Beyond "Sounding it Out"

According to Catherine Compton-Lily, author of “Sounding Out”: A Pervasive Cultural Model of Reading, the cultural model of "sounding out" "privileges phonetic decoding over other decoding strategies, particularly those that involve the meanings of texts and the structures of language" (Compton-Lily, 2005, p. 442). Knowing that there are other strategies other than "sounding out" words, it's important that teachers encourage their students to use other decoding strategies. It may be tempting to tell a student to sound out the word they are having difficulty reading, but before you say it, think of something else you could tell your student. 

Other strategies to use besides "sounding it out" include the beginning sound, ending sound, chunking a word, finding a small word, using picture clues, and asking the student does it make sense? We need these strategies because just like there's a variety of strategies, there's a variety of readers. Some students may need to focus on the beginning of the word in order to attempt it. Other students may need to break the word into chunks to be able to recognize a smaller word. These strategies are more efficient than saying "sound it out" because they focus on specific actions for the student to do when they are attempting a word that is unfamiliar. 

Now that I have been able to observe a few of the first graders reading in my field experience classroom, I have a better idea of what strategies they are using. I have not noticed "sounding out" in the conversations with the children. I do not recall hearing the lead teacher explicitly telling the students to "sound out" a word if they are having difficulty reading it. I have noticed the teacher encouraging the students to focus on the beginning of the words and also using picture clues to decide what the word is. The most important thing about "sounding out" in literacy is that teachers should not use that strategy anymore; there are many other strategies that teachers can use for their students to read words that may be difficult or unfamiliar. Using these strategies will help students become better readers. 

Focusing on Children's Strengths

When it comes to literacy it's important for teachers to focus on children's strengths rather than "what they can't do". If we focused on what a child can't do, how can we help them develop literacy skills? Instead of focusing on what a child can't do, we need to focus on what a child can do. What does the child already know when they read and write? Working individually with children is a great way to focus on what a child can do. It's amazing what children can do, really! In the article "Every Mark on the Page: Educating Family and Community Members about Young Children's Writing", the author states that "in the early stages of learning to write, children don’t feel constrained by conventions as adults do, and they experiment with size, shape, and direction of letters" (Cusumano, 2008, p. 12). Through this teachers can observe what children can do through their writing.

Here is a writing sample from a first grade student I found on the website Letter Writing For 1st Grade. It states, "I learned how to ride a bike without training wheels and it wasn't easy it was hard". Based on this writing sample, let's see what this child can do and what they know. This child knows that words have directionality, and that they go from left to right. They also know to return sweep after they stop at the end of a line. This student knows that "bike" has a beginning sound of /b/ and and ending sound of /k/. They also know that "without" has a "th" and the word "out" at the end. They spelled the word "traneng" which shows that they know there's an "ng" at the end of the word. They know that there are two e's in wheels and they spelled wasn't how it sounds, as "wasent". Finally, this student knows that there is a letter that goes between the e and sy of "eisy". 

Based on this writing sample, this student displays knowledge of writing skills and spelling skills. They can write from left to right. They can spell words the way they hear them and know them. They can use capitalization and punctuation in a sentence. Ultimately teachers must start focusing on the "cans" rather than the "cannots" of a child. In addition to writing, we need to focus on what children can do when reading. Pat Johnson and Katie Keier, authors of Catching Readers Before They Fall, state that when a teacher uses a prompt they are asking the child to perform an act they know the child is capable of doing (Johnson & Keier, 2010, p. 63). This implies the teacher knows what the child can do. When we start looking at what a child can do in reading and writing it gives them opportunities for growth and learning. 

Identifying Letters through Phonics

Phonics is about learning letters and the sounds that correspond with them. Knowing that so many letters make a variety of sounds and that different letters can represent various sounds, teachers start with the most common sound or two sounds for each letter a student is learning about. Instead of spending an immense amount of time with letters and sounds in isolation, we can teach phonics during reading and writing. We can teach phonics continually during shared and guided reading and community and independent writing. When we begin teaching letters and sounds we should start with letters and sounds children are familiar with. A great example of this is children's names.

A great example of teaching phonics through teaching letters and sounds is by using the "Silly Names Song" in which the teacher changes the beginning sound of the names. The teacher then has the children change the beginning sound of their name. In the "Silly Names Song" video the teacher uses the sounds of the letter t and w. This is how the song goes:

In the classroom,

early in the morning,

hear the children playing with their sounds.

Change your name to start with /t/.

Change your name to start with /t/. 

Name with /t/.

Name with /t/.

What's your name? 

Shout it now!

Silly Names Song Video

Since a child's name has letters and sounds they are familiar with, this will help them understand print better and ultimately make connections to what they know and what they are learning. Another way to teach letters and sounds is through community writing. Here are a few prompts that can be used for community writing:

• It starts like Marissa.
• Let's get our mouths ready to start Jessica's name.
• What do you hear at the beginning of sand? Does it sound like Sebastian? 

At this point in time you can have the student look at a name chart (example below) and see what the letters sound like. 

What's a Comprehensive Literacy Framework?

