teaching

Pragmatics and Semantics

/ Nancy Ann (poem, poetry, paranormal fiction, science fiction and academic writing.) / Leave a comment

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Pragmatics and semantics are two branches of linguistics according to (Hassa, 2016),  

“… that are related to the meaning of language, there is a major difference between the two. Knowing the difference between semantics and pragmatics can help clear the misunderstandings and miscommunication in language.”  So, what is the difference between these two branches of linguistics, how is this important to human communication and how can teachers use this information in the classroom?  

What is the Difference between Pragmatics and Semantics? 

While semantics and pragmatics both deal with words and their meaning, pragmatics goes further into the intended meaning that the speaker is trying to convey while semantics is only concerned with what the words mean. According to Szabó (2005), “Semantics is the study of meaning, or more precisely, the study of the relation between linguistic expressions and their meaning.” This means semantics is the study of words and what they mean. Semantics is not concerned with how the writer or speaker is using the words. It is just interested in what the words or phrases mean. According to the article, What is Pragmatics? “Pragmatics studies how language is used by real people in real context, in spoken discourse and written contexts, and is highly influenced by cultural and social contexts.” Pragmatics is still interested in what the words mean as in semantics, but it goes deeper into the context the words are spoken. Pragmatics deals with context while semantics does not.  

Why is Semantic and Pragmatic Interpretation so Important to Human Communication? 

Why are these two areas of linguistics important to human communication? Language is essential in communication whether it be through sign language, brail or another means of communication. Understanding language is important to how we as humans communicate. “Meaning seems at once the most obvious feature of language and the most obscure aspect to study. It is obvious because it is what we use language for–to communicate with each other, to convey.” And therefore, pragmatics and semantics are so important to human communication because it is how we communicate. One needs to know what the words mean, their basic dictionary meaning to be able to speak, write and understand. One then must understand what the speaker is trying to say, the message they are trying to convey to be able communicate effectively. When someone is learning a new language, these two branches of linguistics are important to study. They need to first learn what the dictionary meaning of some words are so they have some vocabulary and then they can work on what the speaker means. Without semantics and pragmatics, we would not be able to communicate.  

How Can Knowledge of Semantics and Pragmatics Inform Your Teaching? 

Now let’s think about our students who have a challenging time with pragmatics. This can be difficult concept for young children, English Language Learners, people with a hearing impairment, and those with Autism. This comes into play in social media where it is difficult to understand the tone in someone’s typing and therefore it is difficult to understand what the person means. Understanding this helps us know that we need to choose our words wisely. Something you type might be innocent, but someone might interpret what you typed differently than what you meant to say. Sarcasm is difficult to detect in chats. It is far easier to understand sarcasm when you can hear what the person is saying and hear the tone in their voice. 

Students who have a hearing impairment may miss the tone when someone speaks. They may rely on sign language, but then again just like typing in a chat or a message, they can miss the tone. Students with Autism and young children have a challenging time understanding social cues. They often do not understand sarcasm and often misinterpret situations.  

How Can Teachers Use This Information to Facilitate Learning in Their Own Classrooms? 

 According to the article, What is Semantics, “ELLs are learning both social and academic language of English. Social language, or playground and everyday speech can take only 1-2 years to develop.”  Teachers can help these students by encouraging students to “explore words, looking at origins of words, connections and similarities of words between languages…” This will help them become better communicators.  

Often, when teaching literature, I ask my students, “What is the author trying to tell us?  What does this sentence mean? What is the speaker trying to convey?”  I have some students who have Autism, and at times we talk about “reading the room”. Which means reading the atmosphere of the room before commenting on something. And by knowing the atmosphere, it will help them understand what the speaker is trying to say or what they mean to say. For example, when my daughter was little, I told her to “Hold her horses.” She left the room and came back holding her My Little Pony’s and said, “Okay mom I am holding my horses.” We all had a big laugh, but then I explained what it meant and why we say it. Years ago, when horses and stagecoaches were the way we traveled, when you wanted someone to slow down you told them to “hold their horses.” At that point they were actually holding real horses, today it is an idiom which means to slow down. When these situations occur, the teacher should explain the significance of the word or the phrase and explain what the speaker means by what they said.  

Conclusion 

 Pragmatics and semantics are two branches of linguistics with semantics dealing only with the meaning of words and pragmatics dealing with word meaning and how these words are used. “Knowing the difference between semantics and pragmatics can help clear the misunderstandings and miscommunication in language” (Hassa, 2016).  

Page BreakReferences 

Hassa, (2016 November 16). The Difference Between. Retrieved from     https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-semantics-and-vs-pragmatics/ 

Ladusaw, W. (n.d.). Meaning (Semantics and Pragmatics). Retrieved from     https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/meaning-semantics-and-pragmatics. 

Szabó, Z.G. (2005 October 18). The Distinction between Semantics and Pragmatics. Retrieved  from https://cpb-us2.wpmucdn.com/campuspress.yale.edu/dist/d/1148/files/2015/10/The-  Distinction-between-Semantics-and-Pragmatics-1n5ehuq.pdf. 

What is Pragmatics? (n.d.). Retrieved from                                                                     https://linguisticsforteachersofells.weebly.com/pragmatics-in-the-classroom.html.  

What is Semantics? (n.d.). Retrieved from                                                                   https://linguisticsforteachersofells.weebly.com/semantics-in-the-classroom.html. 

If you are a teacher, principal or someone who interacts with children, never do this ever!

/ Nancy Ann (poem, poetry, paranormal fiction, science fiction and academic writing.) / Leave a comment

This is the first time I am really speaking out about this.

Years ago, I lived in Bayonne, NJ and went to Lincoln Community School. Each year the principal would come into our classroom. He proceeded to call us to the front and read our report cards to the class before handing them to us.  

I struggled when I was in elementary school. My mom was sick with Ovarian cancer and died when I was 11 years old. I was in 5th grade at the time but for four years before that she was sick at home. I struggled with getting my work done and especially had a difficult time with math.

