Critical Reading Inventory 2nd Edition- Awesome & Out-of-Print (but available)!

In my reading endorsement course I am exploring various reading inventories. There is so much out there that you could use for determining what areas your young reading students need intervention. I am not a fan of testing just for information. If the information is used for a benefit that matches or exceeds the effort required for the assessment, then I would want to learn more.

One of the inventories that seems to be worth the time of teachers and students is the Critical Reading Inventory-2nd edition (CRI-2) that was written by Applegate, Quinn, and Applegate in 2007. And, as the title of this posts states, it is now out of print! Don't let this stop you from reading on to find out why I think this is an inventory/assessment worthy of your attention. (Here is a quick link to an Amazon listing where you can buy the book and read a couple of reviews.) I'd like to point out a few features of the CRI-2 that would be of great value for our current reading focus on critical thinking.

First of all, this inventory asks you to find out about your subject/student. There is no substitute for building a rapport with your student. When there is a strong, positive relationship between teacher and student, the motivation of the student soars. This has been shown to be true in many studies. You may find this page from the American Psychological Association to be interesting and informational.

The second aspect that I find to be a great benefit is that you have assessment material for Pre-K through 9th grade! I appreciate that the older students are included. How many discipline problems in middle and high school could be avoided if a student could just read well and understand the reading!

Lastly, as we are all guiding students toward higher level/critical thinking, that is exactly what this system helps you assess. You can assess three types of comprehension that range from recalling facts to analyzing what has been read.

In a perfect world this would be paired with a system for teaching the skills that are being assessed. Maybe there is one out there. If so, please comment and let me know!

Happy Reading!

Efficient Reading Skills Assessment Using IDI (Informal Decoding Inventory)

If you've ever taught children who are learning to read, or who are struggling with reading in some way, then you know it can be overwhelming to decide where you begin intervention. Usually, a reading test/assessment is given to identify areas that need work. Sometimes these assessments can be frustrating and exhausting, or just plan useless. Don't despair! This may help. There does seem to be an assessment (let's use the term "inventory") of reading skills that will pinpoint areas of weakness and give you a guide for what each student needs. This inventory is called the Informal Decoding Inventory (IDI). 

The IDI has two parts. You can begin with part 1 if you have younger students (up to fifth grade). If your students are older you can begin with part 2. The beauty is that if your older student does not master the beginning skills assessed in part 2, then you already know what you can do. You can assess using part 1. The missing skills are revealed and you have a framework for helping each reader fill the holes in their reading skills. 

If you use the IDI and find it helpful. Let me know if you did find it helpful, or even if you didn't! I'd really love to hear how you use the information that you gain from this inventory, and how your students are progressing!

Happy Reading!

Learning to Read is Super Natural! Really!!!

If you are able to read this post, then you possess the power to unlock the mysteries of written words. I say mysteries because until you read the words they are just marks on a page. They don't mean anything. But, what if you couldn't learn to read? Have you ever stopped to be grateful for this ability? Reading isn't a natural process! I read an article on this topic recently. It used research to show why this is true. Here is a quote that may make you want to stop and think:

"If learning to read were natural, there would not exist the substantial number of cultures that have yet to develop a written language, despite having a rich oral language. And, if learning to read unfolds naturally, why does our literate society have so many youngsters and adults who are illiterate?"

Click on this link to go to a copy of the article.

So, what's my point? My point is...GIVE KIDS A BREAK! GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK! This task is extremely challenging. You can do this! You just need the right tools. You shouldn't give up on a child or yourself if your student isn't learning to read. If it seems almost impossible, then you're feeling that for a reason. It is ALMOST impossible. But, as I have stated before, an effective teacher can make all the difference. BE THE DIFFERENCE!

Happy Reading!

Website Review: Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity

I'm very much interested in helping students that struggle in school. The whole child is important to me: their health, their mood, their abilities, their weaknesses.  I have worked with students that have been labeled as behavioral challenges and found that many of them struggle to read and learn. Many times the behavior was a bi-product of their learning challenges. This gives me HOPE. Maybe we can help with the behavior concerns by addressing the learning needs!!! More than 80% of students with learning disabilities are struggling due to DYSLEXIA! Hello, maybe we should be addressing dyslexia in a major way! Maybe things would be different for so many...including all the other people in the dyslexic person's life. 

I found an amazing website called The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. The subtitle is "slow reader, out of the box thinker". I LOVE THAT! What if we were able to empower these struggling readers to embrace the creativity that many of them possess? They may find the strength to deal with the reading struggles, which CAN be helped. How amazing would that be!

Watch this video called "A Letter to My Teacher" from their website and see why I am excited!

