Preschool Archives

What Is Reading Fluency? And why Is It Important?

November 10, 2021 Brad Hoffman 1 Comment

Reading fluency is the ability to read accurately, smoothly and with expression. Fluent readers recognize words automatically, without struggling over decoding issues. When reading silently, in addition to recognizing words automatically, fluent readers group words rapidly to help gain meaning from their reading, which then translates into their understanding of the text. When reading aloud, fluent readers sound natural, as if they’re speaking. Non-fluent readers read slowly and sound choppy. Fluency is important because it builds a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. It allows students time to focus on what the text is saying. They are able to make connections between what they are reading and their own background knowledge. Therefore, they are able to concentrate on comprehension. On the other hand, non-fluent readers have to spend more time decoding, leaving less time for comprehending the text. Due to mistakes made when reading, they will often have to read the same passage over several times to attain comprehension. In addition, non-fluent readers often do no read with expression.

Even when students recognize words automatically, they are not fluent if they don’t read with expression. To read with expression a student should be able to divide a word into chunks, using proper phrasing. Not paying attention to punctuation often changes the meaning of the text. For example:

The children, without their toys, feel sad.
or
The children without their, toys feel sad.

Fortunately, reading fluency can be taught. It is important for adults to read aloud to children, modeling what good readers do. Show children how you pause for punctuation and change your voice to make text more meaningful. Children should be read to by their teachers, by their parents, and by their relatives. The more models of fluent reading children hear the better.

Next, it is important for children to practice, engaging them in repeated reading. Text should be easy to read and relatively short. There are several ways children can practice fluent reading;

Child/adult reading – The adult models, then the student practices.
Choral reading – reading in unison.
Assisted reading – reading along with a recorded text.
Partner reading – reading along with another child
Reader’s Theatre – playing characters, as in a play.

Assessing progress is easy and most children think it’s fun. Children love when you take out a stop watch and time them. Pick a passage on the proper reading level, time for 1 minute and graph the results. After several practices on the same text, time again. The children see immediate progress and become motivated to become more fluent readers.

In conclusion, reading fluency is the ability to read accurately and quickly. It is important because fluent readers comprehend better. It can be developed by modeling and practice.

By Fran Nieporent, Private Tutor

Listening To Your Children Read Aloud

November 6, 2021 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

In the midst of our busy lives, we sometimes find it so challenging to take time to sit down and really listen to our children read aloud. Instead, we often find ourselves telling our children to read to themselves while we are busy cooking dinner, doing laundry, or writing a brief. However, this time with your child can actually be more valuable than you think.

Oral reading is a skill in itself because it provides the opportunity for you as the parent to monitor and correct errors when your child is reading at home. While some parents may believe that correcting their child during reading interrupts their fluency and hampers their self-esteem, it actually stands to support and improve their reading skills. This is the very reason you should prioritize taking time to carefully listen to your child read aloud.

In order to ensure your child’s accuracy and efficiency when they read aloud, it is important to keep the following in mind. If your child misreads a phonetic word, a word that can be read by sounding it out, you should point to the word and ask your child to reread it and sound it out. If your child misreads a non-phonetic word, or a word that cannot be read by sounding it out, then you should ask your child to write the word down because writing the word helps you read the word better. In this case, you can also ask your child to skywrite the word, which is writing the word in the air using your finger. This technique is especially helpful during oral reading, so as not to overwhelm the child with writing. If you notice that your child skips words or often loses their place, it is important to teach your child how to “finger glide.” This involves placing your pointer finger under each word as you read it. If your child is uncomfortable with using a finger, you can suggest using a pen to substitute. If you notice that your child is reading in a labored manner, it is important for you as the parent to reread that paragraph or page, so that the meaning of the text does not get lost.

It is important to recognize that your child is probably still learning to read, and has not mastered all the skills necessary thus far. Setting individual goals with your child to work at one sitting period can help smooth the process and make it more enjoyable. For instance, one day you can work on “finger gliding” and another day you can work on intonation. When correcting your child, it is most helpful to model for them. Then your child can have a turn in order to practice reading aloud.

Happy Reading!

Written by: Editorial Team, My Learning Springboard, Inc.

What is Reading?

November 5, 2021 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

For fluent readers, reading seems almost instinctual. Words are instantly recognized, stories come alive easily. However, for those just learning how to read it is a complex process that is anything but automatic. So what is reading?

