Article #1

Bib. Information Harris, R. (2011). Reading fundamentals. Catalyst Chicago, 22(4), 16-19
(APA Formatting): Retrieved from http://chicagoreporter.com
Author(s) Affiliation: Associate Editor of Catalyst Chicago

Type of Resource: Nonprofit investigative news organization

Summary of essential The best teaching is made up of a multitude of reading strategies some of which
information: include: (1) explicit phonics instruction, (2) teaching comprehension and
critical thinking skills (3) read alouds to develop fluency.
In order to create a successful balanced literacy program, implementation
should consist of a lot of initial training as well as continuous learning. It fails
in many schools due to a lack of resources.
Balanced literacy should include interactive read alouds in which the teacher
models critical thinking and making connections to prior knowledge. Shared
reading where a teachers role is to help children read poems or short stories.
Finally, guided reading in which the teacher helps students as they read in small
groups and assist in developing vocabulary and comprehension skills.
Some Examples of successful balanced literacy from one Chicago Classroom
included: (1) each student having a large selection of just right books, (2) the
teacher using complex symbols, marking each word that is mispronounced
word as student read, (3) phonics instruction that includes call-and-response
word games, and (4) working on punctuation.
Potential relevance to Harriss (2011) article creates a picture for how to implement Balanced Literacy
your research topic in my classroom. For example, she shares that teachers need an abundance of
and study: training in order to implement the program. Therefore, it will be important to
truly understand and observe effective balanced literacy programs in order to
implement balanced literacy the way it is intended to be run.
The author creates a picture of what balanced literacy looks like. In order to
implement balanced literacy a teacher needs to understand the components that
create a balanced classroom. Implementing balanced literacy will really require
creating a classroom that is literacy heavy. With implementation I will need to
be sure there are a plethora of books to meet my students interests and reading
ability. One way I may be able to keep track of students growth is to complete
running records similar to the example teacher in the article. My whole reading
instructional block will have to change to create a similar format.
Article #2
Bib. Information Linder, R. (2009). A difficult choice: Which model of reading instruction for
(APA Formatting): my students? Illinois Reading Council Journal, 37(3), 8-20. Retrieved from
http://www.illinoisreadingcouncil.org
Author(s) Affiliation: Roberta Linder, EdD is affiliated with Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois.
Type of Resource: Trade article
Summary of essential Linder (2009) gives a description of five different literacy models common in
information: classrooms. The first one mentioned, balanced literacy was laid out by Fountas
and Pinnell and is intended for grades kindergarten through third. Balanced
literacy consists of four reading components: (1) read aloud, (2) shared reading,
(3) guided reading, and (4) independent reading. There are also four writing
components: (1) shared writing, (2) interactive writing, (3) guided
writing/writing workshop, (4) independent writing.

The second model was called the Language and Literacy Framework. The
framework was also described by Fountas and Pinnell, but is intended for
grades three through six. The components of Language and Literacy include:
(1) language and word study, (2) reading workshop including guided reading,
and (3) writing workshop.

Linder (2009) went on to describe a third framework called guided

comprehension which consisted of three stages: (1) teacher-directed whole
group, (2) teacher-guided small-group instruction and student-facilitated
comprehension centers and routines, and (3) teacher facilitated whole group
reflection and goal setting.

Fourth, was a type of literacy called Focused Small Group-Instruction. This

framework also followed three stages with a similar gradual release. The frist
step, whole group instruction in which teacher models strategies with texts
slightly above grade level. The second step, small-group instruction when the
teacher listens to students reading and completes running records. The final
step, one-on-one instruction done during independent reading time.

The final model was a Workshop Model. The workshop model is considered
student centered, with a gradual release of responsibility. There is an abundance
of time for guided reading and independent reading. Routman describes four
stages: (1) read aloud, (2) shared reading, (3) guided reading, and (4)
independent reading.

The five different models have many similarities among them. For instance, the
main goal of each is to foster independent, proficient readers. The frameworks
all find that reading and writing are interrelated. There is the need for constant
data collection in order to drive instruction. All five frameworks find whole
class instruction crucial and they all have a small group component.
The only differences among models is the amount of control the teacher has.
For example, in programs such as balanced literacy, the teacher assigns the
centers students are to complete each day. While other programs, such as Daily
Five, the students select their own. Balanced Literacy also feels as though the
teacher should select books for students and also have control over when
children should move. Workshop feels students should have the opportunity to
 select their own reading with teacher guidance.

