THE JOURNAL OF THE ARKANSAS READING ASSOCIATION
Reader THE
Volume 43 • Issue 1
An Affiliate of the International Literacy Association
Spring 2018
A Backdoor Route to Phonics Skill Mastery: How to Spot the Elephants in Your Classroom! By Katie Garner, M.Ed. and Dr. Jill Buchan
Have you ever noticed any elephants in your classroom? They often can be spotted in early grade classrooms, especially during reading and writing instruction. You also might notice them hovering around your guided reading table, as they tend to congregate there, as well. If you have not noticed them, do not worry, as they easily can be missed— even when they are hiding in plain sight! An essential task of primary grade teachers is developing effective, early decoding proficiencies. However, many who teach at the earliest grade levels often feel ill-equipped to provide the intensive and expert level of literacy instruction that’s needed to successfully teach all students to read (Allington, 2011). Understanding phonics means understanding the relationship between sounds and their spellings. Teaching students the most common sound-spelling relationships is what allows them to decode (sound out) words when reading and encode (spell) words when writing. Early literacy research suggests that there are three kinds of kids: those who are easy to teach to read, those who are hard to teach to
read, and those who are very hard to teach to read. Yet, only 25 percent of kindergarten and first grade teachers fall into the category that the research suggests can teach everyone to read. Even more troublesome, only 50 percent of teachers are equipped with the skills required to teach students in the easy to teach group. The remaining 25 percent of teachers are unable to teach anyone to read (Stuhlman & Pinata, 2009). Surveys conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research repeatedly have shown that many teachers, despite the overwhelming research, still cling to a random assortment of mixed methods, an approach Dr. Michael Pressley describes as a “disastrous strategy.” Pressley contends that, because of the random assortment of methods, teachers often are ineffective. Through his observations, he estimates that up to a third of the teachers are weak in the area of literacy instruction (Pressley, 2002). So then, what do early literacy research and phonics have to do with invisible elephants running amuck in the classroom? The connection lies within the brain and how we learn best. An understanding of the brain research can inform literacy instruction, confronting educational practice to ask whether attention to the evidence base calls for significant
change to conventional practice. The brain is the ultimate pattern-making machine, and as phonics skills are comprised of nothing more than letter sound patterns, it stands to reason that phonics should be easy to learn and, therefore, easy to teach, right? Wrong! Our brains learn best on a “need-to-know” basis. This means that information presented should be grounded in meaning and future relevance, and nowhere does this pose a greater challenge than with early grade phonics skill instruction. This challenge is primarily due to the difficulties associated with having to teach abstract letter sound (phonics) skills that have no inherent meaning for young learners who are “concretelevel” thinkers. Without meaning, teachers cannot provide the logical explanations the brain craves about why letters make the many different sounds they do. In other words, it’s extremely difficult to teach something that doesn’t make sense in a way that actually makes sense, and teachers’ diligent attempts to do so are what often cause elephants to appear! Take, for example, the letter y. Everyday in early grade classrooms, students are taught that the letter y says “yuh,” only then to observe the letter y doing everything but making the “yuh” sound in actual text. For example, they Continued on page 8. ~ Page 1 ~
The Reader is the scholarly journal of the Arkansas Reading Association and is designed to serve as a resource for Arkansas reading teachers. Opinions expressed in articles and studies herein are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the ARA, its officers, or members. Publications Committee Editor: Tammy Gillmore Members: Linda Eilers, Naomi Lassen, Mary Mosley ARA Board of Directors Kaila Murphy President
Tara Derby Vice President Dorothy Pollett Past President Krista Underwood Director of Membership Jeanne Trawick ILA State Coordinator Kelly Hogan Secretary Trudy Jackson Technology Coordinator Deborah McMillan Treasurer Kacy Barden Parliamentarian Angie Betancourt Historian Kathy Mascuilli Dept. of Education Liaison Julie Reardon Event Coordinator Susan Peterson Executive Secretary Tammy Gillmore Public Relations
The Arkansas Reading Association is an affiliate of the International Literacy Association. Visit us on the web at
www.arareading.org ~ Page 2 ~
ILA Affiliation Process Continues
The “Transition” meeting of the board lived up to its name as all facets of the meeting involved transitioning. ARA board members met April 27-28 in Little Rock with Tiffany Sears, Chapter and Region Services Manager of the International Literacy Association, for training and to sign legal documents in order to continue the new affiliation process with ILA. Once the process is completed, Arkansas Reading Association will formally become Arkansas Literacy Association (ALA). Local councils attending the Council Leadership Workshop in July will be updated on new financial procedures and other information, so it is VERY IMPORTANT that all councils be represented. As this transition period continues, the ARA/ALA website and social media sites will continue to undergo changes as well. Please stop by frequently as these changes are unveiled.
