That sounds like the Reading Rope- Hollis Scarborough (2001). Although
the citation is about early literacy, Hollis Scarborough has and does
work on research with adult literacy learners as well with us.   IOne
can find the graphic in the following:
 
Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to
later reading (dis)abilities: 

       Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson
(Eds.), Handbook for research in early

       literacy (pp. 97-110). New York: Guilford Press.


________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Bonnie Odiorne
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 1:42 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 1915] Re: Reading fluently, out loud,and with
comprehension


I have a wonderful graphic I use that illustrates exactly that.
Unforunately I've used bad writing center practice and didn't cite it.
It shows that skilled reading requires increasing automaticity in
grammar/syntrax/decoding and "less" automaticity, i.e. a more conscious
reflectie approach to meaning: vocabulary/interpretation. Let's see if
it will paste.... No. It's in a .ppt and I can't send asn attachment
onlist. It's got the two branches that intertwine; one is labeled "more
automatic" and the other "less..." Does anyone recgnize it and/or can
suggest a fomat I can send it in?
Bonnie Odiorne,Writing Center, Post University

 

________________________________

From: Michael A. Gyori <mgyori at mauilanguage.com>
To: The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 1:11:39 PM
Subject: [Assessment 1914] Reading fluently, out loud, and with
comprehension

Hello to all,

I really appreciate the comments about reading fluency and reading out
loud
provided they actually lead to increased reading comprehension levels or
a
recognition on the part of the students that they do not comprehend  but
are
led to seek clarification as a result.  I also have students read out
loud
when it's a facilitated exercise whereby the number of comprehensible
words
in a word group increases.  It is important that word groups are growing
"units" of complete thoughts, unless and until students can recognize
fragments that lead them to ask questions about missing information
inherent
in thought fragments (whether verbal or nonverbal).  

In discussing language with my students, I speak of its two main
"branches,"
namely form (the overarching term I use for grammar, syntax,
punctuation,
etc.) and meaning.  Language form carries meaning, and meaning carries
form.
Without form, we cannot create meaning (i.e., have a shared language
system), and without meaning we cannot have form (nor would there be any
need for it).

As for the comment about reading Turkish out loud and not comprehending,
I,
too, can read a number of languages I do not know out loud and make
their
native speakers believe that I "know" the language to some measure.  The
main difference, as you surely know, between  SL vs. FL instruction is
that
SL instruction is largely intended for people who have emigrated to a
new
country where the SL is the dominant language and they need to learn it
to
become functional in that new country (granted, in a country like the
United
States, there are places one can live for many, many years without
learning
English).  If reading aloud is one competently facilitated venue for
increasing reading comprehension, then doing so clearly has its place.

All my students have portable cassette recorders.  Part of what they
record
includes their own reading of text and also my own reading of it.  When
students read out loud well, they may begin to discern the ever so
important
unwritten punctuation, syntax, tense usage, etc., and how they
contribute to
conveying the intended meaning of the writer (and speaker, of course).
I
believe research has demonstrated that good readers actually make mental
images of what they read and interact with text not altogether unlike
how
they interact in the course of conversation.

My original point stems from what has been frequently demonstrated in
SLA
studies: we listen to language, often for extended periods of time,
before
we produce it.  In that regard, SLA may or may not be different from
native
language acquisition (what a miracle that is!).  Therefore, I tell my
students to read text quietly first, and repeatedly if necessary, and to
"listen" to the text.  Granted, the text they are assigned to read is
already sufficiently comprehensible that they can +/- infer the meaning
of
at least a good part of unfamiliar vocabulary after repeated readings
when
they will have formed some overall "picture" in their minds about what
the
text is or may be about.  I also urge my students not to look up
unfamiliar
words as soon as they see them, but to give themselves the needed time
to
become familiar with the text that surrounds those words.

So...I would say there is a huge difference between reading out loud for
the
sake of reading out loud (which may occur more often than desirable),
and
reading out loud as a well-conceived strategy for developing reading
comprehension.