Potential relevance to Throughout my teaching I am always looking for ways to improve my students
your research topic reading, both with comprehension and fluency. The reason I chose balanced
and study: literacy as my implementation program, is due to the fact that it is an initiative
of the district to get all teachers doing balanced literacy. I have begun to
question just how balanced literacy may improve my students reading. I alwo
wonder could there be another method that is more effective. Linders article
gave me a glimpse into several reading programs. Some of the programs could
also be intertwined. For instance, daily five centers could be intertwined in
balanced literacy guided reading centers. Finally, if I find that my students
reading is not improving this article may be one to come back to as I continue
my research, to find the best program fit for my students and my teaching style.

Article #3
Bib. Information Caros, J., Lambert, M.C., Robinson, L., & Towner, J. (2016). A comparison of
(APA Formatting): direct instruction and balanced literacy: An evaluative comparison or a Pacific
Northwest rural school district. Reading Improvement, 53(4), 147-164.
Retrieved from http://www.projectinnovation.com/reading-improvement.html
Author(s) Affiliation: Robinson L., Lambert, M.C., and Towner, J. have an affiliation with Western
Washington University.
Caros, J. is affiliated with the School Evaluation and Instructional Research
Associates (SEIRA).

Type of Resource: Scholarly article with a study of two schools.

Summary of essential The authors composed a study of different reading instructional models. One
information: school was the experimental school, implementing direct instruction. The
comparison school implemented balanced literacy. The school that
implemented direct instruction followed an explicit sequenced instruction. The
students took part in a lot of choral response and the teachers had specific ways
to correct errors. The comparison schools (implementing balanced literacy)
included components of read aloud, shared reading, and guided reading. The
students took part in various writing activities. The first program allowed for 90
minutes of reading instruction while that latter of the two allowed for 120
minutes writing activities.
 Data collecting consisted of oral reading fluency passages from reading
curriculum, but also included passages from the opposing program. The schools
also tested passages by an independent source.
In the end both schools made gains across all three years. However, the
experimental school made slightly greater gains than the comparison school.
The researchers also found there could have been some limitations with their
study. For instance, random assignment was not possible. There was also a high
mobility rates creating a small sample size.
Potential relevance to Currently, my English Language Arts block is set up similar to the Direct
your research topic Instruction model found in the experimental school. As the educator
and study: implementing this model, it does not feel to be an effective way of teaching my
students. However, this study proved differently. It found that students in the
experimental school made greater gains than the students in the comparison
school (implementing balanced literacy). Therefore, as I begin to compose my
research, it may be effective to look at student growth from the beginning of the
year to now when they were receiving direct instruction, then again from now
until May when I implement balanced literacy.

Article #4
Bib. Information Davis, K., & Hunsanger, K. (2015). The power of high success reading.
(APA Formatting): Michigan Reading Journal, 47(2), 49-53. Retrieved from
https://www.michiganreading.org
Author(s) Affiliation: Both Davis and Hunsanger have been teachers of both pre-school and
kindergarten. Currently, they are teaching first and second grade. Together they
own the Literacy Ladies as a way to share their love of literacy.
Type of Resource Trade article
Summary of essential The authors discuss the importance of independent reading. With independent
information: reading, students need to have the opportunity to read books on their level. The
women give a glimpse into their classroom, describing a room where students
are lounging in their own space enjoying books on their level. Part of creating a
classroom conducive to independent reading is creating a library that motivates
reading. Students need to be able to easily select books on their level and that
meets their interest. The library should include different types of books: chapter
books, picture books, big books. When students have the opportunity to select
their own books they make a greater effort to understand the texts they are
reading. The teachers suggest labeling with a level then organizing by category.
Potential relevance to A major part of balanced literacy is independent reading. In fact, researchers
your research topic and experts in balanced literacy believe that independent reading should take
and study: place for about 20 minutes a day. In order to keep students engaged in this
independent reading for this length of time, students need to have on level
books of interest to them. Davis and Hunsanger, give a perfect model for how
to set up a classroom library. Their recommendation of labeling books by level,
but then categorizing them would make it easy for students to find books and
allow them to be more excited about independent reading. Therefore, to
enhance my independent reading time, it may be beneficial to organize my
library in a similar way.

Article #5
Bib. Information Bogner, K., Dolezal, S., Pressley, M., Raphael, L.M., & Roehrig, A. (2002).
(APA Formatting): Balanced Literacy Instruction. Focus on Exceptional Children, 34(5), 1-14.
Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net
Author(s) Affiliation: The authors were all at the Department of Psychology at the University of
Notre Dame. Bogner is now in the School Psychology Program at the
University of Minnesota
Type of Resource: Trade article
Summary of essential Effective literacy in the elementary schools consists of balanced teaching of
information: skills. One author, Pressley (2002), along with his colleagues studied both
effective and ineffective instruction in elementary schools. All of the effective
programs had some form of balanced teaching.
Results of the study were conducted through observations. The students in
some classrooms were better readers; with most students reading at or above
grade level. Writing was also higher in some classrooms than others. Students
had a better understanding of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Students
were more engaged in some classes as well.
The Qualities of effective classrooms included combination of skills and
instruction and real experiences with reading. Instruction was scaffolded as
students were encouraged to work independently. There were plenty of
opportunities for students to respond to writing through reading. Teachers had
high expectations for all students.
The components seen in the balanced literacy classrooms in included (1)
phonemic awareness, (2) word recognition, (3) vocabulary, (4) comprehension,
(5) self-monitoring, and (6) self-monitoring.
Potential relevance to Bogner, Dolezal, Pressley, Raphael, and Roehrig (2002) wrote this article
your research topic following the study of several successful balanced literacy classrooms. Their
and study: study not only proved that balanced literacy can be effective, but also gave the
reader knowledge about certain ways the educators go about presenting content
to students. Throughout my implementation of this program, several of the
suggestions made through this article may be observed in my classroom.

Article #6
Bib. Information Lindsey, M. (1996). Connections between reading and writing: What the
(APA Formatting): experts say. The Clearing House, 70(2), 103-105. Retrieved from
https://www.theclearinghouse.org/
Author(s) Affiliation: Lindsey is an English Education major at the University of North Carolina.
Type of Resource: Trade article
Summary of essential Lindsey (1996), discusses the importance of balancing writing with reading in
information: order to create motivated readers. For instance, before reading a text the teacher
could present a prompt (related to the story) which would help to relate the
story to their own lives. She calls this autobiographical writing. Following the
introduction to the story, as the teacher begins to read, the students could be
writing in response journals. Some ideas they could write about, include:
feelings towards a character, feelings toward the text, relation to their lives,
predictions about how the book will end. Finally, following the reading the
class should take part in a class discussion, getting them involved in
articulating their ideas.
Lindsey not only focuses on components of writing, but also goes into how to
make writing more personal. She offers suggestions like the Writers Notebook
where students may write down their memories, wonderings, or observations.
Teachers also implement in-process journals. This is a spot for students to talk
to themselves about their writing during the writing process. Finally, the teacher
may hold student-teacher conferences encouraging students to really think
about their writing.
Potential relevance to As I begin to plan for data collection, I began to wonder how I could best
your research topic collect data on student comprehension. I had the idea to complete reading
and study: response journals, but was unsure the best way to do it. Lindseys (1996),
article gave me the idea of how I might have my students respond to their text
in their reading journal. For example, I will likely have my students be tuning
into their feelings while they read, requiring them to write about it in their
journals.
The article also got me wondering, could balance literacy improve students
motivation to read as well, using some of the components of Lindseys (1996)
article in my balanced literacy classroom.

