Orthographic Awareness Enhances Reading Comprehension Pat Sekel, Ph. D., CALT, QI National LETRS Trainer [email protected] ORTHOGRAPHIC AWARENESS Being aware of the patterns and sequences of letters in words Why Is Orthographic Awareness Important? • Increases awareness of sequences of letters and patterns of letters in words when reading and spelling • Orthographic processing skill predicted significant proportion of the variance in word recognition after the variance accounted for by phonological processing measures [Berninger & Wolf 2010] Why Is Orthographic Awareness Important? Common Core State Standards • Reading: Foundational Skills (k-5) – “…important components of an effective, comprehensive reading program designed to develop proficient readers with the capacity to comprehend texts” Four Brain Processors That Affect Reading Ability Context Processor Comprehension (Seidenberg & McClelland, 1989) Vocabulary Phonemic Awareness Phonological Processor speech output Fluency Meaning Processor Phonological processing input Phonics Orthographic Processor writing output reading input From LETRS® Module 1 Ehri’s Phases of Word-Reading Development early sight-word learning letter knowledge incidental visual cues partial phoneme awareness phonemegrapheme correspondence reading fluently by sound, syllable, morpheme, whole word, families, and analogies complete phoneme awareness Pre-alphabetic Early Alphabetic Later Alphabetic LETRS Mod 1 Consolidated Alphabetic Phonics Mapping Speech To Print Alphabetic Principle Phonemic Awareness Phonological Awareness Adapted From Pat Sekel “Ph” Iceberg Of Decoding Phoneme Awareness IS Important “. . . teaching children to manipulate phonemes in words was highly effective under a variety of teaching conditions with a variety of learners across a range of grade and age levels and that teaching phoneme awareness (PA) to children significantly improves their reading more than instruction that lacks any attention to PA.” National Reading Panel – Results of a rigorous scientific studies meta-analysis. Phonological Awareness rhyme, alliteration, sentence, word, onset-rime, phoneme awareness Phoneme Awareness Ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual speech sounds Phoneme Segmentation scat = /s/ /k/ /ă/ /t/ Phoneme Blending /s/ /k/ /ă/ /t/ = scat Phonics Mapping Speech To Print Alphabetic Principle Phonemic Awareness Phonological Awareness Adapted From Pat Sekel “Ph” Iceberg of Decoding The Alphabet – Original Principle • • • • “Visual Codification of Speech” Thank you, Greeks – vowels Number of alphabets Relatively independent of speech Alphabetic Principle • • • • The “Cipher” Builds on phonemic Awareness Bridges PA and phonics Understanding that speech is mapped onto print PA Linkage to Phonics = Alphabetic Principle When students understand the sound to letters (phoneme to grapheme) relationships that create written language – they learn to read and spell more quickly and accurately. /g/ /r/ /ē/ /n/ g r ee n Alphabetic Principle • • • • Not born knowing it Decoding = grapheme  phoneme Encoding = phoneme  grapheme Highly developed oral language, but not understand the “AP?” Activities to reinforce the Alphabetic Principle Make beginning sound cards and distribute one or two cards to each child. • Write a spelling pattern, or rime, on a chart eight to ten times. • Invite children to make real words by adding their beginning sound to the spelling pattern. • Invite children to make silly words. • Consider how some words could be changed to make new words. (adapted from Cunningham, Hall, & Sigmon, 1999) Written Word Work for Alphabetic Principle “Soundable” words • Increases phonemic awareness • Understanding of how letters spell sounds (alphabetic principle) • Students “see” how language is structured Sight Words or somewhat “Unsoundable” words • Increases knowledge of orthographic patterns • Provides practice in another modality to provide deeper processing of words for reading Written Word Work for Alphabetic Principle Attention to meaning and transferable “chunks” • Increases understanding of how meaning, sound, and spelling work together in English • Helps increase the generative, deeper knowledge of English needed to independently decode and spell words Elkonin Boxes •Count the sounds in the word with the child. •Draw one box for each sound. •Use chips to represent sounds at first. Elkonin Boxes •Count the sounds in the word with the child. •Draw one box for each sound. •Use