Helping Students Read
(Self-Paced MODULE)
Introduction to the Module
This module presents key ideas, drawn from the latest research, about how students learn to read and how educators can turn students into good readers. Using this module as a guide, you’ll have enough knowledge and confidence to help teach reading as part of a student’s instructional team.
There are 9 units. Each includes a variety of learning activities:
Make real life connections… through scenarios and reflective exercises.
READ… an overview that summarizes the major ideas presented in the unit
WATCH… a slideshow that presents relevant information in a varied format.
ENGAGE… with specific content that supports and strengthens your understanding.
Get introduced to relevant online resources… many of the units also include documents providing links to relevant on-line resources.
Throughout the text, you will see letters between slashes, such as /a/. The slashes are called virgules and indicate use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to represent sounds.
You can find a helpful guide to reading and using the IPA at https://www.internationalphoneticalphabet.org/ipa-sounds/ipa-chart-with-sounds/.
Breznitz, Z. (2006). Fluency in reading: Synchronization of processes. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Hall, T., Meyer, A., & Rose, D. (2012). Universal design for learning in the classroom: Practical applications. Guilford Press.
López, F. A. (2017). Altering the trajectory of the self-fulfilling prophecy: Asset-based pedagogy and classroom dynamics. Journal of Teacher Education, 68(2), 193–212.
Whitehurst, G., & Lonigan, C. (1998). Child development and emergent literacy. Child Development, 69(3), 848-872.
Willingham, D.T. (2017). The reading mind: A cognitive approach to understanding how the mind reads. Jossey-Bass.
Kilpatrick, D. A. (2016). Equipped for reading success: A comprehensive program for developing phonemic awareness and fluent word recognition. Casey & Kirsch Publishers.
Knoop-van Campen, C. A. N., Segers, E., & Verhoeven, L. (2018). How phonological awareness mediates the relation between working memory and word reading efficiency in children with dyslexia. Dyslexia, 24(2), 156–169. https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.1583
Kuhn, M.R., & Schwanenflugel, P. J. (2019). Prosody, pacing, and situational fluency (or why fluency matters for older readers). Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 62(4), 363– 368.
Lederberg, A. R., Branum-Martin, L., Webb, M.-Y., Schick, B., Antia, S., Easterbrooks, S. R., & Connor, C. M. (2019). Modality and interrelations among language, reading, spoken phonological awareness, and fingerspelling. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 24(4), 408–423. https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/enz011
Marzano, R. J., Gaddy, B. B., & Dean, C. (2000). What works in classroom instruction. Midcontinent Research for Education and Learning.
Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. ACSD.
Miller, E. M., Lederberg, A. R., & Easterbrooks, S. R. (2013). Phonological awareness: Explicit instruction for young deaf and hard-of-hearing children. The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 18(2), 206–227. https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/ens067
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD), NIH, DHHS. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read. U.S. Government Printing Office.
O’Reilly, T., Wang, Z., & Sabatini, J. (2019). How much knowledge Is too little? When a lack of knowledge becomes a barrier to comprehension. Psychological Science, 30(9), 1344– 1351.
Sabatini, J., Wang, Z., & O’Reilly, T. (2019). Relating reading comprehension to oral reading performance in the NAEP fourth-grade special study of oral reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 54(2), 253– 271.
Saddler, B. (2005). Sentence combining: A sentence-level writing intervention. The Reading Teacher, 58(5), 468-471.
Seidenberg, M. S., & McClelland, J. L. (1989). A distributed, developmental model of word recognition and naming. Psychological Review, 96(4), 523-568.
The Core Competencies for Special Education Paraeducators from the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) provide a structured framework for ensuring that paraeducators are adequately prepared to support students with disabilities in various educational settings. By focusing on the four key areas of collaboration, assessment, social/emotional/behavioral development, and instruction, these competencies align with the High Leverage Practices (HLPs) for special educators. These practices are critical for fostering effective, inclusive educational experiences for all students.
