Core Reading Program Critique
Walpole and McKenna, 2004
EDUC 324: The Arts (Dr. Bluiett)
Spring, 2014
Title of Core Reading Program: Harcourt Storytown
Identify the type of Core Reading Program (refer to chapter 10):
Eclectric: combines elements of linguistic, intensive phonics, and literature based reading series
PLC Group: Laura Beth Jackson, Chelsea Treadway, Jordan Johnson Maggie Hayes
Date Submitted:
Walpole and McKenna, 2004
The purpose of this assignment is to provide specific descriptive information about core reading
programs and how it serves as a major component of balanced reading instruction. This
procedure targets domains of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development,
and comprehension strategies for each grade levels, K-5.
Complete the following first
·
View all unit sets for a grade level of choice
·
Identify teacher’s manual
·
Read the scope and sequence and research base
·
Identify target lessons
·
Read weekly planner pages
·
Follow links to auxiliary materials if they are specified as part of the core
Program, but not if they are optional.
Phonemic Awareness Content (k and first grade)
How does the program encourage children to experiment with language?
Every lesson throughout the entire Harcourt Storytown programs includes both a warm
up routine and oral language section that typically encourages children to engage in word play.
For example, a lesson for theme 1 begins with a song called “Mary Wore Her Red Dress,” which
includes several repeating sounds that the teacher can explicitly discuss with students once they
learn the song. Many of the oral language activities also encourage children to use word play,
such as creating their own Jack and Jill poems. This structure builds wordplay practice into
everyday lessons without being overwhelming for the teacher or distracting from the main
content.
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How does the program teach children to recognize and produce rhyming words?
In addition to the warm-up and oral language routine that informally introduce rhyming words
through songs and poems, the lesson structure for the Harcourt program includes a dedicated
phonemic awareness component in kindergarten. Typically, this section of the lesson calls for
explicit teacher modeling, guided practice, and independent student practice of rhyming and
phoneme manipulation. An example of a rhyming from theme 2, lesson 5 is listed below.
Teach/model
Tell children that words that sound the same at the end are rhyming words. Then model for
children how to recognize words that rhyme
Say, “I am going to say two words: friend, bend. I hear the same sound at the end of each word/end/. That’s how I know that the word rhyme.”
Practice
Tell children that you are going to say two words. Have them listen to see if the two words sound
the same at the end. Tell them to raise their hands if the two words rhyme.
dig/pig
red/ram
try/pie
duck/lot
stay/way
get/bet
rat/cat
best/test
sound/club
How does the program teach children to blend sounds into words? Does it include the level
of the sentence, syllable, onset and rime, and phoneme? How does the program teach
children to segment words into sounds?
The Harcourt Storytown sequence teaches letter name, sounds, and formation
simultaneously. However, to introduce phonemic awareness skills, the lesson structure for the
program includes a dedicated phonemic awareness component in kindergarten that typically call
for teacher modeling, guided practice, and independent student practice. During these phonemic
awareness activities, students are introduced to the phoneme manipulation skills: isolation,
identity, categorization, blending, segmentation, deletion, addition, and substitution. In the scope
and sequence of the program, Harcourt indicates that blending and segmenting syllables, words,
and sentence is explicitly taught. Though onset and rime manipulation is included in program, it
is not explicitly taught in kindergarten or first grade.
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For example, lesson 3 from theme 1 includes the following segmenting activity:
Review:
Distribute markers and a Write-on/Wipe-off board to each child. Have children point to the heart
shape on side B. Explain that they will be working with the three boxes next to the heart. Tell
children that they will be putting a marker in a box for each word part, or syllable, that they hear
in a word. Draw three connected boxes and model how to break a word into syllables.
Practice/Apply
Say the following words for children as you would normally. Have children segment each word
into syllables as they place a marker for each syllable. Have them count how many word parts
they hear.
giraffe
muscle
ladder
mustang
perfectly
butterfly
gorilla
balloon
donkey
elephant
lightning
reverse
Similarly, the Harcourt Program also includes blending practice. The following lesson is
an example from theme 1, lesson 2:
Review
Remind children that words have parts that can be taken apart and put back together again. Tell
children that you will be saying word parts, and that they are to say the word.
Say, “Listen to these word parts: yel-low. Raise your hand if you can put the two word part
together and say the entire word.” Call on a child to name the word.
Practice/Apply
Distribute Write-on/Write-off Boards and counters to children. Have them put their finger on the
heart row. Tell children that for every word part they hear, they will put a counter into a box.
Then they will say each word and coutn the counters to tell how many word parts each word has.
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ham-mer
quest-tion
pla-ces
sweat-er
hap-pi-ness
sun-ny
ar-tis-tic
vege-ta-ble
ket-tle
af-ter-noon
ba-by
tel-e-phone
let-ter
um-brel-la
rock-et
soak-ing
pi-an-o
mid-dle
ter-ri-ble
vol-ca-no
mail-box
num-ber
min-ute
draw-ing
star-fish
kitch-en
pump-kin
jin-gle
cos-tume
hoo-ray
Does the program teach segmenting at the level of the sentence, syllable, onset and rime,
and phoneme? How does the program teach children to isolate sounds in words? Does it
teach children to isolate initial sounds, final sounds, and medial sounds?
The dedicated phonemic awareness lesson section in kindergarten also teaches word
segmentation through the same process of teacher modeling, guided practice, and independent
practice.. The following is an example of a word segmentation lesson from theme 2, lesson 4:
Review
Tell children to listen as you read the first line of “These Are Grandmother’s Glasses.” Say, “I
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am going to read the first line, but now I’m going to clap for each word that I say. Listen.
These… are… Grandmother’s… glasses.” Clap once for each word in the first line of the poem.
Then name the words for children.
Practice/Apply
Read the next line of the poem aloud. Have children track the spoken words by clapping once for
each word. Continue with the reamining lines in the poem.
Additionally, the Harcourt Program also explicitly teaches isolating initial/final/medial sounds in
one syllable words in grades K,1, and 2.
Phonics/Decoding Content (k and first grade)
How and what order are letter names introduce and reviewed? How and in what order are
letter sounds introduced and reviewed?
Depending on the lesson focus, the daily lesson phonics sections incorporate a combination of
word blending, word building, letter/sound connections, decoding texts, and introducing upper
and lowercase letters. By the end of the week’s lesson set, students have practiced most, if not
all, these phonics skills. To ensure students have multiple tools to decode at the sentence and
word level, each planned week also includes practice decoding entire texts.
Because the Harcourt Storytown Program teaches letter name, formation, and sounds
simultaneously, the following list represents the order that the letter names, letter sounds, and
letter formations are introduced.
