Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention

1. Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention

2. LLI is a supplemental, five day a week 30 minute literacy intervention for K, 1, and 2 students who struggle with literacy in the classroom. The intervention is for no more than 3 students and meant to be short-term to accelerate student’s progress. The system includes appropriate leveled text reading, intensive systematic phonics instruction, a focus on comprehension and attention to fluency.

3. Supplemental – not a substitute for literacy instruction in the classroom • Daily – assures reinforcement of new learning and to support accelerated progress • Small group – strong recommendation for three children ensures close observation and intensive teaching interactions that promote individual learning and allow children to make faster progress • Short-Term – average time of fourteen to eighteen weeks • Framework for lessons – well-defined framework where teachers make decisions specific to observations of the children’s needs; lessons include reading texts, writing, and phonics

4. Fast paced – lessons move quickly with suggested time frames for each segment; children are highly engaged in experiences with which they find success • Comprehending of texts – read several books in every lesson; teacher supports comprehension throughout the reading of the text and is provided a list of key understandings for each book • Early writing strategies – children learn how to compose, construct, and develop essential strategies for writing in the classroom; they learn how to use sound analysis, important spelling skills, and early writing conventions • Attention to fluent, phrased reading – important before they become discouraged and perpetuate slow processing • High-quality leveled books – created specifically for LLI. Written by children’s authors and illustrators; engage readers with fiction and non-fiction; readers process a new text every day; every other day they read a book that is easier than the instructional level to support confidence and fluency.

5. Systematic phonics – lessons focus on key aspects of phonics learning: phonological awareness, letter knowledge, letter-sound relationships, letter formation, word structure, spelling patterns and high frequency words • Assessments, progress-monitoring, & record-keeping instruments – initial and ongoing that are practical and continuously inform reaching; help determine appropriate reading levels for grouping and teaching and provide useful information for daily teaching; reading records one each child about once per work • Strong classroom connection – students take books to read, word activities to review, and writing to reread; record-keeping documents to share with classroom teacher • Home connection – Take-Home books that are provided to children in every lesson; take home phonics materials and writing

6. Orange System (Kindergarten): Levels A through C – 70 Books • Green System (First Grade): Levels A through J – 110 Books • Blue System (Second Grade): Levels C through N – 120 Books • no overlap of texts; there are ten lessons for each level, but you may choose to extend the number of lessons at a level if necessary

7. Children read every day at their instructional level with teacher support as well as at their independent level with little or no support. • Provide systematic instruction in phonemic awareness. • Provide daily systematic instruction in phonics. • Provide daily opportunity to read new texts with teacher support. • Provide daily opportunities to increase fluency through oral rereading of texts. • Provide explicit instruction on comprehension. • Provides opportunities for writing. • Provide opportunities to learn a core of high-frequency words. • Designed to expand vocabulary and develop oral language.

8. Alphabet Linking Chart & Consonant Cluster Linking Chart • Letter & Word Games – Lotto, Follow the Path, Concentration • Letter Minibooks • My ABC Book • My Poetry Book • My Vowel Book • My Writing Book • Name Chart & Puzzle • Shared Reading • Oral Games • Sound & Letter Boxes • Verbal Path for Letter Formation • Ways to Sort & Match Letters • Word Bags – High Frequency Word Cards • Word Ladders • Writing – dictated, independent, interactive • Fold Sheet

9. Rereading Books • Phonics/Word Work • New Book • Letter/Word Work Even-Numbered Lessons Structure • Rereading Books & Assessment of One Student • Writing About Reading • New Book at Independent Level • Optional Letter/Word Work

10. Implementing LLI @ FM • 3 reading teachers (one from each el. building) and K-4 ELA resource teacher attended 3 day workshop presented by Fountas & Pinnell in November • Began groups in January at all three El. buildings (2 grade levels per building) • Continuing training with Heinemann consultant this spring (all K-4 reading teachers attend) • Students were chosen based on F&P benchmark assessment, additional optional assessments, and teacher input

11. Total of 2 ½ hours of instructional time devoted to LLI. The two reading teachers at each el. building will divide the LLI instructional time based on scheduling. • Part of kindergarten extended day program (2 groups = 6 students) • Based on the needs of students in grades 1 & 2, one of the following models will be used to start in September: 2 groups (6) @ first grade & 1group (6) @ second grade OR 1 group (3) @ first grade & 2 groups (6) @ second grade

12. Implementing LLI @ FM • LLI groups are flexible and short-term, therefore more than three students can and should be serviced at one grade level in a given year • RTI Tier 3 Intervention – 5 day intervention • Reading teachers still support students through push-in and pull-out models, but this occurs less than 5 days-a-week