TEACHING DECODING, VOCABULARY AND FLUENCY The Fundamentals

Decoding “Given the bedrock importance of decoding at every level, teachers should strive to correct decoding errors whenever possible, no matter what the subject or grade level that they teach”

Vocabulary Good vocabulary starts with a student friendly definition that is simple and clear Good vocabulary instruction requires a significant investment of time, choices of words are important.

Tier 1 words – basic words that all students know cafeteria and awesome. They usually appear in oral language Tier 2 words – words that relate best to what you are teaching and that they will be able to use in other subjects or contexts Tier 3 words such as microbe and piccolo have a low frequency of use and tend to be used in a specific domain

Six techniques to Reinforce Strong Vocabulary 1. Multiple Takes – to enter a word into their functioning memory, students need to hear a word and it’s pronunciation multiple times 2. Compare, combine, contrast. (Beware of the “synonym model” --- it’s the difference between similar words that create meaning in a passage) Upgrade – Find opportunities to use richer and more specific words whenever possible 4. Stress syntax – Students often struggle to use words in different settings.

5. – Stress the foundational knowledge of roots so students can apply their understanding to new words. Ex. Roots like “ped” “tele” and “mono” 6. Picture this – Create a multidimensional image of each new word by using pictures and actions..

Fluency Fluency consists of automaticity (the ability to read at a rapid rate without error) and expression (the ability to group words together into phrases to reflect meaning, emphasize important words, and express tone and register).

Four techniques to reinforce strong fluency 1. Show some spunk – Read aloud to your students regularly----model strong reading and expressive emphasis 2. Ask for some drama – Asking students to read expressively is important—it forces them to practice looking for depth of meaning in words. 3. Check the mechanics – make explicit reference to punctuation and ask students to demonstrate their understanding of it to their oral reading 4. Lather, rinse, repeat – don’t have students just read frequently-have them reread frequently. Once they have made basic sense of the words have them go back and reread for fluency