DOCUMENT RESUME RC 022 017 ED 431 574 Sherman, Lee, Ed.; Kneidek, Tony, Ed. AUTHOR Northwest Education, Volume 4. TITLE Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR. INSTITUTION Department of Education, Washington, DC. SPONS AGENCY 1999-00-00 PUB DATE 217p.; Contains photographs and a few colored pages that may NOTE not reproduce adequately. RJ96006501 CONTRACT Web site: http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu AVAILABLE FROM Collected Works Serials (022) PUB TYPE Northwest Education; v4 n1-4 Fall-Sum 1998-1999 JOURNAL CIT MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Art Education; Discipline; *Educational Practices; DESCRIPTORS Elementary Secondary Education; Emergent Literacy; Fine Arts; Music Education; Preschool Education; *Reading Instruction; School Activities; *School Community Relationship; *School Security; Student Behavior; Teaching Methods *United States (Northwest) IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT Volume 4 of "Northwest Education" contains four issues. Each issue has a theme and typically consists of an opening review article on current trends and research related to the theme, followed by articles on exemplary schools or programs in the Northwest, promising practices, outstanding teachers, or suggestions for program implementation or staff "Succeeding at Reading: Literacy in development. Theme issue titles are: (1) "Community Building: Imagining New Models"; the Early Years"; (3) (2) "Arts "Learning in Peace: Schools Look Toward a Safer Future"; and (4) Education: Basic to Learning." Issues also include book reviews; availability of teacher resources; guidelines for teachers, parents, and communities; profiles of resource organizations and Web sites; letters to the editor; and practitioner commentary. (SV) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** ENTI E DOC ENT: 7 POOR PRINT QUAL11 U DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as recenied from the person or organization r-1 originating it. C-r) EDUCATOORI' 0 Minor changes have been made to improve 71" reproduction quality - (21 Points of view or opinions stated in this docu- ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy IC/72:4_ ciS" / Lill 4.1.111 UM" WhVIIINilar-r"-- ,g1 .00 ,e, I, ,.1*, 10 o 8 9 9 L F L A 1 a , . 17=1111111 2 Tart 60g3 LH VOLUME 4 NUMBER 1 FALL 1998 THIS ISSUE Succeeding at Reading: Literacy in the Early Years 1 el On the bend% 12 it) ch Dalhe 20 Bo wilt du &art 26 11A, End MACAU& 32 Crwti 38 Bo 46 48 .0 COVER PHOTO: SAM GERE AND ZACK SUMMERS READ TOGETHER AT CLACKAMAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN MILWAUKIE, OREGON. PHOTO BY JUDY BLANKENSHIP. U E EU &5 Tbe creaky old schoolhouse where I spent my elementary years had a heart that pumped life into the drafty corridors: the library. It was there, at Seattle's Lake Forest Park School, that I checked out instead of paying attention to library, I began to see, was my first chapter book. Scan- the lesson at hand. I remem- a ramp to everything in the ning the shelves one day when ber lying on my bedroom world and beyond, every- I was in second grade, my floor, propped on my elbows thing that could be dreamed eyes fell on the bright-yellow for hours, turning page after and imagined, everything spine of a book called Kid page of a frayed old copy of that could be known, every- Sister. "Hey," I thought as I Little Womenthe same copy thing that could be hoped. pulled the book from its slot, my mother had read as a girl. Books became balm and "I have a kid sister." Besides Making eager readers of refuge. Magic chariot and feeling really brave and smart decoder ring. Periscope children is the first step toward for choosing a fat book with making adults who read with and time machine. no pictures, I felt the magic skill and with joy, who read The days when my paper- of finding a book that spoke for information and for plea- back orders from Scholastic directly to methe wonder sure, who have access to all arrived were better than of realizing that an author the wealth that we as a species Christmas. I remember com- had written about something store in the written word. ing home to a locked house important to my own life. Researchers are calling for one afternoon and losing Not long after that I found an end to the "reading wars" myself in the crisp new pages a huge volume on astronomy. that divide educators and com- of Lad: a Dog as I waited for The librarian smiled as I munities into bitter camps. No Mom on the back porch. I lugged the big book to the single skill defines a reader, remember hiding Island of checkout counter in my skin- they say. No lone strategy the Blue Dolphins under my ny arms. My dad, the Eagle works in isolation. By laying covers and reading to the glow Scout, had taken me outside down divisive ideologies, we of a flashlight long after my one night and pointed toward can work together to ensure parents thought I was asleep. the starry sky, tracing the that young children become I remember being gently constellations of lights that strong and successful life- rebuked by a teacher for formed Orion, the Big Dip- long readers. devouring my most beloved per, and Pleiades. I wanted Lee Sherman childhood novel, The Hun- to know more about the dred and One Dalmations heavens. by Dodie Smith (1956), The humble little school ;' cay, V........,,,,,, ...Vs '. v. 8 ' V.1 VV.." AA t.4, '.''''''' ' ,,,, %I. .. ,,,,,....,n " VA" 4' ,....., ,,,,, V..