1. Webinar #4
Informing Instruction and Measuring Growth

2. • Transfer the information gleaned from the
BAS to focused literacy teaching and learning.
• Use the data gleaned and assessment strategies
from the BAS to inform daily instruction.
• How to better utilize the Continuum of
Literacy Learning.

3. For this webinar you will need:
 The Continuum of Literacy Learning
 The Benchmark Assessment System 1 or 2
Assessment Guide

4. The results of Benchmark Assessments
can be used to plan for…
• Individual Instruction
• Small Group Instruction
• Whole Class Instruction

5. Linking Assessment to Instruction
using
The Continuum of Literacy Learning

7. Scaffolding through teaching contexts
Teacher
Child
Interactive
Read
Aloud
Shared
Reading
Guided
Reading
Literature
Discussion Independent
Reading
Scaffolding through teaching contexts

8. Whole group
Interactive Read Aloud
Literature Discussion

9. Interactive Read Aloud and Literature
Discussion
When children are actively listening to and discussing
a text, all of the strategic actions for comprehending
are in operation. In an interactive read aloud, the
listener is freed from decoding and is supported by the
oral reader’s fluency, phrasing, and stress – all
elements of what we sometimes call expression. The
scene is set for a high level of comprehending or
thinking together through a text.
COLL, Pages 8-10

10. • Listen in
–Grade 1 group in their first
literature discussion
•Julius, Baby of the World
• Return to the webinar

11. Thinking within the text
Understand the problem of a story
Recognize characters and report important details after reading
Thinking beyond the text
Bring background knowledge to understanding characters and
their problems
Make connections between texts and their own life experiences
Use evidence from text to support predictions
Make connections between familiar texts and discuss
similarities and differences
Thinking about the text
Notice similarities and differences among texts that are by the
same author or are on the same topic
Have opinions about texts and state the basis for opinions (tell
why)

12. Julius, Baby of the World
What did you think?
Why?
How is she feeling? …in the beginning?
Why?
Do you agree?
Share what you are thinking
Did that help you understand the story? Why?
Did Lily love Julius?
Ah, (restating) just not showing it
What changed?
Who said it?

13. Our ultimate goal as teachers is to help each
student in our schools become a reader who
loves books and all they have to offer.
Reading is more than basic decoding
competency. It has the potential to nourish
the intellect, the emotions and the spirit. It
feeds and replenishes the art and skill of
writing. A child who lives a literate life in
school and has pleasurable experiences with
written language will make a place for
reading and writing throughout life.
Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2006). Teaching for comprehending and fluency: Thinking,
talking, and writing about reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. p. 3.

14. Pause the webinar to view Ask Nicely
Work in partners while observing.
#1. Record the ways the teacher supports her students in
thinking within, beyond and about text.
#2. Record the reading behaviors of the students. How do
their behaviors demonstrate their thinking within, beyond and
about text?
Return to the webinar

15. Ask Nicely
Thinking within the text
– Notice and derive information from pictures
– Bring background knowledge to understanding characters
and their problems
– Talk about characters, problems and events in a story
– Acquire new words from listening and use in discussion
– Understand the meaning of words during reading
Thinking beyond the text
– Infer characters feeling and intentions
Thinking about the text
– Understand that an author wrote the book
– Understand that an artist illustrated the book

16. Ask Nicely
Oral, Visual and Technological Communication
Listening and Speaking
• Listen with attention and understanding to oral
reading of stories…
• Compare personal knowledge with what is heard
Content
• Begin to verbalize reasons for problems, events and
actions
• Offer solutions and explanations for story problems

17. The Structure of Interactive Read Aloud
Selection and Preparation
Opening
Reading Aloud
Embedded Teaching
Text Talk
Discussion and Self Evaluation
Record of Reading
Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2006). Teaching for comprehending and fluency.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. p. 222.

18. Opening Moves & Embedded Teaching
if you want to get the most instructional power
from interactive read alouds, it is important to
plan for teaching in a more precise way.
© Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S., (2001). Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann. P 222.

19. Planning in a Precise Way:
Opening Moves
• …set the tone for the reading
• …should vary
© Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S., (2001). Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann. P 228.

20. What kind of expectations might one set for active
listening?
 Prompt children to anticipate a book by a favorite author.
 Ask children to make connections to a previously read text.
 Alert children to unusual features of the text, such as the
structure or narrator.
 Provide important background information
 Raise questions to spark curiosity
 Lay the groundwork for children’s understanding of diverse
settings and people.
 Raise questions in the readers’ mind.
© Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G. S. (2006). Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Pp. 226 -
227.

21. Planning in a Precise Way:
Embedded Teaching
Intentional Conversation (embedded teaching):
• ..the talk is intentional because you have in mind the reading
process and the particular text you are sharing.
• …as the more expert other, you are guiding and shaping the
conversation so that your students learn more about the kind of
thinking (systems of strategic actions) readers use
© Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S., (2001). Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. P
228.

22. • Pause the webinar
– Listen in to Loretta sharing Grandma’s Purple Flowers
with her 2nd graders
– Have your copy of The Continuum of Literacy
Learning open to Interactive Read Aloud and
Literature Discussion Grade 2
• After viewing
– Using the Continuum, discuss the text selection.
– Discuss the goals you observed.
• Return to the webinar

23. Grandma’s Purple Flowers
• How did the introduction/opening impact
the experience for the children?
• When Loretta modeled her thinking, what
kind of thinking was she modeling?
• When Loretta asked questions of the
children, what was the kind of thinking she
was hoping to elicit from their responses?

24. Read alouds
“embedded teaching”
• Ask questions
• Make comments
• Model thinking
Balance these for a rich discussion

25. Texts for Interactive Read Aloud
Texts for Interactive Read Aloud
• Are often displayed in the room for students to explore
during independent reading
• Are often organized in text sets based around themes,
topics, authors, genre and are used as mentor texts in
writer’s workshop
• Represent the diversity of our world
• Contain topics and themes for rich discussion
• Are often picture books, but can be short stories,
chapter books, poems, etc.

26. Reflection
Pause the webinar to reflect
– How will you use the results of the Benchmark
Assessment System to plan for interactive read -
aloud for your class?
– How will you use The Continuum of Literacy
Learning both to plan for interactive read - aloud
and to monitor the progress of your class?
Return to the webinar after sharing.

27. Assessment
Guide
p. 113

28. Components of a Guided Reading Lesson
• Introducing the Text
• Reading the Text
• Discussing and Revisiting the Text
• Teaching for Processing Strategies
• Working with Words (optional)
• Extending the Understanding of the Text
(optional)
Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency pp. 375-376

29. Assessment
Guide
p. 110

30. Pause the webinar and
read the steps for
connecting assessment
to guided reading
lessons on p. 116 of
your Assessment Guide.

32. Introducing the Text
1. Pause the webinar and view the
introduction to the text, Locked Out.
Notice the behaviors Shannon (the
teacher) attends to during the introduction.
2. Return to the webinar once you have
viewed this portion of the lesson.

33. Introducing the Text
Shannon provided opportunities for students to:
• Make connections between the text and reader’s
personal experiences. (Making Connections)
• Use and interpret information from pictures. (Inferring)
• Search for and use all sources of information in the text.
(Searching for and Using Information)
• Infer and interpret characters’ feelings, motives, and
attributes. (Inferring)
• Infer causes for feelings, motives, or actions. (Inferring)
• Remember information to help in understanding the end
of a story. (Summarizing)

34. Reading the Text
1. View the students reading the
text, Locked Out. Notice the behaviors
Shannon attends to as they read.
2. Return to the webinar once you have
viewed this portion of the lesson.

35. Reading the Text
Shannon provided opportunities for students to:
• Recognize most words quickly and easily. (Solving Words)
• Reflect language syntax and meaning through phrasing and
expression. (Maintaining Fluency)
• Demonstrate appropriate stress on words to reflect the
meaning. (Maintaining Fluency)
• Use meaning to monitor and self-correct reading
(Monitoring and Correcting)
• Search for and use all sources of information in the text.
(Searching for and Using Information)
• Reflect punctuation through pausing and intonation while
reading orally. (Maintaining Fluency)

36. Discussing and Revisiting the Text
1. View the video of the students
discussing and revisiting the text.
Notice how Shannon helps them think
and talk about what they read.
2. Return to the webinar once you have
viewed this portion of the lesson.

37. Discussing and Revisiting the Text
Shannon provided opportunities for students to:
• Remember information to help in
understanding the end of a story.
(Summarizing)
• Understand and talk about a simple sequence
of events of a story. (Summarizing)

38. Teaching for Processing Strategies
1. View the video of Shannon teaching for
processing strategies. Notice how she
supports students with reading
behaviors.
2. Return to the webinar once you have
viewed this portion of the lesson.

