VEA Instructional Conference 2014 Session: Why Johnny Doesn't Know Sight Words

1. 11/22/14
1
Why
Johnny
Doesn’t
Know
Sight
Words:
The
Effects
of
Concept
of
Word
on
Sight
Word
AcquisiCon
Presented
by:
Jennifer
A.
Floyd
VSRA
2013
But
what
does
concept
of
word
have
to
do
with
sight
word
acquisiCon?
A
lot,
actually!
First,
let’s
define
what
a
sight
word
is.
• A
sight
word
can
be
any
word
(Ehri,
1997;
Ehri,
2005).
– Sight
words
are
not
just
those
words
that
are
not
spelled
regularly.
• Sight
words
are
not
limited
to
lists
such
as
the
Dolch
or
Fry
lists,
but
can
be
any
word
that
the
student
reads
automaCcally
(Ehri,
1997;
1998;
2005).
• RecogniCon
should
happen
in
about
1
second
(Ehri,
1997).

2. 11/22/14
2
Sight
Word
AcquisiCon
• Ehri’s
(1998;
2005)
phases
of
sight
word
acquisiCon
provide
us
with
a
framework
to
guide
our
understanding
of
how
kids
learn
words
and
will
be
important
in
our
discussion
of
concept
of
word.
– Four
phases
represent
the
process
through
which
sight
words
are
acquired.
– These
phases
illustrate
a
developmental
conCnuum
reflecCng
the
reader’s
growing
knowledge
of
the
alphabeCc
principle.
– Emphasizes
the
development
of
connecCons
between
le`ers,
sounds,
and
pronunciaCon
of
words.
Adapted
from
Ehri,
1998
Ehri’s
Phases
of
Sight
Word
AcquisiCon
Full
alphabeCc
phase
ParCal
alphabeCc
phase
Pre-­‐alphabeCc
phase
Consolidated
alphabeCc
phase
Adapted
from
Ehri,
2005

3. 11/22/14
3
Pre-­‐alphabeCc
phase
• Students
at
this
phase
have
very
li`le,
if
any,
knowledge
of
le`ers
and
sounds
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
• They
rely
on
the
visual
aspects
of
words
for
idenCficaCon
because
they
lack
the
necessary
le`er-­‐sound
knowledge
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
– Because
of
the
focus
on
the
visual
aspects
and
are
not
anchored
to
le`ers
and
sounds,
their
recogniCon
of
words
by
students
at
this
phase
is
fleeCng
and
inconsistent
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
ParCal
alphabeCc
phase
• Students
at
this
phase
have
an
increased
amount
of
le`er-­‐
sound
knowledge,
which
enables
them
to
use
iniCal
and
final
consonant
sounds
to
idenCfy
some
words
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
– But
students
do
not
yet
have
a
full
grasp
of
the
alphabeCc
principle.
– Also
do
not
have
the
phonemic
segmentaCon
skill
that
is
necessary.
• They
are
starCng
to
establish
the
connecCons
between
sounds,
spelling,
and
pronunciaCon
that
are
necessary
for
sight
word
acquisiCon
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
• According
to
Ehri
(2005),
students
are
able
to
“read
a
few
words
out
of
context”
(p.
143).
ParCal
alphabeCc
phase,
conCnued
• However,
students
at
this
phase
do
not
pay
a`enCon
to
the
medial
(vowel)
sound
which
is
why
this
phase
is
described
as
“parCal
alphabeCc”
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
– Since
they
are
not
using
all
of
the
available
informaCon,
words
with
similar
iniCal
and
final
consonants
can
be
confused.
• Sap/Sip
• Fan/Fin
• Jog/Jug
• Students
at
this
phase
are
not
to
the
point
where
they
are
decoding
words
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
– Involves
guessing
that
is
based
on
the
limited
amount
of
phoneCc
informaCon
in
addiCon
to
context.
• They
are
also
not
able
to
benefit
from
the
use
of
analogy
to
idenCfy
words
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).

