun, Flexibility, Family, Empathy, Creativity, Cooperation, Confidence, Compassion, Caring

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Universal Design for Learning Week 2 Homework:

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Universal Design for Learning Week 2 Homework:

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Universal Design for Learning – Presented by Lansing Community College Center for Teaching Excellence

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Lansing Community College’s Center for Teaching Excellence Presents Universal Design for Learning

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Skip to Main Content

It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

Skip to main content

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Skip to Main Content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results. Skip to main content

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Phonemic Awareness: sounds/decoding
Phonics: Letter-sound relationships using the alphabet
Fluency: smoothly, accurately, at a good rate, with expression and understanding what I read.
Comprehension: understanding and remembering what we read. Ask questions before, during and after.
Vocabulary: words we know (should always be building it), sight words: words we know easily, high frequency words: words that appear often in texts.
Fluency-accuracy, phrasing, punctuation, rate and expression. *Think Aloud*
ONLY 10 NEW WORDS PER WEEK!

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Universal Design for Learning definition: educational framework for creating learning environments that address the diverse needs of learners

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Title: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?
Author: Bill Martin Jr/ Eric Carle
Topic: Designed to help children associate colors and meanings to objects
Main Idea: Talks about colors and animals in a way that is easy to remember-repetitive
Grade/age: preschool-first grade
Evidence of DEI: no

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Title:  Walter the Farting Dog
Author: William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray
Topic: Walter the Farting Dog and his family who doesn't like it.
Main Idea: Walter farts all the time, it doesn't matter what he eats. Walter vows to hold in his farts until burglars come into the house, he let out a huge fart and the burglars dropped the stolen things and ran out of the house. The police found them.
Evidence of DEI: no
Grade/Age: First/second, I think even my 6th grader would like this story!

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Read 2 papers and reviewed them, in week 5

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Why Storytelling in the Classroom Matters article:

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Why Storytelling in the Classroom Matters article:

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The many benefits to storytelling:
*Inspires purposeful talking, and not just about the story--there are many games you can play.
* Raises the enthusiasm for reading texts to find stories, reread them, etc.
* Initiates writing because children will quickly want to write stories and tell them.
* Enhances the community in the room
* Improves listening skills
* Really engages the boys who love the acting
* Is enjoyed by children from kindergarten to the end of elementary school.
* Gives a motivating reason for English-language learners to speak and write English.

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Why Workshop?

The Reading and Writing Project’s approach to instruction recognizes that “one size fits all” does not match the realities of the classrooms and schools in which they work. When you walk into a workshop classroom at any given moment, you’ll see instruction that is designed to:

help teachers address each child’s individual learning,

explicitly teach strategies students will use not only the day they are taught, but whenever they need them,

support small-group work and conferring, with multiple opportunities for personalizing instruction,

tap into the power of a learning community as a way to bring all learners along,

build choice and assessment-based learning into the very design of the curriculum,

help students work with engagement so that teachers are able to coach individuals and lead small groups.

The routines and structures of reading and writing workshop are kept simple and predictable so that the teacher can focus on the complex work of teaching in a responsive manner to accelerate achievement for all learners.

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Capital Area District Library
Downtown Lansing location

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My Account Sign Out Do you have a library card? Get one now!

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Title: Animals in Fall
Author: Martha E. H. Rustad and Gail Saunders-Smith
Topic: All about Fall
Main Idea: Tells what animals do in the fall to get ready for the change of season to winter.
Evidence of DEI: no
Grade/Age: first grade

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Title: Sweater Weather
Author: Matt Phelan
Topic: Little bear cubs need to put on sweaters because it is cold outside.
Main Idea: Papa bear asks the cubs to put on the sweaters and by the time the cubs get the sweater on it is nighttime and time to take off sweater and put on pajamas.
Evidence of DEI: maybe
Grade: Kindergarten-First grade

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Sweater Weather [Phelan, Matt, Phelan, Matt] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Sweater Weather

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Title: Dragons Love Tacos
Author: Adam Rubin
Topic: Dragons who eat tacos that aren't spicy
Main Idea: Dragons who love to eat tacos that are not spicy or have peppers. If they eat spicy salsa they will blow smoke out of their noses and they can burn house down.
Evidence of DEI: yes
Grade: First Grade-Second Grade

