BATT Tools
Important Teaching Notes:
This section presents instructional practices, orders, approaches, lesson plans, more activities, and other materials or resources (see under Additional Resources>BATT). The five lesson plans are aligned with the four Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5). Specifically, these skills include:
RF.1. Print Concepts: knowing left>right, spoken>written, words+ spaces=sentences, upper and lower case alphabet letters
RF.2. Phonological Awareness: counting, pronouncing, blending, and segmenting sounds, syllables, and onsets + rimes into words
RF.3. Phonics and Word Recognition: knowing and applying single consonants, short vowels, digraphs, blends, vowel teams, sight and irregular word skills
RF.4. Fluency: reading grade-leveled text with purpose, accuracy, appropriate rate, expression, understanding, and self correction
ABE/ESL students’ beginning alphabetics or reading foundational skills will likely vary; however, there are three adult reader profiles that can guide ‘entry points’ for instruction. The test results identify the specific letter-sound-word skills that need to be taught and learned.
Additional Considerations:
Lesson plans 1-4 (included below) are intended to develop a blend of Print Concepts, Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition at these entry points. Because all beginning (and intermediate) ABE/ESL students also need to develop Fluency, short ‘word to text’ activities are included at the end of each plan. Lesson plan 5 describes more fluency steps and techniques for guided oral reading of shorter text (phrases or sentences) and longer, connected text (stories, articles, passages, or books).
This section presents instructional practices, orders, approaches, lesson plans, more activities, and other materials or resources (see under Additional Resources>BATT). The five lesson plans are aligned with the four Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5). Specifically, these skills include:
RF.1. Print Concepts: knowing left>right, spoken>written, words+ spaces=sentences, upper and lower case alphabet letters
RF.2. Phonological Awareness: counting, pronouncing, blending, and segmenting sounds, syllables, and onsets + rimes into words
RF.3. Phonics and Word Recognition: knowing and applying single consonants, short vowels, digraphs, blends, vowel teams, sight and irregular word skills
RF.4. Fluency: reading grade-leveled text with purpose, accuracy, appropriate rate, expression, understanding, and self correction
ABE/ESL students’ beginning alphabetics or reading foundational skills will likely vary; however, there are three adult reader profiles that can guide ‘entry points’ for instruction. The test results identify the specific letter-sound-word skills that need to be taught and learned.
Additional Considerations:
- Many pre-literate and non-Roman alphabet ESL students need to start at the very beginning and develop all Print Concepts.
- Many semi-literate ESL students with previous alphabetic experience and some ABE students with life-long, reading difficulties know the Print Concepts, but need to develop their Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition.
- Many ABE students and educated ESL students know Print Concepts and have Phonological Awareness, but have gaps in their consonant and vowel knowledge and application to unfamiliar words. They need to expand their Phonics and Word Recognition.
Lesson plans 1-4 (included below) are intended to develop a blend of Print Concepts, Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition at these entry points. Because all beginning (and intermediate) ABE/ESL students also need to develop Fluency, short ‘word to text’ activities are included at the end of each plan. Lesson plan 5 describes more fluency steps and techniques for guided oral reading of shorter text (phrases or sentences) and longer, connected text (stories, articles, passages, or books).
Instructional Practices
These evidence-based reading instructional practices are recommended for all beginning readers of all ages, from children to adults.
ALL ALPHABETICS INSTRUCTION SHOULD BE SEQUENTIAL AND SYSTEMATIC.
ALL ALPHABETICS INSTRUCTION SHOULD BE INTENTIONAL AND ROUTINE.
Instructional Order
pg 18 of BATT
This chart presents the Roman alphabetical order and an English letter-sound instructional order that progresses from simple to complex, common to less common, and predictable to less predictable or irregular. Because vowel sounds tend to be more difficult to teach and learn, sample words are provided for teachers.
These evidence-based reading instructional practices are recommended for all beginning readers of all ages, from children to adults.
ALL ALPHABETICS INSTRUCTION SHOULD BE SEQUENTIAL AND SYSTEMATIC.
- The English language includes between 42-44 sounds. Some are formed by one letter and others by a combination of two or three letters. At least 20 sounds are 90% predictable and another 10 are 80% predictable. Teaching alphabetics sequentially and systematically means progressing from simple to complex, common to less common, and predictable to less predictable letter-sound-word patterns. It also means encouraging students to rely on reliable patterns that work 84% (or most) of the time.
