Assessing and Teaching 
 Beginning Readers:
 A Picture is Worth 1000 Words
                   and                   
 Assessing and Teaching 
 Beginning Writers:
 Every Picture Tells a Story



TRANSCRIPT

Building the Foundation of Early Literacy--
A Fresh Look at Beginning Literacy Instruction    

 When:   November 12-14, 2007
 Where: The Learning Network Listserve
 Cost:     No Charge—It is FREE   

If you missed the informative discussion or if you just want to recap the discussion you can read the transcript below .

The postings listed below are not in the order in which they were received. For your convenience, we have relocated the responses to questions so that they appear directly after the questions posed.

We hope you have enjoyed this discussion as much as we have and will join us in our next discussion.

To Learn more about Richard C. Owen Publishers Inc.,
visit our website at www.RCOwen.com
 

1

Richard Owen

Good evening friends,

One year ago we had the pleasure of having David Matteson and Deborah Freeman with us for a conversation about early literacy.  I am very pleased David and Deb are back for another visit.  They will be with us for most of the next three days. 

During this past year both authors have been involved in work with schools and districts providing professional development that supports the content of their books, Assessing and Teaching Beginning Writers and Assessing and Teaching Beginning Readers.  In addition, David completed The Emergent Reading Assessment, adding an assessment package to accompany their reading text that parallels My Pictures and Stories as a supplement to the writing text.  I hope David will talk with us at some point about the ERA and how it can help teachers of young children refine their instruction. 

This is an opportunity for all who are concerned with the education of young children to participate in a conversation with David and Deb.  Feel free to post questions and comments to the listserve.  If you are starting a new thread, be sure to change the subject line.  If you prefer not to ask a question publicly, send me a note at richardowen@rcowen.com and I will be happy to ask for you. 

I want to ask the authors to start the discussion by exploring their perspective on first teaching.  David and Deb, you describe your books as a "fresh approach to early literacy."  What is it that makes them fresh? 

The authors will respond as quickly as possible.  Please understand that they too are balancing work loads so be patient if it takes a while for them to reply. 

I look forward to this conversation with David Matteson and Deborah Freeman.  Please welcome David and Deb to this TLN Author Discussion.

Richard Owen

2

David Matteson

Good morning Richard and all,

It's good to be back with you again to talk about early literacy. I thoroughly enjoyed last year's discussion and am looking forward to a lively discussion this year as well. For those of you who were part of that discussion last year, I'm hoping we can expand some of the ideas that came out of that time even further. For people who are just joining in, I'm hoping that you find some things interesting and will want to dig into what they mean. I look forward to all your questions over the next few days.

First, the “fresh approach” that Deb and I are talking about with regards to beginning literacy instruction has to do with the fact that our work has its roots in the classroom, and that we have continually expanded upon our ideas over the past few years. Our thinking has developed and shifted over time. As our understandings have grown, we have had the opportunity to publish several books that have, over time, reflected our most recent thinking. We started off with Assessing and Teaching Beginning Writers (ATBW). As we learned more about literacy and young children we were able to extend ATBW through another resource, My Pictures and Stories (My Pix). My Pix is a writing journal that includes a Teacher’s Guide that takes ATBW to another level in how teachers can help students understand how stories work. Our next book, Assessing and Teaching Beginning Readers (ATBR) was written to support teachers of emergent readers and writers in making stronger connections between the stories children write and those that are found in books. ATBR was followed by the most recent publication in our early literacy family, The Emergent Reading Assessment (ERA). The ERA helps teachers give students concrete reading experiences that are developmentally appropriate and align with those reading and writing experiences written in ATBW and ATBR.

