Nonsense Word Fluency Part 1: Why Nonsense Words?

Many benchmark screeners and curriculums require teachers to administer nonsense word fluency (NWF) tests to their students.  I often hear, "Why do they have to read these silly words---I want them to be reading REAL words!"  Or kids will say, "I would do better if these words were real!"   I must admit...I WAS one of those teachers.  BUT, that was before I understood the purpose behind these assessments and what I could learn from the data. So, what exactly do these tests tell us, and why are they so important?

What do these tests tell us?

NWF tests measure a students ability to decode individual phonemes and then blend the phonemes together to read.  These assessments are a great indicator of a students progression with alphabetic principal, or the understanding that letters and spoken sounds have a systematic and predictable relationship.  Data from these assessments will give a teacher a window into where the student falls on the phonics continuum. 

Lets take the example below.  John is reading sound by sound (the dashes below each letter tell us this) and he is having difficulty with short vowels and letter reversals for b and d.  Specifically he is having trouble with short vowel a and e. 

NWF tests are particularly important because it will TRULY show you if a student has a phonics skill mastered and if they are able to apply it in word reading.  If we were to give students word reading assessments with real words, we may get a lot mastery "false positives" for phonics skills.  In real word assessments students may have already been exposed to the word or have it memorized.  

Additionally these tests tell us what stage of word reading students are at.  Are students reading sound by sound, partial blends or unitizing?  We will explore what each of these stages mean in a later blog post--so stay tuned!

What do I do with the data?

These assessments should pinpoint where a student needs instruction. In the example above, the teacher should work with John on b and d letter reversals and short vowels.

An NWF assessment may also prompt the teacher into giving a further diagnostic.  For example if the student does really poorly he or she will need letter sounds and naming (if using a cvc NWF).  If a student makes zero mistakes, maybe a harder NWF should be given, or a phonics screener to determine an area of focus.  

Once you have determined the starting place for the student (either though an additional diagnostic, or through information collected from the NWF) its time to plan your instruction.

Instruction should be direct, explicit and have many opportunities for the student to practice at the word, sentence and decodable passage level.  For ideas on direct and explicit instruction check out some of these blog posts below:

Mastering Short Vowels

At a Loss For Words

After the students have had sufficient practice administer another NWF test with the instructed upon skill to determine if they have reached mastery. 

There is lots more to explore with nonsense word fluency!  I will be exploring the following topics during this blog series......so come back for more learning!

Part 1: Why Nonsense Words? 

Part 2: The three stages of word reading

Post 3: The instructional focus for each stage of word reading

What's On Your Plate?

A few weeks ago I was preparing professional development for first and second year teachers in my school district.  New teachers not only need the basics of classroom management, routines, procedures and relationships....but this year they also need training on how to effectively be a remote educator.  

The first year of teaching is difficult under normal circumstances, but this is no normal year.  I feel for these first year teachers as so much extra is being added to their already overflowing plate.  

To acknowledge the amount of stress each new teacher is facing, I started with a What's On Your Plate? activity.   This is a great activity to use with any age (youth all the way to adults)! The purpose of the activity is for participants to honor all of the issues and tasks they have on their mind.

We have all heard the analogy, "My plate is really full." Which is a code phrase for, "My brain is so full, I literally can't fit any more in it!"  We have all been there.  We all know how stressful a full or overflowing plate can be.  

Whats On Your Plate? gives participants a chance to get all of those thoughts swimming around in their brains out on paper.  This activity acknowledges how many responsibilities and commitments everyone has, and then allows them to set those thoughts aside and be fully present for the meeting, class period, activity, etc.  See below for materials, instructions and plate example.

    

Bonus Sale!

This school year looks very different for all of us, but Teachers Pay Teachers is here to help! Starting tomorrow (Tuesday, September 15th) TPT is having a one-day-only sale until 11:59pm.  Most items are 20% off, but buyers can receive an additional 5% when they enter code "extrabonus" at checkout.  

TPT wants to make sure teachers have the resources they need to support students--including tons of digital items! 

Many sellers have spent hours turning their printable resources into something that can be used digitally.  I personally have made all of my resources available to be used digitally, which includes one of my most popular items: paragraph writing frames.

To use the writing frames digitally buyers simply choose the pages they want to use and add them to Google Classroom.  Students then answer the questions/complete the activity digitally.

