Book Review of Lenses on Reading

Book Review of Lenses on Reading

English has more words than any other language (Fresch, 2008, p. 196). English vocabulary does not always follow typical patterns (Zutell, 2007, p. 197). It is estimated that English has three times as many individual words as the French language and four times as many as Russian. English vocabulary was imported and adapted from other languages, and many comments were made from other formation processes (Fresch, 2008, p. 197).

Although rote memorization and “skill and drill” were once considered the best means of teaching spelling and vocabulary. Theorists later proposed that spelling and word knowledge occur in stages. For example, The Gentry Model states that children learn in stages as development occurs. Others believed in the social learning perspective, emphasizing the importance of social influences and interactions. Learning happens in social interactions. These social learning perspectives include Sociolinguistic Theory and Engagement Theory. The Engagement Theory states that students must be engaged in learning activities through interactions and hands-on tasks (Tracey & Morrow, 2017, p. 146), according to Tracey and Morrow (2017). Sociolinguistics is the study of language and how it relates to social factors, for example, culture, gender, class, and more (p. 160).

Spelling and vocabulary were seen as separate processes and generally taught separately. As time went on, there was a shift in instruction. According to Zutell (2007), many educators believed that “meaningful exposure builds the depth and breadth of one’s word knowledge” (Zutell, 2007, p. 197). As educators, it is essential to understand the research and the reasoning behind the instructional practices used in the classroom. To gain a better insight into these theories, reflecting on the historical origins of word knowledge in the realms of vocabulary and spelling is beneficial. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.

Historical Background

 During the late 1960s and early 1970s, ideas were changing about how language and learning were applied and significantly impacted literacy research. During this time, students were taught spelling and vocabulary through rote memorization based on a “skill and drill model (Fresch, 2008, p. 199). According to Zutell (2007), recent research has discussed how vocabulary instruction has been primarily focused on younger grades rather than the older ones (Zutell, 2007, p. 197).

There has been some discussion between educators about how vocabulary affects spelling. Spelling focuses on how a word is spelled or pronounced, while language focuses on the meaning of words and using the word in context. The posing question during this time is why a sound-letter correspondence might be spelled correctly in one word but pose serious difficulty in another.

Dr. Richard Vanezky introduced the concept of a morphophonemic level for reading, which explains the impact spelling has on pronunciation; for example, the letters “p” and “h” in shepherd are not pronounced as /f/ but /p/ (Fresch, 2008, p. 188). Noam Chomsky and Morris Halle discussed the advantages of a stable spelling system that preserves meaning units over time and place as pronunciations. For example, the ending “-ed” can make the /t/ or /d/ sound in words like clapped or asked (Fresch, 2008, p. 188). Thus, it creates a new understanding of spelling. I remember asking my teacher why something was spelled one way and pronounced another in class.

The change in understanding opened my eyes to the way educators assess spelling. Instruction should clarify arrangements where a teacher looks at what a student is “using but confusing” (p. 196). Goodman introduced a new concept of looking at students’ spelling errors. Student errors brought a new understanding of students’ thought processes (Fresch, 2008, p188).

By the 1970s, Charles Read brought this knowledge to his analysis of preschool children’s spellings. (Fresch, 2008, p. 189) Read examined spellings from twenty U.S. children, ages three to five, who had begun to create their spellings at home or in preschool. He argued that the children in his studies used a letter name strategy. They represented the phonemes heard in words by matching them to the names of letters they know (inventive spelling). For example, the word don’t was spelled DOT, and works was spelled WRX. The ideas of how children learn vocabulary and how to spell are constantly changing. Our role as educators is to ensure we stay with the times and give students the tools they need for success.

Synthesis and Analysis

According to Fresch (2008), spelling involves memorization and conceptualization. (p. 192). Over my years of teaching, I have seen students spell words from memory, copy them from the word wall, ask a classmate, or use anchor charts or labels around the classroom. Many scholars and educators have a different approach.

Research suggests spelling knowledge progresses through distinct developmental levels as children learn to integrate the four forms of spelling knowledge: phonological (sounds and letter-sound correspondence), visual (the way words and letters look), morphemic (meanings of words), and etymological (word origins) (Ehri & Wilce, 1979, p. 26). The Gentry Model (1982) describes five stages of invented spelling, representing how a speller intellectualizes the spelling of words in different ways throughout their spelling development. The five stages include precommunicative, semiphonetic, phonetic, transitional, and correct (Gentry, J.R., 1982, p. 192).

