Orthographic Stage (Bear, p. 9)
Early Emergent Spellers
Middle Emergent Spellers
Late Emergent to
Middle Letter-Name Alphabetic
Spellers
Late
Letter-Name Alphabetic
Spellers
: mine
J JV JRF: drive
T TP: tip
N NT: net
S SD: send
S SC SK: sick
B BK: back
MIN:
mine
DRIV: drive
TEP: tip
NAT: net
SED: send
SEK: sick
BAK: back
M MN
Spellings
Within-Word Pattern Spellers
SEET SETE:
seat
NALE:
nail
rope
CRIE: cry
FOWND: found
BOTE: boat
LAFE: laugh
ROAP:
Alphabetic Stage (Gentry, p. 158)
Teaching Points
Characteristics
Level 0--No Letter Use
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Know that writing has meaning
Not yet able to write own name
Not yet able to write using letters
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Learn to write name and
important words
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Alphabet song
Beginning letter recognition &
sounds in meaningful contexts
(initial letter of own name, logos)
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Highlighted lines for writing
scaffolds--invented spelling
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Phonological awareness
(clapping syllables, rhyming in
nursery rhymes/poems/songs)
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Lots of print exposure & read
alouds
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Matching beginning sounds
Level 1--Pre-alphabetic
Level 2--Partial Alphabetic
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“Read” by memorizing predictable,
patterned texts
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Writing letters for beginning & some
ending sounds
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Attend to all letters in words to
decode
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Do not cue from alphabetic info. when
reading; attention paid to
nonalphabetic information when
reading (such as illustrations)
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Directionality present
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Still rely a lot on memorization of
predictable, patterned texts
Tend to decode letter by letter
rather than chunking
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Begin cueing from initial and final
letters in words when reading
(overlooks medial)
Spellings represent all sounds—
very phonetic
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Full control of alphabet and
phonemic awareness
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Many words recognized
automatically
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Write random letter strings, sometimes
with numbers integrated
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Confusion with directionality
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No phonemic awareness, but
phonological awareness may be
present
Echo read or memorize meaningful
texts, calling attention to initial sounds
and letters in words
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Repeated readings of predictable texts
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Repeated reading of adult underwriting
Increase letter-sound knowledge
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Guided reading: Level A-C books,
cueing with initial letters in words
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Repeated readings of predictable
texts to establish cueing from letters
of changing words in pattern
Use of spelling patterns in writing
(tends to lag behind ability to read
the same chunks)
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2/3 or more of words in writing
pieces are spelled correctly
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Strong spelling and decoding by
analogy
Strong sight vocabulary
Analogizing to decode & spell (word
families-- onset/rime)
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Word walls for sight vocabulary
Invented spelling—encouragement
to invent chunks
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Address more complex patterns
such as vowel digraphs
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Word study: CVC, CV, CVCe
patterns
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Begin explicit spelling instruction
Invented spelling—encouragement
to invent chunks
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Phonological & phonemic awareness
(rhyming, initial sounds, onset & rime,
segmenting & blending)
Extensive medial vowel work (esp.
