1. A teacher’s job…
is always to bridge from the know to the new. There really
is no other choice.
Children are who they are.
They know what they know.
They bring what they bring.
Our job is not…
to wish that students knew more or knew differently.
Our job is…
to turn students’ knowledge and the diversity of knowledge we
encounter into a curricular strength rather than an instructional
inconvenience.
We can do that…
only if we hold high expectations for all students, convey great
respect for the knowledge and culture they bring to the
classroom, and offer lots of support in helping them achieve
those expectations.
(Pearson 1996)

2. Can Your Basal Reader
Meet the Common Core?
Strategies and Activities to Enhance
Basal Reading Instruction
October 18, 2012
Presented by: Cindy Collins and Jacque Singleton

3. Thought of the Day:
If a doctor, a lawyer, or a dentist had forty
people in his office at one time, all of
whom had different needs, and some of
who didn’t want to be there and were
causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or
dentist (without assistance), had to treat
all of them with professional excellence
for nine month, then he might have some
conception of the classroom teacher’s job.
-Donald D. Quinn

4. Why are we here?
• National Reading Panel Report, 1997/2000
– www.nationalreadingpanel.org
– Five essential components of reading
instruction:
• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension
• Fluency

5. Why are we here?
(continued)
• February, 2011: IDOE adopted a proposed rule to
implement the requirements of IC20-32-8.5
• The Reading Framework was adopted.
– Provides research-based guidance on components of
effective reading instructions.
– Key provisions include:
• Reading goals
• Instruction
• Assessment
• Professional Development
• Leadership
• Commitment

6. What does this mean to us?
Each school must:
• Submit a reading plan
• Provide professional development for
teachers
• Administer a specified reading test
(IREAD) and obtain a targeted passing
percentage
• Provide direct reading instruction for 90
minutes each day
• Will begin using the Common Core
Standards http://www.corestandards.org

7. Effective Literacy Teachers
Six critical qualities of excellent literacy teachers from the
International Reading Association:
1. They understand reading and writing development and believe all
children can learn to read and write.
2. They continually assess children’s individual progress and relate
reading instruction to children’s previous experiences.
3. They know a variety of ways to teach reading, when to use each
method, and how to combine the methods into an effective
instructional program.
4. They offer a variety of materials and texts for the children to
read.
5. They use flexible grouping strategies to tailor instruction for
individuals.
6. They are good reading “coaches”, that is, they provide help
strategically.
Effective literacy teacher continuously assess their students’ literacy
abilities and adjust their instruction based on that assessment.

8. Making it Work

9. CONGRATULATIONS!
Since you are dedicated enough to make it to
the last session of the day, you get to go
home with a special parting gift!
We will be sharing activities and strategies
that directly address the identified NRP
components. These strategies and activities
can be used with ANY story in ANY basal the
minute you return to the classroom.

10. Five Principles of Phonics
Instruction
1. Base instruction on what students know.
2. Provide systematic instruction.
3. Provide explicit and extensive instruction.
4. Use appropriate texts.
5. Embed instruction in meaningful contexts.

11. Phonics Activities
• Word Sorts (by sounds, syllables, etc.)
• Make and Break Words
• Rhyming Word Bingo/Word Family Bingo
• Picture Sorts (by beginning, ending, or
vowel)
• Word family flip books
• The Magic “E” (pan, pane; cap, cape)
• Collect and sort vowel sounds with different
spellings (long a – ai, a_e, ay)

12. More Phonics Activities
• “Secret Words” (How many words can you
make from a bigger word?)
• Memory Match by letter sounds or
onset/rime
• Written conversations
• “Human” word sorts – each child gets a card
and has to find the right place to stand.
• Bottles with letter beads and sand – shake to
make words
• Dice with letters, sounds, or onset/rime
• Word hunts in stories or environment – search
and record words with targeted phonics skill

13. More Phonics Activities
• “Secret Words” (How many words can you make
from a bigger word?)
• Memory Match by letter sounds or onset/rime
• Written conversations
• “Human” word sorts – each child gets a card and
has to find the right place to stand.
• Bottles with letter beads and sand – shake to
make words
• Dice with letters, sounds, or onset/rime
• Word hunts in stories or environment – search
and record words with targeted phonics skill

14. Two Important Things To
Remember:
1. It’s okay to have a “nonsense”
word or “rule breaker” category
2. You can extend/adjust many
activities by doing them in different
grouping and having students record
what they’ve learned in notebooks, on
dry erase boards, on overheads or
chalkboards.

