Reading Independently is Like Riding a Bike

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August 4, 2020

It will soon be time to test students as they re-enter school either in person or virtually. Many teachers and parents are worried about the covid slide.  Testing is more important than ever so we can know where we need to begin teaching with each student. A child should be taught at a level just slightly above his or her independent reading level. This is called the zone of proximal development. Teaching skills the child already knows is a waste of time. Teaching skills too far above the child’s reading level results in a lot of frustration and not much success.

Sometimes when I tell a parent that their child is reading below grade level, the parent will reply that the child is able to read just fine at home.  I think this discrepancy is due to a misunderstanding of what an independent reading level is. When a teacher says a child is at a certain level (ex. Level 12 on Development Reading Assessment), she means the child can read that level by themselves with no help.  For a child to be considered an independent reader, he must be able to read 98% + of the words in the text automatically.

Independent reading is like riding a bike with the training wheels off. No adult is next to the child. The child is riding down the road. If the child needs training wheels or an adult to run next to him or her and to catch them, that is not independent reading.

Teachers test students for three stages of reading.  A text that is too hard is a frustration stage. That is like needing training wheel. We do not want children reading at a frustration level. I tell parents that if the text is that hard, read it to them. The next stage is the instructional level. This is where the training wheels are off, but the child needs a parent nearby to catch him. The child is reading about 94% of the words correctly. He needs help reading the other six percent. This is the zone of proximal development. 

Teaching at the instructional level usually continues to third grade.  At third grade, children should be independent readers. At this point, the child is no longer learning to read. He is reading to learn.  He will need help only when on a “steep hill.”   This may be when reading a science article with difficult vocabulary for instance.

Parents need to understand these stages of reading at various level so they can help their children. It is very important to know the independent and instructional levels for each child so we know where to begin with the child. If we are always running next to the child, he will never be able to “ride” on his own.

How to have a successful tutoring session

I recently added tips for how to have a successful tutoring session. These tips are particularly important for distance learning. During the shutdown, while conducting reading lessons on line, I was amazed at the variety of settings I found my students in. Students showed up lying in bed, sitting in a swivel office chair far from the computer, holding a cat or a sibling.

I taught one group when almost every child was being served a snack. I felt like a comedian trying to entertain a crowd in a bar in which the patrons were more interested in their drinks and companions than in me. I do understand. The child probably had complained of hunger and the parent felt it would be easy enough to eat a snack and listen to a lesson.

It is so easy for a child to be distracted, especially if he or she is involved in a task they would really rather not be doing, like school work.

The setting for distance learning should be as close to a school setting as possible. That means no toys, no food, no animals or siblings. It is very hard for a teacher to compete with a cookie or a cat. It is sometimes cute when the toddler comes in or the cat walks on the desk, but it is not best for good learning.

As we enter the 2020-2021 school year which will probably involve at least some distance learning, the proper setting will be particularly important.

More Teaching, Less Crutches

I recently attended a dyslexia conference and a conversation with a teacher stayed with me. She talked about how dyslexia is "not a death sentence" and how there are so many aids on line. So many audio books, etc.  Students can everything read to them. I agree that technology has greatly increased students' access to more material and can be a great help to students with a lot of reading to get through. I think the priority, however,  should be to teach students to read, not simply give them a crutch.

If you had a damaged leg, wouldn't you rather have the leg repaired than just use crutches?  As a Reading Specialist I take children at all grade levels. I use a structured literacy program to teach them, beginning with their zone of proximal development (ZPD). The zone of proximal development is the zone in which the child is slightly uncomfortable, the material is just a little difficult so that learning is taking place. If a third grader is reading at a first grade level, then I have to start there, teach them the phonics skills they need and progress (as quickly as possible, but remaining in the ZPD of the student). Eventually the child will learn to read independently for life. 

In the meantime, will the student need grade level material read to them? Yes, definitely, but the priority is always to make the student and independent reader so they can do more without crutches.

Dyslexie Font Increases Reading Level

Original Post: May 13, 2016

In my last post, I wrote about the dyslexie font. I recently changed some of the reading assessments to the dyslexie font and found it to be helpful for at least one of my students.

In my school, I use the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) for grades 1-3. I am working with a fourth grade boy who comes to me in a small group. Since discovering the dyslexia font, I have been putting the group’s reading material into that font which they seem to like reading. I give them a choice or the normal font or the dyslexie font.  I typed a few DRA stories using the dyslexie font. I also copied the pictures from the DRA stories so he would have those to look at.

 In March, this boy was decoding at level 24 (equivalent to mid-second grade).  His comprehension was level 30 (equivalent to beginning third grade).  His comprehension was higher because many of his decoding errors did not really interfere with meaning.  For example, he read “ran” as “run,” “his” as “the,” and “took” as “take.” 

