Chapter 7 of the Opitz text illustrates the stages of early literacy, gives examples of assessments to determine where a child may be in terms of literacy development, and instructional strategies to guide students further and foster understanding of text. The chapter argues the difference between the mistakenly similar emergent literacy and reading readiness models. I believe that emergent literacy is the more inclusive theory, as it can continue to be applied as the reader develops; however, I also understand what is meant by reading readiness as I teach Kindergarten, enough is known about letter/sound relationships and concepts about print, and language has developed enough that the student is prepared to begin generalizing these literacy skills. It is a really fun time when students just begin to understand that text conveys meaning and begin to interact with their textual environment.
The most interesting part of Chapter 7 for me was in relation to concept development, as a special education teacher of the lower grades, I try to develop and scaffold goals and objectives that foster concept development.
The text goes on further to explain the use of an IRI and miscue analysis. I remember administering the QRI-4 as an undergrad at KSU and found the most useful portion of this chapter was the example of the miscue markings. I had long since forgotten the actual markings and just made up my own system. I also found the sample summaries and charts useful because they got me thinking about different ways to collect data rather than sticking with the same old.
The final chapter of the required reading for this week offers explicit information on teaching phonics skills. This was particularly interesting for me as I only have Kindergarten students this year. I especially found the section on sequencing instruction relevant to my current position. Teaching children to apply the knowledge of phonics is so important because it is something that can be accessed and applied at any level of literacy.
Finally, the article for this learning module promoted the effectiveness of formative assessment. I thought this was an excellent tie-in because this kind of assessment can be applied to any skill at any point in relation to literacy development. These assessments occur mid-learning to determine where the students are in relation to where you want them to go. The purpose is to use the student responses to guide instruction. Formative assessment promotes the belief that more can be achieved by periodically and consistently re-evaluating and providing conscientious feedback regularly.
Opitz, M., Rubin, D., & Erekson, J. (2011). Reading diagnosis and improvement: Assessment and instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Roskos, K., & Neuman, S. (2012). Formative assessment: Simply, no additives. Reading Teacher, 65(8). 534-538.
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