# data[].attributes.headline
Writing in the Language Arts Classroom  

# data[].attributes.subject
Writing in the Language Arts Classroom  

# data[].attributes.body
Writing is one of the primary goals of Language Arts instruction. A child's writing skills develop alongside his or her reading skills, and teachers should use proven strategies to guide their students towards an age-appropriate mastery of these complex skills. This will help to ensure the success of their students in the classroom, and in life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Lynch School of Education and Human Development

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching the Genres of Writing to K-8 Students

# data[].attributes.headline
Strategies for Teaching Writing to Students with Visual Impairments

# data[].attributes.subject
Strategies for Teaching Writing to Students with Visual Impairments

# data[].attributes.body
Students with visual impairments use different strategies when writing, depending on the amount of vision they have, as well as their particular needs and interests. It is important to work closely with a teacher of the blind and visually impaired to determine which strategies are most appropriate for a specific student.

Paper Strategies include: regular writing tools, adapted writing tools, adapted paper, writing with video magnification, writing with a manual brailler, and use of a slate and stylus.

E-Text Strategies include: word processing software, word processing software with screen magnification, word processing with speech, word processing with screen magnification and speech, use of an electronic brailler, use of a braille note taker and word processing with refreshable braille.

Oral Strategies include using a dictation device.

Electronic Text Outputs include: laser and ink jet printers and use of a braille embosser.

https://www.pathstoliteracy.org/developing-writing-skills

# data[].attributes.headline
Teaching Writing to English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.subject
Teaching Writing to English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.body
ELLs need to experience rich and well-integrated opportunities to participate in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  Some strategies for providing these opportunities in the classroom are:

1. Demonstrate how writing and reading are connected.

2. Demonstrate how writing and reading are tools for thinking and learning.

3. Explicitly demonstrate how brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing are recursive processes.

4. Model exemplary writing practices for their students and demonstrate how writers write about topics that are meaningful to them.

5. Teach grammar in the context of actual writing.

6. Provide varied and increasingly challenging writing experiences for students at all grade levels.

7. Develop a list of core words for their students to use in their writing.

8. Regularly integrate spelling into writing and reading instruction.

(https://www.brown.edu/academics/education-alliance/teaching-diverse-learners/writing)

# data[].attributes.body
Ask students to write what they know about a topic before you discuss it.

Ask students to respond in writing to questions you pose during class.

Ask students to write from a pro or con position.

During class, pause for a three-minute write.

Have students write a brief summary at the end of class.

Have one student keep minutes to be read at the next class meeting.

Structure small group discussion around a writing task.

Use peer response groups.

Use read-around groups.

Ask students to identify the characteristics of effective writing.

(https://www.uww.edu/learn/restiptool/improve-student-writing)

# data[].attributes.headline
Efficient Ways to Improve Student Writing

# data[].attributes.subject
Efficient Ways to Improve Student Writing

# data[].attributes.body
View the improvement of students’ writing as your responsibility.

Let students know that you value good writing.

Regularly assign brief writing exercises in your classes.

Provide guidance throughout the writing process.

Don't feel as though you have to read and grade every piece of your students' writing.

Find other faculty members who are trying to use writing more effectively in their courses.

Remind students that writing is a process that helps us clarify ideas.

Explain that writing is hard work.

Give students opportunities to talk about their writing.

Encourage students to revise their work.

Explain thesis statements.

Stress clarity and specificity.

Explain the importance of grammar and sentence structure, as well as content.

Distribute bibliographies and tip sheets on good writing practices.

Let students know about available tutoring services.

Use computers to help students write better

(https://www.uww.edu/learn/restiptool/improve-student-writing)

# data[].attributes.body
The Elements of Writing

# data[].attributes.body
Writing is a complex process that requires a wide range of skills — basic mechanical skills; a strong vocabulary; an understanding of genre, text structure, and voice; organizational skills; and higher-order thinking.
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.headline
Vocabulary in the Language Arts Classroom  

# data[].attributes.subject
Vocabulary in the Language Arts Classroom  

# data[].attributes.body
Vocabulary is one of the primary goals of Language Arts instruction, and plays an important role in learning to read.  Teachers should use proven strategies to guide their students towards an age-appropriate mastery of vocabulary and ensure that their students are able to use words appropriately when speaking and writing, and to comprehend those that they encounter orally, and in print.