Buyers also have the option to customize TPT digital activities for their students by adding additional annotations within the interactive layer of the resources.  Here is an example of what a student would see when completing a digital summary frame over a text they have read.  

I hope everyone has a chance to take advantage of the one-day-only sale!  

Happy shopping!

Enter to win 100 dollars from TPT!

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Enter for your chance to win a $100 dollar gift card to TPT!  Whoop Whoop!  The giveaway ends September 13th and is open worldwide.

a Rafflecopter giveaway This is a monthly contest hosted by An Apple for the Teacher (Kelly Malloy).  If you don't win this month, come back in October for another chance to win!  Best of luck!

If you are a teacher blogger or TPT seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these, click here.  This is a great way to help your business grow and join a totally awesome group of bloggers!

A Strong Foundation Creates a Successful School Year

The secret to success on the first few days, and for the remainder of school year, is having a plan! This plan should include laying a strong foundation.  A strong foundation includes preparations for building and maintaining relationships, creating classroom routines, behavior management, communication and organization of your classroom supplies. 

Much like a builder on a construction site, you classroom NEEDS a strong foundation in order to have a positive and strong impact for your students.  Laying the foundation starts on minute one of day one.  The first days will set the tone for the set the tone for the rest of the school year.  

Before you begin your first day it is important to reflect and see if you have plans in place for creating relationships, classroom routines, behavior management, communication and organization of your supplies.  Use the following graphic organizer and see if you can answer the following questions.  If you are finding yourself struggling with a particular area--reach out to you a colleague, your mentor or administration.  Schools are families--and I guarantee someone at your building would love to help you! 

Relationships

1. How will students get to know you?
2. How will you get to know your students?
3. How will your students get to know one another? 

Routines

1. What routines do your students need to know?
2. How will you teach them?
3. How will they practice the routines? 

Classroom Management

1. How will you prevent problem behavior? 
2. What are the student expectations?
3. What is your philosophy?
4. How will you co-construct the agreements/rules together?
5. How will you encourage positive behavior? 

Communication 

1. How will you promote all of the awesome things you are going to do this year?
2. Will you use social media?
3. How will you keep communication positive?  

Classroom Organization

1. How will you decorate your classroom?
2. Where will you put supplies?
3. What will be the best way to organize to keep your transitions efficient? 
4. How will students organize their supplies? 

Click the image below to download the above guiding questions and a graphic organizer to record your thoughts.  It's free! :) 

If you are looking for more information on classroom routines, I would highly recommend checking out Teachers Pay Teachers.  There are TONS of free checklists for routines and procedures for all grade levels.    

Additionally, check out "You Only Get One First Day,"  which is a great article from Edutopia.  

Starfish Story--You are making a difference!

Many teachers across the nation are preparing to head back to school in the upcoming weeks, while some have already began their year.  Depending on where you teach (state, county, school district) your first days, weeks and months may be 100% virtual, 100% in person or a blend of both.  

In a typical start to school, it is easy to get bogged down with never ending to-do lists, supplies to buy, curriculum to learn, and professional development to attend to.  However this year --we have So. Much. More added to our "back to school year plate." 

Therefore, it is of upmost importance that we spend some time reflecting on "why" we chose this profession.  Each year I elect to read (and keep posted in my classroom) a poem adapted from Loren Eiseley's work titled "The Starfish Story."  It is a perfect message for teachers to recall why we do what we do.  We are here to invest in youth.  Invest in our future. 

Often I present professional development to first and second year teachers, and I like to give them this poem as they leave training.  Attached to the poem, I glue a small plastic starfish to serve as a reminder  of our true purpose in education.  I know first year teachers will reach point in the school year when teaching seems too hard and they feel as if they are barely keeping their head above water.  My hope is that they will look at that little starfish,  and take a moment to refocus and realize the impact they are making. 

If you would like to share "The Starfish Story" with your colleagues, click the first image above or click below to download the poem for free.  If you are wanting to hand out little starfish--I purchased a 30 pack of of starfish from Amazon for under 10 dollars.  You can find the plastic starfish by clicking here.  

A Teacher's Hierarchy of Needs

I have spent a lot of time blogging about self care lately.  I suppose it is top of mind for me, as I know how stressful this upcoming school year is going to be.  Teaching, by nature, is normally stressful but this year teachers will have heightened and unprecedented amounts of stress placed on us.

