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Reading Instruction and Interventions: A Resource Handbook for Teachers

Stephanie Hoffman, Kayla Smith & Michelle Spencer

Marist College
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Table of Contents

PART I: INTRODUCTIONS & COACH CARDS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO READING…………………………..………….…3
CHAPTER 2: PHONICS AND PHONEMIC AWARENESS……………………...…… 6
A. Phonics and Phonemic Awareness Defined………………………….……...…… 7
B. Intervention 1: Letter Cube Blending……………………...………………….…10
CHAPTER 3: READING COMPREHENSION………………………...………...…… 14
A. Reading Comprehension Defined…………………………...……………..…… 15
B. Intervention 2: Promoting Adolescents Comprehension of Text (PACT)………. 17
CHAPTER 4: READING FLUENCY………………………………………...…..….… 20
A. Reading Fluency Defined…………………………………………..……..….… 21
B. Intervention 3: See, Talk, Dictate, Read, Write!.........................................…….. 23
CHAPTER 5: VOCABULARY………………………………………………......……. 26
A. Vocabulary Defined…………………………………………………..…..…..… 27
B. Intervention 4: Collaborative Strategic Reading……………………......…....… 29

PART II: INTERVENTION WEBSITES

CHAPTER 6: WEB BASED RESOURCES………………...…………………....….… 33
A. Guided Reading with Dr. Jan Richardson……………...………….………….… 34
B. Tales2go………………………...……………………...………..………...……. 36
C. Reading Is Fundamental………………………………...………………...……. 38
D. iStation Reading ……………………………………...…………….……...…… 39

PART III: INTERVENTION KITS

CHAPTER 7: INTERVENTION KITS
A. Letter Cube Blending Kit……………………………….………………….…… 41
B. Promoting Adolescents Comprehension of Text (PACT)……………………….45

Appendix A: See, Talk, Dictate, Read, Write! Visual Aid Worksheet……………...…………...48

Appendix B: Error Analysis Inventory Guideline……………………………………………….49

Contact Information………..…………………………………………………………………….50
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Introduction to Reading

Reading is essential for succeeding in today’s society. The ability to read is highly

valued and necessary for advancing socially and economically. Since this is such an important

and necessary part of people’s lives, reading should be introduced and taught at a young age.

Reading instruction requires that children understand the structure of spoken words, learn about

the nature of the alphabetic system, understand the relationship between letters and sounds, and

have frequent and intensive opportunities to read (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). Instruction is

needed in several areas while learning how to read, including phonemic awareness, phonics,

fluency, reading comprehension, and vocabulary (Ehri, 2003).

Reading instruction is most crucial when it is taught effectively at a young age. Early

development of accurate phonemic decoding skills support a child’s ability to automatically

recognize words, increasing phonemic awareness and fluency. The ability to assess these core

language problems is necessary to intervene as early as possible. Longitudinal studies have

found that children who are poor readers at the end of first grade rarely ever acquire average-

level reading skills by the end of elementary school. These children then grow up to be adults

with low levels of literacy, which puts them at a societal disadvantage. To prevent this, children

with reading weaknesses should receive more intense, explicit, and specialized instruction

(Torgesen, 2002).

The ultimate goal of reading instruction is to help students acquire necessary skills that

will allow them to recognize words, understand their relationship to sounds, comprehend the

meaning of words, and build on these skills to expand their vocabulary and knowledge.

Educators and researchers have identified a goal of teaching all students to be able to read well

by the early years of elementary school. Unfortunately, not all students will progress at the same
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rate. Many students have difficulty reading for several different reasons. In order to help these

students who are having difficulty progressing at the same rate as their peers, reading

interventions should be implemented based on what the student needs. The goal of any

intervention in the school is to help students be more successful (Torgesen, 2000).

One intervention will not work for all students. Depending on what the student is having

difficulty with should inform which intervention is chosen. This handbook identifies and

explains four reading interventions that can be utilized by teachers and school psychologists to

help students with what they are struggling with. The following interventions focus on

improving student’s phonics, phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, reading fluency, and

vocabulary.
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References

Ehri, L. C. (2003). Systematic Phonics Instruction: Findings of the National Reading Panel.