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Title: Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
Author: Candance Fleming and G. Brian Karas
Topic: A gardener that has planted a garden
Main Idea: Mr. McGreely planted a garden and the vegetables grow and the bunnies ate his food. Mr. McGreely gets so mad he builds a wall and trench to keep them out. He does so much to keep them out.
Evidence of DEI: No
Grade/Ages: 3-7 years old

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Title: Clark the Shark Afraid of the Dark
Author: Bruce Hale
Topic: Clark is having a sleep over
Main Idea: Clark the Shark thought his friends would make fun of him if he said he was afraid of the dark. But he found that his friends were also scared of the dark. So they made up a song and rhyme to be able to sleep out in the dark.
Evidence of DEI: yes
Grade/Age: 4-8 years old

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Title: The Couch Potato Book
Author: Jory John and Pete Oswald
Topic: A potato being lazy and learns to enjoy being outside instead of in the house.
Main Idea: Couch Potato learned that being outside walking his dog and see the sights was more fun than just being a lazy couch potato.
Evidence of DEI: yes
Grade/Age: 4-8 years old

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Author: Mara Alperin
Title: Child Little
Topic: Don't believe everything you hear
Main Idea: Chicken Little thought the sky was flying based on an acorn falling off of the tree and onto his head, he tells others he meets along the way.
Evidence of DEI: maybe
Grade/Agel: 6-8 years old

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The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

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The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

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Title: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
Topic: She was not afraid of anything
Main Idea: Little old lady was out walking, and she came upon 2 shoes, 1 pair of pants, 1 shirt, 2 white gloves, 1 black hat and 1 big pumpkin head. She was not afraid of them, and they became a scarecrow.
Evidence of DEI: Yes
Grade/Age: Preschool-third grade

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Title: Magical Yet
Author: Angela DiTerlizzi
Topic: Things you think you can't do YET!!!
Main Idea: Even if you think you can't do them, there is the power of yet. Thinking about things you want to do but aren't able to do them yet.
Evidence of DEI: Yes
Grade/Age: 4-8 years old

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Missy
It means flexible, trustworthy, and considerate
It is 43
It is like sapphire
It is feeding a sloth in Gulf Shores, AL zoo
It is in memory of Grandpa Don
Who taught me politeness and honesty
When he was alive he showed me how to be honest
My name is Missy
It means I like to see the good in every situation.

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Title: Panda Panda What do you see?
Author: Bill Martin/Eric Carle
Topic: Animals see each other
Main Idea: A sleeping child (moon) sees all the animals wild and free
Evidence of DEI: Yes
Grade/Age: 2-5 years

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Title: Pirates Don't Change Diapers
Author: Melinda Long and David Shannon
Topic: Pirates who help baby sit the boy's sister
Main Idea: Pirates don't babysit or change diapers of the baby that they are helping to watch.
Evidence of DEI: maybe
Grade/Age: 3-7 years old

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Title: Bear Stays Up For Christmas
Author: Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
Topic: Bear's friends don't want Bear to sleep through Christmas this year
Main Idea: Bear stays up to make Christmas extra special for his friends, he makes things and wraps presents and Santa comes.
Evidence of DEI: yes
Grade/Age: 2-5 years old

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Chances are, if you teach the primary grades, you have to do running records. But what are running records, and how do they help you teach reading? Never fear, WeAreTeachers is here to explain it all.

What are running records?

Running records fall under the reading assessments portion of your readers' workshop. They're part read aloud assessment (think: fluency assessment) and part observation. The goal of a running record is, first, to see how the student is using the strategies you're teaching in class, and second, to find out if the student is ready to advance in a reading-level system if your school uses one (Reading A to Z, Fountas and Pinnell, and others). Thinking about instruction, when you combine a running record with some analysis, you can address student mistakes and plan their next steps.

When do I use running records?

Running records are used to collect information on young readers who are still reading aloud and working on basic skills (think: those who are at reading levels aa-J). A running record captures both how well a student reads (the number of words they read correctly) and their reading behaviors (what they say and do as they read). At the start of the year, or when you start working with a student, a running record can help match the student with books that are right for them. Then, you can use subsequent running records to track the student's progress.

Once you do the first running record, the time in between running records will depend on how well the child is progressing and what level they are reading. An emergent reader (using Reading A to Z levels aa-C, for example) will be assessed every two to four weeks, while a fluent reader (level Q-Z) should be assessed every eight to 10 weeks. Essentially, students who are learning the fundamentals are assessed more often than students who are working on fluency and higher-order comprehension.