The process of reading involves many visual and mental processes. It is defined as the act of looking at printed words and making meaning. It is a multifaceted process involving a variety of different skills, including decoding, word recognition, comprehension, fluency, and motivation. These skills begin at the most basic level with associating letter symbols with sounds.

Next, readers must recognize or decode whole words and understand the meaning of the words within a sentence. Readers must then string words together to understand a complete sentence within the larger context of a paragraph. Additionally, readers use their background knowledge to help build, create, and construct meaning. All of these processes occur at the same time and understanding can break down at any point in the process.

Since learning to read does not happen all at once, it is critical that exposure to printed material occurs in a variety of settings: 1) at home by presenting and using printed materials along with related activities, 2) in the community by reading signs and environmental print, for example, or visiting a library or bookstore, and 3) at school.

Many factors can contribute to decoding and comprehension challenges, including lack of background knowledge, phonics issues, trouble with comprehension, vision problems, processing delays, lack of vocabulary, limited sight word vocabulary, among others. The more parents and educators understand the complexity of reading, the more adept we are at targeting our support to teach children to read.

By Joanna Brown, Reading Specialist

Admissions Consulting and School Planning

October 11, 2021 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

At My Learning Springboard, we believe that admissions consulting and school planning is a complex and highly reflective practice designed to help children and families find schools and learning communities in which they’ll thrive as well as optimize their experience within any school or program. To this end, we help families navigate myriad school-related decisions each school year.

Varying Reasons For School Planning

When it comes to making school transitions, families pursue our support with admissions consulting for many different reasons — voluntary and involuntary. Common reasons include:

Their child is ready to start preschool or kindergarten.
Their child is at the edge of a birthday cutoff that creates some decision-making.
Their child attends a school that ends after 5th, 8th, or 9th grade.
Their child has simply outgrown a school setting and prefers to pursue other options.
Their child needs a school placement due to the family’s relocation or the family’s interest in pursuing a US boarding school or college.
Their child’s school has initiated a counseling out process.
Their child needs a specialized school program to address learning challenges.
Their child needs a therapeutic school program to address emotional challenges and, possibly, learning challenges, too.
Their child is ready for college planning, or alternative programming, such as a gap year or post-graduate high school experience.
Their young adult needs supportive programming, such as a therapeutic wilderness program or a therapeutic college program.

Our ultimate goal with admissions consulting and school planning is to help identify and facilitate excellent and appropriate opportunities for each child or young adult by closely partnering with and advocating for our families. Together we put on our “future glasses” and imagine the feelings, accomplishments, and community that will be experienced at each of the schools or programs we explore.

Deep Knowledge of Schools and Programs

The best educational consultants and school planners have deep knowledge of schools and programs, which extends far beyond the facilities, statistics, and exmissions detail. It means having a deep understanding of the curriculum and programmatic choices; being informed about the level of academic rigor relative to other schools and programs; knowing the communication and planning approaches; being familiar with the available support and advisory services; and appreciating the unique community and vibe of each school. This deep knowledge is achieved by repeatedly visiting and observing classes at a wide range of schools and colleges, developing relationships with faculty and school leadership, and regularly reviewing class work, teacher feedback, and school documentation across grade levels, school divisions, and over time. Successful admissions consulting also requires a flexible yet streamlined process, managed by educational experts with outstanding project management skills, integrity and efficacy. For all of these reasons, we’ve found that we are best able to serve families with our team approach, which includes two Board Certified Educational Planners and Learning Specialists as well as a retired School Principal and Reading Specialist.

Open and Honest Communication

A huge part of our successful team effort is having open and honest communication with our families. In order to select a school environment in which a student will ultimately thrive, we need to talk openly and honestly with parents and students about their desires and needs. For example, if specialized instruction or accommodations are needed, we need to be able to discuss this up front, and consequently, we advise openly sharing this information with schools at the appropriate time. Schools want to be successful, which means accepting the students they know they can serve well. We must be able to talk honestly about the academic rigor and expectations of each school as well as the available supports. Though a student may have the transcript, test scores, and application package to “get in,” that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best long-term fit for that student. Through ongoing discussion and debriefing after school tours and interviews, we arrive at an informed, prioritized list of schools or programs that reflect both the student’s and parents’ feedback as well as other key stakeholders who may be involved, such as a psychologist.

