RPI Day 6- Vocabularly - More than just a word!

I have loved all the practical tips we have been given on Day 6 of RPI tody.It has made me really stop and think about vocabulary and how it makes such a huge difference for our kids - especially those who start school already behind. Dorothy shared some eye-opening stats about the number of words children from different backgrounds have heard by the time they start school, and the gap is massive. The good news is, as teachers, we can help close that gap.

We talked about Word Consciousness, which is basically about being aware of words, curious about their meanings, and noticing how and when new words are used. People who are word conscious are motivated to learn new vocabulary and can use words confidently and effectively.

Here’s a fact that stuck with me: vocabulary knowledge makes up around 80% of what affects reading comprehension. So, if we’re serious about growing readers, we have to be serious about teaching words.

Some easy ideas we looked at to enhance teaching vocabulary, many of which I will use in my own teaching.

• Word Spotlights: kids tick where they sit with a word — never heard it, sort of know it, or could use it in a sentence. It’s a quick way to see where everyone’s at before and after a lesson.

• Keeping key words visible in the room so they stay front of mind.

• Giving kids multiple chances to hear, see, and use new words in meaningful ways.

• Rhebus or Dingbat problems which are fun brainteasers based on vocabulalry.

• Word Associations where you are given some words and you choose the best fit and explain your reasoning. 

• Which would you....Connects to students’ lived experiences and reasoning deepens active processing.

We also explored how not all words are equal. There’s a tier system:

• Tier 1: everyday words (like run or happy).

• Tier 2: words that turn up more in books or school work (like reluctant or fortunate) — these are the gold for teaching.

• Tier 3: specialist words for topics (like photosynthesis).

We also explored morphology — which sounds fancy but is really just breaking words down into their meaningful parts like prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Teaching this helps with reading, spelling, and understanding tricky words. The updated curriculum is big on this now, and it makes sense to start with base words and build from there.

Key takeaway: If we don’t teach them, they might not pick these words up on their own. And it’s not just about new words — it’s about giving every child the tools to understand what they read, join in big conversations, and feel confident in their learning.

This has definitely given me a few new ideas to try out, and a good reminder of how much power there is in something as simple as a word.  Thanks for another Great day ( and for the Netflix recommendation!!!!!!)

Reflection of a change in my Reading Practice

 My reading practice has improved by placing a stronger focus on exploring new vocabulary within the Māori pūrākau we’ve been studying. The rich and descriptive language in these stories provided valuable opportunities to unpack new words and phrases with the children, breaking them down and discussing their meaning in context. This not only helped grow the students’ vocabulary but also supported their ability to infer meaning, as they began to use clues from the text and the language around new words to better understand what was happening in the stories. It’s made our reading sessions more purposeful and deepened comprehension through a focus on language.

RPI Day 5

 Day 5 of RPI has provided more new ideas, and practical tools to help us with our literacy programmes in our classrooms. 

One of the key messages from today’s learning was the importance of having a dedicated space for reading in the timetable.
This needs to include all the aspects of reading, including shared, independent, guided, read to and visiting the school library. Research has shown that when reading has a visible, valued place, it encourages engagement, supports personalised learning, accelerates achievement and empowers students as readers

It reminded me how essential our teaching of reading is , not just for instruction, but for pleasure too. We want our students to love reading. 

We also talked about the power of ubiquitous learning — the idea that learning should be accessible to all children, at any time, from anywhere. With tools like Class Sites offering instructions, and places for learners to learn, create and share, it’s never been easier to connect reading and writing tasks beyond the classroom walls.

A great practical tip: get students to bookmark their learning site on their devices so they can access it independently.

We explored and got introduced to some new apps and sites:

Muzify: An AI tool that turns books into music playlists — a creative way to connect stories with sound.

The Taonga of Storytelling: A site exploring the cultural history and storytelling traditions of Aotearoa New Zealand — perfect for authentic, localised reading encounters.

We also revisited the importance of thoughtfully choosing apps that build comprehension, vocabulary, engagement, and critical thinking, while remembering that not every independent activity needs to happen on a device.

A big part of our planning conversation was about ensuring our programme balances the three essential strands:

Reading: Are we still creating opportunities for recreational reading, library visits, and authentic text encounters?

Writing: Are we providing chances for students to write responses, answer comprehension questions, and use new vocabulary in context? Are we modelling writing ourselves?