Lord Featured Author for Conference Luncheon
Cynthia Lord is this year’s book and author speaker for Friday’s Book and Author feature. Her debut novel Rules was published by Scholastic, Inc. in 2006 and was a 2007 Newbery Honor book and winner of the Schneider Family Book Award. ARA Book Club will read her A Handful of Stars in November. Please encourage your students to read along with the group. Visit her website, cynthialord.com, to obtain materials and discussion guides for her books.
The Transition of the ARA Leadership Gavel President Kaila Murphy, 2017-2018, (shown left in the picture) transitions the ARA gavel to Chairperson Tara Derby who will assist in leading ARA through the name change to Arkansas Literacy Association. The transition of leadership traditionally occurs during the spring transition meeting, held this year on April 27-28 in Little Rock. ARA appreciates the leadership of Kaila Murphy as ARA planned its first online book club and first ever online conference. The ARA Board has since met and is beginning the work of the many changes involved in leading this organization to have an even greater impact on literacy in the state of Arkansas. Thank you, Kaila, and congratulations, Tara!
Meyer Explains Inspirations for Book Series By William Meyer
As a high school history teacher for over a dozen years, I have taught almost every historic time period from the Italian Renaissance to the American Revolution. And, regardless, of where I’ve taught, from schools in Detroit to New York City, no topic has piqued the imagination of my classes quite as intensely as the study of Ancient Egypt. It was both my students’ interest and my own desire to blend history and fiction that led me to write the Time Keepers series. The Time Keepers middle grade series, based in Michigan, traces the adventures of a young boy named Horace and his friends as they travel back through time to explore exciting places from Ancient Egypt to 1920s Detroit. From their adventures the three kids discover unexpected
connections between some of the world’s most famous cities, as well as a secret Order of Guardians tasked with protecting one of the ancient world’s greatest secrets. In book one, after the mysterious death of his grandfather, Horace becomes heir to a sacred scarab beetle. The beetle and a portal at the family farm lead Horace back in time to ancient Egypt. In book two, Horace learns more about his role in this ancient order of guardians, called the Time Keepers, and their connection to the city of Detroit. The Scarab Club, a real organization founded in 1907 in the city, serves as the Time Keepers’ headquarters. The famed Dodge Brothers, from Niles, Michigan, also play a key role in revealing to Horace the ultimate destiny of the Time Keepers. The second book ends at the oldest cemetery in the city with the discovery of a lost prophecy foretelling the future of the Order and the role
Horace will play in reopening an ancient gateway to the stars, hidden in Detroit. Many aspects of the book were inspired by my experience growing up in Michigan, as well as the stories my grandfather, a Cadillac engineer, shared with me about Detroit and his own adventures traveling the world. In conducting extensive research to write this series, I discovered a number of unbelievable connections between Niles, Detroit, and Ancient Egypt. From the Scarab Club in Detroit, to the Scarab Stout car built in 1935, to the Egyptian-style tomb of the Dodge Brothers located in Woodlawn cemetery, I was overwhelmed by the mystery and magic of Detroit. I knew I had a story to tell and wanted to tell it through the eyes of an 11-year old boy! Below is an excerpt from my latest work The Search for the Lost Prophecy.