I remember his words, “Oh Nancy seems like you’re failing math again. Mom and dad won’t be happy you need to work on that.”

It took everything in my soul not to flip out on him. So, I wanted to say to that principal who thought he knew everything and loved to embarrass children at their most vulnerable, “Hey ******* I am teaching math now! Now tell me about failing math!”

The moral of the story: If you are a teacher, principal or someone who interacts with children, never do this ever! Someone like me looked at it as a challenge, but I dealt with anxiety Adn self-doubt for my entire life. Others were not as lucky as I was.

Look For the Positive

/ Nancy Ann (poem, poetry, paranormal fiction, science fiction and academic writing.) / Leave a comment

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Case Study on Zoey

/ Nancy Ann (poem, poetry, paranormal fiction, science fiction and academic writing.) / Leave a comment

For the purposes of this paper, Zoey is a pseudonym. The students real name, age, and grade level are not used in this assessment.

Abstract 

Reading Fluency is an important factor in a student’s ability to learn. Students with low reading fluency have a difficult time keeping up with their peers, keeping up with the work, and this effects their overall learning. Zoey is an autistic 6th grade student who is falling behind on her academics and showing signs of growing frustrations. It has been reported by Zoey’s teachers that at times she refused to complete her work, turns in blank assignments and refuses to read out loud. Zoey struggles with reading fluency as she read slower than most of her peers and has a difficult time keeping up with the work. This study explores Zoey’s academics to figure out why her reading fluency is low and what approached can help her overcome this.  

Introduction 

 The subject for my case study is an autistic 6th grade female student named Zoey Willougby. When Zoey started in Preschool, she was disabled and did not speak until she was almost 5 years old. Since then, her vocabulary and her verbal language skills have increased dramatically. She was placed into inclusion classes in kindergarten and then regular education classes in first grade. Zoey has reported difficulties in 6th grade, noting that the work is much harder than it was in elementary school. Some of her teachers have noted that Zoey is often distracted in class and does not complete all of her assignments. This was never the case with Zoey in the past.  

In middle school, many students’ scores are often lower than they have been in elementary school since they are more concerned with making friends and their social life then their grades. While this might be the case with Zoey; she reports having difficulties keeping up with assignments and that she is afraid to read aloud in class. This educational hurdle not only affects her comprehension, but her participation grade as well.  

Zoey reports that the work has gotten a lot harder for her this year.  She also states that she does not like reading aloud and sometimes she tries to be quick so it will be over, but then she forgets what she read when the passage is too difficult or long. Her grades have also showed a decrease over the last trimester.  

When looking over different ways to help Zoey, I wanted to focus on helping her with her reading fluency. Several strategies that have proven effective in this are Reader’ theatre, Authentic Literature and the use of Technology in the classroom. 

Literature Review 

There are many techniques that help teachers facilitate learning for their students. For helping students reading comprehension, and fluency, Reader’s Theater, using authentic literature and using technology can greatly increases students’ performance. 

Reader’s Theater 

Reader’s Theater is a creative tool used help student feel more comfortable reading and gaining confidence in using their voice and developing a better understanding of the voice of their characters. “As many teachers know, Reader’s Theater is an interpretive reading activity in which readers use their voices to bring characters to life, (“‘I Never Thought I Could Be a Star’: A Readers Theater Ticket to …”, n.d.). This concept helps students gain confidence in their speaking voice as well as learning a character. “Reader’s theater methodology is a research-based and approved method of teaching reading fluency and comprehension, meeting over 50 common core standards for English Language art, literacy and most state language arts standards,” (“Reader’s Theater is Research Based – Playbooks® Publishing”, n.d.).  

Reader’s Theater is a method of reading a story aloud, like a play, without memorization, props, or a stage. Students are assigned a character role and read their part with expression, meaning, and enthusiasm. It’s best done in small groups so students can practice their roles prior to reading in front of an audience.  

 Acting out story dialogue compels readers to work more closely with the text to interpret and project meaning into the experience. As a result, students show an improvement in vocabulary, comprehension, and retention. Repeated readings in multi-leveled small groups are the only proven method of building reading fluency. 

Authentic Literature  

Another tool educators often use is authentic literature. “Authentic literature refers to narrative and expository texts that are written in the original, natural language of the authors. These texts are not written with a controlled vocabulary or rewritten to achieve a particular score according to a readability formula (Routman, 1991),” (Authentic Literature, n.d.). These are texts students want to read and chose to read. Many times, students ask why we need to learn this or that. When you use authentic literature, the students have choice in what they are reading, and they can see why they are reading.  

“Authentic literature is not just for children who can already read or for gifted students. It is for all students as they learn to read — including students experiencing various difficulties with learning, (Chomsky, 1978; Morrow, 1992; Pinnell, Fried, & Estice, 1990) and second language learners,” (Larrick, 1987; Rigg & Allen, 1989). “We don’t achieve literacy and then give children literature; we achieve literacy through literature (Huck, 1989, p. 258),” (Authentic Literature, n.d.). 

There are many ways to use authentic literature in the classroom for all grade levels from Kindergarten through High School. Some of the ways to use authentic literature in the classroom are by using read aloud, guided reading groups, reading workshops, independent reading, etc.  

When I teach high school, I often allow my students to read the newspaper. This is the great example of Authentic literature. Many times, students will read sprots articles or current events. I also ask students what books the enjoy reading and give them the reading interest survey. Since our school library is on the small side, my local library allows me to take books out for my students. So sometimes we go through their online system and pick books out.  

Technology  

Finally, in the 21st century, children are exposed early to technology. Technology is a valuable resource for all students, but especially struggling readers and English Language learners. In order to keep up with the inundation of technology, teachers are using technology more frequently in the classroom. There are many web-based resources and apps that help the students with various aspects of reading from comprehension and fluency to grammar. There are many ways to incorporate technology in the curriculum and also help struggling readers. 