Our “fresh approach” also has to do with how we use the research that supports the work we have done as well as the books we have written. From our work in the classroom and the following list of the supportive research used in our work—
 

• Marie Clay’s Literacy Acquisition
• Marie Clay’s Formative Stages of a Network of Strategies
• Art Costa’s Brain-based Learning
• Erikson’s Stages of Human Development
• Stephen Krashen’s Second Language Acquisition
• Margaret Mooney’s Characteristics of Learners
• NAEYC/IRA Position Statements
• New Zealand Ministry’s Characteristics of Reading and Writing
• Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
• Vivian Gussin Paley’s Work
• State Reading and Writing Standards

—We have developed a framework that makes up the “heart” of all our work. It includes six areas that we feel are vital to building the foundation children need to develop a beginning understanding of literacy. These six areas include:

• Development of Oral Language
• Attention to Visual Detail (student drawings, pictures in books, and 
  constructions in play centers)
• Connections to Reading and Writing
• Development of Book-Handling Skills
• Attention to Print
• Connections to Prior Knowledge/Personal Experiences

With this framework in mind our “fresh approach” to literacy development in the early primary grades means that teachers need to take a broader look at a student’s acquisition of literacy development when planning for his/her learning. It means that we need to think beyond the literal (letters, sounds, and words) and view literacy acquisition as an in-depth and higher order thinking experience. By keeping these six areas of literacy development in mind a teacher can give a student a more fully developed literacy experience that is developmentally appropriate and academically rigorous.

David

3

Deborah Freeman

Good morning Richard and friends,

I just read David's response to the opening question for our discussion.  Once again, David has gotten straight to the heart of the matter.  I only have a bit to add, and then will be off to work in a school today and a presentation this afternoon.  Yes, I know I retired, but I am still working as a Literacy Coach and Staff Development Presenter. 

There are several points that I want to add about our work:

While there was much work to support our ideas in theory (as evidenced by David's response), there wasn't much available that blended the theory into practice.

It was our action research in the classroom that allowed us to develop the practice.

Even though our writing book was published in 2005, our work began in the late 1990's.  Until this year, 2007, we have not seen other books on the market that examined a child's drawings and used them to develop the child's oral language and his/her understanding of narrative story elements.  Even still the focus of some of these books is more on letters and sounds and less on comprehension.

For those of you who haven't read the books, I hope you will, but to help explain what we do with our young writers--think as far back as Sylvia Ashton Warner and The Language Experience Story.  The difference in what we do is that we work with individual children as opposed to the whole class--think personal language experience stories.

Finally, I think we can call this a fresh approach because our assessment and teaching continuums found in each of our books are excellent resources to differentiate instruction.  Imagine that, we were differentiating instruction before it was even a "buzz word". 

I know that most you are also off to work today, so let's get back together later today. 

DEB

4

Nancy

  · Attention to Visual Detail (student drawings, pictures in books, and constructions in play centers)

How would you say your work compares/contrasts with Reggio ?

Nancy Creech

5

David and DEB

Nancy,

We address three different theoretical perspectives on PreK/Kinder instruction in chapter two of Assessing
and Teaching Beginning Writers (The Play Perspective, The Academic Perspective, and The Exploratory
Perspective).   As we understand the Reggio approach, we feel that it would align more closely with the category we referred to as an exploratory perspective.  In that chapter we questioned whether any of the three perspectives discussed went far enough to support the development of beginning readers and writers. 

The basic idea of visual detail that we discuss comes from Marie Clay's work.  Our reason for wanting children to attend to the visual detail in their drawings, pictures in books, and constructions in play centers is to develop their ability to talk about these things (oral language). In thinking about where our PreK and K students are going as readers and writers we connected these visual details and oral language to the narrative elements of story. 

As far as any comparisons or contrasts between our work and Reggio, there may be some of both.  However, the biggest difference between our work and all three perspectives is what we just described above.

David and DEB  

6

Rachelle

Good morning,

I'm not sure if this very specific, but I'm most interested in oral language and the emphasis you put on it in your books. As you work to develop oral language in children, what are the questions/understandings that go through your mind as you're trying to develop oral language in your children?

Thanks!

Rachelle

7

David

Hi Rachelle--

It's a good question. When I talk about oral language I always talk about student work or visual detail. In my mind the two go hand-in-hand. The student work (drawings, pictures in books, and/or constructions in play centers) is the anchor for the oral language or the story the child has to tell. By developing the student work--adding or finding detail--I can add to the child's language or their ability to tell a story. It's not just any detail though--it's detail that helps develop the story about the work. Since it is a story or a narrative that I'm looking for I use a list of narrative elements to help know what I have to add to the student work. The list I use comes from Margaret Mooney's Text Forms and Features. They include:

• Theme
• Significant Event (Problem/Tension)
• Beginning/Middle/End
• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Description
• Dialogue
• Sensory Detail (Similes/Metaphors)

By looking at the child's work I go through my mental list of narrative elements to know what I have to add to the student work. For example, I was working with a child a while ago in the block center and he had a pretty well developed building. It had a door and some windows. I asked the child what he had built and he told me it was a farm. This was a setting and I decided I would get him to add some characters (a farmer and some animals) to his work, which would ultimately add to the story he could tell about the farm. He added them without hesitation.

