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>> NARRATOR: In this short video we will model individual diagnostic testing
of four major reading components:
word recognition, spelling,
word meaning, and oral reading rate.
At our adult reading laboratory we teach a practicum
where graduate students are paired with adult learners from the community whom
they tutor for a semester.
Students are taught to assess their learners ability on many reading
components
so they can zero in on their initial
instructional needs.
When you participate on the website
you will be asked for your learners scores on four reading components that we model
in this film.
You will find information on the site that will help you find tests of reading
components.
Lynn Rasmussen, a graduate student presently enrolled in our practicum,
will be testing Michael Joseph,
the learner with whom she has been paired.
Michael is from Haiti where, for political and economic reasons, he did not attend
school long enough to learn to read well.
He's been in this country for a while
but he is only recently sought in learning to speak and read English
well enough to reach his goals.
For government reporting purposes he was given a standardize norm referenced
silent reading comprehension test at the literacy center he attends.
This performance of his overall reading ability is the only information Lynn has
about her learner's reading.
She will find out additional useful information and she tests Michael
on these four reading sub skills.
Pay attention to the techniques Lynn uses throughout the assessment to
continually reinforce its collaborative nature.
>> TEACHER: Hello Michael >> STUDENT: Hello, Lynn
>> TEACHER: Let me explain what we'll be doing this evening. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: I know took a reading test with some other learners last week.
>> STUDENT: Yes.
>> TEACHER: That test told us that you understand what you read silently at an
intermediate class level. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: But that test can't tell us just what part of reading ability you need to
strengthen in order to read as well as you'd like. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: We'll find that out with the short tests we'll be doing together today. >> STUDENT: Alright.
>> TEACHER: But first I'd like to find out a little more about your education up until now.
Background information often gives us clues about how to plan
a readers
instruction. >> STUDENT: Sure.
>> TEACHER: I'm going to ask you for some information that will help us understand
your educational and personal history. >> STUDENT: Okay. >> TEACHER: If you don't want to answer any question
please tell me and we'll go on to the next one. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: Michael, what do you read very often?
>> STUDENT: I read newspapers,
children's books, magazines.
>> TEACHER: Okay. How many years of school did you complete? complete
>> STUDENT: Four or five.
>> TEACHER: Okay,
and where was that? >> STUDENT: In Haiti.
>> TEACHER: Okay, what do you find hard about reading?
>> STUDENT: Some long words. >> TEACHER: Long words? Okay.
Do you have trouble reading those words or understanding those words?
>> STUDENT: Understanding. >> TEACHER: Understanding? Okay.
Michael, I'm going to say a couple of sentences. Please tell me if they're true
for you. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: I forget a lot of what I read right after I read it.
>> STUDENT: Sometimes.
>> TEACHER: I read very slowly. >> STUDENT: Yes, I do.
>> TEACHER: Michael is English your native language? >> STUDENT: No, it isn't.
>> TEACHER: What is your native language? >> STUDENT: Creole.
>> TEACHER: How well do you understand English?
I'll read three sentences and you can tell me if they're true for you. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: I'm a beginner;
I understand it pretty well but I could be doing better;
very well.
>> STUDENT: Number two. >> TEACHER: Number two?
Okay.
When did you first have trouble with reading
in school?
Right away
or after a few years?
>> STUDENT: I would say right at the beginning. >> TEACHER: Right at the beginning? Okay.
What are your goals in learning to read better?
>> STUDENT: I would like to
have my GED, go to college,
and have a better job. >> TEACHER: Okay.
Alright. Would you like to read books to your children? >> STUDENT: Yes, I do.
>> TEACHER: Alright.
Do you wear glasses for reading? >> STUDENT: No, I don't.
>> TEACHER: Do you have trouble hearing? >> STUDENT: No, I don't.
>> TEACHER: Michael do you have any health problems?
>> STUDENT: Not really.
>> TEACHER: Do you take any medications? >> STUDENT: Yes, I do.
>> TEACHER: What do you take?
>> STUDENT: I take Prilosec.
>> TEACHER: What is that for? >> STUDENT: For heartburn.
>> TEACHER: Okay.
