| Project Title: | Connecting Text |
|---|---|
| Type of Mini-Grant: | 1998 Oswego County Teacher Center |
| Mini-Grant Writers: | Stephanie Borgert, Marian Becker, Sheri Dafoe, Sharon Mills, Chris Nearbin, Deb Petrie, Kathy Rose and Gretchen Yaeger. |
Implementation
The purpose of this project is to build a collection of connected texts and coordinated online teacher guides with Web-based story extensions to be used with decoding instruction for K-6 classrooms. A collection of phonetically-controlled texts has been purchased and organized to support students' efforts to progress towards reading fluency and accuracy. The chart that follows summarizes the decodable texts purchased. The individual stories are listed (as well as the entire project) online and can be viewed at http://www.cs.oswego.edu/~borgert (Click on Reading and Writing Project and link to Connecting Text).
| Name of Program | Grade Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Phonics | K-2 | Illustrated storybooks, each approximately sixteen pages long, contain phonetic elements and sightwords that reinforce systematic phonic instruction. |
| Multisensory Teaching Approach (MTA) | Ungraded | Based on the Orton-Gillingham techniques and Alphabetic Phonics, these illustrated readers teach phonetic elements in a structured, but entertaining way. |
| Wilson Reading System (WRS) | Intermediate to adults | "Stories For Older Students" are high interest, phonetically-controlled readers. They supplement the multisensory, direct instruction of the Wilson Reading System. |
| J and J Language Readers | Multi-level (1-12) | These readers support a structured approach to reading instruction. The three-level format is comprised of 54 illustrated books with contemporary, multi-ethnic characters. The readability levels are: Level I--Primer to 2.4; Level II--2.5 to 4.5; Level III--4.6 to 6.0. |
The following student learning is evident as a result of assessment procedures:
To provide ample opportunities for students to practice the skills taught, Web-based story extension activities have been developed. These Web-based story extensions are designed to support individual students who are in the emergent and beginning stages of reading and writing. The intent is to scaffold opportunities for students to practice literacy skills and strategies consistent with corresponding individual instruction. All activities are and will continue to be "works in progress".
Attachment A is an example of a Web-based story extension activity. The Teacher's Guide articulates the connection of reading, writing, listening, and speaking as well as identifies interdisciplinary activities with a literature link.
The activities, as well as the results of this project, are available to all of our staff through direct teacher collaboration in the classroom, team discussions, and our reading series selection committee. In addition, the project is part of a county-wide Learning Technology grant and will be shared out at the local and state level. Educators connected to the Web can access the project's activities (minus copies of the decodable texts) for their own use and also to provide input.