Smarty Ants
Transcript of Smarty Ants
The Role of Foundational Skills
in an Era of Challenging
Curriculum
P. David Pearson
UC Berkeley
Achieve 3000 will make these slides available
2
Goals for the Talk
Discuss the place of foundational skills in
the post NCLB world.
Review what we know about the best ways
to get young readers and writers off to a
good start
Background for understanding the logic and
affordances of Achieve 3000’s Smarty Ants
learning environment
Four parts to this presentation
I. What do we know about foundational
skills in general and the principles that
should guide early reading?
II. What do we know about the guiding
principles of Smarty Ants?
III. How does Smarty Ants map onto the
research base?
IV. Where does Smarty Ants fit into a
comprehensive ELA curriculum? 3
Why this focus on foundational
skills in this current policy
climate?...
4
Bottom Line: Reading
Foundational skills are just that:/ PA
/ LS Knowledge
/ Accurate decoding of words
/ Automatic reading of words
/ Fluency reading of text
/ Comprehending what you read
/ Critiquing what you read
/ Productive citizens, consumers, workers, friends.
5
Bottom Line: Writing
Foundational skills are just that:/ PA
/ SL Knowledge
/ Accurate spelling of word parts
/ Fluent spelling/writing of text
/ Effective composition—saying what you want
/ Critiquing what you and others write
/ Productive citizens, consumers, workers, friends.
6
Part I: Key Principles Derived from an Extensive
Research Base that is Independent of Smarty Ants
Phonemic awareness is the foundation of solid phonics
instruction
Teach phonics first and fast
Kids learn to read by reading
Writing and spelling reinforce what kids are learning in
reading
Build a progress monitoring system based on solid
formative assessment tools
Kids learn more when motivational conditions are optimal
Family engagement enhances literacy growth.
7
Research Base
National Reading Panel Report 2000
National Early Literacy Panel 2010
Handbook of Reading Research (2000 and
2011)
Recent articles and chapters relevant to
these issues
8
9
A special nod to the 2000 NRP Report
18 month effort
Distinguished National Panel
Selective review of research
/ Experimental or quasi-experimental
/ Control group
/ Other methodological standards
Meta-analysis
/ (Mexp - Mcont) )/ sdcont
/ Report effect sizes (sd units)
10
What the report says about
phonics
Overall, phonics instruction had a significant effect on reading
achievement.
The effect was greater on measures of decoding or word recognition
than on measures of comprehension or oral reading.
Phonics instruction proved more effective in kindergarten and first
grade than in grades 2-6.
The same general trend (effective for younger but not older children)
was also found for children with reading problems.
No particular approach singled itself out—what mattered was
coherence and systematicity.
A variety of text types were associated with successful programs,
including decodable, predictable, and ordinary texts
11
What the report says about
phonemic awareness
Phonological awareness instruction is
effective in kindergarten and first grade.
Phonological awareness instruction is
especially effective when combined with
letter training and as part of a total literacy
program
A modest number of total hours—closer to
20 than to 100 in K.
Other NRP Findings
Fluency matters: but the goal is reading
with expression not speed.
Comprehension matters: support it with
useful strategies and rich talk about text.
Vocabulary matters:
/ Access to the words you know but cannot read
/ And the words you don’t yet know.
12
13
Utility of the Report
It was incredibly useful to be able to assert,
with greater confidence, what we know
about teaching reading effectively.
So that we can turn our energies to other
less well understood issues
BUT….. There is still the hard work of
making this all happen..
14
So what does this mean for you
as a educator?
Make sure that your primary grade reading
programs provide for systematic instruction
in phonics.
Teach children to use phonics as one of
several tools (including context and sight
words) for reading words, especially
unknown words.
15
So what does all this mean for
you as an educator
In kindergarten, begin to teach phonemic
awareness in conjunction with letter-sound
instruction.
But also promote it though oral language
activities, such as rhyming and alliteration
songs and games, and invented spelling
activities (encouraging children to spell
words the way they sound)*.*a key role for Smarty Ants
16
Some more (free) advice about
teaching phonics and other word
recognition strategies
17
Take a broad approach to word
recognition: Word reading is
supported by... letter-sound decoding (buh-ah-tuh=/bat/)
decoding words by analogy with known
words (mother looks like brother so it must
sound like it)
sight word learning
context clues (it must have something to do
with birds because that is what the story is
about). [the controversial one].
