Making reading

a priority

David DidauSheredes School Conference

12th November 2015

Reading is complicated

Langu

age c

om

pre

hen

sion p

roce

sses

Word decoding/recognition processes

An accuracy issue?

An intelligence issue?

Skilled readingA fluency issue?

What’s the issue?

Alphabetic CodesEnglish:Opaque code44 smallest speech sounds (phonemes)47+ units of sound /k+s/ /kw/ /y+oo/ /ul/170+ spelling alternatives (graphemes)(double that for rare & unique spellings)

Spanish:Transparent code24 phonemes40 graphemes

Fewer spelling alternatives than sounds in English

The importance of fluency

Theygradually ascended for

half

a milethen found themselve

sat thetop of a

considerable eminence where thewood ceased theand eye was instantl

ycaught by Pemberley House situated

onthe oppositeside of the valley, intowhich the road with some abruptnes

swound.

Is comprehension possible?

• How far did they climb?• Where did the characters find

themselves? • At what point did they first see

Pemberley House?• Where were they standing when they

first saw the house?• How did the author describe the road?

Comprehension depends on reading speed

They gradually ascended for half a mile then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence where the wood ceased and the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House situated on the opposite side of the valley, into which the road with some abruptness wound.

• How far did they climb?• Where did the

characters find themselves?

• At what point did they first see Pemberley House?

• Where were they standing when they first saw the house?

• How did the author describe the road?

The cognitive processes

• Visual auditory– Attention– Blocking distractions– Visual systems– Application of rules associating letters to sounds– Saccades

• Higher level language comprehension– Meaning of words– Semantic & grammatical systems– Working memory– Inference & hypothesis– Anticipation

Memory

Long term• Accuracy• Fluency• Prior knowledge• Vocabulary• StoriesFast, automatic, invisible

Working• Inferences• Clarifications• Hypotheses• Predictions

Requires attention & effort

Proud mum in a million Natalie Brown hugged her beautiful baby daughter

Casey yesterday and said: “She’s my double

miracle.”

1 - Where would you find this text?2 - How do you know?

The blood vessels of the circulatory system, branching

into multitudes of very fine tubes (capillaries), supply all

parts of the muscles and organs with blood, which carries oxygen and food

necessary for life.

1 - Where would you find this text?2 - How do you know?

Ensure that the electrical supply is turned off. Ensure the

existing circuit to which the fitting is to be connected has been installed and fused in

accordance with current L.L.L. wiring regulations.

1 - Where would you find this text?2 - How do you know?

SKIMMING

Reading a text quickly to get an overview of the meaning

The Laki eruption was one of the most devastating eruptions in human history. Iceland lies on the mid-Atlantic ridge and its volcanoes pose a constant threat, although very few of them produce violent eruptions because the magma is usually basaltic and relatively free-flowing. In 1783–84, a major eruption from the Laki fissure poured out an estimated 14 km3 of basaltic lava and clouds of poisonous compounds. The volcano is located in a remote part of Iceland and no one was killed by the event itself. However, the secondary effects were devastating because the poisonous cloud killed over half of Iceland’s livestock population, leading to a famine which killed approximately a quarter of the population.

Searching a text quickly to pick out

key information

SCANNING

1. How many Irish provinces were there?

2. When did Henry II persuaded Pope Adrian IV to give him authority to conquer Ireland?

3. What were the names of the 3 towns taken by the English?

Six kings ruled six Irish provinces, each of which had many tribes with their own kings. Traditionally a High King of Ireland claimed tribute from the other kings. The last High King was Brian Boru, King of Munster, who died in 1014 while defeating the Danes at Clontarf. His rival, the King of Leinster, aided by the Danes who, after 1014, ruled Dublin, Waterford and Limerick. Four Kings – of Leinster, Munster, Connaught and Ulster – fought for Boru’s crown. In 1154 Henry II persuaded Pope Adrian IV to give him authority to conquer Ireland. In 1166 he had his chance. MacMurrough (Leinster) had stolen the wife of O’Rourke of Breffney, a neighbour of O’Connor (Connaught). All the kings condemned MacMurrough and banished him. He asked for Henry’s help. He sent de Clare (Strongbow), Earl of Pembroke to lead an army of chain-clad knights, supported by Welsh archers. The unarmoured Irish, with their Danish battle-axes were no match for them. The English took Wexford, Waterford and Dublin

How many provinces?When did Henry II persuade the pope?

