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Mrs. Phyllis Brady |
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 READING
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT OUR SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM 1. How does It shares the same goals as most other reading programs – to teach the child to read independently, enjoy his reading, and think creatively about what he has read. Reading Mastery sequences in a different manner the skills needed to reach those goals. The small-step teaching in each lesson is a big difference. Children master each lesson before going on to another one. This explains the different pacing and why the children are in many different places in the program. 2. How are children grouped for teaching Very much as you would for any reading program, with children who can learn and remember at about the same rate placed in the same group. 3. Do students remain in the same group all year? No. Children move up and down to keep pace with their learning and remembering. 4. What are the major skills taught in Reading Mastery? There are three major skills taught in the 320 lessons that comprise Reading Mastery I and II. Mastering these skills has enabled most children to test at a minimum third grade level when they have completed the 320 lessons. a. The skill of unlocking, attacking, or decoding words. b. The skill of reading and demonstrating ability to answer oral comprehension questions based on the reading. c. The skill of reading independently and demonstrating the ability to answer written comprehension questions based on the reading. 5. What is the advantage of direct instruction? The teacher receives immediate feedback, so that if the children have not learned what was taught, the teacher can reteach it. 6. How long are the children in Reading Mastery? The program is published in 2 levels. Most Reading Mastery readers will complete levels I and II. Children move through the program as fast as they can. Some will complete the program in two years. At the end of level II, a child’s reading level is middle second grade or better. 7. Will this kind of reading program hamper my child’s creativity? The Reading Mastery philosophy is that a child needs certain basic skills before he can realize his full creative potential. The program is designed to teach these basic skills at a rapid rate. Reports from teachers, parents, and administrators, as well as from test scores show they seem to be applying their skills creatively. One of the more recent research findings stresses the imporance of onset and rimes. The Onset is the part of the syllable before the vowel (usually a consonant), before a rime. For example in the word poke, "p" is the onset and "oke" is the rime. These are easier for beginning readers than trying to learn vowels sounds in isolation. The patterns remain constant and it is easy for children to detect familiar structures.500 primary words are derived from these 37 rimes ack ail ain ake ale ame an ank ap ash at ate aw ay eat ell est ice ick ight ill in ine ing ink ip it ock ode oke op ore ot uck ug ump unk c. Heather Sellens, Ed.D. thanks to R. Routman I suggest that you take these 37 rimes and write them up seperately on index cards. Use these 37 "flashcards" and practice them until they can say the sounds quickly... as quickly as they can say their names. Thank you! |
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