Article #7
Bib. Information Simpson, M.K. (1986). A teachers gift: Oral reading and the reading response
(APA Formatting): journal. Journal of Reading, 30(1), 45-50. Retrieved from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Author(s) Affiliation: Mary K. Simpson is a seventh grade language arts teacher at Prince William
County Public Schools, located in Woodbridge, VA
Type of Resource: Trade article
Summary of essential Mary K. Simpson (1986) made changes to her language arts class, making a
information: change from teaching language arts in allocated amounts of time, 20 minutes
for comprehension, 10 minutes vocabulary, etc., to beginning each class with a
read aloud and time to respond to reading in student reading journals. Her goal
was to read one chapter each day followed by three to five minutes in which
students wrote in their journals. When she first started many students strictly
summarized what they read. As they began to get more comfortable, they
started doing more critical thinking. The students began discussing character
motivation/development, foreshadowing, flashbacks, setting description, use of
dialogue, etc. The students developed the realization that they were expressing
their opinion and all opinions were valuable. Simpson saw her students
becoming more motivated readers through journal responses.
Potential relevance to I found myself reading Simpsons (1986) article with similar feelings to
your research topic Simpson. Her one quote resonated with me, Looking at the situation
and study: practically, I knew that the time wasnt there. How could I justify taking 20 to
30 minutes from each day to sharing literature with my studentsI have a basal
program to teach and grammar and spelling textbooks to cover (Simpson,
1986, p. 46). She was fearful that taking this time would take away from her
students instructional time. Just like Simpson I fear moving away from the
basal teacher manual. Simpson proved to have success with her efforts. Similar
to Simpson, I am looking to implement a reading journal to really give students
the opportunity to respond to the text with their own opinions and connections.
 Many of her struggling readers that were motivated to read, began to take an
interest in reading when the reading was done for them. Perhaps, similar things
could happen within my classroom, especially with a student that boos me
every time I pick up a book.

Article #8
Bib. Information Minnis, J., & Nathan, R. (2016). Together is better: Planning and managing an
(APA Formatting): informational close-reading session. California English, 22(1), 6-9. Retrieved
from https://www.michiganreading.org
Author(s) Affiliation: Ruth Nathan is a visiting scholar at UC Berkley. She is also a consultant in the
Bay Area. Nathan is also the co-author of a handbook from the series
Thoughtful Learning.
Julie Minnis has taught for over 25 years. She is a literacy consultant for
Pajaro Valley USD, Watsonville and for Steinbeck Young Authors programs.
Type of Resource: Trade article
Summary of essential The authors, Minnis and Nathan (2016), give teachers an outline for planning a
information: close-reading activity. Their article provides teachers with a to-do list when
planning a close-reading session. Each step includes questions to consider when
planning. The steps to planning close reading are as follows:
(1) Identify your objective for doing a close reading
(2) Identify the text type and model.
a. Consider student interest and text complexity.
(3) Decide how students will access and annotate text.
a. Will it be read aloud first, partner or individually read?
(4) Write a student-oriented purpose statement
(5) Generate text-dependent questions/tasks.
a. Keeps students in texts, do not move them away from them.
(6) Plan reading so students attention becomes more and more specific.
(7) Write an assessment and/or extended meaning task.
Potential relevance to One aspect of balanced literacy is close reading. Close reading is often done
your research topic with informational texts. I want to have my students think more critically about
and study: a text. Minnis and Nathans article really lays out a lesson plan template to truly
get me to plan an effective close reading lesson. The list they gave and
questions they proposed, I could easily type to create a format making it easier
to plan a close reading activity.

Article #9
Bib. Information Gill, S.R. (2015). Shared reading of poetry. The NERA Journal, 51(1), 22-31.
(APA Formatting): Retrieved from http://nereading.org/?page_id=34
Author(s) Affiliation: Sharon Ruth Gill is associated with Murray State University in Kentucky.
Type of Resource: Trade article
Summary of essential Sharon Ruth Gill finds great value in the shared reading of poetry. Students that
information: are seen to be struggling need many opportunities for successful reading. Gill
finds the shared reading of poetry to be an effective way to give students a
chance to feel success in reading. This follows the belief that children from
birth enjoy melodious language and that music is processed through one of the
most important areas of the brain. As many know, music stems from poetry.
Gill finds flaws with many previous strategies thought to teach students to read.
Reading books with repetitive sight words did not effectively teach students to
read because the students do not learn about language in context. The same
goes for decodable books. It is thought that poetry is really the best method
with some predictability in the reading. Gill found that her struggling readers
often volunteered to read the poem aloud to their peers, building their
confidence in their reading.
Gill (2015) then goes on to describe how repeated reading of text, such as
poetry, actually builds fluency. She discusses three forms of repeated reading:
assisted, unassisted, and prosodic. Assisted requires the child to choral read the
poem with a fluent reader. While unassisted, the child reads on the own. Finally
with prosodic, aspects of fluency are modeled for the child.
The benefits of repeated reading of poetry include increases in: (1) volume of
reading, (2) motivation, (3) belief in themselves, (4) fluency, and (5)
recognition of sight words.
Potential relevance to With the shift of my research question, I am looking for the best balanced
your research topic literacy strategies to assist my struggling readers. These students often struggle
and study: with decoding and fluency. Gills (2015) article, suggests a strategy that I will b
implementing into my classroom. Through my assessment of their fluency, I
will see if the shared, repeated readings of poems truly will influence their
fluency. I will use Gills idea of assisted reading to have students read the
poetry along with me. During this time we will practice fluent reading as well
as studying phonics and sight words.