Here's a sample running records assessment schedule from Learning A-Z.

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Why do I do running records?

Proficient readers use what is happening in the text (meaning), knowledge of language and grammar (structural), and visual cues (words and word parts) to read. Beginning readers are learning how to do this, so running records provide a way to observe how they are approaching text.

For any text that a child reads, running records help you answer these questions:

What is the child's word reading and fluency? Or, can they read smoothly and accurately? (Get our free fluency posters here.)

Are they able to self-monitor and correct their mistakes while reading?

Are they able to use meaning, structure, and visual cues to understand what they read?

What do they do when they come across a word they don't know? (Check out our list of vocabulary games.)

Are they using strategies that you taught in class?

How are they improving in their reading over time?

How do I do a running record?

Every running record follows the same procedure:

1. Sit next to the child so you can follow along with them as they read.

2. Choose a passage or book that is at the student's approximate reading level. (If you're wrong on the level, you can adjust up or down to get the right fit. If you're not focusing on level, choose something that the child is working on in class.)

3. Tell the child that they will read out loud as you listen and jot some notes about their reading.

4. As the child reads, keep a record by using a running record form (a typed paper of the same passage the student is reading). Mark the page by putting a checkmark above each word that is read correctly and marking errors. Here is an overview of how to mark miscues in a running record.

5. While the student is reading, intervene as little as possible.

6. Watch for how the student is using the strategies that you taught in class and pay attention to how the student is gathering meaning using structural, meaning, or visual cues.

7. If the student gets stuck on the word, wait five seconds then tell them the word. If the student is confused, explain the word and tell them to try again.

8. After the student reads the passage, ask them to retell what they read. Or, ask a few basic comprehension questions: Who was in the story? Where did the story take place? What happened?

9. After the running record, conference with the student to provide praise (for self-correcting or using reading strategies) and constructive feedback (review errors and have them reread portions correctly).

Okay, I did the running record, now what?

Yay! You have all the data! Now it's time to analyze it.

Calculate the accuracy: (number of words in the passage - number of uncorrected mistakes) x 100 / number of words in the passage. For example: (218 words - 9 errors) x 100 / 218 = 96%.

Use the student's accuracy rate to put them in a reading level. As a general rule of thumb, if a child can read 95-100 percent of the words in a text correctly, they can read independently. When they are reading 90-94 percent of words correctly, they are reading at instructional level and will need teacher support. If a child is reading less than 89 percent of the words correctly, it's likely they're not reading enough words to understand the text fully.

If students are reading at an independent level (95 percent accuracy and higher) and have strong comprehension (they have a strong retelling or answer 100 percent of the comprehension questions correctly), then they are ready to advance to another reading level.

Use this running records tip sheet for more information on how to use running record data to plan instruction.

This sounds like a lot of work. How do I keep it organized?

Create a schedule for assessing students. Assign each student a day of the week or month to make sure each student has a running record that is updated regularly.

Keep a data notebook with a section for each student that includes their running record. A running record should show that students are reading at a higher level, and with increased accuracy.

Set a goal with students. Set an annual goal around the reading behavior they want to strengthen, the level that they need to be reading on, or the number of levels they would like to advance. At each conference, talk about how they are progressing toward the goal and what they can do to improve between running records.

Get more resources on running records:
Ask questions and share your advice for running records in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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What are running records and how do they help you teach reading? Never fear, WeAreTeachers is here to explain it all with this comprehensive guide.

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Types of Informal Classroom-Based Assessment 

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Types of Informal Classroom-Based Assessment 

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In this article:

Most of the assessments here should be given one-on-one. It is important that you have a non-distracting, comfortable testing environment for students, and that the rest of the class is engaged in a task or assignment and working quietly. It's even better if you can arrange for another teacher to be present while you are performing assessments.

This list of informal assessments is not all-inclusive; there are components of reading that these tools do not assess. This information is also available in chart form.

Letter/sound recognition

About this assessment

Familiarity with the letters of the alphabet is essential to the development of reading skills. Instruction should be geared towards unknown letters and their sounds. Students should be able to recognize the letters in both uppercase and lowercase forms.

What it measures

Ability to recognize letters and sounds.

Examples of assessment questions

Show student one letter at a time and ask:

Can you tell me what letter this is? (Record the student's response)

Can you tell me what sound it makes? (Record the student's response)

Age or grade typically mastered

Many students enter kindergarten with the ability to recognize letters. Fewer students recognize the letter sounds. Both are taught in kindergarten.