At my school, we have a map of the spelling skills each student must know before moving to the next skill. The beginning skills are first spelling CVC (ex. cat) words, then maybe CVCC (example, rock), after moving to CVCe (ex. smile). After those, they may move to r-controlled vowels, irregularly spelled vowels, and more. It is essential to take it step by step because students cannot spell irregularly spelled vowels before they can identify the short vowel in a CVC word or a long vowel in a CVCe word. My SLO (Student Learning Objective) was based on my student’s spelling/writing this year. I gave my students a spelling inventory assessment. The points were based on spelling patterns and skills, with correct initial and final sounds, vowels, and more. This test helped me place my students into groups based on the common misspellings. I use word study in those groups where the skill is chosen based on the group’s needs. Understanding spelling development is critical when using word study. Word study seeks to teach students at their own level. Rather than one size fits all, the rote memorization model, students are grouped for instruction according to their knowledge and needs (Fresch, 2008, p. 196).

Suggested research reports that word learning should be active where the students are involved and use multiple sources and repeated exposures through instruction. The Engagement Theory states that learning should increase student’s active engagement through hands-on manipulatives. I initiate thoughtful discussions about word patterns and meanings in my classroom. At the beginning of a new word study, I show and read a list of words with the same spelling pattern (spelling) or phrases with the same meaning (vocabulary). First, I generate a discussion by asking my students, “what do you notice about these words.”

Other examples in my classroom are using hands-on manipulatives, word webs, sorts, making words using magnets, stamps, play dough, and more. I usually use these during our Daily Five rotation time, where students choose independent or group centers while I am reading with one of my Guided Reading groups.

As mentioned in my introduction, literacy and academic words are built from Latin and Greek elements, adoptions and adaptations from other languages, and comments made from other formation processes (p. 197). Estimates indicate that more than half the words in school are included by suffixation, prefixation, and compounding. For many words learned beyond primary grades, the relationships between pronunciations and spellings can be particularly complex. The process of prefix assimilation (for example, in + legal= illegal- meaning not legal) can obscure the prefix for the reader and create spelling difficulties (double letter) for the writer. Multisyllabic words are also involved. For example, the word thermometer has two parts: “thermos,” meaning head, and “meter,” pointing to measure. Putting those together means measuring heat. The “meter” part of the word is hidden in pronunciation. (Fresch, 2008, p. 197).

According to Beck and McKeown (2013). the sequence of learning the meanings of words is not developmental. The order of teaching words resides in children’s environments and experiences: things they hear, see, are told, read, and like (Beck and McKeown, 2013, 1.20-21). Sociolinguistics emphasizes that language is learned due to people’s social interactions; therefore, varying language patterns are perpetuated by educational and social class differences. (Tracey and Morrow, 2017, p. 162)

Vocabulary consists of the words we understand when we hear or read them and the words we speak or write. We build vocabulary by picking up words we read or listen to and through direct instruction from teachers or other professionals. Another way I build vocabulary in my classroom through social interactions is through Interactive read-aloud (also known as IRA). IRA is a way to give students opportunities to develop new-meaning vocabulary. Listening to books helps them go beyond their oral languages and presents them with a new language. After sharing storybook readings, I allow students to use their newly learned language through “turn and talks” and “book discussions.”

Conclusion

 Since spelling and vocabulary knowledge are crucial to young children’s reading and writing development, differentiated strategies must be used to maximize. As children become confident in their ability to spell, use words, and identify, they will be more likely to write freely and acquire foundational reading skills, such as word recognition and comprehension.

References

Beck, I., McKeown, M., & Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York: The Guilford Press.

Ehri, L.C., &Wilce. L.C. (1979). The mnemonic value of orthography among beginning readers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 71(1), 26-40.

Fresch, M. J., (2008). An essential history of current reading practices. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Gentry, J.R. (1982). An analysis of developmental spelling in GNYS at WRK. The Reading Teacher, 36, 192-200.

Tracey, D. H., & Morrow, L. M. (2017). Lenses on reading: An introduction to theories and models, 3rd ed. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Zutell, J., (2008). Changing perspectives on word knowledge: spelling and vocabulary. In Fresch 1.J. (Eds.), An essential history of current reading practices (pp. 186-206). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

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Book Review of Lenses on Reading

Tracey, D. & Morrow, L. M. (2017). Lens on reading: An introduction to theories and
Models (2nd edition). Guilford Press
The paper should include a summary of chapter two. AFTER summarizing Chapter Two, please have two of your Chapter 2 Connections with the group. Please make at least one of them related to your teaching practice. Be sure to use text evidence when you share your connections. (the connection part of the assignment doesn’t have to exceed a paragraph.)