18
Keep the goals of phonics
instruction clearly in mindImmediate: to allow initial word identification
of unknown words;
Long term: to help students move words into
their sight word repertoire, where they can be
recognized instantly, without arduous analysis.
Ultimate: to get to word meaning on the way to
understanding what is read.
19
Quote from the late Steve Stahl
We do not teach phonics so that students
can decode words, we teach it so that they
can recognize words automatically.
20
Learn to appreciate what phonics
and other word learning
strategies can do for readers
21
Conserving Our Natural Resources
The need for conservationThe earth is full of natural resources that we use every day.However, we have to be careful how we use these valuableresources.
If we cut down too many trees, the forests willdisappear. Then there will be no trees to use to buildhouses or to make paper. There will be no place for wildanimals and wild birds to live and hide. People will not beable to camp in the forests.
If we dump trash and garbage into the rivers andoceans, the waters will become polluted or dirty. The dirtywater will be unhealthy for people to use. It will also beharmful to the fish and other water animals.
If we let factories pour smoke into the air, our air willbecome polluted. Polluted air can make our eyes sting andfill with tear. It can make paint on buildings fade and eeloff. It can eat away metal. It can kill trees and hurt otherplants. Polluted air hurts almost everything it touches.
Trees, water, and air are some of our most importantnatural resources. We need to take care of them so they willnot be spoiled and wastes. This good use of naturalresources is called conservation.
From a 4th grade state test
22
Conserving Our Natural Resources
The need for conservation
The earth is full of natural resources that we use every day. However, we have
to be careful how we use these valuable resources.
If we cut down too many trees, the forests will disappear. Then there
will be no trees to use to build houses or to make paper. There will be no place
for wild animals and wild birds to live and hide. People will not be able to
camp in the forests.
If we dump trash and garbage into the rivers and oceans, the waters
will become polluted or dirty. The dirty water will be unhealthy for people to
use. It will also be harmful to the fish and other water animals.
If we let factories pour smoke into the air, our air will become
polluted. Polluted air can make our eyes sting and fill with tear. It can make
paint on buildings fade and peel off. It can eat away metal. It can kill trees and
hurt other plants. Polluted air hurts almost everything it touches.
Trees, water, and air are some of our most important natural
resources. We need to take care of them so they will not be spoiled and wasted.
This good use of natural resources is called conservation.
Green = 100 high frequency
Here’s what you could read if you knew the 100 most
common sight words in English.
23
Conserving Our Natural Resources
The need for conservation
The earth is full of natural resources that we use every day. However, we have
to be careful how we use these valuable resources.
If we cut down too many trees, the forests will disappear. Then there
will be no trees to use to build houses or to make paper. There will be no place
for wild animals and wild birds to live and hide. People will not be able to
camp in the forests.
If we dump trash and garbage into the rivers and oceans, the waters
will become polluted or dirty. The dirty water will be unhealthy for people to
use. It will also be harmful to the fish and other water animals.
If we let factories pour smoke into the air, our air will become
polluted. Polluted air can make our eyes sting and fill with tear. It can make
paint on buildings fade and peel off. It can eat away metal. It can kill trees and
hurt other plants. Polluted air hurts almost everything it touches.
Trees, water, and air are some of our most important natural
resources. We need to take care of them so they will not be spoiled and wasted.
This good use of natural resources is called conservation.
Green = high frequency Purple = common pattern
Blue = both high frequency and common pattern
Here’s what you could read if you could also decode
the most common word family patterns
24
Conserving Our Natural Resources
The need for conservation
The earth is full of natural resources that we use every day. However,
we have to be careful how we use these valuable resources.
If we cut down too many trees, the forests will disappear.
Then there will be no trees to use to build houses or to make paper.
There will be no place for wild animals and wild birds to live and
hide. People will not be able to camp in the forests.
If we dump trash and garbage into the rivers and oceans,
the waters will become polluted or dirty. The dirty water will be
unhealthy for people to use. It will also be harmful to the fish and
other water animals.
If we let factories pour smoke into the air, our air will
become polluted. Polluted air can make our eyes sting and fill with
tear. It can make paint on buildings fade and peel off. It can eat away
metal. It can kill trees and hurt other plants. Polluted air hurts almost
everything it touches.
Trees, water, and air are some of our most important
natural resources. We need to take care of them so they will not be
spoiled and wasted. This good use of natural resources is called
conservation.