Michael



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On
Behalf Of Mary Kelly
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 2:57 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 1908] Re: Fluency

Jean:  Thank you for this excellent post on fluency.  Fluency is 
vital for reading comprehension.  One of the methods that can be used 
to improve fluency is played back is helpful to some.  Also, timing 
the reading and trying to improve the time is also useful.  I owuld 
not do this in a group format.

Mary S. Kelly, PhD
Director, Fisher Landau Center for the Treatment of LD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
1165 Morris Park Ave.
Bronx, NY 10463

At 11:50 PM 5/26/2009, you wrote:

>Reading fluency actually is a demonstration of the automaticity of the

>student's decoding ability. One of the huge issues with our low

literacy

>learners is that they use all of their cognitive resources on decoding,

and

>there is nothing left for comprehension. When we see our lowest

literacy

>learners begin to develop fluency in their reading, we know one of two

>things: a) they are recognizing the words more automatically or b) they

have

>memorized the text if the book is overly familiar (and I am not going

>there!) When the learner starts to phrase in their reading, they grasp

a

>cognitive chunk and the brain can make sense of that information. We

know

>that the working brain can only manage 7 +/- 2 bits of information at a

>time. When the words get grouped into a chunk, they count as 1 unit,

rather

>than several individual bits. When the chunks combine into an idea,

they

>reform into 1 bit again, leaving room for new information. Sweller's

>theories of cognitive overload come into play here. Our lowest literacy

>learners have the hardest time because their brains are stuffed too

full

>with decoding of individual words that they can't recall the content

for

>comprehension.

>

>

>

>In my dissertation work one of the clearest threads to come from the

low

>literacy learners was that the goal of reading was about saying the

words

>correctly, NOT about getting meaning from the text. If you consider the

>concept of cognitive overload, and their struggles with decoding words,

this

>makes sense. However, if we can cause these learners to interact with

text

>with words they are familiar with, we can teach them to group the words

and

>"read it like you would say it". The best way to create this scenario

is

>with material that is very easy for the learner to read, using material

that

>is at their independent reading level, rather than instructional level.

>Using different "voices" allows the learner to play with the language

and

>practice it, having fun with the process. By asking them to read it

like a

>very old man, or a giant football player, or a squeaky mouse focuses

them
on

>the character and the voice, and they talk the part, using the language

to

>communicate. This is the same with story books where there are

different

>voices. A tape recorder is an effective way for the learner to self

critique

>their reading. As we partner with them on their improvement, sometimes

that

>distance helps.

>

>

>

>Fluency also helps us teach them about the pauses for punctuation and

the

>other signals that we automatically use to help make sense of what we

read.

>Early readers word call single words and need to transition to fluent

>reading to help the brain process it as received language. Our

observations

>of their fluency can help us assist them in their metacognitive

processing

>if we help them talk through what they are hearing and thinking as they

are

>reading.

>

>

>

>Jean Marrapodi, PhD, CPLP

>

>Providence, RI

>

>

>

>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]

On

>Behalf Of Sabatini, John

>Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 5:14 PM

>To: The Assessment Discussion List

>Subject: [Assessment 1900] Re: Basic Reading Skills Discussion Begins

Today!

>

>

>

>Hello,

>

>

>

>A few comments/observations regarding reading fluency.  Note that we

used

>reading aloud as an assessment technique, not as instruction, in the

NAAL.

>There's an entire discussion about why it is a useful and valid measure

for

>a survey assessment like the NAAL, and how it can be used as a

classroom

>assessment that is helpful to the teacher and learners.  But let me

focus
on

>the comment about reading fluency in instruction.

>

>

>

>First,  reading aloud in a public setting like a classroom can create

>anxiety for any adult or child, especially if one is not good at it.

Also,

>one is often asked to read 'cold', that is, without having had a chance

to

>pre-read, rehearse or practice with the text.  So, just be asked to

read

>aloud without setting up a safe, constructive environment is risky.