Kindergarten
● Volume 1
○ Theme 1: All About Me
■ consonant /m/m
■ consonant /s/s
■ consonant /r/r
■ consonant /t/t
○ Theme 2: Families
■ consonant /n/n
■ consonant /p/p
■ consonant /c/c
■ short vowel /a/a
● Volume 2
○ Theme 3: Friends at School
■ consonant /d/d
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○ Theme 4: On the Farm
■ short vowel /i/i
■ consonant /g/g
■ consonant /f/f
● Volume 3
○ Theme 5: Whatever the Weather
■ consonant /b/b
■ consonant /k/k
■ short vowel /o/o
○ Theme 6: Let’s Play
■ consonant /l/l
■ consonant /h/h
■ consonant /w/w
■ consonant /ks/x
● Volume 4
○ Theme 7: In the Neighborhood
■ short vowel /e/e
○ Theme 8: Jobs People Do
■ consonant /v/v
■ consonant /j/j
■ consonant /y/y
■ consonant /z/z
● Volume 5
○ Theme 9: Animals Around the World
■ short vowel /u/u
■ consonant /kw/q
○ Theme 10: On the Go
■ review short vowels a,e,i,o,u
How, when, and in what order are vowels used for decoding and spelling?
How, when and in what order are consonant digraphs used for decoding?
How,when, and in what order are consonant blends used for decoding and spelling? How,
when and in what order are word families used for decoding and spelling? How, when and
what order are VCE patterns used for decoding and spelling? How, when and in what are
vowel digraphs used for decoding and spelling? How, when and in what order are rcontrolled vowels used for decoding and spelling?
Because the Harcourt Storytown programs introduces specific phonemes in an ordered sequence,
the following list represents the order in which specific spelling patterns are taught. To introduce
these spelling patterns, every lesson in first grade includes a phonics/spelling component that
focuses on reviewing letter sounds, word blending and building, spelling tests, and introducing
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structural spelling elements.
First Grade Sequence
Themes 1 & 2
● Lesson 1
○ short vowel /a/a
○ inflection -s
● Lesson 2
○ short vowel /a/a
○ phonograms -ap, -at, ag, -and
● Lesson 3
○ short vowel /i/i
○ contraction ‘s
● Lesson 4
○ digraph /k/ ck
○ phonograms -ick, ink, ill, -it
● Lesson 5
○ short vowel /o/o
○ inflections -ed, -ing,
● Lesson 6
○ variant vowel /o/ a (all)
○ contraction n’t
Theme 3
● Lesson 7
○ short vowel /e/e
○ initial blends with l
● Lesson 8
○ digraph /th/th
○ short vowel /e/e
○ initial blends with s
● Lesson 9
○ short vowel /u/u
○ short vowel /e/e
○ initial blends with r
● Lesson 10
○ dipthong /ng/ ng
● Lesson 11
○ r controlled vowel /or/ or, ore
● Lesson 12
○ digraph /sh/sh, /th/th
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○ initial blends with l, s, r
Theme 4
● Lesson 13
○ digraph /ch/ch, tch
○ inflection -es
● Lesson 14
○ r controlled vowel /ar/ai
○ inflections -s, -ed, -ing (no spelling change)
● Lesson 15
○ digraphs /kw/qu, /hw/ wh
○ inflections -ed, -ing (double final consonant)
● Lesson 16
○ r controlled vowels /ur/er, ir, ur
○ inflections -er, -est
● Lesson 17
○ syllable /el/-le
○ inflections -ed, -ing (double final consonant)
● Lesson 18
○ long vowel /o/ ow, oa
○ phonograms -ow, -oat, own, -oast
Theme 5
● Lesson 19
○ long vowel /e/ e, ee, ea
○ contractions ‘ve, ‘re
● Lesson 20
○ long vowel /a/ ai, ay
○ phonograms -ay, -ate, -ane, -ade
● Lesson 21
○ long vowel /a/ a-e
○ phonograms -ake, -ate, -ane, -ade
● Lesson 22
○ long vowel /i/ i-e
○ inflections -ed, -ing (drop e)
● Lesson 23
○ long vowel /o/ o-e
○ phonograms -ose, -oke, -one, -ole
● Lesson 24
○ consonants /s/ c; /j/ g, dge
○ contractions ‘s, n’t, ‘ll
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Theme 6
● Lesson 25
○ long vowel /(y)/ oo u-e
○ inflections -ed, -ing (drop e)
● Lesson 26
○ long vowel /i/ y, ie, igh
○ contractions ‘d
● Lesson 27
○ vowel diphthong /ou/ ow, ou
○ phonograms -out, -ow, -own, -ound
● Lesson 28
○ long vowel /e/ y, ie
○ inflections -ed, -er, -est, -es (change y to i)
● Lesson 29
○ vowel diphthong /oo/ oo, -ew
○ contractions ‘d, ‘ve, ‘re, ‘s, n’t, ‘ll
● Lesson 30
○ long vowel /i/ i, /o/ o
○ phonograms -ind, ild, -old
How, when, and in what order are irregular words introduced and practiced for reading
and spelling? How is word recognition automaticity developed?
To develop strong word recognition for sight words, the Harcourt Program for kindergarten and
first grade includes a high-frequency words component that teaches and reviews sight words.
The high-frequency/irregular words are introduced through a set process of teacher modeling
followed student practice that incorporates visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning pathways.
How are synthetic decoding strategies used to decode or spell words?
Synthetic decoding is a method of reading instruction where the teacher first teaches the letter
sound and then blends them into words. Synthetic decoding is included in blending phonemic
awareness activities in kindergarten. For example, students may be asked to say the individual
letter sounds on cards, then blend them together into a word, simultaneously placing the cards
together to form a word.
How is analogy or rime-based strategies used to decode or spell words?
Analogy and rime-based spelling are not a primary focus of the Harcourt spelling instruction;
however, they are referenced in the material. For example, first grade theme 3 lesson 7 spelling
lesson includes a review section where students are asked what every word in the set has in
common. The common short e sound allows the students group these words by the sound, which
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may in turn help them with unfamiliar words with short e in the future.
Phonemic Awareness and Decoding Context: (K- 1)
Describe the teacher preparation needed for full implementation. What does a teacher have
to do or make before the lessons begin? Describe the materials provided in the program
(songs, poems, objects, storybooks, etc.)
The Harcourt Storytown program for kindergarten and first grade includes extremely
detailed lesson plans. An overall theme guides every series of lessons. Throughout every theme
overview, there are reading-writing connection activities and suggestions for additional
extension projects. Within the lessons, the Storytown program suggests activities and lists the
required materials. Additionally, every lesson shows relevant books commonly found in
elementary libraries for all reading levels and ELL students.
