Fountas and Pinnell Resources

Christ Our Holy Redeemer2015

Reading as a ProcessReading is an interactive process that goes on between the reader and the text, resulting in comprehension. The text presents letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs that encode meaning. The reader uses knowledge, skills, and strategies to determine what that meaning is. The purpose(s) for reading and the type of text determine the specific knowledge, skills, and strategies that readers need to apply to achieve comprehension. Reading comprehension is thus much more than decoding. Reading comprehension results when the reader knows which skills and strategies are appropriate for the type of text, and understands how to apply them to accomplish the reading purpose.

Material for this section was drawn from “Reading in the beginning and intermediate college foreign language class” by Heidi Byrnes, in Modules for the professional preparation of teaching assistants in foreign languages (Grace

Stovall Burkart, ed.; Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics, 1998)

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

READING – Foundation – Year 2 Foundation: The end of year Text levels for the 2014 Foundation cohort indicate pleasing data and a sound foundation for the students moving into Year 1 in 2015. The minimum text level for end of year for Foundation students is level 5. The following table provides a snapshot of our students’ Text levels in December:

Text level Percentage of students at level

0 - 4 0 5 – 9 9

10 – 14 30 15 – 19 21 20 – 24 30

25 – 28+ 10 Year One: The school’s target for end of year Yr 1 students was to have 80% of students at or above text level 20. Pleasingly, 87% of our Yr 1 students achieved this target. The following table provides information about text levels and growth between February and November:

Text level Percentage of students at level

(February)

Percentage of students at level (November)

0 - 4 3 0 5 – 9 26 0

10 – 14 26 0 15 – 19 11 13 20 – 24 20 49

25 – 28+ 9 38 Year Two: Similarly, the results of our Yr 2 November testing, indicated similar and pleasing outcomes, as illustrated in the following table:

Text level Percentage of students at level

0 - 4 0 5 – 9 2

10 – 14 4 15 – 19 10 20 – 24 43

25 – 28+ 41 In the latter part of the year the school implemented an intensive reading intervention program for those students in Years 1 and 2 who were not making the headway that we believed they were capable. This involved small groups of around 5 students working 4 days a week on the explicit needs of the students.

Language* Literature LiteracyLanguage variation and change

Literature and context Texts in context

Language for interaction

Responding to literature

Interacting with others

Text structure and organisation

Examining literature

Interpreting, analysing and evaluating

Expressing and developing ideas Creating literature Creating texts

Sound and letter knowledge    

The strands and sub-strands are:

http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/English/Overview/Content-structure

Reading and ViewingContent descriptions in each language mode are also grouped into strands and sub-strands that, across the levels, present a sequence of development of knowledge, understanding and skills. The three strands, Language, Literature and Literacy, are interrelated and support students' growing understanding and use of Standard Australian English (English). Together the three strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking and writing.

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/auscurric/English_scope_and_sequence_AusVELS.pdf https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jo_0oHn9iJSmGZL5GW7g7ioSiad8kvpaOi5MiH-G3Vg/edit

“We have worked hard to create resources that enable teachers to root instruction in rationales and to meet the needs of each child as a unique learner.” Fountas and Pinnell

Overview of Fountas & PinnellFountas and Pinnell is a levelling system based on a gradient of text difficulty from levels A-Z .

It consists if twenty-six points on a gradient from the easiest level to the most challenging level.It is assesses the appropriate texts from kindergarten to grades twelve and above.

Specific features of this resource enable you to: • Determine your students’ independent and instructional reading levels • Group students for reading instruction • Select texts that will be productive for a student’s instruction • Assess the outcomes of teaching • Determine a new student’s instructional and independent reading level • Identify students who need intervention and extra help • Monitor and report student progress across a school year and across year levels • Create class profiles • Inform parent conferences

Effectiveness of Fountas & Pinnell

Validity- It provides an extensive text levelling system from A-Z, as a benchmark assessment to determine the instructional level of your students.

Reliability-The texts are analysed by Fountas and Pinnell where benchmark books were actually created to precisely match the gradient, and they were independently analysed using the same process.

Components of the Kit Grades P-2, Levels A-N 30 Books (15 Fiction and 15 Nonfiction) Assessment Guide 2* Assessment Forms Book Assessment Forms CD-ROM* Optional Assessments Item Book Data Management CD-ROM*  Professional Development DVDs* The Continuum of Literacy Learning: A

Guide to Teaching, P-2* 30 Student Folders* F&P Calculator/Stopwatch* Benchmark Assessment System Student

Folders (30-pack)

Components of the Kit Grades 3–8, Levels L–Z 30 Books (15 Fiction and 15 Nonfiction) Assessment Guide 2* Assessment Forms Book Assessment Forms CD-ROM* Optional Assessments Item Book Data Management CD-ROM*  Professional Development DVDs* The Continuum of Literacy Learning: A

Guide to Teaching, 3-8* 30 Student Folders* F&P Calculator/Stopwatch* Benchmark Assessment System Student

Folders (30-pack)

Data can be collected using assessments such as Running Records, miscue analysis and observation surveys.

Levelled Texts for Running Records

Variety of fiction Realistic fiction

Simple animal fantasy Historical fiction

Variety of nonfiction Simple factual texts

Biography Informational texts on

science and social studies topics

What is it?“A series of texts that can be used to identify a student's current reading level and progress along a gradient of text levels over time.”

About…Within...Beyond…the text

Why use it? It has proven to be a valid and reliable

assessment tool To determine students’ independent and

instructional reading levels To group students for reading instruction To identify students who may need intervention To assess the outcomes of teaching To document student progress across a school

year and across grade levels To assess a new student’s reading level To inform parent conferences

Who will be assessed?

When do we assess with this resource?

Frequently asked questionshttp://www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/faqs_bas.aspx