School districts have relied more on technology over the last few years due to Covid.  Some students have been forced to become virtual students and teachers have had to teach both on-line and in the classroom.  

During Covid, most people, not just students had to rely on technology to work and study.  School districts had to provide their students with computers and change their lessons to adapt to using technology. Students at first has difficult time with technology and learning how to use it but now that they are more comfortable with it, they chose to use technology more and more.  

“Technology is an integral part of almost every aspect of life today. While reading will always be an essential skill, a digital approach makes sense with today’s mix of in-class, at -home, and hybrid learning. Digital project work can help you connect with learners to the books they read, better evaluate their comprehension, and build literacy skills like vocabulary research and fluency, (Kolk, n.d.). 

Technology must engage the learning, it can be especially helpful for English Language learners, and it helps teachers bridge in class and at home learning. Most teachers are now required to use technology in their lessons. Now, they are often evaluated on how they are using technology and if they are actively researching new methods.  

Methods/Procedures 

Setting 

Zoey Willoughby is a 6th grade student of this researcher. Zoey has been falling behind this year, which is unusual for her. Her grades, her participation in class, and her overall performance has been suffering. Zoey was tested on her reading comprehension, her reading speed, and vocabulary and her fluency by using the QRI. This test was performed so that this researcher could have a better understanding of where she was struggling and then come up with a plan to help her. In any situation, at times there is more going on with a student than just academics. Sometimes in middle school, students become more concerned with their social life than their academics.   

Research Questions  

The goal of this study is to investigate the impact of an approach on students who are falling behind the rest of their peers and showing frustration in their academic practices when no frustration was present in the past.  The researchers sought to explore the following questions:  

  1. How can teachers determine the area a student is struggling in? 
  1. What role does the integration of technology applications have on the learning experience?  
  1. What impact does the use of authentic literature have in remediating adolescent readers?   

Procedures   

Most of the lessons were delivered to Zoey in the classroom and in person, however she was quarantined for some time and had covid. Some of her lessons were delivered via google classroom.   

Zoey worked with me for two weeks working on reading comprehension and fluency. Zoey reports having difficulty reading out loud. The first test done with Zoey was the QRI test. This test was performed to determine where she was struggling and then from that create an action plan for her. I conducted this study because I saw one of my students struggling and I wanted to figure out where they were struggling and how I can help them.  

First, I gave Zoey a choice of different reading comprehensions packets to pick from. She chooses ones that excited her. This is how we used Authentic Literature. For my high school students, we often use the newspaper. They will look through the sports section and sometimes current events.   

Then Zoey and I found a quiet place to work. She often expressed get anxiety with reading out loud in front of her class. She states that she would mess up and studder at times and she did not want to be made fun of.  In our quiet place, Zoey was more comfortable reading and working on her fluency. Though her reading speed is within the range of the rest of her class, when she reads at that speed she does not remember as well as when she reads at a comfortable speed for her. This creates problems when there is more reading required for her. As she goes on in her education, she will be required to read more and more. We need to help her get to a reading pace that she can keep up with her classmates and comprehend what she read. The more she practiced, the better and more confident she became. In school students are required to read aloud in class and if they refused to do so then they often lose point in participation and their overall grade.  

In class, we use the Lexia system. Lexia Reading is a computerized reading program that provides phonics instruction and gives students independent practice in basic reading skills. Lexia Reading is designed to supplement regular classroom instruction and to support skill development in the five areas of reading instruction identified by the National Reading Panel. These five areas are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 

While working on this program, each student has a set amount of time given each week to work on their 3 areas, word study, grammar and comprehension. When a student is having difficulty in a section, a lesson is generated for the teacher to work on with that student.  

Data Collection  

Zoey was assessed using the Qualitative Reading Inventory – 6th Edition. It was found that Zoey was in the independent range for word reading accuracy and in the instructional range for comprehension on the Fourth Grade Word list.   She accurately read the Primer passage with 98% accuracy. Zoey correctly answered 4 out of 4 explicit comprehension questions correctly and 1 out of 2 implicit comprehension questions at this Fourth Grade Level. When she went back to the text, she answered everything correctly.  

 The Fifth level passage was found to be at the instructional level. Zoey did well with word fluency and only had 7 miscues but when it came time to remember what she read, that showed her difficulties. She scored 70 percent on the concept questions and within the instructional range on comprehension questions, scoring a 7 out of 8.   

The sixth level for Word Recognition and Comprehension for Zoey was found to be at the frustration level.  Zoey had more difficulty with this passage; however, her fluency was good, and she only had 14 miscues. She scored 58 percent on the concept questions and within the instructional range on comprehension questions, scoring a 4 out of 8 on the comprehension questions.   

Zoey scored in the independent reading for reading accuracy at the Level 4 reading passage.  She can read 132 words per minute and is within the independent range for both word identification, concept questions and comprehension questions.   

Zoey scored in the instructional level at the Level 5 reading passage. She read 72 words correct per minute for her oral reading fluency and Instructional for comprehension based on the comprehension questions.  

 Zoey scored in the frustration level at the Level 6 reading passage. She read 121 words correct per minute for her oral reading fluency and frustration for comprehension based on the comprehension questions.  

For the oral reading portion of the QRI-6 assessment, there are passages varying from the pre-primer level through high school. Total accuracy scores are calculated from the number of miscues the student makes while reading aloud. The comprehension question score is calculated based on the child’s ability to answer explicitly directly from the text and implicit questions that require the student to go beyond the text and make an inference based on what they read.   

When working with Zoey, I created a fluency chart to map out how she improves over time, and we used an Oral Reading Fluency chart to see what percentile Zoey scored. Zoey first started in the 25th percentile scoring 122 words per minute. She increased to 150 words per minute putting her in the 50th percentile and finally ended at 204 words per minute, putting her in the 90th percentile. Zoey states the more she read with me, the more comfortable she became. She was able to comprehend the passages when she read slow and as time went on and her speed picked up, she was still able to comprehend. She stated that in class she sometimes tries to read fast to be done with it, or when the class is taking turns reading, she will count the paragraphs to it is her turn and practice the one she had to read. By doing this, Zoey misses what the rest of her peers have read as she has been focused on practicing her section. This is all to avoid mistakes and avoid being made fun of for stuttering or not knowing or saying words wrong. 