ERIC Processing and Reference Facility, 3-25.

Snow, C. E., Burns, S. M., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young

Children. National Academy Press: Washington, DC.

Torgesen, J. K. (2000). Individual differences in response to early interventions in reading: The

lingering problem of treatment resistance. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice,

15(1), 55-64

Torgesen, J. K. (2002). The prevention of reading difficulties. Journal of School Psychology,

40(1), 7-26.
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Phonics and Phonemic Awareness

Being able to decode words is necessary for children to become independent and skilled

readers. In order to decode words, children need to understand that there is a relationship

between letters and the sounds that they produce. Initially, children understand that words have

sounds, but as they become more aware of language, they begin to learn more about each letter

in a word. This allows them to analyze a whole word, or break it down by letter. In order to

recognize words fluently, students must be able to recognize the relationship of the shape of a

letter and the sound it produces automatically. For example, when the student sees the letter

“B,” they should not have to think about what that letter is or what sound it represents. Instead,

they should automatically remember that it is a “B” and makes a /b/ sound (Stahl, Duffy-Hester,

Dougherty Stahl, 1998).

When learning how to read, understanding phonics is essential. Early learners will not

become skilled readers if they don’t understand phonics. The English writing system is difficult

to learn because it is so complex, which is why phonics instruction is crucial to teach in schools.

When learning to read, children may use several different techniques, which all require having

knowledge of the alphabetic system. The main goal of phonics instruction is to teach students

how to read words in and out of text by teaching them how to process each letter of a word.

They may then convert each letter into sounds and then blend them together, forming words

(Ehri, 2003).

Effective phonics instruction should lead to the development of phonemic awareness.

Phonemic awareness is described as the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the smallest

units of sound, or phonemes. Phonemic awareness is incredibly important for the development of

word recognition and spelling. To promote sufficient practice in reading words, three methods
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are often provided. These three methods include reading words in isolation, reading words in

stories, and writing words. Each method benefits the student in different ways. Reading words

in isolation allows the student to examine the pattern of the word without distraction of

surrounding text. Reading words in stories allows students to apply their phonics knowledge and

phonemic awareness skills to tasks that will allow for full comprehension of a message. Finally,

writing words allows a student to learn letter-sound similarities (Stahl, Duffy-Hester, Dougherty

Stahl, 1998).
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References

Ehri, L. C. (2003). Systematic Phonics Instruction: Findings of the National Reading Panel,

ERIC Processing and Reference Facility, 3-25.

Stahl, S. A., Duffy-Hester, A. M., & Dougherty Stahl, K. A. (1998). Everything you wanted to

know about phonics (but were afraid to ask). Reading Research Quarterly, 33(3), 338-

355.
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Intervention 1: Letter Cube Blending

Reading consists of two main parts. The first is recognizing a word on a page. The second

part is understanding what the word means. Letter Cube Blending is an evidence-based

intervention that helps students understand the relationship between letters and the sounds they

produce. This intervention touches on phonics and phonemic awareness, as it involves focusing

on written letters as well having a verbal response expectation. Teachers have the opportunity to

learn about their student’s current level of functioning through this intervention. The goal of this

intervention is not to have the student create real words, but instead, challenge students to

produce typical and atypical blending combinations. It is the nonsense words that will provide

the most difficulty and challenge the student to form a word they are not used to.

Target:

To learn phonics skills and increase phonemic awareness.

Location:

Classroom

Individually or small groups

Materials:

● Five Styrofoam or wooden cubes

● Green, Blue, Red, and Black Markers

● Letter Cube Blending Recording Sheet

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Preparation:

Using markers of different colors, write the lower-case letters listed below on the sides of the

blocks -

Part 1 - Blending in Isolation

● Block 1: t, c, d, b, f, m in green marker

● Block 2: a, e, i, o, u, i in blue marker *Note that there is two “I’s”

● Block 3: b, d, m, n, r, s in red marker

Part 2 - Blending Complex Words

● Block 4: Sh, Ch, Sm, Wh, Th, St in green marker

● Block 5: *same as block 2* a, e, i, o, u, i in blue marker

● Block 6: *same as block 3* b, d, m, n, r, s in red marker

● Block 7: y, y, e, e, s, s in black marker

Frequency:

This intervention should be used once a day for 15 minutes.

