First graders who are not on grade level by the end of the year have a 1 in 10 chance of ever achieving grade level reading proficiency. (Linda Katz 2000 Children's Literacy Initiative. Importance of Investing in Literacy http://www.cliontheweb.org/investing1/html.)
The purpose of this LibGuide is to provide a variety of resources for children, parents, teachers, and administrators who are involved in elementary level reading instruction. Classroom teachers face many challenges as they teach children to read. Classrooms are increasingly diverse, we have budgetary constraints that limit staffing and increase class size, and the demands of the curriculum are very rigorous. New teachers often have to find their own resources for learning to teach reading. Societal changes have caused more children to enter school without the background knowledge and basic skills necessary to learn to read. My goal in this project is to have a ready reference for all new and experienced teachers to use to implement an effective reading program. This guide can be a resource for administrators to use as they implement research based best practice teaching methods. Parents can use this guide to help their children with reading at home. Children can use this guide to practice reading and writing skills, and to explore books and authors.
Statistics on Literacy
The literacy crisis today is as pervasive and alarming as it was in 1971 when Sesame Workshop created the first version of The Electric Company. We know that if struggling readers don’t get the literacy help they need by the end of second grade, they are in danger of never catching up.
Overall 27% of public school 4th graders score BELOW basic
levels on reading exams.1
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During the critical early years of cognitive development,
many impoverished children lack opportunities to build their literacy
skills. They generally hear 30 million fewer words by age three than
their more privileged peers do (due to a limited experience of being
spoken or read aloud to). When these disadvantaged children start
kindergarten, they are already well behind their more affluent peers in
terms of vocabulary knowledge. Without effective intervention, this
“literacy gap” grows wider as years pass.2 |
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1st graders who are not on grade level by the end of the
year have a 1 in 10 chance of ever achieving grade level reading
proficiency.3 |
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The first three grades are the time to learn basic literary
skills. When children enter the fourth grade, they are expected to use
these skills to tackle information that is new to them. In other words,
in grades one, two and three children are expected to learn to read.
After that, they read to learn unfamiliar and more difficult content.
This is one reason why we often hear teachers talk about “the fourth
grade wall” – an obstacle too formidable for many kids to scale.4 |
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In 2003, as many as five percent of adults over the age of
16 (11 million adults) were non-literate in English, 14 percent (30
million) were below basic in literacy, and another 29 percent (63
million) possessed only basic literacy skills.5 |
1U.S.
Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National
Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP), 2007 Reading Assessment.
2Hart, B. and Risley, T., The 30 Million Word Gap.
American Educator, Spring 2003.
3Katz,
Linda. 2000. Children’s Literacy Initiative. Importance of Investing in
Literacy. http://www.cliontheweb.org/investing1.html
4U.S. Department of Education, Institute of
Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2007 Reading Assessment.
5U.S. Department of Education,
Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education
Statistics, 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
A troubling report released by the Education Department suggests that a shocking number of Americans can barely read. One in seven American adults lack sufficient reading skills. Seth Doane reports.
Being literate has moved beyond just being able to read and write.
Watch a video of Will Smith accompanied by DJ Jazzy Jeff in a motivational speech about why running and reading are the two most important things in life.
I have taught 2nd grade in Ashland, Wisconsin for 18 years. I have a Masters Degree in Instruction, I have taken intensive reading instruction courses, and work with struggling readers on a daily basis. I continually strive to learn more about teaching reading in order to provide the best instruction for my students. Each year we have children entering primary school without the early literacy skills that are necessary for them to learn to read. I created this LibGuide to provide a variety of information that will help students, parents, and educators to improve student literacy.
Which best describes you?
Which best describes you?
How often do you read for pleasure?