EDUC 526 Week 3 Reading Guide

Oral Language and Literacy

Article Summaries
Focus Articles: After completing the articles, write a short memory prompt synthesis statement here to
jog your memory about these articles in the future. Try to keep it to no more than 2-3 sentences.

Storch & Whitehurst (2002). Oral language and code-related precursors to reading: Evidence from a
longitudinal structural model.

Oral Language and Code-realted skills form the basic foundation for reading achievemetn in schools.
Initially, Code-related is what governs success in the early grades, because it is the foundation with
phonological awareness and concept of print and concept of word. Then as a student reaches 3rd or 4th
grade is when the oral language skills start to really have an influence in the connections students make
and, by result, their comprehension.

Heath (1982). What no bedtime story means: Narrative skills at home and school.

The environment in which we were raised had a huge impact on how we emphasize reading and our
future reading achievement. When a child is raised in an environment which puts a huge emphasis on
literacy and its implcations in future success. Altenatviely, if a child is in an environment that puts an
emphasis on learning through experience and being analyitcal then a child will be better at critical
thinking, but initially struggle in school because those skills are not as necessary in the younger grades.
________________________________
Supplementary Readings: Select 1 to read and summarize. Save space for a 1-2 sentence summary
provided by your peers

Catts, Adlof, & Weismer (2006). Language deficits in poor comprehenders: A case for the simple
view of reading.

Hoover & Gough (1990). The simple view of reading.

Leach, Scarborough, & Rescorla (2003). Late-emerging reading difficulties.

EDUC 526 Week 3 Reading Guide

It has been found that reading difficulties can be cateorized into two sections: early identified and late
identified, with late involving students who were identified after Third Grade. Many people believe
that late-identified reading difficulties are caused by the necessity of higher order comprehension
questions, but it could also be caused by the need for greater decoding skills with more challenging
vocabulary. It was found through this study that reading difficulties can effect all ages of students and
that difficulties in decoding and word knowledge was not limited to early-identified students, not that
comprehension only deficiets were seen in late-identified. It was found that all students can have
difficulties in decoding and in comprehension (one, the other, or both). It was also found that early
identified are more likely to have word level difficulties or a mix of word level and comprehension,
opposed to late identified.

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Reading Guide for Storch & Whitehurst (2002)

How do the authors define emergent literacy? How does this match up with our definitions from the
Emergent/Early Literacy course?

"Skills , knowledge , and attitudes that are developmental precursors to reading and writing as
well as the environments that support them"--this relates to the Early lit course because it is the
first stage of developmental literacy so all of those skills are the foundation for future skills of
development.
Code related skills and oral language skills: Whats the difference?

Code-related skills are conventions of print, beginning forms of writing, knowledge of graphemes
and their correspondence to phonemes , and phonological awareness. Oral Language includes
semantic, syntactic and conceptual knowledge , and narrative ability. The difference between the
two is that CR skills are more about the alphabetic princple and what is seen in print and writing
ability. OL skills are more about reading ability and comprehension, and are a result of the
foundation of CR skills.
p. 935 (first full paragraph): The authors begin to lay the groundwork for the studys rationale. Identify
the problem with our current level of understanding about this issue (i.e., why is this study important).
Note how they situate this problem in current research. Be on the look out for what they plan to do about
it.

There is debate as to whether Oral Language skills have a significant role in future reading
ability. The authors express that there is a variance in whether phonological awareness skills are
the main contributor to success or if it is phonological awareness combined with semantic and
syntactic skills.
p. 936: What do the authors hope to accomplish by conducting this study? In other words, what are the
three aims listed? As you read, star/make notes on the article margins about how they plan to answer
these questions (we will discuss this in class).

1. See the effects of code-related skills and oral language skills on reading development in their
separte entities--therefore they were divided into their separate domains.
2. Show the oral language and code-related skills were linked based on the fact that oral language
skills develop earlier
3. Reading accuracy and comprehension are dependent on one another in the early grades, but in
the later grades comprehension becomes the focus as accuracy, to include decoding, becomes
automatic.
What can you discern about the participants in this study? How does this influence our ability to
generalize the findings?

The majority of the participants in this study are in Low SES areas and perform below the
national average. This means that the applicabilty of this study is not as clean as the reaserchers
would have hoped. That being said, it does have a good rating for "close fit" to other studies,
which could sway it to be more applicable.

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Methods: Read through the methods section, annotating with questions/comments. Dont get bogged
down here; we will go over this in class.
p. 940 (first full paragraph): What do the authors list as important findings? Summarize in 1-2
sentences what your interpretation of this is.

They found that code-related skills are the foundation for future reading ability (especially in Oral
Language). Also that comprehension ability in later grades is dependent on the student's success
in previous ability and language achievement, as well as current abilty.
p. 940: The authors go on to bullet out a total of 4 key findings. Circle the transitional words pointing
these out to the reader. Try to synthesize these findings below into a few sentences.

Initially code-related and oral language skills have a strong corelation in preschool. As the child
grows the two domains become less dependent on one another as the skill of comprehension
comes to the forefront of reading. It was also found that reading skills are developmental and are
building blocks for one another. For example, skills developed in kindergarten are the foundation
for skills in First and Second Grade. The same is true for later grades and comprehension. If a
child does not a have a solid background in decoding and reading accuracy, they will not be able
to comprehend at the appropriate level to be successful. This causes students who struggle to fall
further behind if not intervened with early as the necessary skill set to be successful grows.
p. 943: There is much to unpack on this page! Start to bullet out some of the authors interpretations of
the study results.

It was found that skills for reading are similar to building blocks in that a child cannot be
successful down the road without a good foundation at the start. A child's success with
phonological awareness and concept of print in Kindergarten will predict future success in grades
1-2. It was also found that comprehension is initially based on the child's ability to decode the
words in the passage but later on, the child is expected to comprehend more than what they can
superficially interpret on the page (dig deeper for meaning). They also found that students who
struggle to comprehend in reading will also struggle to comprehend in other language areas,
which suggests that it could be a language interpretation deficiency, opposed to simply
comprehension.
p. 944: Based on what youve read, what types of things SHOULD we be teaching in preschools? How
does this article influence your thinking of early retention being the gift of time in affording literacy
development?

We should be teaching code-realted skills in preschool to help students who do not naturally have
that background stay on track with their peers. We should also be heavily teacing phonological
awareness and word recognition skills to these students in order to help with decoding and some
oral language skills.
For older children, what are the instructional implications? What other factors may influence reading
comprehension? How does this connect with early oral language skills?

For older students it is important to focus on more than just phonological awareness skills
for struggling learners. Because comprehension now plays a factor, it is important to look at
oral language skills and other factors such as experiences and the ways someone was raised.
This connects with early oral language skills because they have a foundation in
phonological awareness. So for older students it is important to look to see where they have
holes in their development to help them be successful. This could mean that to aid with the
development of oral language, some students may need remediation in their phonological
awareness skills.

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Reading Guide for Heath (1982)

Based on our discussion of theories last week, what theoretical lens do you think Heath brings to literacy?
Hint: Underline Heaths 2 underlying assumptions (p. 50-51).

Heath brings the sociocultural lens of literacy to the table with this paper because he views
learning as a social event and places emphasis on the background we all have to our thinking
because of the culture in which we were raised.
Name the 3 communities discussed in this paper. Briefly describe the authors characterization of each
one (you do not need to go into detail hereI just want to be sure you have them straight in your mind
before continuing with the reading).

Maintown: There is a large emphasis on literacy in this environment. It fosters thinking about
literacy, how it is used and applied, and why it is important. Children are constanly surrounded by
books and asked good, thought-provoking quesitons while reading with parents. The parents'
attitudes help to instill literary practices to show that they are members of a literate society. As a
mother reads to her child, she will often break into the story and start dialogue with the child as to
what is going on and who is involved, this helps develop character and setting identification skills
later on. These children are expected to pay attention to books and be able to have conversation
about their content from an early age.
Roadville: given a lot of simple feedback with little explanation as to why the action is being
critiqued in the way it was, this is especially true for crticism. These kids are not asked very many
crticial thinking questions. All questions are low level and do not yeild critical thinking skills or a
way to self monitor to correct misbehaviors.Initially they are allowed to participate in literacy
events such as finding letters while reading an ABC book, but as they get older they are foced to
sit quietly and only participate if the reader is not familiar with expectations.
Trackton: an emphasis on "coming to know"--kids are expected to learn through experience and
not through explicit instruction so that they will come to find the similarities and differences on
their own. The same is true for language acquisition where children learn through hearing adults
around them speak.
Bullet out important concepts from each community:
Maintown
Roadville
Class
Respond well to the "whatThese students will not know
explanaition" questions
how to take something in the
because they have bene asked text and apply it to a new
this quesiton type from an
situation. This is because of the
early age. Also, they are good emphasis made on direct
as labeling and categorizing
feedback and limited questions
because of the emphasis
that only focus on surface
placed on this skill as well.
customs.These students do well
These kids do well in school
in the beginnning of early
because they have raised to
grades with alphabet , color and
think and problem solve as
number knowledge, but cannot
required in school from an
apply the information learned
early age.
through reading to other

Trackton
Will have trouble
interpreting events that
are not"2D" and isolated
from a story. These kids
are very anayltical and
can easily look at how
the situation fits into a
real events. These
children struggle in
school because they have
not been exposed to
questions such as the
ones seen in school

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contexts. They draw very much

on what they have already been
exposed to in stories (fiction or
real event) when asked to
create a story of their own, they
struggle.

Home

Parents strive to constantly

have a running commentary
about the books used in
literary events. Children are
allowed to disrupt routine if it
is for literacy. Parents set up
routines while reading that
show a similar structure to
the question-answer routines
seen in school. These
students learn labeling
procedures early which helps
them in the early grades. Also
they see that text can have
meaning for a variety of
purposes, whether for stories
or for real events.

Other

They are allowed to tell

stories that are not true anf
apply fictionalization to real
life objects.Prents provide
explanations for why
something is occurring the
way that it is.