>

>

>

>Having said that, reading aloud is a useful reading subskill.  As

adults,

>there are a number of contexts in which reading aloud is quite natural

-

>reading to children, public speaking, rehearsing for a play (even for

>leisure vs. professional acting).  It is a useful work skill, for

example,

>in a phone customer service job, one might be expected to look up

>information and read it aloud to the person at the other end of the

phone.

>Families also communicate to each other reading aloud at times.  It may

not

>be a frequently used reading behavior, but it is a stretch to treat it

as

>inauthentic or unnatural.  Skilled reading adults typically feel

comfortable

>reading aloud with fluency.  Developing readers should not be denied

the

>skill -- it is useful and typically a by-product of skilled reading -

though

>some practice always helps in any domain.

>

>

>

>So, giving adults with low literacy practice reading aloud in a safe,

>pedagogical setting, can have benefits.  The instructional techniques

built

>around 'guided repeated reading' have been shown to have benefits for

>developing readers both in improving reading fluency and are associated

with

>comprehension gain.  In a study our team has been conducting, we have

had

>positive results with a one-on-one tutored guided repeated reading

program,

>as well as other structured programs that had adults frequently reading

>aloud.  But again, this was one on one with a trained teacher/tutor and

a

>structured instructional program based on the best of what we learned

about

>the techniques.  Adults generally reported positive responses to the

>instruction and we saw improvements in tests of skills, but we are

still

>analyzing data, so best to treat this as promising practice at this

point.

>

>

>

>Finally, reading fluency is not a substitute for reading comprehension

>instruction and skills.  One can read aloud a text with fluency and not

have

>good comprehension of the same text.  As a skilled reader, I am

generally

>fluent with all but the most dense texts, but my understanding is a

function

>of other factors including my background knowledge.  And it does

require

>attention to perform a text by reading aloud - I don't try to

simultaneously

>read aloud and gain deep understanding of a text.  When I seek

>understanding, I reread a text and think about it, maybe discuss with

>others.

>

>

>

>I'd like to hear from others who have experience teaching guided

repeated

>reading with adults have to say about it.

>

>

>

>Best,

>

>

>

>John

>

>

>

>  _____

>

>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Dianna Baycich

>Sent: Tue 5/26/2009 2:27 PM

>To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'

>Subject: [Assessment 1898] Re: Basic Reading Skills Discussion Begins

Today!

>

>In response to Marie's question, the report shows that there is a

continuing

>need for adult literacy, especially at the lowest levels. With the

current

>focus on transitions in adult education, there is a concern that

students
at

>these lowest levels will be neglected.

>

>

>

>The report also highlights the importance of reading fluency. Adult

literacy

>teachers often neglect fluency, saying their students would "rather die

than

>read out loud". How can we help students improve their reading fluency

in a

>non-threatening way?

>

>

>

>Dianna

>

>

>

>  _____

>

>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]

On

>Behalf Of Marie Cora

>Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 9:28 AM

>To: Assessment at nifl.gov

>Subject: [Assessment 1897] Basic Reading Skills Discussion Begins

Today!

>

>Hello everyone, I hope this email finds you well.

>

>

>

>Today begins our discussion on

>

>

>Basic Reading Skills and the Literacy of the America's Least Literate

>Adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy

(NAAL)

>Supplemental Studies

>

>

>I am pleased to welcome Dr. Sheida White and Dr. John Sabatini as

guests
for

>this 4-day discussion.  Please visit the URL below for the full

announcement

>and information on accessing the report.

>

>

>http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/assessment/09readingskills.html

>

>

>

>I hope you have had the opportunity to read through the Executive

Summary
of

>the report.  Please send your questions and comments about the report

to
the

>discussion list now.

>

>

>

>I will start us off with a question for subscribers:  What does the

report

>tell you about the need for adult literacy services today, and how

might

>this affect your program practice?

>

>

>

>Thanks!

>

>

>

>Marie

>

>

>

>

>

>Marie Cora

>

>Assessment Discussion List Moderator

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

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