Michael, you mentioned you feel you read slowly sometimes. >> STUDENT: Yes. >> TEACHER: Reading slowly can
be a problem because it takes too long to finish things
and it can cause you to lose interest in what you're reading.
>> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: Let's get a sense of how fast you read, your reading rate. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: I'd like you to read this passage outloud while I time you. >> STUDENT:Okay.
>> TEACHER: Based on how well you read the word list, I don't think this passage will be too
difficult for you. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: I'd like you to read it as fast as you can
without making mistakes, okay? >> STUDENT: Okay. >> TEACHER: Ready? >> STUDENT: Yes.
>> TEACHER: Go. >> STUDENT: It is Tuesday at two or three A.M.
Sam is at work in his cab.
He is thinking this job is a snap.
He can work a lot, then slack off a bit.
At four A.M. he will have a snack
then catch a wink or two.
All is well, thinks Sam.
Home in bed
by five.
Home to my Val.
Sam does not know what he is in for.
He is passing the school when man flags him.
The man is a slob.
He does not act
at all well.
He must be sick
thinks Sam.
I will pick him up and let him off at the clinic.
>> TEACHER: That was pretty good.
Fifty one seconds.
>> NARRATOR: That's a hundred and twenty nine words a minute for the hundred and ten word
passage.
A good rate for Michael's reading ability.
>> STUDENT: Thank you. >> TEACHER: And I especially liked the way you read with expression even though you
were reading fast. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: That shows that you know how to look for meaning and what you're reading. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: It's also a sign that you'll be able to read faster with practice. >> STUDENT: Thank you.
>> TEACHER: You mentioned earlier that sometimes you can read long words but you don't understand them. >> STUDENT: Yes.
you don't understand them. >> STUDENT: Yes. >> TEACHER: Let's take a look at that together. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: I'll ask you to tell me what some words mean. >> STUDENT: Okay. >> TEACHER: You don't have to give me a
dictionary perfect definition. >> STUDENT: Alright. >> TEACHER: Just try to indicate to me that you
understand the word, okay? >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> NARRATOR: We are interested in how well the meaning of a word is known.
In judging responses
we ask if the learner would understand the word in a reading passage that
didn't supply explicit clues to its meaning.
>> TEACHER: Connect
>> STUDENT: Connect? It's
something you put together.
>> TEACHER: Okay. Interruption.
>> STUDENT: Interruption is
something like you,
maybe you were sleeping and
while you were sleeping the phone is ring
that's going to interrupt your sleep.
>> TEACHER: Okay. Ruin. >> STUDENT: Ruin, um,
it's something like spoil.
>> TEACHER: Okay. Inventor.
>> STUDENT: Inventor. It's something
someone who would do this
make or create.
>> TEACHER: Inventor.
>> STUDENT: Inventor. Produce.
>> TEACHER: Tell me a little more. >> STUDENT: I'm not sure.
>> TEACHER: Okay.
Candidate.
>> STUDENT: Candidate, um
uh... could be someone who wants to be a
or play a part of government. >> TEACHER: Okay.
Energetic.
>> STUDENT: I do not understand that word.
>> TEACHER: Victorious.
>> STUDENT: Victorious.
It's, um,
something you
want
and you finally get it
like you won. >> TEACHER: Okay.
Territory.
>> STUDENT: Territory, uh
this is my place.
>> TEACHER: Urge.
>> STUDENT: Urge. I do not understand that one.
>> TEACHER: Okay, that's fine.
That's it Michael. You read lists or words,
spelled words,
and gave word meanings. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: I'd also timed you while you read a short passage aloud. >> STUDENT: Alright.
>> TEACHER: Now it's important for both of us to understand what these tests can tell us. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: The fact that you automatically depend on your knowledge of the sounds of
letters and letter combinations to figure out unfamiliar words when you
read and spell
is a real strength. >> STUDENT: Okay
>> TEACHER: And you're good at it. You also have a good memory for letter combinations and
words you've learned that can't be sounded out.
>> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: You need to learn how to figure out longer words with more letter
combinations. >> STUDENT: Right.