Zoey reports that the work has gotten a lot harder for her this year, than it had been before. She also states that she does not like reading aloud and sometimes she tries to be quick so it will be over, but then she forgets what she read when the passage is too difficult or long. Her grades have also shown and decreased over the last trimester. Could this be because she is having a difficult time keeping up or other influences.  Zoey also reports on her Reading Interest Survey, that she used to enjoy reading but not she wants to play with her friends more. She says she still enjoys reading but she likes reading comics online, she likes supernatural stories, and some mysteries but only online. Her mother had gotten her a kindle in hopes of encouraging her to read more; however, Zoey states she prefers to read on the computer. 

My interactions with Zoey are limited. In middle school students change classes each period unlike in Elementary school where the teacher has the same students all day long. So, one of the difficulties in this report is finding time to work with Zoey and keeping Zoey caught up with the rest of the class.  

Findings 

Using the results of the QRI, found this student to have a weakness in comprehension and fluency. During the student interview, it was reported that this student found the work harder this year and reports that it was hard to keep up with her classmates. For this reason, the teacher chose to work on reading fluency.  

Data revealed that this student was having difficulties keeping up with reading. Her reading fluency and words per minute were below that of her classmates. Lessons focuses over fluency such as expression, phrasing, smoothness and pace.  The student chose various comprehension packets to read. She chose ones that interested her. This student actively worked one on one with the teacher reading each section out loud.  

Using authentic literature, I allowed Zoey to pick topics she was interested. Some of the topics were from 6.1 (sixth grade first month) the later ones were 6.7 or 6.8.  I found with those she struggled more.  She needs more practice than these little lessons. I mean I will keep doing them as they are helping her. Her response is more focused on being afraid to mess up reading aloud in class and not being made fun of. Zoey is autistic and has anxiety so knowing that her response makes sense.   

Zoey started working one on one with her teacher. She chose Authentic Literature that interested her and read them aloud with her teacher. Zoey reports that when asked to read aloud in class she became nervous and often studders over her words. There is more work in 6th grade than there was in 5th grade and more reading. Zoey was having a difficult time keeping up with the reading and therefore falling behind in class. This is another reason why we focused on her fluency and overall comprehension.  

The chart below shows how many words Zoey read per minute during her one-on-one sections. You can see a gradual increase from where she started. 

Below is the fluency rubric to evaluated Zoey’s progress 

 
 		1 2 3 4 
Expression and Volume Reads in a quiet voice as if to get words out. The reading does not sound natural like talking to a friend.  Reads in a quiet voice. The Reading sounds natural in part of the text, but the reader doesn’t always sound like they are talking to a friend.  Reads with volume and expression. However, sometimes the reader slips into expressionless reading and does not sound like they are talking to a friend.  Reads with varied volume and expression. The reader sounds like they are talking to a friend with their voice matching the interpretation of the passage.  
phrasing Reads word-by-word in a monotone voice.  Reads in two- or three-word phrases, not adhering to punctuation stress of intonation.  Reads with a mixture of run-ons, mid-sentence pauses for breath, and some choppiness. There is reasonable stress and intonation.  Reads with good phrasing, adhering to punctuation, stress and intonation.  
Smoothness Frequently hesitates while reading, sounds out words, and repeats words of phrases. The reader makes multiple attempts to read the same passage. Reads with extended pauses of hesitations. The reader has many “rough spots.” Reads with occasional breaks in rhythm. The reader has difficulty with specific words and/or sentence structures.  Reads smoothly with some breaks, but self corrects with difficult words or sentence structures.  
Pace Reads slowly and laboriously. Reads moderately slowly. Reads fast and slow throughout the reading Reads at a conversational pace through the reading.  

The chart below shows how she scored on the fluency rubric over our lessons.  

Zoey’s scores were overall were the same. Toward the end her scores overall improved.  

Discussion/Recommendations 

The result of this study is to demonstrate the value of various reading fluency activities for students. Reading Fluency is related to comprehension. When students are in elementary school grades, they are learning how to read but as they get older, they are reading to learn. This can be difficult for students who struggle with sounding out words, and for those who read at a slower pace their classmates. “Receiving feedback from an attentive instructor is key to helping students improve their reading skills,” (Reading Fluency Activities for Older Students, n.d.). 

In Zoey’s case, she struggled with keeping up with her classmates. She words read per minute was slower than most of her classmates. She measured in the beginning of this study at the 25TH percentile. She stated the work in 6th grade is harder than it was in 5th grade and there is more reading, and she cannot keep up with it. 

Zoey was assessed using the Qualitative Reading Inventory – 6th Edition. It was found that Zoey was in the independent range for word reading accuracy and in the instructional range for comprehension on the Fourth Grade Word list.   She accurately read the Primer passage with 98% accuracy. Zoey correctly answered 4 out of 4 explicit comprehension questions correctly and 1 out of 2 implicit comprehension questions at this Fourth Grade Level. When she went back to the text, she answered everything correctly.  

 The Fifth level passage was found to be at the instructional level. Zoey did well with word fluency and only had 7 miscues but when it came time to remember what she read, that showed her difficulties. She scored 70 percent on the concept questions and within the instructional range on comprehension questions, scoring a 7 out of 8.   

The sixth level for Word Recognition and Comprehension for Zoey was found to be at the frustration level.  Zoey had more difficulty with this passage; however, her fluency was good, and she only had 14 miscues. She scored 58 percent on the concept questions and within the instructional range on comprehension questions, scoring a 4 out of 8 on the comprehension questions.   

Zoey scored in the independent reading for reading accuracy at the Level 4 reading passage.  She can read 132 words per minute and is within the independent range for both word identification, concept questions and comprehension questions.   

