From the desk of Claudia Allan, Principal [mail to:callan@seattleschools.org]

Using Best Practices to Encourage High, Sustainable Reading Gains

There’s significant research about what to do and what not to do to ensure that students enjoy reading, thereby improving their reading skills and their test scores, without teaching to the test!

Let’s Do What Works!

“Students who voluntarily read for their own pleasure improve their reading skills and their test scores at a much faster rate than those who do not.”

We know that when students are deeply interested in what they’re reading, they use more of their brain power to learn and remember and their reading improves rapidly.

Five Effective Reading Strategies

#1 Teaching reading based upon children’s reading style strengths rather than their disabilities. Kids benefit from high-interest and powerful modeling of texts… so continue to share your excitement of books with your child; they’re never too old for read-alouds.

#2 Reduce Stress. Encourage reading for pleasure as part of your regular family routine. Youngsters enjoy re-reading favorite books and this is a great way for them to build their fluency and confidence.

#3 Use Powerful Modeling Reading Methods. Try having a competent reader read aloud a portion of a high-interest, somewhat challenging story, while the less able reader listens and looks at the words being read. After several repetitions, the less able reader reads the passage aloud. Try paired reading (taking turns), choral reading (reading aloud at the same time), and listening to recorded books to help beginning and at-risk readers improve their comprehension and help them read more smoothly and effortlessly. This method helps kids bypass the decoding process, read fluently, and read for meaning.

#4 Use Books on Tape. Have your child listen to a passage and follow along with a book recorded on tape/disk several times. Then have a discussion with him/her about the passage. Next have your child read a portion aloud. As students continue to read high-interest stories, they build their capacity for reading sight words such as “am, then, but” within the context of these high interest stories.

#5 Provide Student-Responsive Environments. Young children and at-risk readers in particular---tend to be global, tactile, and hands-on learners. Provide such children with comfortable seating, lots of movement, and varied lighting.

If you have any questions or ideas about your child’s learning, feel free to email me at callan@seattleschools.org. I’ll try to respond to you as soon as possible. I generally don’t read my school mail on weekends or during vacations, which includes the month of July.