15. What should you know
about phonemic awareness?
“Phonemic Awareness is anything you can do
with your eyes shut.”
• The IRA states that phonemic awareness
is “a child’s understanding and conscious
awareness that speech is composed of
identifiable units, such as spoken words,
syllables, and sounds.”
• ELL students struggle with phonemes because
they differ from one language to another.

16. Seven Dimensions of Phonemic
Awareness
1. Ability to hear syllables within words
2. Ability to hear initial letter sounds and recognize
alliteration
3. Ability to hear rime and rhyme (1-3:isolation & identity)
4. Ability to distinguish oddity (categorization)
5. Ability to blend sounds together orally to make a
word (blending)
6. Ability to segment words orally (segmentation)
7. Ability to manipulate sounds orally to create new
words (phoneme addition, deletion, substitution)

17. Phonemic Awareness
Activities
• Poems
• Tongue Twisters
• Songs
• Jump Rope Jingles
• Children’s Literature
• Nursery Rhymes
• Post-it Note Activity
• “Secret” Words

18. Five Essential Ingredients for
Effective Direct Instruction of
Vocabulary
1. New words must be learned in meaningful contexts.
2. New words must be related to previous knowledge.
3. New words/concepts must be fully understood so
students can use the words in new situations.
4. Students must use, hear, and see the new word
repeatedly.
5. Teachers should enjoy learning new words with
students and make learning new words fun.

19. Vocabulary Activities
Personal Dictionaries:
Each child should have their own folder/binder/notebook etc.
to record vocabulary. Alphabetical order is best!
Activities:
• Choose any word and write a sentence
• Pick a letter and read all the words on a page to a buddy
• Write a story using words off ___ pages
• Choose a word and write the antonym and synonym
• Give a clue to the class and let them guess the word
• Choose a word and illustrate it. Have an art gallery.
• Make a bingo card and play bingo
• Put the words on flash cards and play around the word

20. Vocabulary Activities
• Language Experience Approach
• Categorizing
• Crossword puzzles
• Analogies
• Concentration (memory match word to definition)
• Scattergories
• Charades
• Word of the Day (synonyms, antonyms, draw a
picture, write a sentence, give the definition, part
of speech, etc.)

21. Components of Fluency
Rate
A slow rate is a common indicator of inefficient reading.
A fast rate does indicate good reading comprehension.
Automaticity
Accuracy of word recognition and interpretation of punctuation
and reading rate with little cognitive effort.
Phrasing or Prosody
Reader’s ability to recognize phrasing instead of seeing each
word in isolation.
Expression
Making written words sound like speech
Punctuation
Using punctuation to interpret the author’s message.

22. Fluency Activities
• Echo reading
• Choral reading
• Re-reading
• Read along with recorded books
• Tape, check, chart
• Flash cards (can add stopwatch for rate)
• Reader’s Theatre
• Dyad (partner) reading

23. Components of Reading Comprehension
Before Reading:
• Predicting
• Setting a purpose
During Reading:
• Making inferences
• Self-monitoring
• Visualizing
• Connecting prior knowledge
After Reading:
• Finding main ideas
• Drawing conclusions
• Elaborating on author’s intent

24. Skills for Reading Informational Texts
(Expository or Non-fiction)
• Sequence
• Listing
• Classification or Hierarchy
• Compare/Contrast
• Cause/Effect
• Problem/Solution
• Persuasion

25. Comprehension Activities
• BME burger
• Directed Listening, Directed Reading and Experience/Text Relationships,
Reciprocal Questioning (handout)
• Wordless Books
• Graphic Organizers (KWL, Venn Diagrams, etc.)
• Retelling (with puppets, orally, with a partner, with pictures, etc.)
• Character perspective charts/projects
• “And this is the rest of the story…”
• Science experiments, crafts, math games (for informational texts)
• Sequencing (pictures or writing)
• Predicting
• Learning logs or journals while reading informational texts
• Time lines
• Debates
• Post-it notes, bookmarks for recording questions and thoughts while reading
• Book Blessing
• Silent Reading Time – with accountability (draw, write, partner share)
• Reading aloud with probing questions (promotes listening comprehension)

26. Remember:
The more you read, the more you know
The more you know, the smarter you grow
The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice
When speaking your mind and making your choice.

27. Some of our favorite
sources:
• Words Their Way (Baer)
• When Kids Can’t Read (Beers)
• Literacy Assessment and Intervention
(DeVries)
• Revisit, Reflect, Retell (Hoyt)