4. 11/22/14
4
Full
alphabeCc
phase
• This
phase
is
marked
by
an
increased
level
of
phonemic
awareness
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
• Students
have
the
ability
to
establish
the
requisite
connecCons
between
le`ers,
sounds,
and
pronunciaCons
in
words
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
• Students
a`end
to
the
beginning,
middle,
and
ending
sounds,
which
enable
them
to
establish
stronger
connecCons
to
support
their
word
recogniCon
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
Full
alphabeCc
phase
• Increased
accuracy
in
word
recogniCon
is
evident
at
this
phase
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
• Students
no
longer
confuse
words
with
similar
iniCal
and
final
consonants
because
they
are
able
to
a`end
to
medial
sounds
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
• Decoding
strategies
can
be
employed
at
this
phase
(Ehri,
1998;
2005).
• Can
use
analogies
to
idenCfy
words
(Ehri,
1998;
2005)
– If
they
know
“dark,”
they
can
use
that
knowledge
to
idenCfy
“spark.”
Ehri,
2005
Consolidated
alphabeCc
phase
• At
this
phase,
students
can
use
chunks
of
words
instead
of
proceeding
le`er-­‐by-­‐le`er
and
sound-­‐by-­‐sound
(Ehri,
2005).
• Longer,
more
complex
words
can
be
idenCfied
(Ehri,
2005).
• Morphology
becomes
a
tool
used
by
students
at
this
phase
(Ehri,
2005).

5. 11/22/14
5
So…what
do
Ehri’s
phases
have
to
do
with
COW?
Furthermore,
what
do
Ehri’s
phases
have
to
do
with
Johnny
and
Concept
of
Word?
RelaCng
Ehri’s
phases
with
COW
• As
we
will
see
in
the
coming
slides,
Ehri’s
phases
have
quite
a
bit
to
do
with
COW.
Phonemic
awareness
is
a
common
link
between
Ehri’s
phases
and
COW.
Phoneme
Awareness
Ehri’s
phases
of
word
recogni5on
Concept
of
word
in
text

6. 11/22/14
6
So,
let’s
get
to
concept
of
word
in
text
• Concept
of
word
in
text
represents
the
ability
to
match
the
spoken
word
with
the
printed
word
through
finger-­‐point
reading.
• Concept
of
word
in
text
can
be
represented
on
a
conCnuum
of
knowledge.
– Is
not
an
all-­‐or-­‐nothing
skill
– Ranges
from
developing
to
rudimentary
to
firm
concept
of
word.
• However,
COW
is
more
than
just
finger
point
readingJ
Concept
of
word
in
text
is
linked
to
the
development
of
the
alphabeCc
principle
and
to
the
acquisiCon
of
phonemic
awareness,
which
are
required
for
literacy
acquisiCon!
The
AlphabeCc
Principle
AND
Phonemic
Awareness:
Required
Elements
For
Early
Literacy
Development
• The
alphabeCc
principle
portrays
the
relaConship
between
graphemes
and
phonemes
and
is
essenCal
for
literacy
acquisiCon
(Adams,
1990;
Bowman
&
Treiman,
2004;
Ehri,
1998).
• Phonemic
awareness,
and
in
parCcular,
phonemic
segmentaCon
ability
is
essenCal
for
word
recogniCon
(Adams,
1990;
Ehri,
1998;
Invernizzi
&
Hayes,
2011).
• In
order
to
make
the
connecCons
that
Ehri
idenCfied
as
necessary
for
word
recogniCon,
the
alphabeCc
principle
AND
phonemic
segmentaCon
are
required
(Ehri,
1998;
Invernizzi
&
Hayes,
2011).

7. 11/22/14
7
Morris’s
Model
of
Literacy
AcquisiCon
• Darrell
Morris
has
spent
a
number
of
years
invesCgaCng
concept
of
word
and
its
role
in
early
literacy
acquisiCon.
• The
result
of
that
research
is
a
model
that
illustrates
the
key
role
of
COW
in
literacy
acquisiCon.
– Addresses
the
alphabeCc
principle
and
phonemic
segmentaCon
that
are
key
to
literacy
acquisiCon
– Validated
in
several
research
studies
(Morris,
1993;
Morris
et
al.,
2003;
Flanigan,
2007).
Reading
in
context
Word
Recogni5on
Beginning
consonant
knowledge
Alphabet
Knowledge
Concept
of
Word
Spelling
with
beginning
and
ending
consonants
Phonemic
segmenta5on
The
Role
of
COW
• According
to
the
Morris
(1993;
2003)
model,
COW
assists
the
development
of
sight
word
acquisiCon
because
it
is
has
an
important
relaConship
with
other
key
early
literacy
skills.
– Alphabet
and
beginning
consonant
knowledge
develops
before
COW
– COW,
in
turn,
develops
before
the
ability
to
segment
phonemes,
which
comes
before
word
recogniCon.

