Research-Based Best Practices in L2 Literacy Developing Reading Comprehension Skills for English Language Learners

This is a very important component in education to be aware of and when you are a teacher. I interviewed a first-grade teacher at my local elementary school to gain more information about the processes that our local schools go through for professional training, interventions, and in the classroom to ensure that students are developing their abilities in reading. My main focus was on what our school’s process was, how support is given, professional training offered, and what more is needed to be done to increase success for students.

This course has really enlightened my view of being able to learn the value of linguistic and cultural diversity and the influential learning opportunities it gives today’s classrooms and schools. We as teacher educators were allowed to examine our attitudes, beliefs, and preferences regarding linguistically and culturally diverse students, families, and communities and learn methods for working together to confirm high levels of learning for all students. Also, strategies for guaranteeing

Creating and implementing effective lessons for a literacy learner who is struggling with reading and writing takes much effort and appropriate resources. Throughout the Literacy Development course, I have gained much insight and resources that have become valuable tools in addressing students’ literacy needs. Each week, I conducted lessons and activities that targeted the needs of many students, but my initial focus on was on one particular student. His individual reading level, spelling development, and writing abilities were analyzed and the recorded data was used

S.P.I.R.E. (Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence) is a comprehensive reading intervention program developed by Sheila Clark-Edmands, M.S.Ed., published by EPS Literacy and Intervention and is currently in its third edition (Clark-Edmands, 2012). While S.P.I.R.E. is most appropriate for Tier 2 and Tier 3 students with learning differences and struggling learners, the program has been used in a variety of settings, including classroom, small group and one-on-one. Based on the Orton-Gillingham approach, S.P.I.R.E. incorporates the most recent research regarding best practices in reading and language arts instruction as well as the professional standards published by professional organizations such as the International Reading Association and the International Dyslexia Association (Balajthy, 2014). The program is designed to build

The evaluation of the Leveled Literacy Intervention is being requested by our district superintendent, Dr. Craig Witherspoon, to determine the success of the implementation and the efficacy of the program. During this last year, our district piloted the Leveled Literacy Intervention program throughout the district with our Tier 3 students in the elementary schools. The Leveled Literacy Intervention program provides students with reading assistant system, and the training of classroom teachers and reading specialists. Higgins, Fitzgerald, and Howard (2015) found that providing “early interventions for struggling readers is critical for their future academic success” (p. 260). These authors continued by explaining that “these interventions should contain structured activities where students are supported through scaffolding, modeling and guiding until they gain competence and

As a future reading specialist/literacy coach, I believe it is my job to implement intervention that will meet the needs of the students and teachers. If a teacher disagrees with my intervention method, I am open to their opinion about what they think will work best for their student. I must respect and understand that a teacher knows their student more than anyone. They spend the most amount of time with their student and comprehend the student’s strength and weakness better than I can. In order to successful identify an intervention plan that will work for a student, one must be open to alterations in the plan. Although the reading specialist/literacy coach is the school reading support system, teamwork is what builds a strong school foundation.

The study was conducted for four years and consisted of about one hundred students per grade level, as well as twenty teachers from both general and special education. All three tiers of intervention were used throughout this study. Tier 1 was used mainly for professional development for teachers of reading in order to prepare them to properly monitor and administer the interventions to their students. There were multiple sessions throughout the year so the teachers could implement their knowledge from professional development to improve their reading instruction. Tier 2 consisted of small group intervention with two to three students that met three times per week for about 10-15 minutes. The students selected for Tier 2 intervention represented the lower third of each kindergarten class. The main focus of Tier 2 was alphabet letters and sounds, one-syllable spoken words, and selecting letters to represent sounds in shortened words. First graders that received Tier 2 intervention met for 20-25 minutes three times per week and consisted of small groups. This was an addition to their classroom reading instructional time. Tier 2 for first graders focused on more intense things than in kindergarten, such as decoding words with taught letter