Because this went so well I decided to push my luck a bit and have him think about what was happening at the farm--a significant event. We decided the farmer was feeding his animals so we drew some food and put it by the animals at the farm. This really helped him develop the story about the farm but it only happened because I was thinking about how I could develop his oral language through the anchors we added, which came from using the narrative elements.

Does this make sense? This was an aha that developed after we wrote Beginning Writers. It was this very thing that made me develop My Pix journal. I don't know if you've seen it Rachelle, but I think there are a couple of good examples in that resource. If you go to RCO's website and go to professional books, you'll find my find my name. Click on that and find My Pictures and Stories. You can down load the Teacher's Guide and print it off free of charge. Personally, I think it's a good resource. See I told you--good question. Hope it helped.

8

Rachelle

Yes.  Terrific answer - just what I was looking for.  The focus for oral language is tied to narrative elements; developing a sense of story that will provide a foundation both for understanding written text and for writing text.  Great new learning for me.

Thanks! 

9

David

I'm glad Rachelle--it was huge for me. When I think of developmentally appropriate instruction, we need to
be thinking about three areas--where our students come from (their previous learning, family, language,
culture), where they are currently (stage of development in any area), and where they are going. Where they are going is their development as a reader and writer and the foundation needs to be based on oral language and the narrative (and expository) elements. Thanks Rachelle.

David

10

DEB

Rachelle,

Like David, when I am working with students and have oral language development in mind, I always consider the narrative elements of story to help drive what I am doing with students.  I won't relist the elements that he has listed but thought that I would share an example of working with a student who has come to be a part of a small group that is working in their My Pictures and Stories booklets. 

As the children come to the group we begin with conversations about what story we each had to tell today.  Because of the students' varying levels of proficiency with English or with story telling, the students are at different levels on the Early Literacy Continuum for Writing (found in Assessing and Teaching Beginning Writers).  Andy approaches the table and tells that his story is about Mommy, Daddy and me (many of his stories are about him and his parents--a safe subject for now).  I know immediately that he has characters.  I decide that I will try to establish the setting.  I ask where Mommy, Daddy and Andy are.  He replies in one word, "outside."  When I ask what they are doing outside, Andy doesn't reply.  I ask, "Were you playing?"  No response.  I decide to allow Andy to begin drawing and remind him that he needs to be sure to draw Mommy, Daddy, and himself.  Once the drawing is complete, I notice that the people in his drawing appear to be holding hands.  I pointed to that detail in the drawing and ask if they were holding hands.  Andy smiled broadly.  I extended his language by framing the sentence, "Mommy, Daddy and I are holding hands." 

I know that Andy has a long way to go, but he is making progress.  He is now telling the characters and settings of his stories.  While his oral language keeps him from expressing the significant event, he was able to show it (holding hands) in his drawing.  I gave him the words to represent what he had drawn.  Of course he is far from having a well developed narrative, but he is also a long way from the child who didn't respond at all only a week or two earlier. 

I hope this additional sample helps.

11

Rachelle

Sorry I was unable to check e-mail yesterday.  Thank you, Deb, for the additional example. Do you then write the sentence at the bottom of their My Pictures and Stories page?  Then, do the children "reread" their book with you the next time they work with you?

Another question I have revolves around phonological awareness.  Do you ever assess them formally with a phonological awareness assessment of sorts, or do you watch their writing? 

Rachelle 

DEB

Good morning Rachelle,

Not to worry about the time lapse.  David and I are both balancing this conversation with work and travel--we know how hard it is to get to the keyboard at times. That is a good question about whether I would write at the bottom of the page (below the line) for Andy.  My answer would be, probably not. There are several reasons why I say this. Let me explain.

