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Scaffolding for Success:
Strategies to Support Young Readers and Writers of Braille
Anna M. Swenson
Braille Literacy Consultant
Fairfax County Public Schools
annaswenson@cox.net
Vygotsky and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD):
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The ZPD is the distance between a student's actual developmental level and his/her
potential developmental level.
It is also known as the "Instructional Level".
Scaffolding: The process used by teachers that enables a child to perform at a higher level than
he/she could without assistance. Examples of scaffolding:
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Previewing material
Questions
Prompting (Get the child to do the work)
Verbal, tactile, visual, gestural cues
Modeling
Additional scaffolding for the Braille Learner because …
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More symbols to master
More similar and reversed characters
Multiple meanings for individual characters
Lack of redundancy
Sample sentence with multiple meanings for the shape of an upper or lower “h” in braille:
“Did he have his lunch?” asked Tom.
The same shape represents five possible meanings:
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2.
3.
4.
5.
Opening quotation mark
The letter “h” in “he”
The word “have”
The word “his”
The question mark
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General Guidelines for Scaffolding during Oral Reading
1. Make the most of miscues:
 Teach the child that reading must make sense.
 Provide wait time,
 Choose problem-solving opportunities that match the learner's level. Ask yourself –
is this challenge attainable AND worth the child's effort?
 Limit the number of miscues the child works on.
 Teach multiple word-solving strategies.
 Recap successful solutions, telling the child what you observed him/her doing.
 NOTE: It’s perfectly OK to tell a child a word.
2. Preserve meaning:
 Give no more than 3 quick prompts, then move on (Brown, 2003)
 Avoid … "yesterday cues", impromptu phonics lessons, miscued cues, repetitive
cues (Cole, 2006)
 Support struggling readers:
o Follow-along read-aloud
o Echo reading
3. Focus on Fluency
 Teach high frequency words www.mrsperkins.com/dolch.htm
 Provide targeted practice with confusing contractions
 Reread, reread, reread
 Have the child monitor his/her own fluency (fluency rubric)
Fluency Rubric (Chart)
Rating
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2
3
Observations
*Reads very slowly.
*Stops often for help from the teacher.
*Does not use strategies to figure out words.
*Is confused by punctuation marks.
*Reads slowly with only a few stops.
*Uses strategies to figure out words with occasional help
from the teacher.
*Recognizes almost all punctuation marks
*Reads almost all words correctly at a normal rate
without stopping.
Notes for Teacher
*The book may be too
difficult for the
student.
*Expectation for a
“cold read”, the first
time through a book at
the student’s
instructional level
*Expectation for a
“warm read” after the
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*Uses good expression and phrasing.
*Recognizes punctuation marks.
student has read the
book several times.
The Guided Reading Lesson
Introduce the new book:
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Give a book introduction
Preview concepts and vocabulary
Preview new contractions and other braille code features
Review reading strategies
Basic Strategies Checklist for Beginning Readers
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Sound out the first three letters.
Look for a part of the word you know.
If the word has a suffix, take off the suffix and read the base word.
Read the whole sentence, skip the unknown word, and think what word would make
sense. Then read the sentence again.
Scaffolding the Writing Process
Principles of Effective Writing Instruction (Zumbrunn & Krause, 2012)
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Effective writing instruction encourages student motivation and engagement.
Effective writing instruction and practice happen every day.
Effective writing instruction is a scaffolded collaboration between teachers and
students.
Important Guideline: Always respond FIRST to content.
The Writing Process for Young Students who Use Braille (Chart)
Step
Level of
Support
Suggested Scaffolds
Planning
Independent
and/or
Supported
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Oral discussion
Simple list of important words or ideas
Drafting
Independent
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Precede independent writing with oral rehearsal, if needed.
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Revising
(Initial)
Independent
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Have child read draft and mark one or more sentences where
a revision could be made.
Editing
(Initial)
Independent
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Have child read draft and mark capitalization, punctuation,
and spelling errors with a crayon.
Revising /
Editing
Conference
Supported
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Discuss the child’s independent revision / editing marks.
Assist with errors (including spelling) that the child did not
mark. As you talk with the child, braille a perfect copy
incorporating all the revision and editing changes.
Final Copy
Independent
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Have the child write a final version by copying from the
teacher’s perfect copy.
Publishing
Independent
and
Supported
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If multiple copies of the piece or book will be published, or
special formatting is needed, type the text, and emboss the
copies.
When publishing a book, assist the child in creating a title
page and cover. Tactile or print pictures, a table of contents,
or an index might also be included.
Write an “About the Author” page using input from the child.
Let the child participate in binding the book.
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Parting Thoughts on Scaffolding
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Work at the cutting edge of a child's capability
Focus on meaning first; preserve meaning during scaffolding (reading AND writing)
Develop a range of cues
Know your student: "What kind of prompt should I use with this reader at this point
in development?" (Brown, 2003)
Remember that problem solving opportunities are more important than accuracy
References
Brown, K.J. (2003). What do I say when they get stuck on a word? Aligning teachers' prompts
with students' development. The Reading Teacher, 56(8), 720-733.
Cole, A. D.. (2006). Scaffolding beginning readers: Micro and macro cues teachers use during student
oral reading. The Reading Teacher 59(5): 459-459.
Fountas, C. and Pinnell, G.S. (2012/2013). Guided reading: The romance and the reality. The Reading
Teacher, 66(4), 268-284.
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Zumbrunn, S. & Krause, K. (2012). Conversations with leaders: Principles of effective writing instruction.
The Reading Teacher, 65(5), 346-351.