Not only does the Harcourt program provide a large amount of support materials, but also
a suggested timeline for lesson implementation and testing. While some assessment materials are
included, the programs directs teachers to use district-approved diagnostic and screening
assessments to determine if a child needs additional reading supports. There are also potential
classroom management and corresponding literacy center material. For webbased learning,
www.harcourtschool.com/storytown also provides several additional resources for specific
classroom situations. In order to prepare a lesson from the Harcourt Storytown program, a
teacher simply needs to review the possible options, decide what activities best fit her class, and
gather the necessary supplies.
How long are the phonemic awareness lessons designed to last each day?
Phonemic awareness activities should last about 5 minutes.
How long are the phonics lessons designed to last each day?
Phonics lessons take up the majority of the whole lesson and last between 30 and 45 minutes.
How explicit are the teacher directions? Give an example.
The teacher directions in Harcourt’s K and 1 program are a combination of short directions and
suggested scripts. For example, theme 1, lesson1 (which introduces the letter consonant m)
phonics section is formatted in the following form.
Objectives
-to recognize M and m
-to write uppercase and lowercase Mm independently
Materials
-Big Book of Rhymes and Poems pg. 4
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-music CD
-sound/spelling card Mm
-pencils
-paper
-drawing paper
Start with a Song
Sing “The Alphabet Song” Display “The Alphabet Song” in the Big Book of Rhymes and Poems.
Read the title of the song and ask children if they know it. Then play the Music CD, and invite
children to sing along with you if they know the song or the letters. Point to each letter as it is
mentioned. Ask volunteers to name letters they know.
Teach Model
Hold up Sound/Spelling Card Mm
Say: “This is the letter m. Say the name with me.”
Point to the upper case M “This is the upper case M”
Point to the lowercase m. “This is the lowercase m.”
Point again to the sound/spelling card. “What is the name of this letter?”
Point ot the M in “The Alphabet Song” “What is the name of this letter?”
How are the phonemic awareness and phonics activities related? Give an example.
The Harcourt program follows a specific sequence (listed above) for introducing letter names
and sounds. The phonemic awareness activities incorporate sounds before they are explicitly
taught in a later lesson. For example, in the first grade theme 2 lesson 7, the phonemic awareness
activity focuses on blending sounds into words with a clapping game. Some of the suggested
words include “felt, red, tell, and melt.” The following phonics portion of the same lesson
actually teaches the short /e/e to students. In sum, the phonemic awareness sections and phonics
sections do not always directly relate. However, the two section do sometimes serve as support
for one another by incorporating similar focus sounds.
How, and how often, is progress in phonemic awareness monitored?
The Harcourt Storytown program utilizes three forms of assessment: benchmark tests, theme
tests, and weekly tests. In the kindergarten curriculum, only benchmark and theme tests are
included. Theme tests occur after every theme and test various skills, including phonemic
awareness. There is no exact suggestions for timeline of testing (ex. test weekly, monthly, etc.)
The tests are not formal pencil/paper tests, but are based on teacher observation. No testing
material/checklists are supplied for teachers. To test phonemic skills, the program suggests using
small group instruction time and includes plans/suggested activities for students who are below,
on, or above grade level. For example, theme 1 lesson 1’s objective is “to divide spoken
sentences into individual words” and haas practice ideas for each ability level.
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How are teachers directed to group children for instruction?
The Harcourt program suggests both whole and small group instruction in kindergarten and first
grade. Students are grouped based on ability level: below, on, or above grade level in every skill.
Every weekly lesson series also includes a suggested small-group planning guide for every day
of the week.
How are teachers directed to differentiate instruction for students who are struggling?
As the entire program supports small group instruction based on reading level, struggling
students are sure to receive differentiated instruction. For example, all weekly small group
planning guides use books that are on struggling readers level. The program includes different
worksheets for struggling readers to provide extra support. The program even offers different
options for reading aloud such as echo and repeated readings. In addition to providing specific
lesson plans for lower level student, the Harcourt Storytown program provides excellent support
tools for differentiation. In both the kindergarten and first grade kits, strategic intervention
resource kits are available to complement the curriculum. A specific kit and tips throughout the
teacher manuals provide extra support for ELL students.
Describe the texts provided for practicing phonics concepts.
The Harcourt Storytown program includes suggestions of leveled texts and library books to
practice phonics concepts. The books not only allow student to practice phonics concepts, but
also support the theme study. For example, theme 1 in Kindergarten is “All About Me”, and the
program suggests library books From Head to Toe by Eric Carle and You and Me by Giovanni
Manna. The decodable books are specifically written to provide practice with the explicitly
taught phonics concepts for the week. The leveled readers are typically read in small groups, and
the program includes before, during, and after reading questions/activities to support reading
comprehension in addition to phonics concepts.
How engaging are the materials and activities for children? Give examples.
The entire program is extremely engaging for children on multiple levels. The pacing of
the lessons is one way that engages students; the constant movement from opening activities to
phonics to comprehension practice provide enough changes avoid boredom. The opening
activities also serve as an engagement portion for all the lessons. For example, theme 1 lesson 2
in the kindergarten program suggests teachers begin with the poem “Out in the Dark and
Daylight.” This section is not just the teacher reading the poem to students, but includes
discussion questions for students to discuss as a whole group. Other engagement and even
phonemic awareness activities also call for chanting, clapping along, etc.
Additionally, the small group component of the Harcourt Storytown program ensures that
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students are engaged at an appropriate developmental level. Small group instruction allows
students to share their thoughts in a less intimidating setting and ask any lingering questions. The
small group instruction component also engages students by including independent reading of
appropriate instructional texts.
Finally, the personal questions comprehension questions improve students’ reading
comprehension and engages students in the Harcourt Storytown lessons. For example,
kindergarten lesson 2 theme 2 has students take a poll to answer the questions: “who has a living
grandparent?” “What do we like to do with our grandparents?” etc. The lesson then calls for the
students to read a poem about grandparents. Asking questions is not just a proven way to
increase reading comprehension, but also forces students to personally connect with a lesson
topic; ultimately, this personalization of the content results in engagement.
Vocabulary and Comprehension Content (K-1)
How does the teacher provide definitions for new words?
The Harcourt Storytown program focuses on providing students with what they call the “student
friendly explanation”, which is a child-friendly definition. This makes vocabulary words relevant
for students and therefore easier to remember. For example, lonely is introduced with the
explanation: “when you are lonely, you are sad because you feel like you are all by yourself.”
How does the teacher provide context?
All new vocabulary words are introduced first in a story; therefore, the teacher uses the original
context of the story to introduce the word to the class. The teacher follows up this explanation by
using the word in other contexts relevant to their lives.