Green = high frequency Purple = common pattern
Blue = both hf and cp Red = uncommon words
25
Conserving Our Natural Resources
The need for conservation
The earth is full of natural resources that we use every day. However, we
have to be careful how we use these valuable resources.
If we cut down too many trees, the forests will disappear. Then there will
be no trees to use to build houses or to make paper. There will be no place for wild
animals and wild birds to live and hide. People will not be able to camp in the
forests.
If we dump trash and garbage into the rivers and oceans, the waters will
become polluted or dirty. The dirty water will be unhealthy for people to use. It will
also be harmful to the fish and other water animals.
If we let factories pour smoke into the air, our air will become polluted.
Polluted air can make our eyes sting and fill with tear. It can make paint on
buildings fade and peel off. It can eat away metal. It can kill trees and hurt other
plants. Polluted air hurts almost everything it touches.
Trees, water, and air are some of our most important natural resources.
We need to take care of them so they will not be spoiled and wasted. This good use
of natural resources is called conservation.
Green 100 high frequency Purple = common pattern
Blue = both hf and cp Light Green = 300 HF
Magenta= more patterns, but less common
Underlined Red = more even less common patterns
Brown = syllables and affixes
Here’s what you could read if you knew more sight words,
could also decode the less common patterns, and could attend
to word parts.
26
Conserving Our Natural Resources
The need for conservationThe earth is full of natural resources that we use every day.However, we have to be careful how we use these valuableresources.
If we cut down too many trees, the forests willdisappear. Then there will be no trees to use to buildhouses or to make paper. There will be no place for wildanimals and wild birds to live and hide. People will not beable to camp in the forests.
If we dump trash and garbage into the rivers andoceans, the waters will become polluted or dirty. The dirtywater will be unhealthy for people to use. It will also beharmful to the fish and other water animals.
If we let factories pour smoke into the air, our air willbecome polluted. Polluted air can make our eyes sting andfill with tear. It can make paint on buildings fade and eeloff. It can eat away metal. It can kill trees and hurt otherplants. Polluted air hurts almost everything it touches.
Trees, water, and air are some of our most importantnatural resources. We need to take care of them so they willnot be spoiled and wastes. This good use of naturalresources is called conservation.
So…
If we can be thorough and systematic about
equipping kids with a kit of word reading
tools and some way of monitoring for
meaning,
They should be able to make their way
through a lot of tough texts, including those
that come to us in this era of text
complexity and close reading.
27
Principle 3: You gotta’ play the
game: Kids learn to read by reading
NRP: Fluency findings
Book Flood and Reading Log studies:
reading time predicts growth.
Library studies
Reading Recovery findings
Shared reading research with pre-schoolers
and parents
28
My analogy with summer
basketball camp
Kids want to play the game
29
Why? Because kids want to play the game.
Principle 5: Writing and spelling
reinforce what kids learn in reading*
At the letter level :/ Spelling sound correspondences
/ Sound spelling correspondences
At the word level:/ Reading words
/ Writing/making words
At the text level/ Reading stories
/ Composing your own stories
30*Clarke, 1987; Winsor & Pearson, 1992
Principle 6: Build a progress monitoring
system on solid formative assessment tools
Formative assessment: using curriculum-embedded
assessments to make curricular and pedagogical decisions
has a greater effect on learning than most interventions.
Data-based decision-making, as a part of school reform, is
a consistent characteristic of highly effective schools and
classrooms.
Two kinds of assessments:
/ Proximal: are the kids learning what I thought I was teaching
/ Distal: does what they are learning transfer to any more global
indicators of literacy growth
31
Principle 7: Kids learn more when motivational
conditions are optimal.*
32
Kids read better, write better, and learn more when they are engaged.
They are more engaged when teachers and programs apply these principles of engaged learning/ Choice/Autonomy (you get to make choices for yourself,
usually within some boundaries)
/ Interest (+ knowledge)
/ Self-efficacy (you get a sense of improving, meeting your goals, and recognition among your peers and family)
/ Collaboration (doing it with others)
/ Coherence (the tasks and the progression make sense)
*Guthrie and Wigfield, 2012.
Principle 8: Family engagement
enhances literacy growth
Characteristics of effective parent
involvement*
/ shared reading with kids, especially of kids’
work
/ teacher–parent partnership and communication
4 Frequent notes and even phone calls
/ checking homework
/ New kid on the block: digital interfaces with
parents33
*Jeynes, 2013
Part II. So what are the key principles
guiding Smarty Ants?