39. Teaching for Processing Strategies
• Demonstrate phrased, fluent oral reading
(Maintaining Fluency)
• Reflect language syntax and meaning through
phrasing and expression. (Maintaining
Fluency)
• Reflect punctuation through pausing and
intonation. (Maintaining Fluency)

40. Working with Words
1. View the working with words portion of
the lesson. Notice how Shannon
supports students in understanding
how words work.
2. Return to the webinar once you have
viewed this portion of the lesson.

41. Working with Words
Shannon provided opportunities for students to:
• Understand how to change beginning, middle,
and ending letters- single consonants and
vowels as well as blends and digraphs to make
new words.
• Use known words and word parts to solve
unknown words. (Solving Words)

42. Pause and Reflect
What big ideas are you
taking away about
noticing, teaching, and
supporting behaviors
and understandings in
guided reading?

44. Introducing the Text
1. Pause the webinar and view the
introduction to the text, Lake Critter
Journal. Notice the behaviors Angie (the
teacher) attends to during the introduction.
2. Return to the webinar once you have
viewed this portion of the lesson.

45. Introducing the Text
• Bring background knowledge to a text before reading.
(Making Connections)
• Specify the nature of connections. (Making
Connections)
• Demonstrate the ability to identify how a text is
organized. (Analyzing)
• Notice variety in layout. (Analyzing)
• Notice how the author/illustrator has used illustrations
and other graphics to convey meaning. (Analyzing)
• Understand when a writer has used underlying
organizational structures. (Analyzing)
• Use the context of a sentence, paragraph, or whole text
to determine the meaning of a word. (Solving Words)

46. Reading the Text
1. View the students reading the text.
Notice the behaviors Angie attends to
as they read.
2. Return to the webinar once you have
viewed this portion of the lesson.

47. Reading the Text
• Solve words of two or three syllables.
(Solving Words)
• Continue to monitor accuracy and
understanding, self-correcting when errors
detract from meaning. (Monitoring and
Correcting)

48. Discussing and Revisiting the Text and
Teaching for Processing Strategies
1. View the video of the students discussing
and revisiting the text. Notice how Angie
helps them think and talk about what they
read. Also, notice how she supports
students with taking on reading behaviors
through her teaching point.
2. Return to the webinar once you have
viewed this portion of the lesson.

49. Discussing and Revisiting the Text and
Teaching for Processing Strategies
• Bring background knowledge to the understanding of a text
before, during, and after reading. (Making Connections)
• Understand when a writer has used underlying organizational
structures. (Analyzing)
• Evaluate aspects of a text that add to enjoyment. (Critiquing)
• Notice specific writing techniques. (Analyzing)
• State opinions about a text and show evidence to support them.
(Critiquing)
• Identify important ideas in a text and report them in an organized
way. (Summarizing)
• Search for information in graphics. (Searching for and Using
Information)
• Notice variety in layout. (Analyzing)

50. Pause and Reflect
What big ideas are you
taking away about
noticing, teaching, and
supporting behaviors
and understandings in
guided reading?

51. • Provide efficiency strategies to enhance the
planning. Administration and use of data for
the BAS conferences

52. Making the Assessment Conference Efficient
 Starting Point
 Use reading records from the previous year
 Use running records taken during small group
reading – start at the highest independent reading
level
 Use the Where to Start Word Test

53. Making the Assessment Conference Efficient
 Organized Materials
 All materials for the conference organized and
available (3 texts, 3 reading record forms, pencils,
timer/calculator)

54. Making the Assessment Conference Efficient
 Fluency
Teach for all dimensions of fluency throughout the
year for all students at all levels (level C and
beyond).
Pausing, Phrasing, Stress, Intonation, Rate,
Integration

55. Making the Assessment Conference Efficient
 Hard Text
 Discontinue the reading record as soon as the
number of errors indicate the text is hard

56. Making the Assessment Conference Efficient
 Comprehension Conversation
 Do not include the comprehension
conversation if the text is hard
 Engage in comprehension conversations during
whole group reading, small group reading and
individual conferring

57. • “ Children learn not only from your instruction
but from the environment in which they live and
work every day. They spend about six hours a
day, 180 days a year, in a classroom –
approximately 1,080 hours a year. During the
nine years it takes children to progress from
kindergarten and eighth grade, our children spent
9,720 hours in school or combining elementary
and secondary school – 14,040 hours!

58. • That’s a lot of time to be in a room with twenty
or thirty other people. Students learn best in a
variety of social settings that take full
advantage of the community learning power of
collaboration and shared ideas. As they
approach the challenge of reading, they benefit
from many social contexts that are possible
within a classroom community- whole group,
small group and individual instruction. TCF xxvi