First, Andy has not really given me a sentence to write, so I would not really have his words to scribe.  I spent my teaching time with Andy really focused on developing his oral language and just attempting to get him to talk.  I chose the exchange with Andy, because he was classified NES (Non English Speaking as opposed to Limited English Speaking [LES] on our district-level testing).  Children like Andy, who are NES, really challenge our teachers.  The video of Andy and I as we worked together is worth a thousand words.  It was made for use with staff development with our teachers (and for a presentation at TWU Early Literacy Conference).  I wish I could show it here. 

Second, the place where I did focus on writing with Andy was to label the four people in his drawing.  I wrote Mommy, Daddy and Uncle (I looked at the video again and realized that I had left Uncle out of my retelling).  I knew Andy could write his own name, so I had him label that.  My favorite part of the video is when we finish and you can see the big smile on Andy's face.  I know he felt empowered because he had communicated with me.  Is it always as easy as it seemed with Andy?  No.  The teaching episode that I relayed to you was preceded by several where I couldn't tell exactly what the people were doing, and Andy wouldn't even label them by name.  He would only point to himself in the drawing and say, "Andy."  However, I always model my own stories for my class, and when I was with Andy, I always talked to him as if we were having a conversation.  I guess it is that old saying, "Fake it till you make it."  With kids like Andy, teachers often are hesitant to fish for what they are thinking because they feel that the student can't express himself.  Well he can't, but it is my job to help him.  David and I both believe that treating these NES as if you know they have something to say, and helping them find some words that relate to what they have drawn are activities worth the effort.

I know that you also asked about Phonological Awareness, but I must leave the keyboard just now.  I will get another post off soon to address that.  I hope the above response is clear.  If not, just ask more and keep digging deeper.

DEB

13

Rachelle

Yes, that makes sense.  I'm guessing that there are those children who you would write a sentence for, though, yes?

Looking forward to the phonological awareness response later.

Finally (I think). I'm going to teach an Early Childhood Literacy Course for undergrads - a part one and part two, each a semester (covering birth-2nd grade - huge span, but NYS licensing structure).  I'm interested in using your two books, ATBW/R and am looking at the Emergent Reader Assmt. Any other must have texts to use with undergrads? I know there are several professors and knowledgeable others on the listserv, too, that certainly have insight. Thoughts?

Thanks!  I have benefitted tremendously from this personal coaching!

Rachelle

14

Michelle

Hello Rachelle,

Our district here in Wisconsin uses McREL's Scaffolding Literacy Development in the Preschool Classroom (Bedrova, Leong, Paynter & Hensen). It has become the "Bible" for our JK staff. I think it would be a great resource for your undergrads.

Michelle

15

David and DEB

Rachelle,

Thanks for using our books with your undergrads. A few others that you might want to consider:

Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children by Neuman, Copple, and Bredekamp (NAEYC)--We think this one is a must have.

The Kindergarten Book: A Guide to Literacy Instruction by Marilyn Duncan (RCOwen) 

Wally's Stories by Vivian Paley.

In addition, you may want to refer to the chart on pages 70 and 71 in Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs (NAEYC).  They give the publication information for this chart, and we believe that you may be able to order the chart in poster size.

David and DEB

16

Rachelle

Thanks so much David and DEB for your thoughtful responses and insight.

Rachelle

17

Beth

David,

You remind us all about play, and why it’s is so important to “pull” the learning from the play. While “free play” or “activity time” or “center time” may still exist in kindergartens, often it isn’t linked with academics. That link is so vital, I believe.

In this era of “teaching” reading and writing at younger and younger ages, it’s clear that the link between play and academics must not be lost in the service of expediency.

Beth

18

David

Thanks Beth--When I look at the emergent characteristics in Margaret Mooney's Developing Life-Long Readers I see the opportunity of play woven in them just as much as I see reading and writing opportunities. For example:

-“Plays” at reading.

-Handles books confidently.

-Interprets pictures.

-Uses pictures to predict text.

-Retells a known story in sequence.

-Draws pictures and scribbles to generate and express ideas.

-Explains orally about own pictures.

Play is a big part of the development of the emergent reader and writer, which means there should be lots of opportunities for play to occur in prek and kindergarten classrooms--play in the block area, play in dramatic play area, play in the classroom library, play at the writing center.