Provide a systematic approach to teaching key foundational skills on
the way to fluent reading with comprehension.
Provide everyday opportunities to apply what you are learning to
reading and writing text.
Constantly assess and re-assess placement and progress.
Build in motivational tools at every possible opportunity
Engage the family (and if you can, the community)
Take advantage of every possible affordance of the digital environment
34
35
Principle #1: Provide a systematic approach to
teaching key foundational skills on the way to fluent
reading with comprehension.
Instruction is systematic and cumulative. This creates a learning environment where children are always prepared for the next step.
• Smarty Ants gets children reading as soon as possible; once they’ve learned a few consonant and a single vowel sound, they use the letter sounds to build words, and the words they build to make sentences and stories.
Principle #2: Provide everyday opportunities
to apply what you are learning to reading and
writing text.
Also promotes synergy between reading
and writing. They are using their letter
sound and sound letter knowledge to create
text.
Pre-K
Early Literacy Skills► Letter Names
► Introduce Letter Sounds
► Phonemic Awareness
► Phonological Awareness
► CVC Word Building
Joy of Reading/Authentic Literature► Fluency
► Prosody
► Active Listening
► Comprehension Skills
Even in Pre-K, skills are
put to work immediately
to allow kids to engage in
authentic reading and
listening activity
Smarty Ants is a data rich environment
Every move, every response, every click a
student makes is part of the data base used
to assess progress toward mastery on all of
the skills in the system.
38
Principle #3: Constantly assess and reassess
placement and progress
Establish placement and monitor
progress at every level
The individual
The class
The school
The district
39
This capacity to monitor at every level from
student to district is the real power of Smarty
Ants
More than anything else, Smarty Ants is a
data management system for progress
monitoring that leads to highly
differentiated instruction.
There are many pathways to success. Our
job as educators is to ensure that
/ ALL pathways are open
/ We find just the right one for each kid.
40
New Reports: Individual Initial Placement,
Progress & Prescription
New Reports: Class/School/District
Initial Placement, Progress & Prescription
Analysis of progress of students grouped by initial assessment placement.
Choice
/ Pathways through the program
/ Level of Challenge and Scaffolding
Interest
/ Topics, animals, animations
Self-Efficacy
/ Accomplishments are recognized
/ Students are consulted about their responses43
Principle #4: Build in motivational
tools at every possible opportunity.
• Students navigate their own learning path. • They are given choices which allow them to
match their learning temperament, including their own risk tolerance/aversion profile.
• They can adjust their path as they gain confidence and progress through the program.
• In every learning mode there are 1,056 different paths they can choose.
• The Research: When students are given the opportunity to develop their path, they own it and are much more likely to stay engaged.
Providing Students Choice
Providing Students Choice
Treadmill Climbing Wall Race Cars
Hoops Dog Park Race Snowboarding
Teaching Video Teaching Video
Guided Practice Dance Studio
Rewards
►Reward Time
►Smarty Store
►Student Feedback
►Graduation Ceremonies
►Diplomas
►Story Printouts
►Award Necklaces for all targets
earned
►Daily Woof Newspaper Articles
►Super Ant/Animal Rescue
►Ant of the Week Awards
Awards
Rewards
Story Printout
Smarty Coins/Shopping in Ant Store
Student Feedback
Graduation
Graduation Certificate
Categories► Most Time Played
► Most Uppercase Letters
► Most Lowercase Letters
► Most Words Built
► Most Stories Built
► Most Stories Recorded
► Most Chapters Completed
► Most Science Books Completed
Ant of the Week Awards
In print, conversational, and digital
communication, the family is fully engaged.
57
Principle #5: Engage the family
Family ParticipationStory Printouts
Family Participation
Daily Woof email updates
Parent Letter
Family Participation
Daily Woof email updates
Parent Letter
Every curricular and pedagogical feature of
Smarty Ants is enhanced by the digital
environment through which it is delivered.
61
Principle #6: Take advantage of every
possible affordance of the digital
environment
Without the digital environment,
we could not have...
