The Importance of Developing
a Common Language
Education Transformation Office
Summer, 2013-2014
Darliny G. Katz
Purpose
 Why do we need common language?
 How do we develop a common language?
Why Do We Need
Common Language?
Words
Foot, solid, root, peck, square, power, product, yard, mean
Motion, force, fault, degree, wave, current, resistance
Key, bill, race, legend, product, plain, ruler, crop, run, cabinet
Case, mood, tense, article, subject, tone, romance, dash, stress, voice
How Do We Develop
A Common Language?
Vocabulary Carousel
 Find a partner.
 At each chart, each partner indicates
their level of understanding for each word.
 Talk about what you think this term
means within the context of literacy learning.
 If you indicate that you can explain the word write
a synonym or brief phrase to describe or explain it.
What are Some Terms Your
Reading Leadership Team Might
Need to Explore Together?
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Screening assessment
Progress monitoring
Diagnostic assessment
Dynamic assessment
Static assessment
Evaluation
Phonological awareness
Phonemic awareness
Phonics
Fluency
Expressive vocabulary
Receptive vocabulary
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Comprehension
Metacognition
Sources of information
Pragmatic working system
Lexical working system
Schematic working system
Semantic working system
Syntactic working system
Graphophonic working system
Writing as a process
Reading as a process
Literacy
Terms used in Literacy Meetings, Lesson Studies and
Common Planning
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Fluency – the ability to read text quickly, accurately,
and with proper expression.
Formal assessment – reliable and valid
documentation of students’ strengths and needs
collected systematically over time used to guide
instruction and program implementation.
Graphophonic working system – in-the-head
knowledge of how sounds and letters interact to
construct words.
Informal assessment – documentation of students’
strengths and needs collected systematically over time;
that may be interpreted differently from teacher to
teacher to guide instruction.
Lexical working system – in-the-head knowledge of
receptive and productive vocabulary.
Literacy – the ability to construct meaning and
communicate meaningfully by reading, writing,
speaking, listening and viewing.
Metacognition – in-the-head ability to think about
one’s thinking.
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Assembling working systems – bringing together
information networks that interact and function as a
whole used to construct meaning and communicate
meaningfully.
Assessment – documentation of student’s strengths
and needs collected systematically over time to
document change and guide instruction.
Comprehension – critical and defensible
interpretation of content in context.
Diagnostic assessments – help teachers plan
instruction by providing in-depth information about
students’ strengths and needs. Diagnostic measures are
conducted at any time during the school year when
more in-depth analysis of a student’s strengths and
needs is needed to guide instruction.
Dynamic assessment – documentation of student’s
strengths and needs collected systematically over time
while the student is involved in a particular process.
Evaluation – critical appraisal of students’ strengths
and needs based on theory and research.
Expressive Vocabulary – words that are used in
speaking and writing.
Literacy Terms:
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Phonological Awareness – one’s sensitivity to, or explicit awareness of, the phonological structure in language. It
encompasses an awareness of individual words in sentences, syllables, and onset-rime segments as well as awareness of
individual phonemes in words.
Phonemic awareness – in-the-head ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds in spoken words.
Phonics – a method of instruction that teaches children the relationships between the letters of written language and the
individual sounds of spoken language.
Pragmatic working system – in-the-head knowledge of an author’s intent in reading and having a sense of audience in
writing.
Productive vocabulary – cognitive inventory of words used when speaking and writing.
Progress monitoring assessment – systematically collected documentation of students’ strengths and needs used to show
change overtime and guide instruction.
Reading as a process – how individuals assemble working systems to construct meaning from print.
Receptive vocabulary – cognitive inventory of words used when reading, listening and viewing.
Schematic working system – in-the-head knowledge of content and context; background knowledge or prior experiences.
Screening assessment – initial appraisal of students’ strengths and needs.
Semantic working system – in-the-head knowledge of various concepts used to make sense and construct meaning.
Sources of information – elements or working systems used to construct meaning and communicate meaningfully.
Static assessment – outcome measure of students’ strengths and needs based on a given criteria.
Syntactic working system – in-the-head knowledge of the grammar or structure of a language.
Working system – productive network of information used to construct meaning and communicate meaningfully.
Writing as a process – how individuals assemble working systems to communicate comprehensively and meaningfully.
Common Updated Language
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Focus-lessons rather than mini-lessons
Observation lessons rather than model lessons
Observation classrooms rather than model classrooms
Generative response rather than corrective feedback
Solution-seeking rather than problem-solving
Professional learning rather than professional development
Information-intensive environment rather than print-rich
environment
Points to Ponder
 What are the implications of this
information for your Reading Leadership Team?
 What information will you share during your
Reading Leadership Team’s planning time today?
 How will your Reading Leadership Team
identify terms that need to clarify as a group?
 Should a definition be provided or just a
list for consideration? Why might it matter?
 How could this common
language be developed school-wide?
Language used in strategic activities during literacy
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Decoding
Segmenting words
Blending words
Checking (monitoring)
Predicting
Anticipating
Fluency
Integrating
Flexibility
Phrasing
Word recognition
Rereading
Self-correcting
Searching
References:
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Froelich, K.S. & Puig, E.A. (2010). The literacy leadership team:
Sustaining and expanding success. Allyn & Bacon/ Pearson.
Gersten, R., Compton, D., Connor,C.M., Dimino, J., Santoro, L.,
Linan-Thompson, S., & Tilly, W.D. (2008). Assisting students
struggling with reading: Response to Intervention and multi-tier
intervention for reading in the primary grades. A practice guide.
(NCEE 2009-4045). Washington, DC: National Center for Education
Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education
Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
Little, M.E. (2009). Response to Intervention (RtI) for teachers:
Classroom instructional problem solving. Love Publishing
Company.
Puig, E.A. & Froelich, K.S. (2011), 2nd ed. The literacy coach:
Guiding in the right direction. Allyn & Bacon/ Pearson