How are children taught to anticipate upcoming text events?
The Harcourt Storytown program emphasizes the importance of predictions throughout
the reading process. In both kindergarten and first grade, teachers are prompted to ask prescripted questions during the reading and monitoring comprehension sections of every lesson. To
teach prediction skills, teachers are encourage to explicitly teach a variety of text features and
ask guiding questions to help lead students to plausible predictions. It is through this process of
modeling and immediate feedback students learn to make predictions as they read a text.
For example, first grade theme 3 lesson 7 had teachers read Ten Eggs by Nancy
Furstinger to students. Before she reads, the programs includes the following teacher directions,
questions, and suggested responses:
Pages 16-17: Have children look at the title page and the first page of the story. Discuss the
illustrations. Ask them to predict what they think will happen in the story and then read to find
out.
Q: “What do you think the bears will do?”
A: “They will get some eggs?”
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Pages 18-19: Say “I see two bears getting ready to cook. Then they start to mix things. Let’s read
to find out who they are and what they are doing.
Q: “What do you think will happen next?”
A: “Jen and Ken will put something into the oven.
Pages 20-21: Say “The kitchen looks messy. I see Mom talking to Jen and Ken. Let’s read to find
out what she will do.
Pages 22-23: Say “Mom has a pan on the first page and everyone is eating on the next page.
Let’s read to find out how MOm helps Jen and Ken.
Q: “Did you think this is what the story would be about? Explain why.”
A: “No, because I thought they would make a cake.”
How are children taught to make mental images? How are children taught to activate and
use appropriate prior knowledge? How are children taught other comprehension skills?
All reading comprehension skills in the Harcourt Storytown program are taught using actual
texts. Through a scripted series of open-ended questions, class discussions, and teaching
modeling, students learn how to make mental images, use prior knowledge, and other
comprehension skills in kindergarten in first grade. The following analysis of first grade lesson
from theme 3 lesson 7 provides an example of a typical Harcourt Storytown comprehension
lesson.
This reading comprehension lesson uses the book Little Red Hen Gets Help by Kenneth
Spengler opens with a genre study of fantasy with a graphic organizer. This
simultaneously activates prior knowledge and exposes students to comprehension
strategies like graphic organizers for notetaking.
The next section is a comprehension strategy focus. For this lesson, students learn that
asking questions of what they read can help them better understand a story. The teacher is
prompted by the program to say: “In The Little Red Hen story I read to you, what do the
animals say when Little Red Hen asks for help? Remember that they always say no. I will
read this new story to find out what the animals say to the little red hen.” This scripted
outline is a prime example of the programs focus on teacher modeling. Comprehension
skills such as mental imaging, prediction, characterization, etc. are taught in a similar
manner.
The program then uses a building background section to again activate students’ prior
knowledge before reading the actual text. The teacher is told to say: “This story is based
on an old tale you may have already heard. It is about a little red hen and her friends, who
are cooking and eating. Tell about a time you shared a meal with friends. Did you help?
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What did you do?” The class discussion will help students connect the story to any
experience with a similar book, ultimately improving comprehension and increasing the
likelihood they will use the strategy again in the future.
As students read the story, the Harcourt program includes scripted directions to teach
inference through questions and explicit teaching. For example, the teacher is instructed
to show children how to find the answers to questions by using what they already know.
The script is, “I know the hen is hungry because she just woke up. She’ just getting out of
bed. I’m hungry and ready to eat when I get up.” The teacher then uses the same strategy
throughout the rest of the story to help student read word carefully and think of what they
already know.
Finally, the Harcourt program has teachers use cultural connections to teach
comprehension strategies. The story from lesson 7 is a folktale from England. The
teacher is instructed to ask student to think of other folktales and compare various
cultures. Providing context for students ultimately improves comprehension and prepares
children for more complicated text comparisons in their later schooling.
How do children participate in learning new words? Where do the vocabulary items come
from? Describe the materials used for vocabulary development included in the program.
How explicit are the teacher directions for teaching vocabulary? Give an example.
At the kindergarten and first grade levels, the vocabulary items are high frequency words that are
introduced in the suggested texts for each lesson. Every lesson sequence includes a ten minute
vocabulary component. Depending on the lesson, the teacher will either explicitly teach
vocabulary words or review previously taught words. The Harcourt program also includes
supplementary materials for teachers to teach the new vocabulary. While the library texts
themselves are not provided, Routine Cards are numbered and include directions and examples
of the new vocabulary words. Additional vocabulary practice material is available on the online
site as well.
To teach new words, the Harcourt program is extremely explicit in its teacher directions and
students are involved in repeating and discussing the words. For example, the program suggests
using the following strategy for all vocabulary words:
● put the word in selection context
● provide for children the student friendly explanation
● have children say the word with you
● use the word in other context and have children interact with the word’s meaning
● say the student-friendly explanation again and ask children to name the word that goes
with it.
● Kindergarten theme 2 lesson 4 provides an excellent example of this teaching strategy in
action with the words feast, gusto, and prepare. The book provides the teacher with the
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word’s original context and a way for children to interact with the word’s meaning. The
examples are listed below.
● selection context: Bear’s family has a feast for baby’s birthday.
● interact with word meaning: When families and friends get together, sometimes they
have a feast. Do you think you would eat a lot of food or just a little food at a feast?
● selection context: Bear’s cousins play the drums with gusto.
● interact with word meaning: If I licked a bowel with pie filling in it, I would try to get
every bit of the food. I would likc the bowl with gusto. What would you eat with gusto,
something you like or something you don’t like?
● selection context: Bear’s family does a lot to prepare for the feast.
● interact with word meaning: People often have to prepare, or get ready, for parties.
Would you prepare for a party before it starts or after it ends?
After the words are taught and modeled, students are given the chance to practice with the new
words with activities such as acting, discussion, or drawing.
Additionally, high frequency sight words are also included in the lessons.
How are the texts accessed by the children (e.g., independent reading, listening, shared
reading)?
In the Harcourt Storytown program, children experience and access texts in all sorts of ways. At
the kindergarten and first grade levels, children are introduced to leveled readers that focus on
practicing their acquired decoding skills through independent reading activities. In order to avoid
frustrating students, all independent reading is with books on the child’s appropriate level and
happens during center time. Including independent reading in the program ensures that students
become comfortable reading texts without additional support, a necessary skill for later
education. However, because kindergarteners and first graders have limited decoding abilities,
the program also includes shared reading and listening activities to foster a love of reading in
students. These activities occur in a variety of context throughout the program: the engagement
portion of the lesson, big book readings during whole group instruction, and small group
activities. The variety of text accessibility ensures students stay motivated and receive adequate
reading practice.