chips to represent sounds at first. •Insert the letter(s) for each sound. f i sh Sight Word Practice • Have students practice word several times, ensuring they fully process the word each time • Highlight the relevant features or chunks • Never ask to “write word three times” • Cover word & have them write from memory Phonics Mapping Speech To Print Alphabetic Principle Phonemic Awareness Phonological Awareness Adapted From Pat Sekel “Ph” Iceberg of Decoding Phonics Instruction • “In fact, the automaticity with which skillful readers recognize words is the key to the whole system…The reader’s attention can be focused on the meaning and message of a text only to the extent that it’s free from fussing with the words and letters.” Marilyn Adams Orthographic Awareness Development 1. Pre-Alphabetic Phase • Appropriate Activities Phonological Awareness (tasks carried out orally!) Alphabet Recognition Vocabulary Building Activities to Reinforce Pre-Alphabetic Growth • “A thousand hours of lap time…” • Experiment with writing media • “I can make my mark.” • Nursery rhymes • Model reading • Semantic word listing • Kinds of dogs • Things found on a farm 2. Early Alphabetic Reading • Decoding Strategies Systematic Explicit Multisensory Cumulative Activities to Reinforce Early Alphabetic Growth Show relationships between sounds & letters to build phonological fluency Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping • Increases awareness & understanding of the relationship between the sounds heard in a word and the letter or letter patterns required to represent those sounds Kathi Grace – Sopris West Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping This activity is multisensory in nature for students. As students hear sound, they move a chip to visually mark the sound’s location in the word. Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping • Map each word in the sound boxes. • Each box stands for one phoneme. • Complete the first as an “I do”: chick ch i ck This technique is developed into a complete word study curriculum by Kathi Grace & is published by Sopris West Educational Services, Longmont, Colorado. 1 3. Mature Alphabetic Phase • • • • Associations for basic sound spellings known Simple words can be deciphered Automaticity and efficiency “Chunks” of orthography are recognized – this is moving students from phonological decoding to orthographic fluency Activities that Support the Mature Alphabetic Student • Automatic Instant Recognition of previously read words • Word sorts – Open and Closed • Reading Worksheets for Meaning Automatic Instant Retrieval A.I.R. • Daily activity • Three one minute activities • Consistent repetition • Easy practice to build automaticity and fluency Instant Letter Recognition Hierarchy of Skills • Capital Letters - Consonants • Capital Letters - Vowels • Capital Letters - Mixed Practice • Lower Case Letters - Consonants • Lower Case Letters - Vowels • Lower Case Letters - Mixed Practice • Mixed Capitals and Lower Case Letters • Cursive Letters - only after practiced in handwriting Procedure for Instant Letter Recognition Alphabet Activity One • Practice first line with students. Students name letters as teacher touches each letter. • Teacher starts one minute timer and says, “Ready read.” • Students name letters as teacher touches each letter on each row. • If chart is completed in less than one minute, go to top of chart and read down the columns again; repeat across until time is called. Automatic Instant Recognition – Activity 1 i p n s t a t n a p s i s p a t i n t i s a n p a n p t i s Activity Two Phoneme Segmentation • When children learn to distinguish individual sounds, they are better able to remember which letters make those sounds and relate them when they can see them. Adams (1990) Activity Two Phoneme Segmentation & Blending • Auditory Activity - Separates the two orthographic timed reading to “flush the brain” • One Minute Only – Set timer • Hierarchy to skill Hierarchy of Activity 2 Segmentation & Blending No counters are used – All auditorily presented • Words with 2 or 3 phonemes • Words with 3 or 4 phonemes • Words with final blend • Words with initial blend • Words with mixture of three, four, and five phonemes Procedure for Phoneme Segmentation/Blending • Teacher dictates word to students and cues students to segment into sounds. Students do NOT echo word in this activity. • Teacher says, “Ready, (dictate word).” • Give visual cue to keep students