Article #10
Bib. Information Fiene, J. & McMahon, S. (2007). Assessing comprehension: A classroom-
(APA Formatting): based process. The Reading Teacher, 60(5), p.406-417. Doi 10.1598/RT.60.5.1
Author(s) Affiliation:1. Judy Fiene is associated with the Elmhurst College in Illinois and Susan
McMahon works at the National-Louis University in Lisle, Illinois, USA.
Type of Resource Trade article
Summary of essential Comprehension is a key part of reading and in many districts there is much
information: weight put into standardized assessments. With pressure coming from
administrators as well as the government for students to do well on
standardized tests, Fiene and McMahon (2007), find that these assessments
alone are not true indicators of students comprehension. Educators really need
to be looking at a variety of student work to truly analyze the students
understanding of a text. The authors studied an assessment project that was
implemented in one district. The teacher in this district began by having
students record their thinking on post-it-notes as they read. She then asked the
students to further their thinking in a reading journal using one or two of their
post-its. It was from here the teacher was able to analyze where students were
in their comprehension. She found that one student no longer needed instruction
in activating prior knowledge, but perhaps needed to spend more time on areas
such as inferencing. Another key aspect of comprehension is questioning. Not
questioning by a teacher, but by the reader themselves. Questions should
involve both thick (elaboration of the text) and thin (literal interpretation).
By asking questions students are creating a purpose for reading. Such aspects
should drive a teachers planning of instruction.
Potential relevance to The work done by Fiene and McMahon (2007), have shown me the importance
your research topic of moving beyond simply assessing students comprehension using standardized
and study: assessments. As I analyze their assessment scores, I find that it does not give
me true insight into their thinking and understanding of the text. As I continue
my study, this is something that I may want to take into consideration. Fiene
and McMahon present researchers with a great data collection chart that I hope
to adapt and use in the future.

Article #11
Bib. Information LeVasseur, V.M., Macaruso, P., & Shankweiler, D. (2008). Promoting gains in
(APA Formatting): reading fluency: A comparison of three approaches. Reading and Writing,
21(3), 205-230. Doi 10.1007/s11145-007-9070-1.
Author(s) Affiliation: V.M. LeVasseur and P. Macaruso are both affiliated with the Psychology
Department at the Community College of Rhode Island. Shankweiler is
associated with the Department of Psychology at the University of Connecticut.
Type of Resource: Scholarly article
Summary of essential The authors of the article address the concern by many teachers; students know
information: how to decode and read words, but they do not know how to read fluently.
Through research, the authors looked that many different aspects of reading,
some of which included: words correct per minute (WCPM), word errors, false
starts, other dysfluencies, fluency ratings, and comprehension. During research,
the students were given a pretest to assess their reading, followed by a training,
and ending with a posttest. The trainings consisted of three different methods, a
word list, cued text, and standard text. The cued text would break the text up to
show phrasing. The results of the study showed the repeated reading of texts
showed greater improvement on student reading in all aspects of reading.
Repeated readings shows a more positive impact on fluency then on
comprehension. Many aspects of fluency were also found to be interrelated. For
example, the more words correct per minute resulted in fewer errors. The
trainings were found to have the biggest effect on low-achieving readers.
Potential relevance to Reading LeVasseur, Macaruso, and Shankweilers (2008) article, made me
your research topic think of repeated reading similar to how we were trained to do shared reading.
and study: We read the same text repeatedly. I also follow a similar pattern in guided
reading with my struggling readers. We often read the same text for several
days focusing on different aspects of reading. While reading, I was able to
make connections to what I am finding through data collection. For instance, I
have seen some change in the childrens fluency and expression using such a
model. While just as the authors shared, repeated readings seem to have more
of an effect on fluency rather than comprehension. Finally, they also shared an
interesting way to teach phrasing. I may try this with my group in order to get
them passed reading word by word.