Excerpt from The Search for the Last Prophecy...by William Meyer The rustling sound of leaves and swaying branches filled the air. Horace was on the front porch of his house, but he couldn’t tell if it was morning or night; everything was cast in a bluish-gray light. He walked down the steps and across the front sidewalk. “Was it Halloween already?” he wondered to himself. But where were all the trick-or-treaters? The street was empty. And where was his costume? Horace was wearing his pajamas. On the other side of the street a tall iron fence stretched out in both directions. At the center was an arched gateway. Next to the gate were two redheaded boys, each in matching plaid shirts. They looked identical, except one was a few inches taller, and maybe a few years older than the other one. The boys waved at Horace to follow them, and then they disappeared through the gate into a swirling fog. Horace slowly walked across the empty street and cautiously approached the entrance. He pushed the iron gate open. He could see a dark field beyond and a gravel path that meandered into it. One of the redheaded boys reappeared next to Horace’s side. “There is a great secret in this town. A secret for you to discover.” The boy waved and disappeared again.
Horace realized that he was now standing on the gravel path. He began to walk the strange winding trail. The gravel seemed to crunch like exploding popcorn under the weight of his feet. As he walked along, he noticed that several headstones had now appeared in the once-empty field. Horace realized this was a cemetery and continued his journey. Now he could see the two boys standing side by side at the end of the path, waving vigorously. “Hurry, hurry. Someone else seeks the prophecy,” the younger boy yelled, and then ran toward a crypt nestled into the side of a small, sloping hill. The path guided Horace directly to the mysterious tomb. A single step led to a marble landing. The tomb’s entrance was lined with fine marble, and two urns containing dried flowers framed the doorway. Above the doorway was a single word “Beeson.” Now the two boys stood at the entrance. They beckoned Horace to follow before disappearing. Horace walked up the step and stood on the landing. He stared at the thick wooden doors. On each was a large, cast-iron loop handle. Horace lifted the handle on the right door and began to pull. Slowly but steadily it opened. His heart raced as he anticipated what could be inside. ~ Page 3 ~
Call for Manuscripts for ARA’s The Reader Guidelines The Reader is the scholarly journal of the Arkansas Reading Association. It is designed to serve as a resource for all Arkansas reading teachers. The editors are looking for manuscripts that take as their topic issues relating to literacy in primary through secondary education. It is the hope of the editorial board that reports of quality research and practice will be published from schools within the state of Arkansas and the nation. Submitted manuscripts might take the form of (but are not strictly limited to) original empirical articles, theoretical analyses, literature reviews, and reports of successful practices in education. Each issue of The Reader features emerging research of special interest to Arkansas reading teachers. Abstracts of Action Research Studies conducted by students at Arkansas universities also are considered. Full text articles may be found here: http://arareading.org/The-Reader. Manuscript Submissions Authors should follow the guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (current ed.) when preparing manuscripts. Manuscripts cannot exceed 1800 words, including references, tables, and figures. In addition to email addresses, web site address, and fax numbers if available, authors should include physical addresses and telephone numbers as well. Authors also should list two to five key words to identify the contents of their paper. Submit manuscripts in Microsoft Word format or Google Doc, via email to the address below: Tammy Gillmore tammy@arareading.org ~ Page 4 ~
Focus on Research Full text versions of these action research studies can be found at http://arareading.org/The-Reader
Making Room for Collaboration and Teacher Research in Professional Learning Communities
Joy Myers James Madison University Amy M. Vetter Univ. of North Carolina Greensboro Over five months, six middle school teachers gathered together every other week to participate in a “teacher research” professional learning community (TR PLC). As the facilitators of the TR PLC, we witnessed how this group of teachers, over time, began to see themselves and their teaching differently as a result of engaging socially with each other and conducting teacher research. One participant, Ben (all names are pseudonyms), an English Language Arts teacher, shared in an interview that, for the first time, he felt there was “room” for him to collaborate with his colleagues as an equal since they were all learning about teacher research together. For him, the TR PLC created a social space where the distinctions among novice and veteran teachers were lessened. Ben is not alone in his experience
in a TR PLC. In fact, Sagor (2009) argues PLCs are the perfect place to support school-wide teacher research initiatives. When joined together, teacher research and PLCs have been known to foster teacher change by developing professional learning groups that examine relevant tensions about teaching and learning in the classroom (Lankshear & Knobel, 2004; Poetter, Badiali & Hammond, 2000). In TR PLCs teachers engage in problem solving and seek out alternative viewpoints from other practitioners (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009). Such inquiry allows teachers an opportunity to make their knowledge about learning visible to themselves and others. Read more on the ARA website at http://arareading.org/The-Reader.