Strategic Planning For A Future School Move

When planning for a transition of any kind, it’s preferable to start early. Ideally planning should start well in advance, so that a 4th grade family is planning for a 6th grade transition; a 7th grade family is planning for a 9th grade transition; and a 10th grade family is planning for the transition to college. We typically start Kindergarten Readiness the spring before the application season. Whether the student is applying to kindergarten or college, we begin with a family meeting to discuss hopes, expectations, questions, and timing. This approach allows for a slow and steady preparation process, which is the best way to create the most options. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae, frustration, or anxiety surrounding admissions. At My Learning Springboard, we choose to reframe the “task” as an opportunity, one that has the potential to provide invaluable growth for the student, as well as for the family as a whole.

Please contact us to discuss admissions consulting and school planning for your family in more detail. We provide hourly or comprehensive consultation for families applying to preschool through high school as well as college and graduate school counseling, gap year planning, and supportive pathways for young adults. Our expertise spans day schools and boarding schools, including mainstream, specialized, and therapeutic school settings. We look forward to partnering with you and your family as you navigate an upcoming school transition or seek to optimize your child’s experience within a school or program.

By Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed.
Board Certified Educational Planner and Learning Specialist
My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Simple Advice for a Great School Year: Planning and Organizational Systems

September 28, 2021 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

If you ask students what it takes to get good grades, many would probably say “being smart” and “studying hard.” But after years of working with students of all ages, it is clear that the key to scholastic success really comes from developing a plan and working hard to stick to that plan. We often support this planning and persistence with executive function coaching in order to help our students develop strong organizational systems and systematic processes. Here is some simple advice for students to help start the school year off right.

Take Stock of Your Strengths and Areas for Growth

To start, it is important to take stock of your strengths and relative weaknesses as a learner. What do you already do well and where can you improve? What types of organizational systems do you already have in place? What were your pain points last school year? Be introspective. No one is perfect. We all have strengths and relative weaknesses, and identifying them early in the school year can be extremely helpful.

Take Responsibility for Yourself

Part of identifying room for improvement and then setting goals and developing organizational systems means taking responsibility for yourself, your decisions and your actions. While this means different things for students of different ages, it’s important to understand that while other people can support or distract you from this responsibility, it is essential to focus on how to improve yourself rather than only looking at others’ actions. Obstacles present opportunities, and you can’t let your plan be thwarted because you don’t like a particular teacher, or you find a particular text boring, or you can’t seem to ignore certain peer influences. You have to take control and acknowledge that you are making conscious choices.

Focusing on your own actions means, as the old saying goes, “honesty is the best policy.” This means both being honest with others and yourself about, for example, how much work you have and what your other responsibilities are. Be realistic when planning how much time to set for each assignment. Misleading yourself or others about how much homework you have will only create more stress in the long-run. You don’t want to be in a position where you are handing in late or incomplete work. Meeting deadlines is an important lifelong skill that takes practice. It’s almost always a bad idea to penalize yourself unnecessarily with reduced grades because of late work. To mitigate this sort of situation, it’s critical to have strong organizational systems in place.

Commit To Organizational Systems That Work For You

But how do you stay on top of everything? Commit to organizational systems that work for you. Whether you prefer a paper planner, keeping track of your assignments online, or a hybrid system, choose the method that works for you and stick with it. Make sure you update your planner every day and actually check it. While digital planning and calendaring works for many students, sometimes “old school,” more concrete methods are better, such as a wipe-off wall calendar using markers and/or post-it notes.

In order to avoid academic burnout, be sure to make time to do the things you love during the school year, whether it’s sports, music, video games, or just hanging out with friends. But also make sure that you aren’t using your favorite activities to procrastinate your school work too much. Moderation is key. On busy school nights, set timers for how long you are going to spend on breaks. Successful organizational systems include time for self care and recharging, though not every week may be equally well balanced.

Most importantly, remember that learning is a process, not simply checking things off of a list. This is particularly important on writing-based tasks where you should not be satisfied until you have edited, edited, and done more editing (and sought feedback from others!). In math, keep trying different ways to solve a problem until you have figured it out. The process in both subjects — or any subject — is more important than just getting the answer or completing the task.

And if you need help, don’t be afraid to ask! Organizational systems need continuous refinement at all stages of life as we incrementally take on more responsibility. Executive function coaching, content support, and test preparation can take on many shapes and sizes in order to best fit the situation. Ask your teachers, parents and/or academic coaches for help when you need it and take advantage of help when it’s offered.

For more information about academic tutoring, executive function coaching, and school planning, please contact Brad Hoffman and Faya Hoffman at My Learning Springboard.

By Brad Hoffman, Board Certified Educational Planner and Learning Specialist, and Laurie Gross, Educational Consultant and Reading Specialist.