- Teaching explicitly means scaffolding from teacher modeling (“I step”) to teacher-student guided practice (“We step”) to independent student application of taught skills (“You step”). This explicit process ensures ample opportunities to achieve mastery and proficiency of reading (and writing, math) skills.
- Multisensory alphabetics instruction (VAKT) links visual (seeing or looking), auditory (listening or hearing), and kinesthetic-tactile (touching or feeling) modalities. It is based on the work of Samuel Orton, Anna Gillingham, and Bessie Stillman and sometimes called Orton-Gillingham or OG. It has been used extensively and successfully with children diagnosed with specific learning disabilities or dyslexia. For more detailed information, see under resources>Code Crackers. Here is a simple multi-sensory letter-sound-word process optimizing all three modalities:
- Teacher cuts and distributes small squares of sandpaper, fleece, or fun fur
- Teacher shows a letter and says the name
- Students repeat the name as they write (and feel) the letter
- Teacher shows a letter and says the sound
- Students repeat the sound as they write (and feel) the letter
- Teacher shows and says a word
- Students repeat the word as they write (and feel) the letters
ALL ALPHABETICS INSTRUCTION SHOULD BE INTENTIONAL AND ROUTINE.
- Although challenging to organize in many ABE/ESL classrooms, routines benefit both teachers and students. They provide a predictability that decreases teachers’ planning and preparation time and increases students’ anticipation and engagement in reading instruction. Teaching alphabetics intentionally and routinely means purposely offering regular lessons for 10-40 minutes/day, 2-5x/week, over many months (if not years...).
Instructional Order
pg 18 of BATT
This chart presents the Roman alphabetical order and an English letter-sound instructional order that progresses from simple to complex, common to less common, and predictable to less predictable or irregular. Because vowel sounds tend to be more difficult to teach and learn, sample words are provided for teachers.
Three Phonics Instructional Approaches
Below are brief descriptions of three approaches for teaching any recommended order of English letter-sound-word patterns. All are sequential, systematic, explicit, and multi-sensory. All can be delivered in short, daily lessons offered regularly during the week over many months.
Synthetic is the most common phonics approach and used in many print, software, and online instructional materials. It is the best approach for ABE/ESL students who need to acquire or improve knowledge of single letters and single sounds. It is used in lesson plans 1-2. Analogy and analytic generally require knowledge of at least single letters and single sounds. They are used in lesson plans 3-4. If appropriate for students or the class, use a combination of two or three phonics approaches to motivate and engage them the long process of learning to read, recognize, and spell words.
Below are brief descriptions of three approaches for teaching any recommended order of English letter-sound-word patterns. All are sequential, systematic, explicit, and multi-sensory. All can be delivered in short, daily lessons offered regularly during the week over many months.
- Analogy (meaning comparing things based on their similarities) teaches phonograms (or rimes) and their related word families (formed by adding onsets or consonant patterns at the front). For example, a teacher shows and says the phonogram -ab. He/she models how to add the single consonants c, d, g, j, l, n, t at the front to form similar relatives: cab, dab, gab, jab, lab, nab, tab. Then he/she guides students in reading and spelling the same word family.
- Analytic (meaning separating something into components or parts) teaches analysis of letter-sound patterns in known words and application to unknown words. For example, a teacher shows and explains short vowel a and long vowel a-silent e headers, which include phonetic spellings, example words, and sometimes pictures. He/she models how to sort (or separate) by headers a list 12-21 other words: mad, fast, page, name, same, hand, snap, came, grass, rake, made. Then he/she guides students in reading, sorting, and spelling the same words.
- Synthetic (meaning combining different substances or components) teaches individual letter-sound patterns, blending, and segmenting of recognizable words. For example, a teacher shows and says the consonants m, l, s, t and short vowel a. Students practice saying the sounds and the teacher models how to blend (or combine) them into small words: am, Sam, tam, Al, Sal, as, mat, at, sat. Then he/she guides them in reading and spelling the same words.
Synthetic is the most common phonics approach and used in many print, software, and online instructional materials. It is the best approach for ABE/ESL students who need to acquire or improve knowledge of single letters and single sounds. It is used in lesson plans 1-2. Analogy and analytic generally require knowledge of at least single letters and single sounds. They are used in lesson plans 3-4. If appropriate for students or the class, use a combination of two or three phonics approaches to motivate and engage them the long process of learning to read, recognize, and spell words.
Five Lesson Plans
pg 30-36 of BATT
pg 30-36 of BATT
- Print Concepts and Phonological Awareness
- Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Word Recognition
- Phonics and Word Recognition
- Phonics and Word Recognition
- Fluency