How closely does the comprehension instruction conform to a before-during-after reading
structure? Give an example.
The comprehension instruction exactly conforms to the before/during/after reading structure. The
lesson guides include images from the student copies and questions are organized by student
page number. For example, first grade theme 3 lesson 7 reading section questions and activities
are divided into pre-reading activities (genre study, comprehension strategies, and build
background), pages 30-31, pages 32-33, pages 34-35, pages 36-37, pages 38-39, page 40-42, and
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thinking critically questions. The chronological sequence of questions eases the teacher’s task of
planning and ensure that a comprehension strategy or question is not unintentionally skipped
during the teaching process.
_____________________________________________________________
Phonics Content: Grades 2-3
How are early phonics concepts reviewed and reinforced for decoding and spelling?
- Word Blending and Word Building are both used to help review and reinforce decoding in
second and third grades. Word Blending which is when students combine the sounds
represented by letter sequences to decode and pronounce words and Word Building which is
what allows students to practice making words by using previously taught letter-sound
relationships.
- Early phonics concepts are reviewed and reinforced for decoding and spelling by being taught
to see words as patterns of letters, to identify long words by breaking them down into syllable
units, and to blend the syllables to form and read long words. Effective strategies include:
identifying syllable boundaries, identifying syllable types, isolating affixes, and applying phonics
knowledge to blend syllables in sequence.
How, when and in what order are VCE patterns used for decoding and spelling?
The Harcourt Storytown series is not a known series for phonics and VCE patterns. However, in
Grade 2 Theme 1 lesson 1 week 1 the program teaches to syllabicate/decode words with a
marking system—it is taught as CVC pattern in longer words. Decoding Skill 2, VC/CV Pattern
is taught in Theme 1 lesson 1 week 1, Theme 1 lesson 3 week 3, Theme 3 lesson 11 week 11
which is taught as VCCV pattern in longer words. The first skill is taught for dividing words into
syllables. If one consonant follows the vowel, the consonant goes on to the next vowel.
Remember to have students decode vowel sound, using five Phonetic Skills, one syllable at a
time and “box” each syllable. Use marking system to ‘prove’ syllables/words. Reinforce skills
with practice pages and differentiation activities. Decoding any length word (VCCV Pattern) is
taught in Grade 2 Theme 3 lesson 14 week 14. Using both Decoding Skills 1 and 2, the students
will decode any length word. Use marking system to ‘prove’ syllables/words. Two-syllable
words (VC/CV Pattern) is taught in Theme 1 lesson 3 week 3—this is taught through practice
decoding two-syllable words with Decoding Skills 1 and 2 using the markings learned in the five
Phonetic Skills, words ending in -le, and the schwa to decode each syllable.
How when, and in what order are the vowel digraphs used for decoding and spelling?
In the Harcourt Storytown series vowel diagraphs are not taught for decoding and spelling. This
series is not known for being a “phonics based” series.
How when, and in what order are r-controlled vowels used for decoding and spelling?
For Harcourt Storytown the r-controlled vowels used for decoding and spelling are first taught in
Grade 2 Theme 2 lesson 8 where students learn /ar/ ar (which is reviewed Theme 2 lesson 10). In
Grade 2 Theme 3 lesson 14 is where the /ur/ ir, ur, we, ear are taught where they review it in
lesson 15. In Grade 2 Theme 4 lesson 19 students are taught /ir/ ear, eer. So, for second grade
17
students are first introduced to r-controlled vowels in Theme 2. The basis for all the lessons on
decoding and spelling stem from the students connecting their letters and sounds.
How are three-letter consonant blends used for decoding and spelling?
In the Harcourt Storytown series three-letter consonant blends are not taught to be used for
decoding and spelling.
How and when are root words identified for decoding and spelling?
Root words are taught before learning prefixes and suffixes—because Harcourt finds it important
for students to know the root words before they add the prefixes and suffixes. This allows
students to better decode and spell using prefixes and suffixes.
How and when are prefixes used for decoding and spelling?
un-: Th 5, lsn/wk-23 re-: Th 5, lsn/wk-23 mis-: Th 5, lsn/wk-23 dis-: Th 6, lsn/wk-26 over-: Th
6, lsn/wk-26 pre-: Th 6, lsn/wk-26
How and when are suffixes used for decoding and spelling?
-ly: Th 4, lsn/wk-16 -ness: Th 4, lsn/wk-16 -ful: Th 4, lsn/wk-18 -less: Th 4, lsn/wk-18
How and when are children taught to use spelling chunks or meaning chunks to decode
unknown words?
Students are taught from the very beginning of the series to use spelling chunks and meaning
chunks to decode unknown words. By reading the Professional Development in the front of the
book this is apparent when talking about phonics. The Harcourt series finds it very important that
students use these skills to decode unknown words.
How does the program teach children to use context to evaluate the accuracy of their
decoding?
One of the goals of this series is to teach content and skills through the themes of the stories that
you read. So, in this program you see activities and worksheets done in lessons that the students
can relate back to the story of the week. This allows for students to use the context of the story
and the themes of the story to evaluate their decoding and its accuracy.
Describe the teacher preparation needed for full implementation. What does a teacher have
to do or make before the lessons begin?
Harcourt already provides most of the material for the lessons, however, there are worksheets
needed that need to be distributed as well as some flashcards that are recommended for some
instruction throughout the series.
How long are the phonics lessons designed to last each day?
Since the Harcourt Storytown series has a lot of content to go over for every story each day…the
phonics lessons tend to last around 15-25 minutes a day.
How explicit are the teacher directions?
For all of the Harcourt Storytown series, the directions for lessons are very explicit. The
Teacher’s Edition book tells you exactly what you need to do for every lesson and the lessons are
explicit so that the students can easily understand the content.
18
What provisions are there to differentiate instruction for struggling readers?
In the Harcourt Storytown series there are extra workbooks that you can provide to the students
who are struggling in reading. Harcourt creates a lot of different resources (for additional costs)
that provide extra instruction to students.
What materials are provided for practicing phonics concepts?
In the Harcourt Storytown series there are extra practice workbooks that you may purchase to
help with practicing phonics concepts. These workbooks provide extra instruction for students
struggling through more worksheets and they allow students to put what they have learned to
practice.
How engaging are the materials and activities for children?
Since the Harcourt series is not very focused on phonics, I don’t think that the materials and
activities are that engaging. A lot of the materials include just worksheets and are not very
interactive for the students.
Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension Content Grades 2-3
What procedures are included to build fluency?