When should it be assessed?

Assess letter/sound recognition three times during kindergarten, at the start of school, at mid-year, and at the end of the year.

Concepts of print awareness

About this assessment

Concepts of print are usually learned incidentally as children are exposed to books and story readings at home and at school. Concepts of print include an understanding that: print carries meaning, that books contain letters, words, sentences, and spaces. It also includes understanding what books are used for, and that books have parts such as a front cover, back cover and a spine. Eventually, students learn more sophisticated ideas such as understanding that we begin reading on the left and read across the page to the last word on the right, and then we got to the next line, begin reading on the left, and so on.

What it measures

If a student understands:

That print has meaning

That print can be used for different purposes

The relationship between print and speech

There is a difference between letters and words

That words are separated by spaces

There is a difference between words and sentences

That there are (punctuation) marks that signal the end of a sentence

That books have parts such as a front and back cover, title page, and spine

That stories have a beginning, middle, and end

That text is read from left to right and from top to bottom

Examples of assessment questions

Give the student a book and ask the following questions. "Can you show me:"

a letter?

a word?

a sentence?

the end of a sentence (punctuation mark)?

the front of the book?

the back of the book?

where I should start reading the story?

a space?

how I should hold the book?

the title of the book?

how many words are in this sentence?

Age or grade typically mastered

Some students enter kindergarten with an understanding of print concepts, but other will master it as the school year goes on.

When should it be assessed?

Assess concepts of print twice during kindergarten, at the start of school and at mid-year. In addition, as you model story reading techniques to help guide instruction, identify students who need additional support, and determine if the pace of instruction should be increased, decreased, or remain the same.

Phonological awareness

About this assessment

Phonological awareness is a necessary part of reading instruction. Children can show you they have phonological awareness in several ways. It is necessary as the classroom teacher to determine strengths and weaknesses to plan instruction.

What it measures

Recognizing a word in a sentence shows the ability to segment a sentence

Recognizing a rhyme shows the ability to identify words that have the same ending sounds

Recognizing a syllable shows the ability to separate or blend words the way that they are pronounced

Understanding onset-rime shows the ability to blend the first sound in the word (onset) and the rest of the word (rime)

Examples of assessment questions

Word
How many words are in this sentence? "I am happy." (Correct response: 3)

Rhyme
Do these words rhyme? big, fig(Correct response: Yes)

What about key, tree? (Correct response: Yes)

Syllable blending
I am going to say a word in parts. Listen: o...pen What word did I say? (Correct response: open)

Syllable segmentation
Can you tell me the two word parts in open? (Correct response: o...pen)

Syllable deletion
Say open without the -pen. (Correct response: o)

Onset-rime
What word do these sounds make? /s/ - /ee/ (Correct response: see)

How about /h/ - /op/? (Correct response: hop)

Age or grade typically mastered

Word: Age 3

Rhyme: Age 4

Syllable blending: Age 4

Syllable segmentation: Kindergarten

Syllable deletion: Kindergarten

Onset-rime: The middle of kindergarten

When should it be assessed?

Typically, phonological awareness is assessed during kindergarten and throughout first grade. During the beginning of kindergarten, assessment should be limited to recognizing words, rhyme, syllable blending, and segmentation to help guide instruction.

Phonemic awareness

What it measures

Phoneme matching is the ability to identify words that begin with the same sound.

Phoneme isolation is the ability to isolate a single sound from within a word.

Phoneme blending is the ability to blend individual sounds into a word.

Phoneme segmentation is the ability to break a word into individual sounds.

Phoneme manipulation is the ability to modify, change, or move the individual sounds in a word.

Examples of assessment questions

Remember, when a letter appears between slash marks, you should say the letter sound, and not the letter name.

