Literacy Speaks Volumes

The connection between reading and comprehension and word knowledge has been clear for many years. Vocabulary knowledge is related to and affects comprehension. Teachers should create a language rich environment with lots of reading, writing, and talking. Here are a series of questions to ask when trying to determine if you should and how you should teach vocabulary in the Reading Intervention classroom: Which words are most important to understanding the text? How much prior knowledge will students have about this word and its related concepts? Is the word encountered frequently? Does the word have multiple meanings? Is the concept significant and does it require preteaching? Which words can be figured out from context? Are there words that could be grouped together to enhance understanding a concept? What strategies could I employ to help students integrate the concept into their lives? How can I make repeated exposure to the word productive? How can I help st...

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, "It means exactly what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less." ~Lewis Carroll Through the Looking Glass

Reading Intervention is an educational approach that targets students with reading deficits. Struggling students are placed in a small-group setting and provided with targeted interventions at increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their reading skills. The student's progress is closely monitored to asses both learning rate and level of performance of individual students. Educational decisions about the intensity and duration are based on the student's response to intervention. RTI is a well-integrated system of instruction and intervention guided by child outcome data. In order to truly implement an effective Reading Intervention program, there are two qualities that must be present--fidelity and rigor. Not that I'm trying to get off of my main topic, but I would like to address these two terms and what they mean. Fidelity of Implementation Fidelity of Implementation occurs when teachers use the instructional strategies and deliver the content of t...