COR - The Components of Reading - Part 3 - Cognitive Flexibility

COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY

Continuing our series on COR Instruction, where we highlight the activities explored in the HOT ROD activity books, this month’s topic is Cognitive Flexibility.

What is Cognitive Flexibility?

Cognitive flexibility is an important executive function skill that centers on the ability to switch between different types of information. It can involve switching between different tasks or thinking about more than one concept at a time. Working memory is an important element of cognitive flexibility that helps a person manage more than one task, concept, or piece of information simultaneously. It impacts reading, writing, spelling, and more.

How Cognitive Flexibility Impacts Reading

Specific to reading, cognitive flexibility is essential for both decoding and comprehension. Students need cognitive flexibility to hold different possible pronunciations for a letter or combination of letters in mind while decoding unfamiliar words. At the same time, they must consider the word’s meaning. Working memory enables a reader to compare the possible pronunciations of a word with words in their lexicon (internal dictionary). While figuring out how to pronounce the word and determining what it means, a reader must also keep the rest of the sentence in mind. The content and structure of the sentence will also affect the word's meaning. If a word has multiple meanings, cognitive flexibility is required to hold the possible options in short-term memory while making judgments about the best fit within the context of the sentence and paragraph.

While many tasks help develop cognitive flexibility, few directly relate to reading and decoding. The activities developed for the HOT ROD (Higher Order Thinking through the Reading Of Decodables) activity books address executive function skills that directly relate to a structured literacy scope and sequence, as well as to the content found in our decodable stories. 

Students can work on cognitive flexibility by sorting words that belong to two different categories simultaneously. If you and your students are tired of the same old word card drills, consider spicing up your routine by incorporating Cognitive Flexibility games. The easiest way to understand how these games work is to explore one of them with your students.

Free Level 3 Game. 

The game above was part of a research project completed by me and Kelly Cartwright, Ph.D., last year that focused on open and closed syllables (long and short vowel sounds) in the first syllable of two-syllable words. Now that the study is over, the 8 different word sorts used in the study are available at Boom TM Learning. The first game is free HERE or at the link above, but you must open a free Boom account. The complete Bundle of 8 digital games is available for $5.99 HERE. It contains several target words from the Level 3 decodable book, The Raven Remix: A Mashup of Poe Titles.  Printable PDF copies of all 8 games may be found in The Raven Remix Activity Book: 50+ Activities and Games for Decoding, Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Speech. Both titles, as well as books for Levels 1 and 2, are available on Amazon or in the online STORE on our website.

The target words in the free online Boom game are from the Category Sort #1 from the activity book and include the categories of Foods and Objects.

This digital Boom Deck has three component parts:

1. First, students sort words into two categories (ex., Foods vs. Objects). 

2. Next, they sort the SAME cards into two different categories: Open vs. Closed Syllables (found in the first syllable of a word).

3.     Finally, students sort the same words on a 2x2 matrix in the Multiple

Classification Activity while considering all 4 categories at once.

The online Bundle of 8 digital Boom TM Learning games is available HERE for $5.99. If you participated in the research study, you should still be able to access these games for free. If that is not the case, please contact me at info@wordtravelpress.com. 

If you would like to receive future information about the study results when they are available, sign up for my newsletter HERE.

References:

Cartwright, K.B. (2023). Executive skills and reading comprehension: A guide for educators (Second Edition). New York, NY: Guilford Press. 

Tunmer, W.E., & Chapman, J.W. (2012). Does set for variability mediate the influence of vocabulary knowledge on the development of word recognition skills? Scientific Studies of Reading, 16(2), 122–140.

Vadasy, P.F., Sanders, E.A., Cartwright, K.B. (2022). Cognitive flexibility in beginning decoding and encoding. The Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, in press.

Zipke, M. (2016). The importance of flexibility of pronunciation in learning to decode: A training study in set for variability. First Language. 36 (1), 71–86.

COR - The Componentes of Reading - Part 2 - Phonological Awareness

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS

Continuing our series on COR Instruction - The Components of Reading and Writing, this month's topic is Phonological Awareness. To see last month's post on DECODING, go HERE.