Phoneme matching
Which words sound alike? man, sat, sip (Correct response: sat, sip)

Phoneme isolation - initial (first) sound
What's the first sound in sat? (Correct response: /s/)

Phoneme isolation - final (last) sound
What's the last sound in sat? (Correct response: /t/)

Phoneme isolation - medial (middle) sound
What's the middle sound in sat? (Correct response: /a/)

Phoneme blending
What word do these sounds make? /h/ - /o/ - /t/ (Correct response: hot)

Phoneme segmentation
What sounds do you hear in hot? (Correct response: /h/ - /o/ - /t/)

Phoneme manipulation - initial (first) sound
Say mat without the /m/ sound. (Correct response: at)

Phoneme manipulation - final (last) sound
Say mat without the /t/ sound. (Correct response: ma)

Phoneme manipulation - substitution
Say pig. (Correct response: pig)

Now change the /p/ in pig to /f/. (Correct response: fig)

Age or grade typically mastered

Phoneme matching: The middle of kindergarten

Phoneme isolation - initial (first) sound: The middle of kindergarten

Phoneme isolation - final (last) sound: Late kindergarten or early first grade

Phoneme isolation - medial (middle) sound: Late kindergarten or early first grade

Phoneme blending: Late kindergarten or early first grade

Phoneme segmentation: First grade

Phoneme manipulation - initial (first) sound: First grade

Phoneme manipulation - final (last) sound: First grade

Phoneme manipulation - substitution: Middle to end of first grade or early second grade

When should it be assessed?

Phonemic awareness assessments should be done three times during the kindergarten and first grade years to help guide instruction.

Informal (qualitative) reading inventory

What it measures

Grade level reading

Fluency

Comprehension

Vocabulary

Oral reading accuracy

Examples of assessment questions

Choose a grade level passage for the student to read. As the student is reading complete the oral reading accuracy and reading fluency assessments. After the student finishes the passage, check for understanding through explicit and implicit questions. Also, ask open-ended questions about the vocabulary found in the passage.

Age or grade typically mastered

This assessment can be given to students in grades one through twelve. Students should be expected to master age-appropriate material.

When should it be assessed

The informal reading inventory is an on-going assessment, and should be completed several times throughout the child's schooling. In kindergarten, perform the informal reading inventory twice per year, at mid-year and at the end of school. In first and second grades, it should be done three times, at the beginning of the school year, at mid-year, and at the end of the year. If a child is struggling, the inventory should be done more often in order to have an accurate picture of the child's progress.

Reading comprehension

About this assessment

Reading comprehension assessments are the most common type of published reading test that is available. The typical type of reading comprehension assessment involves asking a child to read a passage of text that is leveled appropriately for the child's age or grade, and then asking explicit, detailed questions about the content of the text. An example of a common reading comprehension assessment is the Informal Reading Inventory (IRI), also known as the Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI).

There are variations on the basic reading comprehension assessments. For example, instead of questions about facts found directly in the text, the child could be asked to answer questions about information that is implied in the text, or the child might be asked to retell the story in the child's own words.

Oral reading accuracy

About this assessment

This assessment provides a measure of a student's oral reading accuracy by giving teachers insight into a student's individual reading level. It allows the teacher to listen and record reading behaviors such as the number of errors a student makes, if the student substitutes words, or if the student needs prompting from the teacher.

The information offered by this assessment is limited. For example, it does not measure phonological ability, vocabulary, or comprehension. This is why it is often given in conjunction with other assessments such as the informal reading inventory. It should never be used in isolation.

Note: When children read orally, they usually concentrate on reading accurately and do not pay as much attention to comprehension of the content. It is also important to remember that if this assessment is used with students who are new to learning English, it should be given both in English and the child's primary language.

What it measures

Oral reading accuracy. It also provides the teacher with insight into a student's ability to use strategies to decode unfamiliar words.

Examples of assessment questions

Choose a passage for the child to read aloud. As the child reads, take notes on words read correctly and incorrectly.

Age or grade typically mastered

First through third grade.

When should it be assessed?

Reading accuracy assessments can be given as part of an informal reading inventory or combined with a comprehension assessment to yield more information. Reading accuracy should be assessed several times throughout the year to help you plan on-going instruction. Are students reading on grade level? Do some students require additional support? Do your students have rich vocabularies? Are your students able to read age-appropriate material?

Steps in administering this assessment

1. Choose a book that is age appropriate, but unfamiliar to your student. (This gives a more accurate picture of a child's ability in handling texts.)

2. Ask the student to read the story aloud to you and then at the end tell you what the story was about.

3. You should familiarize yourself with the following scoring information prior to administering this assessment:

Reading behavior

How to score

Read correctly (no error)

Check mark over word

Omission (one error)

Long dash over word omitted

Insertion (one error)

^ at point of insertion with the inserted word written above it

Repetition of a word (no error)

Mark above word with a capital R

Repetition of a phrase (no error)

Capital R with a line and an arrow stretching across phrase repeated

Self correction (no error)

Capital SC above the word to indicate child has self-corrected

Unable to read word (one error)

T for Teacher prompt

Decodes a word in an obvious manner (no error)

Mark individual sounds read within the word followed by a check mark if eventually read correctly or a circle if read incorrectly

Read incorrectly (one error)

Circle word

What should you count as an error when giving this assessment?

