Structured Literacy is a term that has gained popularity in recent years as a way of explaining programs that incorporate explicit, systematic and cumulative, hands-on, engaging, and multi-modal instruction based on ongoing assessment.
What does that all mean?
It means that structured literacy is an approach to literacy that includes:
Direct instruction: when talking about explicit instruction we mean a specific lesson that is explained and the student has the opportunity to practice the concept
Systematic and Cumulative instruction: Means there are clear steps. Instruction has a goal and the lessons follow a specific sequence with each lesson building on the previous lesson and incorporates review of earlier learned concepts.
Hands-on and Engaging: lessons are delivered in a way that students are able to move around, use their voices, their listening, their hands, their bodies, and they have a chance to see the lesson in a variety of ways.
Engaging: lessons are reinforced with activities that allow the student to apply what they have learned in a variety of ways
Multi-modal: lessons are presented in different ways to allow for effective learning. Examples of this could include: a student is presented with a letter and told the sound; the student air writes the letter, then they hear the sound or the letter name and air writes the letter, then the student is asked to write the letter on paper; then they read a list of words with that particular letter in it, then play a game finding the letter or playing fish, and then they are tasked with spelling words containing that letter.
What is Structured Literacy?
Structured Literacy incorporates: recognizing a letter by name and by sound, spelling rules, vocabulary, comprehension, parts of speech, sentence and paragraph rules, grammar, sight words, and strategies to pull apart unfamiliar words into manageable chunks.
Many programs apply the principles of Structured Literacy. Some programs target specific elements of Structured Literacy, for example, a phonics program addresses sounds and symbols of letters and sometimes how to put letters together to form words and how to recognize syllables, but not comprehension or sentence structure. Other programs are more comprehensive and address all the elements of Structured Literacy.
What is a structured approach to Math intervention?
Math intervention starts with numeracy intervention. How does Read/Write & Math Intervention Program define foundational numeracy?
Foundational numeracy is:
1. The ability to use and understand numbers. Like letters and words, numeracy is constructed out of understanding that squiggles made digits, those digits become numbers as we assign values (attributes) to them. This is place value.
2 Once a solid understanding of place value exists, numbers can be used to form sentences to describe relationships between numbers. For example, this can be addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.
3. Operations and number sentences are applied to problems like: measurement, estimation, money, time, shapes, algebra, trigonometry, baking, managing money, driving, etc
4. Building foundational skills in numeracy is essential to performance in mathematics Often students are missing key components of numeracy They do not understand place value which impacts their ability to learn operations, or they are missing a foundational understanding of how parts relate to a whole. We work with a direct instruction approach to identify gaps through assessment and then systematically fill those gaps.
5 We use Orton Gillingham Theory to inform our instruction along with tools like Woodin Math, Chisnabop, Jump Math, manipulatives, and applied practice to build these missing skills.
What is Tier 3 Intervention
(also known as remediation or intervention)?
Children requiring tier 3 intervention often require modified academic programs until the gaps are filled in and the student can resume accommodated learning.
Accommodations: support learning without changing the work expectations or the curriculum components. Examples of accommodations include speech to text, preferred classroom seating, body breaks, doing every other question on an assignment, additional test time, quiet space to write tests or exams, writing make-up tests, music while learning, standing while learning, etc.
Modifications (or modified curriculum): the material the student is responsible for learning is at a lower level than what is expected in the curriculum. A student might have a very different spelling list that is still challenging for the student but easier for the rest of the students in the classroom.
What can you expect from Read/Write & Math Intervention Programs?
Read/Write & Math Intervention is a Tier 3 intervention program. The goal is remediation (closing the gaps and filling in the holes). Read/Write & Math Intervention specializes in working with students diagnosed with learning disabilities (or suspected of having a learning disability) and/or diagnosed with ADHD (or suspected of ADHD). We have success with students who may not have a formal diagnosis but are known to experience slow processing speeds, poor working memory, mild intellectual disabilities, and students with significant anxiety that is interfering with learning. Our program does not follow Alberta curriculum.
A quick note about grade level: We are often asked about the student’s current grade level This is a difficult question to answer because grade level is a vaguely defined term and depends on many factors. The best person to ask about grade-level expectations is your child’s school teacher. Read/Write & Math Intervention does not set the goal of moving a child to grade level. Our goal is to arm the student with the skills they need to be successful in the classroom setting. The skills they learn in Read/Write & Math Intervention need to be applied in a classroom setting or to curriculum work in order to determine success.
Please Note: Our program does not replace the Alberta curriculum and does not replace homeschool commitments in Language Arts and Social Studies. We do not task students with writing essays for grades or have them complete curriculum-based tests. Using research-based approaches, we work with your child to identify both strengths and areas of opportunity in their literacy skills. Through explicit and direct instruction, we then provide them with strategies and knowledge to improve their literacy skills.
What can you expect from Read/Write & Math Intervention Programs?
If you have questions, we encourage you to book the last ten minutes of your child’s lesson time to meet with your instructor (online via Zoom, by phone, or outside if your child is taking in-person lessons) to discuss your child’s progress. At the end of the program, your child will bring home a duotang of material they worked on, examples of passages, or words they can continue to work on, and a summary report will be sent to you within two business days of the program end date.
In an intensive, you can expect a post-assessment report at the end of the week following the last day of the program.
The goal of all our programs is promoting automaticity and mastery. This means that if we show a child a letter and ask for the sound, there is no pause, the child responds with the sound (or the letter name). This is also true for words as we move into words. In reading and spelling, automaticity means the child can hear or see the word in any context and both read and spell that word.