>> TEACHER: Your spelling errors show that you sometimes confuse short vowels like
getting the sound of english vowels right is always difficult for ESL
learners so we'll have to work on those. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: The words you understand, you understand very well
and you can express their meanings. >> STUDENT: Okay, thank you.
>> TEACHER: You just need to know more of them. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: Do you have any ideas about how you might learn more English words?
>> STUDENT: Yes, by
listening
to, um, television and radio
and by
practice reading
and writing English. >> TEACHER: That's right.
um... the more you read
the more words you'll learn.
It's also important to hear as much English as possible. On television on
the radio and in conversation with, with English speakers. >> STUDENT: Sure, okay.
>> TEACHER: Okay? And for my part Michael, I'll be teaching you words that will help you
understand what you'll be able to read. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: And you'll be able to read harder wordsbecause will be concentrating on that
skill in your lesson. >> STUDENT: Alright.
>> TEACHER: I look for good progress because not only do you show good skills in
learning words and wanting to understand what you read, but you also show a strong
desire to reach your goals. >> STUDENT: Thank you.
>> TEACHER: So I'll do my best to help you strengthen word reading,
increase the number of words that you
know, and can rea with understanding so that reading is a more pleasurable
experience. >> STUDENT: Thank you.
>> TEACHER: Do you have any questions about this plan?
>> STUDENT: Um...
actually
no, i don't. >> TEACHER: Okay, thanks Michael. I'll see you tomorrow at six o'clock and
we'll get started. >> STUDENT: Thank you. I'll see you. >> NARRATOR: We have found that when testing is done
in this collaborative way,
adults usually enjoy it because they find out so much about their reading.
With Lynn and Michae,l not only does the teacher now know what she will be
teaching
but the learner knows what to expect and why it will help.
Effective teaching involves assessment and instruction in a continuous cycle.
Frequent assessments full indicate to Lynn when it is time to adjust
and hone her instructional techniques and focus
as Michael progresses.
I hope you will find this website a practical aid in planning instruction
for your adult learners
and a resource for furthering your understanding
of adult reading development.
>> TEACHER: Next we'll look at how well you spelled the words that you're able to read. >> STUDENT: okay.
>> TEACHER: It may seem that reading and spelling are two separate abilities but actually
they're very connected. >> STUDENT: Alright. >> TEACHER: let's see where you are
on this skill. Okay?
>> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: I'm going to pronounce some words,
then use them in a sentence, then pronounce them again. >> STUDENT: okay.
>> TEACHER: You only have to write the word.
You can rewrite a word
as many times as you like if you want to change the way you've spelled it. I'll only
count the last spelling of any word. >> STUDENT: Alright.
>> TEACHER: If you'd like, you can draw a line through a word that you want to try
again but I want to see your mistakes as well as your correct spellings. >> STUDENT: Okay then.
>> TEACHER: Why do you suppose it's important for me to see your misspellings?
>> STUDENT: Then you can see my mistakes?
>> TEACHER: That's right and I can see which letter combinations you're confused about. Okay?
>> STUDENT: Okay.
>> NARRATOR: Since most people do not spell words as well as they can read them,
Lynn starts dictating words from grade equivalent three list,
a level below Michael's word recognition mastery.
The list we use for this demonstration gives Michael three words at each level;
three, four, and five.
You should follow the directions for the test you use.
>> TEACHER: Let's give it a try.
reach
I can't reach the cookie jar. reach.
talk
Let's talk about it tomorrow.
talk
voice
She has a very high voice.
voice
famous
I met a famous person yesterday.
famous
result
What was the test result?
result
explain
Please explain the directions again.
explain
educate
I want to educate my daughter at home.
educate
surprise
The party was a big surprise. surprise
listen
Please listen to the instructions carefully.
listen
Okay.
Michael you're spelling ability is quite close to your word reading level which
is good.
That shows that if you see a word enough times you remember how to spell it.
>> STUDENT: Alright.
>> TEACHER: I also noticed that
some words that might be difficult for you to read you spell as they sound. >> STUDENT: okay.
>> TEACHER: That shows that you understand how to put letter sounds together
and that's a very important strength.