We must give ourselves permission to do a mental self-check to make sure that we are doing alright. I loved the analogy the Distance Learning Playbook illustrated.  If we are on an airplane and it begins to go down without warning, we must first place an oxygen mask on ourselves before we attend to others.  This same analogy applies to this school year.  We have to make sure our oxygen mask is properly fitted to us, before we can help anyone else. 

Doing a self-check to see how we you are doing mentally is a great way to stay emotionally aware and in check.  A great tool to check in with yourself is Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid.  Maslow ordered human needs--starting with the most basic needs of humans (food, water, sleep) and progressing to deeper needs (do I feel connected to something greater than me?) In order to be able to get to the top (a healthier mental state), we must satisfy the needs in the previous steps of the pyramid.  If we, or students, are stuck on the lower steps our behavior can be impacted and we are not functioning at our best potential.     

On each level in Maslow's hierarchy ask yourself the reflective question to see if your needs are being met.  If you are unable to answer yes to the question, try some of the tips suggested. 

Level 1-- Physiological (Basic Needs)

These are your most basic necessities such as being fed, getting enough sleep and living in a safe environment.  

Reflection question: Are my basic needs met?

Tips: Drink more water to stay hydrated.  Try a meal delivery service.  Go for a walk outside or garden.  Set a specific bedtime and don't drink caffeine six hours before bed.  Remove electronics from the bedroom.    

Level 2-Safety and Protection needs

This stage is about safety--in a physical and material sense.  Do you feel secure with your finances, health and safety?

Reflection question: Do I feel safe?

Tips: Record your worries and fears in a journal.  Listen to calming music.  Talk to a banker or financial advisor.  Create a safety plan.  Try a meditation app.  Schedule a doctor's appointment.  Identify areas that lack order and develop a plan to organize them. 

Level 3--Love and social being

This stage is all about relationships.  First we must have a positive relationship with ourselves.  We must first accept who we are, however human nature is to search for other's support so we can create the best version of ourselves.  With this stage we need to have positive and healthy relationships, be it friends, family or colleagues.   Love, affection and acceptance are imperative to give us a sense of belonging. 

Reflection question: Do I feel like I belong?

Tips: Be present in the moment when you are with friends and family.  Put away your cell phone while having conversations.  Stay connected with colleagues by going to events you are invited to.  Give yourself permission to let go of toxic relationships.  Hide negative people on social media. 

Level 4--Esteem

This stage refers to desire to have esteem for oneself (feeling of achievement, mastery, dignity) and the desire to have respect from others (status, prestige, etc.)

Reflection question: Do I feel confident?

Tips: Recite self affirmations.  Tame and re frame it (look for the positive in something that could otherwise be seen as negative).  Make sure the goals you have set for yourself are realalisitc.  Check your thoughts--are they based off assumption or reality? 

Level 5--Self Actualization

This stage is the realization of a person's potential and peak experiences.  At this stage, one will desire to accomplish everything they can and become the most that one can be. Each person will have a different focus and goal. One may want to be an ideal parent while another may want to excel as a professional athlete.

Reflection question: Am I living my best life?

Tips:  Choose work that you love.  Know yourself and identify when your needs aren't being met.  Find the best time to get things done. 

Level 6--Transcendence 

This stage is being able to overcome the limits of yourself.  It is the idea that you have completely explored your own potential, and you are now focused on something that is bigger than you. 

Reflection question: Do I feel connected to something greater than myself? 

Tips: Write a thank you note.  Keep a gratitude journal.  Seek inspiration in books, movies, art, scripture, quotes, etc.   Share what you are grateful for.  

If you are interested in a deeper dive into Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I suggest the book Take Time For You by Tina H. Boogren, PhD.  Tina is a former classroom teacher, English department chair, instructional coach, professional developer, athletic coach, author and building level leader.  She wrote this book to provide teachers resources, strategies, self care surveys and reflective questions to guide them on a clear path to well being. 

Also, I have created a free reflection tool for teachers.  This resource includes guiding questions for each stage of Maslow's hierarchy, tips for each stage and a reflection graphic organizer. Click the image below to take you to TPT where the product can be downloaded for free.  This would be a great resource to provide teachers with during this back to school season, or several months/weeks into the school year. 

Furthermore, if you want to know about Maslow's needs and how it relates to students during this Covid crisis,  check out the recent article from ASCD titled Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the Covid Crisis .

As always, if life gets to be too much and you begin to experience overwhelming anxiety, sadness or stress please seek professional help.  

Stay safe and healthy!