Oral Language: Are we supporting extended discussions, setting ground rules for talk, and teaching students to evaluate their discussions?

These three areas support one another, and we need to keep them on the boil throughout the school year.

We acknowledged the challenge of timetabling reading when school expectations and demands vary. Some key points included 

Prioritising reading for pleasure, shared reading, paired reading, and group reading.

Spending more time with students reading below the expected level.

Using tools like Mahi Trackers and learner timetables to track independent work and help students self-manage.

Building in collaboration and choice — students should have opportunities to pick what and how they read and respond.

I particularly liked the anticipation sheet idea — a true/false pre-reading questionnaire to gauge prior knowledge. A great way to spark curiosity and discussion before diving into a text!

One of today’s teaching focus areas was inference — a crucial comprehension skill where students make clever guesses based on clues in the text and what they know.

We broke it down into:

Default Inference: Quick, automatic guesses based on common knowledge.

Reasoned Inference: Thoughtful, evidence-based guesses combining text clues and prior knowledge.

We discussed how to connect reading and writing meaningfully:

Use exemplary texts to model the kind of writing we want students to produce.

Encourage students to write in response to what they read — comprehension answers, reflections, or creative extensions.

One activity I especially enjoyed was creating our own paragraph based on a mentor text. I’m excited to try this in my own classroom.

Day 5 was another good reminder that a thriving reading programme isn’t about isolated lessons — it’s about connected, intentional, and flexible learning

experiences that empower our tamariki as readers, writers and thinkers.

Whether through digital tools, clever timetabling, targeted skill-building, or rich discussions, we have so many ways to foster a love of reading and a habit of critical thinking in our learners.

Day Four Reflection RPI

Today was a really rich and thought-provoking day focused on small group reading instruction.There were so many parts that resonated with me, and a few clear challenges that I can see myself needing to work through in my own practice.

One of the big takeaways for me was how strongly the new curriculum emphasises the need for explicit guided reading instruction. We aren’t just giving children texts and hoping they figure it out — we need to teach deliberately and with intention. A comprehensive English programme means including explicit teaching, structured literacy approaches, inclusive practices, and developing positive identities as readers, writers, and communicators. 

Another key learning was around background knowledge and prior knowledge.
To support comprehension, we need to intentionally build concepts, information, and text structures that are relevant and necessary for understanding the text. It’s important to stay focused — children don't need all the extra, unrelated information that can send us off into tangents we simply don't have time for. Staying deliberate here will help make our teaching sharper and more purposeful.

Observing the Reader was another area that really stood out for me.
We need to hear our students read regularly — this is still the best way to understand how they’re progressing. I was reminded how important it is to be deliberate in what we notice and how helpful it would be to have a system for recording observations. It’s not enough to just ‘have a sense’ of how they’re going and we need concrete examples and notes to guide our teaching moves.This is a change I need to make to my own practice.

In terms of fluency, I was reminded how fragile it is, especially when the text is too hard.
We aren’t just listening for accuracy, we're looking for expression, intonation, and use of punctuation to support meaning. Fluency is so much more than speed.

I found it really helpful to use the fluency rubric today.
It gave me a clear structure for assessing where students are at, and I can see it being valuable not just for my own planning, but also for reporting to parents. I'm thinking it would be powerful to use the rubric with students too, building their capacity to self-assess and reflect on their own reading.

One fun idea I really liked was the "boredometre"! By playing recordings of readers with different levels of fluency, we can have children rate how engaging the reading sounds. I can see this being a fun and effective way to make students more aware of how fluency impacts meaning and enjoyment.

We also spent time thinking about the role of discussion in small group reading sessions.
It’s so important that after the introduction and observation phases, we move into genuine discussion about the text. Some big reminders for me were:

• All students need the chance to engage, it's not a test but a conversation.
  
  

• Strategic prompting and questioning can help deepen understanding.
  
  

• This fits beautifully into the oral language strand of the new curriculum, listening, responding, building on each other's ideas.
  
  

• Using roles (e.g., questioner, prompter) can help guide participation and link strongly with curriculum goals around moving conversations forward.
  
  

And of course, our questions need to be open-ended, giving students real room to think and explore ideas.

Final Thoughts

There was a lot to take in today, but overall, I feel excited and positive.
I can see clear ways I can sharpen my practice, particularly around being more deliberate with observation, using rubrics and tools to support student self-assessment, and structuring discussions to be authentic and inclusive.