ALTE meets yearly during the
ARA Literacy Conference.
Join us!
ALTE
ARKANSAS LITERACY TEACHER EDUCATORS A special interest group of the Arkansas Reading Association, this group offers a forum for graduate and undergraduate students to present research or class projects at the annual Arkansas Literacy Conference.
Anyone interested in specifically supporting literacy teacher education or literacy in general is encouraged to join. Please contact Linda H. Eilers (leilers@uark.edu ) or Shoudong Feng (SFeng@uca.edu).
They Put What on the Sandwich?
The Perplexing Delight of Questioning Strategies in Comprehension Dr. Ryan R. Kelly, Arkansas State University The day I encountered a deli this experience fondly, but for the past sandwich with a delightful pile of French seventeen years I have never thought fries on it was a profound day in my about sandwiches in quite the same appreciation of sandwiches in general. way. At one point in my learning, I How can this be? Why would the fries not be on the side like usual? This most certainly remember wanting particular deli in downtown Pittsburgh only to surge forward in my reading not only offered an amazing array of process. I can recall very specifically meats, but this signature gimmick that this meant not taking the time for which they are known. How long do to anything more than experience have they been doing this? How could the words on the page, see a few this be popular enough to last? This brief images from the story in my particular eating experience did not jive mind—hopefully also laugh (and of with my existing sandwich knowledge. course find out how it all ends). This Not that I have been uninventive was somewhere around 2nd or 3rd with my eating throughout my life, grade. One fateful day in 4th grade, a but typically the side dish is always shipment of book orders arrived with where it belongs. Once devoured a demo copy of the then-new title, (a word chosen very intentionally), I There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom. reflected upon what I learned; it raised During the distribution process in new questions. How could I not have what was a very tidy classroom, it was experienced this before? Where else impossible to miss it, along with the could I find something like this outside titles each of us ordered. It was also of Pittsburgh? Not only do I remember impossible to miss how our teacher—
Arkansas Authors
2. Victor Biton: The Butterfly Tree, The Worried Kid, The Giant Chicken of Portugal, The Book Cluck 3. Darcy Pattison: Wonky, Clang!, Road Whiz, My Dirty Dog 4. Maria Hoskins: Christmas Night on the Farm, Grandma’s Thanksgiving Dinner, Down Home in AR, A Family Reunion Story, My Easter Story, Papa’s Pets
6. Dr. Nancy Hendricks: Senator Hattie Caraway: An Arkansas Legacy; Notable Arkansas Women: 100 Names to Know; Terrible Swift Sword: Long Road to the Sultana 7. Cecilia Wilson: Back to Bremen 8. Barbara Winningham: The Turtle Pit
Read more at http://arareading.org/The-Reader.
Yes! Visit with these
1. Nancy Allen: A Down Home Twelve Days of Christmas
5. LaTonya Richardson: Going On a Bear Hunt, Coon Stew
whom we all perceived as serious, rigorous, tough, and rather oldschool—grabbed it in order to review it before letting us see it. What could this mean? Why, whatever was he doing in there? Is that what I thought it said on the cover? With a title like, that isn’t it inappropriate? What we later learned was that our teacher delighted in the hilarity of it at home and soon thereafter delivered a monumental and memorable read-aloud over the next several weeks, following the long and chaotic post-lunch recess. I remember the questions piled up in advance (among the first was probably when we would get to read more of it); those questions helped us remember the previous day and predict or speculate what we might find in the next installment. Questions even allow us to interact with the author’s thinking.