*Note: Teachers may want to use this intervention in smalls groups to begin. If the teacher

identifies any students that appears to be struggling with this task, they may want to administer

this intervention individually with those students to see if their skill improves.

Progress Monitoring:

The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Phoneme Segmentation

Fluency (PSF) to assess the acquisition of early literacy of students. DIBELS PSF is a

standardized, individually administered test of phonological awareness, which measures a

student’s ability to segment three- and four- phoneme words into individual phonemes. This

measure is a good predictor of future reading achievement. Benchmark data should be collected
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at the beginning of the school year to identify student’s initial abilities. In addition, a student

identified as low risk, or at benchmark level, should be screened three times throughout the

school year. For students who are slightly below benchmark level, progress monitoring should

occur 1 to 2 times per month. Students well below benchmark level should receive progress

monitoring 2 to 4 times per month. Targeted assessments for phonics and phonemic awareness

can be found on the following site: https://dibels.uoregon.edu/training/bir/phonemic-

awareness.php

To collect 3-5 points of baseline data the teacher should use the Phonemic Awareness Progress

Check worksheet. This worksheet requires the teacher to say a word and ask the student to break

the word apart. For example, if the teacher say cat, the student should reply “/c/ /a/ /t/.” The

teacher should provide three practice items, in which they can provide assistance if necessary.

The teacher should then proceed with the list of words that include the target words. To monitor

student progress, teachers should continue to use the Phonemic Awareness Progress Check

worksheet 3 times per week.

Directions/Intervention Steps:

Part 1

● Each student takes a turn rolling the Letter Cubes: then line the cubes up in order (Green,

blue, red)

● Student is prompted to sound out the letters on the cubes to form a word

● Student identifies and records the words as either real or nonsense and records it on their

Letter Cube Blending Recording Sheet

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Part 2

● To increase the difficulty of this intervention, move to Part 2. The second part includes

blocks with multiple letters on them, and more letters to make a word. In Part 2, the first

block has two letters on each side, and the student is provided with four blocks opposed

to only three.

● Each student takes a turn rolling the Letter Cubes: then line the cubes up in order (Green,

blue, red, black)

● *Optional - Depending on the age of the student, you can ask the student to use the word

in a sentence, if it is a real word.

● *Optional - You may introduce a timer and asks students to create as many words as they

can within a certain time limit.

● * Optional - You may want to include more blocks or change the letters on the blocks to

create additional words. The following link provides a list of common 2 consonant letter

blends: http://www.abcfastphonics.com/letter-blends.html

● Activity continues until the student creates 10 words.

Citation:

Florida Center for Reading Research. (2009). Letter cube blending. Retrieved from

http://www.fcrr.org/SCAsearch/PDFs/K-1P_036.pdf
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Reading Comprehension

According to Kendeou, McMaster, and Christ (2016), reading comprehension may be one

of the most complex activities for humans. It calls upon the ability to identify phonological,

orthographic, and semantic representations of words and then be able to understand the meaning

of a sentence by connecting each word using syntax. However, this is just the beginning of

reading comprehension. One must also be able to access relevant background knowledge, find

meaning and create inferences across sentences within text, identify the structure of the text, and

acknowledge the goals and motives of the author.

Kendeou, McMaster, and Christ (2016) highlight two essential components for reading

comprehension: the ability to make inferences and reader knowledge. Inferences are “the

cornerstone of reading comprehension” and knowledge is “the necessary source for reading

comprehension.” According to a review of research, poor inference making can be indicative of

poor reading comprehension. In addition, the role of knowledge, which has been labeled as “the

factor that carries the largest variability in reading comprehension,” influences many aspects of

reading - word decoding, sentence processing, inference making, comprehension monitoring, and

text comprehension as a whole.