The ability to recognize and manipulate rhymes, syllables, and phonemes is a foundational skill of reading. Phonological awareness skills are so crucial to reading that they can be used in preschool and kindergarten to predict later reading ability (Paulson, 2018). Phonemes are the speech sounds (consonants and vowels) that distinguish one word from another (ie., pit vs. pat). They may be represented by one or more letters (ie., phone vs. fun). There are many products designed to work on phonological and phonemic awareness, but they rarely connect to a meaningful context.

Phonological Awareness Activities based on the HOT ROD series of decodable books were designed to use the same words found in the stories. The activity below is from the Gods and Gifts Activity Book based on Gods and Gifts: Three Greek Myths Retold. "No Gift for Man" is the first story of the Greek creation myth in that book.

Find information about the Gods and Gifts Activity Book HERE.

FREE ACTIVITY - Rhyme Time

This activity uses rhyme and alliteration to work on phonological awareness skills. The Gods and Gifts Activity Book includes six different Rhyme Time Activities.  The complete downloadable PDF for this activity may be found HERE. 

Rhyme Time explores one way that book content can be incorporated into phonological awareness activities. The educator creates a list of target words from the story in the left column. In the right column, list words that either rhyme with the target word or start with the same sound. Students then circle words from the story that rhyme and underline alliterations (words that start with the same sound). They then create a sentence that uses alliteration, which helps them understand and use literary devices. Additionally, switching between these three tasks requires students to use cognitive flexibility at both the letter-sound and meaning levels. We will have a deeper conversation about Cognitive Flexibility next month, so stay tuned.

You can use any decodable book or even a traditional storybook in a similar way by making lists of target words from the book and then finding words that rhyme.

ADDITIONAL FREEBIES

Two additional free phonological awareness activities, including applications for speech-language pathologists, will be available in my April 18th, 2025 newsletter for subscribers. You may sign up for my newsletter HERE. 

COR - The Components of Reading - Part 1 (Decoding)

Many different skills or Components of Reading and Writing (COR) are needed for students to become proficient readers and writers. In celebration of the recent release of my new resource, The Raven Remix Activity Book, I will explore a different component each month and share a free activity from one of my activity books to demonstrate how you can support student reading and writing. The bicycle diagram above shows how a wide range of skills can be addressed by starting with a book and using that context to improve content knowledge while simultaneously addressing literacy subskills.

This month my focus is decoding. If you have been following my blog or reading my newsletters, you know about my series of decodable books - HOT ROD (Higher Order Thinking through the Reading of Decodables) for grades 4-8. The Scope and Sequence most closely aligns with the Sounds-In-Syllables program which is based on the Science of Reading. The Scope and Sequence may be found on the Resource Menu on the Website. The chapter book Hank the Tank: Animal in the Spotlight may be accessed for free if you have a membership to Kindle Unlimited.

What you may not know is that each decodable chapter book also has a companion activity book to explore all of the components of reading typically addressed in a Structured Literacy Lesson such as flashcards for word reading practice, sentence reading, dictation, phonological awareness activities, vocabulary, and morphology with games and activities to support each area. In addition, therapists, tutors, classroom teachers, and parent educators can explore additional activities for sentence structure, paragraph writing, essay writing, creative writing, and more.

DECODING 

Most regular English words are based on six main syllable types. When students learn these syllable types and become proficient at breaking words down into manageable units, they are better equipped to tackle longer words. Level 3 of the HOT ROD series covers four syllable types: open, closed, consonant-le syllables, and the vowel teams, ee, and oo. What makes a book decodable is when stories include only the syllable types a student has previously been taught.  The Raven Remix: A Mashup of Poe Titles focuses on two-syllable words. The examples below of Open and Closed syllables emphasize those patterns in the first syllable of the word. Final consonant-Le is a pattern found at the end of words. 

Open Syllables - A vowel makes its open or long sound when nothing comes after the vowel in that syllable. (examples: silent, spiral, request, relax, broken, ladle, table, maple)

Closed Syllables - A vowel makes its closed or short sound when it is followed by a consonant. (examples: sudden, simple, socket, skillet, splendid, reddish, riddle, little, middle). In the first 6 words, the second syllable is also a closed syllable.

Consonant -le - This final stable syllable is found at the end of words (examples: ladle, table, maple, riddle, pickle, puzzle, riddle, kettle)

Vowel Teams - When two or more letters work together to make one vowel sound, it is a vowel team. There are several. Only oo and ee are used in Level 3. (examples: sleeping, creeping, greeted, book, wooden).