Substituting a word

Passage reads: The tall fir tree.

Student reads: The tall far tree.

Omitting a word

Passage reads: The tall fir tree.

Student reads: The tall tree.

Inserting a word

Passage reads: A dark and stormy night.

Student reads: A dark and stormy winter night.

Needs prompting (if the student has to be told a word by the person administering the assessment)

Passage reads: I wish that people...

Student reads: I wish that... (pauses) that... (teacher prompts "people")...

4. As the student reads, mark each word on the form by using the symbols above. Place a check mark above the words read correctly.

5. If the student reads a word incorrectly or substitutes a word, record what is said above the actual word.

6. As the student reads, pay attention to his or her behavior. Is the student using context clues (from the sentence or pictures), structure (language sounds correct) and visual cues (using beginning sounds, familiar word chunks, etc.) to read words and gather meaning?

7. Intervene as little as possible when a student is reading.

8. If the student is stuck on a word, wait 5-10 seconds before you tell him or her the word.

9. After the reading, ask the student to tell you about what he or she has just read. Make notes on the following:

Can the student tell you what happened in the story in his or her own words?

Does the student include the different parts of a story (the characters, setting, events, problem and resolution)?

Can the student identify the main idea and supporting details?

Does the student use some of the vocabulary found in the text?

Is the student's retelling minimal, adequate or very complete?

What do I do with the information obtained from this assessment?

The information gathered while completing an oral reading accuracy assessment can be used to determine error, accuracy, and self-correction rates. To calculate a student's reading accuracy rate, divide the total words read correctly by the total words read. For example, if a student read a passage containing 100 words and made 5 errors:

95 (total words read correctly) / 100 (total words read) = 95% word accuracy

Use the accuracy rate along with the information gained in the student's story retelling to determine whether the text the student read was too easy, just right, or too difficult for the reader. Below is a general breakdown to use to help guide you when choosing texts for students:

Oral reading accuracy

What this says about the text

95-100%

Too easy; the text does not present a challenge

90-94%

Just right; the text is challenging but manageable

89% and below

Too difficult; the text is frustrating for the reader

If a student can read a book with 100% word accuracy but can only give a minimal retelling of the story, do not choose a higher leveled book. We read to get meaning; if a child is not getting meaning from a text they must be instructed on comprehension strategies. Word accuracy without comprehension is not acceptable.

What should I be looking for when I give an oral reading accuracy assessment?

Giving an oral reading accuracy assessment and asking a child to retell reveals many things about a child's reading ability. There are other things to be on the look out for and can be taught in the moments following this assessment:

Has the student mastered directionality, letter-sound correspondence, return sweep, etc?

Did the student make "good errors" when phonetically reading a word (i.e., reading island as "is land" instead of "eye land")?

Was there an attempt to self-correct errors?

Did the student attempt to decode an unknown word?

Was the student's reading slow and labored, or fluent?

Did the student use expression while reading?

Reading fluency

What it measures

How many words a child reads correctly in one minute.

Examples of assessment questions

Choose an appropriate passage for the student to read aloud. As the student reads, complete a record for one minute.

Age or grade typically mastered

Students should be expected to master age-appropriate material.

When should it be assessed?

Fluency assessments should be completed throughout the year to help guide instruction.

Word recognition

What it measures

Sight word vocabulary at a given grade level.

Examples of assessment questions

Ask a child to read from a list of words.

Age or grade typically mastered

Students should be expected to master age-appropriate material.

When should it be assessed?

Word recognition should be assessed three times during the year for students in kindergarten through second grade to help guide instruction.

Phonic elements

What it measures

Phonic elements at a given grade level.

Examples of assessment questions

What sound do the letters 's' 'h' make? (Correct response: /sh/)

How can I turn cap into cape? (Correct response: Add an 'e' to the end of the word.

Age or grade typically mastered

Students should be expected to master age-appropriate material.

When should it be assessed?

Phonic elements should be assessed several times throughout the year in grades one through three to help guide instruction.

