THREAD 1/7

Yes, 3-cueing is an issue. The bigger issue is the use of leveled text to teach beginning readers. In the kindergarten levels (A-D), the books are predictable. They include books like this. In Kindergarten. https://images.app.goo.gl/finGHPiuk2mGTRfg6
2/7 Because of this, even teachers who never thought of entering the profession using “3-cueing” now realize it’s the best way to teach kids to read these books. How else will a kid read the word “feathers,” “stripes,” or “ears”?
3/7 And the ironic part is, if the kids actually could decode “feathers,” “stripes,” or “ears,” they would test at a much higher “level” and wouldn’t actually be in levels A-D (Kinder).
4/7 So yes, I get the fuss over 3-cueing. But let’s realize a much bigger problem of the majority of kinder curricula using text leveling systems to “match kids to texts”.
5/7 Predictable texts teach teachers & students the 3-cueing system has merit. With them, kids *must* learn their “sight words” and their “reading strategies” so that they can get through a book.
6/7 The problem I saw as a teacher? Even though my kids were learning how to decode, they couldn’t pass the Kinder predictable texts on the leveling system because they couldn’t decode words like “going,” “vacation,” “shoes,” and “firefighter.”
7/7 With predictable texts, kids learn reading is *unpredictable*. If they don’t know a word, they use the picture & context 2 guess.

With decodables, kids can learn reading is *predictable*. They can sound out words they don’t know. They can learn 2 read.

Ironic?
8/7 Yes, 3-cueing is an issue.

The bigger issue? The use of predictable texts in Kinder classrooms across America to teach decoding.

3-cueing may be hard 2 rid, but not nearly as hard as it will be 2 pry predictable texts from hands of the schools that paid good $$ for them.
9/7 One more thing:

Kinder Ts who’re given these materials & taught 2 use them see great progress in Ss “reading” abilities. Why wouldn’t we keep using them?

They don’t see what happens when Ss reach texts they can’t use context/picture 2 decode. They don’t see Ss failing.
A related thread on this I wrote in a reply to someone a while back: https://twitter.com/tiffany_peltier/status/1182359255539732482?s=21
You can follow @tiffany_peltier.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: