| Instructional Decision-Making | Before Reading | During/After Reading | Letter/Word Work | Reading/Writing Connections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
To teach struggling beginning readers, we need to know them well as readers. Examining multiple running records over time helps us notice patterns in the children’s responses. These patterns in turn help us decide what to emphasize in our teaching, and which books to choose to support the instructional needs. Beyond examining how children use meaning, structure, and visual sources of information while reading (See Guided Reading Module 1), we can further analyze their running records using the “Additional Considerations” chart*. This chart will guide us in analyzing three important areas related to a child’s developing system of processing text: Tolds from the teacher, High Frequency Words, and Monitoring.
*The chart is an adaptation for classroom teachers based on the research study by Lea McGee and Mary Fried, Development of Children’s Problem-Solving Activities at Point of Difficulty, presented at the 2011 National Reading Recovery & K-6 Literacy Conference. See Fried, M., Using Running Records to Inform Teaching Decisions (2013). The Journal of Reading Recovery, 13(1), 5-15.
EXAMPLE 1: Watch and Discuss
In Example 1, Dr. CC Bates (Associate Professor, Literacy Education, Clemson University, and Director, Reading Recovery and Early Learning Training Center for South Carolina), and Maryann McBride (Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, Clemson University), talk through how they use each step of the chart to gain more insight about teaching a first grader who has progressed through Reading Recovery to reading at a level 10/11 at Chastain Road Elementary School, Liberty, SC (Pickens County School District).
Supporting Documents: Example 1 Additional Considerations Chart, Example 1 Running Records, Example 1 Book Texts
STEP 1: TOLDS (The teacher tells the child the word.)
What can we learn about next steps for a student by categorizing the types of Tolds given on his running record?
Video: Categorizing Tolds; Transcript
Video: Types of Words Told; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
How can we teach children to stop appealing or waiting for the teacher when they are unsure of a word?
Video: Teaching Children to Help Themselves; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
Why should we NOT give Tolds that are preemptive (before the child reads the word) or corrective (immediately after the child reads the word)?
Video: Preemptive and Corrective Tolds; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
STEP 2: HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS
Why is it important to recognize when children’s errors or self-corrections occur often on high frequency words?
Video: Charting High Frequency Words; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
What can we learn about next steps for a student by analyzing his errors and self-corrections on high frequency words?
Video: Analyzing High Frequency Words; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
How does the teacher support the child’s need to firm up his high frequency words?
Video: Supporting High Frequency Word Recognition; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
STEP 3: MONITORING (noticing when you’re right or wrong in your own reading)
How do children show us they are monitoring their reading? What are signs that they are not monitoring?
Video: Signs of Monitoring; Transcript
Video: Categorizing Monitoring; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
What can we learn about next steps for a student by analyzing examples of his monitoring?
Video: Analyzing Monitoring; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
How do we encourage children to monitor their reading? How do we hinder their monitoring?
Video: Supporting Monitoring; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
CONCLUSION: USING THE ANALYSIS
Supporting Documents: Summary and Recommendations (page 3 of Additional Considerations Chart)
How does the analysis of Tolds, High Frequency Words, and Monitoring help a teacher plan next steps for a struggling reader?
Video: Summarizing the Analysis; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
Video: Using the Analysis to Choose a New Book; Transcript
CC Bates and Maryann McBride
EXAMPLE 2: Try It!
BEFORE viewing the video clips:
- Examine the book texts and running records for a first grader reading at a level 4. Use the blank Additional Considerations Chart to record the Tolds, High Frequency Words, and Monitoring for each category of the chart, and summarize your findings on page 3.
- Compare your observations with those on the chart completed by Maryann McBride, Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, and Alana Gray, Reading Recovery Teacher at Mauldin Elementary School, Simpsonville, SC (Greenville 1 School District).
Supporting Documents: Example 2 book texts, Example 2 running records, blank Additional Considerations Chart, Example 2 Completed Additional Considerations Chart
Step 1: What can we learn about next steps for the student from his Tolds?
Video: Analyzing Tolds; Transcript
Maryann McBride and Alana Gray,
Mauldin Elementary School
Step 2: What can we learn about next steps for the student from his errors and self-corrections on high frequency words?
Video: Analyzing High Frequency Words; Transcript
Maryann McBride and Alana Gray,
Mauldin Elementary School
Step 3: What can we learn about next steps for the student from his monitoring?
Video: Analyzing Monitoring; Transcript
Maryann McBride and Alana Gray,
Mauldin Elementary School
CONCLUSION: USING THE ANALYSIS
Supporting Documents: Summary and Recommendations (page 3 of Example 2 Additional Considerations Chart)
How does the analysis of Tolds, High Frequency Words, and Monitoring help a teacher plan next steps for a struggling reader?
Video: Using the Analysis to Choose a New Book; Transcript
Maryann McBride and Alana Gray,
Mauldin Elementary School