Instructional Resources Database: Instructional Activities
This collection of instructional strategies has been collected
to support the Cognitive Framework of Reading
and to assist teachers in instructional decision-making for grades
K-2.
Overview
Current research suggests that teachers who are effective and deliberate
in planning and implementing instruction designed to meet the varied
needs of the children in their classroom can have a substantial
impact on their children's reading achievement. It is important
for teachers to understand what is to be learned, how much progress
each student has made in their learning, and what the teacher can
do to enhance each student's progress.
To facilitate this understanding, the RCI team has developed a
suite of products designed to address this three-part relational
need of
The Cognitive Framework of Reading
The Cognitive Framework of Reading was designed
to provide a point of reference and facility for connecting cognition,
instruction, and assessment. It depicts the knowledge domains that
a child must master to successfully learn to read English. The framework
consists of 14 elements laid out hierarchically-at the apex is reading
comprehension. Underlying reading comprehension are two equally
important elements-the ability to understand language and the ability
to decode text. Both language comprehension and decoding are comprised
of a collection of fundamental cognitive structures that have been
shown to be essential for good readers.
Understanding the cognitive framework of reading is meaningful
but it is also essential for teachers to be comfortable with assessing
early reading skills and for teachers to have access to a selection
of meaningful activities. Hence, the cognitive framework by itself
is not as useful for teachers as it is when combined with information
about assessment and instructional resources.
Use of Assessment to Inform Practice
Children are constructors of their own knowledge and their development
may be uneven and comparatively different from child to child. Therefore,
the ability to assess and respond to the instructional needs of
individual students is a basic understanding of the cognitive processes
involved in reading. A teacher who understands the elements that
underlie and embody skilled reading is able to assess relevant strengths
and needs in a child's acquisition of reading skills.
Included in the instructional resources database are specific
tasks that teachers can use as an informal assessment of their student's
strengths or weaknesses related to a particular element of the framework.
You will also find that you can use many of the activities as quick
assessments of your student's abilities.
In addition, you may access our on-line Reading
Assessment Database for more information about published assessments
available in the U.S. The search engine allows you to search for
assessments that meet certain criteria such as grade level, the
language in which the test is administered, and subtests within
the assessment.
RCI is also developing a Literacy Profile that will be web accessible
and available for reproduction. The profile allows you to keep an
on-going record of student's progress on the 14
elements of the framework in an organized fashion. You will
find that key skills can be measured and placed in relation to other
skills. As the pieces fall into place, you will see patterns emerge
that indicate areas of strength and need for each child.
The Instructional Resources Database
Once a process is in place for looking at early reading skill,
teachers can identify and implement appropriate curriculum and teaching
strategies that can address the identified difficulties their children
are experiencing. This database was designed to provide concrete
examples of instructional activities that connect the 14
elements of the conceptual framework with actual classroom practice.
Activities were selected based on their:
- correlation to the cognitive framework of reading,
- applicability for mainstream and English as a second language
classrooms, and
- utility in the classroom.
Many of the selections can also be adapted for bilingual classrooms.
Some of these activities apply to one element, but you will find
that many overlap and apply to several of the elements. These activities
represent only one of many possible ways to proceed. These suggestions
can and should be modified to fit individual student needs.
Resources in this Database
Activities for this collection were constructed from teaching experiences
as well as adapted from published resources. You will find a complete
list of the resources used
to organize these activities on-line. Teachers should look at these
resources for additional examples.
How to Use the Instructional Resources Database
We have designed a simple search interface
that allows you to search the database for specific parameters that
are of particular interest to you (e.g. certain elements or certain
grade levels) or you can simply browse the entire database, to view
all of the activities.
We hope you find this database informative and useful in your
endeavors to facilitate literacy acquisition for all children.
| 
Introduction