There's definitely a balancing act ahead, managing explicit instruction without overwhelming the students, and weaving in fluency, comprehension, and enjoyment all at once.  I'm looking forward to seeing how it will all come together in my classroom.

RPI Day 3

RPI today, talked about some of the following points:

In today’s classrooms, we have access to an incredible variety of texts—both print and digital. The key is to ensure that students are exposed to diverse reading experiences that encourage critical thinking and deep engagement. Here are some practical ideas for making the most of both print and digital texts in your teaching. 

Print vs Digital: It’s important to offer a mix of print and digital texts, ensuring that students engage with different formats to develop well-rounded literacy skills. Digital texts can be interactive and convenient, while print texts often promote deeper focus. The goal is not to limit students to one format but to provide opportunities for meaningful engagement with both.

Reading Apps:

There are countless reading apps available, and most teachers have their favourites. While these apps are fantastic for independent reading time and offer great choices for students, they should never replace direct reading instruction. If you use reading apps, consider setting up accountability systems—such as having students take screenshots of their progress at the end of a session—to ensure engagement and track their achievements.

Tools for Digitising Print Texts

If we are wanting to bring print texts into the digital world, there are several ways to do this:  A couple of these include:

• Voice Typing: Use Google Docs or Google Keep to convert spoken words into text.

• Photo-to-Text Extraction: Many apps allow you to snap a photo of text and convert it into editable digital text.

• YouTube Ripping & Transcription: Record a Google Meet session, then generate a transcript for students to read along.

These tools are especially useful when offering students multiple ways to interact with a text—whether through written words, video, or audio.

Offering Texts at Multiple Reading Levels

One of the benefits of AI tools is the ability to adjust the reading level of a text without changing its core message. This ensures that all students can access the same content in a way that matches their reading abilities, promoting inclusion and comprehension.

The Power of Images in Reading Engagement

Students are far more likely to engage with a text when it includes visuals. Images provide context, support comprehension, and make reading feel less intimidating. If we want students to connect with what they’re reading, we need to provide them with texts that include relevant and engaging images.

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Choosing Appropriate Texts: Supporting Literacy and Engagement

When selecting reading materials for students, we’re not just building their ability to decode words and gain meaning—we’re also fostering self-efficacy and confidence as readers. Providing a multi-modal approach (text, audio, video, images) helps cater to diverse learners and makes reading more engaging and meaningful.

Balancing Decoding with Critical Thinking

While decoding skills are essential, reading is much more than simply recognising words. It’s about making meaning, thinking critically, and engaging with texts in deeper ways. We need to ensure that the texts we choose not only support literacy skills but also challenge students to interpret, analyse, and reflect on what they read.

Representation in Texts: Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors

Rudine Sims Bishop’s concept of Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors reminds us that students need to see themselves in texts, but they also need exposure to other perspectives.

• Mirrors: Books where children see their own lives, cultures, and identities reflected.

• Windows: Books that offer a view into other people’s experiences.

• Sliding Glass Doors: Books that allow readers to step into new worlds and immerse themselves in different realities.

When selecting texts, we must be mindful of inclusivity. Are we representing diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences? Are we addressing our own biases? Ensuring a variety of perspectives enriches students’ understanding of the world.

Grouping Learners for Reading Success

Grouping students effectively can enhance reading experiences, but each approach has its pros and cons:

• Levelled Groups: Support targeted instruction but can limit lower-level readers if not managed carefully.

• Mixed-Ability Groups: Encourage rich discussions but may be challenging to cater to everyone’s needs.

• Flexible Grouping: Prevents students from feeling “stuck” at a certain level and allows them to engage with different peers and texts.

Selecting Texts for Groups

Consider using resources like:

• SchoolTalk and Journal Surf to find a variety of texts at different levels.

• Sequencing texts so that a lower-level text builds background knowledge before a more challenging guided reading session.

Building Reading Skills

Summarising

Strong readers summarise automatically, but struggling readers often find it difficult to pause and reflect on key ideas. Teaching summarisation explicitly—such as highlighting main ideas and eliminating unnecessary details—can help build this skill.

Providing Ample Reading Opportunities

To develop fluency, comprehension, and confidence, students need frequent and varied reading experiences:

• Shared Reading: Supports all learners and integrates reading across subjects. It also provides a space for rich discussion and links to writing.

• Guided Reading: Allows targeted teaching based on students’ needs.

• Independent Reading: Builds fluency, stamina, and personal reading habits.