Zoey scored in the instructional level at the Level 5 reading passage. She read 72 words correct per minute for her oral reading fluency and Instructional for comprehension based on the comprehension questions.  

 Zoey scored in the frustration level at the Level 6 reading passage. She read 121 words correct per minute for her oral reading fluency and frustration for comprehension based on the comprehension questions. 

Based on this assessment, we created reading comprehension packets for Zoey to work on. Because Zoey has often stated that she has great anxiety reading aloud in class, she worked one on one with the teacher. As time went on she became more comfortable reading, and her words per minute increased as did her comprehension.  

In conclusion, the more the student reads aloud the better and more comfortably they will become. Students reading below grade level will benefit from the Readers’ Workshop Model, different apps to assist then with reading as well as practicing to read aloud. The more practice the students has in a positive environment will enhance their overall experience. 

References 

Authentic Literature. (n.d.). LessonSense.com. https://www.lessonsense.com/tips/authentic-literature/ 

“I Never Thought I Could Be a Star”: A Readers Theatre Ticket to. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/20202073] 

Kolk, M. (n.d.). 5 reasons to use technology in your reading program. Web.tech4learning.com. https://web.tech4learning.com/5-reasons-to-use-technology-in-your-reading-program 

Leslie, L., & Caldwell, J. (2016). Qualitative reading inventory (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon 

Reading Fluency Activities for Older Students. (n.d.). Education – Seattle PI. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://education.seattlepi.com/reading-fluency-activities-older-students -3873.html 

Reader’s Theater is Research Based – Playbooks® Publishing. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://readerstheater.com/pages/research-based 

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Scaffold Teaching and Strategies for Literacy Coaches 

/ Nancy Ann (poem, poetry, paranormal fiction, science fiction and academic writing.) / Leave a comment

Scaffolding in teaching refers to teachers molding, or demonstrating, how to complete a certain task. After completion of the demonstration, they let their students try to complete the task themselves and only give support as needed. The teacher gradually sheds layers of assistance as the students’ progress. This is the same way Literacy Coaches work with teachers. Scaffolding can be utilized in the classroom with students and by Literacy Coaches when observing and coaching teachers.  

Scaffolding is important in differentiating the education of our students. Some students do not need as much support as others. We give support to those students who need them so they can be at the same level as the other students. In my case study, I am working with a student who experienced difficulty with reading aloud. This student is performing under grade level, where in the past she had been at grade level. She reports that the work has gotten harder. She also reports that she does not do like reading aloud and that she tries to be quick in her reading so it will be over. However, she forgets what she read when she perceives the reading passage is too difficult or long. This particular school system is set up in three trimesters. This student’s grades have decreased from the first trimester to now. She just received grades from the second trimester and is starting the third.  

For this student, I have given more supports than some others. We give her extra allotted time during the day to read with a teacher or support staff. By doing this, we can help her slow down and think about what she is reading. Often, we pause her at a natural stopping point and ask her questions while she is reading. When she reads a longer and larger text, we have been working on teaching her how to take notes, and outline chapters as she reads so she can review them later. This will be help and aid in her education later, as in upper grade levels more reading is required.  

We can see how this works in the classroom with students, but how can we use scaffolding to help teachers? “What became clear to me was the role of active construction on one’s learning and how critical this is on our leading school visit. Scaffolding the teacher through genuine conversation and questioning will provide to be most productive and generative,” (Rodgers & Rodgers, 2007).   

Scaffolding is the support system given to those who need them. This can apply to student as well as teachers. A new teacher might need more support than a veteran teacher. This does not mean that a veteran teacher does not need support, they might been help learning a new technique, or adopting a new teaching philosophy. “We suggest ways in which literacy coaches can think about kind of help they provide teachers, the amount of support they provide, and when to offer help in order to scaffold teacher learning and reach depths of understanding,” (Rodgers & Rodgers, 2007).   

There are things to consider when a literary coach is scaffolding a teacher. However, “The only requirement if a thoughtful coach who creates settings that require active participation and then observes the participation close in order to provide the think of help that is on the teacher’s cutting edge of learning,” (Rodgers & Rodgers, 2007). Coaching is not an opportunity when we just tell someone what they are doing wrong. This is the same way a teacher would give support to their students. We must be mindful of where and how we give support. We should also create a learning environment that is inviting and supportive. 

Scaffolding is a useful tool that can be used in many situations when one person is facilitating the success of another. This can be helping a child learn a chore at home or helping a student work on reading. The key is to remember to create a supportive learning environment.  

References 

Rodgers, A., & Rodgers, E. M. (2007). The Effective Literacy Coach: Using Inquiry to Support Teaching and Learning. Teachers College, Columbia University. 

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The Three Lenses: The Influence of Literacy Coaches and Observations 

/ Nancy Ann (poem, poetry, paranormal fiction, science fiction and academic writing.) / Leave a comment

When Literacy Coaches observe teachers, most of the time they use set rubrics to determine what the teacher needs to work on and what they are doing well. “Our analysis of the coaches’ discussion about their ratings on the rubrics led us to identify three lenses- or ways of looking- that influences their observations: the pedagogy lens, the responsiveness lens, and the relevancy lens,” Rodgers & Rodgers, (2007). What do these lenses mean and how do they affect our teaching and our ability to coach?  

Each time the Literacy Coach watches a lesson and observes how a teacher teaches; they think about how they would have taught that lesson. “Adrian conceptualized a mechanism called a pedagogical lens to help understand how the same teaching might be viewed and interpreted differently by different people (A. Rogers, 2002),” Rodgers & Rodgers, (2007). In other words, an English teacher may observe a teacher teaching a lesson on Shakespeare. The observer might have already taught a lesson like this and comes to the observation with their own ideas on how this subject should be taught.  

The observer is analyzing the lesson by seeing how they would have taught it.  