By completing the module, Helping Students Read, paraeducators will work towards the core competency of instruction improving their skills and knowledge as they learn how to work closely with teachers, administrators, students, parents, and related services personnel to implement individualized instructional supports for students. Effective instruction should be guided by the educator and ensures that the paraeducator understands the specific science based approaches approved and required to meet the needs of students with disabilities and those struggling to read. The following core competencies are used as the base of this module.
K3.1 Purposes of supports, services and specially designed instruction which provide access to general education reading curriculum
K3.4 Individual learner characteristics as the primary basis for instructional programming
S3.1 Access credible and reliable websites and resources to expand understanding of special
education services and reading resources and students with disabilities under the guidance of the instructional team
S3.2 Support a safe and equitable learning environment that honors diverse literacy needs and inclusion underthe guidance of the instructional team
S3.5 Prepare and organize materials to support teaching and learning as directed by the
instructional team
K5.1 Concepts of differentiated instruction, accommodations, modifications, High Leverage
Practices, specially designed instruction and the science of reading
K5.2 Instructional strategies and literacy instructional technology to support the individual student’s
learning
S5.1 Demonstrate proficiency in academics including oral and written communication and literacy, appropriate to the job assignment
S5.2 Follow written instructional plans provided by the instructional team, seeking clarification and training as needed
S5.3 Communicate relevant information about the student with disabilities to the instructional
team
S5.4 Support the use of effective and culturally responsive instructional strategies in literacy as directed by the instructional team
S5.5 Review and reinforce learning activities, essential concepts, and modified content as directed by the instructional team
S5.6 Use instructional time effectively
S5.7 Modify pace of instruction and provide organizational cues under the guidance of the
instructional team
S5.8 Make responsive adjustments to instruction under the guidance of the instructional team
S5.9 Provide least intrusive levels of support, fade support, and fade physical proximity from
students with disabilities under the guidance of the instructional team
Time to Complete in Full: Approximately 8 hours
This Module has 10 units and 73 lessons on a variety of literacy topics organized by subheadings that all connect to what paraeducators need to know.
We suggest that it would be best for paraeducators and educators (who support them) to complete this module in tandem.
Some OPEPP partnering districts create professional learning communities (PLCs) where paraeducators meet up regularly to share what they have learned from the OPEPP modules. This is a productive practice that has increased para engagement in their professional development.
Your team of educators can use the reflections after each unit to summarize your learning and ideas and come together to grow in your understanding of best practices around helping students read.
Helping Students Read
(Self-Paced MODULE)
Remember…
All students are unique and complex beings. Their prior experiences, interests, and capacities play a role in how they learn. Even though learning to read English follows predictable steps (as you’ll see by reading this module), each child experiences a distinct reading journey. For this reason, some learning activities will be more successful than others, and success for you and your students may not be obvious immediately. It takes time!
Registered users can enroll in this and other modules offered on OPEPP.org and keep track of their progress.
Do you teach young children ages birth to five? If so, this module is approved by the Ohio Childcare Resource and Referral Association.
Follow the steps below to earn credit in OCCRRA.
- Go to the OCCRRA Registry to search for the training.
- Use the search box at the top of the page under Find a Training- Search Helping Students Read OPEPP
- Click on the training to review training details and add the training to your cart.
- View cart and checkout. You must successfully check out to complete the registration process through OCCRRA.
- Once you checkout, you will see a screen verifying your order has been successfully placed in OCCRRA.
- You will receive a confirmation email for your training registration from OCCRRA.
- Then, return back to the OPEPP.org site, LOGIN and register for the Helping Students Read Module or Workshop (both are walk you through the Helping Students Read Module).
- Now, you are registered for credit through both OPEPP and OCCRRA.
OCCRRA verification
If you want the OCCRRA verification and credit, you will need to register separately on OCCRRA for this course. If your verification is not showing up through the OCCRRA site, please email Julie Kugler-Ackley at jkackley@fuse.net, and she will look into it for you. If you are interested in verifying that your work has been verified through OCCRRA, it is best to do so on your computer rather than through your phone or mobile access.