3. Rosa Vela’s Classroom
Rosa Vela has 17 first graders- ten boys and seven girls. Four of her students speak Spanish fluently and understand a little
English, three speak Haitian, Creole, and English, and the remaining ten speak English only. Ms. Vela has the children gathered
around her on the carpet in the listening center and is showing them a photograph of a street in their neighborhood. She points to
and names items in the photo such as apartment building, car, tree, trash can, and bus. The children repeat each word after her. She
then asks individual children to point to items in the photo and name them. She goes on to describe activities that are taking place in
the photo, such as a person getting on the bus. The children repeat after her and then take turns describing other things they see
happening.
After the activity is finished, ten boys and girls move to center around the room to listen to tapes and categorize pictures.
The remaining seven children stay with Ms. Vela for reteaching of the sound for the letter b. She slowly pronounces words such as
bus and building, emphasizing the sound of the first letter in both words. She gives the name of the letter and the sound it stands
for: “b, /b/.” After modeling this process several times, she says other words and has children give the beginning sounds. After
about six minutes, she calls the entire class back to the rug.
Ms. Vela shows children the Big Book Feathers for Lunch (Ehlert,1993), and they clap their hands and smile. She tells them
they are going to reread the story and take turns putting events in order to pocket chart. She reminds the children to use the sounds
that they have been learning - /f/, /l/, /t/, and /b/ to help them read some of the words in the book. Ms. Vela models good reading by
reading the text aloud. When she comes to words containing sounds that have been taught, she slows down and shows how she
would use her knowledge to blend the sounds together and read the word. The entire group reads the book aloud, page by page.
Then Ms. Vela calls on individual students to read a page and model reading the words with the sounds they have learning.
When they’re finished, seven children go across the hall to a reading specialist for 30 minutes of additional instruction. Ms.
Vela tells us that the instruction the children receive out of the room supports what she is doing in the room. While the group is
gone, some children continue to practice sounds they have been learning, while others practice fluent reading by rereading little
books with partners.
4. Connie Barrera’s Classroom
Across the hall we visit Connie Barrera’s first grade. She has the same number of students as Ms. Vela and her class make up and
characteristics are similar. The children are completing a worksheet that requires them to circle pictures that begin with the same sound
as the picture at the top of the page. They have several of these worksheets to complete.
As the children work, Ms. Barrera calls five or six of them at a time for group instruction. All groups use the same book. The
children take turns reading sentences and/ or pages aloud from the same book. We notice that some children in the group do not get a
turn to read. After the reading, each group is given a worksheet that requires them to cut apart pictures of key events in the story and
arrange them in the order in which they happened.
After all groups have met with Ms. Barrera and have completed the follow- up assignment, she collects the papers and explains to
us that she will check them during her lunch break. We ask Ms. Barrera if any of her children work with the reading specialist. She says
no, because they do not benefit from being away from her class.
5. Comparison of Ms. Vela and Ms. Barrera’s Classes
Focus on language
needs
Listening to sounds
(phonemic
awareness)
Systematic teaching
of sounds
Additional help for
students
No focus on language
needs
No phonemic awareness
No direct teaching of
sounds
No additional help for
students
Rosa Vela’s Class Connie Barrera’s
Class
Class size
Class makeup
Potential struggling
readers
Purpose: phonics
and sequence
Things in
Common
7. Connie Barrera’s Classroom
Across the hall we visit Connie Barrera’s first grade. She has the same number of students as Ms. Vela and her class make up and
characteristics are similar. The children are completing a worksheet that requires them to circle pictures that begin with the same sound
as the picture at the top of the page. They have several of these worksheets to complete.
As the children work, Ms. Barrera calls five or six of them at a time for group instruction. All groups use the same book. The
children take turns reading sentences and/ or pages aloud from the same book. We notice that some children in the group do not get a
turn to read. After the reading, each group is given a worksheet that requires them to cut apart pictures of key events in the story and
arrange them in the order in which they happened.