Another lens observers use is called the Responsiveness Lens. “When the coaches in our study discussed rationales for their ratings, they often referred to what we call the responsiveness of teaching as a factor in their analysis,” Rodgers & Rodgers, (2007). This means how well the teacher is responding to students. If the subject is too difficult, can the teacher adjust her lesson while teaching to help those students?  

One coach summed up the responsiveness lens nicely, ‘What you’re really looking for is, is she meeting the needs of those kids?” Sometimes the teacher must adjust the lesson to help students. What are the students getting from this lesson? Is the teacher matching what she is reaching to how her students are responding?  

When I started teaching Social Studies, I didn’t realize that some of the terms in the book that were known to most students, were not known to my particular group of students. I had to stop the lesson and go over some vocabulary that I thought was common knowledge.  

Finally, the last lens is called the relevancy lens. Are the students learning from what is being taught? “Their reflections on their retains also dealt with whether they thought students could profit form the teaching; this could only happen if what the teacher was teaching matched what students could use to learn,” Rodgers & Rodgers, (2007). The observer questions when teachers are teaching something that is “not meaningful or useful for students, and notes missed opportunities for learning,” Rodgers & Rodgers, (2007).  

 Literacy specialist must collaborate with others in their schools. “To be successful, literacy specialist must be able to work collaboratively and cooperatively with teachers, administrators, families and community agencies,” Bean and Goatley (2021). For example, just as I assumed when I started teaching Social Studies that my students should have already known certain vocabulary, Literacy Specialists come equipped with experiences from previous jobs and life experiences. They must also understand the different lens that they observe with and understand how to use those lenses to help teachers and others to becomes the best they can be.  

References 

Bean, R. M., Goatley, V.J. (2021).  The Literacy Specialist. Leadership and coaching for the classroom, school, and community.  4th ed (374 pgs) Guildford Press.  

Rodgers, A., & Rodgers, E. M. (2007). The Effective Literacy Coach: Using Inquiry to Support Teaching and Learning. Teachers College, Columbia University. 

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What can be done?

/ Nancy Ann (poem, poetry, paranormal fiction, science fiction and academic writing.) / Leave a comment
woman sitting on chair while leaning on laptop
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com
What can be done?
When the motivation is gone,
When the drive is lost,
When you give up,
When you have lost all hope,
What can be done?

How do you motivate someone?
How can I get you to care?
Why do I care more about your future than you do?

What can be done?
When the motivation is gone,
When the drive is lost,
When you give up,
When you have lost all hope,
What can be done?

What can be done?
When you have lost all hope?

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The Expertise of a Reading Specialist 

/ Nancy Ann (poem, poetry, paranormal fiction, science fiction and academic writing.) / Leave a comment

Bean and Goatley (2021), present three areas, or roles of expertise required for Reading Specialists. These roles are instruction, assessment, and leadership. “This role requires the specialist to have expertise with reading assessment, instruction, and to possess the leadership skills that enable them to work with other adults, such as classroom teachers, other professionals, and the community,” (Bean & Goatley, 2021). This has led me to think about how each of these areas affect my role as a reading specialist. What are my strengths and where do I need to gain more knowledge and experience? 

The first area I would like to explore is the instructor role. This role seems to be the one most people are familiar with. I had always assumed a Reading Specialist’s main focus was on helping individual students learn how to read and just pulled students out to work with them one on one. During my personal education journey, I didn’t see any Reading Specialists or have any knowledge that they even existed.  However, I did graduate high school in 1996 and as was discussed in the class, the role of the Reading Specialist has changed over time due to many different legislations and policies according to Bean and Goatley (2021). 

The second area is that of assessment. I do need to gain more knowledge in this area as Reading Specialist need to keep up with all current and constantly changing assessments. Assessments are critical in instruction decision-making. I work for a school that hosts all the grades through high school and all students are special needs. I teach 6th grade through 12th grade English. We assess all our students in reading and math at the beginning of each school year using KTA. These assessments help teachers understand what types of modifications they need for each individual student. We do not employ a Reading Specialist, however, as the English teacher, I have been working with other teachers to come up with ideas to help their students in their content areas.  

Finally, the last area I am interested in gaining more knowledge is leadership. Reading Specialists have always had a leadership role in school. “What has not changed is that Literacy Specialist have always had to serve in a dual role the required them to teach students and support teachers” (Bean & Goatley, 2021). This could be a difficult role for a newly hired Reading Specialist. You need to build a repertoire with both the teachers and the students, and this is done over time. These are many skills someone needs to be a good and effective leader.  

I acknowledge that I need to work on learning new assessments, how to administer them and score them. I also need to learn how to take this knowledge and transfer it into new modifications and accommodations. This newfound knowledge will enable me to create stronger and more interesting lessons plans that will strengthen my English teacher skills.  

When I started teaching 6 years ago, I didn’t see myself as a leader at first. I was still learning how to be a teacher and how to relate to my coworkers and students. I was unaware of the amount of learning and personal education that went into becoming a Reading Specialist. These roles of instruction, assessment, and leadership take an exceptional person. It is my desire to be able to take on all of those roles to become the Reading Specialist that I know I can be.   

References 

Bean, R. M., Goatley, V.J. (2021).  The Literacy Specialist. Leadership and coaching for the classroom, school, and community.  4th ed (374 pgs) Guildford Press.  

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Journaling

/ Nancy Ann (poem, poetry, paranormal fiction, science fiction and academic writing.) / Leave a comment
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In my English class, we do a journal each day. Many English classes do journals. Here is a list of prompts you can use with your class. I tell my students that I am writing a topic on the board, but they do not have to write about that topic. The topic is there to help them if they can’t think of anything to write about. 

Journal Writing Guidelines

  • 5 Minute rules

Journal writing will take place during the first 5 minutes of each class. Journals are part of your participation grade. Believe it or not, but it can help your grade. Just write! Keep writing. Write whatever comes to your mind. Write about the birds in the trees, write out about your pet or what you had for dinner. Just write!

  • Grammar

Grammar does not count against you in journal writing. 

  • Just Keep Writing!!!