Article #12
Bib. Information Duffy, A.M. (2001). Balance, literacy acceleration, and responsive teaching in a
(APA Formatting): summer school literacy program for elementary school struggling readers.
Reading Research and Instruction, 40(2), 67-100. Retrieved from
http://www.tandfonline.com
Author(s) Affiliation: Ann M. Duffy is associated with the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro
Type of Resource: Scholarly Article
Summary of essential Duffy (2001) conducted a study in a classroom in which she was facilitating
information: instruction during a summer program for struggling readers. During this
program she studied balance literacy, literacy acceleration, and responsive
teaching. The study consisted of a group of ten students. Through her initial
research, she found that there was not much research conducted on balanced
literacy. Balanced literacy really has been described very differently in the past
five years. Literacy acceleration gets students to make expedited progress in
reading. Finally, responsive teaching is scaffolded instruction in which the
teacher is constantly reflecting and modifying their teaching to meet the needs
of students. Through her research, she hoped to understand the impacts
balanced, accelerated, and responsive literacy plays in the reading growth of her
struggling readers.
As a result of the study, Duffy (2001), found many benefits with the reading
program she implemented. She found improvements in students word
identification ability, fluency, strategies in reading comprehension, positive
perceptions of themselves, attitudes toward reading, and instructional reading
strategies. Students began to spell more difficult words with a common
orthographic pattern. These students not only show increase in reading fluency
and comprehension, but they were actually able to identify the strategies that
were used for decoding new words as well as comprehension strategies.
 Students also increased their instructional reading levels by an average of 1.3
years.

Potential relevance to Duffys (2001), study was very similar to the study I am implementing in my
your research topic class. She focused on areas of reading that I am looking at with my struggling
and study: readers as well. I am monitoring their comprehension of both shared reading
and independently read text. I also am continuously assessing their fluency,
word correct per minute, and phrasing to see if there are improvements in these
aspects of their reading. As I analyze my data I am able to compare my findings
with the Duffys.
If I was to continue my study I would also take a look at other aspects of
reading similar to Duffys study. Through my own observation, I have noticed
some students seem to have shifted their attitude of reading. Therefore, if I was
to continue my study, I would be eager to see how students perspectives and
understanding of the reading changes.

Article #13
Bib. Information DiSalle, K & Rasinki, T. (2017). Impact of short-term intense fluency
(APA Formatting): instruction on students reading achievement: A classroom-based, teacher
initiated research study. Journal of Teacher Action Research, 3(2), p.1-13.
Retrieved from
Author(s) Affiliation: Ann M. Duffy is associated with the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro
Type of Resource: Trade article
Summary of essential The action research study published in this article focused on one program
information: known as The Fluency Development. This is very similar to repeated and
shared reading. In this model of teaching the aim is to create fluent readers
through repeated reading and studying of a text. The teachers selects a text of
the day, making copies for all students. She then models fluent reading
followed by a brief discussion of the text. The students and teacher then read
the text a few times orally before students go off to read in groups giving peers
the opportunity to assist each other. At the end, the teacher reviews a word work
skill for the day found in the reading. The reading is then taken home for
students to practice with families. As a result of this study, the authors found
that the students made slightly over a years growth in reading comprehension.
Their fluency increased from 69.2 words correct per minute to 96.8. Through
 the authors research, they came to the realization that when fluency increases,
students are spending less time focused on decoding words, and more time on
understanding the text.

Potential relevance to Although my study does not consist of daily repeated readings of text. We are
your research topic doing whole group repeated readings of a text, through shared reading. My
and study: guided reading groups all do a repeated reading of a text that is slightly above
their independent reading levels. We study the book, reading it multiple times
for a few consecutive days before moving on to a new text. A slightly altered
version of this text is then assessed for their words correct per minute. I should
be able to compare their reading fluency similar to how DiSalle and Rasinski
(2017) have conducted their research. It will also be interesting to see how their
decoding skills will transfer to an unfamiliar text and if it indeed does increase
their comprehension.