8. 11/22/14
8
Why
is
this
model
important?
• This
model
represents
the
progression
through
which
students
move
as
they
acquire
literacy.
• This
model
clearly
illustrates
the
role
of
COW
in
the
literacy
acquisiCon
process.
– Le`er-­‐sound
knowledge
is
required
for
COW.
– COW
happens
before
word
recogniCon.
• No
COW=no
word
recogniCon!
– COW
creates
a
bridge
between
early
and
later
levels
of
phonemic
awareness.
• Facilitates
the
acquisiCon
of
phonemic
segmentaCon
This
model
shows
us
that
COW
acts
as
a
“bridge”
between
earlier
levels
of
phonemic
awareness
and
later
phonemic
awareness.
Concept
of
Word
Early
levels
of
Phoneme
awareness
(Beginning
Consonant)
Later
levels
of
Phonemic
Awareness
(phoneme
segmentaCon)
Morris,
D.,
Bloodgood,
J.,
Lomax,
R.,
&
Perney,
J.
(2003).
Developmental
steps
in
learning
to
read:
A
longitudinal
study
in
kindergarten
and
first
grade.
Reading
Research
Quarterly,
38,
3,
2-­‐24.
Why
is
Alphabet
Knowledge
and
Beginning
Consonant
Knowledge
Necessary
For
Developing
COW?
• Le`er-­‐sound
knowledge
is
a
necessary
condiCon
for
developing
COW.
– Students
need
to
be
able
to
use
le`er
sound
knowledge
when
working
with
texts.
• For
example,
when
finger-­‐point
reading
the
poem,
“Old
Mister
Rabbit,”
students
can
use
their
beginning
consonant
knowledge
to
scaffold
their
fingerpoint
reading
of
the
text.
• This
support
allows
students
to
further
develop
their
COW
so
that
instead
of
just
looking
at
the
first
le`ers
and
sounds
in
each
word,
they
can
start
a`ending
to
other
le`ers
in
words.
– Students
will
move
from
using
the
beginning
only,
to
also
paying
a`enCon
to
the
ending
sound
before
then
considering
the
medial
sound.

9. 11/22/14
9
ow,
ow,
ow
our
oat
o ,
o ,
o
ou
oa
We
also
need
to
consider
that…
• Not
all
COW
is
the
same!
• COW
exists
on
a
conCnuum
ranging
from
developing
to
firm,
which
is
related
to
the
ability
to
recognize
sight
words
recogniCon.

10. 11/22/14
10
The
COW
ConCnuum
Developing
Rudimentary
Firm
(Morris
et
al.,
2003;
Blackwell-­‐Bullock,
Invernizzi,
Drake,
&
Howell,
2009)
Developing
COW
• Lowest
level
of
COW
• There
is
some
variability
within
this
phase
from
a
complete
lack
of
direcConality
to
poinCng
to
individual
le`ers
as
they
recite
text
to
tapping
rhythmically
as
they
recite
the
poem.
• Students
possess
li`le
le`er-­‐sound
knowledge
– Inability
to
match
the
spoken
word
to
the
printed
word
• Unable
to
voice
point
to
idenCfy
words
in
context.
• Also
unable
to
idenCfy
words
out
of
context.
(Morris
et
al.,
2003;
Blackwell-­‐Bullock
et
al.,
2009)
Rudimentary
COW
• Students
at
this
level
on
the
COW
conCnuum
possess
more
developed
le`er-­‐sound
knowledge.
• Students
are
able
to
track
text,
although
words
with
two
syllables
open
throw
them
off.
– However,
students
with
Rudimentary
COW
can
usually
catch
and
correct
these
errors
on
their
own.
• Students
are
able
to
idenCfy
words
in
the
context
of
the
poem.
• Students
can
idenCfy
a
few
(but
not
many)
words
out
of
context.
• Students
may
confuse
words
with
similar
iniCal
and
final
consonants.
(Morris
et
al.,
2003;
Blackwell-­‐Bullock
et
al.,
2009)