After all groups have met with Ms. Barrera and have completed the follow- up assignment, she collects the papers and explains to
us that she will check them during her lunch break. We ask Ms. Barrera if any of her children work with the reading specialist. She says
no, because they do not benefit from being away from her class.
8. Defining Remediation, Intervention, and Prevention
REMEDIATION is the process of correcting a deficiency (the American Heritage
Dictionary,1992). Remedial Reading Programs usually identified skill weaknesses of
students and the attempted to correct these problems. But these programs have not
been successful (Allington & Walmsley, 1995). The students enrolled in them keep
returning year after year, proving that once a student labeled “remedial,” he or she
tends to remain remedial.
INTERVENTION is the process of coming into or between so as to hinder or alter an
action (the American Heritage Dictionary,1992). A Reading Intervention Program is
one that prevents or stops failure by providing instruction BEYOND what is being
provided in the core classroom program. It may be provided in a day-to-day basis or
may be provided as a special program in or outside the classroom by a certified
teacher.
9. Defining Remediation, Intervention, and Prevention
PREVENTION is the process of keeping something from happening (the American
Heritage Dictionary,1992). Prevention In Reading Instruction means setting up
conditions that stop potential struggling readers. We do this to some degree by
providing sound core classroom instruction and intervention as needed- instruction
that builds a solid foundation that helps struggling readers and potential struggling
readers learn to read, plus many opportunities to read and to use what they have
learned (Allington 2001; Cunningham & Allington, 2003)
There is a greater likelihood that potential struggling readers will not develop into
struggling readers if they are given quality core instruction, prevention, and
intervention WHEN THE SIGN INDICATE THE NEED.
10. A FRAMEWORK FOR CORE INSTRUCTION- PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION
Students who are or show signs of
becoming struggling readers cannot
make adequate progress with
regular instruction alone. We cannot
simply wait and hope for the best;
instead, we need to take steps to
support the struggling readers
through systematic teaching. Figure
1.2 presents a framework for
planning and providing core
instruction and intervention
incorporating all the assessment
tools and teaching strategies needed
in order to work with students on
decoding, fluency, comprehension,
and other important areas of literacy.
1. ASSESS/
DIAGNOSE
2. TEACH/
RETEACH
5. REASSESS
4. APPLY
3.
PRACTICE
Figure 1.2 A Framework For Core Instruction- Prevention and
Intervention
12. ASSESS/ DIAGNOSE
During this step, you find out how well the
student is performing in the area of concern. This
assessment may involve the use of standardized
test, informal measures, teacher observations, or
a combination of the three. If your assessment
and diagnosis reveal a problem that is beyond
the scope of your skills, confer with specialists in
your district.
13. TEACH/ RETEACH
In this step, you usually provide explicit, direct
instructions in the strategy, skill, or process that the
student needs, based on your assessment and
diagnosis. We encourage you to model the strategy,
skill, or process for the student, providing multiple
examples as needed. Sometimes the instruction you
provide will be more student- centered and less
teacher-directed. For example, post reading
discussion group is a student- centered way to help a
student who is struggling with comprehension.
14. PRACTICE
This phase is when you provide students with
multiple opportunities to use what has been
taught under teacher direction. Practice will vary
according to the type of strategy, skill, or process
that has been taught. Practice should be both
teacher- guided and independent.
15. APPLY
In this phase, students read and use a strategy,
skill, or process independently. This may involve
reading of word, sentences, or longer text,
depending on what has been taught. Keep in
mind that the goal is to get the struggling readers
to use the skills, strategies, and processes on
their own as they read.
16. REASSESS
At this point, you reassess to make certain that
the student has learned what you taught. Most of
the assessment should take place after the
student has applied the skill, strategy, or process,
but some of it may also occur during the Apply
Step through observation of how the student
uses the strategy or skills in question. What you
learn from the assessment will help you
determine whether to move on to a new area or
to continue working on the current one.
17. AREAS OF CONCERN
Oral Language
Phonemic Awareness
Word Recognition
Meaning Vocabulary
Reading Fluency
Comprehension
Writing For
Struggling Readers