Pat Johnson and Katie Keier, authors of Catching Readers Before They Fall, discuss the components of a comprehensive literacy framework. What exactly is a comprehensive literacy framework? It's a classroom environment that incorporates reading and writing to, with, and by children. Within this framework, teachers are able to reach all of their children, including the readers who are struggling. This is possible because the framework addresses specific needs through multiple ways of instruction. Furthermore, the framework encourages student independence, so teachers can work with small groups and individual students when necessary.

I have included a visual representation of the components of a comprehensive literacy framework. I made this representation myself to get a better understanding of the framework. The top web is of the first component of the framework: reading, to, with, and by children. The bottom web includes the second component of the framework: writing to, with, and by children. Reading and writing are both crucial to the comprehensive literacy framework.

There are four parts to reading to, with, and by children: read-aloud, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading. Read-alouds are for the enjoyment of books. There are two types of read-alouds, traditional, where the teacher models the language of books, and interactive, where the teacher engages children and helps them make connections. Shared reading includes repeated reading where teachers model skills, and texts are also accessible to all children. Guided reading challenges readers and allows them to predict what will happen next in a story. Finally, independent reading is where students reread familiar texts and have choice in what they read.

Writing to, with, and by children has three parts: morning message, community writing, and independent writing. Morning message depends on grade level and can meet the needs of specific students. Community writing is generated from authentic discussions, and gives student the opportunity to work in their zone of proximal development. When students begin independent writing, they are in charge of the topic, content, writing and illustration. Additionally, their skills learned through community writing are used independently.

Teaching within the comprehensive literacy framework helps all students build an effective reading process system and helps them become better writers as well.

Literacy in the Community

Literacy is everywhere in my community. Walking through a college campus is a great way to think about what literacy looks like in the community. When I walk through campus I see street signs and buses with advertisements on them, whether it's for a new production coming to the theater or a new app for students to download. Literacy is also seen through flyers that are spread throughout campus. Whether handed out by students or posted to the wooden kiosks, flyers provide information about the many events that are happening throughout campus. Living in a literacy rich community is important because it is available to people of all ages.

I should care about what literacy looks like in my community because as a future teacher, I want my students to be aware of literacy in their community. I want to help my students understand that literacy can be pictures and symbols and not just words on a page. A fun way to incorporate this into the classroom would be to go on a literacy walk with students. Students can write down different types of literacy throughout the community, and then as a class create a "What Literacy Looks Like" book. 

Language Learners

I have recently experienced what school is like for students whose first language is not English. Of course I took the required Spanish courses in high school, but my memory was put to the test recently in a literacy class I am taking this semester. Our instructor handed out instructions on what to do, and it was all in Spanish. I immediately struggled to make sense of the task. Luckily, one of my classmates understood Spanish a lot more than I did, so she was able to figure out it out. The activity only lasted about ten to fifteen minutes, but the entire time I had difficulty understanding and communicating. I can only imagine what this feels like to language learners in the classroom.

Just think for a minute about this. Here's a student whose first language is Spanish, or something other than English, and they are sitting in your classroom each day. They may not understand what is going on and they may have difficulty expressing themselves. Sitting in school for seven or eight hours a day feeling lost is most likely a horrible feeling to those students who don't speak English very well. The recent experience I had of feeling this way after ten minutes has really opened my eyes. I immediately thought of ways to support language learners in the classroom.

Support is essential to the students who are struggling with language. If there is no support these students may feel lost or disconnected to the teacher and their classmates. They may not feel like they are a part of the class. Teachers must work with these students and communicate with them. They can never give up on their students either. A great way to incorporate their language into the classroom is to bring in books and other resources. It gives the student an opportunity to enjoy school. Showing the student that you really care about them and their success is another important goal.  Most students, no matter what language they speak, want to learn and discover new things. It is up to us teachers to provide these opportunities for our students.

What is Literacy?

Literacy embodies reading and writing; however, when you think deeply about literacy, so many other things are embedded within. In addition to reading and writing, literacy includes prior knowledge, experience, and interests. Can you think of a memory (positive or negative) that has affected the way you think about literacy?Literacy also includes different ways to engage students, for example, during a read aloud, have students repeat certain parts or even act out the story. Another way to engage students is to have students write or draw what their favorite part of the book was. There are so many ways to make literacy engaging for students. Literacy is about making meaning; however, to make something meaningful a connection has to be made, whether it's from prior knowledge or experience.

As teachers, it's important to reflect on our own past experiences with literacy. A creative way to do this is to create a literacy timeline. After creating my literacy timeline, filled with positive and negative moments from preschool through college, I couldn't help but reflect on these moments and how they have affected me as a teacher. I remember enjoying literacy and its creative aspects, for example, writing my own version of a book I read in elementary school. Another thing I enjoyed about literacy was being able to experience it through theater. I have learned from my positive memories, and I have also learned from my negative ones. I want to give my students a choice in what they read. I want to create engaging and authentic lessons that incorporate activities where students will use their imaginations and creativity. Finally, I want to incorporate my student's interests into literacy. Through this my students will make meaning and connect with what they are reading.