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References

Kendeou, P., McMaster, K. L., & Christ, T. J. (2016). Reading comprehension: Core

components and processes. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(1),

pp. 62-69.
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Intervention 2: Promoting Adolescents’ Comprehension of Text (PACT)

Promoting Adolescents’ Comprehension of Text (PACT) is an evidence-based

intervention, which meets the common core standards, that integrates content knowledge and

comprehension into one curriculum (Social Studies/ELA). The goals of this intervention are to

enhance teachers’ instructional routines and improve reading comprehension and content

knowledge in students in grades 7-12. The essential components of this intervention include

Comprehension Canopy, Essential Words, Explicit Vocabulary Instruction, and Team-Based

Learning (Comprehension Check and Knowledge Acquisition).

Terms Defined:

· “Comprehension Canopy: An overarching question is introduced on day one and

reviewed each day as new knowledge is gained.

· Essential Words: Four to five key terms are introduced and then reviewed

throughout the unit.

· Knowledge Acquisition: Each day, students read in various settings (whole class,

small group, paired, and individually) and record notes from their readings and teacher

presentations in a log.

· Team Based Learning (TBL) Comprehension Check: Students complete regular

multiple choice and open-ended knowledge checks. Student complete the questions on

their own and then verify their answers in groups, using resource materials to answer

questions, when necessary.

· TBL Knowledge Acquisition: At the end of a unit, students engage in debate,

requiring students to use textual evidence, think critically, evaluate team member’s
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contributions, synthesize perspectives, present a final written product to entire class, and

respond to feedback” (WWC, 2013, p. 1).

Target:

To enhance teachers’ instructional routines and improve reading comprehension and content

knowledge in students in grades 7-12.

Location:

Classroom

Materials:

● Teacher Lessons and Materials

● Student Materials and Workbook

● CD Contents

● Videos and Podcasts

● **All materials are provided online:

https://www.meadowscenter.org/projects/detail/promoting-adolescents-comprehension-

of-text-pact

Frequency:

Social Studies: 10-day lesson cycle (3 lessons)

ELA: 12-week lesson cycle (2 lessons)

Progress Monitoring:

Social Studies: Comprehension Checks and End of Unit Tests

ELA: Team-Based Learning Quizzes and Comprehension Circuit Training (CCT) Evaluations

Directions/Intervention Steps:
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Provided in step-by-step detailed curriculum. PACT meets What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)

standards without reservation. This indicates that evidence-based intervention strategies are

incorporated into the curriculum. Therefore, the curriculum has been proven to be successful if

followed as directed (WWC, 2013).

Citation:

The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER). (2018). Promoting

Adolescents’ Comprehension of Text. Retrieved from

https://www.meadowscenter.org/projects/detail/promoting-adolescents-

comprehension-of-text-pact
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Reading Fluency

Reading fluency is the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and appropriate expression.

Research indicates fast and accurate word reading facilitates reading comprehension by utilizing

cognitive resources (e.g. working memory) to focus on text meaning. When a student

demonstrates slower and labored word recognition, this suggests their cognitive load is occupied

and the opportunity to understand text meaning is lost. The link between reading fluency and

comprehension highlights the importance of reading fluency instruction. When a student fails to

develop adequate reading fluency skills, reading may become a frustrating experience.

Consequently, students spend less time reading. This affects the student’s ability to acquire other

necessary literacy skills, such as vocabulary acquisition. Thus, fluency interventions are vital to

effective reading instruction for students with reading difficulties (Stevens, Walker, & Vaughn,

2017).
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References

Stevens, E. A., Walker, M. A., & Vaughn, S. (2017). The effects of reading fluency interventions

on the reading fluency and reading comprehension performance of elementary students

with learning disabilities: A synthesis of the research from 2001 to 2014. Journal of

Learning Disabilities, 50(5), 576-590.

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Intervention 3: See, Talk, Dictate, Read, Write!

See, Talk, Dictate, Read, Write! is a child centered reading intervention in which students

play an active role in the intervention for improving their reading fluency skills. In this

intervention, the student talks, forms a sentence(s), and makes the teacher dictate a sentence(s) to

them, and finally, reads and writes the sentence that the teacher has dictated about an image they

encounter according to his/her personal experiences and power of expression. This intervention

includes phonetic based sentence reading as well as writing comprehension and expression.