The procedures included in Harcourt Storytown to build fluency among second and third graders
are: choral reading activities, guided repeating reading, echo reading, partner reading, Reader’s
Theater, and tape-assisted reading. These strategies are seen throughout all the volumes in the
second and third grade levels.
How does the teacher provide definitions for new words? How does the teacher provide
context? How do the children participate in learning new words?
In this series the teacher is encouraged to provide definitions for new words by putting the word
in selection context, then explaining the words in student friendly terms. After explaining the
definition so that the students understand what the word means, the teacher then has the students
repeat the word and gives them examples of the word’s meaning in several contexts—providing
additional examples of the in new contexts as well as non-examples. Then, the teacher has the
students use the word—while providing sentence starters if necessary. Students then will repeat
the new word to reinforce its phonological representation. The words are also then posted so that
the students are provided multiple exposures to the word allowing them to interact with words
learned.
How are graphic organizers used to build connections among word meanings?
Graphic organizers are occasionally stated in the book for instruction on new words. However,
most of the activities included are guided worksheets that include matching words to definitions,
using words in sentences, etc. I did not see any Frayer Models or other vocabulary organizers
being used in instructions.
How are children taught to infer new word meanings from context?
The Harcourt Storytown series follows a three-tiered approach to learning vocabulary words.
Tier 1 includes the basic words. These are words that students usually do not need instruction in
19
their meaning. Examples include, walk, ball, and happy. While Tier 2 include academic words
characteristic of text language and are the focus of vocabulary instruction. These words are seen
as part of a robust vocabulary—that can be used across different texts and in many contexts.
Examples are, complex, absurd, and create. And Tier 3 includes content, low-frequency words,
or words needed to understand concepts, such as peninsula, constitution, and trapezoid. These
are words that students need instruction on as they come across the words.
How are they taught to analyze word parts to determine word meanings?
Harcourt Storytown believes that vocabulary is to be taught directly. Students should analyze the
word parts, however, for the most part students need to be directly taught what the words mean.
How are children taught to set a specific purpose before reading?
In the Harcourt Storytown series, both second and third grade instruction involves a focus skill
and focus strategy for comprehension. Some resources used for these comprehension lessons
include, transparencies, audio CDs, student editions, leveled texts, and strategic intervention
books. Here is how the comprehension lessons are set-up:
Day 1: Focus skill and focus strategy
Listening Comprehension (read aloud)
Leveled books
Day 2: Preview text: 2 page intro on focus skill and focus strategy
Shared reading on main selection
Day 3-5: Paired readings; leveled books, re-reads, etc
Theme pattern: 2 weeks on one skill and strategy; 2 weeks on other skill and strategy
Reader’s Theatre: 5th week review; skill and strategy; word study element, vocabulary, Fluency
How are children taught to anticipate upcoming text events?
Students are taught to anticipate upcoming text events by previewing the text. The teacher is
also instructed to stop during readings in order to ask the class questions about the text.
How are children taught to make mental images?
The Harcourt Storytown series does not specifically mention teaching mental images. However,
students are aware by second and third grade to imagine parts of the story in their head as they
are reading or listening to a read aloud.
How are children taught to stop when comprehension is not certain? How are children
taught to take specific actions when comprehension breaks down?
Students are taught to stop when comprehension is not certain to reflect on what they have read
and try to use clues to understand. Also, there are guided questions from the books that the
teacher can give the students to help them better understand.
How are children taught to activate and ensue appropriate prior knowledge?
Students are taught to activate appropriate prior knowledge by guided questions that come from
the teacher and the teacher’s edition workbook.
How are children taught to retell/and or summarize during or after reading?
Students are taught to retell/and or summarize during or after reading by not stating every detail
of the story, but by picking out key events from the stories that are important to the theme.
Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension Context Grades 2-3
20
Where do vocabulary words come from?
Vocabulary words for the week come from the stories that the students read from the book.
There are typically about 8-10 weekly vocabulary words for the students to learn throughout the
week. There are a lot of different strategies for how to teach the words so that the students are
interacting with them throughout the whole week. 2 words come from the Read Aloud
Anthology, 6 words come from the main selection, and 2 words come from “words about the
selection”—theme related/”text talk” words.
How and how often, is progress in vocabulary monitored?
Vocabulary is worked with and monitored everyday throughout the week in the Harcourt
Storytown series. Ways that the progress is monitored are by post-reading vocabulary activities,
text talk protocol—reinforcing, extending, and reviewing.
How often are children writing to demonstrate comprehension?
In the Harcourt Storytown series there is a writing component for every subject area. This helps
ensue that the students demonstrate their comprehension of the texts and vocabulary.
How often are children engaged in interactive discussions to demonstrate comprehension?
During the explicit instruction students are engaged in interactive discussions as a whole class.
Then when they are dispersed into small group instruction they are still engaging in interactive
discussions with their peers which demonstrates comprehension of the material.
How engaging are the materials and activities for children?
I think that there are a lot of engaging materials and activities for the children in the Harcourt
Storytown series. However, a lot of the activities are worksheet based and not as hands-on and
interactive for the children.
_______________________________________________________
What additional information can you provide if the core reading program includes
teacher’s editions and basal texts for grades 4-6?




Includes many intensive intervention programs (Intervention Station)
The phonics scope and sequence shifts its focus more to decoding and word attack: this
includes: closed syllable patterns, open syllable patterns, vowel diagraphs, structural
analysis, syllable patterns, unaccented syllables, suffixes, word parts, prefixes, silent
letters, and using decoding strategies
The vocabulary can be considered robust vocabulary and it includes review lessons
Patterns of instruction: begin with whole group instruction
o Oral language
o Listening comprehension
o Vocabulary-robust from books on the appropriate levels
o Fluency
o Comprehension-focus skills and strategies
o Decoding
21





Front load before reading
Read and respond during reading
Review after reading
Big focus on spelling: pretest and self-check; teach and model; practice and apply;
spelling strategies; review and post test.
Grammar: teach and model; practice and apply; prewrite; draft; revise and reflect
______________________________________________________
Program Strengths: Looking across the Grade Levels
Phonemic Awareness
Kindergarten
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Every lesson includes a warm up routine and oral
language section where children engage in word
play (i.e. poems and songs).
Includes a dedicated phonemic awareness
component that includes explicit teacher
modeling, guided practice, and independent
student practice of rhyming and phoneme
manipulation.
Introduces phoneme manipulation skills:
isolation, identity, categorization, blending,
segmentation, deletion, addition, and substitution.
Teaches letter name, sounds and formation
simultaneously.
Explicitly teaches word segmentation through
teacher modeling, guided practice, and
independent practice.
