By Nancy Rogers-Zegarra

A new school year is always an exciting time, and as educators, we look forward to teaching and learning from new students. The silver lining of the pandemic was that we had multiple opportunities to reflect and rethink how we interacted and followed our students and families. We had to lean in, look, and listen to students and families more carefully because it was more challenging on Zoom to pick up cues from body language and/or hear the students’ voices. What I loved about teaching on Zoom was that I got to learn more about the child’s home, family, language, pets, and interests. This year I want to carry forward what I learned and ensure inclusive and equitable learning for all my Reading Recovery students.

Start with a Child’s Name in Roaming

Begin by embracing students’ identity as a significant first step. Every child brings a lifetime of experiences, equipped with their unique lens on the world. Each child has a name, an important representation of their life, family, language, and culture. A name is a common denominator and a powerful link to identity.  Ralph Ellison notes, “It is through our names that we first place ourselves in the world.”  Unfortunately, names are often mispronounced, misspelled, shortened, changed, or mocked inadvertently by teachers and students.  This may seem nuanced, but language is very personal and reflects who we are as individuals. As Reading Recovery teachers, honor the child’s name by learning it well and consider capitalizing on the power of a child’s name for building trust, showing respect, for firming up learning to look at print, concepts about print, and letter knowledge in reading and writing.

The key concepts in Roaming Around the Known (RATK) are building confidence, ensuring success, focusing on flexibility, and celebrating discovery. Last year, I had a child that could write and read one word: his name. My challenge was to meet the child where he was. I have found most children can write and read their names. Their name is a known, an island of certainty in the sea of print. In early lessons, I begin with a child’s name if it is known, for both social-emotional and academic reasons. I use the child’s name in reading and writing books to make it simple, grab his or her attention, and use this island of certainty to learn to monitor. Below are some of the suggestions for you to try:

By using a child’s name, we have the opportunity to strengthen all that the child is able to do independently and the child is able to use what he or she knows in different ways. The name is a good access point to begin firming up what a child knows.

Clay reminds us to use our ingenuity to go over what the child knows in different ways to help build fluency and flexibility so provide lots of opportunities for the child to write his name with chalk and marker, and use magnetic letters to build his or her name.

Reading lots of books in RATK is important. We share different kinds of books.

To grow trust and respect with the child, we share stories together about building confidence. Four of my favorites are: A Is for All the Things You Are: A Joyful ABC Book by Anna Ferguson Hindley; You Matter by Christian Robinson, Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen, and The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi.                           

After reading the story together… we compose simple texts with the child, sharing the pen.

We also read pattern books about what children like and can do and then write stories using the pattern but with the child’s name.

Through text, real words are expressed in writing and speaking, honoring name and place. Student ideas and voices will be strengthened through conversations and writing about identity and language. At the end of RATK, the child’s confidence grows from his or her reading, writing, speaking about, and listening to numerous books.

Make RATK fun and joyful! Capitalize on the child’s strengths by using his or her known information about his or her name in teaching, learning to look at print, CAP concepts, in reading and writing. Kids love to know they are capable and valued and when you observe carefully, use what the child knows, and place the child at the center of the lesson then you can expertly tailor their literacy learning journey.

As you reimagine instructional planning, this fall, focus on the power of a name. Remember Clay’s words “At the end of the two weeks the child will feel comfortable with a small body of knowledge and confidence to use this as a springboard for trying new things when instruction starts.” Clay 2016, pg. 30.

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Nancy Rogers-Zegarra, Ph.D.’s professional experience spans 38 years and includes classroom teaching, serving as a literacy coach, interventionist, reading specialist, Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, Principal, District Director for English Learners and Assessment, and as a County Office English Language Arts Coordinator. She is currently a Clinical Coach and Teacher Leader for Saint Mary’s College, CA. Her passion is sharing the joy of reading and writing with multilingual learners.

 

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