Diagnostic Decoding Survey

As teachers we are inundated with screeners, formatives, diagnostics, summatives, data, data and more data.  Am I right?!?! 

Now, I might be in the minority, but I LOVE assessments and data! :) Well......let me clarify my thinking.....I LOVE assessments that are quick and enlightening, and I LOVE data that informs my instruction.  So I guess I don't have a fondness for all assessments and data....just the ones that are useful. 

One assessment that I have found particularly helpful is the Diagnostic Decoding Survey (DDS) from Really Great Reading. The DDS is a free resource to help teachers diagnose word level reading difficulties for students in grades 2-12.  The entire assessment takes less than 10 minutes and pinpoints specific decoding weaknesses.  The DDS is basically a MUCH quicker version of the Quick Phonics Screener (QPS).  You can download the free resource by clicking here.

The DDS has two surveys--the beginning decoding survey and the advanced decoding survey.  Students start with the beginning decoding survey and then, depending on their performance, can move on to the advanced survey or stop.

The beginning decoding survey assesses how well students are reading words they should have mastered by the end of first grade.  This includes:

• high frequency words
• single syllable words with short vowels
• digraphs
• two sound blends.  

The advanced decoding survey assesses decoding skills students should have mastered at the end of third grade. This includes:

• single syllable words with short vowels 
• advanced phonics patterns (trigraphs, three sound blends, etc)
• single syllable words with advanced vowel patterns (ai, oi, au, etc.)
• Multi-syllable words (real and nonsense)

At my building we use the DDS as a diagnostic following the AimsWeb Plus screener.  Any student who completes an oral reading fluency (ORF) assessment with less than 95% accuracy is given the DDS to determine specific word reading deficits.  Results are then used to group students and instruction is provided. 

My building loves how easy, quick and informative the DDS is!  I hope you all will find some use in it too! 

Mastering Short Vowels

Do you have some students that just can't get short vowel sounds mastered despite multiple instructional methods, and countless exposures? 

I sure have had those students....but several years back I began teaching ALL students a quick and simple action to go along with short vowels and their sounds.  The addition of movement to the sound and visual was a GAME CHANGER!  I honestly can say I no longer have students who struggle to master short vowels.

I don't know why I didn't think of adding movement sooner?!?  I mean....research proves that movement can be an effective cognitive strategy to bolster learning, improve memory and increase learner motivation. 

In fact...did you know that the part of the brain that processes movement is the same part of the brain that processes learning (I'm looking at you cerebellum)?  Fascinating, right?!? 

BUT...you don't just have to take my word for it...check out Teaching with the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen.  This book is an ASCD best seller and loaded with ideas for how to improve student achievement by applying brain research to your teaching. 

I haven't read the whole book, just excerpts...but it is on my list to read this summer!

So.....are you ready for the QUICK and SIMPLE actions?  Pictured below is a card I use to teach the actions.  It is a great visual anchor, and you can download it for free by clicking below (or you can click on the picture).  Action descriptions are listed below.

Short A

visual anchor-apple

action- pull your hand toward you mouth and pretend you are biting into an invisible apple while saying the short a sound

Short E

visual anchor--desk edge

action--run your hand along the edge of a desk while saying the short e sound

Short I

visual anchor--itching a wrist

action: scratch the inside of your wrist while saying the short i sound

Short O

visual anchor--octopus

action: Have your fingers pointing toward the floor and wiggle them.  Pretend your hand is an octopus.  Say the short o sound while doing the action.

Short U

visual anchor--hand pointing up

action: use your index finger and point toward the ceiling while saying the short o sound

You can download (for free) the directions on how to do the actions by clicking the download option below.

Once students have practiced the short vowels and their actions--it makes correcting errors so much easier.  When a student is reading for you and mispronounces a short vowel all you have to do is cue them with the action--and BAM--error correction!

Happy accurate reading!