Provides planned additional support for belowlevel, on-level, and advanced small group
instruction for each week.
Provides examples for progress monitoring for
each week.
Planned lessons are appropriate in length.
Includes benchmark and theme tests that include
phonemic awareness.
Includes differentiated strategies and materials.
Includes strategic intervention resource kits and
kits to support ELL students.
First Grade
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Every lesson includes a
warm up routine and oral
language section where
children engage in word
play (i.e. poems and songs).
Teaches letter name, sounds
and formation
simultaneously.
Provides planned additional
support for below-level, onlevel, and advanced small
group instruction for each
week.
Provides examples for
progress monitoring for
each week.
Planned lessons are
appropriate in length.
Includes benchmark , theme,
and weekly tests that
include phonics.
Includes differentiated
strategies and materials.
Includes strategic
intervention resource kits
and kits to support ELL
students.
22
Phonics and Decoding
Kindergarten
● Teachers letter
name,
formation, and
sounds
simultaneousl
y.
● Incorporates
word
blending,
word building,
letter/sound
connections,
decoding
texts, and
introducing
upper and
lowercase
letters weekly.
● Practices
decoding
entire texts
weekly.
● Every lesson
includes a
phonics/spelli
ng component
that focuses
on reviewing
letter sounds,
word blending
and building,
spelling tests,
and
introducing
structural
spelling
elements.
First grade
● Teachers letter
name, formation,
and sounds
simultaneously.
● Incorporates word
blending, word
building,
letter/sound
connections,
decoding texts,
and introducing
upper and
lowercase letters
weekly.
● Practices
decoding entire
texts weekly.
● Every lesson
includes a
phonics/spelling
component that
focuses on
reviewing letter
sounds, word
blending and
building, spelling
tests, and
introducing
structural spelling
elements.
● Includes a highfrequency words
component.
● Provides planned
additional support
for below-level,
on-level, and
Second grade
● Reviews letters
and letter
sounds at the
beginning of
each lesson.
● Includes
various word
patterns.
● Includes
assessments to
track students’
progress.
● Includes five
elements of
phonics
instruction:
letter-sound
association,
word blending,
word building,
reading
decodable text,
and spelling.
● Includes
decodable text
that relates to
the phonics
being taught
for the week.
Third grade
● Reviews
patterns
and letter
sounds in a
daily
routine.
● Focuses on
specific
phonics
each week
that relate
to the
weekly
spelling
words.
● Includes
assessment
s to track
students’
progress.
● Includes
decodable
text that
relates to
the phonics
being
taught for
the week.
● Provides
various
worksheets
for phonics
and
spelling
practice.
● Provides
words in
23
● Includes a
highfrequency
words
component.
● Provides
planned
additional
support for
below-level,
on-level, and
advanced
small group
instruction for
each week.
● Provides
examples for
progress
monitoring for
each week.
● Planned
lessons are
appropriate in
length.
● Provides
specific
sequence for
introducing
letter names
and sounds.
● Includes
benchmark
and theme
tests that
include
phonics.
● Includes
differentiated
strategies and
materials.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
advanced small
group instruction
for each week.
Provides
examples for
progress
monitoring for
each week.
Planned lessons
are appropriate in
length.
Provides specific
sequence for
introducing letter
names and
sounds.
Includes
benchmark,
theme, and
weekly tests that
include phonics.
Includes
differentiated
strategies and
materials.
Includes strategic
intervention
resource kits and
kits to support
ELL students.
Includes leveled
texts suggestions
and library books
suggestions to
practice phonics
concepts and
support the theme
study.
Includes before,
during, and after
context.
24
● Includes
strategic
intervention
resource kits
and kits to
support ELL
students.
● Includes
leveled texts
suggestions
and library
books
suggestions to
practice
phonics
concepts and
support the
theme study.
● Includes
before, during,
and after
reading
questions/acti
vities to
support
phonics
concepts in
leveled
readers.
reading
questions/activitie
s to support
phonics concepts
in leveled readers.
25
Fluency
Second grade
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Third grade
●
Instructs a teacher to model reading
fluently.
Provides opportunities “build fluency”
by focusing on different fluency areas.
Provides instruction and ideas for
practicing fluency (i.e. partner reading,
dibels, etc.)
Encourages teachers to explicit teach
fluency.
Additional support for students needing
more practice in fluent reading is
provided.
Oral reading fluency tests are provided.
Includes six research-based fluency
building activities- choral reading,
guided repeated reading, echo reading,
partner reading, reader’s theater, and
tape-assisted reading.
Instructs a teacher to model reading
fluently.
●
Additional support for students
needing more practice in fluent reading
is provided.
● Oral reading fluency tests are
provided.
● Includes six research-based fluency
building activities- choral reading,
guided repeated reading, echo reading,
partner reading, reader’s theater, and
tape-assisted reading.
Vocabulary
Kindergarten
●
Provides kidfriendly
definitions
(“student
friendly
explanation”)
● New words are
introduced in
the original
context of the
story.
● Provides
instruction for a
First grade
●
Provides kidfriendly
definitions
(“student
friendly
explanation”)
● New words
are
introduced in
the original
context of the
story.
● Provides
Second grade
●
Provides kidfriendly
definitions
(“student
friendly
explanations”)
● New words
are introduced
in the original
context of the
story.
● Words are
explicitly
Third grade
●
●
●
Provides kidfriendly
definitions
(“student
friendly
explanations”)
New words
are introduced
in the original
context of the
story.
Words are
explicitly
26
specific highfrequency word
on a weekly
basis.
● Includes
additional
instruction for
ELL students.
● Includes “robust
vocabulary” for
each week.
instruction
for a specific
highfrequency
word on a
weekly basis.
● Includes
additional
instruction
for ELL
students.
● Includes
“robust
vocabulary”
for each
week.
● Includes
weekly word
wall words.
taught and
modeled by
the teacher.
● Includes
additional
instruction for
ELL students.
● Provides
suggested
words for a
word wall and
advises daily
review.
●
taught and
modeled by
the teacher.
Includes
additional
instruction for
ELL students.
Comprehension
Kindergarten
● Before/during/af
ter reading
questions.
● There are
questions
provided for
before reading
that build
background and
sets the purpose
for the story.
● Focus skills are
presented for
each lesson (i.e.
characters,
predicting, etc.)
First grade
● Before/during
/after reading
questions.
● Includes each
page of the
lesson’s
selected book
and provides
questions and
guidance for
reading the
book to the
students.
● Provides
teacher
guidance for
Second grade
● Before/during/
after reading
questions.
● Includes each
page of the
lesson’s
selected book
and provides
questions and
guidance for
reading the
book to the
students.
