Awareness that words are composed of sounds and ​those sounds have distinct articulatory features.

Explore structured literacy intervention and ​strategies based on the needs of your students

The ability to read at an appropriate pace with ​accuracy and proper expression

Explore a variety of online resources available ​to educators and students

Understanding the meaning of text and ​integrating it with previous knowledge

Phonological Awareness

The awareness that words are composed of sounds and those sounds have distinct articulatory features

If a student has difficulty ​with phonemic ​awareness...

Incorporate manipulatives into ​phonemic awareness tasks

(elkonin boxes, sound circles)

*Note: focus on position in isolation ​tasks - begin with easier tasks then ​move to more difficult as students’ ​skills develop (see chart below)

Students’ development in phonemic awareness ​strongly correlates to later reading achievement ​- according to research, blending & segmenting ​are two of the most important phonemic ​awareness tasks needed for reading ​development. When possible, connect ​phonemes with graphemes (letters) in your ​phonemic awareness tasks.

Phonemic awareness tasks can include the ​following (note: blending/segmentation most ​important)

phoneme isolation: first sound in <mit> is /m/ ​(watch me & see chart left)

phoneme blending: /m/ /i/ /t/ → mit (watch me ​for blending & segmenting examples)

phoneme segmentation: what are the sounds in ​<mit> → /m/ /i/ /t/

If a student has difficulty ​identifying the syllables ​within words given ​orally..

*note: a syllable is a word or part of a word ​with one vowel phoneme (includes single ​vowel letters and vowel combinations)

*Video shows how to teach students to count ​the syllables in a word - Examples: “whale ​talk”/hum the word & “call the word to dinner”

Use manipulatives for concrete, visual ​representations of syllables: elkonin ​boxes, cubes, felt squares, etc.

Read this article that talks more about ​elkonin boxes and ways in which they ​can be incorporated into instruction

If a student has difficulty ​identifying syllable stress ​in a word given orally or ​when presented visually..

Why is syllable stress important? Depending ​on which syllable you emphasize/stress, you ​get the correct or incorrect word. Students ​need explicit instruction in this practice.

Examples: “call the word to dinner” & ​“get the word in trouble”

If a student has difficulty ​with spelling...

Provide explicit, systematic structured ​literacy instruction on a given phonics ​pattern, then reinforce the pattern ​through targeted spelling instruction - ​this includes phoneme/grapheme ​mapping, writing words following the ​pattern in the context of sentences, ​and then reading words following the ​given pattern in context (phrases, ​sentences, a paragraph)

Phonics

The ability to recognize letter-sound relationships in words.

If a student has difficulty ​identifying letter names...

*note: A letter's name is the only stable property of a ​letter. Name is the "anchor" property that does not ​change regardless of: shape (upper vs. lowercase & ​cursive vs. print), sound, or feel (muscle movements ​needed to write)

students must "overlearn" letter names in order to ​instantly recognize and associate new information to it

If a student has difficulty ​identifying letter sounds...

Tactile Letter Cards

Students trace letters as they name ​and/or provide the associated sound. ​This tactile approach also provides an ​opportunity to work on letter formation.

If a student correctly ​blends all the sounds in a ​word but then gives the ​incorrect word...

*note: students’ working memory contributes ​to their ability to hold the sounds as they blend ​to then give the whole word

Start by beginning with fewer letters/sounds - ​start with 2 sounds then build (3,4,5)

As students first begin building their blending ​skills, include words with continuant sounds at ​the beginning. Continuant sounds are those ​which can be held continuously, until you run ​out of breath. Some consonants (see right) are ​continuants, but ALL vowels are continuants.

/l/ voiced continuant

*/r/ voiced continuant

/v/ voiced continuant

/w/ voiced continuant

/y/ voiced continuant

/z/ voiced continuant

/th/ voiced continuant

/zh/ voiced continuant

/m/ nasal (voiced continuant)

/n/ nasal (voiced continuant)

/ŋ/ nasal (voiced continuant)

/f/ unvoiced continuant

/h/ unvoiced continuant

/s/ unvoiced continuant

/sh/ unvoiced continuant

/th/ unvoiced continuant

If a student has difficulty ​identifying syllable ​patterns in written ​words...

note: students need explicit instruction in the ​6 syllable types in order to readily decode ​single and multisyllabic words

Explicitly teach students the rules for the ​6 syllable types (see videos left) and ​associated coding procedures (below)

If a student has difficulty ​with spelling...

Provide explicit, systematic structured ​literacy instruction on a given phonics ​pattern, then reinforce the pattern ​through targeted spelling instruction - ​this includes phoneme/grapheme ​mapping, writing words following the ​pattern in the context of sentences, ​and then reading words following the ​given pattern in context (phrases, ​sentences, a paragraph)

If a student is making b/d ​reversals when reading...

Fluency

The ability to read at an appropriate pace with accuracy and proper expression

*note: accuracy should be the #1 focus for fluency, followed by rate and expression. If a student's biggest struggle with oral reading is decoding (accuracy), target your ​instruction on phonics/decoding and reinforce fluency by having students practice reading words following learned patterns in isolation and in context (phrases, ​sentences, a paragraph). If a student's biggest struggle with oral reading is rate and/or expression, target these two in your fluency instruction.