1. Write about going back to school after summer vacation.

2. Write a thank you note to a friend who gave you onion and garlic-flavored chewing gum.

3.  Draw an imaginary constellation. Write a story such as ancient people might have told about it.

4. Describe a real made-up dream or nightmare. journal writing prompts

5. Write about your favorite childhood toy. journal writing prompts

6. Write out the best or the worst day of your life.  

7. Finish this thought: if I could change one thing about myself (if you can’t think of anything, you might want to consider telling how you got to be perfect!)  

8. If and when I raise children, I’ll never…  

9. I have never been more frightened than when…  

10. Persuade a friend to give up drugs. 

11. Five years from now, I will be… journal writing prompts

12. Write about a day you’d like to forget.  

13. Invent and describe a new food. journal writing prompts

14. Describe an event that changed your life forever, or make up and describe an event that would change your life forever. 

15. Describe someone who is a hero to you and explain why.

16. Write about a time in your life when you struggled with a choice and made the right one.

17. Imagine yourself in a different century and describe an average day in your life.

18.  Which character from a book would you most like to meet and why? 

19.  Three goals I have set for myself are… 

20.  What would you do if 300 mice had just gotten out of their cages in a pet shop where you worked?

21.  What would you do if you were locked inside your favorite department store overnight?

22.  What would you do if you woke up one morning to find yourself invisible?

23.  What would you do if you were able to communicate with animals? 

24.  What would you do if you could travel into the future? 

25.  What would you do if you could travel into the past? 

26.  What would you do if someone just gave you $1 million? 

27.  What would you do it all the electricity in the world just stopped? 

28.  What would you do if you could travel free anyplace in the world? 

29.  What would you do if the dinner served to you in a fancy restaurant came with a fly in the mashed potatoes? 

30.  Write a list of at least 50 things that make you feel good. 

31.  Describe the perfect day.  Put in as many details as you can.  Make it a possible day, not a “dream day.” 

32.  Who is the person from history that you would most like to meet and talk to?  Why?  What would you like to ask? 

33.  Who is the person from literature that you would most like to meet and talk to?  Why?  What would you like to ask? 

34.  Compile a list of words that describe you as a child.  Compile a second list that describes you as you are now.  How are these lists the same?  How are they different? 

35.  Compile a list of inanimate or animate objects to which you might compare yourself metaphorically.  (I am a windmill.  I change direction or my thoughts whenever someone talks to me…) 

36.  Tell about what triggers anger in you or someone else. 

37.  Invent a monster and describe it.  Tell where it lives, what it eats, and what it does. 

38.  What is your favorite kind of weather?  Why? 

39.  What is the best book you have ever read?  Why did you like it?  Did reading the book change you in any way?  What way? 

40.  Write about what you didn’t do this weekend.

41.  Think about an incident that happened to you and exaggerate in the telling.  Make it into a tall tale. 

42.  If you were ruler of the world, what things would you banish absolutely for all time (rain on weekends, eggplant, and so forth)?  Make a list.  Use your imagination. 

43.  If you could go back in time anywhere and “anywhen,” where/when would you go and why? 

44.  What law would you like to see enacted which would help people?  How would it help? 

45.  What commercial on TV do you dislike beyond all others?  What about it is particularly annoying to you?

46.  Design some gadget, machine, building, or other creation that might enrich the future.  What does it look like? What does it do?  How does it function?  In what ways might it benefit people?

47.  What current fashion in clothing do you particularly like or dislike?  Explain. 

48.  Convince someone why music or art or computers are important in your life.  Make them appreciate your viewpoint.

49.  If you had $100,000, how would you spend it?

50.  Be a building you know well.  Talk about your life and memories.

51.  You are to tell a person from a distant planet or from another era what pollution is.  Make that person understand what causes it and why it is bad.

52. If you could do something that you have never done before, what would it be?  Why would you want to do it?

53. Begin a list of questions that you’d like to have answered.  They may be about the future or the past.

54.  What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date and why?

55.  Write one characteristic or habit about yourself that you like and describe it.  Or write about one thing you don’t like about yourself.

56.  What is your hobby?  Why do you enjoy it?

57.  If you could go somewhere where you’ve never gone before, where would you go and why?

58.  What’s, if anything, would you be willing to fight or even die for?  Explain your answer.

59.  If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?  Why would you make this change?

60.  Is there a machine you feel you could not live without?  Explain.

61.  Write about what you think you will be like and what you will be doing 10 years or 20 years from now.

 62.  Did you ever stick up for someone? 

63.  Describe your neighborhood bully. 

64.  Write about a baby-sitting experience. 

65.  Describe a great fort you built for a great game you played as a child. 

66.  Write about an enemy who eventually became your friend. 

67.  Write about a time you cheated and got caught. 

68.  Write about a privilege you earned. 

69.  Write about the stray animal you brought home. 

70.  Did you ever send away for something that turned out to be a disappointment?  (Or order something over the Internet) 

71.  What is it like to go shopping with your mother? journal writing prompts

72.  Write about a time you performed in front of an audience. 

73.  Write about a difficult decision you had to make. 

74.  Write about learning to skate, to ride a bike, to climb a tree, or to turn a cartwheel. journal writing prompts

75.  Did you ever get lost in a strange town? 

76.  Were you ever locked in or out?  What did you do? 

77.  What was it like to spend your first night away from home? 

78.  What was it like to come back home after a long vacation? 

79.  Write about a disappointment. journal writing prompts

80.  Write about something minor that turned into a big deal.

81.  Did you ever win or lose a contest?  Tell the story about what happened. 82.  Write about something you desperately wanted when you were younger. 

83.  Did you ever know someone who had “everything”? 

84.  Write about the time as a child you played in one of the following: treehouse, a cornfield, a construction site, a junkyard, an abandoned house or barn, a stream, a cemetery, a swamp, a pasture, railroad tracks. 

