Flores, Stephanie - Reading Intervention

Mrs. Flores is the Reading Specialist at Paseo Hills School. She has been a teacher for over a decade and absolutely loves what she does! She has taught Kindergarten and 2nd grade, but found that she was most passionate about helping students discover the power of reading. She strongly believes that every child can learn if given the time and the right tools and is dedicated to student success. 

Mrs. Flores holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and a Master's degree in Education Intervention. She is Highly Qualified in English and holds teaching endorsements for Structured English Immersion, Early Childhood Education, and K-8 Reading. She is also the Dyslexia Designee for her campus to help provide interventions that will support students with characteristics of Dyslexia. She also continues her education each year by learning how to best utilize research-based reading intervention programs, discovering how the brain learns to read, and following the latest in Dyslexia research and legislation.

Email Mrs. Flores

Welcome to the Reading Specialist page! As a Reading Specialist it is my job to assist students who are reading well below grade level. I typically see K-3 students in small groups throughout the day Monday-Thursday and utilize Fridays for assessment and to determine individualized goals for students in the following week. All group membership is flexible, so as students grow in their reading skills they may be exited from the group. That does not necessarily mean that he/she is at grade level with reading skills, only that the student has mastered the skill that the group is working on. Students may be in and out of a reading group throughout the year, remain in a group with changing skill focuses throughout the year, or never need to be in a group at all. The reading skills of ALL K-3 students are monitored with a variety of assessment tools and classroom teacher input to ensure that all Paseo Hills students are getting the help that they need to be successful. I always tell my students that my job is to make it so that they don't need me any more. It is my goal to have all students proficient in their reading skills and no longer need my support. Of course, I am there to provide support as long as it is needed. I take great joy in developing students' love of reading and helping them to discover the possibilities available to them as a proficient reader.  

E-books

Have you already read all of the books at your house? Don't worry! There are many online resources available with thousands of free e-books on every topic imaginable! Try the links below to get you reading again in no time.

Starfall Recommended for K-2 readers

International Children's Digital Library Recommended for readers of all ages

Oxford Owl Digital Library Recommended for readers ages 3-11. After you follow the link, click My Class Log In and enter the Username: Paseo and Password: Books . Then, click on My Bookshelf and find excellent books from the search boxes. You can also visit their homepage and create your own free account with an email address. Oxford Owl also has an 8 question leveling quiz to help you find books that are at a good level for you.

Paseo Hills Media Center Page also has lots of great links to websites that are offering limited free access to their normally paid materials for the remainder of this school year. 

How to Find a Book's Reading Level

Are you having a hard time finding books that are a good fit for your child's reading ability? We are here to help with that! There are 2 easy ways for parents to find the level of any book.

Scholastic Book Wizard

This digital tool allows you to scan the barcode of any book and provides you with a level in several different formats. If you know your child's reading level from his/her teacher, you can use this tool to check the level of nearly any book. 

1. Go to bookwizard.scholastic.com 
2. Use the website’s search box function to type the name of any book.
3. Click on the title of the book and look under Product Details (right side) for the ACR Level.  

• The ACR level shows a grade level equivalent as the grade number first, then the period is which month of that grade. For example, level 3.1 would be 3rd Grade, 1st month (August) or a level 1.4 would be 1st Grade, 4th month (November).
• The Grades section aligns to interest level, not to the book's difficulty.
• If there is no ACR level, use this chart to help you understand the other level options

The 5 Finger Rule

The 5 finger rule is a simpler method for helping students select books that are just right for their level. 

Here’s how it works: Your child opens a book to the first page. They read the page and hold up one finger for every word they don’t know or can’t pronounce. The number of fingers they’re holding up by the end of the page tells them if the book is the right level:

• 0-1 fingers: It’s too easy.
• 2-3 fingers: It’s just right.
• 4-5 fingers: It’s too hard (or best read aloud with a buddy)

Source: Scholastic

What books are appropriate for each grade?

Parents often wonder what books are a good level for students in each grade level. If your child is reading "on grade level" then the books/series below may give you some ideas. (These books are simply my recommendations and may be leveled differently by different sources.) 

Please keep in mind that reading a book to a child or reading it together (so that you can help) allows them to choose nearly any book that they enjoy. This list is meant to help you select books for your child to read independently.  

On a budget?  Books are usually cheap at any second-hand store such as Goodwill or Savers. Your local public library also allows children to get their own check-out cards and allows 50 books to be checked out per card. 