Aim for at least 95% accuracy for oral reading - this is needed for comprehension

If a student is accurate, but struggles with rate and/or expression...

For goal setting and progress monitoring, utilize the Dibels 8th Edition Benchmark Goals chart & focus on:

-Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) - Words Correct

-Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) - Accuracy

You may try any of the below interventions in order to target rate and/or expression. Note that these interventions are best utilized AFTER ​student(s) has had the opportunity to read the text one time, independently. You can choose your intervention below and target specific areas ​of the text the student had difficulty with in their first read. Remember, we are aiming for at least 95% accuracy for oral reading.

Repeated Reading

Scroll down to subheading, "Improving struggling readers' fluency: ​Suggestions for intervention" within the article (click below) for explicit ​directions on the Read Naturally Approach.

Click here for the Read Naturally passages that correlate with this ​intervention.

Echo Reading

Set a timer for one minute and have student(s) independently read ​given passage aloud. As they read, mark errors. Once done, count the ​total number of words read and then subtract the total number of ​words read incorrectly. This gives you your Words Per Minute (WPM) ​calculation. To obtain their accuracy score, divide the WPM score by ​the total number of words read (for example, 43/45 = 95%). If students' ​accuracy score was 95% or higher but they read with poor rate and/or ​expression, you can utilize the echo reading intervention. You may ​focus your echo reading on sentences or phrases within the passage ​the student made errors in on their first read. After echo reading with ​student(s), set a one-minute timer and have student read the same ​passage again. Once again, calculate WPM and accuracy.

Choral Reading

Follow the same beginning procedures for the students' first read, as noted ​above under "Echo Reading". If students' accuracy score was 95% or higher ​but they read with poor rate and/or expression, you may implement the ​choral reading intervention. After choral reading with student(s), set a one-​minute timer and have student read the same passage again. Once again, ​calculate WPM and accuracy.

“Scooping” Phrases

Follow the same beginning procedures for the students' first read, as noted ​above under "Echo Reading". If students' accuracy score was 95% or higher ​but they read with poor rate and/or expression, you can implement the ​"scooping" phrases intervention. After targeted teacher/student practice ​"scooping" phrases, set a one-minute timer and have student read the same ​passage again. Once again, calculate WPM and accuracy.

If a student struggles with accuracy, ​rate, and expression...

Target your instruction on phonics/decoding and reinforce fluency by ​having students practice reading words following learned patterns in ​isolation and in context (phrases, sentences, a paragraph).

Other helpful interventions

Previewing Text

"Preview" the text with your student. Ask them to pay special attention to ​titles, pictures, and words they may not know. When possible, have students ​code unknown words following patterns they have learned in order to read ​them. Particularly difficult words can be given to student, unless it follows a ​pattern student has learned and should be expected to know.

Error Word Phrase Drill

After student has read text at least one time independently, focus your ​intervention on the words/sentences in which your student had difficulty ​with.

If you want students to track ​their individual fluency data...

Vocabulary

Vocabulary size and word-meaning strategies predict comprehension

Note: according to the Simple View of Reading, Vocabulary falls under the Language Comprehension domain

If a student has limited background knowledge and needs ​to build their academic vocabulary on a given topic...

Text sets

intentionally grouped sets of texts and media resources focused on a ​specific topic designed to help all learners build background knowledge ​and vocabulary through a volume of reading on science, social studies, and ​other high-interest topics.

Semantic Gradients

Using a text students are familiar with, choose a target word (example below: ​large). Then, create a vocabulary list related to the target word. Read the ​vocabulary list with students. Then, have them work in pairs or groups in ​order to analyze the words - students will place the words in order in a ​continuum. See video below for activity demonstration.

Visual Representation

Incorporate visual representations of morphemes when introducing new ​affixes into your phonics instruction. Also, teach students how to code (box ​for morphology/meaning) words containing affixes.

See below:

Word Matrix

Help students understand the difference between derivational and ​inflectional morphology. Use word matrices to build understanding of new ​vocabulary (resource below).

Comprehension

Understanding the meaning of text and integrating it with previous knowledge

*Per the Simple View of Reading, Reading Comprehension is the PRODUCT of Word Recognition and Language Comprehension. A deficiency in the left side of the ​equation (either in Word Recognition, Language Comprehension, or both) will result in poor Reading Comprehension.

If a student struggles to understand what they are reading...

If a student struggles to comprehend text, closely analyze and identify WHY this might be happening. If student has identified deficiencies in Word Recognition, Language ​Comprehension, or both, focus your instruction accordingly. Even if your instructional target is on improving students' Word Recognition skills, Reading Comprehension can be ​incorporated into any given fluency task.

Previewing Text

Previewing a given text provides purpose and intent before reading - the ​goal is to help students acquire basic knowledge about the text before ​reading it in its entirety. This also provides students an opportunity to ​activate any prior knowledge about the text/topic before reading, which ​helps students make connections and ignite interest.

Additional Resource

Comprehension Skill Packs (Grades 1-5)