Initially have cloth books, then

books that foster other motor
and sensory development.
Reading or related activities
usually occur before nap or
bedtime. Once deemed old
enough, children are restricted
from particiapting in literacy
events and made to sit still to
listen. No links are made
between literacy and real world
representations so children do
not understand the link between
a 2D drawing and the real
object. Little explanation is
given as to why something is
done in a certain way. Children
are taught to label as well and
are exposed to "whatexplanations". Additionally,
they adults in their lives do not
analyze stories or are always
logical. Stories must provide a
moral of sorts to help members
of the community
If explanations seem to be too
hard for children, adults with
use easier terms or sentences to
explain, saying it is "too hard
for them".

before. They have never

been asked to label and
categorized things based
on size, number, color,
etc. They do not look at
print in isolatoin but how
it connects to things in
their world. This causes
them to struggle early on
as this is not a skill that is
necessary or requested at
tha time.
As babies they are
constanly surrounded
byhuman communication
either verbal or
nonverbal.Children learn
that the setting of a story
is important and use
nonverbal cues if
necessary to create a
scene for the audience.
Tell monologues about
their lives in a way that is
close to narratives told by
older children or
adults.There are no
bedtime stores and adults
rarely sit down to read
with children. They are
familiar with group
literact events where
several people work out
the meaning of the text.

There is no reading
material especially for
children, unless they are
in Sunday School. Asked
to analyze from an early
age with questions that
provoke critical thinking
an comparison between
two objects, people, or
events. language is never
limited because it might
be too hard. Children are
expected to gleam
meaning from language

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and learn as they go.

What emphasis do the groups place on story-telling? How are they similar/different? How might these
types of cultural differences play out in school? Mark specific evidence in the article to support your
statements.

Depending on social context in which you were raised, the way you will tell a story will vary.
Maintown puts the emphasis on retelling in a way that fictionalizes the characters and expands on
stories and settings that are familiar to bring stories to life. Roadville puts the emphasis on the
facts in the story and place the importance on if it is fact or fiction. Finally, Trackton places the
emphasis on the reasoning behind an action in a story and request children to always be thinking
about the "why" behind a situation. Also these childrenn do not need to tell a story with a formal
beginning and end as seen with Maintown and Roadville children.
How does this study inform our understanding of assessment in general? Specifically, comprehension
assessment (i.e., in the case of assessing retelling on the DRA)?

The culture in which a child is raised has a lot to do with how they will perform in school. This
can be a result of the emphasis placed on their language development and exposure to reading at
home. For example, Trackton students have a higher emphasis put on the "why?" of questions
than Maintown and Roadville. This leads to Trackton students performing better on anayltical
thinking but not as well on the direct implications of an action, as seen in Maintown upbringings.
How does this study inform your instructional practices as a teacher?

This study informs my instructional practices by making me aware of the different social and
cultural backgrounds that a student can arrive with in my classroom. It helps me have a baseline
for how I will differentiate for my students. It also helps to make me aware that each student
comes to school with different skills and to not let preconcieved notions affect my interpretation
of student responses to a question. For example, Trackton children are raised in a way that fosters
anayltics and critical thinking. These are not skills that are typically emphasized or applied in
early grades, but become very important once decoding becomes automatic and there is more
energy to work on comprehension.

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Talking Points to Consider for Grand Conversation

Recognizing discourses of different research articles in different publications: What do you notice
about the similarities and differences across your readings with respect to purpose, style, language, level
of readability, and level of practicality for classroom teachers?

Storch/Whitehurst is very statistical where Heath is more of an ethnography in that it is more of

a narratvie format. They have different styles because of this. Both are practical for teachers in
showing the benefits of direct coding for alphabetics and for showing the benefits of being
aware of different upbringings of studnets.
Discuss explicit connections you can make:
A. between this weeks ALL readings (Storch/Whitehurst and Heath)

The idea that oral languge development can play a key role in reading ability--the environment
in which a child is raised is indicative in how they will interpret oral language and the
connections they will make which will determine their success.
B. between this weeks ALL readings and your CHOICE reading

I found a connection between the Reading Difficulties article and the Storch/Whitehurst articles
when they were talking about how the instruction shifts in the upper elementary grades to less
focus on word recognition and spelling. This would be when comprehension becomes the focus
and oral language skills start to become essential.
C. between this weeks readings and the theoretical lenses we discussed last week

The Heath article made a good connection with the Sociocultural Learning Theory in that how
we develop is based on the social contexts in which we were raised. This means that learning is
always a social event it just starts with the social interactions of family and those close to you,
before broadening to school and the social interactions found there.
D. between any of the readings and your own teaching experiences

I have seen the differences in upringings in my studetns and how this affects their learning.
Some students might put more emphasis on math and reading, where others might show value
towards school as a whole depending on the values of there families at home.
E. between any of the readings and assessments

The assessments given to the students in the Reading Difficulties article reminded me of the
screening tests that occur at the beginning of each school year in the primary grades. It also
made me wonder that if screenings continued if it would help in identifiying these lateidentified students earlier.

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