Kindergarten Books

Kindergarten is when students learn the basics of reading. Students learn letter sounds and how to put them together, as well as how to identify sight words they know and to use the pictures to help them. Great books to read together include repeated patterns of words or phrases or books that rhyme. 

         

         

 

           

 

1st Grade Books

1st Grade is when students learn how to read books that have a mixture of "sound out" words and sight words. They typically can't pick up just any book and read it without help, so it's important to look for books that have common sight words (the, was, to, for, etc.) and smaller words. Words that are more than 5-6 letters long are going to be a challenge for them. Books for 1st Graders typically have pictures on each page. 1st Graders are encouraged to read most books out loud to help them self-correct any errors and to practice their reading.  

 

     

      

               

Step Into Reading Levels 1 & 2

2nd Grade Books

2nd Grade is when students learn about more complex phonics patterns and harder sight words (i.e. because, beautiful, thought, etc.). With these higher level skills they should become more comfortable reading many more "typical" books. Students begin the year reading picture books, but quickly progress to Beginner Chapter Books that have 5-6 pages per "chapter" with pictures throughout, but not on every page. By the end of 2nd grade, students should be able to read chapter books with few or no pictures. 2nd Graders should be comfortable with reading "in their head", but are still encouraged to practice reading aloud as well. 

 

      

   

 

      

 

 

Step Into Reading Levels 3 & 4

3rd Grade Books

3rd Grade is when students master all sight words and are regularly working on larger words with more than 1 syllable. 3rd Graders should be able to read most chapter books aimed towards young readers, but will struggle with longer novels. Starting in 4th Grade, most of the reading instruction will focus on comprehension and building vocabulary, so students should be able to sound out most words that they encounter. It's important for parents to ask students questions about what they are reading in order to make sure they are comprehending what they are reading. 3rd Graders should be comfortable with reading "in their head", but are still encouraged to practice reading aloud sometimes.  

 

           

           

 

                 

My Weird School Series                     

Step Into Reading Levels 4 & 5

 

Sight words are an important component of reading because they teach the reader's brain to instantly recognize a word, rather than taking the time to sound it out. Many sight words do not follow common spelling patterns, meaning that they are impossible to sound out. Some common sight words that don't follow spelling patterns are the, said, and come. Other sight words do follow common spelling patterns, but are seen very frequently in text which is why it is important to create "shortcuts' in the brain so that the reader doesn't have to exert as much mental energy when he/she encounters these words. Some common sight words that do follow common spelling patterns include with, she, and because. 

Many researchers have studied the impact of sight word knowledge and students' overall reading ability, as well as the most important words to know. Some of the most popular lists of sight words are Fry's and Dolch. DVUSD has it's own customized list that is built on the research of both lists, but also incorporates other critical vocabulary. DVUSD students are expected to be able to read and spell this list of 500 words by the end of 3rd grade. 

Sight Word Practice

There are many commercially available products to help your child to practice sight words. The DVUSD most closely aligns with the Fry's list if you wish to use commercially available products. There are also many free websites and games that can help your child to build his/her sight word knowledge. Some of those activities are linked for you below. Please also feel free to make your own flashcards based on the DVUSD sight word list. 

Sight Word Bingo Choose your level from Pre-Primer (early Kindergarten), Primer (later Kindergarten), and grades 1-3 *You'll need Adobe Flash Player for this activity

Submarine Spelling Practice Choose your level from Pre-Primer (early Kindergarten), Primer (later Kindergarten), and grades 1-3 *You'll need Adobe Flash Player for this activity

Education.com Choose from over 20 different sight word games on this site. You can filter by grade level on the left side of the page. 

Make your own sight word game! Use this link to get templates to create your own offline sight word games like Dominoes, Book Land (twist on Candy Land), and Snakes & Ladders

DVUSD pays for several digital programs for our students to use because we believe that they are highly engaging and beneficial to students. Below are the top 2 reading programs we encourage students to use at home.

Raz-Kids (K-3)

Raz-Kids   Students read books and answer comprehension questions in order to earn stars toward building their digital rocket ship. Please remind your child that he/she needs to be in the Level Up section in order to earn points and read within his/her reading level. However, the Book Room is an open library for students to read any level book for pleasure. This program is available on the Raz-Kids website (raz-kids.com, then click the green Kids Login button) or as an app for phones and tablets (search Kids A-Z). If your child doesn't know his/her log in information please contact Mrs. Flores or your child's teacher. This login will be different from your child's regular DVUSD login. 

