If a school were using RM NOT as a stand-alone, what would they be using alongside it?
On Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 1:27 PM, Amy McGovern < [email protected]> wrote: > > The code for the English language is the same. The rules for decoding are > the same. The letters look different but they are the same letters. > Struggling readers do very well with this because the changed print helps > them remember the code faster and practice it with greater success. Amy > McGovern> Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:55:57 -0600> From: [email protected]> To: > [email protected]> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Reading Mastery, > etcetera> > To my way of thinking , this approach makes no sense at all, > especially for struggling readers. Why make those who are having trouble > breaking the code learn another code ? Of course they are confused. They are > cfonfused about what real reading is. To be sure , struggling readers need a > systematic way to understand the way words work, but that is one small part > of what makes one a reader. Real text makes a reader because there is a > reciprocal process that is always there between the reader and the text.> I > would not recommend such an approach to anyone wanting to help improve the > quality of instuction for students.> > ________________________________> > > From: [email protected] on behalf of Amy McGovern> Sent: > Wed 1/28/2009 1:26 PM> To: [email protected]> Subject: Re: > [MOSAIC] Reading Mastery, etcetera> > > > > As someone who taught Reading > Mastery and now trains and consults on these programs I can share that in > all my schools, we have never boxed up trade books or classroom libraries. > Children need the experience of reading trade books. Indeed, I think we all > agree that students should read and be read to from a variety of books. The > goals of teachers who thoughtfully use Direct Instruction programs are the > same as the goals of teachers who use Guided Reading or any other > methodology or pedagogy. We all want to teach children to read well and to > love reading. To do this effectively, students should have access to a rich > variety of books. Here are some insights on what Beverlee is referring to > below. Again, please know that I do not personally or professionally > advocate the boxing up of any trade books. If administrators are concerned > about confusing the students because trade books are in the room where > Reading Mastery is being taught, the answer is to provide more top quality > staff development and classroom coaching- not to remove the books. There are > differences to how early reading is taught in DI vs. a Guided Reading > approach (for example). Is there potential for confusion if primary students > are getting lessons in both? Yes. Can that be overcome? Yes. But it takes > training and a willingness to make some changes in how the GR lesson is > taught to the fragile learner or very young learner. The teacher's guide for > Reading Mastery (RMI classic) does not advocate mixing RM with other forms > of instruction. Having said that, Trade books and DI can and should happily > co-exist. There are two big differences that come to mind when thinking > about Trade books and the storybooks used in Reading Mastery levels 1 and 2. > To begin with, K, 1st and 2nd grade students who are in Reading Mastery > levels 1 and 2 are reading material that is written with a modified > orthography. That means that the print looks different. The students are > taught to sound out words as their first way of approaching an unfamiliar > word. To make this easier for the students, the 40 sound symbols in the > English Language are written in such a way that they look visually > different. Each sound/symbol is explicitly taught and practiced. Spelling > always remains correct. Letters that are not pronounced when a word is > sounded out are written smaller. Beginning in RM2, the print begins to > transition back to "normal". By the end of RM2, students are reading stories > written with regular print. Another significant difference between trade > book and the storybooks in RM1: the pictures in the storybook are > intentionally put on the 2nd page. They are hidden from view while the > children are reading the story for the first few times. The purpose of this > is to help the students focus on the text. The story is read 2 to 3 times > before the picture is given attention. The goal is to get the students to be > accurate, appropriately fluent, then ask comprehension questions-- and > finally to enjoy the picture. It may also be relevant to point out that the > text of these stories is intentionally controlled so that students > experience high levels of success continuously. I am only scratching the > surface of the details and procedures in RM. My hope is that you can see, > with the vast knowledge base on this site, a few of the difference between a > balanced lit approach to early reading and what happens in an early RM > lesson. The fact that there are differences between the two approaches is ok > because some kids need the design of RM to become successful readers. With > all this in mind, I have found that children in Reading Mastery 1 and 2 > benefit from taking what they are learning to do very well-- and > practicing/applying these skills while reading thoughtfully chosen trade > books or leveled readers. When done well, this type of practice only > reinforces the transfer of skills from Reading Mastery to all types of > reading material. This is the goal. My own experience is that primary kids > in RM confidently pull high interest books off the shelves and give them a > try. Reading Mastery has empowered them. They see themselves as readers > because they are. I hope this information helps. Amy McGovernEducational > ConsultantDirect Instruction Trainer and Coach since 2001.> Date: Wed, 28 > Jan 2009 06:46:55 -0700> From: [email protected]> To: > [email protected]> Subject: [MOSAIC] Reading Mastery, etcetera> > > Hi all - I'd like to ask a question that affects everyone interested in> > teaching comprehension, especially in a release to independence format. Do> > any of you know of any instances where schools have adopted Reading Mastery> > or another Direct Instruction program and have been forced to eliminate the> > use of trade books in classrooms (or, alternately, very limited> > participation in a library program) in order to use comprehension > strategies> (or other strategies, actually) in the classroom? I think I > remember> someone on this list serve saying that the principal and > curriculum director> came by and loaded up all the trade books so they > didn't "confuse" the K,> 1, and maybe 2 grade students. Help, please. Bev> > _______________________________________________> Mosaic mailing list> > [email protected]> To unsubscribe or modify your membership > please go to> > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.> > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.>> > _________________________________________________________________> Windows > Live(tm) Hotmail(R)...more than just e-mail.> > http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t2_hm_justgotbetter_howitworks_012009> > _______________________________________________> Mosaic mailing list> > [email protected]> To unsubscribe or modify your membership > please go to> > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.> > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.> > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Windows Live™ Hotmail(R):…more than just e-mail. > > http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t2_hm_justgotbetter_explore_012009 > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. 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