during the 46th Annual Fall Literacy Conference November 15-16 Little Rock
Authors rkansas
9. Evin Demirel: African-American Athletes in Arkansas: Muhammad Ali’s Tour, Black Razorbacks & Other Forgotten Stories ~ Page 5 ~
ARKANSAS READING ASSOCIATION (...soon to be Arkansas Literacy Association)
46th ANNUAL LITERACY CONFERENCE - NOVEMBER 15-16, 2018 • LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
EARLY BIRD - DEADLINE JULY 15, 2018 REGISTRATION FORM MAIL to ARA c/o Little Rock Convention Bureau P.O. Box 207 Little Rock, AR 72203-0207
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To join ARA or to verify membership, visit arareading.org, call 501 940-1172, or email Krista@arareading.org
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Bundled registration includes three meals: Thursday Boxed Lunch Friday Continental Breakfast Friday Book and Author Luncheon
Registration Only ____ ARA Member - $175
OR ____ Non-member - $200
Individual Meals _____ Thursday Boxed Lunch: $12 _____ Friday Luncheon with Cynthia Lord: $35 undled registration and meals are available only through November 6th.
- $25 $___________ Early Bird - if paid by July 15
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Conference Hotel Little Rock Marriott - $159.00 plus additional taxes and parking fees. Call 1-877-759-6290 before October 15 for reservations. Cancellations must be received by November 1 by emailing pnagel@littlerock.com. There is a $25 processing charge on all refunds. Check here if you require special aids or services under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please register prior to October 31 to allow time to arrange services.
IMPORTANT – BRING YOUR REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION TO THE CONFERENCE!
Registration information will be sent from littlerock.com. Please be watching for it or unblock spam filters to allow receipt. ~ Page 6 ~
Literacy
46th Annual
Conference
Keynote Speaker
Penny Kittle Author of Write Beside Them and Book Love
A Backdoor Route to Phonics Skill Mastery:
By Katie Garner, M.Ed. and Dr. Jill Buchan Continued on from page 1. sing the alphabet song every morning, “Y says yo-yo, yuh, yuh, yuh,” and then move on to daily calendar time where they notice the y sound in words like: July, January, February, May, Sunday, Monday, etc… Additionally, they see the letter y in books that are “by” a particular author, and above the door of the “boy’s” bathroom. Teaching beginning learners the one sound for y that it is least likely to make may sound counterintuitive, but it is actually the norm in traditional core reading and phonics instruction. (Can you see the elephants starting to appear?) The English language is ripe with letter sound inconsistencies, as letters in isolation almost never seem to make the sounds that they are supposed to when they come together in real words. Another example, kindergartners are taught, “T says turtle, tuh, tuh, tuh,” despite the fact that nine times out of ten, t won’t actually say “tuh,” because of high frequency words: like: the, this, them, they, those, there, then, etc... Such blatant instructional discrepancies are the reading equivalent of sending early grade learners on a wild goose chase. It is not until the late fall or early winter of first grade that th appears on the scope and sequence of most core reading and phonics programs for formal introduction. So how can teachers help students to understand and account for what seem to be constant contradictions of letter sounds in text, while avoiding the use of commonly heard phrases like, “It just is… It just does… You just have to remember…”? It’s actually quite simple when following the path carved by brain science. So now let’s imagine that it’s the first day of kindergarten and students have just finished singing the alphabet song, which includes singing both the short (as in apple) and long ~ Page 8 ~
(as in ape) sounds for the letter a. The class then transitions to calendar time. Without skipping a beat, the teacher shifts the instructional focus to the calendar. The first question she asks is, “What month is it?” She points to the letter A in the word August, helping them sound out, “ahhh—guh—ust.” And then it happens, a student calls out, “But I thought the letter O was supposed to say ‘ahhh’, not A?” (Enter elephant, stage right!) This sticky, yet all too common, classroom scenario poses an instructional dilemma for many teachers, yet it’s actually an ideal optimal learning opportunity in disguise! Whenever instruction aligns with a learner’s need-to-know, the information presented is marked for memory, and thus prioritized for learning in the brain. And in the above-described scenario, what students need to know is the reading and writing “secret” about au, which is that these letters are in love! They have a huge crush on each other (as do aw) and whenever they have to stand right next to each other in a word, they get so embarrassed that they always put their heads down and say, “Ahhhhhhh!” (Garner, 2016). Sharing the simple secret about au and aw with beginning (and struggling, upper grade) readers empowers them to not only read the word August, but hundreds of other words too, like: Autumn, awful, awesome, auto, etc. This simple shifting of the instructional delivery from “skill” based to “feeling” based allows teachers to target phonics instruction to the earlier developing, affective (social and emotional) learning domain, rather than the later developing, higher level processing centers. By connecting letter sound behavior with learners’ existing frameworks of social and emotional understanding (i.e. being in love, feeling embarrassed, etc…) skills become relevant and meaningful.