For me it goes back to the definition I use for developmentally appropriate practice--knowing where our students come from, knowing where they are currently, and knowing where they are going (developing as readers and writers). I think the last part of the definition gets lost a bit. We need the learning for 3-6 year olds to look and feel like play but what's going on in the teacher's head as he/she roves/monitors/teaches in any center is as intentional and directed as other kind of teaching.

David

19 

DEB

David and Beth,

I agree completely.  I often think of the times that I spend with students at the Writing Center or in the Classroom Library as the time that I guide their play.  Then when they go to "free choice" or "activity time" as the time when I can observe how they are using what I have guided earlier.  Of course, there are also opportunities to guide at these centers, but they are less structured.

20

Joan

I agree with you David.  I think we have to consider the learning centres (yes, this is Canadian spelling) as opportunities for young children to practice, in authentic ways, what they are learning when a teacher or another adult gives them literacy advise (i.e., here is how to make that letter at the beginning of your name).  In an active environment there are so many opportunities for children to be taught the fundamental skills that are important for their own unique development, that is in addition to what is taught to the whole group, and there are many, many ways for them to demonstrate their learning. 

This is where some of the staff development must occur – in supporting teachers’ use of centres to expand literacy learning. I see it for instance, in the difference between a teacher preparing a sign for the class store rather than discussing with the children the purpose of the sign and then letting the children design and print the sign.  It becomes a way of thinking in the classroom environment I think.  This is a wonderful opportunity to really assess the knowledge that children are developing around reading and writing as well.

Joan Littleford

21

David

Thanks Joan,

Professional development is hugely important and I would like to add on to what you have said about it with regard to literacy learning--that for our youngest learners that a big part of literacy learning has to do with oral language development. As a teacher I can say they know it because they can use it--orally. It's not just about putting literacy into centers but that the teacher uses centers as a vehicle to develop the reader and writer through his or her oral exchanges. It is through these documented oral exchanges that the young child comes to understand the world around them and how to communicate more clearly. It is my belief that this occurs because the teacher's knowledge and use of narrative elements.

David 

22

Debbie

Hi Joan and Everyone,

I agree with everything that has been stated here.  I'm continually amazed that what is considered best, better, possibly even better practices in emergent classrooms is ignored from 1st grade on up (probably too much generalizing here and it may only be applicable in the US - NCLB is at the center of my thinking).  It seems to be forgotten that all learners learn better the way young children learn better...authentic explorations of their world including reading, writing, technology, and so on. 

On a lighter note and a linguistic issue - is the centre spelled the same way as in the US if the meaning shifts to "the center of the road" definition?  Just curious.

Debbie

23

David

Hi Debbie,

I'm glad you brought up NCLB because it is always on mind as well. When I get work in a state that I haven't worked in before the first thing I do is look at the early childhood standards and then the third grade standards (which is usually the first year they are tested by the state). When I look at all these standards (both early childhood and third grade) I can find close connections to the work that Deb and I have done. The last presentations I did were in Colorado, Ohio, New Hampshire, and PA, and in each presentation I used their state document with participants to show how closely aligned their standards are to the work that is in our books and other resources. One of the problems as I see it is that there isn't much alignment between what many states (not all) say needs to be taught and what actually occurs in the early primary classrooms. Every time I show videos of best practices from teachers using the the content in our books, like story demonstrations, independent reading, small group playing at reading, and story journal writing, teachers are amazed at what the children are able to do and how much fun everyone seems to be having.

David

24

DEB

Joan and Debbie,

I want to piggy back on what David has said about folks using the content found within our reading and writing books.  Not only do the children have fun as they play at reading and writing, they feel so empowered because they are doing exactly what they have been told that they would do at school--read and write.  Are they doing this in a developmentally appropriate manner?  Of course.  From this empowerment also comes a classroom with almost no off task behavior.  When students are involved in activities that are meaningful, relevant, and developmentally appropriate, they are so engaged that they stay focused.

25

Balaka

I am being enriched with all this input.

Just to answer Debbie’s curiosity, the word “centre” is the British version, rather the original version, and Canada, along with all the Commonwealth countries (earlier British empire) still use this spelling for all meanings of center. As a new immigrant to the US, I took a long time to transition into the American spelling!!!

26

Debbie

Thank you, Balaka.  I forget that British rule extended to Canada...for some reason I was associating the Canadian version with the French language also used in Canada. 