# data[].attributes.headline
Five Language Activities for Children with Hearing Loss

# data[].attributes.subject
Five Language Activities for Children with Hearing Loss

# data[].attributes.body
1) Experience stories
Take pictures during a nature walk, field trip or science experiment.  Use the pictures to make a book and have the child dictate the language used in the experience.  Children love to see themselves and their friends in the pictures and will want to share the book with others, getting multiple opportunities to practice the target language structures and vocabulary.  Check out this blog post for examples of experience stories.

2) Role plays
Use role plays to retell stories using targeted language. Choose simple books with characters that have dialogue with other characters.  Good ones for younger kids are The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Little Red Hen and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  Add some props to make the activity more fun!  Older kids may like books from the Frog and Toad series or chapters from Pippi Longstocking and Charlotte’s Web.

3) Games
Teacher- and commercial-made games are a great way to practice syntax and pragmatic language. Practice turn-taking, asking and answering questions, vocabulary and more with games such as Candyland and Memory.  Adapt a commercial-made game by replacing the cards with your targeted language.  To review question forms and vocabulary using Candyland with older students, have each student roll a die and answer a question written on a card (e.g., have a student ask Jane if she knows the definition of a gas and what it is).  If the student answers correctly, she can move that amount of spaces on the board.

4) Pretend Experiences
Setting up experiences for students to pretend can help with listening and language when the actual experience occurs. Create a restaurant and practice ordering from the menu, role playing each part (e.g., server, customer, chef).  With older students, practice ordering pizza.  You’ll give students the opportunity to practice vocabulary, syntax and pragmatic language while listening in a quieter setting.  The real fun can happen if you make the pretend experience a real one.

5) Art
Cutting, gluing, painting and drawing can be taken up a notch when you use it as a language activity. Have children ask each other for their art materials and say what they will do with it.  By the end, they will have a beautiful art project while practicing vocabulary and language along the way.

(https://professionals.cid.edu/five-language-activities-children-hearing-loss-age-language-level/)

# data[].attributes.headline
Pre-Teaching Vocabulary for English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.subject
Pre-Teaching Vocabulary for English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.body
Before doing an activity, teaching content, or reading a story in class, pre-teaching vocabulary is always helpful, especially for ELLs. This will give them the chance to identify words and then be able to place them in context and remember them. You can pre-teach vocabulary by using English as a second language (ESL) methods such as:

Role playing or pantomiming

Using gestures

Showing real objects

Pointing to pictures

Doing quick drawings on the board

Using the primary language equivalent and then asking students to say the word in English

(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching Key Academic Vocabulary to High School ELLs

# data[].attributes.headline
4 Effective Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary

# data[].attributes.subject
4 Effective Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary

# data[].attributes.body
1. Put yourself in your students’ shoes
2. Make direct vocabulary instruction fun and engaging
3. Indirect vocabulary instruction is key
4. Create quality vocabulary practices
(https://www.classcraft.com/blog/strategies-for-teaching-vocabulary/)

# data[].attributes.body
Use vocabulary words to create a customized crossword puzzle for your class:
https://www.education.com/worksheet-generator/reading/crossword-puzzle/?gclid=Cj0KCQjww4OMBhCUARIsAILndv4ha5TM30VIgv4_XXolKmKvyEORUrua-boL0qmcv-wWVbnnaAPfeWsaAkITEALw_wcB

# data[].attributes.body
words we use in writing
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
words we need to know to understand what we read
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
words we use when we speak
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
words we need to know to understand what we hear
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
Vocabulary refers to the words we must understand to communicate effectively. Educators often consider four types of vocabulary: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.headline
Comprehension in the Language Arts Classroom  

# data[].attributes.subject
Comprehension in the Language Arts Classroom  

# data[].attributes.body
Comprehension is one of the primary goals of Language Arts instruction.  Teachers should use proven strategies to guide their students towards an age-appropriate mastery of comprehension and must constantly be on the lookout for signs of comprehension problems, particularly in the case of English Language Learners and students with disabilities and other exceptionalities.  As soon as a problem is identified, teachers should act to provide any necessary supports for the affected students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Teach Reading Comprehension to Students With Learning Difficulties

# data[].attributes.headline
4 Simple Ways to Support English Learners’ Comprehension

# data[].attributes.subject
4 Simple Ways to Support English Learners’ Comprehension

# data[].attributes.body
1. A picture is worth a thousand words
2. Check for comprehension frequently
3. Use sentence and paragraph frames
4. Chunk texts
(www.edutopia.org)