Overall, this intervention includes the student interpreting and inferring meaning from an image

presented by the teacher, talking about the image, making the teacher dictate sentences written

about the image, and writing and reading the sentence the teacher dictated to the student.

Target:

To improve reading fluency and comprehension using multiple strategies.

Location:

Classroom or quiet location with ample available seating.

Materials:

Visual aid worksheet.

Frequency:

35 sessions, 6 - 8 weeks, 5 sessions per week.

Progress Monitoring:

The word correct per minute (WCPM) procedure was utilized to determine the reading rate and

accuracy of the participant. Additionally, the Error Analysis Inventory was used to examine the

reading comprehension.
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Directions/Interventions Steps:

Stage 1 -See, understand, and imagine.

- A visual aided worksheet is prepared by the teacher. Before each activity, two copies of

the worksheet are kept available for the teacher and the student. The student looks at the

image on the worksheet and activates his/her imagination. He/she contemplate about the

image.

Stage 2 - Talk.

- The student is asked to talk/brainstorm about the images on his/her worksheet.

Stage 3 - Dictate.

- The teacher dictates the sentences regarding the images on his/her own worksheet. The

teacher corrects student's short and inaccurate sentences. For example, the student forms

the sentence "I played football." The teacher asks questions such as "when, where, with

whom" so that the student can form a meaningful and longer sentence.

Stage 4 - Read.

- The student reads the sentence written and dictated by the teacher.

Stage 5 - Write-read what you have written.

- The student writes the sentence on the worksheet. While writing, the students reads what

is written.
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Citation:

Bastug, M., & Demirtas, G. (2016). Child-centered reading intervention: See, talk, dictate, read,

write. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 8(4), 601-616.

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Vocabulary

In a review of evidence-based interventions targeted at remediating reading difficulties,

Scammacca, et al. (2007) concluded that vocabulary interventions had the strongest effect on

improving reading outcomes. Therefore, providing students with focused vocabulary instruction

is essential to improving their reading ability. According to Young-Davy (2014), there are two

critical aspects to vocabulary instruction: (1) vocabulary must be taught through direct attention

to meaning and use in order ensure effective acquisition and usage, and (2) it is important to

remember that some students may still need to be instructed on how to learn vocabulary.

Young-Davy (2014) suggested a three-step sequence aimed at improving vocabulary

acquisition: selection, definition, and exposure and use. Selection includes deciding how many

words will be targeted, what words will be targeted, and how they will be targeted. Definition

includes defining the word according to the “look it up” approach and then practicing matching

vocabulary word to definition whether it is through a “write down” assignment or a classroom

activity. Lastly, the student must have sufficient exposure to each word in order to be able to

retain the meaning (Young-Davy, 2014).

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References

Young-Davy, B. (2014). Explicit vocabulary instruction. ORTESOL Journal, 31(1), pp. 26-32.
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Intervention 4: Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR)

Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) is a cooperative learning strategy which is aimed

at improving students’ understanding of text through vocabulary instruction. It implements a

peer-based approach in which students contribute to their groups and receive the additional

instruction they need in order to improve their reading skills. There are four strategies that are

used within the CSR model:

1. Preview: Students discuss what they already know about a topic and what they think they

will be learning,

2. Click and clunk: Students identify what makes sense to them (“clicks”) and what

doesn’t (“clunks”),

3. Get the gist: Students summarize the main ideas within the text, and

4. Wrap up and review: Students review what they have learned and hold a Q&A session

together.

Target:

To improve students’ understanding of text through vocabulary instruction

Location:

Classroom

Materials:

● Reading Passage

● Vocabulary Review Handout

● Vocabulary Quizzes (teacher-designed)

● Stopwatch
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● Notecards

Frequency:

30-minutes per day, 2 days a week, for 8 weeks

Progress Monitoring:

20-item teacher-designed weekly vocabulary quiz (interpreted according to the following levels

of performance)

· Frustration <60%

· Instructional 60-80%

· Independent >80%

Directions/Intervention Steps:

Teacher Preparation:

● Familiarize yourself with strategy

● Prepare 20 vocabulary words from each unit and weekly quizzes

● Train students on CSR

● Assign students to groups and assign specific roles within each group (leader, clunk

expert, announcer, encourager, reporter, timekeeper)

○ “Leader: This student leads the group in the implementation of Collaborative

Strategic Reading (CSR) by telling the group what to read next and asking the

teacher for assistance, if necessary. He or she gathers materials, makes sure group

members are doing their jobs, and reports if group members are not doing them.