We reserve the right to make instructor changes if we feel it is in the best interest of the student’s learning. Typically, we will not make a change during the program unless there are extenuating circumstances. We invite you to provide us with feedback as early as possible into a program (both opportunities for growth and celebrations) to allow us to monitor your child’s experience in our programs. There are times when a student will grow more with an instructor change because it allows the student to build a new relationship with a trusted adult and see they can be successful with a variety of people, and each instructor has a different strength and it allows your child to benefit as much as possible from our programs.
What can you expect from Read/Write & Math Intervention Programs?
Lessons are primarily 1:1. Students work with the same instructor for the duration of their registered program in a quiet office. The first lesson is either an informal assessment to determine the goal for the session (the full set of lessons) or a more formal pre-assessment (if the program is an intensive). At the end of the first lesson (within one day) you will receive a one-page summary of the assessments and the goal for the program. In intensive programs, you will have a pre-assessment that indicates where your student is starting and the goal of the program sent to you within a week. Goals may be revised as the lessons continue depending on progress. You can expect weekly updates from your child’s instructor The instructor will share what your child learned that week and you will receive activities to work on at home.
When they are participating in an intensive program, they may be tired and resistant to doing any other work. This is okay! We do not want them doing any homework in the evenings outside of your typical reading routine (if you are reading to them) when they are in an intensive program. They do not need to do any other reading or spelling practice as we want them to rest in the evenings and then be ready for the next day’s lessons.
Terminology
Literacy:
Consonant: a letter that has a sound that is stopped by your lips, teeth, or tongue
Vowel: a, e, i, o, u
Syllable: a word or a part of speech with a talking vowel
Syllable Types:
Closed Syllable: A syllable that has one vowel and the vowel is followed by one or more consonants so the vowel makes its sound; for example a says /a/ like in apple
Magic-E Syllable: A syllable that has one vowel and then a consonant and an e at the end of the word. The e jumps over one sound and makes the vowel say its name; for example lane, bathe Vowel Team: A syllable that has two vowels side by side, for example sea, sail, boat
R-Controlled: Syllable that has a vowel immediately followed by the letter r. For example card, nor
Open Syllables: A syllable that ends with a vowel as in hi or co, the vowel will say its name.
Consonant le: Syllable that ends with a consonant and then followed by le; this is a different one because the e is at the end and does not make a sound but this syllable is three letters (unless a digraph like ckle); for example bubble ble is the syllable and it sounds like bul
Terminology
Digraph: Two letters working together to make one sound example: th, sh, ch
Trigraph: Three letters working together to make one sound (dge, tch)
Suffix: A letter or group of letters that have meaning that must be added to the end of a base word, such as suffix s (means more than one) banks
Prefix: A letter or group of letters that have meaning and must be added to the beginning of a base word
Decoding: Reading! Pulling apart letters by sound and blending the sounds together
Encoding: Spelling! Identifying the letter and sound and the rule and putting the word together
Blend: Two or three consonants next to each other; they each retain their own sound but are blended into the next sound (example blend) bl and nd are blends
Math Terminology:
Addition (+) – Combining two or more numbers to get a sum.
Subtraction (-) – Finding the difference between two numbers.
Multiplication (×) – Repeated addition of a number.
Division (÷) – Splitting a number into equal parts
Numeracy: The ability to understand and work with numbers, including basic arithmetic, percentages, ratios, and data interpretation.
Integers: Whole numbers, including positives, negatives, and zero.
Fractions: A number that represents a part of a whole, written as a/b, where a is the numerator and b is the denominator.
Decimals: A way to represent fractions using a decimal point, with place values such as tenths, hundredths, and thousandths
How to support your child at home
Using common phrases for cuing helps the student continue transitioning the knowledge they have acquired in the program into their long-term memory.
Reading/Spelling/ Writing Comprehension
Have student find the vowel, say the sound then read the word
Tap out the sound
Scoop the phrases
Describe what is pictured
Spell word aloud before writing
Read word back after writing
Parse the sentence for a subject and predicate
Math
Practice fluency facts
Always prove the answer (Check the opposite operation)
Play math games like cards
Have student estimate grocery bill
Have kid make purchase and count change
Describe how they got an answer
Have them draw a picture of their thought
Where can I find more information?
SCIENCE OF READING EVIDENCE-BASED LITERACY INSTRUCTION
Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice In S Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research in early literacy (pp. 97–110). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
PUBLICATIONS:
National Reading Panel (2000). Teaching Children to Read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Institutes of Health.https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pub s/nrp/Documents/rep ort.pdf
BOOKS:
Kilpatrick, D. A. (2012). Essentials of assessing, preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research in early literacy (pp. 97– 110). New York, NY: Guilford Press
Birsh, J., & Carreker, S. (2019). Multisensory teaching of basic language skills, 4th ed. MD: Brookes Publishing.
Moats, L. C. (2011). Speech to print. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing. Shaywitz, Sally (2020). Overcoming Dyslexia. New York: Penguin Random House
Kilpatrick, D.A. Equipped for Reading Success
Seidenberg, Mark (2017). Language at the Speed of Sight. New York: Basic Books.
ARTICLES:
Teaching Reading is Rocket Science. By Louisa Moats https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1260264.pdf
Working Smarter, Not Harder. What Teachers of Reading Need to Know and Be Able to Teach. By Carol Tolman (2018). https://drcaroltolman.com/working- smarter-not-harder/