% , r .. ,.. ..,,,,,%.-1.......0,..% vv. v .. 44, ,, , ,,,,,, ,....wm vv.. -OA. w ........... -....,s, '- ....A. y%V. ,,,,.',...:`._ -`"N'' ' , ...,% .4. 15.... V" 4". AOLA..N ta ''' ''''''''' 5, 1 .... % c,..-s"A" PleiNv., s.. fol ,. t,-.,-,... ....0 -.4.:.%0"''''' % v .... %N.' '''.--- w. .4, ,,, ,... ..4 -0 , V "'"Aio._..,,,,Yx.....,:v ,......v, I...I." -a s " 1, P.," --ok ''''"." % ,,,,, ,,,, .1,1 A ...... -A-"I'''' V.% ''''''-- .1,, .4,1 wiv. ciltv ,1, .... "I %. ,...-,,%,,,,, V...,-4V 00.14...s., VA .:44.V Ass .,..% .-`%1- ,O," -I.V..., -- - , o.V. 1"!....%"` ."-V 4.-0 1- % .....,,,,ra., .....v. v., 10 S4 4 A v,, ILA % V" :4,,,,, A 105., AAA --.4.. 4 %IA s -....w... ,, ,,,,,,,,.% N- w4 ..0",....,, to.. %WI .4 4 \ Iii Os'...%"_N V4.V.i !ALI VA. . voN, ..t,' 'VA...., V.: NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL: "Immerse kids in books and teach them skills, too" ZINENA% 4 Ws d teaAer cards, bolds flash Up rapid-fire. each Edte cen atax, c.ard k combination VOWCI l he VOWelS. know children af.le atft loudly aders the Se6lorld-gl "Cox, cue .4 Unison this replayed back-to-basics at daily straight lined school up Phoenik: kids chai tor responses instruction that giving reflects the reading belief unconnected real readers and politicians that of parents ' VOUU Mationships momorim sound-symbol net,d th kan kkff throuoh combinati epetitive and and and "phonics-first worksheets. drillin strenvh gatherino "phonies-only as ECM slide reading districts many stagnate. St!..(Dre, Clifornia, recentiv such as states, Mid OM MGM act lawmakers th getting by Washington, n to phonics instruction. mandating ku Mk§ gat cOn educators emotions Cif fillitt hoy teach best than vigorously th k BD& healing them children 0:1D awl Itla youing ciak an- \\Jeai armistiee. plea kon 8111Eft ? "Cs and phonics whol -languag between GOI'OUS , seeking numbers educators growino factions -,,,,N. supports Research Tound. strongly Ss c .%vs. ",, ', *fr.. SUCCEEDING AT READING .N.1 At,14.1h t idea that phonics and whole language can coexist Beginning readers need Because the ability to obtain explicit instruction and prac- meaning from print depends when blended skillfully by talented teachers. tice that lead to an apprecia- so strongly on the develop- Calling for an end to the "reading wars,4 an impor- tion that spoken words are ment of word recognition tant new report from the National Research Council made up of smaller units accuracy and reading fluen- kriktM,0 of sounds; familiarity with iIinj cy, both of the latter should says that children need both. Preventing Reading spelling-sound correspon- be regularly assessed in the Dif Difficulties in Young Children concludes that immer- dences; and common spelling classroom, permitting timely sion in language and literature (whole language) and conventions and their use in and effective instructional identifying printed words; response when difficulty instruction in sound-letter relationships (phonics) are "sight" recognition of frequent or delay is apparent. both critical in the early years. A 17-member, multi- words; and independent read- Beginning in the earliest disciplinary committee, headed by Catherine Snow of ing, including reading aloud. grades, instruction should KEY RESOURCES Fluency should be promoted promote comprehension by Harvard University, spent two years sifting through the through practice with a wide actively building linguistic findings of several decades of research to make its case. Preventing Reading De- variety of well-written and and conceptual knowledge in m/ties in Young Children Comprehension, the council concludes, is the rea- engaging texts at the child's a rich variety of domains, as (1998) presents the conclu- well as through direct instruc- own comfortable reading level. son for reading. But unlocking the meaning encoded sions of an extensive research tion about comprehension Children who have started to in the mysterious lines, dots, and squiggles that form review by the National Research read independently, typically strategies such as summariz- Council. The council recom- our written language requires mastery of a number ing the main idea, predicting second-graders and above, mends that first- through should be encouraged to sound events and outcomes of upcom- of complex skills. Phonics instruction is critical, the third-grade curricula include out