○ Clunk expert: This student reminds the group of the steps to follow when figuring

out a difficult word or concept.

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○ Announcer: This student holds the vocabulary note cards and calls on different

group members to read or share an idea. He or she makes sure everyone in the

group participates.

○ Encourager: This student watches the group and gives positive feedback and

comments to students in the group. He or she also reports how many words each

student gets correct.

○ Reporter: This student records the words the group knows and the words the

group is struggling with or does not know, and writes down the statements made

by the encourager. During the whole-class wrap-up, he or she reports the main

ideas the group has learned.

○ Timekeeper: This student sets the timer for each portion of CSR and lets the

group know when it is time to move on. (This role can also be played by the

teacher.)” (Shook, Hazelkom, Lozano, 2011, p. 45).

Steps:

Students will:

1. Look at the headings and illustrations to get an idea of the passage’s content (preview)

2. Read passage

3. Identify information that makes sense to them (“clicks”)

4. Develop an understanding of unfamiliar terms (“clunks”) by looking at the passage (get the

gist)

5. Make generalizations and connections to prior knowledge (wrap up and review)

6. Study “clunks” independently using notecards

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Citation

Shook, A. C., Hazelkorn, M., & Lozano, E. R. (2011). Science vocabulary for all: Strategies to

improve vocabulary in an inclusive biology class. The Science Teacher, 78(3), pp. 45-49.
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Part II:

Intervention
Websites
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Website 1: Guided Reading with Dr. Jan Richardson

Link: http://www.janrichardsonguidedreading.com/resources-1

Description:

Jan Richardson is a former K-12 teacher, reading specialist, and Reading Recovery

teacher leader. She is currently an educational consultant and author and is described as a

“literacy expert.” This website provides teachers with common core state standards, literacy tips,

videos, interventions, resources, and much more. This website also contains a list of upcoming

conferences about reading and literacy for those who are looking to either learn more about the

topic or professional development. The website also offers a look at look forward to with a tab

labeled “What’s New?” Here, teachers are able to view books, interventions, and conferences

that are in the near future.

This website has a lot to offer teachers, but what may be most beneficial is the amount of

research and resources that are available to download for free. In addition to resources available

on this website, links are also offered to more resources. Some resources available that would be

useful for teachers include electronic lesson plans and templates, tips on how to teach things such

as sight words, or blending, progress monitoring charts, fidelity checklists, rubrics, and

organizational materials. Videos are offered, where Dr. Jan Richardson video tapes herself

working one on one and in small groups with students. Teachers may find this helpful since they

can see how the intervention or activity begins and ends. Another valuable part of this website is

the option to view some of the resources in Spanish and French.

It is important to be able to trust the source of information, especially when choosing

activities to introduce to young children in the school place. This website offers testimonials

about Dr. Jan Richardson’s books and resources. Here, teachers, superintendents, reading
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specialists, and other school personnel share their experience with Dr. Richardson’s materials.

This is beneficial because it states that other people have tried these activities and have had

success with them.

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Website 2: Tales2go

Link: https://www.tales2go.com/

Description:

Tales2go is a subscription audiobook service founded by husband and wife, William and

Tracey Weil. It is a literary tool, which provides a listening component to reading instruction,

that is aimed at increasing vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency skills in students grades K-

12. Tales2go promotes exposure to spoken sophisticated words; which Weil and Weil believe is

the basis for vocabulary acquisition and retention.

According to a study performed by Flynn, Matlen, Atienza, and Schneider (2016),

students who used Tales2go, without paired text, showed a 33% outperformance in the treatment

group when compared to the control group. Specifically, students performed two-times better in

the area of reading comprehension, seven times better in vocabulary, and four times better in

reading motivation.