# data[].attributes.headline
Four Ways to Engage Students in Comprehension Activities

# data[].attributes.subject
Four Ways to Engage Students in Comprehension Activities

# data[].attributes.body
1. Provide Interesting Texts
2. Offer a Variety of Follow-Up Activities
3. Build Independence and Offer Choice
4. Differentiate - Don't Separate
(topteachingtasksmembers.com)

# data[].attributes.headline
Strategies That Promote Comprehension After Reading

# data[].attributes.subject
Strategies That Promote Comprehension After Reading

# data[].attributes.body
Teachers may:

Guide discussion of the reading.

Ask students to recall and tell in their own words important parts of the text.

Offer students opportunities to respond to the reading in various ways, including through writing, dramatic play, music, readers' theatre, videos, debate, or pantomime.

Students, with some help from the teacher, may:

Evaluate and discuss the ideas encountered in the text.

Apply and extend these ideas to other texts and real life situations.

Summarize what was read by retelling the main ideas.

Discuss ideas for further reading.

(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.headline
Strategies That Promote Comprehension During Reading

# data[].attributes.subject
Strategies That Promote Comprehension During Reading

# data[].attributes.body
Teachers may:

Remind students to use comprehension strategies as they read and to monitor their understanding.

Ask questions that keep students on track and focus their attention on main ideas and important points in the text.

Focus attention on parts in a text that require students to make inferences.

Call on students to summarize key sections or events.

Encourage students to return to any predictions they have made before reading to see if they are confirmed by the text.

Students, with some help from the teacher, may:

Determine and summarize important ideas and supportive details.

Make connections between and among important ideas in the text.

Integrate new ideas with existing background knowledge.

Ask themselves questions about the text.

Sequence events and ideas in the text.

Offer interpretations of and responses to the text.

Check understanding by paraphrasing or restating important and/or difficult sentences and paragraphs.

Visualize characters, settings, or events in a text.

(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.headline
Strategies that Promote Comprehension Before Reading

# data[].attributes.subject
Strategies that Promote Comprehension Before Reading

# data[].attributes.body
Teachers may:

Motivate students through activities that may increase their interest (book talks, dramatic readings, or displays of art related to the text), making the text relevant to students in some way.

Activate students' background knowledge important to the content of the text by discussing what students will read and what they already know about its topic and about the text organization.

Students, with some help from the teacher, may:

Establish a purpose for reading.

Identify and discuss difficult words, phrases, and concepts in the text.

Preview the text (by surveying the title, illustrations, and unusual text structures) to make predictions about its content.

Think, talk, and write about the topic of the text.

(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
Here are some clues for teachers that a student may have problems with comprehension:

He seems to focus on the "wrong" aspect of a passage; for example, he concentrates so much on the details that the main idea is lost.

She can tell the outcome of a story, but cannot explain why things turned out that way.

He does not go behind what is presented in a book to think about what might happen next or why characters took the action they did.

She brings up irrelevant information when trying to relate a passage to something in her own life.

He seems to have a weak vocabulary.

She cannot tell the clear, logical sequence of events in a story.

He does not pick out the key facts from informational text.

He cannot give you a "picture" of what's going on in a written passage; for example, what the characters look like or details of where the story takes place.

(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words but do not understand or connect to what they are reading, they are not really reading. Good readers are both purposeful and active, and have the skills to absorb what they read, analyze it, make sense of it, and make it their own.
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
Comprehension is the understanding and interpretation of what is read. To be able to accurately understand written material, children need to be able to (1) decode what they read; (2) make connections between what they read and what they already know; and (3) think deeply about what they have read.
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
Instruction in fluency can be particularly beneficial because activities designed to enhance fluency in reading can also contribute to oral language development in English. As students practice reading English text accurately, automatically, and prosodically, they are gaining valuable information about the sounds and cadences of spoken English, and they are also developing vocabulary skills that can contribute to oral language fluency, as well as reading and listening comprehension.
(www.colorincolorado.org)

# data[].attributes.body
For many years, educators have recognized that fluency is an important aspect of reading. Reading researchers agree. Over 30 years of research indicates that fluency is one of the critical building blocks of reading, because fluency development is directly related to comprehension.
(www.readnaturally.com)

# data[].attributes.headline
How to Help Students with Fluency Issues

# data[].attributes.subject
How to Help Students with Fluency Issues

# data[].attributes.body
What kids can do to help themselves

Track the words with your finger as a parent or teacher reads a passage aloud. Then you read it.