Reading to Learners

Simply listening to a teacher read aloud can be incredibly beneficial. It exposes students to new vocabulary, models fluent reading, and encourages engagement with complex ideas. This can also help students experience texts beyond their independent reading level.

Strategies to Encourage Independent Reading

Independent reading fosters fluency, confidence, and enjoyment. To support this, consider:

• Helping students choose books they’ll enjoy

• Providing access to a range of reading levels

• Encouraging students to read widely

• Giving structure and accountability (reading logs, book discussions, response journals, etc.)

By thoughtfully selecting and structuring reading experiences, we can help students develop into confident, engaged, and skilled readers. The goal is not just for students to read but to love reading—and that starts with choosing the right texts and making reading an exciting, inclusive, and meaningful experience.

Paired Reading

Paired reading is a valuable strategy where students read together, supporting each other’s learning. This aligns with the tūakana-teina approach, where a more capable peer (tūakana) guides and supports a less experienced learner (teina).

Benefits of Paired Reading

• Encourages oral fluency and confidence in reading aloud.

• Allows students to give and receive feedback on their reading.

• Empowers learners to take ownership of their reading progress.

• Supports peer discussions, helping students engage with the text on a deeper level.

Implementing Paired Reading Effectively

To ensure paired reading is purposeful, teachers should:

1. Set a Clear Focus – For example, improving fluency, expression, or comprehension. The success criteria should be explicit and revisited regularly.

2. Plan and Timetable It In – Make sure it happens consistently as part of the reading program.

3. Consider Book Selection – Who chooses the text? Options include:

• Teacher-selected books based on reading goals.

• Browsing boxes with a curated selection.

• Books from the National Library or digital resources.

This has been another great day on RPI

RPI Day 2

Today’s professional learning session was a deep dive into assessment, engagement, and effective literacy practices. It provided an opportunity to reflect on where we have come from in the Manaiakalani programme and how we can refine our literacy cycle to enhance student outcomes.

Understanding Effective Literacy Practices

A  focus of the session was recapping the importance of  identifying the practices that make a difference in both engagement and improved academic outcomes. A successful literacy programme must include:

• A well-defined literacy cycle that clearly describes what effective literacy teaching looks like.

• Digital tools to support engagement and academic growth.

• A culture where students see themselves as readers and develop a love for reading.

• The Learn, Create, Share model, which brings together engagement strategies and purposeful learning experiences.

Engaging Our Readers

One of the most insightful discussions was around the power of the hook—how we capture students' attention and sustain their engagement. Dothery shared strategies such as introducing podcasting to immerse students in reading and discussion. Another powerful tool is Adobe Express, which can be used creatively while incorporating noise-cancelling features. THis is something I am yet to try but Iam looking forward to the challenge.

The session also highlighted the emotional and cognitive aspects of reading, reinforcing that reading is not just a skill but an experience that should be meaningful and enjoyable for students.

Assessment: Informing and Guiding Learning

Assessment plays a crucial role in literacy development, and we explored both formal and informal approaches:

• Formative assessment: Conducted during the learning process, this helps guide instruction and provide timely feedback.

• Summative assessment: Evaluates student learning at the end of a unit or period.

Hatty’s research on assessment effectiveness was referenced, emphasizing the importance of using data meaningfully.

A key takeaway was the importance of tracking learning. While using a teacher workbook may at this point in the journey, for me at least, seem overwhelming, it provides a structured way to monitor student progress. The new curriculum should make tracking easier with well-set-out progressions that allow flexibility to break learning down further.

The Power of Reading Mileage

We explored the high correlation between reading in students’ own time and academic achievement. The more they read, the better they become. However, for students to improve, they need to be reading at their level while also being encouraged to step up. A reader survey can be a useful tool in tracking reading habits and identifying areas for growth.

PAT Assessments and Test-Informed Learning Intentions

PAT assessments provide valuable data that can shape learning intentions. These assessments help us tailor instruction to meet individual needs, ensuring that every student is challenged appropriately.  It was a great opportunity for us to learn more about the PAT results and we were given a much closer insight into the different information we can glean from these tests. They tell us so much more than I realised and are more helpful than I thought when looking for next steps.

Planning with the New Curriculum

The new curriculum offers well-structured progressions with room for adaptability. One of the practical planning strategies discussed was using a task board with manageable and measurable learning intentions. This approach ensures clarity and focus in teaching, making it easier to align learning experiences with student needs.