Portfolios

About this assessment

Portfolios can be used to document students' achievement and progress. Portfolios give an accurate picture of an individual's strengths and weaknesses. Instruction on how to pick a piece of work to place in a portfolio (does it show a concept that was struggled with then understood, does it demonstrate an understanding of a concept? Is it something you are proud of?) is beneficial for students. This type of instruction engages the student to reflect on his or her own work. Portfolios encourage students to take an active role in learning information they feel they have not yet mastered.

Portfolios can help guide instruction. Through looking at a piece of child's work, a teacher can quickly see what lessons are further needed. For example, by looking at a student's writing a teacher may determine lessons in using commas correctly need to be revisited.

Types of portfolios

Collection
The collection may consist of a folder that holds samples of a student's work. The collection should include representative examples of the various types of student work, such as tests, writing samples, and homework assignments.

Display portfolio
A container or box containing a selection of work documenting a student's progress may hold work in this type of portfolio. This type of portfolio may be used to share with parents at conferences. Pieces of work are carefully selected by both teachers and students to show and share with parents/guardians during conferences.

Teacher/student assessment portfolio
A collection of documentation including copies of work in the student's display portfolio, tests, anecdotal notes, conference summaries, contacts made with parents, etc. This portfolio is used by the teacher to aid in discussions with administrators, other teachers, parents, etc about a particular child.

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Types of Informal Classroom-Based Assessment

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Most of the assessments here should be given one-on-one. It is important that you have a non-distracting, comfortable testing environment for students, and that the rest of the class is engaged in a task or assignment and working quietly. It's even better if you can arrange for another teacher to be present while you are performing assessments.

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Top 5 Things NOT to say at Parent-Teacher Conferences

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Top 5 Things NOT to say at Parent-Teacher Conferences

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5. Anything with "cannot"
*Your child cannot achieve
*I cannot help your child
* Your child cannot be taught
*You and your husband cannot think about having other children.
4. Anything about your lack of time of resources
Survey Respondents "No-Nos"
*There is nothing else I can do since we cut our support staff
* I don't have time to help your child with his/her problems
3. Comparisons with Other Students
Survey Respondents "No-Nos"
* Your child cannot do what the other children do
* Your student eats like a pig
*Your child is slow as molasses
2. Questions about a Student's Ability to Learn
Survey respondents "No-Nos"
*Your child is awful
* Your child is lazy
*The good news is that your child will be more successful in this school if he stops doing drugs
1. Questions about parenting
Survey Respondents "No-Nos"
*I see where he gets that from
* I wish you better luck with your next child
*The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

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Get great parent teacher conference ideas and tips in this blog. You will learn what parents want to know and what work samples will help parents better understand their child's progress.

When I think of parent teacher conferences, lot of things come to mind: long days, lots of preparation, and the opportunity to learn more about the children I spend my days with. I truly LOVE parent teacher conferences, despite the amount of work involved. I find it rewarding to share a child's growth with their parents, and explain their child's next steps in their learning path. In this post I share some of my favorite parent teacher conference ideas with you.

Before we start, let's take a minute to think about the parent perspective on conferences...

What are parents looking for?

I've been on the teacher side of the conference table for over 25 years and on the parent side of the table for 15 years. I can have noticed that parents want to know that

you know their child

you like their child

their child has friends

their child is learning

in that order.

Are there parents who are exceptions to this? Of course. But the vast majority of parents (especially in the primary grades) want to make sure that their child has a sense of belonging at school. Keep this in mind as you use the following parent teacher conference ideas.

Want to know what's on parents' minds before conferences begin?

Send them a survey. A single sheet of paper (or simple Google form) gives parents the chance to share their thoughts and concerns with you before they walk through the door for parent teacher conferences.

You might ask some of the following questions:

What is going well for your child this year?

What is one goal you have for your child? (social emotional, academic)

Do you have any additional concerns at this time? (or Is there anything else you'd like to discuss about your child?)

(optional) Please share any other important information you'd like me to know before the conference.

This allows you to know what is on a parent's mind before the conference begins. It will also give you the chance to pay a bit more attention to an area of concern, if needed. For instance, if a parent is concerned that their child is playing alone during recess/choice time, you can observe those interactions before their conference begins.

What should I show parents at conferences?

Of course, parent teacher conferences are a time to tell a parent about their child's learning. But, this learning is easier to understand when you also have things to show parents - plus, it takes parents' eyes off you for a while!