Have a parent or teacher read aloud to you. Then, match your voice to theirs.

Read your favorite books and poems over and over again. Practice getting smoother and reading with expression.

What parents can do to help at home

Support and encourage your child. Realize that he or she is likely frustrated by reading.

Check with your child's teachers to find out their assessment of your child's word decoding skills.

If your child can decode words well, help him or her build speed and accuracy by:

Reading aloud and having your child match his voice to yours

Having your child practice reading the same list of words, phrase, or short passages several times

Reminding your child to pause between sentences and phrases

Read aloud to your child to provide an example of how fluent reading sounds.

Give your child books with predictable vocabulary and clear rhythmic patterns so the child can "hear" the sound of fluent reading as he or she reads the book aloud.

Use books on tapes; have the child follow along in the print copy.

What teachers can do to help at school

Assess the student to make sure that word decoding or word recognition is not the source of the difficulty (if decoding is the source of the problem, decoding will need to be addressed in addition to reading speed and phrasing).

Give the student independent level texts that he or she can practice again and again. Time the student and calculate words-correct-per-minute regularly. The student can chart his or her own improvement.

Ask the student to match his or her voice to yours when reading aloud or to a tape recorded reading.

Read a short passage and then have the student immediately read it back to you.

Have the student practice reading a passage with a certain emotion, such as sadness or excitement, to emphasize expression and intonation.

Incorporate timed repeated readings into your instructional repertoire.

Plan lessons that explicitly teach students how to pay attention to clues in the text (for example, punctuation marks) that provide information about how that text should be read.

(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
Often struggle with fluency and need cumulative review of phonics and sight words to improve decoding ability. These students also often require more instruction and added practice opportunities in order to solidify learning. Effective strategies for building fluency among students with disabilities include explicit models of fluent reading and multiple opportunities to repeatedly read familiar text.
(cdn-websites.imaginelearning.com)

# data[].attributes.headline
Activities for Students to Increase Fluency

# data[].attributes.subject
Activities for Students to Increase Fluency

# data[].attributes.body
Student-adult reading

Choral reading

Tape-assisted reading

Partner reading

Readers' theatre

(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Interactive Read-Alouds in the Inclusive Classroom 

# data[].attributes.body
Exposure to different print in different languages and orthographies helps the child connect writing to his or her native language and culture and also raises the awareness of the symbolic and arbitrary nature of written language.
(leader.pubs.asha.org)

# data[].attributes.headline
Guidelines for Promoting Print Awareness

# data[].attributes.subject
Guidelines for Promoting Print Awareness

# data[].attributes.body
Make sure students know how books are organized

Read to students

Use "big books" and draw attention to words and letters

Label objects and centers in your classroom

Encourage preschool children to play with print

Help children understand the relationship between spoken and written language

Play with letters of the alphabet

Reinforce the forms and functions of print

Teach and reinforce print conventions

Teach and reinforce book awareness and book handling

Promote word awareness by helping children identify word boundaries and compare words

Allow children to practice what they are learning

Provide practice with predictable and patterned books

Provide many opportunities for children to hear good books and to participate in read-aloud activities

(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is Decoding|What is Phonics|How to Sound Out Words|Phonics for Kids | Teaching Phonics| Phonics

# data[].attributes.headline
Teaching Phonics to English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.subject
Teaching Phonics to English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.body
Include pictures - Set up a word study program - Connect word study with guided reading books = Give students time to practice with letters and sounds - Focus on teaching vowel sounds

(www.aworldoflanguagelearners.com)

# data[].attributes.headline
Effective Programs of Phonics Instruction:

# data[].attributes.subject
Effective Programs of Phonics Instruction:

# data[].attributes.body
Are Systematic: the letter-sound relationship is taught in an organized and logical sequence

Are Explicit: the instruction provides teachers with precise directions for teaching letter-sound relationships

Provide frequent opportunities for children to apply what they are learning about letters and sounds to the reading of words, sentences, and stories

Significantly improve children's word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension

Are most effective when they begins in kindergarten or first grade, but should be used as part of a comprehensive reading program with students at risk for reading disabilities or who have been identified as having a reading disability like dyslexia

(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.headline
Phonics & Decoding, Print Awareness, and Fluency in the Language Arts Classroom  

# data[].attributes.subject
Phonics & Decoding, Print Awareness, and Fluency in the Language Arts Classroom  

# data[].attributes.body
These skills are important ones that foster reading comprehension and communication ability. Teachers should ensure that their students have achieved an age-appropriate mastery of each of them and take care to provide the necessary supports for English Language Learners and students with disabilities and other exceptionalities.

