All children learn at their own pace, and many young students face a variety of challenges when learning to read. Those students who experience ongoing reading difficulties should be identified as early as possible and should begin an early reading intervention program that can help to reduce or even prevent permanent reading difficulties.
It is not uncommon to find groups of students at varying levels of reading proficiency, even at the elementary grade level. Kindergarten-Grade 2 teachers can find it difficult to balance the day-to-day classroom curriculum while also dedicating time and resources needed to help struggling students. That’s where a research based phonics program comes in.
Using phonemic awareness is one of the best ways to predict a student’s ability to read fluently. Phonemic awareness is the ability to clearly hear and differentiate speech sounds and is a critical key to our understanding of what we read. Therefore, in an elementary classroom, a phonemic awareness program is an important tool to help students reach their full learning potential. Phonemic awareness is a cognitive skill consisting of three distinct levels:
Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered method of instruction and academic support for struggling learners. The RTI reading program and math program are the most prevalent, however, the RTI model is sometimes applied to behavioral intervention as well. The RTI method is highly effective and used by teachers and school administrators across North America. However, it is important to choose a well-researched program and know how to avoid some of the most common problems when using a reading intervention program.
It can be said that ELL students work twice as hard in the classroom. They work to keep up with their daily lessons, while also working to learn and understand the English language. It can be a frustrating and disheartening scenario for students and teachers alike.
As more families make North America their home, the need for quality ELL resources for elementary students continues to rise. In fact, the Toronto District School Board estimates that more than 50% of students speak a language other than English in their home.
Dr. Seuss famously penned, “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
It is no coincidence that at the age of 10 or so, many students seem to experience new challenges with reading. Even kids who previously held high marks in reading may see a decline in grades and begin to feel more challenged by their lessons. This phenomenon, known as the “fourth grade reading slump” is a common occurrence with students at this grade level.
There are many reasons to instill a lifelong love of reading in our kids. It builds their vocabulary of course and helps with areas such as language fluency. Students who love to read are likely to have a more expansive background knowledge on the subject at hand. But academics aside, a love of reading can open the doorway to unbridled imagination and virtually limitless potential.
Research indicates that students acquire decoding and reading comprehension skills at the same time, but these skills develop independently of the other. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically perform at average or above-average levels when it comes to decoding written language, and are generally better at sounding out and identifying words than understanding what it is they have read.