The Raven Remix Activity Book provides numerous ways to practice these words to prepare students to read them in the story found in The Raven Remix: A Mashup of Poe Titles. 

FREE ACTIVITY

The Long Vowel Word and Sentence Deck is a free Digital Resource at Boom (TM) Learning. You will need a free Boom account to use this activity. 

This deck includes a keyword and sound card for each long vowel along with words and sentences that may used for both reading and spelling practice. For dictation, read the content of each card to the student and instruct them to write the sentence.  

ADDITIONAL FREEBIES

Two additional free decoding activities, including Four-In-A-Row Gameboard for Final Consonant-le and Articulation Flashcards for Speech-Language Pathologists, will be available in my March 28th newsletter for subscribers. You may sign up for my newsletter HERE. 

COMING UP

To become proficient decoders, students need to practice distinguishing between the different graphemes (letters) and the phonemes (sounds) those letters represent. Next month we will discuss Phonological Awareness. English is a morphophonemic language. That means that in addition to understanding phonemes, students need to understand how morphology impacts both meaning and word pronunciation. Watch for that topic coming soon!

The Raven Remix Activity Book is a companion resource for The Raven Remix: A Mashup of Poe Titles from the HOT ROD Series of Decodable Books Level 3. Access to downloadable PDFs and online games explore over 50+ activities supporting decoding practice, reading comprehension, writing, and speech-language development. It is available on Amazon. 

Sign up HERE for the Carolee Dean, Author newsletter and receive a FREE digital copy of my book, No Gift for Man. You will also receive monthly updates, book news, and FREEBIES.

The Raven Remix - Just in Time for Halloween and Dyslexia Awareness Month

I'm thrilled to announce that my new decodable chapter book, The Raven Remix: A Mashup of Poe Titles will be available for purchase on October 15 in paperback and hardcover - Just in time for Halloween and Dyslexia Awareness Month! You can pre-order the e-book on Amazon. From now until January 2, 2025, you can preview the entire book for free on Net Galley and share the story with your students. If you do, please leave a review. That's the purpose of Net Galley. You may use the QR code above or use the NET GALLEY LINK. 

Here are directions for how to read Net Galley books on your computer - https://netgalley.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003979634-How-do-I-read-digital-review-copies-on-my-computer.

Here are some early reviews:

“Dean transforms the darker tones of Poe into imaginative humor and mystery. The Raven Remix remains true to Poe’s brilliant use of language, while this delightful, decodable poem provides readers access to the actual meaning of ‘language arts.’ Dean’s work of art is relatable and fun and supports all levels of readers. The Raven Remix can be used in reading instruction and vocabulary development with students from the 5^th/6^th grades and up, though younger students might enjoy hearing this poem for the lyric rhyming. - Paula Moraine, M. Ed. Author of Helping Students Take Control of Everyday Executive Functions-The Attention Fix and Autism and Everyday Executive Functions

 
“The Raven Remix will help increase your students’ reading skills while inspiring a sense of wonder. It combines the research, the poetry of storytelling, and a compelling narrative to weave a thought-provoking book perfect for students in 5^th grade and higher. Dean has provided a simple introduction to Poe’s exciting work while increasing awareness of the lifelong resilience that many students need. It should be on every classroom shelf.” - Cynthia Barton, LSP, MA, PA, School Psychologist

“Weltner’s grayscale illustrations effectively match the grim tone of Poe’s “The Raven,” and their cartoonish style will engage young readers and improve their comprehension of the text…An unusual alternative introduction to Poe…” Kirkus Reviews

Krista Weltner created the cover image for the Raven Remix and the Illustrations. One of her illustrations from the book is below. A young man visits the Ed A. P. Book Stop, Pet Shop, Inn & Grill to be greeted by a most unusual host. The boy opens a book, and animals from various Poe short stories emerge. The background section includes exciting facts about Poe's life and interesting theories about his death.

Krista is a talented young artist with dyslexia. See the INTERVIEW I did with her last October for Dyslexia Awareness Month when her picture book series came out.

Watch this blog for a month full of scary stories and Poe Trivia. His death is still one of the great unsolved mysteries, but many intriguing theories have developed over the years.

Sign up HERE for the Carolee Dean, Author newsletter and receive a FREE digital copy of my book, No Gift for Man. You will also receive monthly updates, book news, and FREEBIES.