# data[].attributes.body
Include instruction on high-frequency sight words (e.g., “was,” “you,” “said“).

Teach explicit strategies for decoding and reading multi-syllable words.

Reinforce decoding skills with spelling activities.

Provide ample practice for the decoding skills that students have already learned.

Include activities that allow students to practice decoding skills through writing and spelling.

Encourage students to use context clues to support their decoding efforts.

Use word-building activities to help students decode words.

Utilize short books and stories that feature words with the specific letter-sound relationships being taught in class.

Give students activity sheets with the letters and letter combinations they are learning and ask them to form new words using these combinations.

(iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu)

# data[].attributes.body
Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression. Reading fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension.
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
Print awareness (also called concepts of print) is the understanding that print carries meaning, that books contain letters and words. Print awareness also includes an understanding of what books are used for and how a book "works" — how to turn pages, how to find the top and bottom of a page, and how to identify the title and the front and back covers.
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.headline
Phonics & Decoding, Print Awareness, and Fluency

# data[].attributes.subject
Phonics & Decoding, Print Awareness, and Fluency

# data[].attributes.body
Phonics instruction teaches the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. Children's reading development is dependent on their understanding of the alphabetic principle — the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language. "Decoding" is the act of sounding out words using phonics.
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
Artwork: Jacob Lawrence, The Library, 1960

# data[].attributes.headline
Oral Language & Phonological Awareness in the Language Arts Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
Oral Language & Phonological Awareness in the Language Arts Classroom

# data[].attributes.body
These skills are fundamental in the Language Arts classroom.  They will serve as a foundation for the reading and writing skills that children will build on throughout their educational careers, as they grow and develop into strong readers and communicators.  As teachers, it is of the utmost importance that we ensure all of our students receive adequate instruction in these concepts and achieve age-appropriate levels of competence in them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's important to be research-driven in every instructional decision that you make as an educator, but the sheer amount of available research (particularly in literacy) can be overwhelming to sift through and interpret. Additionally, districts want to ensure that their instructional resources are based on the Science of Reading. This ensures that programs reflect...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Foundational Literacy: What the Research Says About Phonological Awareness

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's important to be research-driven in every instructional decision that you make as an educator, but the sheer amount of available research (particularly in literacy) can be overwhelming to sift through and interpret. Additionally, districts want to ensure that their instructional resources are based on the Science of Reading.

# data[].attributes.headline
Phonological Awareness Activities and Lessons

# data[].attributes.subject
Phonological Awareness Activities and Lessons

# data[].attributes.body
Might involve the following:

Highlighting phonological awareness concepts in songs, rhymes, poems, stories, and written texts

Finding patterns of rhyme, initial/final sound, onset/rime.

Using games to practice the awareness of syllables, rhyme, initial/final sound, and individual sounds in words.

(www.education.vic.gov.au)

# data[].attributes.body
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Blending Sounds in Syllables with Autumn, Kindergartner

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our students already had quite a spring. Now, they are having what looks to be quite a summer.

COVID-19 introduced some serious challenges to equal educational access and opportunity. Now, we are entering an overdue era of increased awareness about another serious challenge to equal educational outcomes: systemic racism. More than ever, we owe it to our students to do the hard work of fighting for equity in all that we do.
What a reading level is not
So let's talk about equity. And to talk about equity in literacy instruction in particular, one topic we need to address is reading levels.

When assessment data indicates the level at which a student is reading, here's what that data does not mean: "Daniel is reading at level 4, so I'll send him to a group where all literacy instruction is in level 4 texts. He's not ready for the level 7 books that most of his peers will be taught from." Equity is not about lowering expectations.

Reading levels should not be about denying access; they should be understood mostly as indications of what it takes to grant access to complex, grade-level text.

Helping kids "see over the fence"
Here's what else it does not mean: "I'll just report that reading level up the chain to the district, and then continue with my usual whole-class instruction in level 7 books, so it's the same for everyone." Equity is not about teaching the very same for everyone, regardless of needs.