Debbie

27

Debbie

Hi David, Deb, and Everyone,

You bring up the issue of standardized tests.  In Indiana, which is where I am, districts have started to test every year from 1^st grade regardless of whether or not the state mandates the test.  I know that other states (which ones escape me at the moment) do not do this yet.  In my district this began in 2003 soon after the implementation of the NCLB.  I-step testing now occurs yearly (possibly the off years are still CTBS but I think they've changed).  Supposedly it shows improvement over time however with the high stakes attached to all of these tests it seems that learning tends to be placed in the background. 

I think that one of the issues for teachers is to trust their instincts regarding better practices and to critically evaluate the recommended practices in light of their students.  If the practices tend to be holistic in nature then the teachers often believe standards need to be 'added' to the curriculum.  I think that sometimes they aren't recognized because they seem to be higher order 'standards' more along the lines of Bloom's synthesizing, designing, and critiquing meaning making types of engagements. 

Your idea of showing the alignment of your theories and practices along side the state and local standards is a great idea.  I'm going to have to have my students do this as well (I teach at Indiana University) when we get done with curricular engagements.  I try to stress how each teacher needs to look at the standards more as a guide rather than as a benchmark.

Ok - just thinking aloud here.

Debbie (I go by Deb, too, so for clarity's sake I'll be Debbie!)

28

David

Hi Deb,

I think you're right about:

“I think that one of the issues for teachers is to trust their instincts regarding better practices and to critically evaluate the recommended practices in light of their students.  If the practices tend to be holistic in nature then the teachers often believe standards need to be 'added' to the curriculum.  I think that sometimes they aren't recognized because they seem to be higher order 'standards' more along the lines of Bloom's synthesizing, designing, and critiquing meaning making types of engagements…”

But it's those higher order 'standards' that get the kids talking and teachers a better idea of where they are with regard to those standards that aren't higher order thinking.

I like this idea:

“I try to stress how each teacher needs to look at the standards more as a guide rather than as a benchmark.”

Because when we look at something as a guide that we use intentionally and directly in our instruction, we often have more success.

Thanks for thinking out loud--

David

29

Paula

Hi David,

I, too, like the idea of the standards being more of a guideline.  I suspect that when so many school tasks were broken up into these bits of "item knowledge" the idea was that it would clarify to the teachers and others involved what was involved in the whole picture.  If a student wasn't successful, theoretically we could look at the standards and try to figure out the missing piece.  Unfortunately, at least here in CA, it has become all about the standards and the whole picture has been forgotten.  So often I hear administrators talking about which standard we are working on and to be sure that we don't neglect any standard!  But some of these standards are more important than others and it is the child who ultimately determines the weight of each one.  A child who comes to school from a language rich and literate environment had very different needs than the one who is ELL or who had not ever held a book before the first day of kinder.  Yet I hear teachers of the same grade level talking about which "standard" they are going to focus on that week... as if it was as simple as using the standards as a recipe for success.  Our district report card lists each itemized standard, which is so ludicrous.  But since they are to be reported to parents we are forced to come up with a standard for each little standard!  "What does the child need to do for me to mark that he has achieved this standard?  Partially achieved?" and so forth.  We end up spending a great deal of classroom time assessing what really doesn't need to be assessed!  But that is my rant of the day!  LOL... now onto oral language!  :)

As a Reading Recovery teacher and a kindergarten teacher, oral language is always a hot topic. I can't think of how many times I have pulled a book in RR, for example, and realized as the child attempted to read that I had not given enough attention to what language the child controlled (both ELL and native English speakers)... and chastised myself since as an experienced RR teacher I should know better.  In my classroom I try to find ways for students to speak and interact while I provide a strong model.  Lance Gentile has been a great influence on me and my work with these limited English students.  I find myself using linking words such as "so"  "and"  "to" etc. to get the students to extend their sentences and their thinking.  In other words, a child tells me something like.... "I went to the store."  I repeat back, "You went to the store to......" then when the child tells me what he went there for I have him repeat..."I went to the store to get some milk."  Later I will extend the extensions, if that makes sense (I went to the store to get some milk with my mom.").  A fairly simplistic example, I know, but I have found that it really helps!