11. 11/22/14
11
Firm
COW
• Students
are
not
only
able
to
track
text,
but
they
can
also
idenCfy
words
both
in
and
out
of
context.
• Word
recogniCon
is
not
fleeCng,
but
long
term.
(Morris
et
al.,
2003;
Blackwell-­‐Bullock
et
al.,
2009)
• When
a
student
has
a
firm
COW,
he
is
able
to
devote
his
a`enCon
to
the
words
in
text.
• As
a
result,
the
student
is
able
to
idenCfy
words
from
the
text
when
they
are
presented
in
isolaCon.
• Then,
the
student’s
sight
word
vocabulary
is
able
to
grow.
Comparing
Ehri’s
Phases
of
Word
RecogniCon
With
the
Concept
of
Word
ConCnuum
E
hri’s phases of word
recognition
Characteristics The COW Continuum
Pre-alphabetic • Little alphabet knowledge
• Relies on visual clues to “read” words Developing
Partial alphabetic • Increased alphabet knowledge
• Can use that alphabet knowledge for
word recognition.
• However, does not have full phoneme
segmentation, so cannot pay attention
to the medial vowel (that’s why
children at this stage may mix-up
words with the same initial and final
consonants but different vowels)
Rudimentary
Full alphabetic • Alphabet knowledge is secure
• Has phonemic segmentation
• Increased sight word knowledge!
Firm

12. 11/22/14
12
How
do
these
levels
of
COW
coordinate
with
the
COW
task
on
PALS?
Poin5ng
Word
ID
COW
Word
List
Developing
COW
0-­‐5*
0-­‐5
0-­‐3
Rudimentary
COW
5*
9-­‐10
3-­‐7
Firm
COW
5*
10
7-­‐10
Adapted
from
Blackwell-­‐Bullock,
R.,
Invernizzi,
M.,
Drake,
E.A.,
&
Howell,
J.L.
(2009).
Concept
of
word
in
text:
An
integral
literacy
skill.
Reading
in
Virginia,
31,
30-­‐35.
*Humpty
Dumpty=5
So,
let’s
get
back
to
Johnny…
• Johnny’s
PALS
data
can
give
us
some
important
clues.
• Let’s
start
off
by
checking
out
Johnny’s
performance
on
the
COW
task.
– We
parCcularly
want
to
consider
his
scores
on
the
COW
Word
List.
• The
COW
Word
List
allows
us
to
see
if
he
was
able
to
idenCfy
any
words
in
isolaCon
aper
fingerpoint
reading
the
poem.
– Scores
of
7-­‐10
are
what
we
are
looking
for
to
demonstrate
a
firm
COW.
Let’s
Look
at
Johnny’s
PALS
scores
Group
Rhyme
10
Group
Beginning
Sound
6
Lowercase
ABC
11
Le`er
Sounds
13
Spelling
2
COW
PoinCng
4
COW
Word
ID
8
COW
Word
List
2

13. 11/22/14
13
Johnny’s
PALS
scores
Group
Rhyme
10
Group
Beginning
Sound
6
Lowercase
ABC
11
Le`er
Sounds
13
Spelling
2
COW
PoinCng
4
COW
Word
ID
8
COW
Word
List
2
What
do
you
noCce
about
Johnny’s
PALS
scores?
• Let’s
start
with
his
COW
scores,
and
his
COW
Word
List
scores,
in
parCcular.
– Johnny’s
COW
Word
List
score
was
2.
• So,
based
on
this
informaCon,
what
can
we
iniCally
determine
about
Johnny’s
level
of
COW?
• Let’s
consider
Johnny’s
poinCng
and
word
idenCficaCon
scores
for
further
informaCon.
– His
COW
PoinCng
score
was
4.
– His
COW
Word
ID
score
was
8.
• What
does
this
informaCon
tell
us?