and confirm the identities ing text, drawing inferences, council says, to creating readers who can grasp and these components: of visually unfamiliar words and monitoring for coherence grapple with texts of increasing complexity. and misunderstandings. This they encounter in the course of reading meaningful texts, instruction can take place while "Reading should be defined as getting meaning recognizing words primarily adults read to students or when from print, using knowledge about the written alpha- through attention to their students read themselves. bet and about the sound structure of oral language letter-sound relationships. Although context and pictures for the purposes of achieving understanding," the can be used as a tool to moni- council writes. "Early reading instruction should tor word recognition, children include direct teaching of information about sound- should not be taught to use them to substitute for informa- symbol relationships to children who do not know tion provided by the letters in them, and it should maintain a focus on the commu- the word. nicative purposes and personal value of reading." This finding is not news to many practitioners, who have been quietly blending whole language and sound-symbol skills in their classrooms for years. "I don't think you can separate them," says Susan Marchese of Coupeville Elementary School in Wash- ington. "They go together. I mean, how could they not? I get frustrated when I hear about teachers who are just teaching phonics, or they're just doing whole language. I don't know how you could take one away from the other." NW Education / Fall 1998 "Children have to have direct instruction in phon- Throughout the early grades, Throughout the early grades, Once children learn some schools should promote inde- time, materials, and resources letters, they should be encour- ics," says Molly Chun of Applegate Elementary School pendent reading outside school should be provided with two aged to write them, use them in Portland. "But I try to embed that in a meaningful goals: (a) to support daily by such means as daily at-home to begin writing words or parts context." reading assignments and independent reading of texts of words, and use words to begin expectations, summer reading selected to be of particular writing sentences. Instruction "I was trained to teach reading using the whole- lists, encouraging parent interest for the individual stu- should be designed with the language method, which minimizes phonics," says involvement, and by working dent, and beneath the individ- understanding that the use Wendy Fenner of Oregon's Clackamas Elementary with community groups, ual student's frustration level, of invented spelling is not in including public librarians, in order to consolidate the conflict with teaching correct School. "But after getting into a classroom, I could who share this goal. student's capacity for inde- spelling. Beginning writing see that some kids just don't have enough tools to pendent reading and (b) to with invented spelling can be learn to read without phonics. So now I combine The report is available support daily assisted or sup- helpful for developing under- online at http://www.nap.edu. ported reading and rereading standing of the identity and whole language and phonics, as do most teachers." To order a copy, contact the of texts that are slightly more segmentation of speech sounds If there is so much apparent agreement among National Academy Press, difficult in wording or in lin- and sound-spelling relation- researchers and practitioners about how to teach 2101 Constitution Avenue, guistic, rhetorical, or concep- ships. Conventionally correct NW, Lockbox 285, Wash- tual structure in order to pro- spelling should be developed kids to read, why is there so much vitriol in discus- ington, DC 20055, 1-800- mote advances in the student's through focused instruction sions of best practices? Partly, it's politics. The politi- 624-6242. capabilities. and practice. Primary gra& cal leanings of phonics proponentsmany of whom children should be expected A national Reading Summit to spell previously studied are conservative, back-to-basics parents and policy- being convened by the US. words and spelling patterns makersoften clash with more progressive educa- Department of Education correctly in their final writing tional trends and practices. The chasm between the this fall will focus on the products. Writing should take council's report. For infor- place regularly and frequently two camps reflects a deep philosophical divide, not mation on the summit, to to encourage children to only about instructional strategies, but about the role be held September 18-19 become more comfortable schools play in children's intellectual development. At in Washington, D.C., visit and familiar with it. the Education Department bottom the question is, Should schools teach children Web site, 14://www.ed.gov/ to think, reason, analyze, and evaluate, or should inits.html#1. schools stick to the three Rs? Teachers and parents who favor instruction that stresses meaning over mechan- icswho want children to look behind the words for enrichment and understandingcringe at the tactics of some phonics practitioners. Drills such as the one described above suggest a rigidity and regimentation that can stifle curiosity and rob reading of joy. But phonics doesn't have to mean memorizing rules and spouting rote responses. "Most of the time the wordphonics is used to mean 'knowledge about sound-symbol relationships in language," Heidi Mills, Timothy O'Keefe, and Diane Stephens say in Looking Closely: Exploring the Role of Phonics in One Whole-Language Classroom, SUCCEEDING AT READING M. VT® published by the National Council of Teachers of education foundation 'p Lim@ Pas tr.02 areasstudent learning teaching gaidOgoK) prepa- English in 1992. "When phonics is defmed this way, Mow practitioners, advancement educational Ihnlding E011 phonics and whole language are quite compatible." Knowledge EDI go* 3m0aw performance educ-ational Enna educationare In theory, whole language was never intended hood Read ng supported grantmak through Albertson Educational 1109 ao cr,La MEiftuto @gage Lb to exclude phonics, most researchers agree. But in Community Idaho Foundation TzogilOggeig, 0-.6 fig practice, many educators interpreted the whole-lan- Fce Nog guage philosophy to mean that students would learn aformation A be ,son Founda- «carktd 05,2 Can PA Ba b oo 70002 Boise Oka SOW to read naturally, without direct instruction, if they ribqoa COMMOZ phone. PO8)424=2600 were simply immersed in a literacy-rich environment. KEY RESOURCES 424-1016, SAM NTHA MOORES Building a Knowledge IDAHO READING INITIATIVE Base in Reading (1997), The council urges teachers to keep their class- a research synthesis by Jane OM a fig literacy proving reading Idaho @wl rooms drenched in print, stuffed with quality chil- Braunger of the Northwest fig goal a Wig million students reading Laboratory and Jan Lewis of dren's literature, enlivened with discussions about A Mfg &Vow Cthg ma Albertson Foundation Pacific Lutheran University, books, astir with journal writing, book publishing, preliteracy Designed 011kqw wcom ID WOO offers the following "core improve performance reading ftwo OD 9 eal clAgail shared reading, and other "authentic" (real) reading understandings" about learn- gat 40galgt, ROE reading problems address ing to read, along with sug- and writing activities. Into this rich whole-language fig initiative btiN components through operate nfflO gested classroom applications: t wu Tog Kg Mg Ce (yEff& pot, the council advises, teachers should thoughtfully Okta; NEM awarded 1. Reading is a construc- fig Children--A awarded Idaho Read Wale stir explicit instruction in sound-symbol relationships. tion of meaning from writ- Library Idaho CfitOig Television !060g z100 exciJ ten text. It is an active, cog- "It is time for educators, parents, and everyone gat Mow improve program development fOR ® nitive, and affective process. else concerned with children's education to make children preschool 2. Background knowledge kot ProgramsTC) jdl Reading kindergartners sure that children have all the experiences that and prior experience are crit- computerized reading tigal7Co program ical to the reading process. research has shown to support reading develop- incorporating software W900 books N111 [312 3. Social interaction is ment," Snow said when the council's report was installed kindergartens. Idaho essential in learning to read. Assessment Reading Diagnosis improve released in March. 4. Reading and writing Rig &V kindergarten mcl= fourth-grade through develop together. teachers, teaching reading 0:0 el mOCIO Reading involves 5. o teach kids phonics is to give them a code offered mentor/trainer ODN MoTI2@ NM gcffea;) 65 complex thinking. Gm4g ptf district offered support d(10 g@TO) the code that unlocks the vast universe of 6. Environments rich in dlo Rem teachers ft MOH oacalgo completed literacy experiences, print. Without that code, children are effec- Supplements supplemental Reading Program A resources, and models facil- tively shut out of libraries, bookstores, Web sites, program library combines computers books itate reading development. motivate students increase Cstwg q)gwQ magazine stands, newspaper kiosks, and the count- 7. Engagement in the read- gogz reading available elementary Idaho mO00 Lig ing task is key in successful- less other repositories of written information, enter- Eal Wee school Tocft ly learning to read. g MK) tainment, and enlightenment. Foundation proactive long-term 8. Children's understand- 'Ow Executive Director Sharron Jarvis. dom99' Phonics means showing students how spoken ings of print are not the same provide Idaho schools proactive Owlge M as adults' understandings. 