6 different skill practice environments
4 different kinds and 3 different levels of
scaffolding
The myriad forms of recognition
Easily generated reports for individuals,
classes, schools, and districts
The pizzazz of the different environments
for skill teaching and practice62
Part III: Mapping Smarty Ants principles onto
the principles from the research base…
The research base
1. Phonemic awareness
2. Phonics first and fast
3. Reading everyday
4. Writing reinforces reading
5. Progress monitoring
6. Motivation
7. Family engagement
Smarty Ants
Systematic Foundational
Skills
Apply FS to Real Reading
Constant assessment
Motivational tools
Engage the family
Digital affordances
63
Part IV: So where does SmartyAnts fit in a
curricular portfolio?
64
65
Think about foundational skills of Smarty
Ants as being a part of a larger curricular
enterprise
A part of the literacy puzzle
A link in the literacy chain
A basic “food group” in a balanced literacy
diet
A key player in preserving the ecological
harmony of literacy instruction
66
Balance of Nature
Ecological Balance
A Comprehensive Literacy
Curriculum: What will the research
support? (from Raphael & Au)
Language Conventions
Comprehension Composition Literary Aspects
Background Knowledge:
prediction
Text Processing:summarizingsequencingidentifying
importance
Monitoring:clarifyingplanning
Sound/Symbol
Grammar
Usage
Interaction
Process:planningdraftingrevising
Writing as a Tool
Writing from Sources
On-Demand Writing
Literary Elements:themeplotcharactersetting
Response to Literature:
personalcreativecritical
Language Conventions
Comprehension Composition Literary Aspects
Background Knowledge:
prediction
Text Processing:summarizingsequencingidentifying
importance
Monitoring:clarifyingplanning
Sound/SymbolProcess:
planningdraftingrevising
Writing as a Tool
Writing from Sources
On-Demand Writing
Literary Elements:themeplotcharactersetting
Response to Literature:
personalcreativecritical
Excluding Aspects of the Curriculum
Grammar
Usage
Interaction
Language Conventions
Comprehension Composition Literary Aspects
Background Knowledge
predictionText Processing:summarizingsequencingidentifying
importanceMonitoring
clarifyingplanning
Sound/Symbol
Grammar
Syntax
Interaction
Process:planningdraftingrevising
Writing as a tool
Writing from sources
On-demand writing
Literary Elementsthemeplotcharactersetting
Response to Literature
personalcreativecritical
Privileging Aspects of the Curriculum
A Balanced Literacy Curriculum:
What will the research support?
Language Conventions
Comprehension Composition Literary Aspects
Background Knowledge:
prediction
Text Processing:summarizingsequencingidentifying
importance
Monitoring:clarifyingplanning
Sound/Symbol
Grammar
Usage
Interaction
Process:planningdraftingrevising
Writing as a Tool
Writing from Sources
On-Demand Writing
Literary Elements:themeplotcharactersetting
Response to Literature:
personalcreativecritical
A Balanced Literacy Curriculum is even
better when we attempt to emphasize
synergies among the parts
Language Conventions
Comprehension Composition Literary Aspects
Background Knowledge:
prediction
Text Processing:
summarizingsequencingidentifying
importance
Monitoring:
clarifyingplanning
Sound/Symbol
Grammar
Syntax
Interaction
Process:
planningdraftingrevising
Writing as a Tool
Writing from Sources
On-Demand Writing
Literary Elements:theme
plotcharactersetting
Response to Literature:
personalcreativecritical
72
Ecological symbiosis
Interactive Harmony
73
Embrace the opportunity we have to use
phonics in a way that promotes cognitive
clarity
We help kids unpack the mystery of the
cipher for the same reason that we
/ Share the agonies and ecstasies of our writing
/ Make our thinking about reading public
To help them make sense of a pretty messy,
ambiguous set of tasks out there
To help them achieve some cognitive
clarity
Great Opportunity for both
Smarty Ants and Achieve 3000
Common Ground
/ Commitment to differentiated instruction
/ Embedded formative assessments
/ Differential scaffolding
/ Help students achieve some cognitive
clarity
/ Success for all students
74
Great Opportunity for both
Smarty Ants and Achieve 3000
Complementarity
/ Achieve 3000 has the bases covered for the
levels at which we assume kids are aleady
pretty good at getting the words off the page.
4 Focus on building models of meaning for the texts
of the disccipines
/ Smarty Ants covers the bases needed to ensure
that kids can get those words off the page so
they can do their magic of comprehension and
composition. 75
Another common vision that you
share
Not a one size fits all
But a one size fits few, if any
It takes a lot of sizes, a lot of pathways, to
fit everyone.
76
Kids are who they are
They know what they know
They bring what they bring