The result is forging stronger learner connections and easier retrieval. “It is literally neurobiologically impossible to think deeply about things that you don’t care about. Deep understanding depends on making emotional connections between concepts. Emotion guides our learning. The emotional brain filters all incoming information. If something is emotionally stimulating, it will be marked identified marked for memory.” (Immordino-Yang, 2015). As previously stated, early literacy research suggests that often poor readers read poorly because they are taught poorly at the earliest grade levels (Allington, 2011). Implementation of a core reading and/ or phonics program by which learners acquire only bits and pieces of the code, dispersed over multiple grade level years, does not provide those at the beginning grade levels with the tools they need to fully partake in the many reading and writing experiences that occur across the instructional day. Nor does this planned “fragmentation” model of instruction equip students with the tools they need to read or write about what is personally meaningful to them. “Three to four years is a long time to make learners wait for access to the whole code” (Allington, 2011). This accepted practice of delaying learner-access to the whole code needed for reading and writing puts those at the earliest grade levels at a tremendous disadvantage. This disadvantage occurs because learners at the beginning grade levels acquire only minimal access to letter sound and phonics skills, severely limiting their ability to engage in the many rich text experiences that are woven throughout the instructional day, beginning in pre-K. This disadvantage is compounded by the fact that the small parts of the code they do know (individual letters and sounds) often appear contradictory to the sounds
How to Spot the Elephants...
By Katie Garner, M.Ed. and Dr. Jill Buchan that letters make (together) in actual and tools needed to ensure the text. early, intensive and expert literacy The brain seeks meaning instruction required to teach all kids to and relevance, which is why it is read. (Allington, 2013) vital that phonics skill instruction is Educators must be familiar aligned with that which is important with brain compatible practices and to learners. When information does also those that are brain antagonistic. not make sense, the brain is unable Based on what we currently know to process the concepts and must rely about the brain’s structure and on rote learning methods instead. function, brain compatible teaching Cloaking phonics skills as grown-up, emphasizes the way the brain naturally reading and writing “secrets” that learns (Sprenger, 2013). Lessons that learners want to know makes them are brain compatible enable teachers easy to teach, and allows them to to target instruction to areas of learner be shared as needed—and from as strength (social emotive awareness early as kindergarten—whenever and understanding) and effectively and wherever they are encountered bypass areas of inherent weakness throughout the instructional day. The (i.e. developmental readiness, result is a systematic, yet learner- cognitive processing, language delays, driven “buffet-style” approach to etc…) (Jensen 2009). Additionally, this phonics skill introduction that aligns allows teachers to teach to multiple with our brain’s need to pattern-out intelligences, appealing to as many information on a need-to-know basis; senses as possible through movement, as opposed to delivering disjointed visuals, sounds and props (Jensen, skills during a designated reading 2009). Alternatively, brain antagonistic block, and spread across multiple, practices diminish proper brain grade level years. Within this brain function due to use of explicit memory based instructional design, learner- pathways. Teachers must understand momentum in both reading and the differences between brain writing increases far beyond just compatible and brain antagonistic simple decoding, with students at the instruction. Principals must also earliest grade levels empowered with evaluate to determine teacherthe tools needed to read books that effectiveness, particularly in regards to are of genuine interest and write the the delivery of phonics skill instruction, stories that they want to tell. to ensure that it aligns with the brain It is essential that teachers, rather than opposition to it. especially those at the beginning Understanding of brain science grade levels, both understand and and its implications for teaching and are prepared for the many hurdles learning is an invaluable asset in and pitfalls inherent in early grade, today’s classrooms. Those who are literacy skill instruction. According to prepared with knowledge about how Dr. Allington, “What really matters is our brains receive, store, and process ongoing, professional development information are better equipped to for PK, kindergarten and first grade provide students with optimal learning teachers,” further noting that, “No opportunities through which critical amount of remediation or retention literacy skills are more easily acquired. can compare with high quality, It is up to school leaders to ensure professional development for preK, K that teachers know not only what to and 1st grade level teachers.” This is do, but why to do it. Principals must the only way to ensure that teachers understand the inherent hurdles and are equipped with the knowledge Continued on page 10.