14. 11/22/14
14
Some
addiConal
informaCon
to
consider
• Morris’s
model
noted
that
alphabet
knowledge
and
beginning
consonant
knowledge
is
present
before
COW.
• Let’s
take
a
look
at
Johnny’s
alphabet
knowledge
and
beginning
consonant
scores
and
see
if
that
data
provides
addiConal
informaCon.
Group
Rhyme
10
Group
Beginning
Sound
6
Lowercase
ABC
11
Le`er
Sounds
13
Spelling
2
COW
PoinCng
4
COW
Word
ID
8
COW
Word
List
2
What
does
the
data
tell
us?
• Johnny
obviously
does
not
have
strong
beginning
consonant
knowledge.
• He
only
knows
about
half
of
his
le`ers
and
sounds.
• He
does
not
have
a
firm
concept
of
word
in
text.
• Johnny
was
not
developmentally
ready
to
acquire
sight
words.

15. 11/22/14
15
• Therefore,
before
Johnny
should
be
expected
to
build
a
corpus
of
high-­‐frequency
words,
there
are
issues
that
need
to
be
addressed
first.
– Johnny
needs
to
acquire
the
alphabeCc
principle.
– Johnny
needs
to
acquire
a
firm
concept
of
word
in
text.
– Johnny
needs
to
move
from
the
lower
level
of
phonemic
awareness
to
achieve
a
higher
level
of
phonemic
awareness
(phonemic
segmentaCon).
ImplicaCons
• Instead
of
spending
valuable
instrucConal
Cme
drilling
sight
words,
students
like
Johnny
would
benefit
from
structured
experiences
in
achieving
the
alphabeCc
principle,
acquiring
a
full
concept
of
word,
and
developing
phonemic
awareness
(especially
phonemic
segmentaCon).
• Then,
he
could
be
expected
to
acquire
a
sight
word
vocabulary.
– Exposure
to
high-­‐frequency
words
is
fine.
What
should
we
be
doing
for
students
like
Johnny?
• First,
we
need
to
make
sure
that
we
are
using
the
available
PALS
data
to
plan
instrucCon
that
is
developmentally
appropriate.
– Look
at
the
COW
scores
and
determine
the
level
of
COW.
– Determine
the
amount
of
le`er-­‐sound
knowledge.
– Don’t
forget
to
check
out
the
Beginning
Sound
scores.
– Evaluate
the
Spelling
score-­‐is
the
child
using
iniCal
consonants?
IniCal
and
final
consonants?
Are
vowels
being
included
in
the
medial
posiCon?

16. 11/22/14
16
RecommendaCons
• Make
sure
that
a
firm
grasp
on
the
alphabeCc
principle
is
established.
• Picture
sorts
• Font
sorts
• Le`er
hunts
• Games
that
emphasize
le`er/sound
relaConships
• The
ABC
Song
(you
should
track
it
too!)
• Provide
opportuniCes
to
develop
COW
– Through
modeling
and
pracCce
• Nursery
rhymes
• Dictated
stories/Language
Experience
AcCviCes
• Build
phonemic
awareness
with
the
goal
of
acquiring
phonemic
segmentaCon.
• Use
tools
like
PALS
Quick
Checks
to
evaluate
student
growth
in
between
the
regular
administraCon
of
the
PALS
assessment.
Materials
• Words
Their
Way
and
Le;er
and
Picture
Sorts
for
Emergent
Spellers
are
great
resources
for
instrucCon.
• Ganske’s
book-­‐Word
Sorts
and
More
– Many
useful
acCviCes
• PALS
website
– Electronic
Lesson
Plans
Materials
• Other
tools
are
available
that
not
only
include
a
COW
component,
but
also
address
le`er-­‐sound
knowledge,
etc.
– Book
Buddies
assessment
in
the
Book
Buddies
manual
– Howard
Street
Tutoring
Manual
• Early
Reading
Screening
Instrument
(ERSI)
– Beverly
Tyner’s
Small-­‐
Group
Reading
InstrucHon

17. 11/22/14
17
References
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M.
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Thinking
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