9 sounds link up with written symbols. In English, effective approaches educational challenges EAN 9. Children develop phone- which is an alphabetic language, those symbols are opportunities mic awareness and knowl- unded grocery Albert- magnate 966 Xcg g117g letters. But before children can learn phonics edge of phonics through a lilil aocl private founda- variety of literacy opportu- before they can beginning mapping letters to sounds fosters improvement educ-ational Idaho Oticw oi)) nities, models, and demon- they must first become consciously aware of those promoting research experimentation innovation strations. 9 NW Education / Fall 1998 Novick. Nursery rhymesthe adventures and antics sounds: thep in pig, the t in turtle, the a in apple. 10. Children learn success- ful reading strategies in the They must understand that spoken language is made of Jack and Jill, Little Miss Muffet, Humpty-Dumpty, context of real reading. Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eaterare a natural place to up of a series of discernable "phonemes"about 11. Children learn best when start. Children don't need to know what a "tuffet" 45 distinct sounds in English. teachers employ a variety of strategies to model and is in order to hear the rhyme with "Muffet." (These Dr. Rebecca Novick, who specializes in early- demonstrate reading knowl- rhymes often resonate in our minds for a lifetime, childhood education at the Northwest Regional Edu- edge, strategy, and skills. cational Laboratory, calls this awareness an "ear suggesting the power they can have on the young 12. Children need the oppor- _ tunity to read, read, read. skill"one that is vital to beginning readers. With- intellect.) 13. Monitoring the devel- Tapping into young children's natural sensitivity out this basic sound awareness, Novick says, learn- opment of reading processes ers probably won't benefit from phonics instruction, to rhyme, first-grade teacher Molly Chun makes is vital to student success. poetry a fixture in her classroom, where walls and which traditionally has taken phonemic awareness The paper, published joint- blackboards are draped in verses written on chart for granted. ly by the Northwest Labo- paper. Chun chooses playful poems full of word "To the extent that children lack such phonemic ratory the National Council of Teachers of English, and awareness," the National Research Council says, play, like this one titled "The Squirrel": the International Reading "they are unable usefully to internalize their phonics Whisky, frisky, Association, is available Nippily hop, for $12.95 from the North- lessons." west Regional Educational up he goes Although most children pick up this critical ear Laboratory, 101 S.W Main To the treetop! skill easily, it eludes many others, research shows. Street, Suite 500, Portland, Without it, students typically have trouble sounding Oregon 97204, (503) 275- Whirly, twirly, 9498 or 1-800-547-6339, Round and round, out and blending new words, retaining words from ext. 498. A collection of Down he scampers one encounter to the next, and learning to spell, the classroom vignettes fea- To the ground. council reports. "Dozens of... studies have confirmed turing seven Northwest teachers whose literacy Furly, curly, that there is a close relationship between phonemic practices reflect these 13 What a tail, awareness and reading ability, not just in the early core understandings will grades but throughout the school years," the council Tall as a feather, be published this fall. Broad as a sail! states. "Research repeatedly demonstrates that, when Coauthor Braunger con- Where's his supper? steps are taken to ensure an adequate awareness of ducts workshops for edu- In the shell, cators, school boards, and phonemes, the reading and spelling growth of the communi0; members on Snappily, crackity, group as a whole is accelerated and the incidence classroom reading instruc- Out it fell. of reading failure is diminished." tion that reflects current understandings of lan- Parents, preschool providers, kindergarten After Chun leads the children through a choral guage and literacy devel- teachers (and primary teachers for kids whose early reading of the poem, she says, "Tell us two words opment. For more infor- that rhyme"an exercise in phonemic awareness. exposure to literacy is limited) are critical to plant- mation, contact Braunger al (503) 275-9588. ing the seeds of phonemic awareness in the minds She talks about the definition of the word broad and asks the children what the squirrel ate for dinner of young children. When children hear their favorite (suggested but not stated in the poem)an exercise books over and over, when they hear stories and songs filled with rhymes and alliteration, their ears in gleaning meaning from text. Then she asks indi- vidual children to come up to the poem and circle become attuned to the sounds words make, says SUCCEEDING AT READING