The cornerstone of our reading program here at Downtown Elementary
is our state-of-the-art bookroom, which features thousands of leveled texts
that can be matched to each student's instructional or independent reading
level. The books range from levels 1 to level 50 , providing literature for
preschoolers to fifth graders in all genres: non-fiction, realistic
fiction, historical fiction, mysteries, folk tales, fantasy, science fiction,
biographies, autbiographies, poetry and more. We are extremely fortunate to
have this valuable resource available to us.

Our goal as reading teachers is to help struggling readers better
comprehend, and thus enjoy printed text by exposing them to numerous books
at their instructional level. We do this in Guided Reading Sessions, which
are small groups of students (5-10 depending on the need) with similiar
needs who read on the same level. Each lesson starts with a warm-up
activity (which varies) and a mini-lesson (in which a skill is introduced or
reviewed). As children read, I use a variety of techniques to help them
decode and comprehend the text, encouraging them to use the "reading tools"
at their disposal. These "tools" include but are not limited to decoding
through phonic analysis, using context clues for decoding and
comprehending, examining word structure (base word/prefixes and suffixes),
scanning for detail, focusing on the skills taught in the mini-lesson, and
numerous questioning and lively conversation throughout the lesson. Time
permitting, we conclude the lesson with a short follow-up activity (which
will vary based upon the book we have read).

To determine which children need help, we use a variety of
assessments. A running reading record is taken, which determines the
students reading level. MAP scores, CRCT scores, report card grades,
homeroom teacher observation/evaluation, and conversations with children are
all used to help us identify struggling readers. Children are grouped as
described above. Throughout the year, we continue to assess each student.
As student needs change, so do the groupings.Sometimes, children are added
to an existing group. Other times, a child may have made enough progress so
that he/she is no longer in need of extra help.

For additional information about the reading program, please see the
FAQ page.


If you have any questions about the reading program, please feel
free to e-mail, and we will promptly respond.

"CHILDREN LEARN TO READ BY READING CONTINUOUS TEXT THAT IS
INTERESTING AND APPROPRIATE TO THEIR LEVEL." --MARIE CLAY