Academic Intervention Strategies I: Reading Interventions

This lesson explores reading intervention strategies that school psychologists use to support students struggling with reading. You will learn about different intervention types for decoding, fluency, and comprehension, and gain insights into how these strategies can be applied in a school setting.

Learning Objectives

Identify key reading intervention areas: decoding, fluency, and comprehension.
Describe at least one intervention strategy for each area.
Understand the purpose and goal of each reading intervention strategy.
Recognize resources used to support effective reading interventions.

Lesson Content

Introduction to Reading Interventions

Reading interventions are specialized supports designed to help students who are struggling with reading. These interventions are often provided in addition to the core reading curriculum. The goal is to address specific skill deficits and help students catch up to their peers. Interventions are usually data-driven, meaning that their effectiveness is regularly assessed using progress monitoring tools.

Decoding Interventions

Decoding involves breaking down words into their individual sounds (phonemes) and blending them together to read the word. Students struggling with decoding may have difficulties with phonics, sound-symbol correspondence, and blending. Example Interventions:

Phonics Instruction: Explicit teaching of letter sounds, blending, and segmenting. This can involve activities like sound-it-out games, word sorts, and use of decodable texts.
Multi-Sensory Activities: Engaging multiple senses to reinforce phonics concepts (e.g., tracing letters in sand, using tactile letter tiles).
Repeated Reading: Repeatedly reading short passages to build fluency and reinforce decoding skills.

Fluency Interventions

Fluency is the ability to read text accurately, quickly, and with expression. Students with fluency difficulties may read slowly, haltingly, and without expression. Example Interventions:

Repeated Reading: Repeatedly reading the same passage to improve speed and accuracy.
Choral Reading: Reading aloud in unison with a more fluent reader (teacher or peer).
Partner Reading: Students take turns reading aloud to each other, providing support and feedback.
Timed Readings: Students read a passage for a set amount of time and track the number of words read correctly to monitor progress.

Comprehension Interventions

Comprehension is the ability to understand the meaning of what is read. Students with comprehension difficulties may struggle to answer questions about the text, make inferences, or identify the main idea. Example Interventions:

Graphic Organizers: Using visual tools (e.g., story maps, character webs) to organize information from the text.
Questioning Strategies: Teaching students to ask and answer questions before, during, and after reading (e.g., using the 'Question-Answer Relationship' strategy).
Summarization: Teaching students to identify the main ideas and summarize the text in their own words.
Think-Alouds: The teacher models reading a text aloud and verbalizing their thought processes (e.g., making predictions, clarifying vocabulary, making connections).

Resources for Reading Interventions

School psychologists and educators use various resources to support reading interventions. These include:

Evidence-Based Programs: Programs like Wilson Reading System, Orton-Gillingham-based programs, and Reading Recovery.
Decodable Texts: Books specifically designed to reinforce phonics skills.
Progress Monitoring Tools: Assessments used to track student progress, such as DIBELS and AIMSweb.
Assistive Technology: Tools like text-to-speech software or audiobooks.

Deep Dive

Explore advanced insights, examples, and bonus exercises to deepen understanding.

Extended Learning: School Psychologist — Reading Intervention Strategies (Day 3)

Welcome back! We've covered the basics of reading intervention strategies. Now, let's delve deeper, explore alternative perspectives, and see how these strategies truly come alive in the real world.

Deep Dive: Beyond the Basics

Let's explore some nuances and alternative perspectives on the strategies we've discussed. Consider these points:

Decoding: While phonics is crucial, consider the role of morphological awareness (understanding word parts like prefixes, suffixes, and roots) in advanced decoding. This can help students tackle complex words. Think about how teaching the meaning of "pre-" as "before" helps decode words like "pre-test."
Fluency: Beyond repeated readings, think about choral reading or paired reading as effective fluency builders. Choral reading allows for modeling and reduces individual pressure, while paired reading fosters collaboration and support.
Comprehension: Explore the connection between background knowledge and comprehension. A student's prior experiences heavily influence their ability to understand a text. Consider how pre-teaching vocabulary or providing context can significantly improve comprehension.
Tiered Interventions: Remember that schools often use a tiered system (like Response to Intervention - RTI) for reading support. This means interventions are provided at different levels of intensity based on student needs. School psychologists help determine which students need which tier of support.

Bonus Exercises

Exercise 1: Intervention Scenario Analysis

Imagine a 3rd-grade student, Alex, is struggling with both decoding and comprehension. He can sound out words slowly but doesn't always understand the meaning. Suggest *two* specific intervention strategies (one for decoding and one for comprehension), and explain why you chose those strategies.

Exercise 2: Resource Scavenger Hunt

Find and list three free online resources (websites, apps, or downloadable worksheets) that provide materials or activities to support either decoding, fluency, or comprehension. Briefly describe what each resource offers and for whom it's most appropriate.

Real-World Connections

Consider how this information applies to real-world scenarios:

Parent Conferences: School psychologists often explain intervention strategies to parents. How would you explain the benefits of repeated reading to a parent concerned about their child's reading fluency? What are some common parent questions and how would you address them?
Collaboration with Teachers: Effective interventions require strong collaboration with classroom teachers. How would you work with a teacher to implement a specific decoding intervention in their classroom? How can you tailor interventions to align with the teacher's existing practices and the student's needs?
Data-Driven Decision Making: How do school psychologists use assessment data (like fluency scores, reading comprehension tests, or progress monitoring data) to guide their choice of intervention strategies and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions over time?

Challenge Yourself

Research and write a brief summary (100-200 words) comparing and contrasting two different reading intervention programs (e.g., Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Reading System, Reading Recovery). Highlight the key differences in their approaches, target populations, and evidence of effectiveness.

Further Learning

Continue your exploration with these topics and resources:

Assistive Technology for Reading: Explore software and devices that can support students with reading difficulties.
Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD): Deepen your understanding of the different types of SLDs and how they impact reading.
Professional Organizations: Check out resources from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and the International Dyslexia Association (IDA).
Online Courses: Explore free or low-cost online courses on reading interventions and evidence-based practices. Look on platforms like Coursera, edX, or Khan Academy.

Interactive Exercises

Decoding Intervention Activity

Choose 5 words that are difficult for you to decode. Break each word down into its individual phonemes (sounds). Then, blend the sounds back together to pronounce the word. Write down the word and its phonetic breakdown.

Fluency Building Challenge

Find a short passage of text (100-150 words). Time yourself reading the passage aloud. Then, practice reading the passage three more times. Time yourself again each time. Record your words-per-minute (WPM) for each reading. Did your fluency improve?

Comprehension Strategies in Action

Read a short paragraph (approximately 10 sentences). Use a graphic organizer (e.g., a mind map or a story map) to outline the key information and identify the main idea. Write down 3 questions you have about the paragraph.

Matching Game

Match reading intervention strategies (decoding, fluency, comprehension) with their corresponding activities and purpose.

Practical Application

Imagine you are a school psychologist working with a second-grade student who struggles with reading fluency. Develop a brief intervention plan. Include the intervention strategy you would use, how often it would be implemented, and how you would measure the student's progress. Consider the resources described in this lesson.

Key Takeaways

Reading interventions target specific skill deficits in areas like decoding, fluency, and comprehension.
Decoding interventions focus on phonics and breaking down words.
Fluency interventions aim to improve reading speed, accuracy, and expression.
Comprehension interventions help students understand and extract meaning from text.
Progress monitoring is essential to track the effectiveness of interventions.

Next Steps

Review the different types of reading assessments and progress monitoring tools. Be prepared to discuss specific examples and their use in the next lesson. Review the definition of Response to Intervention (RTI).

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