Tales2go provides parents and educators with over 7,500 audiobooks. It is a cost-

effective supplement to reading instruction. With a 30-day free trial, students can instantly

access unlimited amounts of books. It is available for iPhones, androids, and desktop computers.
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References

Flynn, K., Matlen, B., Atienza, S., & Schneider, S. (2016). How listening drives improvement in

vocabulary and reading comprehension: A study of promise using Tales2go. San

Francisco, CA: WestEd.

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Website 3: Reading is Fundamental

Link: https://www.rif.org/literacy-central#lc-home

Description:

Founded in 1966, Reading is Fundamental (RIF) is a non-profit organization contributed

to ensuring all children having the ability to read and succeed. RIF creates needs-based content

and targeted programs that align key literacy issues with proactive and measurable solutions.

Educators, parents, and volunteers have access to books, resources, activities, and professional

development to ensure that reading turns into a journey of opportunity for all children. For over

50 years, RIF has built a legacy grounded on the basis that all children have the right to learn to

read. In partnership with volunteers, companies, and community organizations, RIF has

distributed over 412 million books and impacted the lives of more than 40 million children

nationwide. Members have access to RIF’s reading tool kits which include resources to celebrate

specific events, promotions, and read alouds, etc. This website provides educators book

resources geared for the classroom, reading calendars, and reading activities. For parents, this

organization provides guidelines on helping children to read, reading activities, literacy

activities, and reading calendars. In addition, the site provides a literacy central app. The

organization is currently creating a literacy tracker tool to aide educators in assessing student’s

current reading abilities and track reading improvement.

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Website 4: iStation Reading

Link: https://www.istation.com/Reading

Description:

Founded in 1988, iStation provides educators with formative assessments, adaptive

curriculum, professional development opportunities, and other resources such as lesson plans and

automated tools. It also provides school professionals with the ability to personalize data

profiles to fit each student and a school-to-home connection to help provide parents with the

ability to monitor their student’s progress and provide home instruction as reinforcement.

iStation is available in both English and Spanish and can be used in grades K-8.

Although this web resource comes at a cost, there have been several studies that provide

educators with proven results. According to Patarapichayatham (2017), iStation’s indicators of

progress (ISIP) predict how well students will perform on the Kansas Assessment Program

(KAP) tests. Therefore, one can infer that iStation’s program provides students with the

educational resources they need in order to succeed academically. Furthermore, the University

of Central Florida (2015) conducted a study that showed reading growth for elementary students

in every category - grade level, academic level, geographical location, etc. There are many more

studies that are available to view on the website as well.

The superhero story behind iStation empowers every child and supports every teacher -

“We believe every student deserves to feel like a superhero. We know that teachers are often the

wind beneath their capes.”

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Part III:

Intervention Kits
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Letter Cube Blending Intervention Kit

A. Intervention script: *See page 11-14 of this handbook for complete script*

B. Treatment Integrity Checklist for Intervention Implementation:

Letter Cube Blending Treatment Integrity Checklist

Intervention Sequence Yes No

Teacher explained the directions to students before beginning the task

Teacher modeled the task before asking students to participate

Teacher prompted students to begin the task

When students paused for 30 seconds or more, teacher prompted student

to try their best

Teacher allowed students to participate in Part 1 before moving to Part

2

Teacher ensured all students participated in activity

Teacher provided corrective feedback when students mispronounced

words

Teacher offered praise when students correctly pronounced words

Teacher collected students Letter Cube Blending Recording Sheets at

the end of the activity
 42

C. Treatment Integrity Checklist (for baseline data and progress monitoring):

a. https://dibels.uoregon.edu/docs/materials/admin_and_scoring_6th_ed.pdf on page

23.

b. This is an Assessment Fidelity Checklist: DIBELS 6th PSF, which includes a list

items that the assessor must check whether they did them or if they need

continued practice to master.

D. Materials provided to implement the intervention include:

a. Five wooden blocks

b. Markers

c. Letter Cube Blending Recording Worksheet

E. Baseline measures and directions:

a. DIBELS PSF Benchmark Assessment

b. “I am going to say a word. After I say it, you tell me all the sounds in the word.

