Early+Years+Readers

** E **** a **** rly Years Readers **

 * "R **** eading is a process of sampling, predicting, confirming and self-correcting from various information sources” ** (Hill, 2006, p. 142).




 * ** Beginning ** || * Handles a book
 * Turns the pages
 * Looks at pictures
 * Listens to book read aloud, joins in with book reading ||
 * ** Early-emergent ** || * Chooses favourite books, joins in with books read aloud, memorises rhymes and perdictable books
 * Turns the pages uses left to right directionally ||
 * ** Emergent ** || * Begins to grasp concept of words
 * Left to right, top to bottom directionally
 * Reads word-by-word matching spoken word to print. Can retell a simple story ||
 * ** Early ** || * May still read word-by-word matching each printed word with a spoken word
 * Uses multiple sources of information and self corrects if the reading doesn't make sense
 * Adjusts reading style to the type of text. Retells the text in sequence. Increasing fluency of reading and reads vocalising aloud ||
 * ** Transitional ** || * Reads with more fluency in phrases rather than word-by-word
 * Reads silently
 * Can retell main ideas and summarise what has been read
 * Uses a variety of strategies to comprehend texts ||
 * ** Extending ** || * Changes style of reading to suit the text type
 * Careful close reading for directions and research reports and more fluent reading for narrative and descriptions
 * Use a range of reading strategies to identify new words and comprehend texts ||

Reading fluency is a fundamental part of mastering the skill of being able to read. Not only does it sound much better (when someone is a fluent reader) but it also assists a child “understanding what they read” (Hill, 2006, p. 168). Reading is a fun way to pass time, and as is mentioned by Susan Hill in ‘Developing Early Literacy’, having a poor fluency of reading can “affect a child’s pleasure in reading” (Hill, 2006, p. 168).
 * Reading Fluency **

media type="youtube" key="m082OFICqeI" width="425" height="350" align="center" just a short video with some tips of guiding students and encouraging 'reading fluency'
 * Reading fluency rubric **
 * || ** Level 1: ** || ** Level 2 ** || ** Level 3 ** || ** Level 4 ** ||
 * ** Rate ** || Very little variation of rate || some variation of rate to suit the text || Attention to rate to suit the text || Full attention to an appropriate rate to suit the text ||
 * ** Phrasing ** || Reads word-by-word with frequent long pauses in between || reads mostly word-by-word but some 2-word phrases and perhaps 3 or 4 word phrases || mixture of word-by-word reading and phrased reading || reads in larger meaningful phrases with few word-by-word slowdowns for problem solving ||
 * ** Pausing ** || Very little awareness of punctuation || some awareness of punctuation and layout of print || Attention to punctuation and layout of print on the page || full attention to punctuation and layout of print on the page ||
 * ** Stress ** || Very little emphasis on appropriate words || Some awareness of emphasis on appropriate words to reflect the meaning of the text || Attention to emphasis on appropriate words to reflect the meaning of the text || Full attention to emphasis on all the appropriate words to reflect the meaning of the text. ||
 * ** Intonation or expression ** || Little expression interpretation || Some expressive interpretation || Consistent exprressive use of tone, pitch and volume || Varied use of tone, pitch and volume interpretation evident throughout ||
 * Reading Comprehension **

Reading Comprehension is our understanding of what we are reading, or how we ‘comprehend’ about what we have read. Susan Hill in ‘Developing Early Literacy’ defines it as “the act of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning from the text” (Hill, 2006, p. 190

After assessing all students in the classroom, results show, they all have variation in reading fluency and a range of different results when asked, literal, interpretive and inferential questions. Individual results are shown below…

Student A* - This child’s ability to read fluently was only there in certain parts of the two texts that were read. The flip picture book the child chose was a bit too difficult, and is why she needed assistance with sounding out words and also why she spent more time decoding than reading full sentences. The text did have repetitive sentences on most pages that the student was able to read in chunks. With reference to the reading fluency rubric (Hill 2006 pg170) the student would be in the middle of level 1 and 2. The student showed ‘some variation of rate to suit the text’ but did ‘read mostly word by word. The student was in level 1 when it came to placing stress on words and she put ‘very little emphasis on appropriate words.

Student B* - After reading texts ‘My Dad’ and ‘Brian Banana Duck Sunshine Yellow’ the child responded well to several comprehension questions about both text’s. Student B’s* results showed that the child had a greater understanding of ‘My Dad’. The child made several clear depictions between the text and the illustrations and what they embodied. This is predominately evident as the child presented direct and somewhat complex answers ‘Because they got bored of him always talking about his dad’ for the interpretive questions and referred to the illustrations ‘his friends were running away.

Student C* performed a reading fluency test using the book “Where is the Green Sheep?” student C* gained a level 3 in expression on the reading fluency rubric as she consistently read the line ‘but where is the green sheep?’ with more enthusiasm and inquisitive tone in her voice. I believe this level of text-suited level of fluency well as although she read it without many mistakes it seemed a harder book than those of her bring home readers set by her teacher. If the book had of been the next step up I think Student C* may have struggled with it a little bit more.

Student D* - After discussing comprehension with student 1,* results showed that the child had a solid understanding of the text and the illustrations and what they represented. When asked an inferential question about the text, Student 1* made judgment that the caterpillars would have felt scared and then also related the story back to their personal experience.

Student D* displayed a low level of fluency, some variation of rate was shown, but tended to pause until prompted between words, the student lacked emphasis on appropriate words, although showed some expressive interpretation when reading, elevating the pitch of her words when necessary.

Ultimately now after conducting each of the interviews and exploring different levels of reading and reading comprehension, we as learning teachers have a better understanding of what texts to select at certain levels in terms of what is suitable and what isn’t. This, without a doubt will be invaluable to our teaching careers.