 Reading the DRA in the dyslexie font, he was able to read level 38 (equivalent to the end of third grade) with 96% accuracy.  He did not read at grade level fluency, but he had good comprehension of the story.  I then tried a fourth grade story from The Basic Reading Inventory which I typed using the dyslexie font. He was able to read this at the instructional stage and he had good comprehension. He was not fluent at this level, of course.

This convinces me further that these children who misread those “known” words are more successful with the dyslexie font. 

Dyslexie Font

Original Post: April 21, 2016

I recently discovered the Dyslexie font. This font was created by Dutch designer, Cristian Boer. Boer himself is dyslexic. People with dyslexia often confuse similar letters such as h and n, f and t, etc. The dyslexie letters have exaggerated stick and tail lengths and heavy base lines. There is also more space between the letters in a word. The first letters in each sentence are slightly darker so that one can easily distinguish the beginning of a sentence. The website is www.dyslexiefont.com

Victor Widdel designed a website to show how some people with dyslexia read.  Some people with dyslexia say that the letters seem to “wiggle” on the page (http://www.upworthy.com/if-you-have-dyslexia-this-website-can-show-your-friends-what-reading-is-actually-like). I cannot imagine how difficult it must be for children with this problem to learn to read.

Coincidentally, right after I heard of this font, and looked at Widdel’s website, I arrived at the home of a child that I tutor and saw that she had a book written in the dyslexie font. The book is titled Here’s Hank You Can’t Drink Meatballs Through a Straw by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver (you can google dyslexie font and find this and other books on various sites).  The child’s mother said that when her daughter saw the print in the book, she said, “This is the first book that I can read.”  As a matter of full disclosure, although this child is dyslexic, she does read well. Reading does not come easily for her, however. I asked her if the words “wiggle” on the page when she reads. She said yes, and then showed me, using the iPad, how letters would sometimes seem to move up the page and wind up in a different location.

I tried the font with a few of my students in my reading classes.  I typed up some of their reading passages in the Dyslexie font.  The first student I tried it with is a fifth grade girl who is reading two years below grade level.  When she reads a third grade story (her reading level) she misses words that she knows.  She will read “on” for “in.”  She will read “that” for “its” and even “that” for “and.” These are all words she knows in isolation. She also skips lines and loses her place.  I typed up a third grade story in the Dyslexie font. I also increased the font to 28. (I’ve increased fonts before to no avail).  She read the passage with no errors.  Now, do I think she could accurately read a fifth grade story in this font? No. She is still below grade level, but this font prevented those “careless” errors of words that she really does know. Preventing the misreading of little, known words can greatly enhance comprehension and fluency and enable the child to gradually increase the reading level.

I also tried with three third grade boys. They are all able to decode at grade level, but are not fluent. I explained what a font is.  I asked them if they found the font to be easier, harder or the same. One boy whose reading is similar to the third grade girl (he misreads known words) said it was easier. One boy who I do not think is dyslexic said it was the same.  One boy who is probably dyslexic said it was harder because there were more pages (unclear on the concept of “easy” to read). There were more pages because I increased the size a little and there is more space between letters with the dyslexie font.

I am curious to continue trying this font. I think it may be really helpful for those students who misread all those known words and who lose their place frequently.  It will probably not be help for students who have problems saying and hearing (distinguishing) sounds in words. No student said it was harder to read (just “harder” to turn pages) so it cannot hurt to try.

California Assembly Bill 1369

Original Post: February 18, 2016

I  have been a Reading Specialist in California for over 20 years. I am very excited about the passage of assembly bill 1369. The bill was passed January 1, 2016. This bill requires that the superintendent of Public Instruction provide program guidelines for dyslexia by the start of the 2017-18 school year. The guidelines will assist classroom teachers, reading specialist and special education teachers in identifying, assessing and instructing students with dyslexia.

In the past, in California, the word dyslexia was like the word Voldemort in Harry Potter. Educators were afraid that if they said the word something terrible would happen. A lot of very good teachers just quietly helped students with dyslexia without mentioning the word. We assessed the students, (without diagnosing “dyslexia”), determined their educational needs, ordered systematic phonics programs, and provided the intervention.

In October, 2015, Michael Yudin the assistant secretary of the United States Department of Education issued a letter encouraging schools to use the word dyslexia. Yudin also suggested that not all children suspected of having dyslexia need to be referred to special education. Schools can implement a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). If a child does not succeed with MTSS, special education may be considered. Schools in California are currently implementing MTSS with all struggling students.

I think the fear of mentioning dyslexia was that a student would be immediately referred to special education, a time consuming, and costly process.   There is nothing wrong with special education, but it is not necessary for many children who have dyslexia.  The correct intervention program through MTSS will often lead to successful outcomes for a child with dyslexia.

What a relief that the State Department is finally stepping in and giving us guidelines. Hopefully these guidelines will put us all on the same page, speaking the same language. This will help us to better serve struggling readers in California.