Using guided reading could be another way that educators tap into individual students and their needs. Abbott, L., Dornbush, A., Giddings, A. & Thomas, J. (2012) found that students in four kindergarten and first grade classrooms were identified as having poor reading strategies. They were lacking processing, comprehension, phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and fluency skills. Site A included 712 students and site B served students ranging from 3-8 years of ages with a total enrollment of 577 students. The researchers used a parent survey to gain insight into the students reading habits at home. They also used an observational checklist. It was used to observe students’ behaviors during whole group and small group instruction. Researchers also used baseline assessments. The reading strategies that were implemented were successful. Through the use of guided reading, small instruction groups, students were provided ample support and time to utilize new

Reading is one of the most difficult and challenging skills to master in school. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP; 1997) reported that 40% of fourth graders, 30% of eighth graders, and 25% of twelfth graders were reading below grade level. Snow, Burns, & Griffin discovered that the percentages are even higher and the gaps even wider between grade levels in schools predominately made up of free or reduced lunch eligible student populations (as cited in Joseph, 2002). It is up to the schools and teachers to find strategies to help these struggling readers master the skills that are necessary to be better readers. Even with the growing number of programs being made available to help assist with struggling readers, most

490) Leaning about this specific program answers a side question to our groups topic question, which is: what tools are available to incorporate culturally diverse literacies? This reading and discussion has given me specific examples of what effective things I can do to link diverse literacies to standard english. It has also reaffirmed my position that other languages and cultural literacies need to be treated with equal value and respect to the one in which they are leaning in, because they are not just learning for school, they are learning for life, in which a knowledge of working standard english is important, but so is cultural and personal identity. This article specifically relates to an important concept not only in this course but in the program of building off of what one already knows as opposed to starting with the base assumption that they know nothing or that everything they know is

Response: The variables being examined are close reading strategies, reading comprehension, self-efficacy, progress monitoring and classroom participation and engagement. The intervention, Read 180 is a model designed around small group instruction and was used to target specific reading deficits and monitored reading, writing and spelling improvement as well as independent reading time. Students were assessed at the end of the nine week period with the Scholastic Reading Inventory to measure any Lexile gains.

This article was intended to provided teachers and teacher educators with a philosophical and practical base for developing literacy classrooms that meet the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse learners. They have eight beliefs or principles that they follow or take into consideration when helping diverse learners in English education. Out of the eight beliefs, a few stood out as significant like the respect for all learners, the funds of knowledge, and the variety of educational experience. I consider these important building blocks and information a teacher should use when working with their students.

An ignored problem is at-risk urban students who are unable to identify with the curriculum that is provided in the school system today. The curriculum does not allow students of multicultural backgrounds to identify with the perspectives that are presented since they are not able to take ownership of their education. If literature that students can identify with or knows about through a classmate, then students will be able to increase their scores and achievements in the education. One should not eliminate the current curriculum, but should infuse it with cultural perspectives with the cultural background of their class demographics. The cultural insensitivity is adding to the poor literacy skills the does not improve the skills of at-risk

In this article Blake discussed the importance of reading multicultural books to help improve students that have low-literacy skills. The author shared ideas and types of books that teachers can use in the classroom that focus on the community, reflect cultural differences and history of the student cultures. The article also discussed the importance of primary grade and elementary students need for seeing themselves in the literature read in the classroom. In middle school the author suggest allowing students to read multicultural literature and write to reflect on how it compares and contrast to their life and culture. Blake suggest for High School teacher provide multicultural literature that focus on the history of different culture.

Many students around the United States have reading difficulties, which can be due to a variety of reason such as: low socioeconomic status, family history of learning disabilities, a neurological disorder, limited exposure, etc. Reading difficulties can lead to further problems with education and learning, therefore the struggles should be addressed and intervention techniques should be implemented promptly. The interventions need to be individualized for the student based on their needs in order to improve the student’s reading to the best of their abilities.