Article #14
Bib. Information Dougherty-Stahl, K.A. (2012). Complex text or frustration-level text. The
(APA Formatting): reading teacher, 66(1), 47-51. Doi: 10.1002/TRTR.01102
Author(s) Affiliation: Doughtery-Stahl is an sssistant professor of literacy at New York University,
USA
Type of Resource: Trade article
(Scholarly
/Trade/Other)
Summary of essential Dougherty-Stahl (2012) talks about one aspect of balanced literacy; shared
information: reading. She shares the positive impact shared reading could have on students
especially struggling readers. With the implementation of the common core
students are now expected to read more challenging text. Shared reading is one
way to expose students to complex text. It takes the responsibility of the
reading off students and allows the teacher to model critical thinking. As
students then begin to read the text in partners or independently, they begin to
apply the critical reading concepts taught by the teacher. Through research of
her own, Dougherty-Stall found that struggling readers in a third and fifth grade
class performed just as well on a test assessing general reading task. She also
found that children from a second grade class performed better on vocabulary
acquisition, word analysis, word recognition, and words correct per minute
when they participated in shared reading compared to round robin reading.
 Children that were reading at a preprimer level entering second grade showed
the greatest gain in words correct per minute. By repeatedly reading a text,
students gain strength in both reading comprehension and fluency.

Potential relevance to Throughout my study of balanced literacy, I had my students participating in a

your research topic shared reading text on a daily basis. As I analyze my data, some of the research
and study: Dougherty-Stahl came up with from previous studies may align with patterns in
my data. She asks a similar question looking at how repeated reading affect her
readers.

Article #15
Bib. Information Hall, K.M., Sabey, B.L., & McClellan, M. (2005). Expository text
(APA Formatting): comprehension: Helping primary-grade teachers use expository text to full
advantage. Reading Psychology, 26(3) 211-234. Doi:
10.1080/02702710590962550
Author(s) Affiliation: All three authors are affiliated with Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

Type of Resource: Trade article

Summary of essential In the article the authors, Hall, McClellan, and Sabey, describe a study done in
information: several classrooms at one school. The authors research shows that students
have a more difficult time with expository text. This is often due to the students
not having adequate vocabulary or background knowledge. Many teachers are
also not equipped to teach nonfiction texts. The study took a look at an
instructional program designed to instruct students in small groups. They found
that text structure instruction is the most effective strategy to improve the
comprehension of nonfiction text. Even students that had been identified as
having a lower reading ability performed equally as well as their on-level
counterparts.
Potential relevance to This research done in this study shows that students often do have more
your research topic difficulty with expository text. This is reflected in my research. It also gives me
and study: some implications for my teaching. Perhaps my students struggle more with
expository text because I need to be more prepared to teach it. They also may
lack the vocabulary and knowledge to read the nonfiction text. Finally, text
structure could be a key way to teach expository text effectively to my students.

Article #16
Bib. Information Petscher, Y., Reutzel, D.R., & Spichtig, A.N. (2012). Exploring the value added
(APA Formatting): of a guided silent reading intervention: Effects on struggling third-grade
readers achievement. The Journal of Educational Research, 3(2) 404-415. Doi:
10.1080/002200671.2011.629693
Author(s) Affiliation: D. Ray Reutzel is associated with Utah State University
Yaacov Petschre is affiliated with Florida Stated University
Alexandra N. Spichtig is affiliated with Capella University.
Type of Resource: Trade article
Summary of essential Reading is a crucial part of a childs elementary school years. Through their
information: own literature review, Reutzel, Petscher, and Spichtig (2012), describe the key
elements of beginning reading instruction to be: (1) phonemic awareness, (2)
phonics, (3) fluency, (4) vocabulary, (5) comprehension, (6) oral language, (7)
writing, (8) concepts about print, (9) letter name knowledge. Their research also
led to the knowledge repeated readings of text with feedback from a teacher
increases students reading fluency. Students that were given 20 extra minutes of
silent reading had significant gains in vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency.
Many teachers are fearful of silent reading. Fears and questions such as; will
my students keep their eyes on their books and will they pick books they can
read. The researchers then explored how one guided silent independent reading
program, Reading Plus would affect struggling reading performance. They
found that the students posttest scores, resulting from their FCAT-SSS
assessment, were significantly higher than the control group. Therefore,
Reading Plus had a positive effect on achievement and comprehension.
Potential relevance to A key component of balanced literacy is independent reading. Students needs
your research topic opportunities to read independently. It is extremely important for many of the
and study: students in my study, because they often do not read at home. By giving them
time in school they are getting a chance to read daily. This article shows the
benefits that this independent reading time may have on students success in
school.