ARKANSAS READING ASSOCIATION 45th ANNUAL
LITERACY CONFERENCE NOVEMBER 15-16, 2018 LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
Literacy Conference Housing Information The Little Rock Marriott will once again serve as host hotel to the upcoming Arkansas Reading Association Literacy Conference. Reservations may be made by calling before October 15: 1-877759-6290. Overnight parking charges, taxes and fees are additional.
The Little Rock Marriott* - $159.00
*Convention Hotel – Prices are subject to additional fees and/or state and local taxes (currently 13% in Little Rock).
Join Us!
Exhibit Hall Extravaganza Thursday, Nov. 15 12:00 - 1:30 PM
Door Prizes Author Autographing Book Club Meet and Greet Gifts and Prizes Games ...and Much More! ~ Page 9 ~
A Backdoor Route to Phonics Skill Mastery
By Katie Garner, M.Ed. and Dr. Jill Buchan Continued from page 9. pitfalls in early grade reading instruction, particularly at the earliest grade levels. They must be capable of clearly identifying the role that phonics plays in effective reading instruction and provide ongoing staff development opportunities for teachers so as to ensure the early, intensive, expert literacy instruction needed to successfully teach all students to read. It is the only way to keep those pesky elephants at bay! The ongoing advances in brain research speak loud and clear to today’s educators, but it is up to school and literacy leaders to ensure that message is heard (Fischer, 2008). Understanding why some kids don’t learn to read is essential to catching our most vulnerable before they fall, and our children cannot wait. About the Authors Katie Garner, M.Ed., is an internationally known speaker, author and literacy
consultant with over twenty years of experience working in elementary grade classrooms, and a passion for infusing neuroscience into literacy and learning. Her “backdoor-to-thebrain” approach to critical phonics skill acquisition, via the affective (social emotional/ feeling) domain, shifts the paradigms associated with traditional literacy and phonics skill instruction, and has gained national recognition with the No Child Left Behind, Reading First, and RTI Initiatives. As a keynote and featured speaker at educational conferences across the United States and abroad— including an ongoing keynote series at the Vulnerable Readers Summits with North American literacy leaders, Dr. Richard Allington (What Really Matters for Struggling Readers) and Dr. Anne Cunningham (The National Early Literacy Panel ”NELP” Report)— Katie shares multi-modal, “brain-changing” strategies for boosting existing, reading curriculum and phonics instruction with the latest neural research showing how our brains learn best. Her practical and proven methods for bringing neuroscience into the forefront of literacy learning have been shared in both lecture and panel discussions at Harvard University and MIT as part of the Learning and the Brain Conference and Research Consortium, and are the subject of an upcoming, professional development book series. For more information: www.KatieGarner.com. Dr. Jill Buchan is an Assistant Professor of Education at Upper Iowa University in Des Moines, Iowa. Buchan has been a leader in the field of education for almost two decades. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Upper Iowa University. She continued her studies at Drake University where she earned a Masters in Science degree with an emphasis in special education. Most recently, she earned her doctoral degree from Capella University in the area of special education leadership. Sources Allington, R. Classrooms that Work: They Can All Read and Write (2015). Fischer, K. The Educated Brain (2008). Garner, K. Secret Stories—Cracking the Reading Code with the Brain in Mind (2016). Immordino-Yang, M. Emotions, Learning and the Brain: Exploring the Educational Implications of Affective Neuroscience. (2015). Jensen, E. Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind: Practical Strategies for Raising Achievement (2013). Pressly, M. Journal of Literacy Research- Effective Beginning Reading Instruction, V. 34 No. 2, PP. 165-171 (2002). Sprenger, M. Wiring the Brain for Reading: Brain Based Strategies for Teaching Literacy (2013). Stuhlman, M.W., Pianta, R.C. Profiles of Educational Quality in First Grade. The Elementary School Journal, 109(4), 323–342 (2009).
