1.4 Reading behaviors
A blank sheet of paper or blank running record sheet, a pencil, and a carefully selected text are all the materials needed to capture a student’s reading behaviors. The reading behaviors — including the student’s physical actions such as eye and hand movements as well as verbal responses — are valuable information to the teacher.
Words read as expected
The teacher records a check on the blank paper for each word read as expected (as written in the text), recording the same number of tracking symbols per line as the text has words. For example, the following text, if read as expected, would be noted on the recording sheet with five check marks as in the diagram below.
- Text:
- Aunt Kay! said Little Joe.
- Running record:
Recording errors
When a reader makes an error — that is, a deviation from the text that the student does not correct — the teacher must record the error. Errors are recorded with symbols that match the type of response given.
Substitution
The student substitutes another word for the word printed in the text.
- Text:
- Aunt Kay went into the house.
- Child read aloud:
- Aunt Kay went into the home.
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- Running record:
Omission
The student omits a word printed in the text.
- Text:
- She brought us some flowers from her garden.
- Child read aloud:
- She brought some flowers from her garden.
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- Running record:
Insertion
The student reads aloud a word that is not printed in the text.
- Text:
- She placed the flowers in water.
- Child read aloud:
- She placed the flowers in a vase of water.
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- Running record:
Appeal for help
The student appeals to the teacher for help.
- Text:
- Aunt Kay is a magician with plants.
- Child read aloud:
- Aunt Kay is a…what is that word? I don’t know it.
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- Running record:
If the child pauses before appealing for help for a length of time the teacher deems significant — 15 seconds or more — the teacher may record the pause as well as the appeal.
- Running record:
Additional behaviors
Some reading behaviors are not errors, but are nonetheless noteworthy as they give insights into the cueing systems used by the reader. [Link to section on cueing systems] A reader may exhibit the following reading behaviors during or leading up to an error. These behaviors may also be during or leading up to a self-correction. Self-corrections are not errors and provide critical information about the reader. [link to section on self-corrections]
Repeating words
The student repeats words read correctly before continuing the passage.
- Text:
- Aunt Kay will bring vegetables to plant tomorrow.
- Child read aloud:
- Aunt Kay will bring, Aunt Kay will bring vegetables to plant tomorrow.
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- Running record:
Multiple attempts
The student makes multiple attempts to read a word aloud, and the teacher feels that intervention is necessary. The teacher may encourage the child to try again when meaning seems to be lost, yet the child continues reading.
- Text:
- Vegetables will be fun to harvest.
- Child read aloud:
- V-V-V- very, vegetarian, veterinarian will be fun to harvest.
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- Running record:
Self-correction
The student reads a word incorrectly, then corrects herself.
- Text:
- We can make a vegetable soup.
- Child read aloud:
- We can make a vegetable soap, soup.
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- Running record:
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By Jeanne Gunther.