Well, now
we both need to find out where you have difficulties so that I know what to teach you and you know what to practice and learn in order to
strengthen your reading ability. Okay? >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: We'll do these tests together.
You won't be doing any writing except for a few
spelling words. >> STUDENT: Okay.
But I'll be taking notes all along so that I have a record of your reading. Okay?
>> STUDENT: Okay
>> NARRATOR: The graded word list we use to model testing
of word recognition and spelling
are composites of items from several published assessments.
We wanted to model a usual testing situation where learners often read
lists at three or four grade levels before reaching a mastery level.
We couldn't print that many levels of any published assessment because of
copyright restrictions.
Users are cautioned not to use the graded word lists that are seen in the
film when testing their learners
on word recognition and spelling
Since these are not genuine grade equivalent lists
their reliability has not been established.
Published tests of reading sub-skills can be found on the test bank in the
assessment section of the website.
The first test is of word recognition.
It is an assessment of automaticity and the recognition of sight words and of
letter and syllable combinations.
Modest audible decoding is acceptable, for example
giving the sound of the first letter or syllable and then saying the whole word.
But belabored decoding is discouraged by a time limit of five seconds for each
word.
If a response is correc,t put a check by the word. If incorrect, write the learners
response in any way that will help you recall the miss pronunciation when you
analyze the test later.
Look for patterns of errors that you can use as starting points for instruction.
>> TEACHER: First we should see how strong you are in reading words from a list. Okay? >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: This test can tell us how can easily and at what level
you can read words. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: Michael take a look at these lists
and tell me which list you feel you can read comfortably. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: You can take a look at those.
>> STUDENT: I like number one. >> TEACHER: This one? >> STUDENT: Yes.
>> TEACHER: Alright, let's start there.
Please start at the top and read down the list. Okay? >> STUDENT: Alright.
>> TEACHER: You don't have to read fast
and you can correct yourself if you make a mistake. Okay. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: You may begin.
>> STUDENT: eat, finger
sheep
farmer
wind
father
careful
ocean
believe
cliff
>> NARRATOR: Lynn is aiming for the highest grade equivalent list of ten words
that Michael can read with three or fewer errors.
Mastery grade equivalent level on this test we use is seventy percent correct.
The tests that you use may require higher percentage correct for GE
mastery.
Follow the instructions for the test you administer.
>> TEACHER: Okay, we can certainly go on to a harder one now. now
Same thing, start at the top and read
down the list.
You may begin.
>> STUDENT: stretch, empty
promise
weather
frightened
notice
tired
important
middle
trade. >> TEACHER: Okay, that's fine.
>> NARRATOR: Michael cannot pronounce the English "th".
This letter combination is pronounced as a "d" in Michael's native Haitian Creole.
You heard the substitution in his pronunciation of weather as wedder,
and on the previous list
father as fadder.
This is an articulation difference, not a reading error.
>> TEACHER: Let's go on. Okay?
Okay, you may begin.
>> STUDENT: common
rancid
inhabitant
glowed
serious
rough, improved
collapse
amazing, amazed
creation.
>> NARRATOR: Michael self-corrected his reading of two words on this list.
We can see his careful monitoring
as he corrected his first reading of the word improved.
Initially he read it as "inpoor",
probably ready to say the more familiar word important.
In correcting amazing to amazed
he showed his attention even to a word's final sounds.
Developing readers often substitute or omit final sounds and syllables.
Michael does not consistently apply his attention to all parts of the word
but the skill is becoming more automatic.
His self-corrections are indicative of strong word reading ability
and also of a strong motivation to become a mature reader.
>> TEACHER: Okay,
let's try another one.
Okay, you may begin. >> STUDENT: Okay.
caus, caushion
poison
acquainsted
ambition, splendid
con
concentration
advised
sex-sexiful
grant
tailor
>> TEACHER: Okay, that's fine.
Okay Michael, great job.
That last list had several words that you probably haven't seen
before. >> STUDENT: Okay.
>> TEACHER: Yet you came pretty close to pronouncing them using your knowledge of letter
sounds. >> STUDENT: Thank you.
>> TEACHER: That is the best way to try to figure out unfamiliar words and you do
it automatically. That's a very important strength.