Remain current with ARA at
arareading.org ~ Page 10 ~
Member IDs Needed to Register as Member for 2018 Conference Discount
Individuals who are members of ARA receive a discount on the cost of the ARA conference registration. Anyone who registers for the conference as a member will have to provide their member ID on the registration form. To locate your 8-digit User ID, click on your icon in the upper right corner and click “View Profile.” The User ID listed there is your ARA Membership number.
ARA/ILA Reorganization
Arkansas Reading Association has taken the steps to formally begin the process of obtaining their new ILA charter. At Summer Leadership on July 13-14, leaders will receive information about the reorganization and exciting new projects for this upcoming year.
Attending ILA?
ARA members attending ILA Convention in Austin, Texas, should contact ILA Coordinator Jeanne Trawick, who is planning a “Meet and Greet” for Arkansas members. Email Jeanne@arareading.org, and she will send you information!
Editor Needed
ARA is currently seeking an editor and layout designer for the The Reader. This person would be responsible for seeking articles for submission, creating the document, submitting to a committee for review, and making final revisions and edits. The Reader is the scholarly journal of the Arkansas Reading Association. It is designed to serve as a resource for all Arkansas reading teachers. This would be a two-year commitment. Interested persons should send an email to susan@reading. org with rationale and credentials for position no later than June 30.
ARA Hosts Book Club: Still Time to JOIN!
Rebecca Harper, author of Content Area Writing That Rocks, and William Meyer, author of Horace: Secret of the Scarab Beetle, met with book club members during the months of January/ February and April. “A great time! I so enjoyed book club. Thank you for inviting me,” commented Harper. When asked what he would say to Arkansas educators planning to attend his session during this fall’s 46th Annual Literacy Conference, Meyer replied, “My voice is as deep as the whales and my knowledge of history as wide as the ocean!” Thank you to both authors!
During the months of June and July, book club members will meet online with Darcy Pattison and Carla McClafferty, both authors of middle grade and children’s books. On June 4 and 11, the book club will meet with author Darcy Pattison and discuss Sleepers, which is the first in her The Blue Planet World Series. Book club members will meet on Monday evenings from 7-8 PM with Pattison in a closed Facebook group. To purchase your copy of this novel, please go to Amazon.com. The Kindle version is free as of publication date. During July, book club members will chat with Carla McClafferty about her book Fourth Down and Inches: Concussions and Football’s Make-or-Break Moment. Later this fall, September’s book will be 180 Days by authors Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallegher. Kittle will
be the keynote speaker at this fall’s conference. ARA offers professional development credit for each hour during book club. Participants should add a minimum of two comments per session. A PDF of a letter of completion documenting PD hours will be emailed at the conclusion of the book study. Also, make plans now to attend the ARA Literacy Conference in Little Rock this fall, November 15-16. All book authors will be at the conference and are making plans to spend time with book clubbers.
Arkansas Reading Association Membership www.arareading.org 866.930.7323 $20 Includes State and Local Council Dues For details, contact Krista Underwood at krista@arareading.org
International Literacy Association Membership www.reading.org 800.336.7323 Student: $24 • Basic: $39 with Journal: $69
For information about starting a reading council in your area, contact Krista Underwood at krista@arareading.org.
ARA membership is now easily renewed online!
Members should update their information and profile by logging in at arareading.org. Your ARA member number is now listed on your mailing label.
Great Summer Reading! Arkansas Diamond Charlie May Simon Go to ARA’s Website to preview the lists! arareading.org ~ Page 11 ~
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Arkansas Reading Association
THE READER 3450 Clearwell Road Conway, AR 72034
Reasons to Attend Arkansas’ Premiere Literacy Conference: 1. Purchase latest book releases and products 2. Receive Professional Development Hours
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3. Learn ways to impact literacy instruction 4. Network with professionals from across the state and nation 5. Meet favorite children’s, young adult, and professional development authors
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