85.  Did your mom or dad ever make you wear something you hated? 

86.  Write about a time you were talked into something and you regretted it. 

87.  Were you ever in a helicopter, limousine, racecar, hot-air balloon, submarine, or horse-drawn  carriage? 

88.  Did you ever forget something really important?  What happened as a result? 

89.  Write about an experience in a hospital. 

90.  Were you ever accused of something that you didn’t do?

91.  Write about a disastrous trip or vacation.

92.  Were you ever given a responsibility that you couldn’t handle? journal writing prompts

93.  Were you ever in a fire, flood, tornado, or hurricane?

94.  Describe the best concert you ever attended.

95.  Write about a window you broke or something valuable you lost.

96.  Did you ever catch fireflies?  Crickets?  Frogs?  Snakes?

97.  Write about a time you tried to help and ended up making things worse.

98.  Did you ever break an important promise?

99.  Write about moving to another city or neighborhood.

100.  Describe an outdoor game you used to play in the summer time.

101.  Write about building sand castles or mud pies.

102.  Did you ever meet a famous person?

103.  Write about mowing the lawn, burning leaves, or weeding the garden.

104.  Describe the club you organized as a kid.

105.  Describe a car or bicycle accident you were in.

106.  Write about being a misfit.

107.  Write about a day spent in another country.

108.  Write about a time you out-smarted someone.

109.  Write about going shopping for new clothes.

110.  Did you ever turn someone in or tell on someone and feel bad about it later?

111.  Imagine that you are an animal in the zoo.  What type of animal are you?  How do you feel about being caged?  How do you feel about people that visit and watch you?

112.  Write about a time your parents embarrassed you.

113.  Describe learning something from a friend.

114.  Write about a time you gave someone good advice.

115.  Write about the funniest thing that ever happened to you. 116.  If you had to escort a visitor from outer space for a 30-minute tour of your community, where would you begin and end? 

117.  Be a grape that becomes a raisin: describe how it feels to shrink, to shrivel, to become dry and wrinkled. 

118.  Be an icicle that becomes water.  Describe how it feels to be cold and firm and full of beautiful crystals but only to melt and lose your shape. 

119.  You go to the store with your parents and baby brother.  Your parents go into a store and tell you to watch your brother.  You take your eyes off your brother for just a minute and you can’t find him.  You… 

120.  I really hate it when my mother/father/sibling… 

121.  What if the use of robots in school becomes a workable reality? 

122.  What would you pack in your suitcase if you could not go home again? 

123.  You have just met an alien from another planet.  He wishes to take a student back to his planet.  Convince him you would be the perfect specimen for him to take. 

124.  If you could change one law, what law would it be and how would you change it? 

125.  How forgiving are you when a friend lets you down?  Explain.  Give an example. 

126.  What if you were named principal for the week?  What would you do? 

127.  If you could only speak twenty words for the rest of your life, what words would head your list and why? 

128.  It started out as an unusual Monday morning, when I… 

129.  As I approached the deserted house at the end of the road, I saw… 

130.  Do you think girls are raised differently from boys?  If so, in what ways? 

131.  Do you think you are treated differently because you are a boy or girl? 

132.  Do you think men and women are equal in today’s society?  Why or why not? 

133.  Do you think a woman will be President of the United States in the near future? 

134.  Two men or women have it easier in our culture?  If so, why do you think so? 

135.  Have you ever wished you were either older or younger?  What would you consider to be the benefits?  The problems?

136.  Describe what you think of as the typical mother.

137.  Describe what you think of as the typical father.

138.  Do you think women should take men’s last names when they marry?  Why or why not? journal writing prompts

139.  Would you rather have a brother or sister?  Why?

140.  Describe a fight you had with your mother.  Now tell it from her point of view. 

141.  Write a short biography of your mother. 

142.  Write a short biography of your father.

143.  Visualize a time when your mother was laughing.  Recall a time when you two shared a good laugh over something. 

144.  Write a physical description of your mother.  Write as if you were looking at a movie rather than a photograph. 

145.  Concentrate on a particular habit that your mother has and write about it. 

146.  If you had three wishes, what would they be?  (Do not ask for three more wishes) journal writing prompts

147.  What is something special and/or different about you?  Why do you think it is special or different? 

148.  Write about two things that your family has taught you. 

149.  Write about some of the things that you worry about. 

150.  Describe a happy memory of your family.  journal writing prompts

151.  How do you know someone loves you, even if he or she doesn’t say it? 

152.  Name one thing you like about yourself and why you like it. 

153.  Imagine yourself as a teacher.  What type of student would you like to teach and why?

154.  Name and describe a teacher who made a difference in your life.  What did that teacher do that was so special? 

155.  What makes you proud to be an American? 

156.  Describe the one thing that gives you the most comfort. 

157.  If you could be a character in any book, TV show, or movie, who would you be and why? 

158.  If you had to work in any store at your favorite mall,  which store would it be and why? 

159.  Describe the most difficult thing about being your age.

160.  Describe one possession that means the most to you.

161.  Who is the most important role model in your life?

162.  Describe your best personality trait.

163.  If you could study one subject in school that wasn’t offered, what would it be and why?

164.  If you had a chance to live anywhere you could, where would it be and why?

165.  Write about the pros/cons of year-round school or a four-day school week.

166.  Write about your favorite sport.

167.  Is the school year too long?  Too short?  Why?

168.  What does your summer usually consist of?

169.  Who should be paid more, professional athletes or teachers?  Why or why not?

170.  What class do you enjoy the most and why?

171.  Write about the worst fight you ever had with a friend.

172.  If you had only one month to live, what would you do?

173.  Describe your dream house.

174.  Who is your favorite person to be with?  Why?

175.  What would be your ideal job when you grow up?  Explain.

176.  If you could guest star on any TV show, what would it be and why?

177.  What do you think your life will be like in 10 years?  20 years?

178.  Describe how you would manage your own radio or TV station.

179.  What is your definition of success?

180.  The saying goes, “Money cannot buy happiness.”  Do you agree or disagree?  Why? journal writing 

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