WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:03.970 Welcome to The Reading Instruction Show. I am 00:00:03.970 --> 00:00:08.449 your host, as always, Dr. Andy Johnson. Topic 00:00:08.449 --> 00:00:14.929 of today's podcast is this, eight essential literacy 00:00:14.929 --> 00:00:19.829 terms. Now, I want to just talk about eight commonly 00:00:19.829 --> 00:00:24.670 misunderstood terms related to reading instruction. 00:00:25.250 --> 00:00:28.850 The first one, reading. As I've described in 00:00:28.850 --> 00:00:33.969 previous podcasts and books and stuff, reading 00:00:33.969 --> 00:00:40.170 is not sounding out words. Reading is creating 00:00:40.170 --> 00:00:46.090 meaning with print. Misunderstanding this basic 00:00:46.090 --> 00:00:50.929 concept has led to the design of many ineffective 00:00:50.929 --> 00:00:54.810 reading interventions and programs and instruction. 00:00:57.100 --> 00:01:02.899 Word recognition. Word recognition and word identification 00:01:02.899 --> 00:01:08.480 are not synonymous. Word recognition refers to 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:12.420 instant and automatic identification of a word. 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:16.840 You see the word and you know what it is without 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:20.480 having to use any word identification strategies. 00:01:21.540 --> 00:01:27.379 This is the desired end state of word work. Automatic 00:01:27.379 --> 00:01:32.819 recognition of words. Third, word identification. 00:01:33.859 --> 00:01:38.540 Word identification refers to the conscious employment 00:01:38.540 --> 00:01:43.480 of a strategy to figure out words in print that 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:49.219 are known, meaning in a student's lexicon, but 00:01:49.219 --> 00:01:55.079 unrecognized. Strategies to identify words include 00:01:55.079 --> 00:02:00.439 morphemic analysis, context clues, analogy or 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:05.299 large unit phonics, and yes, of course, phonics. 00:02:06.060 --> 00:02:10.500 And of these four strategies, using phonics is 00:02:10.500 --> 00:02:14.620 the least efficient in terms of efficiency and 00:02:14.620 --> 00:02:18.139 the amount of space required in short -term memory. 00:02:20.139 --> 00:02:24.520 Decoding. Decoding refers to using the code, 00:02:25.139 --> 00:02:29.639 letter or symbol code, to identify unrecognized 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:34.680 words in print. In other words, using phonics 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:40.120 to sound out letters and identify words. Strategy. 00:02:41.400 --> 00:02:45.439 A strategy is a cognitive process that one consciously 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:50.080 applies to a task. Students should be taught 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:55.580 to consciously apply all four word identification 00:02:55.580 --> 00:03:00.479 strategies that I just described, as well as 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:05.680 comprehension and study skill strategies. Skill. 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:10.500 A skill is a cognitive process that has become 00:03:10.500 --> 00:03:14.139 automated. That's what a skill is in the context 00:03:14.139 --> 00:03:18.900 of reading instruction. Here, you don't have 00:03:18.900 --> 00:03:24.099 to think about it. In reading, we teach the strategy 00:03:24.099 --> 00:03:30.719 to develop the skill. This means we teach a variety 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:34.979 of word identification and comprehension strategies 00:03:34.979 --> 00:03:40.919 so that students use them automatically and effortlessly 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:46.770 while reading. Systematic Phonics instruction. 00:03:48.270 --> 00:03:53.490 Almost all teachers and researchers, 99 .98 % 00:03:53.490 --> 00:03:57.889 of them, believe that systematic phonics instruction 00:03:57.889 --> 00:04:02.490 is an important part of any reading curriculum 00:04:02.490 --> 00:04:09.180 or intervention. However, systematic phonics 00:04:09.180 --> 00:04:13.120 does not mean that you start at one end of a 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:16.259 scope and sequence chart and work your way through 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:20.399 it in a standardized fashion and in a prescribed 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:24.199 order without consideration of your students' 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:29.699 needs. This would be educational malpractice. 00:04:30.410 --> 00:04:34.629 Systematic phonics instruction also does not 00:04:34.629 --> 00:04:38.129 mean that phonics skills should not be taught 00:04:38.129 --> 00:04:42.410 in isolation apart from meaningful context. There 00:04:42.410 --> 00:04:47.829 are places for that. Instead, systematic phonics 00:04:47.829 --> 00:04:51.310 instruction means that there is some system or 00:04:51.310 --> 00:04:54.589 arrangement in place to make sure that essential 00:04:54.589 --> 00:04:59.230 skills are taught and to document when they are 00:04:59.230 --> 00:05:02.959 taught and to document when students have learned 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:07.300 them or mastered them. Also, teacher knowledge 00:05:07.300 --> 00:05:11.540 and expertise should be utilized to make instructional 00:05:11.540 --> 00:05:15.060 decisions about what is taught, in what order, 00:05:15.339 --> 00:05:19.879 and in what context, not a scope and sequence 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:25.100 chart. And the last thing, a balanced approach, 00:05:25.339 --> 00:05:29.579 a balanced approach to classroom literacy instruction 00:05:29.870 --> 00:05:32.649 simply means that there are appropriate amounts 00:05:32.649 --> 00:05:37.250 of essential skills instruction and word work, 00:05:38.189 --> 00:05:43.069 reading practice using real texts, writing for 00:05:43.069 --> 00:05:47.149 authentic purposes, and social interaction around 00:05:47.149 --> 00:05:52.110 books and writing. And you ask, what are the 00:05:52.110 --> 00:05:56.220 appropriate amounts? Since students are not standardized 00:05:56.220 --> 00:06:00.060 product, this varies depending on students' needs. 00:06:00.759 --> 00:06:04.120 However, as mentioned in my books and in earlier 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:08.959 chapters, no more than 20 to 30 % of literacy 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:12.180 instruction occurring in a general education 00:06:12.180 --> 00:06:16.079 setting should be used for skills instruction. 00:06:17.399 --> 00:06:21.079 Now, if this seems like too little skills instruction, 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:25.750 keep in mind that students learn literacy skills 00:06:25.750 --> 00:06:30.829 best in the context of authentic literacy activities 00:06:30.829 --> 00:06:36.149 and not in isolated drill and practice. This 00:06:36.149 --> 00:06:39.009 has been the Reading Instruction Show. I am your 00:06:39.009 --> 00:06:41.189 host, Dr. Andy Johnson.