So, if I say “sam,” you would say /s/ /a/ /m/. Let’s try one. Tell me the sound in

“mop.”

c. There are 12 sets of words, two words in each set, for a total of 24 words and 72

possible points.

d. The benchmark goal for a Kindergartener in the winter is 33 phonemes correct.

Students scoring under 28 phonemes may require intensive instructional support

to achieve benchmark goals.

F. Progress monitoring measures and directions:

a. Progress monitoring Scoring Booklet can be found at:

https://dibels.uoregon.edu/docs/materials/psf_pm_6th_ed.pdf
 43

b. Twenty weeks of progress monitoring is provided, however, not all students will

require the same amount of monitoring. As mentioned before, students who meet

benchmark goals can be monitored three times a year. Students who do not meet

benchmark goals or who are at risk, should be monitored more frequently

c. This progress monitoring option is very similar to the benchmark assessment and

share the same directions.

 44

References

Good, R. H., Kaminski, R. A., & Smith, S. (2007). Phoneme Segmentation Fluency. In R. H.

Good & R. A. Kaminski (Eds.), Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (6th

ed.). Eugene, OR: Institute for Development of Educational Achievement

 45

Promoting Adolescents’ Comprehension of Text (PACT) Intervention Kit

A. Intervention script: *See provided binders for specific script*

B. Treatment Integrity Checklist for Intervention Implementation:

Audio recordings of lessons are assessed for treatment integrity based upon 3 quality ratings:

overall instructional quality, overall classroom management, and overall implementation. A

Likert scale ranging from 1 (very low alignment with intervention procedures or low quality) to

5 (very high alignment with intervention procedures or very high quality) is used.

PACT Treatment Integrity Checklist

Key Components of Intervention Overall Overall Overall

Instructional Classroom Implementation
Quality Management

Comprehension Canopy (CC)

Essential Words (EW)

Knowledge Acquisition

Team-Based Learning (TBL)

Comprehension Check

Team-Based Learning Knowledge

Acquisition (TBLK)

C. Materials provided to implement the intervention include:

- Teacher Lessons and Materials

- Student Materials and Workbook

- CD content
 46

- Videos and Podcasts

- **All materials are provided online

D. Baseline Measure:

- Create assessment based upon unit topic and content (National Center for Education

Statistics)

- https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nqt

E. Progress Monitoring Measure:

- Performed with TBL Comprehension Checks incorporated into the curriculum

 47

References

Vaughn, S., Roberts, G., Swanson, E. A., Wanzek, J., Fall, A., & Stillman-Spisak, S. J. (2015).

Improving middle-school students’ knowledge and comprehension in social

studies: A replication. Educational Psychology Review, 27(1), pp. 31-50.

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Appendix A: See, Talk, Dictate, Read, Write! Visual Aid Worksheet Example.

Citation:

Bastug, M., & Demirtas, G. (2016). Child-centered reading intervention: See, talk,

dictate, read, write. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 8(4), 601-

616.
 49

Appendix B: Error Analysis Inventory Guideline

Comprehension questions consist of surface and deep comprehension questions. Surface

comprehension questions can be directly answered from the text like in the questions of “what,

where, who.” The deep comprehension questions are composed of questions whose answers are

not written in the text directly, but that can be answered with readers' inferences from the text

like in the questions of “why and how.” The complete answers to the surface comprehension

level questions are awarded with 2 points, incomplete answers are awarded with 1 point and

questions with no answer are awarded with 0 point. The complete and effective answers to the

deep comprehension questions are awarded with 3 points, incomplete answers, but having more

than the half of the expected answer are awarded 2 points, answers that are slightly incomplete

but involve the expected answer are awarded with 1 point and questions with no answers are

awarded with 0 point.

Citation:

Bastug, M., & Demirtas, G. (2016). Child-centered reading intervention: See, talk,

dictate, read, write. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 8(4), 601-

616.
 50

Contact Information

If you would like to inquire further about the content of this handbook, the authors may be

contacted by the following email addresses:

Author: Email Address:

Stephanie Hoffman Shoffman2593@gmail.com

Kayla Smith Kaysmith9909@gmail.com

Michelle Spencer Michellespencer027@gmail.com