Reading to dogs - get involved

Honestly, I didn't want to copy Dr. Ness' idea for this post, but being involved with children reading to dogs to support literacy is a topic near and dear to me. I had the idea first!!! Just kidding. The dog you see on the right of your screen is my best friend, Reuben. He is a two year old wire-haired dachshund, and as you can see, from the stylish outfit he is wearing, he is a certified member of "The Good Dog Foundation." Actually, we are a team. The GDF primarily sends certified therapy teams to provide emotional support, stimulation, etc. to nursing homes, hospitals, rehab centers, and shelters. Reuben's job usually involves sitting in someones lap hoping to make them smile. The GDF recently began a children's literacy program in 6 public schools and 4 libraries in NYC, and we are excited to get involved. Below are some links to the GDF website and some media coverage. If anyone has a pet they think would be a good candidate (i.e. calm, well-behaved, doesn't like to eat children...) then GET INVOLVED! It is amazingly satisfying and rewarding; a great way to give back to your community and spend more time with your best friend.

http://www.thegooddogfoundation.org/news.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2008/06/21/2008-06-21_therapy_pets_make_perfect_listeners_as_h.html

Case Study - fascinating ELL with strong writing, weak reading and oral language

I have chosen as the subject for my case study a 2nd grade boy named Matthew, with very low reading skills and comprehension, and even lower apparent oral language skills. The very interesting thing is that he has above average writing skills. I'll go into much more detail later. Matthew is 8 years old and comes from a home where Cantonese is the primary language spoken. I don't believe there is anyone at home with whom he can practice his English. He came to the US with his parents a few years ago - I need to find out how long, as well as more details about his home life. I know his mother is at home, but I don't know about other family members yet. He is very difficult to understand when speaking, and he has trouble understanding both oral and written directions. My inexpert opinion is that his oral language is at about a pre-k to kindergarten level. He gets added support from an ESL teacher for 40 minutes a day in a pull-out environment. It is possible that the bulk of his issues come from difficulty with the English language, but I strongly suspect that there is a serious problem with his aural processing. I hope to find out much more through the course of my case study. In many ways he is a typical 8 year old boy - he likes sports, video games, animals, etc... In other ways he is quite unusual - he acts out in class, asks extremely silly questions, and has a very hard time focusing. One great plus for my research is that he is engaged and willing to please, and likes to interact with me one-on-one. I don't believe he has ADD or ADHD, but it is possible. One reason I chose Matthew as my subject is his aforementioned skill with writing. His ideas and sequencing are well developed, he can write large volumes, and explain his writing, and his handwriting and written vocabulary are at the top of the class. There is a serious disconnect somewhere which I intend to discover.

#3 - Its Obviously Broke - Fix it!

One topic we have recently discussed in class which I find to be very interesting is Vigotsky’s Zone of proximal development theory. This is the idea that there are basically 3 levels of beginning readers which help inform instruction. When a child reads with 98% or more accuracy on his/her own, this is the Independent level. 95-97% is the Instructional level, and below 95% is called Frustrational. I suppose this makes perfect sense, but I had held different conceptions of what to best challenge children with in reading in the past. I would have said that the independent level is good for practice, but not of must use for instruction. Similarly, I would have looked at the instructional level as better, but still not challenging enough for teaching. My instincts would have me push students with reading that they could process at maybe 85% to 95%, but apparently research shows that anything under 95% is too difficult and would be counter-productive. I am glad I have been exposed to this research so I do not make the mistake in the future of asking too much from my students.

One thing I would like to discuss that I am not necessarily confused by, but more shocked, is the data on reading abilities in specific and literacy in general for the overall population. The numbers cited in this weeks reading about literacy rates for minorities are to be honest, disgusting. In particular, some stats that I find particularly upsetting are that “20% of elementary students are very poor readers,” “44% of all fourth graders…below basic,” and “the rate of reading failure in these groups (African-American and Latino) is 60%-70%” (Moats, 2000, p.4). I simply cannot understand how we have let this situation get so out of control in this modern age.

To answer this week’s most important topic question, this is exactly “why it is essential for Pre K – 5 teachers to know about and understand children’s oral language acquisition.” We must address this terrible injustice in a logical, methodical way. If we don’t understand how children acquire oral language skills, we will never break this cycle. Oral language is the basis for all further instruction in literacy. Obviously we need to find a way to adapt our instruction and curricula regarding written language based on newer research about oral language to better serve students today.