Elementary Reading Early Literacy Instructional Strategies
In this set of video vignettes, Virginia teachers demonstrate strategies that can be used in elementary classrooms to promote students’ early literacy skills. The strategies and activities presented in the vignettes are especially designed to be used with students in kindergarten through grade three. Early Literacy lesson activities such as those depicted support the skills elicited by the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS)
Alphabetics
Play Video 1
The teacher engages students in activities that promote alphabetic knowledge and understanding.
SOL: K.7 K.11
Concept of Word in Text: Introduce the Written Text
Play Video 2
Students memorize a familiar rhyme as the teacher models how to track print.
SOL: K.1K.4K.5K.71.11.5
Concept of Word in Text: Work with Sentences
Play Video 3
Students match individual words to words within connected text and rebuild sentences.
SOL: K.1K.4K.71.52.4
Concept of Word in Text: Work with Words
Play Video 4
Students locate and identify individual words in context using beginning letters and sounds as text clues.
SOL: K.1K.4K.5K.71.5
Concept of Word in Text: Work with Letters and Sounds
Play Video 5
The teacher guides students to further develop their concept of word by identifying words from the previously presented rhyme in isolation.
SOL: K.4K.5K.71.41.5
Concept of Word in Text: Review the Whole and Assess the Parts
The teacher demonstrates the process involved in ensuring each student’s concept of word is firmly in place.
SOL: K.61.51.62.5
Word Study: Introduce the Sort
Play Video 7
The teacher introduces a word study strategy designed to help students make the connection between spelling words and reading words.
SOL: K.71.41.62.42.5
Word Study: Repeated Practice and Assessment
Play Video 8
Repeated individual word sorts provide students with the necessary practice to build automaticity in word recognition.
SOL: K.101.41.61.102.42.9
Word Bank: In-Text Activities
Play Video 9
The teacher demonstrates one way to encourage students to use their phonetic skills while reading. Students identify a missing word in familiar text when only one phonics feature or spelling pattern in the word is provided. A definition of concrete words (SOL K.6) is also provided.
SOL: K.6K.71.61.72.52.6
Word Bank: Out-of Text-Activities (Pick-up, Sorting, and Writing)
Play Video 10
Students use a Word Bank, a collection of words, to review, manipulate, sort, read and reread known words. A definition of concrete words (SOL K.6) is also provided.
SOL: K.6K.7K.121.51.61.122.5
Writing for Sounds
Play Video 11
The teacher demonstrates how to guide students to incorporate spelling and phonics features into their writing. The lesson utilizes a teacher-made tool called a "sound board," or a small sound-symbol chart that students may consult when making decisions about letters representing spoken sounds.
SOL: K.121.61.122.53.4
Timed Repeated Oral Reading
Play Video 12
There is more than one way to conduct timed-repeated oral reading. The teacher demonstrates Timed Reading, One-minute Reading, and Words Per Minute.
SOL: 1.91.102.82.93.53.64.54.65.55.6
Making Connections
Play Video 13
Three strategies are demonstrated to activate background knowledge, text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world.
SOL: 1.92.83.5
Directed Reading and Thinking Activity (DRTA)
Play Video 14
The teacher conducts the Directed Reading and Thinking Activity (DRTA), an instructional strategy that provides ongoing support and guidance to students before, during, and after reading.
SOL: K.9K.102.83.53.64.54.6
Generating Interactions Between Schema and Text (GIST)
Play Video 15
The teacher demonstrates how to facilitate student summarization through small, modeled steps.
SOL: 2.62.72.82.93.53.64.54.6
Contact
For more information, please contact Carmen Kurek, Elementary English/Reading specialist, by email at Carmen.Kurek@doe.virginia.gov.