We also talk a lot about adding detail in my kinder class...whether it be a drawing or a story.  If the child brings me a picture of a stick figure I ask where the feet or arms or whatever the missing feature is.  They think this is quite funny, especially when I point out that without feet he won't be able to kick the soccer ball or something... but it is really quite amazing how much more detailed their drawings have become.  The payoff is that when they show me their picture they orally add more detail as they tell me what the figure is doing, where he/she is and who he/she is with.

Can you talk a bit more about oral language, its relationship to literacy, and what we can do as teachers in this area to be more effective? 

Thanks!

Paula :)

30

David and DEB

Paula,

Your post reminds us of the importance of making a distinction between what we call picture detail and story detail.  In chapter five of Assessing and Teaching Beginning Writers we discuss the child who may present a very detailed drawing of a person (picture detail), but the drawing lacks anything to show the story within the picture (story detail).  While we want the child to draw a detailed picture, we want to be sure that it includes the critical story detail. 

For example, your student's drawing about the soccer player does need a well-drawn person (picture detail), but it also needs the important parts of the story depicted (story detail).  The child needs to put all of these details in the picture to serve as an anchor in order to tell the story and remember it over time.

David and DEB

_____________

31

Gretchen

David,

My five year old son attempted to read a sign attached to a power line tower:

CAUTION!

HIGH VOLTAGE

He proudly pointed to the sign and said "Danger ... what does the rest say?"

How would you respond to him or a student?

Do I cue to the graphophonics or whole word?

Or do I let him climb the tower to find out first hand? :)

g.

32

Paula

Gretchen....your anecdote reminded me of one of my own!  This took place many years ago when I was in Canada (have been living and teaching in the US now for 20 years).  I was working at a residential facility for mentally and physically challenged children (which incidentally had the word "Centre" in the name) while attending University.  We had taken a small group for a walk and saw a sign that said "No Trespassing".  One of the children pointed to it and told me that it said "Don't Go Past Me!"  As a pre-service teacher I don't know that I valued the insight that the comment gave me into that child!  I was involved in the care of the children but not in the schooling so I don't know how much literacy went on in his classroom (the school was held at the same facility and not many of the residents were as verbal as he was) but obviously he made the connection between text and language.   One of those incidents where you wish you could go back in time and explore it further! 

Paula

33

Kathy

Gretchen,

While we are waiting for the David and Deb's reply to your wonderful question, please don't let your little one climb the pole! 

I am sure their reply will be worth waiting for.  I met David at the CCIRA in Denver and spent two hours hanging on his every word.  I had just finished the books and the timing couldn't have been more perfect.  He is a wonderful and fun human being who knows little ones in and out.  I am sure Deborah is just as super!  Thanks to them for the fine work!!!!

Although I do not have any answers for you, your experience does remind me of an old piece from the Reading Teacher that I have kept around for many years as I cherish the message in it.  This excerpt is taken from vol. 6, 1996.  The piece is titled, “My children became my teachers: Developing a philosophy of reading.”  The author, Sharon Kane, speaks about having to develop her philosophy of reading acquisition before her exams for a masters degree in reading.  Her first son had learned to read on his own in a natural holistic manner.  In an attempt to get her second son to follow the same path, on a walk one day she pointed to a stop sign and asked, "What does S-T-O-P spell?"  "Octagon?" was his brilliant answer.  I can only quote what happened next, as to try to sum it up would be unjust..."I laughed, and Christopher never took another observable risk in the name of reading."  She goes on in this article to tell how quickly Christopher learned to read in first grade when he was given a dose of phonics instruction.  She sums up this piece by stating..."You can have the strongest philosophy in the world, but it's not going to help if you don't know my child.  How does one read?  How does reading ability develop?  The answers lie within the individual children in our classes, not in any textbook, not in any research report." 

Even though this is not the point I am trying to make, I have found grand wisdom in these words for over a decade.  They even mean more to me after NCLB than they did before.  My point is that I think however you respond, you must do it very carefully as your child was taking a risk as a reader and first we must honor how much meaning he was bringing to this task. Second we do not want to discourage this wonderful meaning and risk taking behavior.  I also see it as a wonderful opportunity to teach some letter sound connections, but am not sure how to do this in a careful manner.  I will wait for Deb, David, or anyone with more expertise than I have to answer the wonderful question of how Gretchen should respond to her five year old's approximation of DANGER for CAUTION.  I am eagerly waiting thoughts on this!