Self-portraits

It can be fun to start off the conference by showing a self-portrait and name-writing sample from the first week of school, and a more recent sample. You can use this cute FRE E form several times a year to show growth. Teaching young children, it always amazes me how much their drawing and writing can change in a short period of time!

Writing Samples

You might also show writing samples from the beginning of the year, compared to more recent writing samples. In preschool or kindergarten, these samples might be work samples from student "book-making." (New to book-making with kids. A Teacher's Guide to Getting Started with Beginning Writers is a great place to learn more!) Parents will be amazed at their child's growth!

Sometimes teachers like to collect several writing samples a year and put them into a writing portfolio. For early learners, you could use monthly writing prompts, like those in this memory book and portfolio. Students will still use "kid-writing" to share their thoughts, but the sentence starters will help family members understand what the child was writing more easily.

With older students, you can show a writing sample from a recent writing unit. Use the student writing sample to show what a child is currently doing as they write, as well as what the next steps are for this child. Some examples include:
Joey does a great job getting his reader's attention at the beginning of his writing piece. See how he... Next I'm going to help Joey add more details to his writing. For instance, he might tell the reader where to fold the paper airplane, maybe even showing it in his illustration. Maggie has gotten so good at writing beginning and ending sounds for words. I'm starting to read some of her writing without her help. Now we will work on adding spaces between words, since she's beginning to write sentences instead of just labels. That will also make her reading easier to read.
Sample Reading Materials

You can also show an example of the type of book that the child is reading with you during small group instruction. Point out a few of the features of this type of book (ex: beginning to include dialogue, several lines of text on each page, characters are becoming more complex). Sometimes simply seeing books the child can currently read helps parents better understand their child's progress.

Also, describe the helpful reading behaviors their child uses, as well as a next step for reading. These behaviors could relate to concepts about print, comprehension or word solving.

Math Work Samples

Similarly, you can show math work samples at parent teacher conferences. With young students, these samples might be number writing samples, drawing number representations, or creating patterns with paper squares. You can repeat the same activity several times a year to demonstrate growth in understanding. These can be added to the monthly memory book and portfolio, along with the writing samples and self-portraits.

For older students, you can use recently solved open-ended problem (for instance: There are 20 kids in the class. Four kids can sit at each table. How many tables do they need?) Show parents how their child solved the problem. Help parents see how you look not only for the correct answer, but also how the child solved the problem.

Should I share tests?

If you share test scores with parents, it is important to help parents understand what these scores mean. Are you concerned that the child skipped 15 when counting, or is that normal for this stage of learning? Does D mean nearly failing, or does it mean the child is developing an understanding of the skill? When you look at how the child did on the test, what are you most excited about? What do you notice that needs the most support? These are things that are not always clear when looking only at the test score.

What should I say to parents?

Win parents over by starting with something positive about their child - tell a little story or describe a trait you love about their child.

As you move into conversations about social-emotional development and academic performance, continue to start with positives. Describe things the child does well, or ways the child has improved so far this year. Then explain the next learning goals for the child (whether this is an area that needs additional support, or is simply what the class will learn next.) Check out sample language for this conversation in this blog post about what to say at parent teacher conferences.

Be sure to end the conference on a positive note, as well. You might wrap up by reiterating something the child does well, or telling parents how much you enjoy having the child in your class and why.

By highlighting positive traits about their child, you will help parents lower their defenses in the conference. This will allow them to better hear any concerns you might bring up. They realize you are able to see more than just the difficult parts with their child. (Let me tell you, being a parent is a vulnerable job!)

So as you prepare for conferences, focus on the positive - the positive traits of your students and the positive social-emotional and academic behaviors. Use what the child currently knows and can do to set the next learning goals for the child. ( This blog post includes a form to help you organize your parent teacher conference ideas - your celebrations and next steps for each child.) Taking a bit of time to plan what you will say at conferences, and what you will show, will help you to WOW the parents every time!

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Parent Teacher Conferences - Ideas and Tips for Teachers - Primary Delight

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Get great parent teacher conference ideas and tips in this blog. You will learn what parents want to know and what work samples will help parents better understand their child's progress. When I think of parent teacher conferences, lot of things come to mind: long days, lots of preparation, and the opportunity to learn more about the children I spend my days with.

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During Parent-Teacher Conferences, what are parents looking for?
* You know their child
* You like their child
* Their child has friends
* Their child is learning