This website is a wonderful collection of information and inspiration for those with dyslexia or those who have a stake in this: student, teacher, parent, policy maker, community (everyone). You can learn what the disability looks like, read testimonies of some people with dyslexia, and find out what is going on in politics to bring the most common learning disorder out into the forefront of our efforts in education. Did you know that over HALF of the people in prison in America are basically ILLITERATE???? I see a way to address the "school to prison pipeline" by addressing the needs of non-readers. Let's be respectful and responsive to these learners. Think of the potential impact on incarceration rates. It would be hard to list all of the knowledge I have gained form this sight. It's a treasure-trove. Check it out!

Part 2-High Functioning Autism and Reading Comprehension-Why is it so Hard?

-In my previous post I tried to help parents and teachers of Autistic readers understand WHY reading comprehension is so HARD. Just to recap, here are three important cognitive areas that are often not working for your Autistic child:

1. Theory of Mind-the ability to understand other's point of view or perspective.

2. Central Coherence-ability to bring details together into a whole concept or idea.

3. Executive Functioning-the process of organizing, planning, and monitoring progress when presented with a situation.

So, this is Part 2. Now that you have an idea of WHY reading comprehension is such a challenge, I want to share some ways parents and teachers can help. The information for these tips comes from this excellent article! 

STEP 1: Build up background knowledge of the subject in the reading. What does this even mean? Look at pictures together of things that relate the story. Talk about the pictures. Ask your child what they know. See if they have an understanding of what the picture is really showing.

STEP 2: Create mental images of what they are reading. Usually when you read about a delicious meal, you can "see" it in your head. This picture helps you understand what you've read. Your Autistic child struggles with this, so help him make those images. How? Looking at pictures in the book and talking about them. Use lots of description. "Think out loud" as you describe the picture. It's a lot like the Step 1, but this goes beyond naming to describing!

STEP 3: Make Connections. This is so easy to do, so effective, and doesn't require any materials! When your child is reading about the pigeon who wants to drive the bus, make a connection to the bus she rides each day to school. Point out the pigeon on the side of the road as you drive to visit your family. There are so many connections you can make (text to text, text to self, and text to world). Typical readers do this with some ease. Your Autistic reader needs help to make the connections.

STEP 4: Engage in Discussion. Again, no materials are needed! Just you and your time. Both are precious and so worth spending on your child. Just talk about the who, what, why, where, how, I wonder, and so on. 

STEP 5: Summarize their Understanding. Again, this just needs you and your time. Out-loud, help your child put their understanding together! They need us to SHOW them how we take what we know and come to a conclusion.

Still not sure? Here's a video clip of a few activities that touch on several of the steps mentioned above. The video is an ad for a teaching resource, however it's short and is a great demonstration of some of the steps that have been listed in this post. 

You are your child's first teacher.  And you'll probably always be their favorite. Never forget that!

Happy Reading!

High Functioning Autism and Reading Comprehension-Why is it so Hard? Part 1

Autism effects your child in so many ways! Your child is having trouble with tags in his clothes. The noises are like razors to her ears. Their food is a "weird" texture and impossible to eat! This is just some of the sensory stuff! Then there are the social challenges. It is also a problem when we ask them to stop those repetitive behaviors that make them feel safe, secure. So many things are SO difficult for your Autistic child.

I want to focus on people with high functioning Autism (f.k.a. Asperger's). With all the challenges that many Autistic students face, one area that has been mastered for many is READING. YAY...something they are really good at, that doesn't involve other PEOPLE, and can be like a "movie in your head." The problem is that by the time your high-functioning Autistic child reaches 3rd grade you may see that they can read the 6th grade stories, but they struggle with COMPREHENSION of what they have read. They can't make connections to the text. They can't tell you about what they read. They can't apply what they have read outside of the context of the book.

WHY is comprehension so hard? There are three ways that your child's Autism is having a direct impact on the ability to comprehend what they have read. Here's a quick overview of each...

1. Theory of Mind-the ability to understand other's point of view or perspective. Comprehension of reading relies on understand the feelings, perspectives, and emotions of the characters in the story.

2. Central Coherence-ability to bring details together into a whole concept or idea. Your reader may not be able to piece together the details that were read and infer the theme or main idea of the story.

3. Executive Functioning-the process of organizing, planning, and monitoring progress when presented with a situation. There are many processes that are used when retelling what they know from their reading. They have to organize their thoughts, possibly in sequence. They have to access any prior knowledge they have in order to really understand, and so much more. All of this goes on at the same time! A typical person does this intuitively. Your Autistic reader cannot. WOW.

So, what can a parent do? This sounds so immense, right? Look for Part 2 of this post for ways to help your reader and have fun doing it, too! If you just can't wait to read more, check out this article that spells it all out ! :)

You are your child's first teacher.  And you'll probably always be their favorite. Never forget that!

Happy Reading!