Kathy King-Dickman in Colorado

34

DEB

Gretchen,

Since I know that David is either on a plane headed to Texas or enroute to Arlington from the airport in Dallas, I will venture an answer here.  However, I want to preface my comment by saying that I'm sure if we polled ten people for their response, we would get ten slightly different responses.

The thing I would most want to find out revolves around the child's thinking.  I might respond with some affirmation followed by, "How did you know that?"  It is interesting that caution implies there is danger.  I would be wondering what prior knowledge the child was using. 

Once the child had clued me into his thinking, then I might have said that the sign was warning of danger.  Then I would have discussed how the first word looked and tried to see where the graphophonics led us. 

Let's not let him climb the tower :-)

DEB 

35

Michelle

Hello everyone!

This is in response to Gretchen's question re: Danger!

I'm no expert here, however, my take on this would be to say something like the following: "Wow! How did you figure out that that sign meant there was danger?"

That would seem to me to distract your son from thinking he was wrong in his assumption. There is some great schema at work that brought him to the conclusion that it said danger! And what a great way to develop oral language by engaging in this conversation with him. Next I would say something along the lines of, "You know what, I'm looking at that big word that starts with "c" and I'm thinking about the sound that "c" makes. Do you know what that sound is?" Perhaps he could provide that c says /c/ or perhaps not. Let's assume he can. So I would continue with, "That's right. So that word starts with /c/, but you know what? It's a tricky word. And you were right, it does mean danger. That word is caution." Again, I would try to word things so that the child doesn't feel defeated or that he was wrong. You could continue on with a conversation about a power line tower. What it's for, etc. that would lead into discovering "high voltage."

So, in addition to that, I have a question for Deb and David. Hello to you both! I stumbled upon this actually, and am so glad to have done so. I'm currently in grad school here in Milwaukee and will be doing a presentation on Preschool Literacy - a very broad topic that I only have 20 minutes to discuss! I've been having a difficult time whittling it down to what would be most beneficial for a very diverse group of teachers to hear (K-12 instructors). Thanks in advance for your input.

Michelle

36

David and DEB

Michelle,

As you stated, Preschool Literacy is a broad topic.  David and I are wondering what you have heard so far that intrigues you or challenges your thinking.  Chances are that whatever has intrigued you will do the same for your audience.  Some topics discussed today were oral language and attention to visual detail (narrative elements of story), developmentally appropriate instruction (where children come from, where they are, and where they are going), and how our work aligns with many state standards.  Just a few ideas!

David and DEB  

37

David

Hi g--

I just arrived in Texas and was happy to see a post from you. You gave Deb and me a lot to talk about. My tendency would have been to answer his question, "What does the rest say?" I would have just replied, "High Voltage" and then I would have had to explain what that meant if he asked. I would have left "Danger" alone because he didn't ask what that said. He felt confident about the part he knew and asked you about the part he didn't. I think that is pretty powerful. Had he questioned the word "danger" because the word started with a "c" or because the word didn't start with a "d", I would have told him. I'm guessing that as he develops as a reader, he will continue to ask questions about more and more things that don't sit well with him. Right now he is five and from my perspective doing alright.

David

38

David

Good morning all,

After this post I went to bed thinking about the teaching of letters, sounds, and words. I replied to Gretchen (g) as I thought a parent should have, but I kept thinking about Gus' experience in kindergarten. What does the teaching of letter, sounds, and words look like? How does Gus develop as a reader in that area so that he does begin questioning the words that don't look right to him? As we have discussed in these posts, oral language and the ability to attend to visual detail is a huge foundational piece in the development of a reader and writer. If that is true then one of the first things I want to do as a kindergarten teacher is to find out where my students are in relation to those areas. I quickly assess my students (with the Early Literacy Continuum of course), which gives me a good sense of where they are. I use the continuum in both prek and kindergarten to see where I should spend the bulk of my time. If they are lower on the continuum I am going to spend more time developing the student's oral language and/or ability to draw a well-detailed picture. If he or she has good control over those areas I am going to begin to work more heavily with letters, sounds, and words.