What 3 towns?

1. How many Irish provinces were there?

2. When did Henry II persuaded Pope Adrian IV to give him authority to conquer Ireland?

3. What were the names of the 3 towns taken by the English?

ZOOMING

Zoom in on

certain words,

phrases and

sentences to

understand

the text in

more detail

Zooming in and outZooming in (analysing) allows us to see detail we would otherwise miss

We need to zoom out (evaluating) that the can understand how the detail fits into the big picture

But…

Comprehension also depends on background knowledge.

A manifold, contained in an intuition, which I call mine, is represented by means of the synthesis of the understanding, as belonging to the necessary unity of self-consciousness; and this is effected by means of the category.

Immanuel Kant – Critique of Pure Reason

What are the main ideas of this passage?1. Without a manifold, one cannot call an intuition

‘mine’. 2. Intuition must precede understanding. 3. Intuition must occur through a category. 4. Self-consciousness is necessary to understanding

What % of vocabulary do we need to know in order to

understand a text?

95%

Gregory had done all he could to complete the task. When

Horace approached his cousin he could see that Gregory was

exhausted. Smiling broadly, Horace said, “You know there

are dire results for your attempt.”

Misdirective contexts

treg

Dan heard the door open and wondered who had arrived. He couldn’t make out the voices.

Then he recognised the lumbering footsteps on the stairs and knew it was Aunt

Grace.

Nondirective contexts

credering

Joe and Stan arrived at the party a 7 o’clock. By 9:30. the evening seemed to drag for

Stan. But Joe really seemed to be having a good time at the

party. “I wish I could be as gregarious as he is,” thought

Stan.

General contexts

gurberous

When the cat pounced on the dog, he leapt up, yelping, and knocked

down a shelf of books. The animals ran past Wendy, tripping her. She cried out and fell to the floor. As

the noise and confusion mounted, Mother hollered upstairs, “What’s

all that commotion?”

Directive contexts

gamorion

Vocabulary building

• Tier 1 – high frequency in spoken language

• Tier 2 – high frequency in written texts

• Tier 3 – subject specific, academic language

Tier 2 Vocabulary

Johnny Harrington was a kind master who treated his servants fairly. He was also a successful wool merchant, and his business required that he travel often. In his absence, his servants would tend to the fields and cattle and maintain the upkeep of his mansion. They performed their duties happily, for they felt fortunate to have such a benevolent and trusting master.

Tier 2 Vocabulary

Johnny Harrington was a kind master who treated his servants fairly. He was also a successful wool merchant, and his business required that he travel often. In his absence, his servants would tend to the fields and cattle and maintain the upkeep of his mansion. They performed their duties happily, for they felt fortunate to have such a benevolent and trusting master.

Tier 2 Vocabulary

Merchant shop keeperRequired have toTend look afterMaintain keep goingPerformed did Fortunate lucky Benevolent kind

Reco

gnitio

n

Pro

nunci

ati

on

Definition

Vocabulary building

Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction, Isabelle Beck

Explicit vocabulary instruction

• Use texts rich in Tier 2 vocabulary

• Give synonyms & examples of specific circumstances in which words might be used

• Teach roots, prefixes & suffixes

Reading for pleasure

Reading for pleasure

• How can we get students to value reading?

• Establishing social norms– It’s cool to be smart– Every book will teach you something– Books allow us to have experiences

beyond our lives

Reading makes you smarterBelow

expected level %

At expected level

%

Above expected level

%Very much 2.4 63.5 34.2Quite a lot 4.2 83.5 12.3A bit 17.4 75.8 6.8Not at all 37 54.9 8.1

Enjoyment of reading and reading attainment in 2012 (n=13,710)

Reading makes you smarterBelow

expected level %

At expected level

%

Above expected level

%Every day 3.7 68.3 26.1A few times a week 7.1 81.7 11.2About once a week 13.6 78.4 8A few times a month 14.1 78.8 7.1About once a month 18.9 72.2 8.9Rarely 25.1 67 7.9Never 36.2 58.3 5.4

Reading frequency and reading attainment in 2012 (n=13,710

Read often + enjoy reading + read good books =

smarter, happier, more successful

Every hour spent reading is an hour spent learning to write.

Robert MacFarlane

There’s nothing good or bad but

thinking makes it so.

@LearningSpyddidau@gmail.com

www.learningspy.co.uk