Amplify Reading (K-5)

Students utilize this program during school hours so they should be familiar with how to log in. Simply have them go the DVUSD start page (start.dvusd.org) then log in to the Start Page (top right corner). Students should use their normal DVUSD login that they use for everything at school. If you need your child's login information please contact Mrs. Flores or your child's teacher.

Once they are logged into the Start Page, they will have the same layout as they see at school. For access to Amplify, students click on the blue Clever tile, then click the orange Amplify tile. Finally, students select Amplify Reading (picture of all the animals). The software naturally guides students where they need to go for individualized learning. Please do not help your child while he/she is on Amplify because the program responds to your child's progress and automatically adjusts. If you provide too much help, the system will give your student more challenging questions. If your child gets something wrong, the system will reteach the skill and give your child more practice later.  

Move On When Reading (MOWR) is an Arizona State Law that utilizes the state test AASA (formerly AZ Merit, AZM2, & AIMS) to determine if 3rd grade students are reading at a proficient level and should be promoted to 4th grade. The Reading Specialist at Paseo Hills monitors all students' reading progress throughout the year and manages all things related to MOWR legislation. The following information was excerpted from Read On Arizona's website.

Move On When Reading

The “Move On When Reading” policy, a combination of A.R.S. §15-701, A.R.S. §15-704, and A.R.S. §15-211 laws, requires that a student not be promoted from third grade to fourth grade if he or she “does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills” on the state’s third grade reading test. “Does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills” indicates that the child is reading at a much lower level than is expected of a third grader and needs additional help.

The purpose of the policy is designed to promote early identification and intervention for children with reading challenges so that they are at or above grade level by the end of third grade.

What Schools are Required to Do:

Arizona law A.R.S.§15-704 states that districts or charters are required to:

• Have a comprehensive K-3 assessment system
• Provide for universal screening of pupils in preschool through third grade programs to identify students who have reading difficulties
• Have a evidence-based reading curriculum
• Provide explicit instruction and intensive intervention
• Send out an annual written notice to K-3 parents about the policy
• Send a second letter to students scoring “well below” on assessments throughout the year

For parents of students that have been identified as having difficulties with reading, a separate written notification is sent that includes:

• Description of current reading services provided to pupil
• Description of supplemental services to be provided
• Parental strategies to assist student in attaining reading proficiency
• Retention statement and explanation of exemption policy
• Description of district or charter policy on mid-year promotion to a higher grade

At Paseo Hills, these notifications are provided either at your child's parent-teacher conference (both Fall & Spring if applicable) or in your child's report card. 

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If your child is held back in third grade…

Retention does not mean that your child has failed. It does not mean that teachers or parents are not working hard enough. It means that your child needs and will have more time and help to catch up and read at grade level.

The law requires that students held back must be supported through appropriate strategies, which include:

• Intensive reading instruction before, during, or after the regular school day
• A different teacher assigned for reading instruction
• Summer school reading instruction
• Small group, teacher-led reading instruction, which may include computer-based learning

Learn more at: www.azed.gov/mowr

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If a child “does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills”…

A third grader who does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills may be promoted to fourth grade if the student:

• Is an English language learner (ELL) and has received fewer than two years of instruction in English
• Is in the process of a special education referral or has been diagnosed as having a reading impairment, including dyslexia
• Is a child with a disability and his/her school’s Individualized Education Program team members agree that promotion is appropriate
• Demonstrates sufficient reading skills or adequate progress in reading as evidenced through a collection of reading assessments approved by the State Board of Education

In the Deer Valley Unified School District, all Kindergarten through third grade students are assessed using the DIBELS 8th Edition screener in August, December and May.
 
The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) 8th Edition are a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of early literacy skills from kindergarten through eighth grade. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills.

DVUSD also utilizes DIBELS assessment for progress monitoring to determine if students are making growth in their reading skills and to make instructional decisions. DIBELS often tells teachers whether or not their teaching has been effective for that student and provides direction on what reading struggles a student may be experiencing. Progress monitoring assessments are utilized every 2-3 weeks for any student who is not reading at grade level.  

Your child's teacher can provide you with his/her scores from the Benchmark tests (August, December, and May) as well as any progress monitoring scores from throughout the school year. The Reading Specialist (Mrs. Flores) can also provide you with any data that you request regarding your child. DIBELS data is often shared at parent-teacher conferences for Kindergarten-3rd Grade students, but additional scores can be provided to you upon request. 
 
 For more information about DIBELS 8th edition, click here.