● Focus skills
are presented
for each
Third grade
● Before/during
/after reading
questions.
● Includes each
page of the
lesson’s
selected book
and provides
questions and
guidance for
reading the
book to the
students.
● Focus skills
are presented
for each
27
● Includes each
page of the
lesson’s
selected book
and provides
questions and
guidance for
reading the
book to the
students.
how to
introduce the
various
stories.
● Focus skills
are presented
for each
lesson.
● There are
“check
comprehensio
n” sections
that provides
ways to check
students’
comprehensio
n and even
has a rubric.
lesson.
● Presents
comprehensio
n strategies.
● There are
“check
comprehensio
n” sections
that provides
ways to check
students’
comprehensio
n and even has
a rubric.
lesson.
● Presents
comprehensio
n strategies.
● There are
“check
comprehensio
n” sections
that provides
ways to check
students’
comprehensio
n and even
has a rubric.
Program Weaknesses: Looking across the Grade Levels
Phonemic Awareness
Kindergarten
It doesn’t explicitly teach onset and
rime manipulation.
● It’s not set up to be directly related to
phonics instruction.
●
There is no exact suggested testing
timeline.
●
There are no testing
materials/checklists supplied for
teachers.
●
First Grade
●
●
●
●
●
It doesn’t explicitly teach onset and
rime manipulation.
There is not a section that is completely
dedicated to phonemic awareness.
It’s not set up to be directly related to
phonics instruction.
There is no exact suggested testing
timeline.
There are no testing materials/checklists
supplied for teachers.
28
Phonics and Decoding
Kindergarten
It doesn’t
include a
primary focus
on analogy and
rime-based
spelling.
● It’s not set up to
be directly
related to
phonemic
awareness
instruction.
●
There is no
exact suggested
testing timeline.
●
There are no
testing
materials/checkl
ists supplied for
teachers.
●
First grade
It doesn’t
include a
primary focus
on analogy
and rimebased
spelling.
● It’s not set up
to be directly
related to
phonemic
awareness
instruction.
●
There is no
exact
suggested
testing
timeline.
●
There are no
testing
materials/che
cklists
supplied for
teachers.
●
Second grade
●
There aren’t
many
opportunities
to manipulate
words in a
hands-on
manner.
Third grade
●
There aren’t many
opportunities to
manipulate words
in a hands-on
manner.
29
Fluency
Second grade
●
Third grade
Although students are practicing
reading fluently with the weekly text,
fluency is not paired with
comprehension questions.
●
Although students are practicing
reading fluently with the weekly
text, fluency is not paired with
comprehension questions.
Vocabulary
Kindergarten
First grade
It doesn’t include ●
high-frequency
words to include
on a word wall.
● The robust
vocabulary
review doesn’t
offer many
●
instruction
options other than
questioning.
●
There aren’t
many
opportunities
offered for
teaching visual
learners robust
vocabulary.
The robust
vocabulary
review doesn’t
offer many
instruction
options other
than
questioning.
Second grade
●
●
●
The various
vocabulary
words don’t
match up
with the
phonics
instruction
for the week.
The robust
vocabulary
review
doesn’t offer
many
instruction
options other
than
questioning.
There aren’t
many
opportunities
offered for
teaching
visual
learners
robust
vocabulary.
Third grade
●
The various
vocabulary
words don’t
match up
with the
phonics
instruction
for the week.
● The robust
vocabulary
review
doesn’t offer
many
instruction
options other
than
questioning.
● There aren’t
many
opportunitie
s offered for
teaching
visual
learners
robust
vocabulary.
30
Comprehension
Kindergarten
●
There aren’t many
opportunities for
the students to
interact and discuss
with each other
when focusing on
comprehending the
story.
First grade
●
Second grade
Third grade
There aren’t
●
The practice
●
The practice
many
worksheets don’t
worksheets don’t
opportunities
use high quality
use high quality
for the students
literature for the
literature for the
to interact and
children to read.
children to read.
discuss with
● There aren’t
● There aren’t
each other
many
many
when focusing
opportunities for
opportunities for
on
the students to
the students to
comprehendin
interact and
interact and
g the story.
discuss with
discuss with
each other when
each other when
focusing on
focusing on
comprehending
comprehending
the story.
the story.
Evidence of Effectiveness
What are the characteristics of the populations in which this program has been tested?
Schools in the state of Alabama
Grades Kindergarten through Sixth Grades
At risk students help to test whether or not the intervention aspect is effective
Some Title I schools
How was the effectiveness of the program measured?
The Alabama State review found that Storytown provided the strongest instruction in
vocabulary.
Is there experimental evidence that the program is effective?
Yes, the Alabama state review shows that especially grades K-3 were very effective with the
reading programs through the Harcourt Basal Readers.
Is there case study evidence that the program is effective?
Alabama state review of Storytown by Harcourt shows the percentage of items rated as
consistently meeting and exceeding the criteria across grade levels. This study is only from
grades K-3.
Kindergarten: 19/47=40.4%
First Grade: 39/49=79.6%
Second Grade: 26/45=57.8%
Third Grade: 12/30=40.0%
Average Grades K-396/171=56.1% meeting and exceeding the criterion
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Compared to other Basal Readers, this is relatively high, one of the best
Partially meeting to consistently meet/exceed criterion
Kindergarten: 43/47=91/5%
First Grade: 46/49=93.9%
Second Grade: 45/45=100%
Third Grade: 28/30=93.3%
Average Grades K-3162/171=94.7% (2nd highest among Basal Readers)
Include two Fry Readability analyses for two different basal texts for students. See Roe
text for directions. Record your information below.
1. Harcourt Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 3
Grade 3: Student Edition pp. 340-357 (teacher’s edition pp. 140-150)
A Pen Pal for Max
By: Gloria Rand
Illustrated by: Ted Rand
a. Counted out 100 words-through wrapped
b. Sentences: 7.6
c. Syllables: 135
d. Average sentence-7.6 and syllables 135=grade 5
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Example two from A Pen Pal for Max
Max-Grocery=100 words
11.5 sentences
134 syllables
Average sentence-11.5 and syllables 134=grade 4
2. Harcourt Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 1
Grade 4: Student Edition pp. 26-40 (teacher’s edition pp. T38-T53)
The Hot and Cold Summer
By: Johanna Hurwitz
Illustrated by: mare GrandPre
a. Counted 100 words-Rory to A
b. Sentences: 7.5
c. Syllables: 142
d. Grade 6
This data goes to show how the readability for these texts is higher than the grade level of the
actual Basal readers. The subject matter is more difficult than the level of the textbook. This in
turn affects the students’ success. Many of the names in these passages are extremely
complicated and filled with many syllables affecting the averages.
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