together • Students give segmented phonemes about 1 second apart – (b) (l) (o) (t) • STOP after one minute Activity 3 – Automatic Instant Recognition Words & Phrases • One minute activity • Use words that have been introduced and practiced during reading practice • Words moving from phonological to orthographic fluency Procedure for Automatic Instant Recognition • Teacher practices by having students read aloud the first row. • Teacher starts one minute timer and says, “Ready, read.” • Students read words as teacher touches each word in each row. • If chart is completed in less than one minute, teacher goes to top of chart and points to random words on the chart. • STOP after one minute; chart CWPM; look for 10% increase in naming/chart. RAPID RECOGNITION CHART blank clock click block blink bling bling blink block click clock blank blink bling clock blank click block block click blank clock bling blink click blank bling blink clock block Advanced AIR Activities Options • When students become proficient with alphabet naming [Chart 1]: • Chart 1 moves to real words, previously practiced – Pronounce vowel sounds within the words & use Chart 1 again as Chart 3 and read words – Chart 1 = previously practiced words & Chart 3 = sight words; phrases from selection about to be read • Chart 2 remains PA – Begin phoneme manipulation tasks such as deletion or substitution w = (w) 1. swim 2. swam 3. swing 4. swell 5. sweet sweep twin tweed twig wick wood wing wept twelfth wilt Ideas?? • Locate picture on page • ‘7 Up’ words in sentence with word from page – make it random! • Locate word with particular sound/hand jive • Word with most/least sounds/phonemes • Multiple meaning word • Rhyming words • Names 4. Orthographic Phase • • • • Fluency in word recognition Read by analogy more Study of word structures Begins when students begin to ‘read to learn’ Activities to Reinforce the Orthographic Phase • Teach Six Syllable Types & what vowels commonly say in each • Teach regular syllable division patterns • Practice Orthographic ‘Chunking’ to become “mentally flexible” to break a word & arrive at an approximate pronunciation, then use context to resolve ambiguity & confirm word • Listing of word families [colony, colonization, colonize, colonist, etc.] Activities to Reinforce the Orthographic Phase • Teach students to become ‘Word Detectives’ or ‘Word Conscious’ • Syllable sorts  word making • Highlight orthographic patterns &/or morphemes in selection before reading it tas tic fan cum ber cu Pre-reading Activity: Highlighting graphemes When you earn money, you can spend it or save it. When you save money, you feel safe about saving it because you know it has a certain value. You know it will keep its value over time. The dollar you earned last summer will be worth a dollar when next summer rolls around. What we use for money must have stability. Developing Metacognitive Skills; Neuhaus Education Center Alphabetic Spelling Principles Forces that shape English spellings • Phonetic – spell words the way they sound (sit, pan) • Semantic – spell words alike that share meaning (hymn, hymnal; crumb, crumble; electric, electrician) • Etymological – spell words to reflect their origins (church, machine, school) • Accident – historically, letters transposed, inserted, “just because” (island, guest) Our Spelling is Based upon… Morphophemic Principles – Jumped – Folded – Sailed Decoding and Spelling ARE Important “They [researchers] know that without decoding one cannot comprehend. We need to decode the words in order to assign meaning to words, sentences, and texts.” “The patterns useful in decoding are reinforced by spelling and vice versa.” Marcia K. Henry, “Unlocking Literacy: Effective Decoding & Spelling Instruction,” 2003 Related Websites www.Voiceofliteracy.org Literacy researchers inform practitioners [email protected] Susan Ebbers’ Vocabulogic biweekly blog sign-up www.readingteachersnetwork.org Neuhaus Education Center’s offering of freebees for teachers. [Generates 5 AIR charts with 6 of your words instantly!] www.wordlistgenerator.net Creates over 2,000 words of various syllable types & printable! In Closing… • Orthographic Awareness begins early in literacy development • Linking speaking with listening & reading with writing, deepens students’ connections of print to meaning • Differentiate instruction & teach diagnostically & prescriptively In Closing… Thank you for your time and attention. Pat Sekel, Ph.D., CALT, QI [email protected]