Think back to what we do know about equity. Remember the metaphor of the solid fence? Tall people can already see over it, so they have access to the show on the other side. Shorter people need a step stool, and people using wheelchairs need a ramp. Otherwise, they're stuck looking at nothing but a knot in the wood of that fence all afternoon.
Equity = access to complex, grade-level text
In part, reading levels are just like that. They tell you the size of the stool or ramp you need to provide for each student to access complex, grade-level text. Reading levels should not be about denying access; they should be understood mostly as indications of what it takes to grant access to complex, grade-level text.
Access = appropriate scaffolding
Misusing reading levels is an equity issue. You deny students the right to improve their reading comprehension if you don't grant them access every day to some meaty grade-level text. Here's why: Students develop their comprehension-of language, of genres, and of the world-by working with written texts full of challenging words and syntax. They learn new words not by reading words they already know, but by accumulating exposure to new ones. They learn to figure out compound complex sentences, some of them with strange grammatical interruptions like this one, by engaging with these kinds of structures in written text. We know from research that oral language-conversations, teacher lectures-is not rich or varied enough in the vocabulary or syntax it presents. Written language at higher and higher levels of complexity is what kids need. This is why text complexity features so strongly in how academic standards advance across grades.

Now here's a good question: How do we give equal access to meaty texts when some kids have less (or zero) decoding fluency? The answer is scaffolding. Just like painters or window washers might need scaffolding to get to the third-floor exterior of a building, less fluent readers will need scaffolding to be able to access harder texts. This means that teachers' lessons around a complex text will include planned attention to what makes the text difficult. Are there difficult vocabulary words? Talk through and define them ahead of the reading. Are there pieces of world knowledge that might be missing, which would facilitate comprehension? Address those before reading the text. Is the decoding too challenging for some kids? Structure some paired, repeated reading to build fluency with the text, before discussing comprehension.

Equity is not about lowering expectations.

What a reading level is for
In some cases, reading the text aloud to students is the appropriate level of scaffolding. While this is common in kindergarten and first grade, the practice is critical for letting kids see over ever taller fences in later grades as well. The goal is to help kids to engage with making meaning from that complex written language. Reading aloud to students-even readers with stronger skills-gives them access to language that goes beyond the limitations of their own decoding fluency.

When students have a reading level that is lower than grade level, that means scaffolding is needed to help them access grade-level text. A reading level is a gauge of how substantial that scaffolding should be.

Certainly, a reading level also indicates where to start in making choices for independent reading. If we want students to read for pleasure at home, getting them text at an appropriate level matters. But don't forget that interests matter, too. Daniel might be at a level 5 or 6 when it comes to books having anything to do with pirates marauding on the high seas if he's months and months into a pirate obsession.

Let's keep having hard conversations about equity in literacy instruction. It's well past time to get real about where inequity lives in our own practice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Let's talk equity: Reading levels, scaffolds, and grade-level text

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our students already had quite a spring. Now, they are having what looks to be quite a summer. COVID-19 introduced some serious challenges to equal educational access and opportunity. Now, we are entering an overdue era of increased awareness about another serious challenge to equal educational outcomes: systemic racism.

# data[].attributes.headline
11 Ways to Improve Your Students' Oral Language Skills

# data[].attributes.subject
11 Ways to Improve Your Students' Oral Language Skills

# data[].attributes.body
1. Encourage conversation.

2. Model syntactic structure.

3. Maintain eye contact.

4. Remind students to speak loudly and articulate clearly.

5. Explain the subtleties of tone.

6. Attend to listening skills.

7. Incorporate a “question of the day.”

8. Compile a class booklet of students’ phrases.

9. Question to boost comprehension.

10. Never assume students understood your instructional talk.

11. Teach concept words.

(blog.brookespublishing.com)

# data[].attributes.body
Oral language development facilitates print literacy: Kids who hear more words spoken at home learn more words and enter school with better vocabularies. This larger vocabulary pays off exponentially as a child progresses through school. It’s never too soon to start talking to a baby — describing out loud everything that's going on around you. It's also important to listen and respond to what young children are communicating.
(www.readingrockets.org)

# data[].attributes.body
Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the spoken parts of words: Before children learn to read print, they need to become aware of how the sounds in words work. They must understand that words are made up of individual speech sounds, or phonemes. A child's skill in phonological and phonemic awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty.
(www.readingrockets.org)