short)
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Manipulatives to help elongate sounds
(stretchy fabric)
Manipulatives to elongate sounds
(stretchy fabric) or segment (fingers,
sound boxes)
Adult underwriting drops off a bit
because spellings are often
decipherable
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Print concepts: word, directionality
Fluency development with
memorized texts
Voice to print match (fingerpointing)
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Guided reading: Level D-H books
Writing using invented spelling with
adult underwriting
Word study: esp. CVC pattern
Inventing spellings in terms of
syllable chunks—vowels appear in
every syllable
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Increase letter-sound knowledge
Writing using invented spelling with
adult underwriting
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Highlighted lines for writing scaffolds
Level 4--Consolidated
Alphabetic
Level 3--Full Alphabetic
Break words into chunks to decode
Guided reading: Level I-M,
including beginning chapter books
Fluency development with
unfamiliar texts
Reading Stage (Taberski, chapter 2)
Strategies
Text Features
Characteristics
Pre-Emergent Readers
Emergent Readers
Early Readers
Transitional Readers
~Levels A-C
~ Levels D-H
~ Levels I-M
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Understand that print conveys a
message
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Recognize most high-frequency
words and many simple words
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Recognize many words, including
some considered difficult
•
Recognize some simple & high
frequency words
Use pictures to confirm meaning
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Use pictures to predict meaning
Can figure out most simple words
using meaning, syntax, and phonics
Integrate meaning, syntax, &
phonics more consistently
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Attend to directionality of print
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Identify some initial and ending
sounds in words
Use known spelling patterns to
figure out new words
Have a variety of ways to figure out
unknown words
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Can be prompted to check for
accuracy & sense
Are becoming more skilled at
monitoring, cross-checking, and
self-correcting reading
Can read independent-level text
with fluency, expression, and proper
phrasing
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Are gaining control of reading
strategies
Are beginning to handle longer,
more complex text with short
chapters
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Use their own experiences and
background knowledge to predict
meaning
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Can summarize what they read
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Can retell a story or recount things
they’ve learned
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Occasionally use story language in
their writing (esp. beginning)
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Predictable story lines
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Books that are read in more than
one sitting
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Short chapters
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“stopping to think”
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Use prior knowledge & experiences
to make meaning
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Use repetitive story patterns and
language to help with fluency and
unknown words
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Children can relate to experience
Consistent placement of text on
each page
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Larger spacing between words and
lines
Many easily recognizable words so
reader can focus on unknown words
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Simple, repetitive sentence
structures
Vocabulary is challenging but not
intimidating
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Language that reflects children’s
oral language
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Simple words (such as I, she, likes,
to) are repeated so reader can
focus on unfamiliar words
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Tracking print
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Noting spelling patterns
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attending to graphophonic cues
(esp. beginning & ending sounds)
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•
chunking words into phrases
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Close picture/text match
Noting patterns in text
Using pictures to predict the story
and words
looking through the word to the end
Simple story language (e.g., “once
upon a time”)
monitoring and self-correcting
using meaning, structure, and
graphophonic cues together
“skip and return”
Are growing more aware of story
and text structures and can use
mapping strategies
Series books
Straightforward plots
Books on familiar topics
making a story map
making a character map
making a “before and after” chart
retelling chapters in writing
rereading to clarify meaning
Guided Reading Experience (Fountas & Pinnell)
The introduction:
The introduction:
The introduction:
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is rich, providing children with
language and patterns of the book
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may draw attention to frequently
used words
may involve brief support that
enables independent reading of the
text
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covers the whole book
ranges from fully covering the book
to just providing a brief overview,
depending on the challenges
presented to the particular group of
readers
•
may be less detailed, but provides a
good framework for reading
focuses on particular words by
locating them (framing)
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introduces unfamiliar language
structures
familiarizes readers with new
concepts, vocabulary, unusual
language structures, etc., needed to
comprehend the text
•
provides strong support for meaning
for EARLY emergent readers (Level
A), as a transition from shared
reading, may include a complete
reading by the teacher with the
children chiming in before the
children read it on their own
Moving from shared to guided reading--The teacher prompts the children to use
pictures and predictability of language.
The focus is on early strategies such as
one-to-one matching, directionality,
recognition of simple sight words, cueing
from the initial letter sound, etc.
References:
On Solid Ground, Sharon Taberski
Words Their Way, Donald Bear, et. al.
Breaking the Code, Richard Gentry
Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children, Irene Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell
After the introduction, students read the
book on their own with little help.
Each child reads the whole text
independently after the introduction,
which may be a summary overview.
Teachers provide a fuller introduction
when a text with new features is used.
For longer texts, such as chapter books,
the group may meet after reading each
assigned chunk, where they can discuss
it and the teacher can introduce the
following section.