Final Thoughts

This session reinforced the importance of intentional literacy planning, engaging strategies, and meaningful assessment. Moving forward, integrating digital tools, fostering a love for reading, and leveraging assessment data effectively will be key in enhancing student outcomes.

It was an informative and thought-provoking session, and I’m looking forward to implementing these strategies in the classroom! 

Reflection of Students Survey Results

 This is the second time I have done this survey with a class. I have to say that I was surprised at how valuable I found the findings last year. I was not surprised to find similar results from last year.  This year the  survey on children's reading habits in my class found that 77% of kids are currently reading a book for enjoyment, while 23% are not. This indicates that most children enjoy reading, but some may need encouragement to develop the habit. This is a work on for us as teachers, but also reading for enjoyment needs to be nurtured at home. 

The survey also revealed that only 54% of children have a library card, meaning nearly half may not have easy access to a wide range of books. It should be noted here that all children in the survey have the opportunity to visist the school library on an weekly basis.  Additionally, 47% of kids rarely borrow books, suggesting that even those with access to a library may not be utilising it regularly. Included in the 47% are 17% who never borrow books.  These findings highlight the need to promote library engagement and make books more accessible to all children.

One of the questions that the children were asked related to what books they enjoy reading. The top contenders this year were fiction, novels, graphics, comics and  funny books. Again, this is not surprising and is similar to last year. 

Each year I run a Lit Quiz for the Catholic schools in Christchurch. This information will be helpful in deciding what categories to use this year and what books to choose. 

RPI Day 1

Today was Day 1 of RPI and I come away with a lot to think about. The content of today’s session has provided valuable insights into what makes a strong reader and how I can implement effective strategies in my teaching. Several key ideas stood out to me, and I am excited to put them into practice in the classroom. What Makes a Good Reader? A good reader possesses a variety of skills that go beyond simply decoding words on a page. Some of the most important qualities of a proficient reader include: Engagement, enjoyment, and motivation – Students need to be interested in what they are reading. If they enjoy reading, they will read more, and in turn, become better readers. Comprehension and understanding – Reading is not just about recognising words; it’s about grasping the meaning behind them. Critical thinking and forming opinions – A strong reader evaluates what they have read and forms their own conclusions. Finding meaning across different text types – Whether reading fiction, non-fiction, or multimodal texts, a good reader can extract meaning from various sources. 

Reading to learn – Reading enhances both world knowledge and vocabulary, making it a critical skill for lifelong learning. One of the most powerful takeaways from today was the importance of self-efficacy. If students believe they can improve as readers, they will be more likely to persist and develop their skills. As teachers, we need to foster this belief by encouraging and celebrating progress. Another powerful takeaway was learning about the importance of ‘extended discussion’ and it’s value in good reading practice. It was great to be able to break out into our small groups and practise this ourselves after watching it being modelled in the classroom in a video we watched. The ground rules were clear and effective and this is something I will be more conscious about implementing into my daily programme. Giving students the opportunity to engage, question and challenge themselves in this space is a very important aspect of being a good teacher of reading. Some other strategies I want to continue to strengthen in my practice include: Encouraging wide reading – Students should be reading outside of school to build fluency and exposure to different text types. Providing opportunities for participation – Discussions, group reading, and book clubs can help students engage more deeply. 

Linking reading and writing – There needs to be a strong connection between reading and writing in the classroom to reinforce comprehension and literacy skills. Using multimodal texts – Bringing in various types of texts, including digital media, images, and videos, can help students engage with content in different ways. Teachers as readers – If we want students to see the value in reading, we must model it ourselves by sharing what we read and demonstrating enthusiasm for books. Reading Across the Curriculum A particularly insightful part of today’s session was about integrating reading throughout the school day rather than limiting it to a single reading block. Reading should be embedded across subjects, including science, social studies, and mathematics. This approach ensures students see reading as a tool for learning rather than just a subject on its own. 

 Another key point was that reading for enjoyment has a significant impact on overall academic success. When students develop a love for reading, their comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills all improve. Encouraging reading outside of the classroom is essential for fostering lifelong readers. Moving Forward After today’s session, I feel inspired to be more intentional about how I incorporate reading into my teaching. I want to focus on creating an environment where reading is not just a task but an enjoyable, meaningful experience. By modeling reading habits, connecting reading and writing, and promoting self-efficacy, I hope to help my students develop into confident, motivated readers